Ex_Libris

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  1. (OOC) It depends on how you look at it... If he is mocking roleplayers, its bad

    If he is just being a funny man, then it is funny

    I love pincel and paper D20 games... I actaully have a weekly group but right bow we are experiencing a low in our player count due to technical difficulties...

    As for the "It's hard to have a serious roleplay session" comment, i think you are very very wrong, you just play with the wrong people if you are experiencing that...

    this brings me to my next thought.... any one in central florida looking for a pincel and paper campaign want to join a 3.5 game in the Forgotten Realms setting?
  2. [ QUOTE ]
    My personal opinion: Do what allows you to enjoy the game. Don't do things to impress others because there are always nay-sayers to any idea someone may come up with.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    Amen.
  3. Lady Bladesing. Technology Scrapper. Hope I can find some RPers to spice up my time there =)
  4. Hi there Set,

    I don't understand the problem with "copying" a character. There's some sorts of semantics where you can argue nothing a human does can be original - "there are a limited number of stories, but an unlimited way of telling them" to paraphrase Neil Gaiman.

    For those of you that may have read "The Sandman", I liked him *because* of all those references to Lucifer, to Titania, Cain, Abel, Set, etc. He borrows from the Norse, Egyptian, and Christian pantheons, he borrows from Shakespeare, from history, etc etc. Don't go around saying it's not creative, it's great reading it! For example take the Arthurian Legends - how many different versions have you read or heard? Every story has a different take on it, and you can actually appreciate it even more if you have seen/read the other versions.

    In the same line, if I saw Titania in Perez Park I would know what to expect. Titania is sometimes cruel, sometimes playful, fickle. I know what broad parameters I could interact with.

    It's a bit silly but I think it's great fun - What if Batman had to fight Spiderman? didn't you have those arguments when you were a kid?

    If you were in a roleplay-only supergroup, and never participated in pickup groups, sure, then I understand people wanting to be serious rp'ers.
  5. This is a thread that was originally started by me on the old CoH role playing threads in late 2001 and was finished in 2002. This was one of my first great rping threads, and still one of my faviorates from the numerous ones I was involved in in the past. I am reproducing all the old posts myself, Rook and several guest stars put into this story. Hope everyone enjoys this blast from the past.

    Thevshi.

    Thevshi (started on 12/21/2001)

    (ooc: Rook and I are starting this thread because we felt there were some things about our backgrounds that would make for an interesting role-playing encounter between our two characters. We welcome any comments, but request that any in character posts be fairly limited, like cameos. Think of this as a comic book mini-series, like Kitty Pride/Wolverine. I realize that “Ghost’s of the Past” is a little bit of an over used title, but we felt it was important for a couple of reasons. First is that both Rook and Thevshi have some ‘ghosts’ that draw them into this encounter. Second is that my character’s hero name, Thevshi, is taken from a ghost like spirit from Irish Folklore. Also, these events take place several weeks after Thevshi’s first appearance in the Paragon High School thread. We hope you enjoy this story)

    Rook vs Thevshi: Ghost's of the Past


    Winter had taken hold in Paragon City, with recent snowstorms covering the city in a blanket of snow. The constant cloud cover gave the city a grey dark feel during the day, only to turn into an orange glow from the city’s lights at night. Snow continued to fall fairly regularly, and life in the city had slowed down accordingly.

    For Bernadette O’Connell, tonight was like any other school night. It was a little after ten in the evening, and she was trying to finish up her homework for the night. Bernadette’s evenings were usually very busy. First she had choir practice, then she had training sessions with the other members of C.A.S.T., the teenage superhero team that she was a member of under the name of Thevshi. So after all of that, she usually ended up doing her homework late at night. She didn’t mind so much seeing as she usually had to stay up late anyway to take care of her father when he returned home drunk. Tonight sure seemed as if it was going to be such a night.

    Currently she was halfway through her last chapter in Chemistry with the nightly news on the television playing in the background.

    "In our next story, even though the recent snows have slowed down most of the city, it seems that crime doesn’t stop. Earlier today, several members of Team1 lead by Rook stopped a group of Fifth Column members."

    Rook?. Bernadette looked up from her textbook to watch the news story

    "Seen here, the members of Team1 handed the Fifth Columnists over to police before leaving the scene. They were unavailable for comment as is usually the case. The exact target of the . . ."

    The rest of the newscaster’s commentary drifted out of mind as Bernadette stared intently at the images of Team1 on screen. Her attention particularly focused on the images of Rook as he spoke with the police detectives. He did seem vaguely familiar to her but she had looked at the file over a year ago.

    Until about four months ago, Bernadette had been part of a British Government sponsored superhero team named Project Daedalus. During a briefing by some analysts from the SIS on the IRA, one of the older team members had mentioned a former IRA assassin who had used the code name Rook. With a deep personal interest to know as much as she could about IRA operatives, Bernadette had managed to get the SIS file on Rook. Bernadette regarded the image on the television again.

    Could this be the same man?

    Rook:

    Thick, snowy winds flowed about the vicinity. Their swift flurries seemed to dance around the tall figure.

    Rook was too busy to even notice the snow's efforts to entertain him. He gripped his long black coat close to his body. His eyes glowed a dim green so he could see what he was writing. He had been in Paragon City for some time now, but the winter has never been as cold as this.

    "Rook, I got the last one of em...I'll see you back at hq.",, said Renegade, one of Rook's teammates and old friend.

    Rook smiled as he glanced over at Renegade. These punks deserved what was coming to them. A group of Team1 members stopped some members of the Fifth Column just as they were about to detonate explosives at a nearby NATO summit in Paragon City. Security had been on high alert for the summit, but the Fifth Column had shown time and time again that they were a forced to be reckoned with.

    The snow was pouring down now. It risen at least 3 feet in the streets now, making it difficult to walk around.

    Detective Piche' walked alongside Rook as they both filled out their respective reports.

    "You know, just because you 'superhero's' were on the scene, that doesn't mean we couldn't have handled it ourselves.", said the detective. Detective Piche' had worked with Rook for nearly a year now. He was an older detective with graying hair, but he was still on top of his game. Piche' was always joking with Rook about how obsolete superhero teams were nowadays, and how the PPD (Paragon Police Department) could handle anything that came their way.

    Rook grinned to himself, still filling out his report for the Team1 database.

    "Em, would ye eva hump off lad? Ye know ye sund like a right gobdaw when ye shoot yer mouth off like that..., said Rook while laughing aloud. ((Would you ever leave me alone friend? You know you sound like a fool when you talk like that))

    Detective Piche' shook his head while smiling. He knew Rook was a good guy, but he would never understand a word he said. Piche' peered through the snow and saw a few reporters braving the snow to get a story.

    "Look who's here Rook. I would get stepping if you don't want to be reporter bait."

    Rook's face grimaced as he realized they had probably been taping him for a while.

    "I'm guna go git fluthered egin. Do me a favor and hold em off a bit for me'., said Rook to the detective as he disappeared into the snowy night.

    Piche' laughed as he prepared to deal with his 'routine reporter talk'.

    **************************************************


    12:30 struck the small wooden clock off to the side of the pub. Mc'Gilly's was the closest to an Irish pub in all of Paragon City, and it was the only place where he felt somewhat at home.

    Jake, the barback, laid his back against the back of the bar as he watched the news with Rook.

