The NEW Vanguard TEAM UP! Haunt Issue #13 with special guest star Steeplejack!

"It appears we are getting closer to our prey." said Sherlock Holmes, drawing on his pipe. The smoke from the exhalation mixed with the cold.

"Where are we Holmes?" asked Watson, huffing and puffing in the thin air.

His friend raised an eyebrow and glanced at his friend. "Where indeed my learned friend? A place where civilisation has ended and given way to endless hills and plains, where barabaric peoples ride on horseback with blades drawn to use on the unwary." said the great detective.

Captain Savage stooped out of the tent and sighed, rubbing his hands and blowing into them. "Baron Alucard can travel no further. His injuries should have made some improvement. Instead his condition worsens. Mina Harker insists they must remain or turn back. She was... most insistent."

Holmes nodded. "Then when our companions return we must make a decision."

=========

John Carter (of Mars) crouched on the hillside peering over the crest.

He considered where he was now, in the south of some place called Russia. The last couple of weeks had been a headlong dash from place to place. It had not been easy going. The prey had been cunning, laying trap after trap, ambush after ambush. Somehow Steeplejack had known about the danger before time in most cases. It hadn't helped when weapons of the future had been used, along with creatures that were like giant spiders, but more deadly. The others that looked like ordinary people then seemed to melt, grow...

Then it was discovered that they'd been laid a false trail by using empowered trinkets to ... funnel... Alucard and to a lesser extent Mina. The Baron had finally seen through it and here they were, staring at a castle on a mountain top.



Beside him were Carter and Gibb, the mysterious time travelling heroes who could perform the impossible, defy the inevitable, astound the most cynical of observers... Like him they were coated in dust from the road. Through wind and rain, storm, flood and hail... more besides, they had led the group by example. Each had been tested along the way, but now they hoped their quarry was in sight. That distant castle apparently. Alucard had said he could travel no closer. His colour had paled even more, the wounds from the fire festering, he wasted away before the eyes daily and refused even blood. He seemed determined to guide the party but the personal cost to him would be his own existence.

His reasoning was simple. He acknowledged that his existence was an affront to the laws of nature and that his foul nature was a curse that should be ended... but the people with the Grail were more evil still and had found a way to harness the magic to their will, at least in a limited fashion. If they completed that process... They would visit upon the world a cloak of darkness greater even than Dracula himself could manage and that would not do.

Carter and Gibb shared glances. They'd been led a merry trail, that was for sure. Despite their punishing pace the enemy had used magic and technology of the future, alien technology, to stay more than one step ahead. Now the ailing Vampire Count had said the Castle ahead was where the Grail was.

Some of the group had to stay behind to protect the camp. Carter and Gibb could go it alone into the castle, or could take the others with them. It was dusk now, dark soon.

OOC Job done soon! Or is it...?

Admin wrote:Some of the group had to stay behind to protect the camp. Carter and Gibb could go it alone into the castle, or could take the others with them. It was dusk now, dark soon.

OOC Job done soon! Or is it...?

OOC: Go to say love the recap. Great way to advance time and yet give it some meaning to our present situation. As hinted we could go it alone, Carter and I, which I am inclined to do if only because of stealth, however, we have a team of companions and though we are stronger than they, nonetheless it would seem good to take at least John Carter- although my on worry is that he is the most physically capable of the group so that if they were set upon or something went wrong within the group, he'd be best positioned to defend them. What does Carter think, Dave?

Sj

"Let's get back to the others and tell them what we've seen," Nick Carter suggests to his "cousin" and his friend. "Then we can figure out what to do from here. Obviously, we are going to have to split up but as to who stays and who goes ... that's something we should decide as a group."



ooc: Yeah, I'm not sure if it should be the two of us or if we take Mr. Hyde or John Carter with us or someone else. Maybe they will let us know their preferences once we tell them what we saw.

