UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Do they ever get a real vacation? I know those are boring to play out. I seems as though every time they have 'down time' they end up doing the same thing as their work.

 

They had a full week off, actually. We just didn't play the whole thing out. UNTIL was even gracious enough to comp them one day since they did end up getting into a fight.

 

It's not our fate to ever be able to relax. Information has been revealed that our world and its people will soon face a great danger. And it may be possible that said people will not want us to protect them.

 

In such circumstances, there is no time for vacations.

 

(That...or Bill is just a malevolent, sadistic cuss...)

 

Who says the two things must be mutually exclusive?

[Cardinal]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

...must...get...unity...fix....

 

Anything happen this past week or do we have to wait another week for some more crunchy UNITY C goodness?

 

BTW, love the description of the multiway fight and the pictures. I am surprised that your head did not explode trying to track that many actors. I have enough problems with just my character.

[Fedifensor]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Finally managed to read through the entire thread. Great stuff, Bill! If only I had more time...Fort Collins isn't that far away from Thornton.

 

By the way, do you happen to have a website for the campaign?

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

...must...get...unity...fix....

 

Anything happen this past week or do we have to wait another week for some more crunchy UNITY C goodness?

 

BTW, love the description of the multiway fight and the pictures. I am surprised that your head did not explode trying to track that many actors. I have enough problems with just my character.

 

I'll try to post something tomorrow.

 

I'll let you in on a little secret... I wasn't really tracking all the heroes from PRIMUS and UTB. I was just moving them around on the board more-or-less randomly, rolling a few fist-fulls of dice, and saying, "Ooh, So-And-So just took a serious hit from Whoozit!"

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Finally managed to read through the entire thread. Great stuff' date=' Bill! If only I had more time...Fort Collins isn't [i']that[/i] far away from Thornton.

 

By the way, do you happen to have a website for the campaign?

 

Thanks! No, I don't have a website for the campaign. I'm too lazy and too non-technically-inclined. I just put most everything up here.

 

Some of the Coloridians on the board are planning on gang-rushing Genghis Con in February. Check out the thread on the Conventions board. Wanna join us?

[Fedifensor]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Thanks! No' date=' I don't have a website for the campaign. I'm too lazy and too non-technically-inclined. I just put most everything up here. [/quote']

Ah, then you just need to offer one of your players bonus points to do it for you!

 

Some of the Coloridians on the board are planning on gang-rushing Genghis Con in February. Check out the thread on the Conventions board. Wanna join us?

I'll be playing a mix of things at Genghis, and probably will be drafted into running some d20 stuff (Living Arcanis). But I plan to keep at least one slot free for a HERO game, maybe two slots. It all depends on how generous my family is about babysitting, and my wife's mood at the time.

[Vanguard00]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Just wanted to pipe in and say, "I can't believe I haven't been following this!"

 

Well, I'm gonna from now on, I can tell you that.

 

Good stuff, BunnyMan.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Yay! A recap!

 

-----

UTC arrived back in Midgard after the mission in China. The first thing they were told is that their new aircraft had arrived. It had already been in production for Team A when Team C's jets were wrecked, so the timetable was changed and UTC got the craft. To their surprise, it was not a new Mjolnir, but rather the next generation aircraft – the Grungnir. It has all the features of the Mjolnir, but it is capable of one more feat – interstellar space travel. It is outfitted with a hyper-light drive (though the team did not have the opportunity to test this capability out).

 

Straight Arrow requested clearance to get some practice time in the new plane, and after some debate about where to go, the team headed to Japan for lunch. On arrival, they left Tank to guard the plane, took off their uniforms and their LOKI communicators, and found a quiet, out-of-the-way place where they could talk.

 

Ifrita brought up the subject that was weighing on all their minds: they had evidence that a second alien invasion was only months or weeks away, and it seemed like Earth's first line of defense – UNTIL – was doing nothing about it.

 

They talked for some time, trying to figure out their best course of action. They decided that they needed to find out who their allies were, and if they would be available in case of emergency. Vilkacis suggested that they look not only to the world's superhero community, but also to the super-criminals. "They have just as much a stake in this as we do," he said. "The Earth is their home as well as ours." However, given the psychopathic quality of most of the villains that UTC had fought, this idea was vetoed by the others.

 

They also considered the possibility of taking the fight to the Mon'dabi, but decided that space was too big to search, and that the enemy fleet would see them coming long before they got there.

 

So the heroes divided up their duties as follows:

Mitarbeit and Vikacis would prepare a brief dossier on the recruits in UNITY Team D. Then, with the help of Thich Nat Han, they would do a little digging into the Chinese and African superheroes.

 

Red Dragon would find out which Japanese heroes could be trusted (and weren't posers, like the Science Ninja Team). He would also approach El Picaro and serriptitiously ask what the hero knew about the upcoming alien invasion.

