ic Never Did Run Smooth

[Electra]

Paige absently catalogued the languages her colleague was cursing in, all but one of which she could curse in herself, if need be, but her attention was focused on the girl in front of her. "Your brain is fine, Tonya," she assured the girl, hoping to get ahead with the good news, at least. "Someone placed a temporary mental block on you, replacing the English you know with some other language, but it wasn't permanent and it caused no real damage. The physical changes... well, that's not my specialty, but I'm sure we can arrange to find someone who can help get you looking the way you're used to. It's very striking, really," she tried to assure the girl. 

 

"Here, look." Paige held out her hands horizontally, the palms pressed together, then lifted the top one up to reveal the illusion of a mirror, stretching between her two palms. It wasn't a perfect mirror, since it was a psychic illusion projecting what Paige saw, but at least thirty years' experience had taught her to flip the image so as to be mirrorlike. It wasn't a bad facsimile, anyway. "You're still very pretty." 

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar's attention snapped to Stronghold, and there was a split second where there was something in his eyes that looked much older than the 19 she knew him to be. And then it was gone, and he sighed.

 

"She likes to manipulate. Sometimes with regular guile, but a lot of the times with magic. A change like that, though, that's less common. What I'm confused over is Unferth's presence. He's from the days of Beowulf, and from the same region. It's just not typical for Medea. And the thing with him dying...I wonder if Medea's using him for some sort of ritual. Him, and these girls? Ugh. Too many questions. Not enough answers. Need more pieces to the puzzle."

 

He looked over at Tonya and Hologram, his expression softening as he walked closer to the table.

 

"She's right. But I promise you this. As much as it's in my power, I'll help figure out how this can be reversed, if that's what you want. We'll make this right. And we'll figure out why they did this in the first place."

[trollthumper]

"It was a gigantic man with the head of an eagle," said Temperance. The fact that she'd seen weirder spirits on a weekly basis no doubt helped with her delivery. "And the wings to match. He carried a mantle of frost about him, and his words seemed to carry ice, too. He tried to dive towards me, but ran at the first sign of resistance. For someone who carries ice about them like armor, he couldn't take the stuff as a sword."

 

She realized that might have been a bit too pretentious, and decided to thaw a little. "I'm glad to hear the girl is safe. You mentioned she's being looked over. If you don't mind me asking, where would that be? I'd like to see if her attacker and mine might have had something in common..." 

[horngeek]

Stronghold nodded, completely missing the look in Cobalt Templar's eyes as she thought over what had been described.  "Maybe someone should look up the tales of Beowulf, see whether they're any clues in there?  And any stories about Medea, what she's tried before... there's not much else I can think of to try right now, unless we can figure out where Tanya's been from what information we have now... and it doesn't... sound like we can tell that right now?"

 

As Cobalt spoke to Tanya, she nodded, her expression determined.  "And we can stop them from hurting anyone else."

 

That's what she'd gotten her powers to do, after all. 

[Avenger Assembled]

Temperance arrived at the police station around the time that Tonya's mother did; the elder woman not hesitating a moment before embracing her daughter, changed and all. "My baby's come back to me!" While the heroes caught up with each other; teenage mystic and ringbearer, veteran flame-wielder, and experienced psychic, the police pulled up their records for both Unferth and Medea recently. The Danish mercenary known professionally as Unferth had been seen in New York some weeks earlier, but there'd been no sign of him since - similarly, Medea had last been seen by the authorities about the time she'd taken part in Stratos' botched bank robbery some weeks earlier as well. There were no records of the two working together in the past, but that didn't necessarily mean anything given the limited resources the cops had available. The heroes themselves were going to have to take over the investigation.

 

As she thanked the heroes (a little more quietly than her obviously overjoyed mom), Tonya told them seriously, "Find the lady who looks like this." She pointed to herself. "I don't remember anything else, but I remember this lady." 

