Dr Archeville

All the ways Dead Head kills time (Summer), 1977: Burton "Burt" Lee is born to David and Jamie Lee in a small town in North Carolina. Fall, 1995: "Burt" enrolls at NC State University, majoring in biology. New Year's Eve, 1999: Burt attends a big Y2K party with all his college friends, including that one gal he really, really likes... 12:00am, January 1st, 2000: ... and then they all die when Burt's head explodes in pseudonatural energy... 12:01am, January 1st, 2000: ... and then they start rising up... and continue their party. Until a burning man runs in and re-kills everyone. Burt becomes an undead avenger, seeking to right wrongs and balance injustices, and mortal pains are no deterrent. Spring, 2008: Dead Head begins to shift out of his "grim & brooding" mindset and into his "have fun, laugh while you can" mode. He visits some kids in Virginia after an April Fool's Day prank goes horribly wrong. September 23rd, 2009: Dead Head arrives in Freedom City. He meets Blink, Jack of Blades, Leon Mighty, and Tempest while Leon is Training in Wharton Forest. October 1st, 2009: Atlas, Avenger, Dead Head, and Phantom meet up to stop the Darkness Rising in south Lincoln. October 12th, 2009: Breakdown gets back together with an old friend (Grimalkin), and meets a new one (Dead Head) in Lantern Hill. He soon discovers that Death Don't Have No Mercy. October 16th-26th, 2009: Deedra's Traveling Menagerie in in town, for a full ten days! Colt, David (Ironhide), Dead Head, Erik (Jack of Blades), Kristian (Razorwing), Lynn (Grimlakin), Marcus (All Star), Max (Spitfire), Megan (Velocity), Tempest, and Yuki (Tarantula) are all present at the Carnival in the Park. Hilarity ensues! Dead Head makes some money (and interacts with some real live people) by working at the Haunted House. October 31st, 2009: Dead Head enjoys himself at the 14th Annual Haunted Block Party in the Theatre District. November XX, 2009: Dead Head fights lots of demons alongside Atlas, Avenger, and Phantom (Invasion! Riverside), but later retreats to Ace Danger's warded mansion (Invasion! Danger Mansion). Late Nov/Early Dec, 2009: Once things settle down, Avenger and Phantom decide to try and make a new team of heroes, ones geared more towards the dark and ugly side of things. Atlas, Dead Head, and Hellion are recruited, Once Upon a Midnight. January 4th, 2010: An angel appeared in Freedom on Christmas Eve, or so the rumor goes. Is there truth to it? Dead Head plans to find out. Along the way, he finds two others who wish to know: Moira and Mongrel Angel. What will come of this Holy Meeting? February 28th, 2010: Physicus speaks to the family of his mentor, the first superhero under that name, seeking their permission to take up his now-dead friend's mantle. He learns many things that the first Physicus never told him when the superhero's brother talks of Happier Times, and encounters Dead Head when he seeks something the old superhero left behind. March 12th, 2010: Breakdown, Dead Head, Fleur de Joie, Hellion, and Jack of all Blades fight weird plant-creatures, mutated by a meteor that the Green Man is after! Can they stop him, leaving him Green with Envy? April 3rd, 2010: Moira and Dead Head team up to stamp out a new threat to the city, before it becomes a threat to all life, in Gods & Zombies. April ??, 2010: Avenger & Dead Head have a chat while bustin' cultist heads. Dead Men Do Tell Tales! May 7th, 2010: Avenger, Dark Star, Dead Head, and Phantom fight Monsters in the Streets of Midtown! May 22nd, 2010: Nick Cimitiere, the new necromancer in town, heads to Lantern Hill Cemetery to check out the Fresh Plots and ends up meeting some of the heroes who regularly haunt the place. May 23rd, 2010: Following the Grue Invasion, several of the city's heroes meet to let off steam. Dead Head decides to check it out, and is immediately attacked by Wander. When he uses a newfound ability to see certain parts of her past (Which she ten relives), she beats him again. (Fisticuffs 