Making their way back to the camp the heroes kept their eyes open but finally felt they were getting somewhere. After having traipsed across Europe in as low key a manner as possible (despite the fact that Haunt could have made himself into a jet plane and zipped across the sky) and been thrown many false trails it seemed they were about to achieve their goal.

They'd beaten off Advent and their technology. Now the power of magic was ranged against them, but it seemed even that might not hold them off for long.

John Carter (of Mars) glanced at Gibb and Carter and nodded to himself. These two were warriors and he was proud to fight alongside them, even if he did seem somewhat surplus to requirements...

=========

"Are you sure this will work?"

"We are dealing with a power none of us can fully understand. Think of it as... as a nexus. This cup called the Grail exists in more than one place, each of them bringing a minicule amount of magic with it. If you can access the magic you gain near unlimted power."

"There has to be a catch." said Moriarty.

"Indeed there is. Only the purest of heart can fully access the power of this artifact. Do you see anyone around here who fits that description?" says Fu Manchu.

Professor Moriarty bits back his reply. Having to work with these people was a necessary evil but he would act when the time was right. For now he needed them.

He turned to the cloaked and hooded figure towering over them in the room. "Good. Evil. These concepts are meaningless." 'said' the creature, though in truth it didn't utter an acutal word. instead it 'spoke' into the minds of those gathered in this room in the castle.

"Our machines can access the power of the device you call the 'Grail'. The science is not exact though. The energy source you call 'magic' has a different term in our language. This planet has an amazing supply of..."

"yes, yes." said Fu Manchu, impatient. "I do not mean to rush you but our enemies are at the gates."

The alien presence turned, peering at the occidental in silence.

Even Fu Manchu paled. "That is, it would be desirable were we to throw them off the trail as all other efforts have failed."

"The power of the Grail is limited in its scope. It is a power for good for the most part, the concept you regard as helping others and provindg aid unasked for. However, that does not mean it is beyond our means to use it." said the Alien.



OOC Ok... so far it's all been about Haunt and Steeplejack, and rightly so. I plan to go a little bit 'off piste' with something I've not really tried before. That means you won't be controlling your characters quite as much, but will be using the NPCs as much as your characters for short adventures that sort of form together into a whole (and back to using Haunt and Steep).

I assume you guys are ok to try something like this outbut if not we can revert to punching stuff... let's see how we get on. More details in the next post...

Admin wrote:OOC Ok... so far it's all been about Haunt and Steeplejack, and rightly so. I plan to go a little bit 'off piste' with something I've not really tried before. That means you won't be controlling your characters quite as much, but will be using the NPCs as much as your characters for short adventures that sort of form together into a whole (and back to using Haunt and Steep).

I assume you guys are ok to try something like this out but if not we can revert to punching stuff... let's see how we get on. More details in the next post...

OOC: It sounds like fun to me, I never mind trying something a little bit different. Get my role play chops in shape. :-)

Sj

always up for an experiment here, unless it goes in the X-Rated vein, so let's try it.

The NEW Vanguard TEAM UP! Haunt Issue #13 with special guest star Steeplejack! Column-a-b-c
OOC here we have the team line up:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson
John Carter (of Mars)
Mina Harkness and Baron Alucard (Vampires)
Steeplejack and Haunt (of course)
Captain Savage, father of 'Doc' Savage (an infant in this time) and scientist/adventurer/doctor
Edward Starky, steampunk inventor and genius
Dr Henry Jekyll, noted scientist/doctor/pioneer in the field of genetic tampering
Anjali, a shapeshifting alien former member of the crew of Captain Nemo


I will pick John Carter of Mars, Edward Starky and Baron Alucard. I'll take John Carter - should also note he is an expert swordsman as well. I tend to lean towards Dave E playing Starky but if he really wants to play Dracula, I wouldn't kick about it.

Effectively there are 9 characters in the team other than Haunt and Steeplejack.