[trollthumper]

Temperance nodded to the other heroes - a brief introduction, she was aware, but there was something else that needed to be dealt with first. She looked over Tonya. The strange eyes, the description of what had happened... mythology wasn't her strong suit, but it did have its uses in her line of work. Especially when said mythology earned her extra credit on an English project. "They worked some magic on you," she said, swiftly realizing after her that wasn't going to be reassuring. "The enchantment should likely snap. Working something like this takes a lot of effort to sustain. Without active magical interference, it should fade." 

 

Then again, I hear kicking the snot out of a stuck-up sorceress really helps... 

 

When there was time to break away from Tonya, she went over to the others. "They wanted to make her something," she said. "A volvar. Mystic and witch out of Anglo-Saxon lore... which we've got practically none of. Most of it was reconstructed or syncretized over the years. The best sources on the nuances are random tomes and Beowulf." Temperance shook her head. "They needed her for a specific purpose. I think the date might have something to do with it. Earlier this evening, some sort of monster came at me and disappeared the second I put up a fight. And it appears that Tonya and I share a birthday..." 

[KnightDisciple]

"So, they wanted her for...probably some kind of ritual. Actually, they probably want several girls like that. The police found another victim who was...in worse shape."

 

He was clearly trying not to say it outright since Tonya and her mother might overheard, even if the group of heroes was over to one side.

 

"As for Unferth and Medea...maybe it's a two-for-one deal. They get some sort of special ritual done that gives them...I don't know what, but something. Maybe a small army, maybe a power boost, not sure. But they get that done...and then Unferth comes to the Crime League. With Stratos on the outs they may be on a recruiting spree. Just speculation, though."

 

He blinked at the mention of the birthday, then frowned.

 

"Do you think we should try to track down all the girls with your birthday, in your general age range? That seems like about the only lead we've got...I'm not a great tracker to start with, and if the beast that came after you flew, that makes things a bit harder..."

[Electra]

Paige stood on the edge of the conversation and closed her eyes for a moment, swaying slightly with weariness even as she extended her senses outside the police station. "Neither Medea nor Unferth are within a mile of here, unless they've got some heavy-duty magic disguising them," she reported, eyes still closed. "There's some disturbance on the edges of my perception, but I think it's sensitive, it's backing away out of my range. I can't tell what it is." She opened her eyes and looked at the other heroes. "You may want to find an expert on Anglo-Saxon lore and symbolism. If they are looking for girls to act out a ritual, it is probably something steeped in the culture and mythos. Knowing what they're doing might help find them faster." 

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 

"I'm not sure who we'd call at this time. The list is either too small and remote or too large and broad, and most of them will be asleep."

 

He sighed, frustration showing through.

 

"I'd say we should break to reconvene in the morning, except I get the feeling if we don't keep on this, we're going to regret it...Wait."

 

He looked at Hologram, somewhat more intently this time.

 

"You said there was a presence, but it was pulling away. Do you think you could track it? Maybe we can try to herd whoever or whatever that is, capture them, and get them to talk."

[Avenger Assembled]

Hologram wasn't able to find anything, that lingering mental impression having vanished entirely, and her husband came to pick her up after another hour or so - it was getting late and this all-night heroing thing was a young woman's game. There'd been no further kidnappings by the next morning, but there was a police bulletin warning young women between the ages of 16 and 20 to be on their guard when they went out late at night. While Temperance pursued an investigation that let her identify the monster that she'd encountered in her battle on the Lincoln rooftops, Cobalt Templar was dispatched in another direction entirely - Jack Washington, the officer who'd met Temperance at the crime scene, knew one of the few people in Freedom City who could reasonably be called an expert on the Anglo-Saxon culture that had produced both Beowulf and the mercenary Unferth. 

 

Eleanor got the email message that morning. 

Doctor Churchill, 
I don't know if you remember me, but I gave that paper on the medieval bailiff system at the Free City Conference last year. I've referred a superhero to you for consultation about a Dark Ages case. Look for Cobalt Templar to stop by your office sometime today during your hours. 