    "In our next story, even though the recent snows have slowed down most of the city, it seems that crime doesn’t stop. Earlier today, several members of Team1 lead by Rook stopped a group of Fifth Column members., said a reporter who looked to be freezing her buns off.

    Jake tugged at his beard and shot a smile over at Rook. He knew Rook now like his son, so he knew exactly what was going trough his mind.

    Rook downed his dark beer and then ran his hands through his thick brown hair with tension in his hands. He figured they would catch him on camera again. It felt as if the city was trying to make him out to be a celebrity as of late.

    Jake passed him another beer, knowing full well that this would be another long night for Rook...

    Thevshi:

    The clock on her nightstand read 12:31 AM, but Bernadette was not able to sleep. Her father had arrived home an hour ago, and with a minor amount of difficulty, Bernadette had managed to get him to bed. He would be feeling it in the morning to be sure, but he should be used to that.

    Bernadette’s mind was still going over the newscast she had seen. Her eyes drifted over to the picture that sat next to her clock on the nightstand. In the dim orange light from outside, she could barely make out herself at age ten standing with her mother outside the Cathedral at Notre Dame. Uninvited, another memory came flooding back to her.

    It was a warm spring day five years ago, and her and her mother were waiting to be seated in a small restaurant in Belfast. Everything seemed so wonderful, as if nothing could go wrong. Just as the waiter came up to seat them, the door swung open and someone shouted something and threw a small package into the restaurant. With that, everyone began to scream and panic. Gripped with fear, Bernadette did something she had never done before, she lowered her bodies density, taking on a ghostly appearance. The hand that was being held by her mother easily slipped from her mother’s grasp as she started towards the door, halting when she realized she no longer had Bernadette’s hand.

    Her mother’s eyes widened in horror when she saw Bernadette’s ghostly appearance, with panicked patrons passing through her. Her mother rushed forward and tried in vain to grasp Bernadette as she in turned tried to grab her mother. Then everything irrupted in flames.

    Bodies were flung in all directions by the blast, as flames washed over the interior of the restaurant. Yet Bernadette stood where she was untouched by the destruction around her. She stood for what seemed an eternity in shock and terror before she ran outside, passing through the burning walls, out into the street. The shocked bystanders who had begun to gather yelled in surprise and fear at this ghostly apparition that appeared from the devastated restaurant. Her father, who had been in a store down the block, forced his way through the crowd and ran over to try to hug his daughter, but to no avail. Bernadette also sought comfort in her father’s embrace but was unable to get her body to return to its normal density. A pair of British soldiers who had been near by, watched the scene along with the crowd of bystanders. By the time other emergency personnel had arrived, Bernadette had tired and her body reverted to normal density. The military took down her father’s name and information, and with in a week, representatives from Project Daedalus had arrived to speak to him about her.

    Bernadette brushed tears from her eyes as she buried the memories again. If the man she had seen tonight was indeed the Rook that had worked for the IRA, then she needed to prove it somehow. Tomorrow she would have to call in a favor or two, but she would get what she needed. She rolled over to face away from the picture and the clock and tried to go to sleep.

    Thevshi:

    Bernadette’s mind. It had been a very restless night and she had gotten up much earlier than normal. She held her head under the flow of water from the shower, letting the water run down her face and body. Through out her coursed a strange sensation of exhaustion and adrenaline mixed together. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to get what she needed to, but she had to try. Switching off the shower, Bernadette opened the door of the shower to the steam filled bathroom. Her body shivered in the cold air as she grabbed the nearby towel and began to dry herself.

    Wrapped in the towel, she made her way to her room and began to dress. Outside, the sky was still dark; with a steady snowfall replacing what had been plowed from the streets through the night. Bernadette dried her hair as best she could and then put the damp hair back into a ponytail. After putting on a white top and black wool stockings, she slipped on a blue and gray plaid skirt. From her wardrobe, she choose a warm burgundy sweater that she had bought in the French Alps. After pulling the sweater on, she grabbed her bag and heavy coat and headed downstairs.

    Down in the kitchen she quickly fixed a muffin with jam and a glass of orange juice. She also started a pot of strong coffee. She ate her quick breakfast while the coffee brewed, her mind going over her options. I am sure that Charles or Susan would get the file for me. I mean, I know it’s classified information and all, but it’s not like I haven’t seen the file already. Well, I bloody well need the file, or there is no way I can prove anything.

    Once the coffee was done, she poured a cup and walked over to the bottom of the stairs. She hesitated at the bottom staring up at the dark stair top, feeling a slight guilt over what she had to do. Bloody well serves him right, coming home pissed at all hours of the night. Steeled, she preceded up the stairs and into the bathroom, setting the coffee down on the sink counter. A short walk down the hall, and she entered her father’s room. She could hear him softly breathing in the dark, still passed out from his long night of drinking. Rolling him over, she wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. She easily lifted him up and carried him back to the bathroom. Gently laying him down in the bathtub, a look of sadness crossed her face as she stood back up. Bernadette then turned on the cold water for the shower.

    “Aaaahh!” Her father yelled out as he jerked awake in the cold water. “What the ‘ell! D*mn it lass! Turn on some hot water before I freeze to death!” He was scrambling around in the bathtub as Bernadette turned the hot water on. “I’m sorry da', but I need to get to school early today, choir practice, so I ‘ad to wake you up early. Your coffee is right here, and there is more down in the kitchen.” Bernadette started to leave, turning around as she was in the doorway. “Have a good day, I love you.” As she left, she heard her father mumble something in return and she hurried downstairs, grabbed her stuff and went outside into the cold.

    The air outside was bitter cold, as the snow fell slowly to the ground. The entire street was covered under a blanket of the soft white powder. Bernadette stood on the doorstep, the snow along the sidewalk looked at least shin deep. She looked down the street, and seeing no one out, lifted off into the air and started to fly towards downtown. She lowered her density as she flew, that offered her some protection from the chilling winds that were swirling around above the city.

    The snow filled sky made visibility very poor, but Bernadette could make out the tall towers that stood out in the heart of Paragon City. She flew onward, thank full that her lowered density prevented her from feeling the cold and wet of the stormy sky.

    A short time later, Bernadette touched down at the edge of the Powers Corporation complex. Bernadette stared up at the cold gray building remembering her first visit here several weeks ago. It had been under very different circumstances, her and her friends had come to save the life of one of her teammates, Shaun Powers, and here she had witnessed a miracle. Pushing those thoughts aside, Bernadette walked up to the main entrance, passing several armed guards who were keeping watch outside. The main entrance opened into a large atrium that stood over six stories tall. Bernadette strode forward to the receptionist, who looked very tired, most likely having worked the evening shift. She looked up at Bernadette and seemed a little surprised at someone arriving so early.

    “May I help you dear?” She asked with a tone that indicated that she felt as if Bernadette did not belong here.

    To some degree, she was right. “Me name is Bernadette O’Connell and I need to see Michael Powers.”

    The receptionist seemed taken aback at the request, but said nothing. She keyed the phone for the headset she wore. “Mr. Powers? I have a Bernadette O’Connell to see you. Should I have security. . Oh, sorry sir. Yes, sir.” She looked back at Bernadette, her face somewhat flush. “Mr. Powers will see you, the elevator is. . "

    Bernadette cut her off. “Thank you, I know the bloody way.” And began to make her way back towards the private elevator. Her footsteps echoed in the quite of the morning as she approached the silver elevator doors that were past the main bank of elevators. The doors slid quietly open and Bernadette stepped inside, trying to calm herself as the doors closed behind her.

