"...well, run it again!"
"But Dr. Pace... we've run that test twenty times already. The catalyst just isn't working any more. It hasn't for days now!"
"But why, dammit!? How on earth has the condition hit a plateau? Why am I not getting worse and why can't I get better? I want my hearing back, dammit!"
"Dr. Pace... we know, okay? The whole team has been here the entire time. And we've been working on it while you're in the field as well as while you're... um... resting."
"Blacked out, you mean. Speaking in tongues. Delivering prophecies of doom. You can say it, Dr. Nguyen. It's not like I'm... okay, it is like I'm unaware, but you've told me about it. Shown me video and such."
"Yes. And at this point, I think it's pretty safe to say the team knows as much about your condition as you do. Maybe more, even. We're all putting in overtime on this, but there's just no indication as to why you've stabilized or why your condition refuses to respond positively or negatively to anything."
"Well, run the test again."
"...all right, Dr. Pace. Give me your arm, and we'll draw some more blood."
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Styrm Update
For those who didn't make it last night, here's the key point: because the Kronos went down too fast and too easily, it could not have been Styrm at the wheel. After all, as E said IC, the thing came straight in, shot at E, and was wasted in a few minutes. There's no way Styrm was driving it.
The final confrontation with Styrm will be in the timed mission against the AV version of the Kronos. Anyone who wishes to attend, even just to watch, is invited. We will shuttle people inside and then "unteam" them if necessary.
I hope this will be tonight, but it's hard to say for sure after what happened yesterday. It might end up waiting 'til tomorrow.
EDIT (6/26/07 9:00 AM) - Due to angst beyond my control, Styrm/the Kronos Titan was not seen last night. Stay tuned, true believers. I do hope to wrap this up this week.
The final confrontation with Styrm will be in the timed mission against the AV version of the Kronos. Anyone who wishes to attend, even just to watch, is invited. We will shuttle people inside and then "unteam" them if necessary.
I hope this will be tonight, but it's hard to say for sure after what happened yesterday. It might end up waiting 'til tomorrow.
EDIT (6/26/07 9:00 AM) - Due to angst beyond my control, Styrm/the Kronos Titan was not seen last night. Stay tuned, true believers. I do hope to wrap this up this week.
Need vs. Want
need (noun) 1. a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation; 2. a lack of something deemed necessary; 3. necessity arising from the circumstances of a situation or case.
want (verb) 1. to feel a desire for, wish for; 2. to wish, crave, demand, or desire.
(noun) 3. something desired or demanded
Masonry has, on a number of occasions, made an issue of whether or not he is needed. As E has told him IC, he is not needed.
Let me back up a bit: many groups, especially recent transfers from other games, make an issue of the things a team "needs". We need a tank, we need a healer, you can't play the game without Stamina, etc. But I have learned that you can make a successful character any way you want, and as long as the players are decent, you can make a successful team out of just about anything. Now, I grant you, there are situations that are made significantly easier by certain set-ups, and there are even a few situations where you'll fail without certain set-ups. But you can bypass those if you want or find work-arounds. Essentially, mechanically, there is no such thing as "need" in CoX.
Now Fyre and I put together duos where our character complement each other mechanically. We've both played the game for quite a while, and we're both pretty darn good players. We understand the game and we know how to succeed at it. Mechanically, we put together duos specifically so we don't need anyone else. We can play, have fun, and be successful just the two of us.
ON THE OTHER HAND, it can be a lot of fun to play with other people, other characters, and try out new tactics, new situations, and new RP. Fyre and I have enjoyed meeting new players and seeing what kind of characters they come up with. We like playing with other people, and we've particularly enjoyed the RP and game-play we've had with E, Fyre, Keen, and Mason. Hence why we had a Team 2.0 in the first place. We want other people around.
From an RP standpoint, E and Fyre have both been burned by their past associations. As characters, neither one feels like they need other people around. Sure, they see the utility of it, but both of them feel like they can do just fine on their own, thankyouverymuch. On the other hand, they have (for the most part) come to enjoy each others' company and the company of certain other people. Back in the original team, they didn't need Masonry around. They wanted him around. They don't need Keen Frost around. They want him around.
And isn't it better to be wanted than needed?
want (verb) 1. to feel a desire for, wish for; 2. to wish, crave, demand, or desire.
