Avenger Assembled

Suffice it to say that dreams of gold-plated blood packets will be dancing in Avenger's head tonight. Taking 20 on the Knowledge checks requires access to a library. You cannot Take 20 on Gather Information. According to the description of the Contacts feat, I can take 20 on Gather Information in 20 minutes. As for the Knowledge checks, I submit that beating up low-level members of the supernatural underworld counts as visiting one's local supernatural/streetwise library. :D

Ah, but the GM is supposed to be more protective of Device swords than Equipment swords. After all, it was a bigger PP investment. So it's got Toughness +11, can be used if he happens to upgrade his strength even further, etc. As for power-stunting, things like a low-level Deflect to knock policemen's bullets out of the air, channeling his necromantic energies to provide a rank of Affects Insubstantial, that sort of thing. :D

'Hokay, D-A, we just need B's arrival.

Okay, that's taking 20 on Knowledge: Arcane Lore: 22 Knowledge: Streetwise: 26 and Gather Information: 26

Avenger spent a busy, dangerous night on the streets of Freedom as he dug up all the information he could on "Danielle Lynn." He asked a 'sensitive' on Ditko Street named Maria who occasionally sold her blood to vampires (and was thus bribeable) to analyze the hairs collected from the murdering demoness as best she could, then had her do all she could to track that very demon with various low-level rituals. From there he hit the streets, shaking down and bribing informants, finding out the places in Freedom where demons congregated, looking for spots where a serial murderer with supernatural abilities would present herself. At the end of the night the bundle of cash he'd gotten from Scarab was considerably smaller and his knuckles considerably bloodier, but he certainly felt much more productive. As dawn rose, Avenger crept into the library by the expedient measure of going in through the window. Down in the newspaper archives in the basement, taking advantage of a nearby laptop terminal, Avenger delved deeply into the city's supernatural underworld, hunting for the places where a demon on the loose might go.

Changes made. And his sword is a device for durability/power-stunting purposes. It may be "just a sword" but it's a verra nice one. :D

Okay, great!

While we're waiting for the others: Scarab, you recall distinctly that there were some pretty dangerous components to Fletcher's collection: Schlasbringer's poison gun, the knife that killed Schwarzpanzer and empowered Nacht-Krieger, the ashes of Varney Orloff, and many other things that would certainly be very bad if they fell into the wrong hands. [Alexander used to have to remind Fletcher that he himself was _not_ immortal, and that he had a wife and kid to look after. But it was always hard to convince the first Bowman of that.] If someone was looking to rob Fletcher of something valuable, they'd probably have broken into one of his other vaults around the city. This seems to have been an effort to steal one dangerous item (or items) in particular.

Aight, I'll just wait for Belphegor's arrival to be posted and then I'll post what it is Scarab sees and such. Also, Dark Star, you can go ahead and react to what you see in the vault. In the meantime, everybody make that Notice check, along with a Stealth check if you're actively trying not to be observed as you go about your business. Avenger's Notice Avenger can tell someone is looking at him. Avenger's Stealth A tie! Since Avenger's +17 Stealth modifier is higher than Scarab's +15 Wisdom modifier, Avenger wins.

All Avenger knows is that he's going to buy a ride-then pimp it! EDIT: naturally, Avenger is disappearing via Skill Mastery and Hide in Plain Sight. He simply leaves, disappearing at the end of the conversation.

Sounds good to me, StB. You're welcome to make a history roll to remember exactly what _was_ in Fletcher's collection beyond the generalized stuff I said in the PM. (You do remember that Fletch Jr. drank up the old man's expensive liquors and he never replaced them. It was a terrible tragedy. )

"Stay out of my head," Avenger replied levelly, the ten thousand dollars an almost shocking green against the shiny black armored leather gloves wrapped tightly around his hands. "You might not like what you find. I'll call you," he added a moment later, slipping the money into his pocket. "Suggest we rendezvous in 24 hours. Status report. Be seeing you." And with that he was gone, disappearing into the darkness around him with the alacrity and stealth of a ghost.

Okay, I've expanded on his background some.

Hey all, just checking in. In 24 hours from this post, I'm going to close the thread to new PCs. If you want in on the larger plot this is part of, don't worry. There will be several threads before the climax comes in.

Avenger snorted as he took the hairs, neatly bagging them before slipping them away inside his costume. "Contacts everywhere. 'Swhat I do." He looked up with a nod as Slamdance came downstairs with the computer. "Good work. Better all get out and do our job. Scarab, Slamdance," he adds a moment later, "Professional. Competent. Surprised me. I'll remember."

Hmm. I'll keep an eye out; if it looks like a situation Avenger might be there/respond to, I'll post. If not, don't worry about a thing. :D

There is something unsettling about the vault to Dark Star's gravitic senses, possibly because some of the items he's almost sure are there don't seem to have any gravitic presence at all! No normal object should be able to do that, naturally, thus leaving open some serious questions about the true nature of what's in those books lined up on the long shelves along each wall, or what's in a few of the display cases and sealed boxes placed in front of the shelves. The room isn't all bizarre artifacts, though; there are plenty of mundane pins, flags, and posters from the old Liberty League, mementos of a nearly forgotten age of heroes. For Dark Star's purposes at present, the most important item in the room are the tipped-over shelf along the floor, the broken pieces scattered beneath it, and the signs of rough handling in the area. --- As it happens, it's not that hard for an antique dealer to get some information on the collection that Fletcher Beaumont I donated to Freedom City University back in 1973. There was something of a to-do about it in the antiques community at the time; the Liberty League collection was known to be very valuable, even priceless, and quite a few dealers back in the day would have given their left eye for artifacts such as Freedom Eagle's earliest flight harness, Schlasbringer's gun, books from Envoy's native Utopia, die Walkure's stuffed flying horse, a crown Johnny Rocket brought back from Speed World, and the dagger used in the ritual that created Nacht-Krieger. As for what was actually stolen, the police are actually keeping that under fairly close watch. He can confirm that the dagger was among the items stolen; it's actually listed as a "watch" item for antique dealers to be on the lookout for if someone tries to sell it to them. He's pretty sure the dagger was not the only thing stolen, though, and that whatever else was stolen isn't being mentioned even in dispatches to the antiques community.

Wow! Everything here holds up well for me.

I'm going to allow three other PCs. And this is set in February 2009. I've decided just to make my dating easier that all my plots happen the day they're posted. :)

Actually, that depends on how public Dark Star's arrival is. I had the idea that Dark Star's landing is something known to the general public already. Was that true, Cy? If his arrival isn't public, Avenger probably won't be there. If it is, Avenger might show up just to see an alien.

Aw, heck, I will gladly reciprocate.

It was quiet outside as Avenger made his way down to the Beaumont archives in the library basement, the cold February weather keeping the student body inside this late at night. The police have had plenty of time to come and go, leaving behind a crime scene secured against almost any kind of intruder. Having crept his way past security cameras and locked doors, his little sojourn into breaking and entering almost took a very unfortunate turn. A moment before he could lay hands on the outer door of the archive itself, Avenger jerked his gloved hand away from the door handle as if struck. "Good one, Beaumont." Or whoever. Nice ward. Must have been why they sent mundanes. He was going to need someone else to open that door.

Okay, made the changes.

All are welcome! ('Till we fill up.) Jos in particular would fit in well.

Looking forward to it :clap: