Omega Team Campaign Logs

[Edsel]

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

[bOk, no more thread-jacking, I promise [/b]

Well they are nice miniatures. But I did kind of wonder what had happened to my thread when I tuned in this evening.

[Edsel]

Originally posted by loraxxx

Are there any pics of the OMEGA TEAM?

 

If not, then how about descriptions of the characters?

Sadly none of our group has much skill as an artist. I do not believe that any of the character's, other than Dancer, had any character art.

 

I do have the character background of at least one of the characters though. I'll go ahead and post the background of Hippocrates (Dr. Thomas James) a little later tonight.

[Edsel]

Hippocrates (Dr. Thomas James)

 

Below is the character background for the character Hippocrates (a.k.a. Dr. Thomas James). This is the unedited version as submitted by the player. Note that this is one of the two characters who survived throughtout the campaign and this background all takes place before the first game secession.

 

Character Background: Thomas James (Hippocrates)

 

Thomas James grew up in the rich and affluent neighborhood of Irishtown, in Hudson City. Since he was one of the sons of the founder of the James Financial Empire, he grew up safe and protected. He never had to face any of the grim realities of life that challenged people in the real world. As a result he was ignorant of the dangers outside the cloistered James Estate, and the society of the very rich.

 

Thomas was always the most rebellious of the James siblings. Both of his brothers and his sister as well, chose to follow in their father’s footsteps, but not Thomas. To him financial work was boring and dreary; instead he had decided to become a Doctor, an ER Surgeon. This would be a life of excitement, filled with life and death decisions every day. His father was not amused, but grudgingly supported Thomas’s wishes.

 

Thomas attended one of the finest Boarding Schools in the country during his teen years. Since the campus was in Irishtown as well, he was given special permission to live at home as long as he would abide with the school’s curfew policy, Thomas’s father agreed to this arrangement. However, Thomas was now old enough to drive and he longed to explore the nightlife that TV had so glamorized. He often would sneak out of the house at night and drive into the city to cruise the hot nightspots.

 

It was during one of Thomas’s many sojourns into town that he met a girl. Her name was Diana, she was beautiful, she was adventurous and though poor, and she was the stuff of Thomas’s dreams. Many were the nights that they would explore the city in his red corvette. They soon fell in love. Thomas bought her expensive gifts, and she made him rejoice in life. But all was not well.

 

Diana had grown up in the seedy neighborhoods of Hudson City it was here that she had met her first boyfriend. His name was Timothy Bohn; his street name was T-Bone. T-Bone was the leader of a small time gang called the Checker Reds. He had broken up with Diana easily enough, “girls like you are a dime a dozen,†he’d said. But when he had seen her cruise through town in the red corvette, with the “rich kid,†his fellow gangsters had poked fun at him for loosing to a pansy like that.

 

Thomas could not always get into town to be with Diana, his dad suspected he’d been sneaking out and was not pleased. T-Bone started trying to intimidate Diana into dumping her new friend, and to be his girl once again. Diana did not want to be pulled into the gang scene; she’d had enough of that already. As T-Bone became more persistent and more militant, Diana became very afraid of him and began to hide out when Thomas was not around. One evening Thomas was caught by his father as he attempted to slip out to meet with Diana, he was grounded for a week.

 

This was the week that T-Bone got fed up with Diana’s rejections. As Diana waited in vein at a small park where she and Thomas usually met, T-Bone showed up instead. He and his gang kidnapped Diana and took her to one of their crack houses. They held her for five days, she was repeatedly raped and abused, and they hooked her on crack. When they weren’t watching she broke a window and slit her own wrists. Diana’s nude body was dumped in the park.

 

At first Thomas was shattered when he read the story in the paper. He contemplated suicide himself, but then a new emotion welled up inside him, rage. He knew that T-Bone and the Checker Reds were responsible and he vowed to make every last one of them pay with their lives. When Thomas was once again able to sneak into town, he used the knowledge of the city he had gained. He got a gun, a submachinegun, and began to hunt for T-Bone and his gang. Over the course of the next few months the Checker Reds became extinct, except for T-Bone who merely vanished.

 

Thomas has never stopped searching for T-Bone, though now he holds little hope of finding him. Thomas has become a vigilante. He prowls the streets bringing justice to those who the police can’t seem to stop. He feels he owes this to the memory of Diana. He got his medical degree and is now an emergency room physician. Everyday he sees those who have been victimized by the scum of the streets, and every night he does what he can to make the streets safer.

 

Recently he has started seeing another girl. Debbie is her name. Though he has recovered from his grief, he still carries on his fight.

[Killer Shrike]

Keep them coming. I like how this is getting more supernatural. I'd just about move to Oklahoma to play in this game.

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by NightStick

The CORPS huh, You don't mean Uncle Sams Misguided Children - per chance?

 

Been there - Done that - back in 77.

 

Cripes, when I put it that way I even sound old to myself!

 

Dude, I was 3 in 77, and only the last part of it at that.

 

I did my Corps-time from 93 to 98.

 

And I prefer "Muscles Are Required Intelligence Not Essential"

[Edsel]

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

Keep them coming. I like how this is getting more supernatural. I'd just about move to Oklahoma to play in this game.

You'd be welcome to play, whenever I get the next campaign ready.

 

The story arcs are as follow:

 

Arc one: Street level Dark Champions.

 

Arc two: Supernatural influences start, almost Horror Hero.

 

Arc three: (current arc) As you can see this one is pretty supernatural too.

 

Arc four: Returns to a more nearly Dark Champions feel, but supernatural influences do not fade completely.

 

Arc five: Supernatural influences strengthen... but sadly the campaign grindes to a halt without a conclusion. It had been going for 2 years with weekly games at this point. I'll go into the reasons for the campaign's end at the conclusion of the logs.

[Eosin]

This is a quick write up of Specter since I have lost my background.

 

Andrew’s parents were wealthy but met a tragic end while he was still an infant. He was raised, in essence, by the staff and tutors provided by his family but never really had parental figures.

 

Andrew was always brilliant. He excelled in school, beginning his college career at the age of 11. By the age of 15 when he began to have the Headaches, Andrew was finishing a PhD in Psychology and Aberrant Psychology. His strong science background was looked on as something of an oddity but his intense work in mathematics and pattern recognition led him to believe that many of the same theories could be applied to people, hence his interest in those who deviated from the pattern.

 

Reading all of the “real crime†reports while also finding his teenaged love for comics was jarring to Anderw’s mind. There was a disparity in what he wanted to believe and what he read on a daily basis. Many nights Andrew applied his prodigious mind to the question of heroics, even going so far as to take up a parallel study in semiotics [symbolism]. His dissertation was on the culturally derived meaning, inherent in the family symbol of Superman, in contrast to the symbolism of clearly nationalistic paragons such as Captain America or Captain Briton.

 

While he still had a child’s idealism, many agreed that Andrew Hobbs was frighteningly astute disseminating human beings into simple equations that were by and large solvable.