 

Ifrita would look into Middle-Eastern heroes. She would try to get Myrmidon to talk about what he might know (again, without revealing what she knows), and also would try to speak with Gadget Man when he recovers from his battle injuries.

 

Aurora would call up a couple of her would-be boyfriends (Lionheart in PRIMUS and Bielo in EuroGuard) and see what their organizations knew about the upcoming invasion.

 

Straight Arrow would contact Albion and his government friends in London. He also wanted to track down Major Aries and have a little powwow with him. With the help of Aurora, he would look up background information on all the members of UNITY (using a backdoor link in LOKI's database). He would also try to find out what it was that Gadget Man had found in LOKI that had gotten him so worked up. He was also still very curious about how the team's communicator's functioned, so at his first opportunity he was planning to take one apart. Finally (and most distastefully), he was going to try to get access to speak to his old enemy, The Scarlet Specter. He felt that the man knew something that might be important in the coming weeks.

 

(If I've forgotten anything, please let me know!) =

 

Now with a clear course of action, the heroes returned home – and just in time. Bec had received orders to send them on a new mission. UTC had been assigned to track down and capture the escaped members of EuroBlast. UNTIL received a tip from EuroGuard that Raising Caine, Lyonesse, and Amazon had fled Europe and headed for South America. UTC is to find them and bring them back to prison.

 

The tip came from an anonymous source, a telephone call to EuroGuard's Eurostar Hotline. The Europeans followed it up and found it to be accurate – an airport security camera reveals Caine and two women (all in disguise and using pseudonyms, but the camera got a really good shot of Caine’s face) boarding a plane to Bogata. However, Columbia is outside of their jurisdiction, so they sent the information to UNITY.

 

Columbia shares a border with Destruga, and is known as a portal into Dr. Destroyer's land. It is a lawless place, ruled by ineffectual bureaucracy and the site of constant fighting between various drug barons, rebels, and supervillains. Dr. Destroyer, Eurostar, and VIPER all have many agents in this part of the world, all of them acting to keep the government destabilized so as to create an environment friendlier to their criminal deeds.

 

Intel suspects that Caine is trying to get into Destruga. If he does so, he will be untouchable, so the heroes are to find him and capture him before he crosses the border. Of course, Dr. Destroyer keeps his borders tightly controlled, so it's not like Caine can just slip in. Eurostar may be hunting Caine as well (Fiacho doesn’t take kindly to splitters), so the heroes are to watch for Eurostar agents who might also be on the trail.

 

Because of the sensitivity of the mission, the heroes can't show up in flashy costumes and start knocking heads together. If they do, Caine and his people will fade away quickly and without a trace. So UTC decided to go incognito. They would fly the Grungnir to Mexico City, then take a commercial civilian flight to Bogata. Unfortunately they would have to leave Tank behind, because Tank doesn't do "subtle."

 

UNTIL has a small base in the city, and Intel will supply the team with a few potential leads when they arrive. Bec supplied the heroes with UNTIL’s bios on the villains. Of the three, Caine is considered the biggest prize (as well as the biggest threat). As a former lieutenant of Eurostar, he may be privy to information that can finally bring the organization down, thus this mission takes the highest priority.

 

Raising Caine

The eldest son of a prosperous family, Caine Demarco grew up thinking that he "deserved" everything and that he was better than other people. The fact that he had mutant powers just made him that much more superior to the "little people" that surrounded him. He joined Interpol and was a brilliant detective, but grew bored. He was so much smarter than those around him -- and incredibly smarter than the criminals that he caught. He decided that he would show everyone how it was done. He found Eurostar and offered his assistance and worked his way up the ranks. After Rasputin suffered his humiliating defeat, Caine decided that he could do it better than the mad Russian, and formed his own splinter group.

 

Caine is a tall, handsome man with striking, noble features, short curly brown hair, and deep set, dark eyes. He dresses impeccably in the finest clothes available -- tailored suits, tuxedos, and the like. He doesn't wear a costume (he finds them silly and even insulting), and never wears a mask. This quirk may be his undoing, since his face was caught on film in Monte Carlo, and again at the Florentine Airport.

 

Amazon

No one is quite sure of Amazon's origins. It is thought that she is simply another villainess with delusions of grandeur, but there is evidence to suggest that she indeed of a warrior race long thought lost to the world. She claims to be from an ancient time when magic and skill with a blade mattered. Unfortunately, her claims were ignored for quite some time and she was...mistreated. She now takes every opportunity to take her revenge on modern society. Amazon (she claims her name is Leitha) is very strong, quite agile, and deadly with a blade.

 

Amazon isn't quite a berserker, but she's quite gung-ho about battle. She never hesitates, always springing into the thick of things. She seeks out honorable warriors to fight in single combat; failing to find one she will lash out at anyone she sees.

 

Amazon is a tall, lithe, dark-skinned, dark haired beauty. She wears battle armor that looks Macedonian in design, and carries two huge swords. Her arms are decorated with tribal tattoos, and she wears her curly black hair long. UNITY does not have a good picture of her face (she wears a helmet), but has several pictures of her tattoos.