(noun) 3. something desired or demanded
Masonry has, on a number of occasions, made an issue of whether or not he is needed. As E has told him IC, he is not needed.
Let me back up a bit: many groups, especially recent transfers from other games, make an issue of the things a team "needs". We need a tank, we need a healer, you can't play the game without Stamina, etc. But I have learned that you can make a successful character any way you want, and as long as the players are decent, you can make a successful team out of just about anything. Now, I grant you, there are situations that are made significantly easier by certain set-ups, and there are even a few situations where you'll fail without certain set-ups. But you can bypass those if you want or find work-arounds. Essentially, mechanically, there is no such thing as "need" in CoX.
Now Fyre and I put together duos where our character complement each other mechanically. We've both played the game for quite a while, and we're both pretty darn good players. We understand the game and we know how to succeed at it. Mechanically, we put together duos specifically so we don't need anyone else. We can play, have fun, and be successful just the two of us.
ON THE OTHER HAND, it can be a lot of fun to play with other people, other characters, and try out new tactics, new situations, and new RP. Fyre and I have enjoyed meeting new players and seeing what kind of characters they come up with. We like playing with other people, and we've particularly enjoyed the RP and game-play we've had with E, Fyre, Keen, and Mason. Hence why we had a Team 2.0 in the first place. We want other people around.
From an RP standpoint, E and Fyre have both been burned by their past associations. As characters, neither one feels like they need other people around. Sure, they see the utility of it, but both of them feel like they can do just fine on their own, thankyouverymuch. On the other hand, they have (for the most part) come to enjoy each others' company and the company of certain other people. Back in the original team, they didn't need Masonry around. They wanted him around. They don't need Keen Frost around. They want him around.
And isn't it better to be wanted than needed?
Angst Force Sunday part deux
I had a plan for yesterday, and I thought it was a pretty good one. Team Angst is already on Crimson's "World Wide Red" story arc, both E and Frosty. The Kronos ambushes at mission 9, appears in mission 16, and we were on #3. Instead of our usual task force, we'll plow through the story arc, I'll use E's IC voice-over to tweak the given plot a little so that it meshes better with our own plots. The last time we fought the Kronos, it was a half-hour long grueling ordeal, so this time, I'll call out all the reserves. I'll make an OOC call just before the ambush, and an IC one for color as soon as the monster appears. Whatever team forms from the ambush will continue on through the arc. We'll get to the final mission, possibly ushering extra people in by teaming and un-teaming, beat "Styrm", and ride a triumphant high... culminating a couple missions later in E's "end". I thought it'd be a blast, a hoot, and a nice way to quit playing E for a while.
The best-laid plans of mice and men...
Instead of the Jack/Lodestar Masonry, still in tragic/abused hero mode, doing his duty in the face of adversity... Nathan shows up. Well, that's not something I'd planned on in the slightest. Yeah, I thought he'd come out to fight the Kronos, either the first time around or the second. Probably both. I didn't expect another long argument like this. Not right off the bat. I mean... after Styrm was down and before I "closed out" E, maybe, but... It's the same old argument from the last time Mason "went evil", and all I can figure is that Mason's player is back-pedalling on the "Masonry is a villain" issue and trying to drag Nathan back to hero stuff. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed for E. There have been too many chances, too many betrayals, and threats to his daughter are unforgivable. Nathan leaves. E, recognizing the torn feeling in Frost, tells him there'd be no hard feelings if Frost wanted to go with Mason. He means it, but Frost decides to stay with E and Scarlette.
So here I was thrown off the plan already. Okay, we've lost Masonry. And apparently Mason's player isn't going to offer us a replacement character, either. Well, that'll slow us down, but... I guess Mas has something prepped, so we'll continue on.
Then Frost drops the bomb that Nathan is out because Frost asked Jack to let him out. Naturally, E completely flips out. He's completely blind-sided again by someone he trusted letting out Nathan again. The argument here was shorter, mostly because Frost doesn't seem to know what to say. So now Frost leaves.
Well, damn! We're down to two. I went and cranked back the difficulty to Rugged. Scarlette & E run a few more of the missions. Scarlette then tells E she's been in contact with someone "more powerful" than her, filling this mystery person in on what happened. Scarlette's been told she probably ought to leave town for a few days, and this person will fill in. E heads to the CIA offices that are the next mission, waits to meet Scarlette's replacement...