 

He was destined for some of the greatest think tanks in the US, until he had a seizure while visiting Cal Tech. Andrew was diagnosed with an inoperable Astrosarcoma a rare type of cancer that affects the Astrocytes, commonly referred to as a type of “Brain Cancer.â€

 

Andrew studied his situation and immediately formulated a strategy. He was going to die shortly, so why not do something good and important with his life. At 17 years old, he look to the most familiar place for inspiration – comic books. He understood criminals and how they operated, it should be a simple matter to stop them. 68 stitches and 3 beatings later, it was apparent that he needed help. He began training with the most reputed Martial Arts master in town Zhu Shou.

 

Later he realized that someone within the dojo was Nightstick the vigilante. Just what the young kid needed…..someone who could kick @$$ while Andrew took names. He eventually approached the Omega Team and Nightstick asking for membership in the team. The team was put off by the Batman uniform. They were not put off by his skills, nor the speed at which he could analyze a situation. Andrew was somewhat short on the combat side but used a number of unique weapons and weapon systems that demonstrated his value.

[Eosin]

Specter

 

Player: Eosin the Red

 

Val	Char	Cost
15	STR	5
18	DEX	24
18	CON	16
11	BODY	2
23	INT	13
15	EGO	10
18	PRE	8
14	COM	2
6	PD	3
4	ED	0
4	SPD	12
7	REC	0
30	END	-3
28	STUN	0

7" RUN22" SWIM03" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 94

 

Cost	Power	END
15	Good things happen to good people: Luck 3d6

Powers Cost: 15

 

Cost	Martial Arts Maneuver
4	Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
4	Martial Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, STR +2d6 Strike

Martial Arts Cost: 8

 

Cost	Skill
3	SS: Psychology (INT-based) 14-
3	PS: Criminologist (INT-based) 14-
3	SS: Criminal Psychology (INT-based) 14-
2	SS: Criminology 11-
3	SS: Mathematics and Logic (INT-based) 14-
2	SS: Researcher 11-
2	SS: Sociology 11-
3	SS: Computer Science (INT-based) 14-
3	KS: Arcane & Occult Lore (INT-based) 14-
3	KS: Criminal Law (INT-based) 14-
3	KS: Hudson City Underworld (INT-based) 14-
3	KS: Cults (INT-based) 14-
3	KS: History (INT-based) 14-
2	KS: The Cabal 11-
2	KS: Card Shark 11-
3	KS: X-Files / Cryptozoology (INT-based) 14-
3	Acting 13-
3	Acrobatics 13-
3	Climbing 13-
3	Computer Programming 14-
3	Concealment 14-
3	Conversation 13-
3	Criminology 14-
3	Disguise 14-
3	Electronics 14-
3	Fast Draw 13-
3	Inventor 14-
3	Mechanics 14-
3	Security Systems 14-
3	Stealth 13-
3	Streetwise 13-
3	Systems Operation 14-
3	WF: Clubs, Crossbows, Fist-Loads, Small Arms, Unarmed Combat
1	TF: Hanggliding
10	+1 Overall
5	+1 with DCV
7	+3 with Ranged Combat (15 Active Points); Custom Modifier (-1)

Skills Cost: 117

 

Cost	Perk
6	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity, Good relationship with Contact) 8-
1	Contact (Contact has: useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity) 8-
7	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: extremely useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 8-
5	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: very useful Skills or resources) 8-
6	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity, Good relationship with Contact) 8-
8	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: extremely useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11-
4	Contact (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has: useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity, Good relationship with Contact) 8-
1	Fringe Benefit: License to practice a profession
5	Money: Well Off

Perks Cost: 43

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 277

 

Val	Disadvantages
20	Physical Limitation: Terminal (Frequently; Fully Impairing)
15	Psychological Limitation: Hero Complex (Common; Strong)
10	Psychological Limitation: Scientific Curiosity (Common; Moderate)
5	Dependent NPC: Valerie Stiener 8- (Normal; Useful noncombat position or skills)
5	Dependent NPC: Alfred the Butler 8- (Normal; Useful noncombat position or skills)
30	Hunted: Card Shark, Cabal, VIPER 14- (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish; Extensive Non-Combat Influence)

Disadvantage Points: 85

 

Base Points: 75

Experience Required: 117

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

Equipment

CS Force Pistol :::: 2d6 with 2 pts RP (Resistant Piercing)

Laser Sights (+1 OCV, +1 RMod)

 

LSS - TP [4.80] Armor

Battle Gloves + Boots

Riot Shield (+2 DCV)

Helmet

 

 

Night Combat System (IR)

8 Man Tactical Set

 

 

Line Gun (Bracers)

20" Swinging

18" Super-leap (Up only)

+5 Climbing Roll

 

Mini Hang-Glider (Cape 8")

Jump Boots +5" Leaping

 

 

Utility Belt

 

Crime Scene Kit

Gas Mask

HRRH

Security Systems Kit

Flash light

 

 

That basically him....He started with a 17 DEX and ended with a 20.....I was the low man on the team.

[Edsel]

Character Write-ups

 

I got looking through the compressed archives and found the original spreadsheet in which is a copy of everyone of the player characters at the time of the campaign's end. It is a little interesting that the copy of I have of Specter differs some from the one you presented. Also, if you'll remember, Specter eventually changed his name to Savant.

 

The good news is that I have all of the characters. The bad news is that they are all in our old Excel spreadsheet format. I, or someone, will have to take the time to convert them all into Hero Designer if we want to post all of them. They'll be a little tricky to convert due to the special house rules we used (resistant piercing, different ways to do weapons, etc.).

 

I even have the data on the Omega Team HQ, the Omega Truck and the Omega Cycles. I have all the DNPC and other important NPCs as well.

 

EDIT: The characters have been transfered into HDC format. As I sift through these old posts I am trying to fix a few things.

[Edsel]

House Rules

 

The attached file is in RTF (Rich Text Format) so hopefully most people will be able to read it after its unzipped. These are four pages of the house rules that dealt with making up a character in the Omega Team campaign. Equipment rules were worked into the equipment list I made.

 

The Equipment list is about 40 pages long and in Word format. The amount of formatting in it will make if very ugly if I try and convert it to RTF. But, if there is interest, I'll try to get around to posting it as well.

 

EDIT: I am going to try and fix the unreadable posts, that I did, as I get the chance. I hope to provide links to the character sheets in some of the later posts that I will edit.

[Eosin]

I have 3 or 4 write ups here....In the very end it he had a 20 DEX and I dropped one or two of his contacts since the change in costs ..... Somewhere in his HX I dropped the Crossbow - I had it at 30 xp but not at 50.

 

The +3 Range should be +3 with RMod ... and the +1 DCV was to offset Armor mod but at some point I bought it to flat out DCV.

 

I kept the Physical Limitation to show how he was built but it is not on his Character sheet after Mama Regina. I just consolidated Hunteds to save effort.

 

Any other changes should be skills & KS's.

 

The write up is not meant to reflect any single xp point but just the character as he "mostly appeared." i.e. In the last part of the career things were so dangerous that I could no longer afford to run around with the single shot Laser gun and had to switch to the Gailil with special rounds but I still wrote him up with the Laser gun since he carried that for all but 5-6 adventures.