 

Lyonesse

Lyonesse is a highly skilled martial artist, trained in several European and Asian styles. She possesses greater-than-average strength, a low degree of invulnerability, and speed and agility that would put any Olympian athlete to shame. Lyonesse is something of a flirt and is not considered highly dangerous.

 

Intel believes she was convinced to quit Eurostar and join EuroBlast by Caine, with whom UNTIL thinks she is in love. She enjoys the excitement and grandeur of super-crime, but isn't interested in hurting people. She only does it because Cain tells her to. Really rather insecure emotionally, she is easy to manipulate.

 

Lyonesse wears a dark blue bodysuit with a thick red belt. Across her breasts are three white roses, and another white rose adorns her loincloth. She wears a dark blue mask that covers the upper half of her face but leaves her long, brown hair free. Again, there are no clear pictures of her face since she wears a mask.

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I love my players. Red Dragon's player just sent me this:

 

> Saigo realizes that the earth is in grave danger, with

> the news that an invasion is eminent. So he is ready

> to make his own personal sacrafice to help insure the

> Earths freedom. He knows that his suit/sword hold great

> potential, but the evil Kami only allows so much of

> that power to leak through to Saigo. This is because

> Saigo is at heart a good person and a Hero. The

> Kami finds this insulting, for he was consumently

> evil and forsoke his herodom for vilany. The Kami

> has only allowed Saigo what power he gives him,

> because Saigo allows the Kami to experience battle

> once again. This is why Saigo, when donning his

> arms, is more blood thristy and darker. For when

> in battle the Kami is closer to control of Saigo then

> Saigo is.

>

> So Saigo has started to meditate and comune with the

> Kami. In hopes to gain the power to save Earth from

> doom. So in short I want to start spending exp. of the

> next part of the campaign to boost my suit/sword powers.

> But at the same time I will start to play Saigo in a slightly

> more darker(yet not evil) sense. This is because the Kami

> is starting to take a more active (if not controling) aspect

> within Saigo.

>

> I invision Red Dragon as slowly becoming more

> powerful, but more evil. and maybe after the

> invasion Red Dragon will become a vilian for a

> session or two. Then Saigo will confront the Kami

> and win. What I will do is save up enough exp. to

> buy off the evil kami disadvantage. And at the

> height of Red Dragons evil Saigo (maybe after being

> thrashed by the group) will psychicaly battle the

> Kami and win. This will free Saigo from his dark

> side and make for one hell of a kewl plot line.

>

> Of course this is all up to you if you want to fall

> the evil Red Dragon plot line. If not Saigo will

> reamain a slightly darker hero, yet not evil. But at

> the same time poor Saigo will be forever haunted by

> his dark kami.

>

> Also I know I could just spend the exps to make my

> armor/swords better, but thats not as fun as adding

> story and depth to my character. Which is something

> exp. can't do.

>

> Please get back at me with your ideas on how I

> should proceed with Red Dragons Transformation.

[hooligan x]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Ohhhh, player like that make the GM job fun!

 

I'll let you in on a little secret... I wasn't really tracking all the heroes from PRIMUS and UTB. I was just moving them around on the board more-or-less randomly' date=' rolling a few fist-fulls of dice, and saying, "Ooh, So-And-So just took a serious hit from Whoozit!" [/quote']

 

I SO do that. Or I forget the NPC hero's phase.

[Virtue]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

This is the greatest game post i have ever read my wife has family in Colorado and i joked with her we need to move there so i can try to get into this game I cant wait to see what happens next

The games works well because it looks like Strait Arrow and Red Dragon are very good Super Hero Role players I need help getting my PCs to get out of DND mode and into superhero mode

Keyes Bill if you wouldnt mind i would like your actual games notes on some of these adventure as we all say copying is the greatest form of appreations lol

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I love my players. Red Dragon's player just sent me this:

 

 

Man, I'm jealous. Thats a great player you have there.

[Fedifensor]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Do you accept 'guest-stars' in your campaign? I live about an hour away from Fort Collins, and I don't have time to join another campaign, but it would be great to sample UNITY 2010 one of these days.

 

Hmm - thought about running a one-shot featuring Unity Team C at the next local convention?

[Cardinal]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Great stuff!!!

 

My jones has been satisfied... for the time being.

 

Please pass on my congrats to your players. As Red Dragon has shown, you clearly have great players.

[Virtue]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I need my Unity Fix

[Hermit]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I need my Unity Fix

 

Careful, don't sound too desperate or he'll begin charging.

[Red Knight]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I for one love this game. Too bad I live almost half a continent alway. I live in Pennsylvania... The Eastern side no less!!! As has been echoed previously, I too would love to play in this game. The players sound really good and the GM... well.. We all know that already.

 

I like "Red Dragon's" Player's idea for the character. Too many times, the "greater attack and defense powers" route is taken by players as a way to "flesh out" a character. Alas, I was guilty of this in my earlier gaming. Now, I look to find a character development hook to balance new powers and such against.