    Rook:

    **Explosions ripped through the smoky battlefield. Men barked out chaotic orders to each other which were nearly impossible to hear. Automatic weapon fire overrided the screams of men as one after another, they fell to the earth’s cold floor. Many of the men were young, maybe only 17 or 18, yet they would sacrifice their lives for this 'war'.

    Rook glanced over to see a young Catholic holding on to a grenade for too long. Soon, his body was torn into pieces by the fiery shrapnel of the tool. Rook quickly took cover behind a broken down pickup truck. He readied his AK-47 and prepared to take out as many of the enemy as he could. The street battles were dangerous. These young men who fought in them were very unpredictable, making it un-worthwile to formulate any kind of a plan of action.

    Rook quickly rolled out from beneath his cover, dodging bullets as they whizzed though the air. His automatic weapon sent men to their graves and made others run in fear.

    One boy, who couldn't be a day over 16, tried to sneak up on Rook's team with two grenades in his palms. His face turned white as snow when he looked upon Rook, fear and desperation running like wildfire through his body. Rook grimaced his face, not caring 'who' he was, and fired shot after shot into the young boy's frail body.

    Blood spattered over Rook's visage as he relentlessly shot the young man over and over.....**

    ------------------------------------

    Rook screamed aloud as he gripped his sheets and woke up. He was sweating from head to toe, despite the freezing temperatures outside his apartment. Breathing in and out rapidly, Rook wiped the sweat from his face and moved to the edge of his bed. Running his hands through his thick brown hair, Rook tried to calm himself.

    The nightmares seemed to be coming more often now, almost enough to make Rook not want to fall asleep.....ever.

    With slow, uneasy steps, Rook made his way over to his bedroom window. Snow slowly drifted to the city streets below, as a truck pushed much of the piled up weather to the side of the path.
    It was a beautiful site for Rook's eyes. A much needed contrast to his sickly dream. Rook smiled as he saw many people brave their ways through the thick snow to get to their jobs, school and destinations.

    Today was Rook's day off though, so he decided that venturing around the city or maybe through the park would be a good idea.

    Relaxing his mind would be of the utmost importance today he thought. Anything to drive out the ghastly images which haunted his mind...
  6. Ex_Libris

    Enemies

    Are there a certain group of enemies that each origin has? Or even archtype?

    I mean, Mourngrymn is my main character. He is a mutant blaster with energy powers. Now is there a certain story line that you will eventually follow once you reach a certain level that will have a certain group of enemies as your main mission goal? Like most of your missions will revolve around the Skulls, or the Clockwork, or the Cricle of Thorns? Is is specific or just random? Just curious for my background origin story. His origin can be found here for those who haven't read it. I have put a lot of thought and effort into this origin so don't start reading it thinking it is only a paragraph long.

    Mourngrymn's origin
  7. 1. Earthlings are a versatile host - they are the womb for the Larvae, the food to nourish the body. Do not crush an Earthling for sport. If you kill it, eat it.

    2. They have MALE Queens.

    3. The tastiest part is normally the occipetal lobes. Lightly sautee in coagulated bovine mammary excretions, serve hot.

    --
    Coleoptera of Virtue.
  8. As a leader of the "original" Knights of Paragon, the team that existed on the roleplaying boards of the old CoH site since late 2001 and is now on Virtue, I would like to state that Gramble's team on Justice in not associated with us in any way.

    Thevshi
  9. 10.1 Earthlings are a versatile host - they are the womb for the Larvae, the food to nourish the body. Do not crush an Earthling for sport. If you kill it, eat it.
  10. Last night..

    Coleoptera scans his surroundings. Many earthlings congregating at Monorail Station. This is a transportation nexus, human drones buzzing about to their respective hives.

    Coleoptera has received transmission from the Fifth Beetle. They are to rendezvous and develop infiltration plan against Earthlings.

    "Greetings Earthling", proclaims the beetle. Thought our stout Beetle has been on the planet for sixty rotations, he is still amazed these earthlings still live.

    Earthlings have proved difficult to conquer. Their warrior caste is versatile and prolific - warriors fly from the sky and emit firey blasts, and even their drones have proved effective because of their massive numbers. To his dismay, he has been unable to identify the Hive Queen. There are many Queens, and even more male Queens (!!!!)

    A few cycles ago, Coleoptera transmitted news of a success to his masters. A male Queen had been coopted and doing their bidding - the drones all shifted allegiance to their candidate. Yes... now they could resume drilling in the northwest artic regions.. The site was ideal - remote and aligned perfectly with the astral gate. Once this site was in place, his masters the Rikt would be able to pour warriors into the hapless dimension.

    Doom was assured.


    ----
    Tadadada <theme music>
    ----

    --
    Will Coleoptera succeed with his plans? Will the artic wilderness become the new base for the evil alien Rikti? and what of the Fifth Beetle? Tune in next week for these answers and more villanous insidious plots, on the same bug channel, at the same bug time!!
  11. Great job Dark. . .

    It's almost funny how a lot of heros come from such hardships. I'll look for you in Virtue.
  12. The explosion was large enough that even Lobe's normally slow perceptiveness couldn't miss it. When he saw the lady hurtle to the street from the blast, and get up to start limping towards them, a stillness overcome him. Then, the perpetrator of the blast presented himself in full sight and bellowed for the lady he just hurt. Lobe's fists began to shake. His arms began to shake. His whole body began to vibrate. The reason for his sudden physical display was written on his face. Gone was the innocent, childlike smile, the glint of pure happiness in is eyes, the aura of benevolance that normally made it difficult for him to intimidate anyone without physical displays of raw power. In its place was a mask of rage: pure, unadulterated, and blazing.

    With a challenging shout that would cower the very rocks if they had life, Lobe leaped the distance between him and the thing that had hurt a woman.

    Lobe landed and began to pummel, without thought or fear, the robed figure. Ignoring the wounds that were steadily beginning to accumulate from the powerful defensive abilities of the Thornian, he raged and punched and kicked. Not even Lobe's immense endurance or resistance could last forever though, and it was unknown if it would last him long enough versus such powerful foe. Not that he seemed to care at the moment
  13. I'm actually all for role playing in CoH and am very anti-PvP.

    Just having some fun playing CoH and thinking of the some of the pen and paper gaming sessions from way back when - alot of them sounded like the above.
  14. (ooc) What do you guys think of so far? It is much longer I was actually trying to think of a way to create a little book, like a comic of his origin to go along with the story. What do you think? Remarks welcome as well as possible ideas. I am currently on Victory but am moving over to virtue here probably today when I get home from work. If you want to make a cameo in the origin of I am at the perfect waypoint to add tangents. I am not stopping the story here just trying to make sure I go in the right direction. Input wanted/ needed... Thanks for reading so far.

    DA, thanks for the great comments. I haven't read your origin yet but I will get to it today if I can find it.
  15. The reBirth of Mr. Midnight

    After the relative calm between the First Ritki Invasion and the Second Invasion, Mr. Midnight proved he was no longer the blood-thirsty murderer of evil that the Midnight Entity had been. Mr. Midnight had worked closely with M.A.G.I. and Azura in particular to rid Paragon City of evil through legal means.

