Seeketh the Legions of Abomination

((Semi Open Roleplay: Mayor Gordon Bower of the Salamanca neighbourhood in Croatoa has called in for skilled hunters and specialists in the supernatural to investigate a missing persons. If your Unionverse character is into either of these professions, then he or she may have been called in also. Even if you’re just a passing hero or a brave civilian near the Croatoa campus who wants to help with the search, feel free to join in. Note that most of the participants will ultimately come together to form the Nighthunters SG. Same golden rule people, no god-modding. Enjoy. Rated PG13 for violence.))

Nearby the university grounds, an elderly woman holds on to the warm embrace of Mayor Gordon Bower. The night was lit by a full moon but the weather was unforgiving, heavy rain and strong winds, made bitter by the town's strange ghostly chill. The old lady was crying uncontrolably, muttering something about her husband. "I had told him not to go out, but he just wouldn't listen. Oh my dear Nathan, you and your stubbornness. Mayor, please tell me he'll be alight, you will find him for me won't you?"

"Margret, strange things like these are happening all too often nowadays, but I promise you, I'll stop at nothing until Mister Norman is found" the mayor reassured, keeping himself and Mrs Norman dry underneath a large blood-red umbrella, to which he held tightly, to keep from being blown away. "I have called for the best hunters and specialists I know, they should be here soon. Come on now, compose yourself darling, you don't want to be tearful before our gallant heroes, be brave. Be brave. Everything will be alright."

Talenar crouched atop the roof of one of the many almost abandoned houses in the troubled little town, hands busy behind her head as she retied her rebellious hair into it’s usual ponytail after it had come loose during her climb to the rooftop.

As the now tamed hair once more rested along her back, rubbing against the pair of khatars that were strapped there, Talenar stretched up almost silently it was time to get to work. Running along the rooftops towards the University making almost no sound, aside from the slight padded jingling of her weapons and armour bouncing against each other.

The sudden appearance of an eerie greenish glow caused the stealthy red skinned girl to swerve around behind a nearby chimney stack, pressing herself tightly against it as a flock of ghosts made their way on some half forgotten route. Talenar chastised herself internally for forgetting about the ghost problem Salamanca suffered from at night, it would have been safer to run through the streets after all! She paused after she realised she was bashing the back of her head against the brickwork, the pair of horns that curved from her forehead all the way to the back of her head before curving once again forward to her cheeks having been making a clicking sound against the brickwork.

“Screw this” She thought aloud, and proceeded to leap atop the chimney stack, tail held out behind to help balance her landing, and from here to the next slightly lower roof and again and again until her boots touched the tarmac sprinting forwards towards the university and with a quick leap and roll arrived at the feet of the mayor, a grin on her face as her solid white eyes met his.

“So, I heard you needed to find someone?”

Restocking the bar at the end of a shift was a real backbreaker of a job , but the extra cash was needed , it also gave a chance to swipe the left over food from the day , again another vital cog in the financial world that Hellskeeper found her self in ..still at least a weary smile brought helping hands from Jack when a crate proved too heavy .....and then just as the task was about done , and the mere twenty mile drive home stood between her and bed ..the voices can upon her , a taskmaster she could not duck.

With a quick thank you , and goodbye to Jack she was out the door and the dented pickup was rolling , still she was slick enough to have snagged the bag of bread rolls , a tub of butter and a jar of mustard ...

Some deserted car park gains a red pickup truck , less one drive , and a female figure swaps one set of work clothes for another ... across the sky the flaming figure of Hellskeeper bounds , crossing building roofs and roadways ...

Landing a few hundred feet clear of the Mayor , the flame clad form straightened up , put on her official face and strode towards the worried looking town's leader ..

Bright headlights illuminated two standing figures by the campus and two more on the approach. It was difficult to make them out in the heavy rain but as the 1967 Chevrolet Impala closed in on the group, the Reverend Pious Hunter was sure he was at the right place. He pulled over and exited onto the sidewalk, his sharp suited attire as dense as the night, only his bright white classic tie and cufflin gloves stood prominent. A glistening black cross sat comfortably atop his puffy tie bringing focus off his wide-rimmed hat and masked profile. The priest advanced around the back of the lowrider, his longcoat fluttering majestically in his wake. He rounded to the other side of the car and helped out his lady, who also was dressed rather elegantly. "Contego ex pluvia" he muttered, approaching the Mayor, and an invisible force of energy enveloped his wife, himself and the area surrounding the gathered four, which shielded them from the violent rain. "Beautiful weather as always here in Salamanca, wouldn't you say?" said Pious, looking at the new faces with an air of greeting.

