THE NEW VANGUARD! HAUNT Issue #11 with Special Guest Star Steeplejack!

Haunt fishes about for the stones he knows are there.

They seemed to have evolved, being encapsulated in a crystal orb with 'lightning' sparking inside towards a tiny fragment in the middle which must be a time stone. Doing it this way, melding technology with magic, must mean they are more able to hand more of them out. A quick test ... by crushing one ... Sees a Muton vanish, because the range is much shortened now! The others are quickly powdered and he has only a handful of tiny pebbles in his palm with all the aliens having vanished.

Steeplejack sees no traps nor does he sense any. The boy is frightened but comes out with the kindly hero and climbs the steps into the back garden. The heroes have saved the boy and must get him to the cafe near the Eiffel tower but what about the two Advent strongholds in the city - the sewers and the warehouse...?

The Haunt keeps the crushed stones. They might be useful for something someday to someone.

"Hi! I'm called the Haunt," he says to the little boy after Steeplejack brings him out. "We know your big brother and we are going to take you to him right now."

He looks over Steeplejack's tore clothes.

"Doubt we will have much luck getting a cab the way you two look so ... don't be afraid but I am going to do a magic trick! Watch closely!"

"Alakazam! Shazam! Open Sesame!" he waves his arms hypnotically and ... With a puff of his Fog powers encasing him for a few seconds, when it fades away, there sits a tandem bicycle, where a bell might be on the handlebars, sits a tiny Haunt head.

"OK, get on and let's get to the cafe and his people," he says in a tiny voice, slowly turning his head to look at the two.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"OK, get on and let's get to the cafe and his people," he says in a tiny voice, slowly turning his head to look at the two.

Steeplejack did his best to stifle a laugh, before doing as he was told and riding with the boy safely to the cafe. As they moved he spoke to Haunt..."We need to take out those other strongholds, they are both manufacturing munition in huge quantities, so it's not just taking out key people its majorly altering timelines with new tec as well.

Sj

The strange white bicycle zipped through the near empty streets.

The other two Advent strongholds in the centre of Paris would present a huge problem in a short time. The Chrysallids were insect like but required a human host to gestate eggs in after infecting a hapless target. The other place with the Thin Man in charge overseeing the manufacture of guns would be delayed thanks to the fire Steeplejack had set but he'd just delayed them.

Leaving them to their plans would doom Paris... France... the continent...

Arriving at the square they saw the late night cafe with a light on. Music played somewhere as a busker fiddled and the strange trio made their way unmolested to the rendezvous point. Agent 17 was in the corner and sipping on a glass of wine. Steeplejack and Haunt weren't new at this and noted that most - possibly all - of the half dozen patrons were accomplices of agent 17.

"Gentlemen." said the woman, arching an eyebrow and looking the boy over.

"I'm impressed. We encountered just one of the things you faced and it slaughtered a dozen men. Dragged some of them off into the sewers." She waved a hand, the cafe owner pulled curtains across the windows and a sign on the door saying 'fermé' and some of the patrons got up to inspect and check the boy over before Agent 17 stood. "Before midnight, as required. The boy is safe, word shall be passed to the Prince that you are indeed men of talent and honour and that he would be well advised to ally with you. I cannot foresee any problems. Your ride - Aetos - awaits with Mr Rashid in the river Seine."

Admin wrote:"I'm impressed. We encountered just one of the things you faced and it slaughtered a dozen men. Dragged some of them off into the sewers." She waved a hand, the cafe owner pulled curtains across the windows and a sign on the door saying 'fermé' and some of the patrons got up to inspect and check the boy over before Agent 17 stood. "Before midnight, as required. The boy is safe, word shall be passed to the Prince that you are indeed men of talent and honour and that he would be well advised to ally with you. I cannot foresee any problems. Your ride - Aetos - awaits with Mr Rashid in the river Seine."

"Thank you, but before we leave you should know there is a much bigger problem at hand here. One that we think you're going to need help with..."

Pulling up a chair after making sure the young lad was seen to. Steeplejack motioned to his friend to tell of his encounters in the sewers before he recounted his with the factory.

OOC: Dave feel free to chip in here, just had to write this before going out again.

Sj

"Found the Advent in the sewers," The Haunt says, helping himself to the coffee and rolls at nearby tables. "Don't know if you were briefed on them but they are aliens from another planet who have invaded the future. They came pretending to be Good Samaritans who helped out the world when a rash of giant monsters attacked all the important cities and capitals of the world, causing untold death and destruction. Most of the world accepted their promised to rebuild and give them new technologies and medicines, advancing Mankind centuries into the future technologically speaking. For Free! You know what that means when someone wants to improve your life for FREE don't you?"