    Then came the Second Invasion now commemorated by Beta Closing Day. Not the hundreds of ships they brought the first time, but what many believed to be the surviving few ships that had been in hiding. What made them choose that day, and that way to attack is anyone’s guess, but the outcome is not a matter for debate. The fighting lasted a mere handful of days but was bloody none-the-less. Throughout the bloody fighting Midnight tried to summon the incredible inner strength he used to help defeat the Ritki the first time. But try as he might, he simply couldn’t find the anger and rage that once fueled his powers. But still his incredible control over “Blackfire” the negative energy he could summon and shoot at the Ritki aided in the battle. After a couple of hard fought days, the heroes again had the alien scourge on the run. After the battle hundreds of surviving Ritki fled into the hills surrounding the city. Many others began an organized retreat towards one of their battleships that had crash-landed just outside of the city proper. The battle was officially declared over on April 25th.

    Hundreds of valiant heroes fell in battle, including the Crimson Shade, the woman who saved Captain Mandrill’s life. The good captain was the sole beneficiary of her surprisingly large estate. Most of the money he donated to Paragon City itself to aid in recovery efforts. However he soon realized that some of the money she left him should go into research, and in just weeks he had created the Hero-Help System, a series of secure communicators that heroes can use to “call” their contacts. This system can also be used to help heroes talk to each other over great distances even in different “zones” of the city. This technology was of course donated to the city, and life was made a little easier. In honor of the Crimson Shade, he dubbed the system the Crimson Line for short.

    In the aftermath of the war on crime, and the intergalactic war that seemed to be waged every other week, Midnight was growing weary. Captain Mandrill decided maybe Midnight needed a new identity so using his contacts on the job, managed to get a fake social security number, fake birth certificate, and even some forged medical records and created a new identity, Sebastian Cabot. Midnight had finally lost the ability to become ethereal and control time and space like he did as The Entity, but he gained something far better in return. What he gained in its place, was the ability to remove the black and white skin the “power” created over his body. Through meditation and shear strength of will he could take human form, and recalling his previous life, could emulate a human to such a degree that no one could tell his real origin. As reward for his tireless efforts to combat crime and the alien menace, Captain Mandrill gave Midnight his new identity as well as a nice surprise.

    Midnight went shopping to try and buy the things a normal human needs. With Mandrill’s help, he purchased a new wardrobe and using his surprise, 1 million dollars in Sebastian’s name, he purchased the land under which Midnight’s lair existed, and started building a new home, a new… human home. Months passed and Sebastian Cabot became a name many heard in high circles. Always fighting for the causes supported by the late Crimson Shade, he said very little but anyone who met him took one thing away from the meeting, a sense that even though he was less than six foot tall, Sebastian was not someone to be trifled with.

    Many eligible ladies of the right ilk tried to get to know him, but enigmatic as always, Sebastian spurned the lime light and the attention. One developer, who met Mr. Cabot, would later say “He was there and he wasn’t. He seemed to just blend into the shadows, and the crowd. But no matter where I went I could feel his stare; it was as if he was burning a hole in the back of my skull.” The developer was later found guilty of extorting money from his tenets.
  16. The Origin of Captain Mandrill


    I can still remember that day seven years ago, I see it every time I close my eyes. Every time I dream, I relive every second, every sensation right up to the moment I died.
    It was a normal patrol, like a hundred I’d had before, I was on second street just below the museum when I heard a shot. I called it in on my shoulder radio, and ran around the corner, gun drawn, expecting to see a mugger or some other lowlife scumbag running away. But instead of a mortal human being I saw a monster, well not a real one, but a robot with six arms, and two heads. It was walking down the street, while from behind it, a shop owner was firing a shotgun at the robot. I dove back around the corner so as not to be hit by stray buckshot, or the robot itself, and radioed in for back-up.

    Now I’d heard about heroes, you know of the super type before, but in my years walking a beat in Paragon City I had yet to see one in person. My radio crackled to life, “Don’t worry the Freedom Phalanx is heading your way. Keep the civilian populace out of harms way!” Keep the people out of the way? What was dispatch talking about? Then I saw it, first it was like a tiny speck of dust on the wind, but unlike dust, it was getting bigger, and bigger, then it changed shape, it was Statesman! He flew past me down the street towards the robot with such speed, that he was actually moving faster than sound. Moments after he passed, the earth and sky shook with the force of the sonic boom created by Statesman. What happened next was something I can scarcely describe. The robot, with all its mechanical strength was little more than a tinker toy to the mighty hero. With one final blow, the mechanical monstrosity exploded in a mass of flame, and flying metal. Perhaps it was my curiosity, or maybe I was spellbound by seeing my first superhero, but I didn’t duck behind the building as the robot exploded… I felt a sudden pain in my chest, it felt like someone with huge hands had pinched my chest so hard that they broke my ribs. As I lost my footing, I saw a large piece of metal sticking out of my chest. The shard had pierced my skin and worse yet, went straight through my badge. Everything turned a strange shade of red, then the color drained out of the world, and everything went black.

    I have been asked countless times before, “what happened after you died?” Or my favorite, “What was it like?” Well he is the answer…. Nothing, I was dead, I didn’t float, see a white light or anything of the sort. Maybe it has something to do with what happened next.

    Statesman had destroyed the metal monstrosity, but had cost a lowly public servant, me, his life in the crossfire. I didn’t even hit the ground, before he had summoned one of his cohorts, a woman by the name of The Crimson Shade. I don’t know where she came from, or what her story is, but she is some form of telekinetic. She used her mental powers to keep my heart pumping and keep me from truly dieing, maybe I guess. Sorry I’m a bit fuzzy about that part as I was at the least unconscious, and had lost lots of blood. But while she sustained me, several doctors and Statesman worked to save my life. My heart, lungs and most of my torso area were useless, so were replaced with organic metal components, donated by Crey Industries. They wanted to test out this new technology, and I, well, I wanted to live. So I became a guinea pig. After several months I recovered, and even though I feel like a walking toaster have come to appreciate this gift. I have great strength, I’m bullet proof, well my torso is anyway, and after a few years I have added some interesting gadgets to my new body. Statesman after seeing what the new ‘mech’ body can do, let me join the greatest superhero organization I the world, the Freedom Phalanx.

    My skills as a cop have come in handy many times, including tracking down the evil Midnight himself, but that’s a story for another time. Now citizens I must go, for ‘As long as there is evil, the Mandrill shall not rest!”
  17. *********************************************
    For those who have read The Origin of Mr. Midnight from the origin board that once existed on CoH.com the first few chapters are merely repeats. The new additions are post release and begin with “The reBirth of Mr. Midnight.”
    *******************************************



    The date is 2450 M.I.T. The world of Scecholar is a world much like our own, with one major difference, Magic. In an age that ended on Earth about the time of the Roman Empire, magic flourished, however on this world, the Romans never rose up and conquered the magical realm. Mysticism and magic reign supreme on Scecholar, and have for thousands of years. Around 245 M.I.T. (Magic Industrial Time), a powerful mage named Gamud rose to power in a small city state of Kalabad. In a horrific war he united all the mages, warlocks, wizards, and magic users in the world. But rather than subjugate them he chose to treat them as equals, and formed the Magica Obscura Council . This council would rule the world for many years, but in the end they would turn power over to a civilian government.