Rachel noticed the old lady next to the Mayor had been crying. "I'm so sorry sweetie" she apologized, gently radiating a healing aura to lift the woman's emotions. "We will find your husband, rest assured. Can you tell us where you last him and which way he was headed?"

If the roar of Hellhog's custom-built motorcycle didn't alert anybody to his fast approach, then the sound of Manowar's "Dawn of Battle" may have done a better job as they blared from its improbably-fitted speakers, only to come to an abrupt end after he drifted the thing nicely up to the bottom of the steps leading up to the university.

The somewhat oversized figure that rode his steel horse all the way through Salamanca's streets glanced up those very steps before dismounting. Quickly correcting his trousers, Barry Berwick aka Hellhog aka the Flaming Ol' Fart of Yorkshire, made his - to him - lengthy ascent.

Before too long, Hellhog reached the top, caught sight of the gang that had amassed and casually approached as he adjusted the bandana that adorned his balding head.

"Evenin', everyone." the biker greeted, crossing his arms and stroking his beard. "Heard you lot were havin' a bit of a... problem findin' someone. Or at least someone here was."

Surayah checked her clothing. It didn't seem appropriate to come before the mayor in the bright green and silver of her heroic outfit... the colors of her homeland Saudi Arabia. So she came in a well designed red suit. Her long black hair flowing over her shoulders. For a moment she looked up at the Salamanca night-sky. It rained but none of the drops touched her. Something evaporated them before they could hit her and perfectly dry she walked to wards the group of strangers.

Her heels clicked upon the pavement and with each click a small voice inside her cried 'stop'... a male voice... a demonic voice... She looked upon the guest. These where are specialists in their field, and she knew the unwilling 'guest' in her body was aware of that too. The djinn resisted... as it had been doing for so long now. But Surayah had managed to control him and his powers long ago. Slowly she walked passed the people only to stop before the mayor.

With a soft nod of her head she introduced herself... "Salaam alaykum mayor, I heard the Desert Princess was needed tonight."

There was a coiling, twisting bend in the air. There was a distinctly strange feeling, before, with a blink, two figures were stood near the group. One was slim and fairly tall, clad in gleaming white armour with a sky blue inlay. Pure, white pinions spread from her back, and as she walked towards the group the air seemed to clear a little. Even the rain didn't seem to land on her. Her face was covered by a white hood that seemed far, far deeper than it should do, with two glimmering starlights in its depths.

The figure who followed towered over the other. Scorched black armour with a red inlay that shifted and writhed in unsettling ways, a blood red hood covering his face. The depths seethed like the armour, two patches of even darker darkness glaring out from the deeps. The pinions on his back werte scorched, charred and ruined and, over all, silver chains that shone faintly were wrapped and bound all around his torso and arms.
It was very clear out of the pair who was the angel, and who was the fallen.

"Tor vaneth amorta," the smaller figure said in a soft, feminine voice, bowing her head as the two came to stand beside the group. "I am Arkeela and this," she motioned at the titan beside her, who merely rumbled, "Is Xariel. I apologise in advance for anything he says that is too...blunt. And worry not, he can do you no harm."
The twin starlights glimmered as she looked around the group.
"We're here to help."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Just for a second Suraya her pupils gained a red color... A sure sign of the demon djinn in her resisting his host/prison her good intentions. But she regained control in a moment.

Placing her attention to the still sobbing and now shivering Mrs. Norman. Giving her a hug and a shoulder to cry upon. "Mrs. Norman, did youre husband said anything... anything in particular that could hint us where to start looking? The forest is a big place..."

Ava Sixx stepped off the tram, cursing at an ignorant little child you had been molesting poor, defenseless Carter. The young woman turned to her custom Force Field Generator; it was a beauty of a thing, really. It came with a distinct AI personality and a voice. She patted it on the head with her mechanical arm.
"There, there, Carter." she cooed.
"Easy for you to say! You're the one with the gun!" It chattered.
"Oh, shut up, Carter. You should be used to this by now.

She stepped out of the tram station and into the night air, shivering at the Salamancan cold. I knew I shouldn't have wore just a tank top today. she thought begrudgingly.