[Edsel]

Part 12

 

March 21

The Susan Gael pulls into Glasgow at about 9 o’clock in the morning. The authorities are summoned. Scotland Yard interviews all of the crew and passengers, but by noon they are able to disembark and go about their business. The party heads for the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough and arrive there about 12:30.

 

During the trip to Dr. Gough’s apartment, Thomas James and Debbie Taylor have a long talk about the happenings on board the Susan Gael. Dr. James is eventually able to convince Ms. Taylor that things are not as sinister as they seem. The weapon he has is not a ‘lethal’ weapon, but is merely a self defense item, sort of like mace or pepper spray, etc.

 

As they arrive at the apartment of Dr. Angus Gough it is quickly apparent that the door is standing ajar. Fearing what they might find, they have Andrew’s butler Alfred, take Ms. Taylor to a corner café for dinner. Inside the apartment they find the bodies of Dr. Angus Gough (hanged), Professor Larry MacDonald (stuffed in the oven), and Dr. Charles Chargg (drowned in the toilet). An unconscious fifteen-year-old boy is also in the front room. Dr. James is able to determine the boy has a concussion but is otherwise okay.

 

They awaken the boy and find out that he was sent by his dad to inform Dr. Gough’s party that a boat is waiting to take them to the Island of Iona (located off the west coast of Scotland). They also quickly search the apartment and find several things of interest: In the master bedroom they find a packed suitcase with a note about Iona (The note reads, “Iona, Southwest cliffs, careful, Brother Pace, AGâ€). The library is full of signs that Dr. Gough had been busy studying up on the ancient Celts. The library also yields a silver dagger the hilt formed into a ram-headed snake. A fragment of ancient parchment with Sanskrit writing preserved between two sheets of amber is found along with a letter from Brother Pace explaining its meaning (The writing tells of a horrible sacrifice of horses to a “god of the long hand.†This is clear evidence of a link between the Celts and the ancient peoples of India. A very significant archaeological discovery.) The letter goes on to explain that the document and its amber case came from a monolith located on the cliffs of Iona. Books in the library indicate that an ancient monastery was founded on Iona about 563 AD.

 

The safe in the library has scratches, burns and water stains on it. The door is twisted as if something attempted to rip it from its hinges. Dancer is able to crack the safe. Inside they find a glass, iron and wood case and inside it is an ancient poem written in Gaelic. Fortunately a translation is also in the safe. The poem is about an ancient hero named Cuchulain. It details how he battled three evil demons and tells how he defeated them. On one wall in the library is a calendar with April 1st circled in red and the word “Lugnasad†written down. Andrew Hobbs recalls that Lugnasad is an ancient Celtic holiday.

At about this time Nightstick, who has been acting as look out, warns of the approach of a suited man and two police officers. The group quickly covers any traces of their snooping.

 

Inspector Campbell and Officers Roberts and Donald are from the local police. Inspector Campbell relays that they have had an anonymous phone call telling that some murders have been committed. With some fast-talking, the characters are able to get Inspector Campbell to believe that they are who they say they are. They are permitted to leave after several hours of interview. (They even manage to convince the police that the dagger and writings are theirs. That they were going to have Dr. Gough examine them. When they leave they manage to take the items with them.) They are asked not to leave the vicinity of Glasgow until the police conclude their investigation.

 

They quickly check into the hotel that Alfred and Ms. Taylor have already arrived at, send the injured lad to a hospital for observation, and make a canvass of the area to see if they can acquire some black market weapons. They are rushed for time, since they intend to meet with the boy’s father and sail for Iona as soon as possible. They manage to obtain several combat knives and a .38 Special Revolver and ammo for Specter. Next they dash off to the dock and sail for Iona. They arrive late that night and resolve to begin their investigations in the morning.

 

March 22

The party spends the morning researching on the Island of Iona. Most of the records here are written in Latin. Fortunately Dr. James is literate in Latin. Dr. James and Andrew spend most of the morning in the monastery’s records. They are able to find records of an attack on the monastery during the 7th century by many terrible creatures. Old documents tell of many hangings, burnings and drownings made in an attempt to restore the old Celtic gods. Apparently a “lord of evil†and its druid priests lead the attack on the monastery. It seems that the “beast†and his minions were driven back to a northern lake, referred to as the “Lake of the Beastâ€. Other records hint at the existence of a long tunnel that leads beneath the lake.

While Dr. James and Andrew study, Eden and Joe wander about exploring the old monastery. They happen by the Abbot’s office. On the wall is a huge map of ancient Scotland. On the map the Lake of the Beast is clearly indicated as being what is now known as Loch Ness.

 

That afternoon they head to the cliffs of Iona and the monolith. The monolith sits in a crevice set into the top of a cliff 70 feet above the seashore. Examination reveals many strange carvings on the weathered surface of the monolith.

One shows the large head of a strange beast rising from the water where the blood of a sacrificed horse spreads over the waves.

Another engraving shows what seems to be a ram-headed snake in some type of room. Dead horses lie about the strange creature, known to the Celts as Cernunnos, lord of animals.

One engraving shows another room filled with bones. Two creatures stand amidst the bones, but their forms are weathered and unclear.

The best engraving shows several druid priests, with the body of a horse killed on an altar. Lines lead from the base of the altar downward to a square. Within the square is a circle containing the rayed head of a bull. Other marks and symbols show this to be a holy or sacred place to the druids.

After they finish their examination they scout about the top of the cliff looking for any other clues. Suddenly (seemingly out of nowhere) several bulls move out of the nearby woods and charge them. As poorly armed as they are, they are still able to make pretty quick work of the bulls. Only Brother Pace, their host, is injured. He gets a nasty bump on the head when he dives into the crevice of the monolith to avoid a charging bull. As the short battle subsides, Andrew sees a white heron winging away in the distance.

 

March 23-26

A few days are spent explaining to the police where they went and why they could not be reached all day yesterday. Some legal wrangling starts as the police threaten to arrest them as material witnesses. When they disappeared on the 22nd the police checked out their record and found that they were passengers on the Susan Gael. Due to the murders that took place on that vessel, the police are very suspicious of the group. (Remember that the characters are traveling in their normal Identities.)

 

March 27

Tiring of the veiled threats that Inspector Campbell is making Adrew Hobbs decides to obtain the services of one of the best barristers in the United Kingdom. For a substantial incentive payment the barrister puts the rest of his work on hold and proceeds to threaten Scotland Yard with a harassment suit if his clients are not given some peace on their vacation. Being frightfully rich makes the little legal entanglements so much easier to dispense with.

 

March 28

The group is able to continue their ‘vacation’ and around noon head to Fort Augustus, Loch Ness. They arrive by early evening and get hotel accommodations. They will begin their investigations tomorrow.

 

As they sleep Dr. James has another of his unusual dreams. Again he finds himself in darkness; the air is cool and moist. Something flutters past his head on hot, papery wings.

Suddenly the cavern is lit in an eerie light, rising from a crystal dome in its rock floor. Around the dome crouch a number large stone statues—statues of weird and horrible beings.