    The council would remain, but would instead turn their energies toward knowledge, and would build the great Floating City of Mysitre. Those without magic would after a few hundred years, discover technology. In 1204 M.I.T. Humud Darson would discover steam power and forever change the face of Scecholar. With steam, people could create more than they could possibly ever need. With the aid of advanced farm implements, they were able to feed millions who would have starved before, and in the massive Dyrki factories they would produce anything made of metal you could imagine. In short the golden age of man had begun.
    However what would man be without his ability to destroy? Wars would be fought on Earth, and Scecholar would be no different. In 1570 a great civil war broke out, when farmers from the northern plains complained the pollution from the Dyrkis was killing their crops. They staged a demonstration and the governing council ordered the army to put it down. The clash soon encompassed much of the central half of the continent.

    The Obscura Council would of course hear of the fighting but due to incredible power they had learned from centuries of study declined to become involved. Millions would die, and the suffering would cry out for help. There seemed to be no end in site until a power, headstrong, and extremely young wizard Thulious would against the council’s wishes seek a way to end the fighting. He first tried to get the two sides to sit and talk about their differences, but to no avail. The Dyrkis as they would become known, said the only path to advancement was through the use of the factories they were named after. The farmers who would come to call themselves the Placids, due to their inherent nonviolent nature, said what was the point of advancement if everyone and everything starved because of the pollution? A fight erupted at the peace talks and Thulious was convinced there was no way to end the fighting peacefully. The government collapsed and all of Scecholar was on the verge of being destroyed. Thulious had always believed he was infallible and was undaunted. He began casting a powerful spell, even going so far as to make it up as he went along. Thulious’s hope was to create a disaster that both sides would have to work together to avoid. He summoned a great comet however the division of the two sides was too great and disaster struck when no one could stop his hybrid spell.

    The Obscura Council watched in horror as on of their greatest failures unfolded before their eyes. The sky grew dark, and the clouds burned away as the monstrous comet plunged to Scecholar. The devastation was almost too much to bare billions died and the world was plunged into a new dark age. The council did their best to restore the world and help those that survived. But the golden age had ended. Nothing more was ever heard of the foolish Thulious, and no one much cared. By 2000 M.I.T. the world was surviving again, and technology had made it’s comeback. The Obscura Council held a much tighter grip on the world than before, vowing to never again allow a conflict to erupt. Their magic was deemed too precious to waste on maintaining the peace so weapons much like Earth has today were allowed to develop. However resentment of those who commanded magic was growing as few could forget, let alone forgive the destruction wrought by magic on the world.

    The Council needed dedicated military leaders to help maintain order, one man named Thaddeus stood head and shoulders above his peers. Strong, charismatic and highly intelligent, he exemplified all that was good in humanity. However he also had a great resentment of ‘users’ as he called them. While patrolling with his unit, he came across the Great Crater. Inside he found a small fragment of the comet itself. Simply wanting something to remember his visit, he picked up the rock and kept it. In 2020 his son found the strange rock and took it to class. His instructor was awed by the strange glowing stone. Obsidian he thought, but why does it glow? Thaddeus’s son allowed his instructor to keep the strange rock, and after many days of examining it, discovered it was impervious to magic. In fact it even nullified all magic around it.

    The son told now General Thaddeus about what his teacher had found, and a plan began forming in the Generals mind. If the rock is ‘anti-magic’ why can’t we use it to protect ourselves from the ‘users’. Then we could fight back! Using a laser to slice the rock into tiny slivers, he soon outfitted thousands of his best soldiers and tanks with tiny fragments that made them magic proof. Thus began the Great War.

    After only a few years, most of the ‘users’ had been killed, and their Great Floating City had collapsed into the southern ocean. A few survived and went into hiding. But using new satellite technology The great General was able to track the use of magic, and once a spell was used, it showed up on his radar screen. Following such a blip, the General’s shock troops would swoop in and capture or preferably kill the ‘user’.

    In a small village in the western expanse a small child was born, his parent named him Vasuvies, or great hope in the Magic Obscura language. His formative years were filled with warnings about the use of magic. His parents managed to keep his powers under control until his 21st birthday. Then by accident he destroyed a speeding car with a force bolt. This of course caught the attention of the authorities and landed the young lad in jail. Unable to fight back, Vasuvies was hurled into the black mirror, the only arcane magic item allowed in the New Order. The mirror transported all who entered it into the depths of space to die a horrid death. However just as he was thrown into it, Vasuvies’s parents cast a fateful spell and the mirror instead of killing their son, transported him to Earth, Paragon City to be exact. But they did this at the cost of their own lives as they were simply cut down where they stood, after casting the spell. Now trapped on Earth, Vasuvies searches for a way home to avenge the death of his parents, and indeed his whole race. In the guise of Mr. Midnight he fights crime and evil in all forms.


    The Great Fall

    Mr. Midnight managed after several long months to blend in to the background of Paragon City. Using his magic, he could assume the form of a normal human male, of around 20 years of age. He never saw the point of money, as he could simply transmute what items he had, into what item he needed, but in order to better blend in and to better understand his new home, he took a job. Professor Gant, of the University was a well respected and semi famous Egyptologist, in need of an assistant. Midnight, unfamiliar with this new world, decided to learn all he could by becoming the professor’s assistant. Even though he spent most of his time locked away in the University helping the professor, Midnight still saw the corruption, and decay that was threatening Paragon City. But he had learned a very important lesson, before arriving, use your power at your own risk. His parents used their gift, to save him from oblivion, because he foolishly had used his powers to save the life of a child who was threatened by a run away car, but paid with their lives, just as he would have.

    And so time passed several months became a year, and Midnight learned the ways of Earth, and he too started to turn a blind eye to the corruption and decay plaguing Paragon City. Sarah, daughter of Professor Gant, became Midnight’s friend, and later they fell in love. Midnight though he cared deeply for Sarah, could never let her know his dark secrete, that he had magic powers. Fearing using his powers openly, Midnight lived on edge. Always worried that he would be found out, but it was this mystery that Sarah found attractive. The bond they shared was as strong as any Midnight had felt on his home world, and he came to love her dearly. He proposed to her, and she accepted. This was almost enough to make Midnight forget the tragedy of his own world. In short he was happy.

    Three days before the wedding, Sarah and Midnight were coming home from a late shopping trip, when a thug jumped out of the shadows and demanded their money. Sarah was either too slow, or maybe the punk just wanted a fight, but a struggle issued when he reached for Sarah’s purse. Midnight was frozen, “Fear the light, don’t let anyone know your secrete!” These were the words pounding in his head. Midnight could do nothing, even though he was a powerful magical being from another world, he wasn’t able to lift a finger to help his fiancée. A shot rang out, Sarah fell, and the thug ran off. Midnight snapped, all the power he had suppressed suddenly bubbled to the top, the very wind seemed to flee from him, light went to great lengths to avoid falling on him, his eyes burned with pure anger and hate.

    The thug believing he had gotten away slowed, then stopped, and opened the hard won purse. Inside he found three sticks of gum, a hairbrush, and a make-up case. Cursing his luck the thug through the purse to the side and walked on…only to feel claustrophobic as the very shadows of the alley reached out and grabbed at his coat. As he walked, the smell of fear filled the alley, the thug felt as though a thousand eyes were watching him, judging him, laughing at him. Then in a flash, a figure appeared in front of him. The thug couldn’t tell if it was male, female or even if it was human, because all he could see were red eyes, in the center of a black mist. He tried to run, but found he was stuck, it was as though the very street had reached up and grabbed his heels, rooting him in place. “Wha….What are you?!?!” he cried.
    “You took the only thing that mattered to me. You destroyed the ONLY THING KEEPING ME SANE!”