2: The Opening Credits/Wander vs. Dead Head) May 30th, 2010: Robin Cross seeks out Dead Head for some assistance in a case involving a Hand of Glory. (A'Walkin' Amongst the Lilies) June 5th, 2010: Lady Winter and Dead Head meet. Hilarity ensues! (Cold Case) Later that night, he meets with Fleur to see about restoring the graves which were disturbed during the meeting with Lady Winter. (Groundskeeping) July 3rd, 2010: Midnight's grandfather has been kidnapped! But by whom? And why? Can Dead Head help? Perhaps... but while they'll find the trip is short, the exchange rates are murder! July XX, 2010: The Midnighters -- Atlas, Avenger, Dead Head, Hellion, and Phantom -- receive a distress call from a strange world where vampires have taken over! But is it a true distress call, or a trap set by the denizens of this World of Darkness? July 24th, 2010: Dead Head and Wander meet again, but this time just to talk. Crypt Tonight August 1st, 2010: The various mystics, magicians, and spellcasters of Freedom gather at Pyramid Plaza to discuss the arcane and the unknown, in Thistle and Thyme. November 1st, 2010: During a massive battle between Hades & his forces, many of Freedom City's heroes, and Baron Samedi and his minions, Dead Head undergoes a radical change. Unbalanced: Dead Head's Oct 2010 Vignette. November 12th, 2010: Dead Head meets (briefly) one of Fredom's newest heroes, the kinetic manipulator Push. When Push Comes to Shovel November 16th, 2010: Dead Head, while tracking down rumors of cultists, finds other heroes at the warehouse he'd tracked them to: Cobalt Templar, Dragonfly, Ironclad, and Push. When the dust settles, they are left with Too Many Questions, Too Few Answers. November [late], 2010: Miss Americana happens across Dead Head while he's fighting a mad graverobbing scientist, and helps him out of a sticky situation. After the brief fight, she takes the revenant back to her laboratory for study; he is remarkably okay with this. DOA? A-Okay! November [late], 2010: Gabriel gets word of a zombie running around n the cemeteries. He investigates, and finds Dead Head, chasing down some organleggers. Carson Finbar and the Deathly Fellow December 21st, 2010: Dead Head's heard rumors about people who've been killed by the Mob being buried by Mob-affiliated contractors into the foundation's of buildings, so he began checking out some of these tales. It was perhaps unwise to chose to investigate the Millennium Mall four days before Christmas, but it's a good thing he was there at that time, due to an attack by hideous monsters! The Closing of the Year Dec 25th, 2010: Dead Head finds a card on one of the tombstones at Lantern Hill, addressed to him! It's from Push, asking him to help move in. Having nothing better to do, he partakes in A Moving Day Christmas. March 15th, 2011: Dead Head helps Grimalkin take out some Neo-Nazi Cultists who've been desecrating Jewish graves (with White Knight's help!). Along the way, they talk about their odd forms of immortality, and what the future may hold for them. (Whole Kit and Kaddishle) June 29th, 2011: There's a dead man walkin', and he's after a little girl. Dead Head works to get to the bottom of it! (Die and Let Live) September 24th, 2011: Nick Cimeterie, Dead Head, Equinox, Kid Cthulhu, Phantom, and Rene de Saens deal with an invasion by magical creatures and their goons while the Gorgon looms. (Gorgon: Unwelcome Guests) October 28th, 2011: Nick Cimitiere's taking Ghost Girl around on a tour of Freedom's necropoli, and takes her to see their other resident caretaker, Dead Head! Equinoix is there, too. (Fine Spirits) November 2nd, 2011: Dead Head, Equinox, and Nick Cimitiere investigate a series of grisly murders, and try to find out who made Burnt Offerings to Baron Kriminel! January 23rd, 2013: Dead Head, Nick Cimitiere, Equinox, and Ghost Girl investigate weird goings-on at the Levant Arms, an apartment building in the West End. What will they find of The Lonesome Death of Henry Darger?