Quickly and silently the dome fills with water, which cracks its crystal surface and begins to rush out onto the cavern floor. Now the statues begin to move, setting their stone hands on the cracks in the dome, trying to force the glowing water back to its source somewhere deep beneath the earth.

 

March 29

The day is spent sight seeing and inconspicuously snooping for information. They soon learn several things of interest.

A man was found dead near the Cullough estate last night. He looked as if a stag had gored him. The dead man was known to have been a poacher on private lands.

Under the pretense of reading about old Loch Ness Monster sightings, they are able to determine that newspaper and police records indicate that the incidents of drowning, burning to death and hanging have nearly tripled in the last five years. The number of these deaths is almost equal to each other.

Inquires about Davirr Cullough indicate that he is a breeder of fine Arabian horses. Strangely nobody can seem to recall him ever selling one.

The local library’s archaeology records indicate that there is a place on the edge of the lake where the ancient druids used to worship and make sacrifices. That place is now located on the estate of Davirr Cullough.

 

March 30

It is known in the area that Davirr Cullough gives tours of his operations and the old manor house on his property. The characters decide to call Mr. Cullough to arrange one of these tours. They are mildly surprised, and wary, when Mr. Cullough invites them out this very evening. Dr. James makes some business excuses to Debbie Taylor and has Alfred take her on a tour of the lake (Fortunately Hippocrates had told his DNPC that this trip also involved some business dealing, so her suspicions are not overly aroused).

 

After arriving they briefly exchange pleasantries with their host and then are given a tour of the property by Mr. Cullough himself. Andrew Hobb’s curiosity is aroused when he spots a path that leads into a patch of oak woods in the direction of the lake. Mr. Cullough makes no mention of the trail and seems to hurry by the area. Andrew Hobbs starts making all sorts of remarks about ancient druid’s, their impending holiday, and the sacrifices to recall the god Lug, etc. Remarkably Mr. Cullough retains his composure better than some of the other characters.

As they approach the manor house Nightstick notices Mr. Cullough make a very subtle signal to someone watching from an upstairs window. He quickly and quietly informs Dr. James and Ms. Blake. He is also able to subtly signal Adrew to be ready for trouble.

When they walk across the back porch of the manor house they are ambushed by all of the household staff. The attackers are armed with a variety of knives and clubs; the butler has a double-barreled shotgun. They never knew what hit them. Soon the members of the Omega Team are standing over the broken bleeding remains of Mr. Cullough and about a dozen of his servants.

They tie Mr. Cullough, who has a broken nose and elbow, to a chair and start to question him. Dr. James prepares his penethol while the rest of the team quickly searches the manor house. As Dr. James prepares to administer the shot to Mr. Cullough, a huge gash suddenly appears on the estate owner’s head. He expires almost immediately. No attacker is seen and for a while the team fears an invisible enemy is at hand.

 

Examination of the wound reveals that it is very odd. It appears almost as if a semi-sharp, long instrument of some sort was placed on his skull and pushed, not struck, with incredible force to cause the injury. Dr. James has never seen a wound quite like this.

The quick search of the manor house reveals a lot of reading material on Celts in the library and some duridical paraphernalia lying about, but little of any real use.

 

It is now rapidly getting dark. As they head toward the unexplored path they hear a strange chanting and the frightened snorts of horses. At the end of the path they find an ancient wooden altar and two men in druid robes. A corral nearby holds three Arabian horses. Upon three low, wooden stands are a magnificent stag, a bull and a deadly cobra. Though they stealthily approach the snake seems to be aware of them. In the quick battle that ensues they kill both of the druids. One of them twice, after his fellow druid animated his corpse. The bull and the stag give them a close call but are soon dispatched as well. The cobra fades off into the woods.

 

They examine the area and release the horses. Beneath the Altar they find a tunnel, carved with steps, that descends into the earth. They start their descent. Little clay oil pots weakly light the way. (They also have several sets of night vision goggles. Combined with the weak lighting they are able to see pretty well.) They travel about a thousand feet under ground before they head out, under, the lake. A huge, double set of oak doors awaits them at the end of the passage.

Inside the first room they encounter some strange little beings that are hidden inside four statues. Until they tip over the statues and slay the nearly defenseless creatures, all their metal items begin to rapidly heat up.

The second room is covered with the bones of a great many dead horses. It is here they encounter the first two of several powerful beings. Kralecht (a tall spindly humanoid with the head of a stag) and Kravecht (a creature with a bulls head and the body of a muscular man, with no covering skin) await them. The servants of Lug put up a tremendous battle. The creatures are good hand to hand combatants and command evil magics. It is only due to luck that none of the Omega Team are injured. Indeed more than once a single pip on the dice saved a character from grievous injury (I really scared the hell out of them – GM.) They finally manage to overcome the creatures. They hang the remains of Kravecht and drench Kralecht’s remains with water thus destroying the creatures. (A good thing too. Both of the creatures would have revived shortly (fully whole) and renewed the attack.)

 

In the next room they encounter Zmija (a large flying snake with a skull for a head). This time they are ready. When the creature charges they cover it with an, oil drenched overcoat and set it afire. This destroys the creature.

In the final room they find a large glowing wooden dome on the floor. An unnaturally, shimmering curtain is suspended from two oak pillars against one wall. Three Arabian horses are in a wooden corral against the far wall. The horses scream in terror as a huge ram-headed snake attacks them. Andrew’s knowledge of the occult, x-files (he has a knowledge skill: X-files. It is used to represent knowledge of all the weird stuff he has studied), and his recent studies of the Celtic material lead him to realize that if the horses die, Lug will be released into this world. Cernunnos is the creature they face. Fortunately the creature is intent on destroying the horses and Nightstick is able to attack the creature with the special dagger they recovered from Dr. Gough’s apartment. When struck by the dagger Cernunnos is forced to spend a Phase at 0 DCV changing forms. In this state he is helpless and the characters are able to destroy him and put an end to the menace.

 

The horses are freed (except one that has to be destroyed) and the curtain is torn down. Before leaving the underground the team rigs a small explosive charge to rupture the dome. After they are safely out of the tunnel they trigger it, flooding the Drunemeton forever. (Drunemeton is the term for this place. An underground holy place of the druids.)

 

End of Part 12, this ends the 3rd, short, story arc. Part 13 (tomorrow) begins the 4th Story arc which is much longer.

[Edsel]

Nightstick Background

 

Below is the background for the character Nightstick as written by the player and forwarded to me the other day. The original Nightstick is a sample character that was originally presented in “Hudson City Blues†written by Edward J. Carmien. We modified the character somewhat and the player re-wrote the background. By the end of the campaign this character had racked up 107 experience points.

 

(7-20-95)

Re: Background on “NightStick†alias Joe Dishwasher, alias Daemon Dog....

 

As I sit in my room this night, as with most nights, my thoughts race back to my childhood home, and the peace and tranquility that were at one with the world. I remember only glimpses of my past, kind of like a self imposed amnesia. I guess that I don’t want to remember after all....

 

I am not quite sure why Zhu Hsaio wants me to journalize my memories, but I know that I must not question the ways of my mentor. Only disgrace can come from that - like what happened to Cong Feng, and when he tried to murder his brothers. I still shudder to think what would have happened had he been successful.