...and it's Fyre. I expected this. E did not. He practically falls apart in relief, unloading everything that's been happening, everything he's feeling... cut short (thankfully) by the fact that Fyre pretty much already knows what's been going on thanks to Scarlette. So E & Fyre continue on, coming at last to the mission after which the Kronos makes its first appearance.
Okay, since it was such a rough and long battle last time, we'll hit all the bases. OOC, I tipped off the Dauntless Global, the Help channel, and Futura Force. Fyre left the mission ahead of E and hit Broadcast. I give everyone a few minutes to switch characters if necessary and get into place so when the IC call goes out, they can jump into the fight and maybe the battle will last 15 minutes instead of last time's half-hour. I was worried that, like previous occasions, once the Kronos downed E, it would run off and disappear, so I tried to get everything set up just right.
I have never seen so many Decoys and Phantasms in my life. I don't know who called out the Illusion Controller High Guard, but the northwest corner of Founders was flooded with heroes and pets. Instead of fifteen minutes, I think the Kronos lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. It managed to down E with its initial alpha (which I knew it would), but the thing didn't stand a chance.
Umm... oops. I hadn't planned on that battle being so short. Or on the fact that Mas & Keen (and a few others as well?) would wait for the IC call to start traveling to the spot (which wouldn't have mattered if the Kronos had lasted as long as I'd expected). Well, crap. I'm just shooting blind here now.
It's getting late, and there's still five missions left in the arc before the final battle. So we do one more with Keen. In the middle of the mission, Fyre let's it slip that Serra left. She's not hiding deep in Fyre's mind any more. She's gone. We're in the middle of stuff, though, so it gets pushed aside for the moment. After the mission, we let Keen go off to bed, and then let Team Angst go for the night.
Maybe we'll get to finish this thing off tonight. But at this point, I'm not counting on it. The plan is already shot to hell. Better to play it by ear for the rest of the tale.
The best-laid plans of mice and men...
Instead of the Jack/Lodestar Masonry, still in tragic/abused hero mode, doing his duty in the face of adversity... Nathan shows up. Well, that's not something I'd planned on in the slightest. Yeah, I thought he'd come out to fight the Kronos, either the first time around or the second. Probably both. I didn't expect another long argument like this. Not right off the bat. I mean... after Styrm was down and before I "closed out" E, maybe, but... It's the same old argument from the last time Mason "went evil", and all I can figure is that Mason's player is back-pedalling on the "Masonry is a villain" issue and trying to drag Nathan back to hero stuff. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed for E. There have been too many chances, too many betrayals, and threats to his daughter are unforgivable. Nathan leaves. E, recognizing the torn feeling in Frost, tells him there'd be no hard feelings if Frost wanted to go with Mason. He means it, but Frost decides to stay with E and Scarlette.
So here I was thrown off the plan already. Okay, we've lost Masonry. And apparently Mason's player isn't going to offer us a replacement character, either. Well, that'll slow us down, but... I guess Mas has something prepped, so we'll continue on.
Then Frost drops the bomb that Nathan is out because Frost asked Jack to let him out. Naturally, E completely flips out. He's completely blind-sided again by someone he trusted letting out Nathan again. The argument here was shorter, mostly because Frost doesn't seem to know what to say. So now Frost leaves.
Well, damn! We're down to two. I went and cranked back the difficulty to Rugged. Scarlette & E run a few more of the missions. Scarlette then tells E she's been in contact with someone "more powerful" than her, filling this mystery person in on what happened. Scarlette's been told she probably ought to leave town for a few days, and this person will fill in. E heads to the CIA offices that are the next mission, waits to meet Scarlette's replacement...
...and it's Fyre. I expected this. E did not. He practically falls apart in relief, unloading everything that's been happening, everything he's feeling... cut short (thankfully) by the fact that Fyre pretty much already knows what's been going on thanks to Scarlette. So E & Fyre continue on, coming at last to the mission after which the Kronos makes its first appearance.