 

Kudos to you all.

 

 

 

Oh and yeah..... I NEED MY UNITY FIX!!!

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Oh and yeah..... I NEED MY UNITY FIX!!!

 

I need my Unity Fix

 

Careful' date=' don't sound too desperate or he'll begin charging. [/quote']

 

What an excellent idea, Hermit...

 

 

 

Nah, I guess it wouldn't work anyway. Here's the next installment of the UNITY 2010 saga...

 

-----

UTC had been assigned to track down and capture the escaped members of EuroBlast. UNTIL received a tip from EuroGuard that Raising Caine, Lyonesse, and Amazon had fled Europe and headed for South America. UTC is to find them and bring them back to prison.

 

Columbia shares a border with Destruga, and is known as a portal into Dr. Destroyer's land. It is a lawless place, ruled by ineffectual bureaucracy and the site of constant fighting between various drug barons, rebels, and supervillains. Dr. Destroyer, Eurostar, and VIPER all have many agents in this part of the world, all of them acting to keep the government destabilized so as to create an environment friendlier to their criminal deeds.

 

Intel suspects that Caine is trying to get into Destruga. If he does so, he will be untouchable, so the heroes are to find him and capture him before he crosses the border. Of course, Dr. Destroyer keeps his borders tightly controlled, so it's not like Caine can just slip in. Eurostar may be hunting Caine as well (Fiacho doesn’t take kindly to splitters), so the heroes are to watch for Eurostar agents who might also be on the trail.

 

Because of the sensitivity of the mission, the heroes can't show up in flashy costumes and start knocking heads together. If they do, Caine and his people will fade away quickly and without a trace. So UTC decided to go incognito. They would fly the Grungnir to Mexico City, then take a commercial civilian flight to Bogata. Unfortunately they would have to leave Tank behind, because Tank doesn't do "subtle."

 

Bec supplied the heroes with UNTIL’s bios on the villains. Of the three, Caine is considered the biggest prize (as well as the biggest threat). As a former lieutenant of Eurostar, he may be privy to information that can finally bring the organization down, thus this mission takes the highest priority.

 

The team arrived in Bogata and immediately split up to do some research. Vilkacis took his team (Aurora and Mitarbeit) to search for places where a wanted criminal – particularly a super criminal – would hang out. They found a couple potential leads: Sharkey's and The Americas Bar & Grill.

 

Sharkey’s is a bar in one of the bad parts of town. It is known to cater to a certain style of clientele – the superpowered kind, particularly the kind that’s on the down-and-out. From what they learned, Sharkey asks no questions; he doesn’t care if you were good or evil, he doesn’t care where your money came from, and he doesn’t want to hear about your latest scheme gone wrong (or right). A lot of people come here to hook up with others of their “type,” to make deals, or to arrange safe passage to or from a hideout.

 

The Americas is a slightly higher-class place, quieter and less busy than Sharkey's, but with a similar philosophy. While Sharkey's is a hang-out where people sit and drink for hours, this is the kind of place where people make deals and then leave.

 

New Man, Ifrita, and Red Dragon went out on a similar mission, and learned of two potential places. The first is known as El Lugar Seguro ("Safe Place"), a tiny town along the southern border of Destruga. El Lugar Seguro (or “Loog” as it’s commonly known) is a haven for people attempting to cross over into Dr. Destroyer’s land (and vice-versa). It’s known as a terrible place, filled with bars and brothels, gambling halls and opium dens, and populated with the very worst kind of person that humanity has to offer.

 

They also discovered that VIPER (long past its prime in Europe and the US) is still a strong influence in this part of the world. They have strong ties with the Columbian cocaine cartels, and they help fund many of the rebel groups in the area in order to keep the politics destabilized. South America is currently one of VIPER’s most profitable regions. Eurostar and VIPER have long been enemies, but since Caine broke away from his comrades he may seek shelter among the snakes.

 

They heard rumors that VIPER has several nests in Bogata. The main one is known as la Aguilera (the Aerie). Supposedly, it is hidden in one of Bogata’s tall office buildings, and rumor has it that certain government officials are aware of the Aerie, but are either well-paid or threatened to keep its location quiet. It's well-known that there are several other VIPER bases around the city as well, usually disguised as warehouses, bars, brothels, breweries, trucking companies, shipping companies, and the like.

 

Straight Arrow and Thich Nat Han went to UNTIL HQ, a heavily fortified building in the downtown area. They met with Major Guitarez and spoke with him for a while. He informed them that anyone wanting to get into Destruga would have to go to El Castillo Negro ("The Black Castle"). This is the nickname of the Destrugan Embassy in the heart of downtown Bogata. It is an imposing structure, living up to its nickname – 10 stories high and made of black stone, surrounded by a high stone wall and iron gates. Black-garbed soldiers patrol the grounds, and no one is let in without an appointment.

