WWYCD?: One Night At The Opera...

[Marcus Impudite]

A performance of The Phantom Of The Opera is scheduled for tonight at the campaign city opera house (insert appropriate reason for your character being there or nearby, or if your character is the sort to jump into action quickly, all of the following is on a surveillance video he/she is being shown after the fact). Most of the city's luminaries are in attendance, most notably Ezekiel Blackthorn, President and CEO of the British multinational Blackthorn Enterprises and heir of the company's founder, Ezra Blackthorn. Tall, athletic, and handsome in a sinister sort of way, there are many rumors circulating that Blackthorn is the true identity of an apex level "big bad" in the campaign world, though a number of his friends and business rivals have baulked at the idea, saying that Ezekiel's worst sins are nothing more than having some creative accounting done for him during tax season and carrying on an ill appropriate relationship with his nubile personal assistant, Miss Westlake.

As the evening's performance concludes, Blackthorn and the lovely Miss Westlake are walking to his limo when a thug with a .38 snub nose springs out from the nearby alley and accosts them.

"Alright rich boy, fork over your wallet and the lady's little pretties," He gestures with the gun at expensive jewelry Miss Westlake is wearing. "And I might not have to put a bullet in ya."

Blackthorn says, "Be gone, or I'll make you rue the day your questionable parentage begot you."

The thug sneers, "Why you tea sucking little prick, I oughta..."

Before the thug can react, Blackthorn grabs his forearm and squeezes hard, digging in his fingertips. The would-be robber drops his weapon with a yelp and a grimace of agony. Blackthorn, leaning in almost nose to nose with the thug, then says, "What is it you Americans say at a time like this? Oh yes, I remember now: 'go play in traffic.'"

Still trembling as Blackthorn lets go of his arm, and having visibly wet himself, the thug turns and runs. Without looking, he darts out into the street right in front of an oncoming bus, with messy results. Miss Westlake gasps and faints, Ezekiel picks her up with an eerily nonchalant expression and carries her to the limo. WWYCD?

(for those with the sensory abilities, Blackthorn has an aura of power far greater than what any mortal man would have, even a corporate CEO)

[Chuckg]

Starguard -- what did her Cosmic Awareness (Analyze-level Sense for Physical, Energy, Magic, and Life Force) pick up at the relevant moments?

Dr. Pain -- "... the hell?" Go tell other superheroes who can investigate this kind of thing.

Baron von Darien -- likweise, investigate.

None of them -- Rush forward and say anything right then. (The mook's already dead, no point in tipping your hand. Besides, can't prove anything yet.)

[ghost-angel]

Jessica - would likely be there, I'm sure her boyfriend would take her. What does Blackthorn smell like, in particular? And it looks suspiciously like Mentalist activity, she hates that as she's got little defense against it. She'd need to investigate first...

Silence - Would follow and spy on blackthorn, what does his soul look like and how old is it? The activity is odd and she dislikes those who kill.

[CBikle]

The Knife Of Justice: Would run up and stab Blackthorn in the back of the neck and would do the same to any witnesses. Drag Blackthorn's body into the cab (after stabbing the taxi driver in the neck natch) and drive it to a secluded warehouse or cabin in the woods. The Knife Of Justice would then dissect Blackthorn's body, hoping to find a clue regarding his hypno-thespian powers.

Midway through, the KoJ would start to wonder if he killed all the witnesses back at the theater and start to second-guess himself,wondering if he might have mishandled this whole situation , leading to the KoJ weeping into his hands with the tears spilling out and mingling with Blackthorn's blood (which by this point is pretty much everywhere.).

[Chuckg]

Please tell me this is a parody.

[CBikle]

Sure.

[CBikle]

I think I broke the thread.