Okay, since it was such a rough and long battle last time, we'll hit all the bases. OOC, I tipped off the Dauntless Global, the Help channel, and Futura Force. Fyre left the mission ahead of E and hit Broadcast. I give everyone a few minutes to switch characters if necessary and get into place so when the IC call goes out, they can jump into the fight and maybe the battle will last 15 minutes instead of last time's half-hour. I was worried that, like previous occasions, once the Kronos downed E, it would run off and disappear, so I tried to get everything set up just right.
I have never seen so many Decoys and Phantasms in my life. I don't know who called out the Illusion Controller High Guard, but the northwest corner of Founders was flooded with heroes and pets. Instead of fifteen minutes, I think the Kronos lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. It managed to down E with its initial alpha (which I knew it would), but the thing didn't stand a chance.
Umm... oops. I hadn't planned on that battle being so short. Or on the fact that Mas & Keen (and a few others as well?) would wait for the IC call to start traveling to the spot (which wouldn't have mattered if the Kronos had lasted as long as I'd expected). Well, crap. I'm just shooting blind here now.
It's getting late, and there's still five missions left in the arc before the final battle. So we do one more with Keen. In the middle of the mission, Fyre let's it slip that Serra left. She's not hiding deep in Fyre's mind any more. She's gone. We're in the middle of stuff, though, so it gets pushed aside for the moment. After the mission, we let Keen go off to bed, and then let Team Angst go for the night.
Maybe we'll get to finish this thing off tonight. But at this point, I'm not counting on it. The plan is already shot to hell. Better to play it by ear for the rest of the tale.
Friday, June 22, 2007
More Trouble in the Rogue Isles
As Fyre mentions in her blog, Fyre-Hex has gone to the Rogue Isles. The Nathan part of Masonry would probably be unsurprised to find out she has "people" with her. In this case, she hired Cpt. William Piett, a Mercenaries/Force Field mastermind. He is practically a standard-issue mercenary, complete with guns, military training, people under him, and a shady past. In addition, he also has a pair of high-tech gauntlets that allow him to project and manipulate fields of "solid" energy. Naturally, his first thought was to use this as another weapon (force bolt at level 1), but he can also envision a practical application of defensive shields (he just took deflection shield at level 4). To supplement, he's also scrounged up taser darts (origin power), coated the gauntlets with Sands of Mu, and swiped a Nemesis Staff (veteran rewards powers). A connection with DJ Zero also got him a Pocket D teleporter and a jump-pack (it's good to be a V.I.P.).
He has already spent some time on Mercy Island, making connections and getting his reputation established locally. Matthew Burke was a big help in that area. Other than that, I haven't fleshed out the character too much in my head. He's going to be a bit stereotypical to start, but I'll fill him out more as ideas come to me and the RP continues. The way he sees it, his job is to protect Fyre and act as her guide. She may have done the hero schtick in Paragon City, but the Rogue Isles are a whole different ballpark. I envision that Fyre has hired him for other jobs before, so he does know her. However, he doesn't know what this latest "job" is all about. He's hesitant to ask (good mercs keep their mouths shut and do what they're paid to do), but his curiosity will probably get the better of him eventually.
Fyre and I had a lot of fun getting the two new "villains" to level 4 last night. I hated to break it off, but I had to wake up for work this morning.
He has already spent some time on Mercy Island, making connections and getting his reputation established locally. Matthew Burke was a big help in that area. Other than that, I haven't fleshed out the character too much in my head. He's going to be a bit stereotypical to start, but I'll fill him out more as ideas come to me and the RP continues. The way he sees it, his job is to protect Fyre and act as her guide. She may have done the hero schtick in Paragon City, but the Rogue Isles are a whole different ballpark. I envision that Fyre has hired him for other jobs before, so he does know her. However, he doesn't know what this latest "job" is all about. He's hesitant to ask (good mercs keep their mouths shut and do what they're paid to do), but his curiosity will probably get the better of him eventually.
Fyre and I had a lot of fun getting the two new "villains" to level 4 last night. I hated to break it off, but I had to wake up for work this morning.