 

My first memory centers around a temple fountain, and how I would sit for hours and watch the coy playfully chase each other around and around the pool. It seemed that they never tired of the chase, or of the eventual conquest. I guess that what I really wanted was for some other children to play with.... there were no other children at the temple where I grew up.

 

I can’t remember either my mother or my father, all that I had was Zhu Hsaio.

 

It was at my 10th celebration, that I was to learn a very important life lesson, perhaps the most important lesson that I have ever learned. Zhu Hsaio invited the surrounding farmers to bring their children, and a great day was planned. I was excited at the concept of other kids to play with, and I couldn’t sleep a wink the night before. Well, to make a long story short and less painful, no one ever showed up. I was devastated, I was mad, I was upset, and I was - ashamed. It was my day, and no one came for me.

 

Late that night, as I was watching the coy play in the moonlight, Zhu Hsaio came to me. He asked me if I knew why I was alone on my day. I did not. He told me.

 

Zhu Hsaio simply stated that... â€For a man to command respect, he must earn it.â€

 

It took my childish mind several years to begin to comprehend what Zhu Hsaio had said that night, and several years more to understand what he didn’t say.

 

I remained a “loner’ all throughout my adolescent years, immerging myself into the studies that I was given. Kung Fu was the key that held my sanity in place. It is the one thing in my life that makes sense, and the one thing that I am good at, I mean REAL GOOD at.

 

My training taught me to help those that are in need. It also taught me to hate those that take without rights. Maybe that is why I feel compelled to, um; well shall we say enjoy the moonlight.

 

Still to this day, I prefer solitude to the company of others.

 

Trust must be earned.

 

Joe Dishwasher

[Edsel]

Part 13

 

Team Omega Campaign History

Start of the 4th Story Arc

 

April 8, 1996

The Omega Team returns home to Hudson City. After their experiences with the Susan Gael, Andrew is much more willing to take a jet back home from Glasgow. They return home on a Virgin Atlantic 747. They arrive at mid-morning at James Aberdeen International Airport and head directly to their own homes to recuperate from the jet lag.

 

By late that evening they become aware of the single most disturbing bit of news that occurred during their absence. Arthur Connally (a.k.a. Ashtray Art) had escaped from the Toddberry Asylum.

 

April 9

That evening Dr. Thomas James is able to contact Bob Goldfield (the D.A. and a personal friend) and inquire about the escape of Ashtray Art. D.A. Goldfield is unable to give much information other than that they believe that Ashtray Art was assisted in his escape. The police are investigating but have little to go on.

 

This evening Dr. James has a dream that, with the help of his friends and Zhu Hsaio, he is eventually able to interpret. He believes that something terrible is going to happen at Harpcor Towers, perhaps an armed take-over of the facility.

 

GM NOTE: Sadly I did not write down the dream I created for him. So much time has passed that I don’t have the slightest inkling of what it was.

 

April 10

During the day the team hits the streets and starts to nose around about any unusual activity on the streets. Since part of the dream featured a playing card, Andrew Hobbs and Eden Blake go looking for information on what Card Shark has been up to lately. Their results do not seem to indicate any Card Shark activity of an unusual nature.

 

At one of the bars they visit, Andrew notices a card tacked to a bulletin board that has a large Omega symbol on it. He examines the card and finds that it has a telephone number written on the back of it. No other writing or clues are available.

 

Specter and Dancer leave the bar and pick up Nightstick and Hippocrates. Nightstick had been patrolling in the China Town area and Hippocrates had been checking for the availability of vacant office space inside Harpcor Towers. Specter explains the situation about the card and they drive around town while Specter calls the phone number on his cellular phone (an anti-tracing precaution). The mysterious voice on the other end of the line says that certain things should not be discussed in the clear and asks them to check back on the card they saw in the bar, then severs the connection.

 

By evening Andrew and Eden are disguised and revisit the bar. Nightstick remains in the vicinity of the bar In case they need aid. By the time they get back to the bar the card has been replaced with an identical one. This card has a post office box key taped to the backside. They collect the key and prepare to leave when Eden spots something. One of the thumbtacks in the bulletin board is odd looking. When Andrew examines it he comes to believe that it is a micro-camera of some sort. He drops the item to the floor and crushes it before they leave.

 

At the post office box they find a package. It is in a plain brown wrapper with no return address. Knowing that the Unabomber is believed to have been captured they take the package with them. Within the package is a cellular phone with a built-in scrambler. Otherwise, it is a normal phone but has no marking on it to betray where it came from, or even what its own number is. An hour after they pick it up it starts to ring. Again the mysterious voice is on the other end. The man on the other end states that he represents a company that would like to talk about obtaining the Omega Team’s services. He desires to meet with them face to face and even allows the Omega Team to pick the time and place. Andrew chooses LeMastre Park, at the fountain, midnight tomorrow evening.

 

April 11

The morning paper has a noteworthy item in the headlines. Late last evening agents of Card Shark hit the Thorson Museum of Archaeology in a daring raid. Several guards were seriously injured but none were killed. The agents took a pair of jade jaguar statuettes from the Mesoamerican exhibit. The two jaguars are quite valuable, on the order of half a million for the pair, but none of the other museum treasures were even touched.

 

The rest of the day passes without incidents worthy of note.

 

Late that night the Omega Team makes its rendezvous a LeMastre Park. There they meet a company man (CIA Agent) by the name of Jason Calvin. They begin a discussion as to why the CIA wants to talk the Omega Team. Calvin and Hobbs (sorry I couldn’t resist) do all the talking.

 

Mr. Calvin explains that the CIA is not legally allowed to operate within the USA. That is where the Omega Team comes in. Certain things have come to the agency’s attention that they believe the Omega Team would be interested in. The Omega Team has pulled off some feats that have even impressed the company.

 

A terrorist organization known as the Legion of Death (Infamous in the campaign world, sort of a Black September group) may be planning a strike in the United States. For years the terrorist/mercenary organization got most of its most lucrative work in the Middle East in the covert employ of groups like the PLO. With the relaxing of tensions in that region the Legion of Death has operated for a few years in the former Yugoslavia. But now even that source of employment has dried up. The Legion of Death has started to feel the financial pinch. Unlike most true terrorist organizations the Legion is more like a mercenary group that specializes in terrorism. They will bring the worlds attention to your group’s plight in some horrible way, for the right price. The CIA has sources that indicate the group may try to pull off something big in the United States. If they can succeed they will become the most publicized terrorists in the world, with every little faction in the world vying for their services.

 

GM NOTE: Wow, the world has changed a bit since I ran this adventure. The game was played in 1996, back then the middleeast was starting to quiet down and it looked like Yugoslavia was going to as well. Of course this all takes place before the horrible attack of September 11th.

 

Calvin goes on to explain that they have no idea when and where the Legion might strike and the FBI cannot possibly cover the entire country. Calvin asks only that the team be alert to the possibility of terrorist activity. If the terrorists do strike in Hudson City and the Omega Team can do something about it, the CIA would owe the Team one.