The NEW Vanguard TEAM UP! Haunt Issue #13 with special guest star Steeplejack! Column-a-b-c



Right then, David M (as the lead character in Haunt's adventures) you get to choose first. Pick a character from Column A, B and C. Choose which one you will run, which one Dave E will run and I will run the remaining character as an NPC.

Next time round will be Dave E's choice and the final trio will be chosen from the remaining with a coin toss to decide who runs who.

DavidMcMahon wrote:I will pick John  Carter of Mars, Edward Starky and Baron Alucard.  I'll take John Carter - should also note he is an expert swordsman as well.  I tend to lean towards Dave E playing Starky but if he really wants to play Dracula, I wouldn't kick about it.  

Good choice I'd have gone for Starky as well :-)

OOC: So I will choose Sherlock Holmes who is a favourite of mine and Dave M can have Captain Savage as he knows a lot more about him than I do.

Sj

ooc: So are you having our GM play Dr. Watson or Anjali, since I've already got him playing Dracula?

DavidMcMahon wrote:ooc:  So are you having our GM play Dr. Watson or  Anjali, since I've already got him playing Dracula?

Yup, I did think of playing Anjali myself but Watson not really so much.

Sj

Admin wrote:[color=#0033cc][i]OOC Right, nearly there. Should have enough to kick off the first of the mini adventures, so watch out

OOC: Oh I feel like a dunce for not noticing that Alucard in Dracula backwards. Anyway love Starky, a brilliant idea. OK so don't worry about slipping plot points past us, as I'd notice. I'm in need of getting a free pair of "Get a clue glasses"!

Sj

Steeple_jackuk wrote:

Admin wrote:[color=#0033cc][i]OOC Right, nearly there. Should have enough to kick off the first of the mini adventures, so watch out

OOC: Oh I feel like a dunce for not noticing that Alucard in Dracula backwards.  Anyway love Starky, a brilliant idea.  OK so don't worry about slipping plot points past us, as I'd notice.  I'm in need of getting a free pair of "Get a clue glasses"!

Sj

OOC I didn't include the Medallion John Carter (of Mars) wears because the thinking is that it's not the Medallion that gives him his power - that is in him. It is ANY artifact from Mars and rest assured as well as the Medallion he'd have the odd other doo dad or trinket tucked away in a pocket and spares aplenty stashed about. Junk on Mars, vital for him to provide a link. I didn't put the invulnerability thing in either - I'm not sure what the stories say about whether JC needs some kind of special process to go back to Mars or indeed needs to 'die' on Earth to be transported back. For our purposes if he is killed he vanishes and wakes up on Mars...

Elsewhere...

"This... magic you wield Fu Manchu. Will it work on these buffoons? They have proven formidable and if I am being charitable, they have proven more than a match for anything that the wonders of Advent can produce..." said Moriarty, glancing at the tall cloaked and hooded figure with the purple glow about it.

It spoke, though into the mind rather than with a vocal chord. 'You cannot 'bait' me, mortal. Indeed you are correct. The teaming of your Nemesis Sherlock Holmes and the grouping of individuals he has around him has trailed us across Europe. I told you we could reach our destination within hours. Instead we have taken days and we have been caught.'

"The Grail itself would not allow it." said Fu Manchu. "It's power dwarfs even yours, Elder. Can you not feel it? Every step we take from its spiritual home is a drag. It compels even me to stop, turn around and return it, such is its power. You do not feel it because you are... unearthly."

'Perhaps we should take it from you then.' said the Elder.

Moriarty reached inside his coat for his side arm. In the shadows behind the Elder two hulking Advent Brutes bristled, adjusting weapons and ready to fire...

"You could try!" laughed Fu Manchu. "But you cannot come even close to the Grail. You know this. It's power is dampened by the magical field I summon around it at dawn and strengthen at dusk..."

'More delay' said the Elder.

"Indeed, but necessary. Even to look upon the grail would burn you. I cloak it in dark magic so it can be handled with special gloves of cursed chainmail." said Fu Manchu

"From the son. From Mordred." said Moriarty.