Ava arrived to see the others whom the mayor had called in to help. She heard a couple speaking Latin and attempted to take up suit. The young woman strolled up to the, a sniper rifle hoisted over one shoulder, the other hand waving.
"Greetingsivi! I am here to, err, hepleroni." She beamed. The others gave her an odd look and she returned it with a defeatist one.
"Oh, don't be so mean!" She grumbled. Carter floated slowly up behind her. "Don't worry, Ava. I understand you."
"Sniff. Thanks, Carter." She began to perk up. "Now, what's the job, Mr. Mayor?"

Talenar shook her head, "Nope, my usual way of finding someone is to find a shady character around where they dissapeared and start asking questions, we could always try that I guess?"

Hellskeeper kept quiet , clearly there where some upmarket heroes here ..

trying to blend into the group is hard when you are dressed in brilliant flames , but she tried , , spending here time taking stock of the others , while absorbing the conversations passing to and fro ..

finnally she spotted an opening .. " wont the rain have spoilt any scent trail ?, ma' uncles dogs always gave up in the rain .., anda any foot tracks will have washed off by now .."

Hellhog grunted as the binoculars bounced more or less harmlessly of his skull and into his hands. After giving the binoculars a split-second examination, the biker then attempted to peer through them into the advised direction. After, of course, realising which way he had been holding them and turning them around.

"Either it's a cloud with wings or those few extra pints off last night are still havin' an effect on me. I'm more open to the former, mind."

There was a sharp crack, like hell itself opening its gates, as Xariel cracked his knuckles, turning in the direction Pious had pointed, and Hellhog was looking.

"Whatever it is, maybe it can answer some questions," he growled, voice echoing with the toll of funeral bells, of sarcophagus lids sliding shut. The massive, ensorceled silver chains that bound his upper body seemed to loosen a little, fresh coils hissing out and pooling slightly on the floor as he gripped them, like massive flails.

Arkeela gave him a warning glance, checking once with the others, then standing beside him, her gauntlets glowing pure white.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

"Ohh, gimme!" Ava exclaimed, pawing at the binoculars. Upon finally receiving them she took a long, hard look at where Pious was pointing.
"Whatever it is looks like fun." she mumbled.
"Our ideas of fun are very different, Missy!" Carter groaned.
"Stop moaning, Carter, you're always out of the fighting. You'll be fine."

Ava crouched down onto the ground, sliding some .88 Caliber Rounds into her rifle. She chambered the gun and put it back to it's home position her her shoulder, while the mechanical arm holding it hissed, emitting small gushes of hot steam. She adjusted her goggles, making sure they were holding her hair out of her face.
"What's the plan boss? Rush in, beat 'em up and ask questions later, I assume? I'm fairly certain a lot of things here can't speak too well." Her mood seemed to have suddenly switched, like a light being turned on. Her cocky, playful and somewhat quirky nature being replaced by one of steely determination.

Suraya gently wiped a tear from Mrs. Norman her face... "It seems youre husband will be less harder to find then I expected. If you excuse me..?"

She smiled a moment to the old lady then let her go... While walking towards the gathered people, her attitude seemed to change a little. "Gentlemen... and women...", she said. "If we want to investigate that it may be wise to go in with a bit more stealth."

Throwing a quick glance at Hellhog and Xariel... "...and as I am not sure that we are all capable of that..."

A shimmer surrounded her body for a second... Gone was the dark red suit... disappeared as the Desert Princess lifted the illusion. Back was an outfit of green and silver silk. Around her waist a silver chain was visible.

"I can make the light bend around us, making this whole party invisible. We will be like a Khamsin, a desert wind. Getting close to our enemies without being seen."

Xariel grunted, his form seething and boiling, before simply becoming a dark stain on the background, only the piercing, hellish eyes remaining.
"I need no aid to hide from sight, mortal or otherwise," he growled, before even the eyes blinked out, only a tingling prescence any indication he was still around.

Arkeela relaxed slightly, from the tense poise she had almost lept to as Xariel began to fade.
"I appologise for my colleague. He...well, he probably does mean to be blunt, but...Well, apologies," she finished, stepping up to the other for the spell of stealth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Hellskeeper looked once more at her white fire clad form .." emm i tend not to be good at the sneaky stuff guys " She frowned slightly ..

" i could hang back and leap in when you call .. "

she started to move to one side ..

" ..and the other thing is those unseelie critters then to leg it when they smell my axe .."

, out of the damp night air a flame drapped arm pulled a large axe , strange in shape , covered in runes of divine magical power , a axe of pure iron can into being ..

((note any one with magical senses get the feeling the axe is watching them , and that it is very potent ..yes its vet power axe of ghost slaying ))