The Angst Continues
I thought after our blogged discussions yesterday that we'd be re-starting T3 over on Guardian, so I started out by making space over there. Deleted Sapphire Death, my Ninjas/Trick Arrow mastermind. He had a halfway interesting look, and he was how I learned I can solo an MM pretty easily if I have to, but since Ryu is Ninjas as well (and SD was only level 6), no need to keep both. Then I logged in Eryx the Hunter, my AR/Traps corruptor and one of the leaders of the VG Fyre and I put together eons ago. I figured since odds were the other three had a good half-hour to an hour on me, they'd already have their characters prepped, maybe even up to level 4 or so. I'd hand out the invites and then go set up Ryu.
Except my GFriends list showed that Keen Frost, Masonry Redux, and Scarlette Blade were on. And to make things weirder (to me, anyway), Scarlette was on a team of 7 and Keen & Mas were each solo. So, after 10-15 minutes of sending tells around trying to figure out what we were doing, I ended up on E. :)
As was probably fairly obvious to the rest of the team, E is miserable. He hasn't seen Fyre in days. He hasn't seen his daughter in months. The guy he thought was his best friend is now evil, and his few other friends are all going through some seriously bad times of their own. He gets ambushed by Malta at least three times a day, and he knows Styrm's out there still. He's in a lot of pain, and the degeneration is spreading.
And he feels like he has no one to talk to about it. He's feeling like a burden on his remaining friends, like they're all thinking "yeah, we know you're dying, now shut up and get on with it already". And in the back of his head is the idea that he drove Fyre away. He doesn't believe that consciously, but the subconscious can often be louder than the logical mind. And as he mentioned to the team last night, he's starting to think that even if a "cure" can be found, he wouldn't want to live. Not with his physical condition and his situation the way they are.
On top of that, the research at Steel Canyon Med seems to have stalled now that the radiation has stabilized. The team can't figure out what's happened, but it looks like everything they're trying now, including things that had an effect before, is doing nothing. Something very odd is going on, and no one seems to have an explanation for it.
Well, Keen and Mason had to leave after a couple missions, and since we're porting T3 over to Guardian, Fyre and I decide to re-use the slots on Virtue and create a new duo. We've been talking about some new story ideas for a while now, and since we had opportunity and motive, we decided to go ahead and give it a try. More on that later, though.
Except my GFriends list showed that Keen Frost, Masonry Redux, and Scarlette Blade were on. And to make things weirder (to me, anyway), Scarlette was on a team of 7 and Keen & Mas were each solo. So, after 10-15 minutes of sending tells around trying to figure out what we were doing, I ended up on E. :)
As was probably fairly obvious to the rest of the team, E is miserable. He hasn't seen Fyre in days. He hasn't seen his daughter in months. The guy he thought was his best friend is now evil, and his few other friends are all going through some seriously bad times of their own. He gets ambushed by Malta at least three times a day, and he knows Styrm's out there still. He's in a lot of pain, and the degeneration is spreading.
And he feels like he has no one to talk to about it. He's feeling like a burden on his remaining friends, like they're all thinking "yeah, we know you're dying, now shut up and get on with it already". And in the back of his head is the idea that he drove Fyre away. He doesn't believe that consciously, but the subconscious can often be louder than the logical mind. And as he mentioned to the team last night, he's starting to think that even if a "cure" can be found, he wouldn't want to live. Not with his physical condition and his situation the way they are.
On top of that, the research at Steel Canyon Med seems to have stalled now that the radiation has stabilized. The team can't figure out what's happened, but it looks like everything they're trying now, including things that had an effect before, is doing nothing. Something very odd is going on, and no one seems to have an explanation for it.
Well, Keen and Mason had to leave after a couple missions, and since we're porting T3 over to Guardian, Fyre and I decide to re-use the slots on Virtue and create a new duo. We've been talking about some new story ideas for a while now, and since we had opportunity and motive, we decided to go ahead and give it a try. More on that later, though.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Team 3.0 Beta
Suicidal Bombardier - AR/Traps corruptor
Kain X - Rad/Rad corruptor
Ryu Tatsu - Ninjas/Poison mastermind
Lunatrix - Mind/Psi dominator
Okay, grant you, Luna & Ryu were starting from level 1 and even Bomb was only level 5 when we started. But we destroyed. Kain & Ryu each have heals & debuffs and boy, with two corruptors and a dom, we were dishing out the damage. If this is the version of T3 we end up sticking with, it'll be interesting to see how we progress through the mid-game. I'm already having doubts about my power choices and slotting, and I'm only level 6!