"Indeed." said Fu Manchu. "And the magics I employ allow me to... twist... to manipulate the magics the Grail possesses. To... enhance my own if only for a short while until the spiritual sentience of the Grail realises and 'shuts down' to deny me. It is eternal however, and it opens itself up again, like a flower. Then once again I can use its power for a limited time."

"All of this is fascinating but our enemies are out there only a few miles away, camped and planning to assault this castle!" said Moriarty.

"And they shall find the resistance ... formidable." said Fu Manchu. "Along with my magics ADVENT has kindly provided an army that will defeat even those unpredictable 'heroic' types." he spat, as if the word soured his tongue.

'Then we should send the army forth. Destroy them. My mental powers would...' started the Elder.

Fu Manchu held up a hand. "My apologies to interrupt great one, but everything you have tried has been for little gain. They crushed the Paris attempt to create and distribute weapons, a plan Moriarty helped concoct. They have defeated every attempt to destroy them and followed us relentlessly despite my using the power of the Grail to throw them off track, time and again. The two from the future are powerful beyond measure. One changes his shape to become whatever is required. Another moves faster than the human brain can comprehend. I have scryed upon them in battle. Nothing we have can defeat them."

"And yet...?" asked Moriarty.

Fu Manchu smiled, his wispy line moustache drooping well below his chin. "Astute as always Professor. And yet by using the power of the Grail once more we have a slim chance. One that can buy us the time to once more escape and reach our goal of the mountains of Tibet."

"And this... creature... this Cthulu... can we summon it? Awaken it? Control it? use its power?" asked Moriarty. "If not all of this has been for nought!"

"Once we bring her back, then yes, I believe that we can. With the Elder's help. The one who must not be named..." he scowled at Moriarty "is more than some mere creature. It is a cosmic entity and time and space are of such little consequence to it that it would be best describing those who follow us to the humble ant against a booted heel..."

The Elder seemed to consider 'Your planning, Professor, and Dr Fu Manchu's skill with arts we cannot understand have served us well thus far. You will be rewarded appropriately when the Earth is ours.'

Moriarty smiled though there was no feeling to it, and his eyes were cold.

Fu Manchu barely twitched, though his eyes narrowed slightly...

"I need space, and quiet, for this next of magics..." he whispered as he fished around in a battered old leather knapsack for vials and trinkets, and parts of animals long extinct from the world...

Prelude ends...

OOC Coming up... Chapter one - The bad, the brave, and the bold!

OOC To see the titles I need to press Ctrl and Scroll the page down on my mouse wheel to 90% of normal size to fit on the screen. Mind you I post on an eons old laptop so you might see that fine

"Get some rest." said Sherlock Holmes. "Mr Gibb, Mr Carter, a word..."



The great detective took the two heroes aside away from the others. He glanced at the distant castle as the setting sun cast a glow across the plain and the mountain on which the castle stood. "To be so near I would normally say 'press on' but something irks me." He tapped out his pipe and started cleaning it with delicate looking metal instruments. "The grail is in there. We know because Alucard can no longer approach it or look upon the place even. Despite the false trails our enemies have left Alucard has stayed true to his promise to help us and despite his own loathsome nature I am of a mind to let the wretched creature go in peace, even if it means taking the unfortunate and similarly cursed Mrs Harker with him. Without his aid we might have ended up in the wrong place entirely but here we are... and something rankles..."

He looked up at the castle. "We push on at first light. The ... Nosferatu must leave our company then and make their own way back to Alucards' ancestral home." he raised a hand to quell any disagreement. "Our deal, our... promise to him as a companion was that he could accompany us to provide a service and when that service was complete he could leave, with Mrs Harker if she is of a mind. They are linked, intertwined in some way I cannot fathom, some cold, old and black event before any of us were in existence. As a rational man of science my mind screams that he cannot be what I know him to be and yet I have seen... experienced things in his, your company that make me believe."

