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ENTRY # : |
58 |
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TITLE : |
DEVILS IN THE DARK |
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ARC : |
VILLAINY UNBOUND III |
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ENTERED BY : |
Templar |
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DATE RANGE : |
April 20th - 21st, 2001 |
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HEROES : |
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VILLAINS : |
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PEOPLE : |
Avatar,
The Crimson Claw,
Captain Thunder,
Dr. Karl Manning,
Phoenix
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OTHERS : |
The Devils Tower,
The Eye of Azoth,
The Jade Skull,
The Keene Act,
Minions of the Claw,
The Outlaws,
The Overwatch Committee,
The St. Ives Academy,
The Vicious Circle
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ENTRY : |
"And ye came near and stood under the mountain;
and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven,
with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
- Deuteronomy 4:11
Log entry by Andrew Mathers [Templar], 20.04.01
Dark things are brewing once again. The signs are in the air. They taint the aetheric.
If I only knew who was responsible.
Pardon me. That's the frustration talking. I know that something is up, but the problem is
that so much is going on that I cannot lock down the source. My worry is that it is
either Avatar or the Jade Skull, or perhaps the two in concert once more. I've been able
to determine that it is within Massachusetts, but I can determine its location no more closely
from this distance. Phoenix has called a team meeting for this evening, so I'm going to push
that we make following this loose end up an utmost priority.
- - -
Log entry by Andrew Mathers [Templar], 20.04.01, addendum
It's a wonder that this group gets anything done, much less achieved what they have in their
short lifetime. Even as the shit flies towards the fan, Phoenix has quit.
Let me restate that. Phoenix has not quit the Knights of the Coast, per se. He's just
stepping down as team leader. And taking a sabbatical from the group. Apparently he was
approached in Washington about taking a place on the so-called Overwatch Committee mandated
by the Keene Act. He also has personal goals, namely to track down
Dr. Manning.
I might be coming across as being too hard on the man. Despite the incredibly poor timing,
Phoenix is showing considerable responsibility in resigning the command considering that by
his own admission, he can no longer be certain about his mental stability. Even so, his
strength is the backbone of the group and is ill-replaced by the unknown quantities of Hydro
and Agent DeSalvo. Cipher's continued absence is also becoming a source of concern.
Attempts to realign the group will have to wait as there is no real replacement for Phoenix
available. Mr Robinson surprised me when he took himself out of the running, citing his
responsibilities to the St. Ives Academy. I excused myself from possible contention myself;
I cannot allow myself to be tied down in this fashion, nor do I want the visibility of such
a position (As the wise man said, "Ego nolo Caesar esse"). Of the longer-standing
members present, this left but Battosai, who, though he seemed to want the role, was too untried
a candidate to win quick acceptance.
Despite his official resignation, Phoenix did not stoop to keep from influencing what action
the group took next, however. While we were in the capital, the base had received a postcard
from the former member known as Hazardman. While the base logs had indicated that he had been
thrown out of the group and his clearances revoked, Phoenix revealed that this had been a mere
ruse, and that Hazardman had left to "go undercover". Now apparently he
needed help. Phoenix manipulated the party vote that
followed to make sure that he got it.
[I find it curious that this facade had to be so deep as to keep all the other Knights,
and the official records in the dark. Who, exactly, did Phoenix not want to entrust with
access to this information?]
Minor things like world-threatening plots in motion will have to wait. We leave for Wyoming
tonight to pull Hazardman's bacon out of the fire.
- - -
Log entry by Andrew Mathers [Templar], 24.04.01
I take back my bitterness about Phoenix's influence upon the group's direction. I forgot the
role of serendipity and grace in the universe. Serendipity and the actions of a benevolent
guide are the only things that could have put Hazardman in that place at that
crucial moment in time to call the rest of us in. Not that I had any inclinations of this as
we took the team jet to Wyoming (with DeSalvo piloting in place of the absent Phoenix).
[Cross-reference:
Bible -> Acts -> 15:11]
We landed and proceeded to do the customary plotting and scouting. It wasn't until we
regrouped just outside the visitor's center that I got the first indication that we were
at the scene of bigger things than the rescue of a minor-league hero. It was here that I
spotted the first Watcher.
Watcher. Demon. Minion of Azoth. Whatever it was, it was repellent. And no-one else could
see it, even after I imprisoned it in an aetheric circle of protection. Attempts to banish it
from our plane of existence were futile; whatever maintained this thing within our reality had
too firm a grip on it for impromptu exorcisms.
[Cross-reference:
Mythology -> Other -> Minion of Azoth]
As we discussed the threat posed by this thing, a more immediate threat presented itself.
Specifically, we were attacked by the Outlaws. What followed was a harrowing battle in the
darkness of the woods surrounding the Devil's Tower.
Things started off badly. Sub-Zero was quickly downed by the combined attacks of Thunderbolt
and Inferno as the villains took advantage of our close positioning to pound us with area-effect
blasts. As time went on, however, fighting with desperation we were able to recover then go
on the offensive, anchored by the offensive capabilities of DeSalvo, Hydro and the fast-moving
Battosai.
After a difficult and prolonged fight, we at last took the upper hand and managed to put the
villains down one by one, though many of the team were injured in the process, wounds I tended
as best I could. While I was doing this, an interesting fact came to light; one of the
villains we had just managed to take down, a person in militaryesque garb who had called
himself "Die Hard" was none other than the missing Hazardman! He did not seem himself and
wouldn't respond to his former comrades when roused, but I noticed an aetheric afterimage
on him that reeked of outside influence, an influence that I was able to break.
At this (and after the inevitable new introductions, reminiscing about lost comrades,
arguments over status and attempt by DeSalvo to arrest Hazardman for actions taken "under
the influence") a couple of key facts came to light.
First of all, the daemonic creature we had imprisoned (and which we proceeded to destroy) was
the eyes of a villain known as the Crimson Claw, a name which had drawn a lot of play in the
reports we had received about The Great
Supervillain Contest.
Secondly, we had found his lair.
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WRAPUP : |
The Crimson Claw had sent the entire nation, if not the world dancing to the
tune of his malevolent plots. Now there seemed the possibility of some comeuppance...
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