 

The Omega Team says that they will do what they can in such an eventuality. No one in the Omega Team drops any hints of their suspicions of coming events at Harpcor Towers. Agent Calvin tells Hobbs to keep the cellular phone and gives them a phone number to call if they need to talk.

 

April 12

Andrew Hobbs and Eden Blake disguise themselves and attempt to gain information about the business at Harpcor Towers by socializing with some of the employees of the various firms there. They are not very successful. That evening the team enters the building, using Dr. Jame’s passkey (he had managed to rent some office space in the north tower on the twelfth floor). They get into some of the personal offices of the executives of Harpcor Technologies and discover that several of the high-ranking executives and stockholders are supposed to hold a private meeting on Monday, April 15th at 10 p.m.

 

April 13

Eden Blake goes out and picks up one of the executives of Callahan Gem Importers. She spends the day seducing him to find out what valuables the Importers will have in the building on Monday. She discovers that the company will be storing one of its largest shipments ever, in their vault on the night of Monday April 15th.

 

April 14

On the evening of the 13th a murder is committed in the city’s Gadsden district. Since the counties chief medical examiner is on vacation and out of the state, Dr. Thomas James is called in to consult on the autopsy. Data as follows;

 

Name: Kimberly Ann Brickford; Hair: Blonde, long; Eyes: Blue; Height: 5’7â€; Weight: 126 lb. Race: White; Age: 27; Job: Secretary, Allied Mutual Insurance Company.

 

Wounds: Bruises and signs of beating on the face and head; deep stab wound in right side; two-inch deep cut across stomach; throat slit (cause of death). Time of death about 11:00 p.m. last night.

 

Scene of the Crime: The body was found twenty feet inside an alley next to a sewer grating. The victim was shoved into the alleyway and thrown to the ground. There were only a few blood splatters, but there was a large pool of blood indicating that the victim bled to death from a slit throat; she was blood type O+. There was also a square shaped bloody smear (type O+) on the side of the alley away from where the victim was found; nobody knows what caused it.

 

Police Reconstruction based on Evidence Recovered: The police believe that Miss Brickford was walking home from a date with Greg Hassel, her current boyfriend, when she was attacked from behind (she was walking by herself because they had a fight that evening). The attacker stabbed her in the side with a knife with a wide, slightly rounded blade, she was then shoved into the alleyway and thrown to the ground. Then she was hit several times in the head, perhaps to keep her quiet. The attacker then slit her throat and, as she bled to death, made the cut across her abdomen for unknown reasons.

 

Saliva and hair samples from the attacker were obtained. The attacker is not a secretor, so his blood type cannot be ascertained from his saliva, although it would prove useful for DNA typing if and when he is captured. The only fingerprints that were found were too smeared to be identifiable.

 

Dr. James manages to call Andrew Hobbs who goes out to look over the crime scene. He is unable to find any additional evidence that the police may, or may not, have missed. A seemingly innocent inquiry made by Dr. James to one of the police detectives reveals that Greg Hassel has an alibi of some sort. The Omega Team does not pursue this matter any farther at this point since it may simply be an isolated incident. (Of course since it made it into the campaign log you can be certain it isn’t.)

 

End of Part 13, tomorrow part 14.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Part 13

 

Originally posted by Edsel

(Of course since it made it into the campaign log you can be certain it isn’t.)

[Edsel]

Omega Team Characters

 

You can follow this link to see the write-up of Nightstick.

 

Attached is the HDC file for the character. I have gotten rid of the old HTML code here since it was no longer functional. The current write-up is 5th Edition but was done before the Resource Pool rules were released in the new version of Dark Champions. As a result a home-brew system was used for equipment.

[NightStick]

The below is taken from the above post from Edsel....

Below is my first attempt at putting one of the Omega Team characters into Hero Designer format. I hope this works.

 

For what it's worth, Edsel, You did a fantastic job! Thank You!

 

From what I have seen, this brought back many enjoyable moments! To see NightStick in print, is almost like a resurrection!

 

From what I am told, Thanks go out to Killer Shrike for the additional coding done to allow the complete story to be told:D

 

THANK YOU! KILLER SHRIKE!

 

The bottom line now means that I have to go out and get a copy of HD.

 

I'll get ovet it!

[Edsel]

Originally posted by NightStick

From what I am told, Thanks go out to Killer Shrike for the additional coding done to allow the complete story to be told:D

 

THANK YOU! KILLER SHRIKE!

I used an export template written by Killer Shrike, that allowed background fields to be posted.

[Edsel]

Originally posted by NightStick The bottom line now means that I have to go out and get a copy of HD.

I should get a commission then.

 

If you really want to buy a copy of Hero Designer check out Hero's Online store.

[Killer Shrike]

NIGHTSTICK

http://www.killershrike.com/TheOmegaTeam/Nightstick.HTML

[Killer Shrike]

and heres the template to make it happen for you:

 

[Edsel]

Originally posted by Killer Shrike

and heres the template to make it happen for you:

 

Ohhhh! That really kicks a**.

 

Thanks a bunch!

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Edsel

Ohhhh! That really kicks a**.

 

Thanks a bunch!

No, thank you! The Omega team logs have been a real treat.

 

Besides, us "Ed's" have to look out for one another

 

--Ed "Killer Shrike" Hastings

[NightStick]

Bottom Line is KUDOS to BOTH ED'S

[Edsel]

Part 14

 

April 15

The Omega Team all arrives at Harpcor Towers in the evening before 10 o’clock. Nightstick conceals himself in the basement of the building. He finds a place that gives him a good view of much of the underground parking area and the majority of the stairway and elevator entrances. Hippocrates swipes a maintenance uniform and stashes a set of cling-grips and a force pistol inside the elevator shaft on the twelfth floor, near his rented office space. He then retreats to his rented office (in which the team has cached the combat gear of Hippocrates, Dancer and Specter) and waits. Dancer and Specter, in disguise, go to a late dinner at the Spinning Diamond restaurant and keep an eye on the helipad on the adjacent Tower, and the guest who are eating here. The restaurant is located on the top (twentieth) floor of the north tower. The restaurant rotates and gives a splendid view of the city.

 

April 15, 10:15 p.m.

A helicopter approaches and lands on the helipad atop the south tower, at the same time Nightstick witnesses the arrival of a large catering truck in the parking garage below. Armed men stream out of the catering truck and swarm up the south stairway. Nightstick calls a warning over his radio to his teammates and begins to stealthily approach the two guards who were left at the truck. The assault has begun.

The tense struggle that follows lasts for about a half-hour. Numerous small engagements consisting of one or two Omega Team members and as may as 6 or 7 terrorists occur through out this period. Of the 42 Terrorists that are involved in the take over attempt, 38 are killed or wounded. Only five terrorists, led by Martyr, manage to escape. Colonel Wolf if killed in the final fighting inside the building.