 

Destruga is legendary as a safe haven for supervillains on the run from the law. Dr. Destroyer (aka Albert Zerstoiten) offers amnesty and protection in exchange for a certain term of service (usually 5 years, but can be up to 25 in the right circumstances). Supers don’t really know what to expect; some are placed in medical labs and given tests, others serve in the Doctor’s military; still others might be used as spies on other nations. The Doctor is fairly picky about who he accepts into his country; the uncontrollably violent are rarely allowed in, nor are people on the UN’s Top Ten Most Wanted List (he doesn’t want to antagonize UNTIL beyond sufferance).

 

The team got back together to discuss their next step. Raising Caine had nearly 5 days of a head start on them, so they couldn't afford to waste time. They split up again – New Man led Red Dragon and Thich to Sharkey's, Vilkacis took Aurora and Mitarbeit to the Americas, and Ifrita and Straight Arrow got an appointment to get into the Black Castle (with the help of UNTIL Corporal Carlos "Shifty" Hernandez, an expert forger and former counterfeiter).

 

At the Americas, Vilkacis got a lead on where Caine might be. A guy (who called himself Flamedragon) asked for a lot of money, but he said he knew where the villain was holed up. Vilkacis "dropped off" his female companions at a local taxi station and then followed the man deeper into the city.

 

At Sharkey's, while Red Dragon and Thich dallied with the local putas, New Man learned of a fellow who hangs out at the bar. The locals call him Ojo Malvado ("Evil Eye") and say that he's an agent of Destruga. Though he's never demonstrated any overt powers, he has a bad reputation and is universally feared. He is a hunchback with one large, red eye which never seems to close, and most people get uncomfortable when he looks at them. New Man, backed up by his compatriots, went to talk to the strange man.

 

 

Meanwhile, Ifrita and Straight Arrow went to the Black Castle for their appointment with Dr. München, a Destrugan ambassador. A little research revealed that the man was once German diplomat who was forced to leave his country because of a scandal involving a dead co-ed in his summer cottage. He bummed around South America for a while until he came to Destruga, where he was recruited into the diplomatic corps and rapidly rose in the ranks.

 

The heroes fed him a line about working for the royal family of Monaco. Dr. München seemed pleasant enough and was willing to help. He readily admitted that Caine had petitioned for asylum, but that it was refused due to his wanted status. The benevolent leadership of the peaceful democracy of Destruga wasn't interested in harboring a criminal wanted by EuroGuard, UNITY, and Eurostar, so they turned him away. When Straight Arrow asked if there was any other way to gain entry to Destruga, Dr. München told him that it was impossible, that the borders were tightly sealed. However, something about the way he said it made Straight Arrow suspicious. Obviously, there were other ways in that the good Doctor wasn't mentioning.

[Virtue]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Was this done in one night or was there more and you are just teasing? I dont think my gaming group could survive without one or two battles

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Was this done in one night or was there more and you are just teasing? I dont think my gaming group could survive without one or two battles

 

Believe it or not, we've actually gone two entire sessions in a row without a fight. Heck, hardly any dice were rolled -- a few Streetwise checks, a couple of PER rolls, a Diplomacy/Bureaucracy roll. It's kind of different for us. I was dropping hints and hooks and clues like crazy to set things up for later. Next week you'll see a fight or two.

[Red Knight]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Yet again, I feel that you have a great group. I have played with groups that would pick fights just so that they could then blast something.

 

Keep up the good work.

[Virtue]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

How long do each of your guys sessions last?

 

Ours ussualy last over 6 hours

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

How long do each of your guys sessions last?

 

Ours ussualy last over 6 hours

 

Between 4 and 6 hours. Usually we start at 5pm and end around 10pm. Sometimes we start earlier or go later.

 

Bill.

[Virtue]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

I wish i had players like you if they are not kicking the cr@* out of somthing every hour or so they get bitter thats what i get from having a abunch of DND players trying to play a super hero game. Im going to use your Rasputin Eurostars story ark i was wondering if i could some how get the exsact write up from you so i can change it to M&M and use it in my game

[teh bunneh]

Re: UNITY 2010: A New Champions Campaign

 

Yeah, I suppose I can post my notes for the adventure(s). Dunno if they'll be useful, they're pretty heavily slanted towards my team. Also, I tend to wing things a lot when my heroes go off on strange directions (frequently re-writing the adventure as I go). And there's not much there that isn't in the write-ups you've already got. But if you can use them you're welcome.

 

 

France

Tkembe is told that the world’s best occult library is in Lourdes, France. It is supposed to contain some of the greatest works of magic the world has ever seen, from the time of Atlantis until the modern age. It’s not hard to wrangle an invitation to visit and look at the stacks. (learn about Sir Phillipe Dubois, the last of the Templars)

Ifrita’s father is also currently enjoying a short break from his duties, and has invited his only daughter down to France to visit with him. He is renting a home out in the countryside.