Officer Jack Washington
 

[KnightDisciple]

The Morning 

 

Corbin had learned to sleep when the chance presented, and operate off of whatever you could get. Still and all, he'd appreciated the solid lead and the chance to sleep for several hours. 

 

A meeting at the university could be awkward, but lives were on the line.

 

So it was that a near-giant clad in blue plate armor, a dark red ethereal cape trailing behind him, landed in front of the doors to the FCU history building. It was still early in the day, because he wanted to get this done as soon as possible. He'd brought with him handwritten notes about all the information they'd gathered from the interview with Tonya, and in general. 

 

Now he just had to navigate the hallways and find Doctor Churchill's office. 

[Corsecjedi]

Elanor had felt flattered and a bit surprised when she read her email that morning.  She was just getting established as Shadowblade and had cooperated with the authorities periodically since her arrival, but this would be the first time Doctor Churchill had been asked to consult on a case.  This must be a very strange case, if they need someone who knows about the Dark Ages, she'd thought to herself half a dozen times throughout the morning.  Each time, her mind had leapt down a dozen theories, but each of them seemed more improbable then the last.  She'd settled into her office with the door open and tried to distract herself from the idle speculation with the last of the semester's grading.  Still, she'd looked up at the door every few minutes, wondering when this Cobalt Templar would arrive.

 

She looked up when she heard a slight commotion in the hallway.  She also heard, almost felt, the heavy, slow tread of something enormous moving around in the hallway of her floor.  A swift smile flashed across her face; somehow, she just knew this must be her visitor.

 

She moved to the open door and saw a massive figure in blue-plate armor and a bright red cape moving carefully through the halls sized for people built on a much smaller scale.  She waved to get his attention and gestured to her office.  "Please, come in, sir," she invited as he drew closer.  "I must say, it is not everyday that a mere history professor is able to render aid to a hero."  She preceded him into her office and turned to face the big man as he followed behind.  "Allow me to introduce myself, Templar: I am Dr. Elanor Churchill.  Given that you are here on a rather serious business, I say we begin immediately.  Officer Washington indicated that you needed my help on a case, but he was quite vague on the details beyond 'the Dark Ages.'"

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar smiled as the professor waved him over. He made his way through the slowly-growing crowd with surprising grace, not even bumping into anyone before stepping into the office with only a slight duck of his head. If nothing else, the builders had anticipated football players being present, and he was of a size with the largest of them. 

 

Once inside he closed the door gently behind himself for privacy, before offering the professor a short smile and handshake.

 

"Well, I'm just glad you had the time, ma'am. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, Doctor Churchill, but sadly we aren't. We've got a very unusual case sitting in front of us. We're hoping you have more knowledge of old Anglo-Saxon literature, lore, history, and such than we were able to come up with. Let me lay it out for you, what we know so far..."

 

With that, Templar explained the details they had of the case, trying to be as specific as possible with anything and everything about the ritual, lore they all remembered, names, and so forth. 

[Corsecjedi]

Elanor frowned in concentration as she listened to Cobalt Templar's story.  "Unferth," she murmured as his explanation wound to a close.  "Perhaps it is mere coincidence, but I have heard that name recently.  A Danish historian and archaeologist named Arne Saknussemm was murdered a few months ago.  Before his rather grisly demise - someone hacked him to pieces in his office with an ax - he was most famous for his discovery of an old Anglo-Saxon burial ground in Sweden that he claimed was the resting place of Unferth and a volvur - an Anglo-Saxon witch - Saknussemm claimed to be Unferth's wife."  She outlined Saknussem's find and his controversial theories about the historicity of Beowulf in a few sentences.  "In fact..."

 

Elanor spun toward her computer and began tapping keys as her voice trailed off.  There had been an article she'd read; Saknussemm's death had inspired several pieces on his find from the 70's, and she'd also read through the original piece.  "Aha!" she called a few moments later as she found the articles for which she'd been looking.  She started to beckon the large man over to look at her computer screen, then thought better of it.  "One moment while I print these out.  The images are black-and-white, I fear, but they will at least give an idea of the site.  The article is a fairly concise summary of the find, as well."