"Do not think that for one moment he gets a 'free pass' to take up his wicked ways again though. I wrote to a friend before we left London, a Professor. Abraham Von Helsing who has a special interest in matters metaphysical and is as much as anyone can be, an expert on the Baron, or Count if you will. His actions I cannot speak for, but the truce between the Baron and our merry band ends on the morrow when we head for that castle and he departs for dark Transylvania."

"However, we must not let down our guard! The enemy must know they are close and soon to be undone, therefore we must prepare for... anything! You two are the most extraordinary people I have ever met. The miraculous is merely routine for you and I feel you are key to the success of our endeavour. Rest, gather your strength, but be ready. For what I cannot say, but knowing Moriarty as I do, and the accomplices he calls on whomever they may be, the chances of some kind of attack are high."

Haunt and Steeplejack glanced at each other. They were more than colleagues now, more than strangers thrown together by fate and requirement to accomplish a task that no one else could. They were friends who had each others back in battle and beyond. They'd see this through and hopefully when it was over, get home to resume a life without Advent's meddling!

=========

By the fire...

John Carter chuckled at Dr Watsons' grumbling at the hard nature of the ground. He'd slept on worse. He looked over the fire to where the others - mostly - were gathered. Some were eating, thinking, reading, speaking quietly to their fellows. Alucard and the pale, tragic lady were absent. Away but not far. Tomorrow they'd been told they would reach journeys end and truth told he'd enjoyed the dusty trail, the thrill of combat and the risk of death but clamoured more for a return home, to Mars. Yes Mars was his home now, and aside from seeing his nephew Edgar (OOC Rice Burroughs) there was little 'pull' back here on Earth. That said he'd made friends on this trip. He glanced at Captain Savage, debating quietly with Edward Hyde and across the fire to where Edward Starky sat, tinkering with something from his endless bag of tricks.

It looked to be some kind of cloth bag, but a hiss of steam and quiet 'kajunk! kajunk!' and it... inflated, grew, to become some kind of cushion or bed on which Starky could recline! Carter chuckled. Starky was a man out of his time. Born and raised in an era where his talents would go mostly unnoticed because he chose it so, and yet the man could change the world if he wanted to. He also seemed to notice Carte looking at him and he fished in his suitcase for something else. He tossed it over, a flash of silver in the darkness.

Carter caught it in the darkness/glow of the fire and raised an eyebrow. A hip flask. Or was it? things were rarely as they seemed with Starky!

"What does this do?" asked Carter, wondering if it would burst into song or transform into ... into something with legs and arms and dance a jig!

"If you don't know by now, there is no hope for you my friend! Keep the fire well stoked if you have a mind to please Mr Carter! See you on the morrow!" he said as he lay back.

Carter shrugged, unstoppered the flask and sniffed then swigged. His eyes widened and he chuckled, then tossed it back. Despite his eyes being half closed Starky caught it and raised it in a 'cheers' kind of way before taking his own swig!

=========

Carter opened his eyes. Immediately he knew something was wrong. The fire had gone out, it was a grim, misty, murky sort of very early dawn with no heat in the air and a crisp frost on the ground. Across from him Starky stirred and away from the fire some twenty feet or more away a covered Baron Alucard pulled thick woollen blankets aside.

Standing, looking about, Carter saw... somewhere else.

Trees, some dead and skeletal, the ground wet, moist, swamplike. No mountains, no castle. No Holmes, Watson, Hyde or Savage. No Carter or Gibb or anyone else.

Just the three of them in some mist strewn land!

Visibility was perhaps one, maybe one hundred and fifty feet. The slope of the ground as it faded into the mist suggested they were on a gentle hill top.

Somewhere in the distance there were calls, shouts, the rumble of feet and the clatter of metal on metal!

Starky looked about, drawing the same conclusion as Carter. They were... elsewhere. More, his keen mind listened to the sounds and came to the conclusion that they were not only elsewhere, they were elsewhen.