Straight Arrow’s children are going to spend a weekend on a supervised trip to France to visit the museum there. One of the regular chaperones is taken ill, and can’t make it, so the teacher has asked Simon if he wouldn’t mind filling in – just for the duration of the trip, a few days at most. (Get a midnight visit from Midnight of UNITY Team Omega).

The Templar’s Manse is on the same piece of property that the museum is, which is not far from the country house that Ifrita’s father is staying at. Just on the other side of the property is a psychiatric hospital, very high security, which is housing the nefarious (former) criminal Ultrasonique.

Part of EuroGuard is in town, following-up on rumors that Eurostar is here for some reason...

A. To break Jean Dubois out of the psych ward

B. To steal something from the Templar’s Manse

C. To steal something from the Museum of History

On her first morning in Lourdes, Ifrita witnesses a Irish woman being very rude to a waitress – to the point of slapping her. If Ifrita interferes, the woman will pull a knife (with a look of murder in her eyes), but will be stopped by her companion (a tall, bald, bearded man) before she can do anything. The two people leave the restaurant quickly, and then completely vanish without a trace.

That night, after Tkembe has left the Temple to go home, he sees someone lurking in the darkness – someone huge and scary-looking; someone whose silhouette looks very familiar. If Tkembe attempts to stop Durak by himself, he’s in for a big surprise – Durak has friends nearby!

Eurostar is here to break Jean Dubois out of the psychiatric ward. If anything goes wrong, they will bug out; Rasputin cannot afford to lose any more team members at this point. His team consists of himself, Durak, Scorpia, Killer Frost, Penny Dreadful, and Kriegsmadchen.

If/when the team stops Eurostar from taking Jean/Ultrasonique, he will babble (mostly incoherently) to them about:

I. Eurostar has stolen a religious artifact from the Vatican

a. The artifact is the Blessed Sword of St. John, used by the Knights of Malta to prevent evil from overwhelming the world

II. Break Ultrasonique out of prison

a. Ultrasonique is the last descendent of a line of French Templars; his blood is required for a sacrifice in which Rasputin intends to summon evil gods from beyond the stars

b. Ultrasonique is not the last descendent after all; he has a (sister? daughter? cousin?) who doesn’t know her relationship to him and who remains hidden

III. Rasputin and the PCs find out about the woman at the same time

a. If the PCs save her, Rasputin will be back again. His ritual has failed (the stars are no longer “Rightâ€), but he has other plans up his sleeve…

b. If they fail to save her, they will have to try to stop the ritual as it takes place

 

Adventure 5:

The Eyes in the Sky

In which the heroes must stop Eurostar from committing an act so hideous it would change life on Earth forevermore…

 

After getting the report from Simian and Ifrita, Major Bec orders UNITY Team C to investigate Eurostar and what they are doing. “They’ve been getting more and more active, and they need to be stopped before they complete whatever it is they’re building up to.â€

Follow-up potentials:

-- Look into the Sword of St. John

-- Look into getting profiles on all of Eurostar’s membership

Dubois

Dubois is being kept in Ultimate Security lockdown at Bastion-1. They are planning to move him to a secret location soon, so Bec suggests the heroes start there.

Bastion-1 is an aesthetically-pleasing mix of classical European architecture and modern science. Though it appears to be made of stone, every section is in fact reinforced with Questonite, making it incredibly durable. It was built to withstand storms as well as the forces involved in a superhuman battle. Bastion-1 is quite large and consists of 3 main sections: the Fanum (which has facilities for landing, parking, and refueling small planes and helicopters, including EuroGuard’s planned jet), the Templum (a command and control facility for monitoring emergency situations all over the continent which may call for EuroGuard’s intervention), and the Castorum (living areas for the staff, as well as quarters for EuroGuard itself).

Though the basic concept behind Bastion-1 is an offshore derrick, there is little resemblance between this conception and reality. Bastion-1 looks like nothing less than a great Roman temple standing proudly over the deep blue ocean. Soaring arches, towering columns, wide steps, and bas-relief sculpture over nearly every surface invoke a feeling of awe and humility in the visitor. Flags of every nation in the EU flutter proudly over the Castorum. The entrance to the Templum is inscribed (in French, German, and English) with the values of the European Union: Dignity, Freedom, Democracy, Equality, The Rule of Law, and Respect for Human Rights.

Dubois is being kept in a small but comfortable cell. He is sitting quietly, wrapped up in a straight-jacket and muttering to himself. If questioned, he repeats what he has said before: He talks about how everyone wants his blood, his precious blood, and how the eyes in the sky were watching for him and wanted him dead so they could come back. “They’re going to come back for me because they know the eyes, the eyes in space – they want my blood and they know I’m the last, so only my blood will do! That’s why they want me!â€

If New Man attempts to read his mind, it will be like trying to read a book that is whizzing past at 75 mph – nothing can be made out. However, if he gets deep enough, he will find the calm core in the middle of the maelstrom, where the great engineer Jean Dubois works uninterrupted in his own mind (and a possible solo adventure)…

Recent Eurostar Sightings

Eurostar has been fairly quiet recently, but they have not disappeared. They have struck three museums in the past month.