 

The printer hummed for a few moments, and then Elanor handed the sheaf of documents to the big man.  "Oh, one more thing.  I am not sure if it is important, but from the description you gave, your friend encountered a figure out of Norse mythology.  I mention this because the report on Saknussemm's death speculated that the police blamed the murder on Aesir cultists - another connection or lead, perhaps?"

Edited December 28, 2013 by Corsecjedi

[trollthumper]

While Cobalt Templar was busy consulting the professor, Eliza was busy hitting the library. She'd considered going her usual channels - calling up some ice spirits, seeing if they'd ever associated with Frosty the Titan - but those spirits were often busy this kind of year, and would probably have their attention diverted elsewhere. Besides, if there were other magical talents involved, there was a chance they might have an ear to those very same channels. 

 

So for now, she was slogging through old tomes on Old English, trying to find something new. She finally had some progress halfway through the morning, in an old book on creatures of myth. Here he was - the hraesvelgr, a giant creature that sat at the end of the world and generated the winds by beating his wings. It was a creature of Norse Myth, and got some mention in the Prose Edda - but when she went to look through the Prose Edda, she didn't find much more than was in the first book. 

 

So these two have some mythological muscle behind them. I'd put this on the Unferth guy, rather than Medea. But he could be naming the contacts while she cuts the deals... man, I wish I knew more about the mythics. 

[KnightDisciple]

Elanor frowned in concentration as she listened to Cobalt Templar's story.  "Unferth," she murmured as his explanation wound to a close.  "Perhaps it is mere coincidence, but I have heard that name recently.  A Danish historian and archaeologist named Arne Saknussemm was murdered a few months ago.  Before his rather grisly demise - someone hacked him to pieces in his office with an ax - he was most famous for his discovery of an old Anglo-Saxon burial ground in Sweden that he claimed was the resting place of Unferth and a volvur - an Anglo-Saxon witch - Saknussemm claimed to be Unferth's wife."  She outlined Saknussem's find and his controversial theories about the historicity of Beowulf in a few sentences.  "In fact..."

 

Elanor spun toward her computer and began tapping keys as her voice trailed off.  There had been an article she'd read; Saknussemm's death had inspired several pieces on his find from the 70's, and she'd also read through the original piece.  "Aha!" she called a few moments later as she found the articles for which she'd been looking.  She started to beckon the large man over to look at her computer screen, then thought better of it.  "One moment while I print these out.  The images are black-and-white, I fear, but they will at least give an idea of the site.  The article is a fairly concise summary of the find, as well."

 

The printer hummed for a few moments, and then Elanor handed the sheaf of documents to the big man.  "Oh, one more thing.  I am not sure if it is important, but from the description you gave, your friend encountered a figure out of Norse mythology.  I mention this because the report on Saknussemm's death speculated that the police blamed the murder on Aesir cultists - another connection or lead, perhaps?"

 

Templar listened as the historian expanded on what they already knew, and his brain started spinning theories. He accepted the papers, looking over them for several moments. 

 

"It's making me wonder if it was actually Aesir cultists, or if it was the creature Temperance encountered. Or even Unferth himself. This whole affair...now I'm wondering if they're using these girls to try and...resurrect Unferth's wife. Or find the "perfect replacement"? I just don't get why they're going for so many so rapidly. And beyond gender there's little to nothing that really ties the targets together. And why kill Saknussemm? It doesn't sound like he was involved, and it's not like his research is secret or hidden. They'd have to get a computer hacker and a sneak thief to even try to erase the information."

 

He sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose through his helmet. 

 

"I wish Midnight were in on this case. Argh. Well, this has at least given us some more to work with, Professor Churchill. You have my sincere thanks, along with the other heroes and the police department. I think I'd better get back to the others. If we come across some more clues, we might need to run them by you again, if that's okay with you."