The sickly, pallid drawn form of Baron Alucard, wispy white hair in sharp contrast to his former bold handsome dark features and lustrous black locks, limped over. "Gentlemen. It appears as if we are fallen foul of some dark... magicks..."

The sound from the mist grew louder as it appeared that somewhere in the fog a battle was being fought!

Admin wrote:The sound from the mist grew louder as it appeared that somewhere in the fog a battle was being fought!

It would seem not only elsewhere, but not unexpected. I would wager if you would take my bet that we have been rudely awakened by some welcoming party. The kind you don't hang around for. We won't find our way home, from here, but we might find it out from them. How about we hide off and see if we can't see who and what is awaiting us, maybe we can peel one away and get some clue as to where we are!

Starky looked at his companions, and about to see the lie of the land.

OOC: OK depending on what the others think, I would like to hide if possible depending on what or if there is a where to find to hide.

Sj

"Shall we go see what makes that noise," John Carter asked his companions, his blood beginning to pulse at the possibility of combat dawning.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Shall we go see what makes that noise," John Carter asked his companions, his blood beginning to pulse at the possibility of combat dawning.

Starky made a face as if to say "typical". Brawn before brains...but nonetheless, he gestured for Carter to lead the way.

Sj

Alucard, moving like an old man (which in fact he was, but 'man'...? He'd transcended any definition of mortal 'man' centuries ago...) followed the pair.

"I have no idea what has transpired but this... all of this... reeks of magic. It reeks of the Grail!" he hissed as he limped and walked behind them. The injuries from the battle with the Advent Assassin and the fact the Grail interfered with his nature so that he could not recover from his injuries meant the Vampire was much diminished indeed.

The sounds of clashing metal from beyond the mist were dying down as the trio walked through it... and finally it started to clear somewhat.

Squelch.

Looking down, all three were stood in dank swamp water. They were also not only dressed differently, they looked different as well!

Starky being the smartest of the trio, glanced at Carter, Alucard and then himself.

OOC int 8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,7,+0 Total:15 (23) vs
OV5 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,7,+0 Total:10 (15) +4 (to 10 Will) vs Rv5=5 RAPs

1) The clothes Carter and Starky are wearing suggest Roman era Britain, and more specifically they are dressed as Roman Legionnaires!
2-3) Alucard is dressed in ragged cloth, tied at the waist with rough hewn hemp rope. His wizened, bearded appearance and blue/green painted face suggests he is a Celt, or more specifically a Celtic Druid. Of the two Legionnaires, Carter appears to have insginia to indicate he was a 'Decanus' or 'Corporal' in modern military terms in charge of a small group of rank and file Legionnaires, of which Starky appeared to be one.
4-6) A 'Decanus' would normally be in charge of around 8 soldiers and two non combatants, like a cook or slave. For the trio to be stood together suggests that Carter/Decanus Carter would originally have been in charge of a group that size but it is diminished, and a glance at the clothing the two others wore suggests flecks of blood that indicate they were involved in a fight at some point. Though Starky sees Alucard and Carter dressed in different clothes, he wonders if something like a mirror or calm pool of water might reflect the faces of someone different. As his own reflection would show. They appear to have been transported through time and space to inhabit the forms of three people in... A time before the dark ages, when the Romans still ruled Britain!

The trio stood wreathed in mist on the edge of a swamp/forest. in the distance was what looked to be a fort or settlement with spiked wooden walls and an army surrounding it. They were about a mile away or so. Across the squelching swampy stinking mess of the misty plains were bodies scattered all over. Most dressed as Romans, some as partly clothed Celts, all bleeding into the stinking swamp water. The settlement appeared to be under siege and the Romans had tried, unsuccessfully, to relieve it with the bulk of the forces which were tribesmen.

Carter glanced around. Aside from the cold and shin deep swamp he was stood in, this looked very much like a battlefield, something he was familiar with. Problem was... he seemed to be on the losing side!