    The mist seemed to point at the thug, and he was in a blinding flash, that seemed to be swallowed by darkness, torn asunder. The thug’s scream could be heard for miles in any direction. It was as though his very soul had been obliterated. To this day only a small black stain is all that marks the spot where the future hero Midnight fell. Midnight’s powers slipped from his grip and allying with his hatred of those who killed his parents, and his anger over Sarah’s death, took control and consumed him. Compassion, love, happiness were gone, all that was left of the young research assistant was a floating mist of hate, and all that was left of his soul was a burning anger. Several heroes of the time, including the famed Statesman would hunt this evil, but no one could ever catch-up to it. Statesman came the closest to destroying this evil, but just as he seemed to gain the upper hand, the mist vanished into thin air, leaving only these words whispering on the wind, “Never again will the darkness flee from the light, now is MY time, and woe to those who don’t know fear, for they will know ME!”

    The Conflict


    Journal entry March 21st 2002. I have been searching for the creature they call Midnight for over a month now. He has been seen, or rather felt at a number of homicides in and around the Steel Canyon region of Paragon City. So far there haven’t been any eyewitnesses to it’s crimes, but rather only the aftermath. For example three days ago, Lars Bigfighter, a former boxer, turned strong man for one of the gangs in the Canyon, was found dead just outside Denny’s Pool hall. Several people including myself arrived just after it happened, only to find the smoldering remains of the man’s corpse. The medical examiner couldn’t determine the exact cause of death. All she could say was he died of rapid decompression, the same thing divers who surface too quickly sometimes suffer. I am positive I can find a pattern given enough time. The only question is what I will do when I do catch-up to Midnight.

    Journal entry April 1st 2002. Last night I actually beat Midnight to one of his victims. One Harry Carver, legman for the Calli Cartel was the intended target. I guessed as much and my hunch paid off. Just after 11pm Harry was returning from a pickup at Sal’s diner. Then it happened. I have no real way to describe it, it was as though someone spilled an entire bottle of black ink over the alleyway, turned off the wind, and silenced the entire city. The only sound I could hear was the beating of my own heart. From what I could see from my rooftop vantage point , Harry wasn’t faring much better. A swirl of smoke with just the hint of brimstone, and a pair of glowing red eyes popped into view just in front of Harry. I fired my grappling hook, but I couldn’t move. I looked down and the rooftop had swallowed my feet. In short I was stuck. All I could do was watch, Midnight seemed to point at Harry, though I’m not entirely sure as I never did see any arm, or hand. Harry transfixed rose several feet off the ground and began spewing a white light from both eyes and his mouth. The light seemed to pool in a large ball just in front of him. The ball, filling from the inside out turned first grey then black. As the ball of light got darker, Harry screamed louder, and louder till the ball was completely black and Harry fell back to earth dead. Midnight didn’t challenge me, but left these words burning in my mind, “Woe to those who bring fear to the innocent, for they shall see the true face of fear… MINE!”

    The above journal entries were from Captain Mandrill one of the members of the Freedom Phalanx. He and several other heroes had been tracking and trying to stop Midnight. However after giving into his pain, his anger Midnight’s power had seemingly become insurmountable. Even the legendary Statesman was held to a draw when he crossed paths with Midnight. Midnight’s victims were as Mandrill would later discover actually guilty of several crimes, but had all been found innocent. Mandrill believed that Midnight might prove to be one of the good guys, but as the others pointed out, he killed his victims, rather than allowing the system to punish them.

    And so it went for several months, Midnight would appear seemingly out of thin air, staying visible only long enough to claim his victims, then only to vanish right before the eyes of the heroes who sought him out. However May 23rd 2002 the world would change. The skies above Paragon City, and numerous other cities would be covered in extra dimensional portals that would lead to a horrible invasion that would bring the world to the very brink of destruction. The heroes needed to find a weakness in the alien’s defenses if Earth had any hope of surviving the night. After the initial battle in the skies above Paragon City, the heroes had managed to stop the aliens cold, however they kept coming and the city’s defenders while they had superpowers, were growing tired. Night fell, but the fighting didn’t let up one bit. Statesman was just about to order a retreat when the stars disappeared, and the world grew silent. Everyone was caught off guard, even the aliens as they stopped their attack for a moment. Midnight had appeared. In some language Statesman couldn’t understand, Midnight seemed to order several of the attack ships to stop, and in a flash of green light, turned them inside out. The smoldering hulks fell to the ground and exploded. Midnight seemed to control the wind itself, because every explosion, every burning ember was directed back at the attack fleet. Several more ships fell. Seizing this singular opportunity to end the siege, Statesman ordered a charge and forced the aliens to give up ground.

    By sunrise the aliens had been halted, and a stalemate had developed. The carnage was plain for all to see. Thousands of United States soldiers lay dead, thousand of civilians had been killed and dozens of Earth’s greatest heroes spat their dieing breath at the invaders. While searching for survivors Mandrill found a strange cloaked figure lying next to the remains of an alien ship. Somehow, Mandrill knew instinctively that this was the mortal form of Midnight. Knowing without his magical assistance, all would have been lost, Mandrill took him back to his lair, and nursed him back to health. Statesman however seeing the alien’s vulnerability to magic sent out word to all who had command over magical forces, to unite and use their powers to drive back the aliens.

    The rest of battle with the Ratiki is known to all who survived it. Omega Squad managed to destroy the alien’s power source and drove them underground. But for Mandrill and Midnight, the battle ended that first day. It would take all of Mandrill’s considerable knowledge to nurse Midnight back to life. But when Midnight awoke, his powers were gone. He had thrown his anger, hate, his very essence at the Ratiki, to drive them back. In Mandrill’s, and everyone else’s eyes, Midnight had redeemed himself, and all it took was to help save humanity itself. But with his anger and hate gone, Midnight could never summon the strength to wield the power he once did. Midnight still has the ability to command magical forces, but no longer has the ability to control reality itself. The few surviving heroes knew that they would need all the help they could get to fight the Ratiki should they resurface, so they petitioned the government for a full pardon and a hero license for Midnight.


    THE END OF PART I OF THE SAGA.
  18. Cain seemed to wake a little with that memory. He didn’t remember it but he had a feeling that he was far younger than any other memory he had to this date. Did his dad say he worked with radiation? Maybe that is what it is he thought. Boyhood fantasies aside. Maybe his dad got exposed to this new radiation and it did something to him that passed him but went to his son?

    It’s possible, he heard all the time about the mutants in Paragon City that were exposed to different radiation or chemicals or born with their powers because of something that happened to their parents or relatives. Maybe that’s what he was? The possibility was intriguing.

    With his strength returning he realized he was very hungry, like the energy he shot from his palm had burned his reserves. He had never felt this hungry before. He headed home to try to explain to his mother what had happened.

    His walk back home took longer than he would have liked. It was around noon when he had run from practice, now it was closer to six or seven. He didn’t know how long he was out but it was getting dark so he knew it had been a while when he was dreaming his memories.

    He walked back to their house, oblivious to his surroundings. He just wanted to get home, eat and go to bed. Wondering what he would say to his mother he didn’t realize where he was until he bumped into someone. “Excuse me.” Was his polite if not just a normal automated response. What he got in return was not what he expected. An audible intake of breath caused him to look up from the ground and that is when he realized that his life would never be the same.