[Black Rose]

Penumbra would be at the premiere because, hey, it's Phantom! As for the events outside, right up until the bus squishes that bottom feeder, he'd probably be laughing and thinking to himself, "This is what happens when you mess with a bigger dog, dumb@$$." The aura would make Pen pause and probably send him into a research spiral. The biggest problem for him would be if Blackthorn' powers actually were psionic in nature, because while he has some minor mental discipline himself, he also has an... object... that would render him all but unassailable. Unfortunately, it would have to be recharged later (which means owing people he hates owing) and the object in question is his grandfather's SS uniform cover (hat). For it to work right, he has to look every inch the Aryan mass murderer his grandfather was.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Now if I were the GM, as opposed to a player, I would take this scenario and make it a red herring. Blackthorn might have the sort of power that has caused things to go his way, but he isn't the big bad he's rumored to be. He might not even be in control of his power, or may have a side of his personailty that only comes out in life-threatening stress that gives him full access to his abilities.

Or perhaps Blackthorn is a true "free agent", who is neither good nor evil but plays by a set of rules that only he knows and understands. He could have no interest whatsoever in world domination (he might even find the idea a bit silly), and has no interest in bothering with the affairs of supers who don't mess with him and his. He will only become a "villain" if the actions of the PCs make him one -- but if that happens, asll bets are off.

[dbsousa]

Golden Eagle, in his civilian ID, is the CEO of an American multinational, DEXCorp. Having no evidence of mind control, he will do a little investigating to see if similar "unusual accidents" have befallen any of his business rivals. If so, he will compete aggressively in markets they have in common, and see what happens.

[Chuckg]

Starguard -- goes and reports what's going on to the team, and then keeps watching this guy to see if his power is demonic or neutral or whatnot. (Note -- she's *ridiculously* perceptive, as in "if she dumps her entire VPP into augmenting her cosmic senses, she makes Santa Claus look not up with the news.")

Of course, the fact that he casually compelled a guy to commit suicide ain't exactly a strike in his favor. (Note -- this is also why it's a little unfair to suddenly make him a not-villain red herring. By showing his depraved indifference to human life, you've pretty much *promised* your characters that he's a villain. Unless you're in an Iron Age game, of course, where pretty much *everybody* acts that way.)

[Lethosos]

Not necessarly so, even for Iron Age. It's just that for those that can afford to, will be likely to lean that way.

To be truthful, this will just make the Queen of Spades consider it a touch more than circumstance; but with no way to determine for herself, it would be a waste of time for her to investigate.

[WhammeWhamme]

Starguard -- goes and reports what's going on to the team, and then keeps watching this guy to see if his power is demonic or neutral or whatnot. (Note -- she's *ridiculously* perceptive, as in "if she dumps her entire VPP into augmenting her cosmic senses, she makes Santa Claus look not up with the news.")

Of course, the fact that he casually compelled a guy to commit suicide ain't exactly a strike in his favor. (Note -- this is also why it's a little unfair to suddenly make him a not-villain red herring. By showing his depraved indifference to human life, you've pretty much *promised* your characters that he's a villain. Unless you're in an Iron Age game, of course, where pretty much *everybody* acts that way.)

Well... it might not actually have been his intent to kill them. I mean, he could have just scared him so bad he ran, it's plausible - sure, the indifference marks him down as definitively 'not a good person', but a mix of anger and a belief that that lowlife deserved whatever he had coming could cover it...

("I was aiming for 'scare him straight', but overshot and got 'scare him straight into the path of oncoming traffic'. Regrettable...")

[Chuckg]

Given that the words of his command were "Go play in traffic", the guy running into traffic don't seem at all likely to have been accidental.

Which means, at best, depraved indifference to his safety. At worst, deliberate murder by 'throwing' under a truck.

[WhammeWhamme]

Given that the words of his command were "Go play in traffic", the guy running into traffic don't seem at all likely to have been accidental.

Which means, at best, depraved indifference to his safety. At worst, deliberate murder by 'throwing' under a truck.

Could just be a ghastly coincidence.