Of the Omega team, only Dancer is uninjured. Specter takes a serious wound to his left arm at the hands of Colonel Wolf. Hippocrates has several, very minor, wounds. It is Nightstick who pays the highest price. At one point in the battle Hippocrates had been captured by a group of terrorists. Nightstick attacked to aid his comrade but was critically injured in the effort. He was caught by a burst of fire from a terrorist’s M16. One round hit the vitals for almost maximum damage, only his light body armor saved his life. Nightstick’s attack did succeed in stunning two of the three terrorists and allowed Hippocrates to overpower the remaining guard. Hippocrates soon dispatched the three terrorists and tended to his wounded comrade. (Nightstick was also lucky that Dr. James was the person available to tend him.)

 

The goal of the terrorists was apparently robbery. They were trying to cut open the vault inside the offices of Callahan Gem Importers. The CIA contact made good on his promise and the Omega Team was quietly evacuated from the building, and Nightstick rushed to Hudson City University Medical Center, with the cover story that he was a hostage shot by the terrorists. Of 84 hostages, 79 were rescued without injury. 5 Hostages were killed along with 3 unfortunate firefighters. The Fire Department had responded to a fire alarm that was triggered early on in the situation. When their fire truck pulled up to the front doors, it was machine-gunned.

 

Joe Dishwasher underwent surgery that evening. Dr. Thomas James displayed nearly unbelievable skill. After the procedure Trauma Surgeon Dr. Richard Wexley stated, “Rarely is one lucky enough to witness so gifted a surgeon at workâ€. (Dr. Richard Wexley is a surgical resident at Hudson City University Medical Center. A natural roll of 3 on the surgery skill roll, followed up by an additional level of luck on the follow-up roll prompted his remark (This has to do with a house rule on rolling a “critical successâ€)).

 

April 16

During the afternoon Zhu Hsaio and Eden Blake pay a visit to Joe Dishwasher at the Hudson City University Medical Center. Zhu Hsaio waits until Joe is asleep and then requests that Eden leave him alone with his “impetuous studentâ€. Eden Blake waits down the hall for nearly a half-hour before she ventures back to Joe Dishwasher’s room. Inside she finds that Zhu Hsaio is asleep in a chair and that he looks more pale and gaunt than usual. Joe Dishwasher, however, seems to have regained his color and look much improved. She awakens Zhu Hsaio when she checks to see if the old man has passed away.

Zhu Hsaio voice is weak but he insists that he will be fine. He admonishes Eden to allow Joe to sleep. “No child, let him sleep he needs his rest. Now you will take me back to my home so I may rest as wellâ€.

 

Early in the evening Dr. Wexley and Dr. James are astonished to find Joe Diswasher sitting up and reading in bed. Their examination determines that Joe has seemingly healed at an unnaturally rapid pace. Normally a patient with his injuries would take two weeks to heal as much as he has in a single day.

 

GM NOTE: The real problem with a modern era campaign as deadly as this one is that character’s can often be laid-up with injuries that are going to take quite a while to heal naturally. I was forced on several occasions to come up with some “miracle†cure to get the player back into the action. I probably was more generous in doing this than I should have been.

 

Local television and newspapers are highlighting the action of a new vigilante group that call themselves the Pack. Three gang-bangers were shot to death by the vigilantes while setting in their car at a red light. The police found 3 kilos of cocaine in the trunk of the car. The vigilantes sprayed the car with automatic weapon’s fire while other motorists looked on.

 

April 17-18

Joe Dishwasher continues to recuperate at Hudson City University Medical Center. He now seems to be healing at a more normal rate. Due to the enormous strides in his recovery on the 16th, Dr. Wexley has decided that he can be released tomorrow afternoon.

 

Authorities locate the helicopter used by the survivors of the Legion of Death terrorists. It has been abandoned at a small airstrip in a neighboring county. No trace of Martyr or the other terrorists is found.

 

April 19

Joe Dishwasher is released from the hospital this afternoon. Dr. Wexley requests that he come by for a check up on Monday, April 22nd.

 

Just after noon Card Shark agents raid an old movie memorabilia show that is in progress at the Hudson City Convention Center. Two armed guards are gunned down when they attempt to intervene. One is critically injured and in the ICU, the other is in satisfactory condition. Stray bullets slightly injure two patrons of the show. The Card Shark agents seize two pairs of Ruby Slippers that were used in the original production of the Wizard of Oz. The Ruby Slippers are, of course, merely sequence but are worth an estimated $50,000 a pair to collectors. Other more valuable items, such as guitar actually used by Elvis Presley in “Viva Las Vegasâ€, are untouched.

 

Sunday, April 20

About a week ago a pair of new vigilantes moved into Hudson City. Predator (a.k.a. Dutch Watkins) and Snapshot (a.k.a. Daniel Sanders) are their names. The two are long term associates who have just made the move from the Houston area.

Predator is also knows as the Invisible Vigilante. Dutch Watkins is based on the character played by Arnold in the first Predator movie. In the novel trilogy (only two movies were made) the same man is the lead character throughout. Predator has obtained several pieces of alien equipment during his battles with them, including an “inviso-shieldâ€, “alien frisbeeâ€, two sets of “wrist bladesâ€, a helmet and a spear.

Snapshot’s reputation labels him as the Silent Killer. Daniel Sanders lost his voice box due to injuries sustained in Vietnam. He is an expert in the use of small arms and is the first character in the campaign to have purchased several of the special automatic fire maneuvers listed in the “Eye for an Eye†supplement. In his secret ID he is also a master Go player and has amassed a small fortune through tournament play in Hong Kong and America’s several “Chinatowns†over the years.

 

Dutch and Daniel have been reading about the now, somewhat famous, vigilante group known as the Omega Team. Since Dutch and Daniel are both former military men the idea of finding a team in which to work appeals to them.

Since the Omega team has proven hard to uncover through conventional means, Predator hatches a plot to make contact with them. That evening, after consulting with Snapshot, he heads to the Strip to search for a few criminals and make his presence known.

He soon finds a couple of drug dealers and watches them from a nearby alley. As he contemplates his available courses of action a car containing three Hispanics carry out a drive by on the two, Afro-American, drug dealers. The shooting takes place regardless of the proximity of several bystanders (fortunately none are hit). Predator takes out the cars engine with a well placed toss of his “fisbee†and then takes out the trigger man as the trio flee from their unseen attacker. As the unconscious gunman lies bleeding to death, Predator carves a large W symbol in his chest. Predator then departs.

 

The presence of the symbol carved in the chest of the deceased pusher obviously points to the Omega Team. This is a little out of character for the normal behavior of the Omega Team and several of the detectives are worried. This could indicate that the Omega Team is become jealous of all the media attention the Pack is getting, and that the violence will escalate. The police are mystified about what sort of weapon was used to disable the car (it sliced through the fender, gashed the engine block, and then exited the grill of the car without leaving any residue except what seems to be an unknown lubricant). The few witnesses in the area reported seeing a metallic streak that seemed twist and swerve sharply as well as appearing and disappearing out of thin air.

Records from early 1991 indicate a brief rash of similar incidents that resulted in the deaths of over a dozen known violent criminals and three police officers. The FBI’s MIB (Mysterious Incidents Branch) took over that investigation and has never shared their final conclusions with the Hudson City Police Department.