    He had made it home finally, but not before ever scared person in town had assembled in his front lawn. The response was universal; everyone just stared in shock at Cain wondering what he was going to do. He looked up to the house and saw his brother and his mother in the upstairs window looking down on him fear in their eyes. Fear of the masses out front or fear of him he wasn’t sure. The only thing he was sure at this point was getting to his house without trouble erupting.

    Cain did a quick look at the large group in front of him and was worried. There were at least fifty or so people here from fifteen to fifty all out in front of his house. He recognized most of them from school or town. But he saw three figures in the shadows that he didn’t know, and that worried him. They all wore dark clothing, black it looked like in the darkening night with a small white patch on their jackets that he couldn’t make out from this distance.

    He tried to make his way through the crowd without jostling anyone. He didn’t want to provoke this fight he knew that he couldn’t win. Halfway through however, the inevitable happened. He was pushed from behind into a small group of young boys.

    The events that happened next are a blur as he isn’t sure what started it or what happened exactly but the end result was devastating. Bricks and stones were thrown at him and his mother’s house. Somewhere in the fray a brick hit him in the head confusing him. He continued to stumble toward the house though, refusing to fight those he knew now were weaker. His vision cleared enough for him to see two things that will stick out in his mind forever.

    The three men in the shadows were the only ones not doing anything. One was on what appeared to be a phone talking to someone while eyeing Cain directly as if describing him to the person on the other end of the line. Something caught his attention that turned his gaze to his house. Someone had thrown a burning bottle at the house. It hit in the upstairs window where his family had been standing when it crashed through and exploded.

    Flame erupted from the window with the screams of his mother and brother following. He heard his mother’s screams in his mind and seemed to collapse from the pain of it. What hurt more though was the scream of his brother. He didn’t hear it like he did his mother. He felt it in his soul. It was a tangible pain that he felt he could just reach down and tug on it was so real.

    Fear swept over Cain then, fear of his life. Fear of his family’s life. Then the pain of knowing he is losing the rest of his family flooded his soul. The pain of his brother’s screams. Finally rage erupted from his heart. Rage at those who would hurt his family over something that was his fault. Something that he couldn’t even control, that was a part of him.

    Cain stood and seemed to grow a few inches taller and a little wider in his anger. He ran into the house ignoring the burns from the flames that wanted to lick him as he passed by. The bottom floor was still nearly untouched, but the stairs were being consumed slowly by the hungry fire. He leapt the stairs four at a time and burst into the room his mother and brother were in and saw them lying on the floor.

    His mother laid still half way in the flames, her body being slowly consumed. His brother however was still alive. He was convulsing and thrashing at his burns as they crept up his body. He grabbed a bed spread and threw it over both of them smothering the flames and picking them up so he could move them outside. He was burned repeatedly as he ran through the house as it was being consumed faster and faster as if the flames didn’t want anyone to escape their hunger.

    He erupted from the front door smoking in many places that his skin had burned. His hair was gone as the flames had consumed it completely leaving his head bald and charred. He placed them on the cool grass hoping against hope that they would be ok. His mother was breathing but had a shallow draw and her lungs rasped as if they were burned inside. His brother was a different story. He thrashed and opened his mouth in a silent scream. His legs were both burned to the bone while his arms were covered with burns. Sirens in the distance told him help were coming for them, but would they get here in time?

    The jeers and protests had stopped when he came from the house a smoldering hulk of anger. Everyone seemed to give him a wide birth now. He gaze held each one in turn, glazing over with anger, rage, and pain with ever person he looked on.

    A few people attempted to say something but were stopped by an unknown feeling, guilt maybe. Fear more likely. Some were smart enough to slink into the shadows while Cain’s attention was elsewhere on those who stayed behind.

    Cain was in turmoil. He stood to his full height and scanned the crowd for the instigator of this entire outcome. Cain had always been soft spoke to authority and adults. Respectful to his elders as his father had told him. He forgot all that now. The voice that came from inside him now was far different. It was cold and specific, as if all the anger in his body and all the rage that was bottle up inside of him had come out in his voice. People close by stepped back to get farther from what they were afraid was about to happen.

    “Why? What have any of us ever done to you? What has my mother ever done to you?” He began stepping toward a man of middle years who still seemed defiant toward the whole thing? “What have they done to you? Do you know fear like they do? Do you?” His last step brought his within reach of the man. Cain reached out and grabbed his shirt picking him over his head and throwing him into the crowd of people who were still there.

    Women screamed and everyone ran to get away from the walking rage before them. Cain didn’t move but would lash out when someone came near him. Nothing he did was damaging. It hurt, but they would recover. Recover where his mother wouldn’t. He used all his control taught to him during football practice. He felt the energies build up within him and fought to keep them down.

    The three men in the shadows noticed this. Unlike everyone else though, they stayed and didn’t seem too worried about the situation at all. They did seem interested in the fact that he only lashed out at people in passing out of pain not anger and that he didn’t use his new found powers to hurt those people who obviously hurt him.

    Sirens announced the arrival of the police and the paramedics. Cain was worried if they found out what he was they would blame him for the fire. He ran to his brother and crouched down next to him lifting his head so he could whisper in what was left of his ears.

    “Chris. . . look bro you have to fight man. You’ll make it bro, you’ll make it. You’re stronger than you think you are. They are here to take you to the hospital. Go there and get better. . . I’ll see you later man. . .” Tears welled up in his eyes as he knew he was leaving his family. He didn’t want to but he knew it was for the better. He saw how they looked at him from the window before it exploded into an inferno of flames. He saw fear. Not fear of the masses but fear of what he was.

    “Chris. Tell mom I love her and I’ll see you both soon. I. . . I love you too bro, your all I have left. Don’t ever forget that. I love you too.” He gently laid his head back on the grass and looked at his mother’s still form. She was breathing, but barely. “Get better mom, please!” With that he ran. He ran into the darkness not knowing where to go or what to do.
  19. Supergroup for REAL Role Players.

    Captain Ohm: "I would like to thank you all for joining me here today. I know we are all like minded heroes"

    Clockwork Avenger: "Thanks for the invitation Cap, I'm ready to lend my mechanical powers to the fight."

    Gia: "As am I"

    Grogog: "Grogog say smash evil."

    Gia: "So what's the mission Cap.? Has the Fifth Column been terrorizing someone, Circle of Thorns up to it's tricks?"

    Captain Ohm: "Not so fast - today were going to do some role playing."

    Grogog: (OCC: I thought I was?)

    Captain Ohm: "Ok folks, I want you all to check you're Emails - I've just sent you all your character sheets"

    Clockwork Avenger: "What?"

    Captain Ohm: "Yes, for my new CoH inspired RPG. It based on a D20 system."
    Captain Ohm: "Slightly modified of course since we have dice but not a 20 sided one..."

    Captain Ohm: "So some checks will be made with a single Die, others with a coin flip, and if there’s a tie, with a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors."

    Captain Ohm: "Have you all had a chance to look at your sheets yet?"

    Grogog: "So let me get this straight... I'm sitting here in Arizona, playing a video game where I play a mythical Orc named Grogog who fights crime in Paragon City but right at the moment he's instead sitting outside the Tram station in Kings Row role playing a crime fighter named... 'Major Dental' in Atlas Park?"