OOC There are people dressed like Druids (like Alucard) with warrior tribesmen moving about from body to body. The Romans are given no quarter, their throats cut. Some with less serious injuries are dragged from the battlefield to be used as sport or tortured in front of the defenders behind the wall of the setllement. Some of the Celts are helped from the stinking mud to be taken to where they can be treated. No one seems to have noticed the trio yet.

Admin wrote:OOC There are people dressed like Druids (like Alucard) with warrior tribesmen moving about from body to body. The Romans are given no quarter, their throats cut. Some with less serious injuries are dragged from the battlefield to be used as sport or tortured in front of the defenders behind the wall of the setllement. Some of the Celts are helped from the stinking mud to be taken to where they can be treated. No one seems to have noticed the trio yet.

OOC: I'll chime in after David/Carter, so I'll await his call then reply.

Sj

"Let's pull back for a bit," John Carter suggests to the others, "I would like to know more about what we can do here, that will help decide what it is we can attempt."


ooc:  Need to get back a distance and find out if he still has his Martian abilities or has lost them.
Also, in our universe, when is the Age of Camelot in our universe?  I know some say it was during the waning days of Rome's occupation of England and they occupied England from 43AD to 410 AD so beginning of 5th Cent., some say 9th Century, some say other times, if he existed at all.  Though I imagine he does, since we have had mention of him and Merlin in the Lore Knights.
Just wondering if a Sir Galahad searching for the Grail might cross our paths?    

Or was it Sir Gawain? I forget. Been awhile since I last read any Arthurian legends.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Let's pull back for a bit," John Carter suggests to the others, "I would like to know more about what we can do here, that will help decide what it is we can attempt."


ooc:  Need to get back a distance and find out if he still has his Martian abilities or has lost them.

Starky nodded, he too had little to work with if all they had was from a time when there wasn't even basic combustion. A chance to see if he could even concoct anything seemed like a very necessary step, or Carter would be carrying some dead weight.

Sj

The trio pulled back to the cover of trees, squelching on the Peat as they went.

With a tiny demonstration of his abilities Carter 'hopped' fifteen feet straight up with a flick of his ankles confirming that the abilities he took from Mars were in fact still in evidence.

"The Grail is somewhere in this land, but not here." hissed Alucard. He was breathing hard and showing his age. "Accursed thing!" When the Grail was present within a certain range his supernatural abilities were lowered or even inaccessible.

Starky looked at the clothes he wore and pulled a short sword. By appearing to tinker with it when hunched over it he energised it unconsciously and around the hilt grew what appeared to be a small battery pack. Steam hissed from it silently as the power he had made it seem like the device he'd added to the hilt of the weapon was powered by something his mind could understand. The effect was the same though. The short sword or 'Gladius' used by roman legionarys was an effective weapon in the hands of an army and designed to be used in concert with a shield and with soldiers all around in a tight formation. Starky turned and plunged his blade into a tree by several inches before the resistance grew. The sword was far more effective in his hands than of those of the Roman Legion! He adjusted the breastplate of the armour he wore and that hissed with the occasional puff of steam, similarly enhanced by his unconscious abilities.

OOC Force Manipulation boosts Effect value of Starky's sword to 7 and has 1 body. His armour is boosted to Body 7 and is italicised so it substitutes for Starky's own body stat. Feel free to use inventive ways to 'boost' the stats of equipment but note you are limited to a total of 15 points. Generally that limits his boosts to equipment he himself uses.

The Arthurian era would probably have taken place at the end of the Dark Ages so somewhere around the year 900 or so. The celts and the Roman occupation of Britain was around AD43 to AD410. Wooden structures like that you can see in the distance were more likely to be prevalent towards the beginning of that period and later replaced with more permenant structures. The massed Celts were likely to be of a number of different tribes and it is unusual for such a thing to happen unless under the leadership of an exceptional leader.