"They have strange powers and abilities and weapons that even Steeplejack and I don't know how they work. They are laying eggs of insect monsters, using humans as their hosts in the sewers. Your team was probably used for that purpose. I found numerous bodies of Parisian criminals down there, ready to be their food. They are also shipping futuristic weapons out to somewhere from down there."

"Steeplejack and I will be hard pressed to try and destroy both these places working together. We need allies. Tell your Prince that we need him to get word to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a League he has been asked to join, that we need some help. Fast! Even a few days wait could be too late."

The Agent raised an eyebrow, tapping a finger on the table. She spoke in a language neither heroes recognised and two of the cafe patrons ran off through a back door.

"The Prince has his own problems and intends to take the fight to Moriarty now that his brother has been rescued. The British Empire has long held his people under their booted heel and must be taught the error of their ways. The people of India need to be govern the choice, to stay as they are or be elevated in a new country under the leadership of Prince Dakkar. I say that because you have earned his trust and you need to understand that though he owes you, he owes millions of people too." she explains.

"However, that said it is in mankinds best interests that these creatures should not proliferate and gain a foothold in the major cities of the world. With that in mind you shall be provided... men, arms, vehicles, dogs... Unfortunately without more time many of the Princes' more ... ambitious projects ... are not available. Rest assured the Prince shall give you his personal attention once matters are resolved in London."

Admin wrote:"However, that said it is in mankinds best interests that these creatures should not proliferate and gain a foothold in the major cities of the world. With that in mind you shall be provided... men, arms, vehicles, dogs... Unfortunately without more time many of the Princes' more ... ambitious projects ... are not available. Rest assured the Prince shall give you his personal attention once matters are resolved in London."

Steeplejack raised an eyebrow and Haunt and wondered what they'd stumbled into. But they had to put out one fire at a time. They couldn't risk even one of the Advent aliens getting lose, as it could start another avalanche of problems further down the time line.

Steeplejack nodded to the agent, "Righto, we'll we'd best get to it, we need to get back to England and have use of the Princes' resources if we're to finish our primary mission. What do you fancy hitting first ole bean the factory or the sewers?"

Sj

"Already need a bath so the sewers sound good to me," the Haunt replies.

Making their way across Paris by midnight the pair avoided patrols of patrols of what passed for police to dodge any awkward questions.

Getting back to the sewer the smell assaulted both first but obviously Haunt was somewhat used to it by now. Neither had any troubled going down the manhole cover and into the sewers and soon they were presented with the choice of corridors, water roaring making it harder to hear each other. Steeplejack, despite not being able to change into a snake like Haunt, was more than agile enough to crouch and feel no discomfort and the pair considered the options at the fork...

1) Used a lot mostly by booted human feet - Haunt explains this is a site where a number of bodies have been dumped and little else is of interest.
2) Used by a mix of human booted feet and that weird thing - Two Mutons, A thin man and a Faceless are to be found down this tunnel. They are overseeing what looked to be enslaved humans (18 of those) who load boxes of Ammunition up and seal them before they are dispatched down that tunnel to someone awaiting collection.
3) used seemingly only by the weird thing and not very often at that - five Chrysallids watch gestating eggs and the source of the food for the creatures appears to have been the unfortunates down tunnel 1. It's very warm in there and the creatures are defensive/dangerous. Watch out!

"Take out the eggs and then save the people or save the people and then destroy the eggs, which way do you want to do it," the Haunt asks Steeplejack.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Take out the eggs and then save the people or save the people and then destroy the eggs, which way do you want to do it," the Haunt asks Steeplejack.

Steeplejack nodded it was Haunt's shout, he'd been here before so he deserved to make the call. He was good with what his friend felt right about.

OOC: Let's go.

Sj

"Okay, then let's go save the prisoners and take down the Thin Man and his gun and his crew," The Haunt decides, not wanting him to show up behind him while fighting the insects and trying to destroy the eggs.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Okay, then let's go save the prisoners and take down the Thin Man and his gun and his crew," The Haunt decides, not wanting him to show up behind him while fighting the insects and trying to destroy the eggs.

"Hmm you make a good point, my friend. That thin man and their depowering gun, if we get caught by that we'd really be in trouble and so would our present. OK lead the way, we're right behind.

Sj

ooc:  Did the previous Thin Man's gun disappear when he went back to the future or do we have one of our own to use?

OOC Apologies meant to update this first but because I posted last night saying that I'd run out of time I thought I'd updated then... forgot that I hadn't doh!

Haunt and Steeplejack crept down the tunnel, Haunt finding it easier because snakes were slim and fit down tunnels easier!

However, Steeplejack was more agile than the best contortionist and made a good pace though his tuxedo was now completely thoroughly ruined! The sewer exited into a wider area where a number of tunnels converged under the city and served to direct flow down a much larger exit to the Seine downriver.

A rusted barred grill blocked the exit from the tunnel but would prove no hindrance to Haunt. It may make noise if Steeplejack tore it apart.