The first was in Istanbul, at the great Museum of Calligraphy, where a handful of books by the great philosopher and astronomer Abiz al Hilya were stolen. These books were locked away, forbidden to be displayed by the religious authorities, because they contained references to the ancient pagan gods and devils of old. No one knows what was in them, but they are said to contain star charts and references to the names of ancient demons.

The second was in Stalingrad, where they struck the Museum of History. They attacked the Czarist collection, but were driven off by the heroic Super Soldiers before they could take anything.

The most recent was a private collection in Sicily, owned by Mr. Ivan Vonovich, a very wealthy Russian ex-patriot who is said to be a gangster and arms dealer. He has an extensive private collection of ancient artifacts from around the world. He is particularly interested in medieval European history and art. He is very private about what he owns, and a full catalog doesn’t (publicly) exist. It is also said that he is not averse to using questionable methods to enhance his collection, from threats to bribes to outright theft and violence. He is an unpleasant man, to say the least, with little respect for authority except to use as a tool against other people. He is livid that someone would dare do to him what he has done to so many others. He claims a daVinci painting, seldom seen by the public, was stolen. He is lucky that it was insured for 50 million dollars, but he is still angry at the audacity of these thugs.

Vonovich is careful not to allow the heroes access to his entire collection, but careful investigation of his palatial estate will show that the daVinci was not the only thing taken – a room filled with medieval armor and weapons was also struck, and a sword and suit of armor were also taken. A half-melted plaque identifies the missing pieces as the Armor and Sword of St. Jean Parisot de la Dubois, and that they were recent acquisitions.

(Investigation will also reveal a lot of other material that was obviously stolen or otherwise acquired in a shady manner. Certainly enough evidence could be gathered to put Vonovich away for years, if questioned properly. Mind scan will show that he has sold weapons to Eurostar, and that is probably how they knew what he had. He stole the Sword of St. John at Rasputin’s request, but decided to double-cross them).

The Sword of St. John

If Tkembe wants, he can contact his buddy “John†to let him know what the heroes found out… John will be very interested to hear it.

John can tell Tkembe a little bit more about the legends of the Sword – how many people think it is more than a mere weapon, and that it holds great magical powers. It is supposed to be a “weapon of defense;†when the wielder uses it to protect a person or a place, he gains incredible abilities – and indeed, the place that he is protecting cannot be harmed while the Sword is still held by a man with a noble and innocent heart. Some people even believe that the Sword is one of the things that prevents evil from overwhelming the world.

John doesn’t know anything about Jean Dubois, though he finds the name to be suspicious. Dubois had many children, but he doesn’t know anyone who has bothered to keep track of the family line of St. John of Malta. He wonders aloud what would happen if the family line died off completely.

John will insist that it is very important that the Sword not stay in the hands of someone like Rasputin. “There’s no telling what sort of mischief a man like that could get up to, hanging on to an artifact like that.†He won’t insist that Tkembe give him the Sword once it’s found, but he will hint strongly in that direction.

The heroes can investigate the theft of the Sword if they wish. It was a professional, non-super (as far as the authorities can tell) job, pulled about 5 weeks ago (before the first Eurostar museum heist). Authorities had no reason to believe that Eurostar was involved, and thus didn’t contact EuroGuard or UNITY about it. It was a “Mission Impossible†style heist which left few clues and no leads. However, if Interpol learns of Vonovich’s alleged involvement, they will be quite interested as well…

Dubois’ family

Jean has one living relative, a wife who divorced him years ago. She is not remarried and is fairly comfortable in her spinsterism. They had no children. Nichelle does not really love Jean any longer, but she remembers how he was before his “illness†set in, so she still holds a certain fondness for him. They met in graduate school; he was a brilliant engineer who felt he could make the sun shine brighter if only he had the tools. She visits him a couple of times a year in the asylum – his birthday, and usually around Christmas time – but he barely recognizes her any longer.

Jean also used to have a brother, but he died in a fire about 10 years ago. Police think that Jean, in his madness, killed his own brother. His brother was not married, but was seeing a girl at the time – Francis. She was quite broken up by Luc’s death, seeing as how she was pregnant at the time. Poor girl, Nichelle doesn’t think she kept the baby, but she hasn’t been in touch with Francis since Luc’s death. She does, however, have Francis’ last address handy.

Nichelle finds it odd that everyone has such a sudden interest in Jean’s welfare. Just this morning, a member of Interpol came to ask these very same questions. He was a tall man, bald, with a thick black beard and the most beautiful blue eyes. Inspector… something or other, she can’t recall the name.