Updated; also added: September 23rd, 2009: Dead Head arrives in Freedom City. He meets Blink, Jack of Blades, Leon Mighty, and Tempest while Leon is Training in Wharton Forest. October 1st, 2009: Atlas, Avenger, Dead Head, and Phantom meet up to stop the Darkness Rising in south Lincoln. October 16th-26th, 2009: Deedra's Traveling Menagerie in in town, for a full ten days! Colt, David (Ironhide), Dead Head, Erik (Jack of Blades), Kristian (Razorwing), Lynn (Grimlakin), Marcus (All Star), Max (Spitfire), Megan (Velocity), Tempest, and Yuki (Tarantula) are all present at the Carnival in the Park. Hilarity ensues!

Between the Fun House and the Kissing Booth "Come one, come all to Deedra's Traveling Fun House!" Dead Head cried as he moved through the park. "Chills and thrills, the likes of which you've never seen! Be warned, this is not for the faint of heart! Deedra's Traveling Fun House -- it's a scream!" Yeah, he was supposed to be on his 15 minute break, but he doubted anyone would say anything about his free advertising. Plus, it made him easier to accept by the crowds -- seeing a zombie in a carnival would still draw screams and shrieks, and some still did when they saw him, but this way, they'd think he was just a guy in make-up. Really, really good make-up. He paused when he first caught glimpse of the Kissing Booth. That weren't there earlier, was it? And- wait... Grim? Why... yeah, it is Grim, that gal I met earlier this week. Oh-ho-ho! Well, I might as well- his hands went to his pockets, and pulled out the usual nothing, dangit, that's right, they're not payin' me 'till the end of the day. Well, maybe tomorrow.... He continued on towards where the fire eater was scheduled to perform, "Come one, come all to Deedra's Traveling Fun House!"

Tentacles! I mean... Excelsior!

The OOC post for the first meeting of The Interceptors! Your first post in the IC thread should contain the following: * A brief flashback to when your character received the summons to come here. (Remember, only Grimalkin and Velocity know it was Dr. Archeville; Doc'll reveal himself to all later as this thread progresses.) It could've been from a package with a card and some money in it that appeared in either our mailbox or in your home, or a letter hand-delivered by some nondescript person, or a call (or interrupted tv transmission!) by a mysterious man in shadows promising great opportunities. Doc/The Letter/The Mysterious Messenger does say there will be others present, and that you will be working as a team for an indefinite length of time on several important projects; tailor the message to whatever would most likely get your character out here. * Why you agreed to come (curiosity? desire for more money? Gut feeling telling you this would lead to Good Things?) After that, y'all are free to post whatever "meet & greet" stuff you like.

Date: Mid-October, 2009 Seven people from all over Freedom City had been called here, their vast differences a mirror (of sorts) to the differences in the numerous cultures which called the West End home. But those peoples had lived and worked together in harmony (or at least a reasonable semblance of it) for decades -- would the same happen to these seven? Would they work together, and form something greater than the sum of the parts? As they approached the trio of brownstones along 83rd Avenue, they thought about how they got to be there in the first place....

Archeville leaned back a bit, "And what did you have to say, Eric, hrm? It's a bit hard to hear the song when the music is so loud." "For someone so intelligent, so used to looking at problems from multiple angles, do you not see the three huge flaws in your 'humanity must not look to Metahumans for salvation, they're dangerous' philosophy? One," he held up his right index finger, "not all those 'dangerous' heroes out there are Metahuman; almost half the Freedom League are nonpowered humans with exquisite training and technology. Two," he held up his middle finger, "you yourself, a nonpowered human, used your completely non-Metahuman brain to create a device that has caused as much devastation as most any Metahuman, superpowered brawl. And with these two firmly in mind, flaw number three," his ring finger went up, "where do you stop, Eric? People look up to actors and athletes and musicians in ways not that different from the way they look up to superheroes and Metahumans, and most athletes and entertainers have massive egos and swelled heads. Where do you draw the line? At what point do you say 'no, you're too advanced, reaching too far, you're making the others feel bad.'"

Archeville gave James a very annoyed look, "vhen de aliens in qvestion are very skilled metamorphs who can imitate anyone flawlessly, it is a big deal, whether dey are from dis dimension or another. For all Ms. Harcourt und I know, you are all Grue impostors! Und breaking de 'thingamajig' here vould not be all dat useful, since doing so vould do nothing to prevent dem from taking over somevon else's teleporter, or contacting someone on dis side -- interdimensional communication is far easier dan interdimensional transport -- und cajoling dem into building a transporter dey can use, to kidnap people from here or send deir own forces over. De best vay to make sure dis does not happen again is to go back, und destroy deir interdimensional transporters as vell as all knowledge on how to construct von... but doing dat vould strand Hope here permanently, as vell as prevent de Resistance from receiving any aid from us or other friendly dimensions."