 

GM NOTE: Thus two new Player-characters enter the campaign. I really let Predator’s character talk me into too much. I feel, on reflection, that the character unbalanced the game.[/i]

 

Monday, April 21

The morning papers are dominated by two stories. The Pack has hit another drug house. In the raid 3 people in the house were slain as well as two users who were just outside the house. Unconfirmed reports state that a “beastman†was working with the Pack. The other story is about the rather blatant, for the Omega Team, killing of the drug dealer on the Strip. The police assume that the “beastman†must have been wearing an elaborate disguise of some sort. They are wrong.

Andrew Hobbs (now going by the name Savant) is very upset when he reads the story in the morning paper and quickly contacts the other Omega Team members to discuss just what happened on the Strip last night. It quickly becomes evident that none of the four Omega Team members was responsible so they decide to investigate who is using their symbol and to what end.

 

GM NOTE: Current members of the Omega Team are; Andrew Hobbs (Savant, formerly Specter), Dr. Thomas James (Hippocrates), Joe Dishwasher (Nightstick), and Eden Blake (Dancer, NPC). The former member Gunner was long gone by this point (the player moved on) and the Remittance Man is now in California. His player is USAF (a Lt. Colonel now) and at the time he had been transferred to the Pentagon, he is now at Edward AFB.

 

By 10:00AM Dr. Thomas James has used his connections with Dr. Ernest Steiner (Chief Medical Examiner of Hudson City) to examine the body of the dead drug dealer. With information obtained from the corner’s report and through their other connections they, they determine that something really unknown and weird was going on here. They also recall and research the previous incidents from 1991. Once they determine that the Feds took over and blacked out the previous incident, Andrew Hobbs contacts CIA agent Jason Calvin for further information.

By calling in the favor they were owed by the CIA they determine that the most directly involved person in the previous incident was HCPD Lt. Detective Dutch Watkins. Mr. Watkins was a former US Army airborne ranger who was involved in a possible alien encounter in Central America in 1988. After being the sole survivor of the encounter, he retired from the military and became an HCPD detective. Three years later in early 1991 he again had the unfortunate coincidence to become involved with a second alien encounter in Hudson City. Late in 1993 he was, involuntarily, recalled to active duty to investigate an alien crash in Siberia. After that incident he returned to the US and became a private investigator in Houston, Texas. Over the last year-and-a-half the Invisible Vigilante has been operating in the Houston area. The CIA suspects that Mr. Watkins is the Invisible Vigilante and may be using some alien equipment that he retained. Just last week Mr. Watkins moved back to Hudson City. The CIA has not intervened against Mr. Watkins since he is considered a valuable asset whom they do not wish to further alienate. Before Agent Calvin finishes his discussion with Mr. Hobbs he admonishes him not to harm or compromise Mr. Watkins in any way, and also not to reveal where they have gotten this information.

 

Around noon the Omega Team scouts the home of Mr. Watkins and quickly discovers he is not at home. Savant (formerly Specter) hacks into the telephone company records to determine 6 new businesses have had telephone service installed over the last week. Only one of these is a PI firm but the phone bill is in the name of one Daniel Sanders. Joe Dishwasher recalls that there had been a minor hubbub in Chinatown about world famous (at least as far as avid Go players are concerned) Go player in town this weekend by that name.

 

By one o’clock they have a plan and go to see Mr. Dutch Watkins, private investigator. Andrew Hobbs (disguised to look a bit older) tells Mr. Watkins that he believes that his wife (played by Eden Blake) has been cheating him. He pays Mr. Watkins $500 up front, plus expenses to place her under surveillance, starting immediately. He explains that her car is now parked at the Basset Arms motel about 5 blocks away, he followed her there himself and suspects that she may be meeting with her lover. Andrew leaves and Dutch proceeds directly to the motel to begin his surveillance.

Soon after Mr. Watkins arrives at the motel he observes the subject (Dancer) leaving the motel in her car, he follows her. He soon finds himself in the suburb of Maple Valley. He follows her through a railroad underpass and suddenly suffers a quadruple blowout. (Nightstick was concealed alongside the road and threw caltrops in front of the car as Mr. Watkins passed.) Being mildly paranoid, Dutch floors it and in a shower of sparks begins to accelerate. In his rear view mirror he spots a mobile auto-repair van (the newly replaced Omega Truck) and also barely catches sight of a ninja looking character hopping in the back of if. Predator veers off the road into some tall grass, quickly rips off his outer garments and activates the inviso-shield. Predator soon finds three Omega Team members fanning out around his disabled car (Hippocrates, Savant & Nightstick). Recognizing who they are he deactivates the inviso-shield and makes contact.

 

GM NOTE: The inviso-shield is a mesh bodysuit that will render its wearer, and any garments worn under it invisible. Predator equipment held by the user is also rendered invisible, but any non-alien items held by the user or worn outside the mesh will not be cloaked. The inviso-shield gives a –6 PER penalty to those attempting to sight the wearer, or a –3 penalty if the wearer is moving. This is one of the items that I began to think of as unbalancing to the campaign.

 

By four that afternoon they are back at the motel room the Omega Team had rented. They discuss the incident of the 20th and learn of Predator’s partner, Snapshot. Dutch soon calls Daniel Sanders and he arrives at the motel where they continue their discussions. The Omega Team gives Predator one of their cellular phones so they can keep in touch, and work together on a trial basis, then every body goes home.

 

The police have a couple of witnesses who report the incident of the car running a short distance on the rims and the mysteriously dressed people who were seen in the vicinity. Since no shots were fired and no serious damage was caused to the street the police are not seriously interested in the incident. A patrol officer looks at Dutch Watkins’ disabled car but Mr. Watkins soon makes arrangements to have his disabled vehicle picked up. The private eye tells the police that he wishes to press no charges against any one and that client confidentiality in his current ‘divorce’ case prevents him from discussing the matter further. The police do not consider the incident worthy of investigation.

 

April 22

Andrew Hobbs begins to make some serious inquires into the escape of Ashtray Art. Extensive investigations and inquires finally lead him to believe that a night orderly who has now vanished assisted in the escape of the psychopathic arsonist. The orderly in question, Jerry Hodges (whose real name was Rod Hopkins), started work at the Todberry Asylum just after Ashtray Arts’ incarceration, and quit his job (and vanished) about a week after his escape. Rod Hopkins had a record of several drug related offenses and was believed to be involved in the occult subculture. The Omega Team becomes concerned that the Cabal might be involved in some way.

 

About 4 o’clock in the afternoon police scanners alert the Omega Team (as well as Predator), of a violent home invasion in Irishtown district near Hudson City University. Apparently Dr. Malcome McNeely, his wife, daughter and all 4 members of the household staff were murdered. The invaders took only 4 small statuettes. The statuettes are known as Tellas, they are of Hawaiian origin and are supposed to represent fire spirits that serve the great goddess Pelé.

 

End of Part 14, part 15 tomorrow. Cardshark is up to something, the Pack, the Cabal and a serial killer are all loose in the city, and what's up with Ashtray Art?

 

I'm going to try and get Hippocrates entered in the HD and post him later today.