Francis isn’t too hard to track down from the number that Nichelle gave. She is a young, pretty woman, married and with her own flower shop. She doesn’t want to talk about her time with Luc, as that was very painful. They were to have been married. If pressed, she admits that she was pregnant with his child, but without Luc there, she gave the baby up for adoption; the last she knew, the boy went to the Blessed Sisters of St. Martha orphanage, in Paris.

The shop is very busy, and while they are speaking to Francis, a customer will approach her, wishing to buy some roses. While ringing them up, Francis pricks her finger – “Always a danger when working with roses,†she laughs. A few moments later, she suddenly collapses as though she is having a seizure or a stroke or something. Careful examination will reveal that her hand is turning purple. If care is not rendered quickly, she will die. If the heroes are quick, she will live, but will have to go to the hospital in a coma, not to recover for many days.

It is revealed that she was poisoned by a particularly exotic and rare (and deadly) poison, which was administered through a small scratch on the back of her hand. The woman who bought the roses is long gone, and she was non-descript and spoke French – though it could easily have been Scorpia (or even just a Eurostar goon) in disguise.

Blessed Sisters of St. Martha

This is a branch of the Roman Catholic Church, and is charged with caring for the lost and unwanted children. They have been around for more than a hundred years, and have a generally good reputation. They have a very large dormitory where the children and the nuns live, not far from the Seine River.

When the heroes arrive, though, they are met with disaster. The building has collapsed. Rescue vehicles are on the scene; children are wandering around lost and wailing; the nuns are covered with blood, screaming and crying. It is a scene out of a nightmare. The rescue workers will not turn down help from the heroes, and their powers will make searching for survivors (and bodies) much easier. If the heroes react quickly and decisively, they will find over a dozen survivors trapped in the rubble.

Once rescue operations are over with, they can talk to the survivors. The Sister Superior, with a broken arm and a mild concussion, can tell them what happened. Two men and a woman came in, looking for records for one of their “angels†(as she calls the children) from about 10 years ago. Normally, such information is private, but one of the men was from Interpol. She describes them as a tall, handsome, bearded fellow, a lovely redheaded woman, and a very large man who she assumed was a driver or bodyguard or some such.

Wanting to cooperate with the police, she gave them access to the orphanage’s paper records. When the officer found what he wanted, he turned and said the words that will live in her nightmares forever – “Durak, bring this place down.†The large man threw off his trenchcoat, revealing the world-reviled terrorist, and then he proceeded in tearing down the support structures of the house like they were cardboard. She dove under her desk just as the ceiling collapsed on her, and she thanks God that she was able to survive. “It may be blasphemy, but I pray that you find those murdering bastards and make them pay for what they have done!†she tells the heroes.

Of course, the paper records are all destroyed, but this is the year 2010. The orphanage’s records were put into a database years ago, and the database is linked to the Archdiocese’ record base. Such records are normally private, but given the circumstances, the heroes can easily sweet-talk the bishop to give them access.

The child’s name is Marshall. He was given to a nice, middle-class family (Leroy and Blanche Neville) shortly after he arrived at the orphanage. There were never any problems reported, and they have the family’s current address on record (they regularly attend church in another part of town). When the heroes arrive (just after dark), they find the boy’s father outside calling for him. He has not come in for dinner yet. The last place he was seen was at the park, playing soccer with his friends, but he is not there and his friends say he left an hour ago. A careful search of the area finds his bike, his cap, and his soccer ball not far from the park. There are footprints nearby, leading to what appears to be where a VTOL jet set down. The boy is missing.

Where did Rasputin Take the Boy?

There’s a few ways to figure out where they’re taking the boy.

• Malta is going to be right at the center of the lunar eclipse tonight.
  
• They can have French authorities track the VTOL, and will see it’s heading south, toward Malta.
  
• They can call up John, and he’ll tell them that there’s a big mystic conjunction about to start; the center of which appears to be due south of Sicily.

They find Eurostar at the Castle of St. Angelo. Rasputin is performing some sort of ritual at the peak of the highest tower, which will culminate in the death of the boy on the point of the sword. The rest of Eurostar stands guard nearby, watching for interference. As the ritual continues, the moon grows blood-red, then opens up as if it is a giant eye. If the heroes fail in their mission… well, let us not contemplate this possibility.

Rasputin has nearly the entire team there: Killer Frost, Durak, Scorpia, Der Westgote, Kriegsmadchen, Penny Dreadful, Horrorsong, Lyonesse, and of course Rasputin.

Epilog

The boy has been blissfully unaware throughout the whole thing, and will be perfectly fine when he is woken up and returned to his parents.

The sword can be returned to its proper home. The Maltese authorities will be grateful for the help.

Vonovich will be indicted on violating the international laws of antiquities and sent to trial.

The ritual can no longer be completed, even if Rasputin somehow managed to acquire the sword and the boy again. Tonight was part of a 500-year cycle, the opportunity to summon the “Eyes in the Sky†won’t come up again for centuries.

Major Bec gives everyone a gold star for saving the child and stopping the end of the world from coming. “Now, let’s talk about your next mission…â€