Edited December 30, 2013 by KnightDisciple

[Corsecjedi]

Elanor nodded as Cobalt Templar ran through the possibilities.  "It is possible Saknussemm knew more than he had published, or possibly possessed some sort of artifact.  Regardless, it was my pleasure to be of service.  I would be happy to offer any additional assistance, should you require it."  She rose and politely escorted the big man out of her office.  She watched him head off down the hall for a moment as she considered.  Showing up as Shadowblade now to assist in Templar's investigation might strain her anonymity, but she was reasonably confident should could create a compelling explanation.  Besides, the case was intriguing, and she did want to establish more working relationships with Freedom City's heroes...

 

She turned back into her office and hung a little sign over her posted office hours, informing any visitors that she had had to leave and to follow up via email.  Then she closed and locked the door.  She donned her dark uniform and harness, pulled her contacts out, and bound her hair back in a tight braid.  Shadowblade vanished from Elanor's office with a puff of smoke.

 

Despite her haste and ability to shadow-jump, she barely managed to catch Cobalt Templar before he took off once more outside the history building.  "Ho, Templar!" she called and shadow-jumped next to him.  "Hold but a moment, prithee!  My name, friend, is Shadowblade.  I have heard rumblings of strange creatures seen this past night, and when I inquired of the local constabulary, they did direct me to seek thee out.  Twas a happy chance that I discovered thee so speedily.  If thou hath need, I entertained hopes of rendering aid to thee and thy companions in this matter."  She held her breath, wondering how the big man would respond.

[KnightDisciple]

Freedom City was the sort of place where random heroes popping up out of nowhere was just how things rolled. And in Cobalt Templar's mind, a sneaky, shadowy hero catching wind of something that had been going on for over 12 hours, and had at least 1 police precinct on high alert, and the rumors of involvement of a Crime League member? Well, that was just normal. He was good friends with Midnight, after all.

 

So he just gave the shadow-jumper a big smile and offered a handshake.

 

"Hey, if you're volunteering, you're welcome to join up! Besides, might be nice to have someone on board who's less...."

 

He stops and looks down at himself, then back at her with a wry smile.

 

"Noticeable. I just got some intel from a professor here, so I'm hoping that combined with what the others found out, we can maybe start tracking the folks who did this. If you want, I can conjure up a seat and give you the Cliff's Notes on the way to the meeting place."

 

When you can juggle semi trucks, one lady riding in an energy construct seat on your back was nothing. 

 

If she decided to go on her own power, he'd give her a meeting point before taking a few moments to place a couple of calls to the other heroes to meet up as well. Or at least, he tried; he frowned after he finished his last call.

 

"Can't reach Stronghold. But we can't wait for her. You ready to go, ma'am?"

 

If she was, they would be heading out immediately.

[Corsecjedi]

Shadowblade nodded and mentally reminded herself that she didn't know the information Templar would soon be sharing.  Still, hearing it all again could possibly bring something else to light and, after all, it was an interesting case.  She gave him a swift smile as she said, "Sooth, methinks thou can trust in my ability to remain unseen, if I wish it.  And, if thou art willing, happy I would be to accept thy offer of conveyance."  Shadowblade was a bit taller than average for woman, but if his handshakes were anything by which to judge, the big man would have no trouble carrying her.  She checked her gear once more, out of habit more than anything, then craned her neck to look up at Templar again.  "I am ready whenever thou art, friend."

[KnightDisciple]

"Good to know, good to know. As for getting there, well, this won't be the lap of luxury, but...."

 

The big man in blue turns, his cape evaporating in the wind, and a rig that seems not unlike a simplified ejection seat from a plane appears on his back. Straps included. His torso now had extra braces and straps over the armor plating, helping secure the seat. Cobalt Templar went to one knee, facing away from Shadowbloade, and waited patiently as he spoke.

 

"Hop on and strap in, let me know when you're secure. Should give you a five-point harness. I'll make sure the wind isn't too bad."