Or a saddle for All-Star ;)

In the Fun House The zombie carnie was... laughing? Yes, he was, in between wheezing gasps, which stopped once he grabbed his head and jerked it to one side. "Zombies jumping out of nowhere in a carnival fun house is 'normal'! Heehee!" He then gave Marcus a dismissive wave, "Yer alright, Hoss. But you'd best both get," he added to Erik, "I've still got some shows t'do!" Before either could say anything, the Zombie Carnie darted into a concealed doorway, and moved down the cramped hallways that surrounded and crisscrossed the fun house. Barely a peep from that one Dead Head thought as Ironhide strolled through. He might be one to watch for -- people that nonchalant tend to be... unusual. About half an hour later, Dead Head walked out of the Fun House. He had a 15 minute break, and he planned to make good use of it. He'd heard great things about the fire eater, and he hoped to catch his show, or at least part of it.

May I suggest that, for ease of reference, people start their posts by indicating where they are?

Yes, the size of the HQ is the total size, above-ground and concealed underground bits.

I'm (mostly) here.

As the stats for the HQ are now It's Large, which is Mansion sized. That could be a trio of three-story brownstones.

Archeville looked to Mike and Alex as they continued, "so de resistance forces in Erde's Freedom City tried to teleport Hope dere, from here, but instead Grue interference caused the teleporter to nab all of you und sent you to an island on de other side of de vorld? Und none of you saw any Grue, or anything that seemed nonterrestrial in origin?" "It cannot have been just a random fluke dat interrupted de transporter... could it?"

Alright, a brownstone in West End. I think that covers the basics; more can be hashed out in the "meet & greet" thread (which I'll be starting.... soon-ish!)

"Fascinating," was Archeville's reply. He seemed to have either not picked up on, or was completely ignoring, the darker tone of Samael's last words, "vhat did it feel like, de change? Do you change due to outside stimuli, such as pain, or anger? Or is it a conscious act?" Though he seemed genuinely excited about talking to Samael about his powers, Sam noted that Archeville's hands were busy assembling a ham on rye sandwich, "is it an all-or-nothing change? You said you haff a time limit on how long you can be in de other form; is dere a limit for how long you must stay in it? Dat is, if you change, is dere some minimum amount of time dat must pass before you can shift back? Oh, after your first change, even vhen in your, er, 'normal' form, do you possess any abilities, perhaps at a lesser intensity, as in your 'hulked out' form? Are you, say, stronger now dan you vere before de first change, even in your current form?"

MBCE, I think we're ready for some GM input ;)

That should be everyone.... except me... *points up* No jokes this time folks, the man's earned it.

Dead Head could just make out two figures arriving, via air. "Yeah, I knew all this serenity was too good to last. Well, might as well see who it is. If it's some heroes, meet & greet; if it's some crooks, meet & beat." From his perch in the yew tree, he looked left, then right, then left again. Finding no easy way to climb down, he simply tipped over and fell to the ground. After pulling himself up, dusting himself off, and popping his shoulder back into place, Dead Head set off towards the two newcomers, whistling as he went.

... and the Zombie Carnie's head snapped right off! A bit of black gunk oozed sluggishly from the neck, and from the head as it rolled around, but the body remained upright. Well, surely it was just the suddenness of the impact, right? The body'd crumple any second now, surely, and... ... holy crap, All Star just knocked this guy's head off! Looking around for the head, All Star spotted it, right at the Zombie Carnie's feet and face up. As he debated what to do, the face was suddenly covered in shadow. Was that other guy with them reaching over to pick it up? No -- it was the Zombie Carnie's own hands, bending down and picking u its head as nonchalantly as All Star might pick up a melon from a garden! It slowly lifted the head up, and as it did, the eyes snapped open, still glowing that same eerie green. The jaw opened and closed, as if trying to speak, but unable to due to a lack of lung-pushed air moving over its pulled-back lips and lolling tongue. The body lifted the head up as high as it could, scraping the ceiling, then lowered it down back onto its shoulders. "Geez, Hoss," the zombie gasped out, "watch that arm!"

Friends Rent Control

Marcus caught himself before his finger went in past the first joint, but that was still far deeper than he'd ever wanted to be. "Hey, buddy," the zombie said in a clearly annoyed tone, "watch the shirt! I-" he stopped mid-sentence, examining the new hole, "y'know, I think it's better now! Looks like a bullet hole! Thanks!" he said with a hearty pat on the back. "Though I hope," he added in a lower tone, "that you're not as rough with yer girl's clothes." "Oh!," he suddenly called out, "I think some more customers are coming. Shoo, y'all, shoo!"

Duh! As for the HQ... in/under a abandoned strip mall in West End?

Well, you said at one point you were hoping to start this weekend, so I think we can do that. Even if we don't have everything exactly hashed out by then, it can be fleshed out then. As for when In-Game, mid-October sounds good for the first meeting. Now, as for how/why you're together.... Doc's enjoyed working with others, and was still enjoying being on the Knights of Freedom when it imploded under him. He knows there's much he cannot do, knows there are others out there whose skills & abilities would compliment his, he just needed to find them. Since taking over Darts, Inc and converting it into ArcheTech Laboratories, he has more money (though just how much his personal wealth has grown he keeps carefully hidden; easier to get more funding from others if they think you need their money... and easier to fund secret projects if the resources for it are a secret.) So now he has the resources, but not the personnel. Doc knows Grimalkin and Velocity, from prior dealings. His personal experiences with them, plus what info he's gathered, tell him they're good people to work with. (And incredibly attractive, which is a bonus ) Velocity's prominent status in FC would make her a beacon of sorts for the team. Doc knows of Colt from his monitoring of transdimensional activity, and through their mutual associate Ace Danger. Danger could vouch for Colt, and Doc could make working on his team worth his time. Colt gets resources and a place to hang his hat at night (and purty women to hang associate with); Docs gets a chance to study otherdimensional tech and learn about an otherdimensional culture. Doc would know of All-Star from Daedalus and the Freedom League, and from his parents (who work at ArcheTech's friendly rival, ASTRO Labs). Doc could help the man learn to better use his powers, and to think before blasting/punching; All-Star gets a chance to work with other heroes, like Velocity. Doc could know of Jack of Blades by simply picking up a paper or listening to news reports about the West End. Jack's high spirits & status as a semi-established hero would be boons to the team; Jack would surely not turn down a chance for honest pay, or for help in determining the nature of his powers. Which brings us to Blink and Razorwing.... Blink could pop onto Doc's radar due to her teleportation abilities, and when he finds she has a criminal record, he offers a deal: work for him, on the side of the law, where he can give her something closer to the structured lifestyle she'd once had, and he could guarantee her she'd never want for an adrenaline rush. And steady pay. Razorwing came to Doc's notice when he tried to steal from a Darts lab as the company was in transition. In the end they talk, and Doc offers a place for Razorwing to lay low from his (many) enemies, and a chance for honest & socially beneficial pay.... though it may call for a costume and name change. Now, he's got his candidates, but he realizes something: he would better serve the team as a mentor and supporter, not a co-teammate. He can provide technical support, intel, medical assistance, access to certain people and places, and so on. He'd be a secret (to the public) mentor; despite all the good he's done, there are still those who would be severely concerned about a Mad German Scientist assembling his own group of Metahumans, so he'll let the public think they're either funding themselves or have some secret backer. Doc approaches them individually, disguised (except for Heritage and Velocity, he comes to them as-is), and calls them all to meet at the HQ he sets up for them*, where they can meet each other for the first time. It's there Doc reveals himself to all, and tells them what he had in mind: a new team of heroes to focus on the numerous criminal and supercriminal elements in Freedom City, which the Freedom League has been a tad lax in due to their increased focus on global affairs. He'll give advice and support, and the occasional mission, but for the most part they'll be free to decide the hows/whats/whens/wheres of their activities. He suggests the same Archangels, but is quickly voted down. In terms of what team they're like, I'm thinking more like DC's Outsiders (though only some of the folks on this team are "outsiders" in terms of "would not fit in well with the Freedom League"). He's hoping the ones who would fit in well with the FL would be able to temper the others. (Of course, Archeville's Dark Side has its own reasons for assembling them... :twisted: ) * You all are still paying for it in equipment points; "he set it up for you" is the in-game reason y'all have it. How's that sound?