So, some time ago, I was asked if I had a blog that listed the details of my homebrew superhero setting. When I replied with a surprised "no", they told me that I probably should get on that. I thanked them for showing that much interest in my story. I filed that away under, the "maybe" list in my head, but I never forgot it.
Now, a few years later, I found myself at the head of yet another Mutants and Masterminds game, with all of Cyril and it's strange and interesting inhabitants before me again. This time, though, I've decided to take everyone else along for the ride. To test the resilience of my admittedly derivative take on supers, aliens, witches, and everything in between. I figure that if I can entertain a table full of nerds, then perhaps others might be interested in the setting and the events that take place within its confines.
So, here is the first of what will most likely be a short series about just that. These articles will be written by myself, unless otherwise stated up front, but they will be credited in article to Non-Player Characters relevant to the story. The contents of these articles will be the summary of each session of our game, and will each chronicle the trials and tribulations of the Defense League's Team C. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did creating them.
- CATV's Ben.
Things Get Heated For Team C
by Melissa Winters
A jewelry store heist turned into an all out battle between the newly minted Defense League's Team C and a gang of super-powered criminals designated the “Banshees.” Lockehart & Goode Exquisite Jewelers was the target of a high stakes robbery last Friday, February 12th. Investigators are still trying to piece together what exactly occurred inside the store. Much of the scene was reduced to cinders during the short, but intense battle between the two groups of supers.
Around 8:10 PM Friday, three members of Team C responded to an explosion at a jewelry store while on patrol in the area. Witnesses claim the power-suited Astro Knight ferried their land-locked companions onto the scene. Upon arriving, they immediately came under fire. Deadbeat and Astro Knight made quick work of the thugs, who had already injured at least two civilians. The heroes were then confronted with the witch Hayden Artisan, estranged sister of the disgraced former head of the now-defunct DEP. Hayden is better known as the criminal Nox, boasting a suite of magical hexes that mostly reduce her targets to lifeless husks.
While Nox has long been seen as a prominent threat in Cyril, it did not appear that way this time. While she managed to get a single spell to completion, it seemed to have no effect on the heroes. Witnesses at the scene described the moments after various ways, with one major detail consistent in each; the Astro Knight floored Nox in a single attack. Making good on their title, the mysterious high tech warrior charged into the battle and rendered the villain unconscious with a single beam from their lance.
The third hero on the scene was then accosted by the atraxian separatist Bar-Tox. Unfortunately for Bar-Tox, said hero just so happened to be two-time Meta-Olympics boxing gold medalist Derrek “Cross” Harris. Cross is a well-known and well-liked meta with an impressive precognitive ability and a set of martial skills to match. This allowed him to evade the lumbering strikes of the Earth-born atraxian criminal. A solid combination thrown with pin-point precision rendered her unable to battle, and her suit was confiscated upon bringing her into custody.
A second set of thugs arrived with improved weaponry, attempting to extract Nox from the scene. They were promptly handled by the reformed Deadbeat, who used a ruined vehicle to shield civilians and his allies from the incoming munitions. A misfire destroyed the armored truck they arrived in, leaving the criminals stranded. Deadbeat saw to the proper detention of Hex, as well as the two newly arrived henchmen.
Video released on Tuesday shows the eerie quiet of the scene as flames were pulled into the storefront itself in an unnatural manner. Though sound is indeed enabled, the flames seem to be completely silent as they recede into the building. Interference with the device leaves the footage undecipherable snow after seven seconds. Witnesses on scene describe the occurrence as otherworldly, with the flames taking on a bright violet hue before being absorbed into the corona of yet another villain. Maria Del'ez, or Starsong, was inside the store securing loot when the trio of heroes arrived. Her power, which allows her to control and create plasma, is considered extremely dangerous, and the DEP held her under a Class 8 designation at their black site in Washington State.
A second-generation meta with an infamous legacy, Del'ez is considered a city-wide threat whenever she engages in criminal activity. Her exploits usually require two or three teams of heroes to thwart. However, she was brought to heel swiftly by the abominable Deadbeat, who waded through her intense heat and gravity fields with relative ease. The villain managed to injure the other two heroes with concentrated beams of nitrogen plasma before being restrained and placed in inhibitors.
According to the follow up report from the Defense League, it was around this time that a meta known as the Banshee Queen appeared. She absconded with Hex and Starsong, leaving Bar-Tox to be taken into custody. Her ghostly abilities allowed her to escape through the ground, which rendered immediate attempts at a chase impossible. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Investigators are still trying to uncover the exact target of the heist, as none of the store's stock seemed to have been taken into the large bags found at the scene. Cyril City Police Chief Dart Harqness refused to comment on the investigation. He did offer a few words of praise for Team C, however. “The heroic efforts of the Defense League members of Team C are commendable. I'll be speaking to Mayor Hilligan about the possibility of public recognition of their bravery and heroism. We appreciate the continued efforts of the League overall, both here in Cyril and abroad.”