 

This would be accomplished by generating an aerodynamic pod around Shadowblade, just big enough to contain her without terribly cramping her. Then they were in the sky, quickly moving at a very high speed. High enough that it was pretty much just one big parabola, going up and then almost immediately back down, until they landed. 

 

After landing, the pod walls would go first, then the harness, leaving the seat until Shadowblade disembarked. Then Templar's outfit would revert to normal as he looked around, waiting for the others.

 

"Short flight, even. Now to wait for the rest..."

[Corsecjedi]

Shadowblade carefully stepped out of the harness, her amber eyes sparkling with excitement.  The short flight had almost been one enormous roller coaster ride, and she'd thoroughly enjoyed it.  "Sooth, twas most exhilarating," she said with a chuckle.  "My thanks for the experience!"  She stretched as they waited, and she idly considered making small talk.  Things seemed to be too serious and moving too quickly for that, though, and instead she decided to keep on the task at hand.  She asked, "How many art thou expecting, friend?"

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar considered the question, even as he casually looked around the corner of the park where he'd suggested everyone meet.

 

"Well, Temperance was wrapping up some research, but should be here. Stronghold is strangely unreachable. But Hologram's available. I think she said Fast-Forward might make it as well. So, counting us, that's a minimum of 4, possibly 5. Even better, with you in the mix it would give us a pretty diverse mix of ability and skill, which may well come in handy. If there's one or more big-time evil magic-users in on this, I'd wager one or two of us can get them monologuing, while some of you sneak around behind for a sucker punch. Or rescue op. Either way."

 

He seemed content to wait and chat for the time being.

[Avenger Assembled]

It wasn't Hologram who joined Cobalt Templar and Shadowblade, but rather another beloved Discovery Channel personality - Fast-Forward. Jogging up so fast he appeared to zip into place alongside them, Fast-Forward looked over his big old-fashioned shades and said, "Hey, kids. Paige is tied down with a shoot today." He kept moving as he spoke, zipping around the two heroes as he spoke like a jogger not wanting his muscles to lock up. "But I heard you were having a magic problem, so I brought a book along to help." He winked and pulled out a small leather-bound book. "I'm not much on this nerd stuff, but I've been looking up some of the things Paige was telling me and you've got a crazy situation going on there. What's up?" 

[KnightDisciple]

Cobalt Templar couldn't help but grin a bit as he was now meeting the famous Fast-Forward. 

 

"Fast-Forward, it's a pleasure and an honor. As for the situation, I managed to get a bit more insight from a professor who specializes in the stuff we're dealing with. The victims are done up in a manner similar to a figure that was dug up recently. A figure archeologists think might have been Unferth's wife. Which might explain his connection, but not Medea's."

 

Templar would go into a bit more detail on what he'd learned speaking with Professor Churchill, along with some of his own speculations. After that was done, he turned toward Shadowblade for a moment.

 

"Shadowblade caught wind of nasty goings-on and has volunteered to help. Which is probably for the best, as Stronghold's not answering calls. With you subbing for your wife and Temperance on her way, we've at least got the same headcount, and maybe a bit more variety. The real problem, though, is that we haven't gotten a lock on where Unferth and Medea are based, assuming it's even nearby. Or, really, what they're trying to accomplish."

[trollthumper]

A brief cold draft presaged the arrival of Temperance, as she flew down out of the sky on a sled made of ice. She'd gotten a lot better at making these things - it was keeping her balance that was often the hard part because, when you got down to it, it was still ice. She'd gotten rid of the footholds, but it was a good idea to at least keep some bumpers up on the thing. 

 

She settled down on the ground, taking a second to melt the sled down and work it back into her Camelback. She turned back to the group once that was done, her eyes catching on Shadowblade. "Another person could definitely help the investigation," she said, "especially as I didn't find much. I found out what that creature from last night was - a Hraesvelgr. It apparently has the important task of standing at the edge of the world and generating the north wind through the flapping of its wings. Which makes me wonder why it'd take time out of its busy schedule to pull off some felonies..."