    Gia: "But these are level one character... if I'm going to play something couldn’t you have made it a level 30."

    Captain Ohm: "Grogog, yes you got it. Gia, I specifically asked for ROLE PLAYER... play what you get."

    Clockwork Avenger: "Uh - OK... err... Mysteryman X, here... do I see the others?"

    Captain Ohm: "Yes, you’re all in Atlas Park next to Ms. Liberty"

    Gia: "Well might as well Train up to level 2 then... I talk to Ms. Liberty."

    Grogog: "Grog.. Uh, Major Dental starts Flexing."

    Clockwork Avenger: "Ok -"

    Captain Ohm: "Just a second... Ok, Major Dental - let me roll for the Flexing.."

    Captain Ohm rolls a dice

    Grogog: "It’s just an Emote!"

    Captain Ohm: "Ok, you’re flexing and showing off - Grim Lament is talking with Ms. Liberty, and Mysteryman X is just standing there?"

    Clockwork Avenger: "Grim Lament, who’s that?"

    Gia: "Oops - that’s me. Hello."

    Grogog: "Oh yah... look at those pecks"

    Grogog: "Major Dentals got your plan... ::Flex::"

    Clockwork Avenger: "This is so stupid... hey, hold on. Mysterman X slaps Major Dental!"

    Grogog: "What?"

    Captain Ohm: "Ok... We'll skip the initiative roll, it's obvious he wasn’t expecting it... lets me roll for the swing and damage though..."

    Gia: "Hero's don’t attack Heroes!"

    Captain Ohm rolls dice.
    Captain Ohm rolls dice.

    Captain Ohm: "Ok Mysterman slaps Major Dental for 6 points of damage... Major Dental mark that on your sheet."

    Grogog: "Can he do that?"

    Clockwork Avenger: "PvP baby!"

    This glimpse into the future brought to you by...

    TargetDummy
    -------------------
    Guardian Server
    Gia - Lvl 9 Earth Empath
    Grogog - Lvl 8 Regen Scrapper
  20. Hello,

    I'd group with the "As long as you're having a good time and not pissing others off intentionally it's ok" people. If you really like a character from a book (or perhaps a politician, whatever) and you want to rp them, why not? I myself haven't really started rp'ing yet but I have a Yossarian and a William Blake running around that I have some ideas for (and a Longshadow, but most of you won't know him, from The Black Company, by Glen Cook). No matter what name you choose there will be people who think it's rather lame/unimaginative/etc. in the end, you won't be able to satisfy everybody, so make sure you yourself are satisfied by choosing a name that you like and that will allow you to play mostly unimpeded (e.g. choosing a well-known nazi may be a bad idea)
    Just my $ 0.02
  21. (ooc) I love your writing. I just wish other people would comment on roleplay stories... I know I love to hear what people think, be it good or bad. Keep up the good story, I want to hear what happens to him and his brother and what happened to his father!
  22. Whoa... im sorry? You totally lost me on that...
  23. Cain ran. Time seemed to stand still for him as the world blurred around his vision. Soon though, his lungs burned for air and his heart beat harder and harder until it felt as if it would erupt from his chest just to get a slight reprieve from its torture. Running was no longer an unconscious act as he had to mentally will his leaden legs to move one more step. One more. Just one more. . .

    Whether his legs finally gave out or his will gave up, the end result was the same. He fell. The cool dampness of the grass under the canopy of trees was a sharp contrast to the heat that burned in him. Either from the hard grueling forced run or from the events prior to his escape he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure he really cared either. He wanted the heat to consume him. Wanting to leave nothing behind for people to mock him or be afraid of.

    “What just . . . why. . .” Cain mumbled into the dirt. Yet the words to express what he felt eluded him as did the answers he desperately needed. He shut his eyes out to the world hoping to wake up in his bed with his brother throwing something at him to save him from this nightmare.

    His mind wandered in a dream state filled with haze. He remembered an argument with his brother over something trivial. He remembered an argument with his mother about being out to late. Even what his coach always yelled at him for when he goofed off at practice. ‘The way you act here is the way your life will turn, stop acting the fool!’ He remembered everything, except his father.

    Father. Why had he not thought of his father recently? Actually, he hadn’t thought of his father in the past two years, content to let things go as there was nothing he could do about the past. He began thinking of him them and it came back in a rush that brought tears and pain to his heart. Everything his father had ever told him and Chris came flooding back in his mind that it was nearly impossible to hear it all.

    ‘Always be a man and admit your faults. . . Always keep your word. Your word and honor is all you have in life that no one can take away from you.’ Other father to son talks filtered through his mind but he seemed to be trying to remember something specific as if his memory knew something he didn’t. A conversation between his mother and father came into memory next.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ‘Jon, I am worried about where you work. Don’t you think that that stuff your around will be harmful to you?’ Lori pleaded with her husband. ‘I mean you can bring something home and get it on us or the boys!’ she said in a whisper, afraid to wake the two sleeping boys from their nap on the couch.

    ‘Lori. Sweet heart. Everything is fine. I’ve been working there for a few years and nothing is wrong with me we get checked once a week and the boys are fine, the doctors said that they are in perfect health. So don’t worry everything will be fine.’ Jon embraced his wife to comfort her.

    ‘Besides the chemicals and radiation we are near is not harmful to us anyway. That’s why we are working on this. You know I can’t tell you what it is we do up there but just feel safer knowing that what it is we are doing will benefit everyone in the long run.’ They held each other as Cain's vision returned to him.
  24. *Valkyura halts on a side street holding the static dissipaters that cover her ears. The aerials that were ment to safeguard her from random static discharges, now strangely seem to be causing feedback at regular intervals in her ears...*


    Ach! That sound!! Seems like a pattern.... *she notes the cycle*

    *Quickly checking her chronocom/PDA, she calculates the interval and does some quick math... Her lips begin to move more slowly... With measure, her eyes slowly focus up toward the skies above....*


    May 23rd? *she says softly and with great foreboding*
  25. Kate sat atop one of the fallen Thorns still trying to get information out of the now brainless shell of a man

    "Well this one can't even talk anymore..Oh,I'm sorry, I'm Kate. I know I don't look much like a hero, belive me I don't really feel much like one. I do have these powers I errrr inherited that I'm trying to use for good things, but I'm still figureing out how to do that.
    "If it's true you'll be running into more of them, If you don't mind I'll tag along a bit to see what happens."
    Just then Zull noticed something in the hands of one of the strangers.
    HE HAS THE IDOL!
    Kate had never heard the voice in her head so loud before. She visably staggered as Zull caught her off guard.
    We must get that Idol....Kate...that Idol can release me from you, be a dear and see if you can get it for me.
    Yeah right, she thought to herself. I'm not going to fall for some stupid trick like that, your slipping man, your slipping.
    Am I?
    It was to late..Kate's mental barrier did not go up fast enough, and Zull took controll.
    " Sir, that Idol you carry, would you mind if I took a look at it? It's so pretty.
    Noooo don't listen to him...damnit, I need to get controll back from him. I hate it when he gets by me. Hrmmm maybe if I just concentrate over here I can get back in....
    Suddenly Kate's whole body went limp and she crashed to the floor with a groan.

    Before anyone could react An explosion went off, and a woman started limping to the group asking for help.

    Kate was fighting for controll She was aware of the trouble at hand but in her current state she was powerless to do anything.