The people inside would notice though.

Peering through the grill they saw a Thin Man like that which they'd encountered before and it was overseeing a dozen or so normally dressed people though they had some kind of weird metal mesh/web on their heads. They were packing boxes which seemed to be ordinary wooden crates until they were bagged up with what seemed to be plastic bags which were then heat shrunk to seal, then given another two layers.

In the boxes were small boxes, and as Haunt pointed out, these were ammunition. By the wall was stacked high mountains of the stuff. Glancing around they counted...

Two Mutons with their laser rifles
1 Faceless, stood in the corner watching proceedings even as it oozed and glowered menacingly.
1 Thin Man with that terrible power sapping gun! Beware!
12 citizens, looking very much like they were mind controlled and used as slave labour!

From where the pair watched from there was a distance of about fifty feet across the chamber to the Mutons, closest guards that they were. The sound of roaring water might well cover the sound of their passing but that rusted grate...

Two Mutons with their laser rifles
1 Faceless, stood in the corner watching proceedings even as it oozed and glowered menacingly.
1 Thin Man with that terrible power sapping gun! Beware!
12 citizens, looking very much like they were mind controlled and used as slave labour!

From where the pair watched from there was a distance of about fifty feet across the chamber to the Mutons, closest guards that they were. The sound of roaring water might well cover the sound of their passing but that rusted grate...


ooc: is it locked so we could try lockpicking or just bolted into the wall? If it is bolted, couldn't Steeplejack move the "earth" around the bolts to loosen them up enough to pull the gate away with little noise? He knows that power better than I do so I just wonder.

Also is the water deep enough here that the Haunt could go along the bottom until he gets to Mr. Thin Man, then reach out with tentacles, grab him and pull him into the sewer water where he can be squeezed into submission [Captain Nemo/20,000 Leagues Under the Sea/Giant Squid - seems like a natural to me]

Yeah, I remember getting T-boned on the way to see my first client of the day, banged up and bruised and the car was totaled. took all day to get everything lined up including going back into the office to fill out the official injury report.

Admin wrote:OOC 1) Earth Control would probably be ideal to loosen the mountings for the rusted grill blocking the sewer tunnel
2) Haunt can easily slip between the bars as a snake and be under the water

We'll wait for Dave to update (I think he mentioned his car had ended up in a ditch which really ruins your day if I recall from experience...)

OOC: Car fine, thanks to the AA, anyway back on track now.

Steeplejack examined the wall mountings and using his Earth moving powers sought to loosen the structure from its mounting one bolt at a time till with a heave he lifted the grate out slowly putting it to one side to allow them access.

Moving forward he nodded to Haunt that he was ready to pounce when he was. Steeplejack had his eye on the thin man first but saw Haunt intended to try and sneak up on him if the culvert went far enough for him to go unnoticed underwater. If the lay of the land didn't allow for that Steeplejack was ready to pounce on him, otherwise, he'd face whoever was next of the gruesome gallery of ghouls.

Sj

"I'll pull Thin Man down into the sewer water and try to squeeze him unconscious," Haunt whispers to Steeplejack. "Let's see him try to blast us while trying to breath sewer water, and resist squeezing and shoot at the same time. Be ready to take him out if I fail."

"You attack when I grab him. Ready?"

DavidMcMahon wrote:"I'll pull Thin Man down into the sewer water and try to squeeze him unconscious," Haunt whispers to Steeplejack.  "Let's see him try to blast us while trying to breath sewer water, and resist squeezing and shoot at the same time.  Be ready to take him out if I fail."

"You attack when I grab him.  Ready?"

Steeplejack nodded his agreement and readiness.

Sj

Haunt stretches across the distance with giant grabbers as the Thin Man gapes!

OOC Despite their fearsome weaponry the Thin Men are probably the easiest to take down. Mind you the Lore Knights (in the other thread) might think otherwise after the mauling they just got...

Dex 10 + 6D weaponry + range penalty (none, I assume telescopic peepers) + Roll(8d12)+0: 7,2,7,1,12,3,11,11,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,4,+0 Total:8 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,7,+0 Total:41 (51) vs
OV12 - 4 surprise + diff 3 + no skill dice (surprise) + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,5,+0 Total:13 (24)
+7 (to 22) vs RV6 + diff 3=13 RAPs. Thin Man is DOWN and OUT!

Haunt drags the Thin Man over, about to hand him to Steeplejack to pound into the floor, only to discover the frail thin form is unconscious!

Steeplejack sees the others spin - the tall faceless and the tall ish (compared to the towering Faceless) but stocky Mutons!

OOC Choice of targets. Steep will have to get up close and personal. You have 5 attack dice this round from surprise. Maybe... Multi attack and crit blow on all three (bear in mind that difficulty though. You'd need a double...)