RP-wise, the team is already shaping up to be an interesting group of oddballs. Bomb is a fun kind of nuts and coule be pretty humorous. I worry Mas will get bored with that, though. Kain is obviously a man with a lot to hide. It'll be fun prying it out of him. I started out Ryu with only a sketchy concept and started forming background ideas as we RPed. Fyre started out Luna with only a costume and powers, but by the end of the night, she was starting to take shape, too. Will the long-term RP turn out as interesting as Team 1.0? Or as angst-ridden as Team 2.0? Way too early to tell.
But it was a fun night, so I'm looking forward to more.
Kain X - Rad/Rad corruptor
Ryu Tatsu - Ninjas/Poison mastermind
Lunatrix - Mind/Psi dominator
Okay, grant you, Luna & Ryu were starting from level 1 and even Bomb was only level 5 when we started. But we destroyed. Kain & Ryu each have heals & debuffs and boy, with two corruptors and a dom, we were dishing out the damage. If this is the version of T3 we end up sticking with, it'll be interesting to see how we progress through the mid-game. I'm already having doubts about my power choices and slotting, and I'm only level 6!
RP-wise, the team is already shaping up to be an interesting group of oddballs. Bomb is a fun kind of nuts and coule be pretty humorous. I worry Mas will get bored with that, though. Kain is obviously a man with a lot to hide. It'll be fun prying it out of him. I started out Ryu with only a sketchy concept and started forming background ideas as we RPed. Fyre started out Luna with only a costume and powers, but by the end of the night, she was starting to take shape, too. Will the long-term RP turn out as interesting as Team 1.0? Or as angst-ridden as Team 2.0? Way too early to tell.
But it was a fun night, so I'm looking forward to more.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
More T3 Thoughts
The most important thing I think we should keep in mind from a tactical/mechanics standpoint is that we will be starting over. We're not just rotating positions and re-using old tactics. Even when we went from our original team to Team Angst, we had new tactics. Frost is not Mason. The two Kheldians were far more flexible than Fyre and Stronghold, and E2 came with a pocket army and piles of debuffs instead of insane healing and buffs. No matter what archetypes and powersets T3 comes packing, we're going to have to spend the first ten levels or so figuring out new tactics, not only for our individual characters, but for the team as a whole.
Personally, I think we're up to the challenge. Like Kit said in her comments, we just have to keep in mind that CoV ATs are not CoH ATs. We will learn completely new characters, completely new tactics, and more than likely try to squeeze a story in there somewhere, too.
Speaking of story, we should start talking about how we're going to get these characters together. Assuming Fyre and I play the characters we've discussed, the two of us are ready to go. Should she and I start our characters and meet the others out on the Isles? Should we meet in Breakout and start together right from scratch? Do our characters already know each other or are forced together by circumstance? Do we want to start with Burke or Kalinda (or both!)? Why is the sad cebu sad?
I look forward to being evil with all of you.
And like Keen, I'm itching to get into the character creator... :)
Personally, I think we're up to the challenge. Like Kit said in her comments, we just have to keep in mind that CoV ATs are not CoH ATs. We will learn completely new characters, completely new tactics, and more than likely try to squeeze a story in there somewhere, too.
Speaking of story, we should start talking about how we're going to get these characters together. Assuming Fyre and I play the characters we've discussed, the two of us are ready to go. Should she and I start our characters and meet the others out on the Isles? Should we meet in Breakout and start together right from scratch? Do our characters already know each other or are forced together by circumstance? Do we want to start with Burke or Kalinda (or both!)? Why is the sad cebu sad?
I look forward to being evil with all of you.
And like Keen, I'm itching to get into the character creator... :)
Monday, June 18, 2007
Double-XP Weekend
'Ware Wolf: 34 --> 35
Vagabond Blade: 44 --> 45
E.VAC: 46 --> 48
Not a huge jump, numerically, but seeing as the wolf hasn't gained a level in a very long time, and E is closing in on 50 a second time, I'm pretty happy with it.
I'm trying to get E one of the Kronos Titan missions as quickly as possible. It seems like it's only going to get harder for Team Angst to continue to work together. This became most obvious to me when it became clear (mostly as a joke?) that E is currently the "stable one" in the group. Yeah, that's right, folks: the stable one is the one having blackouts, destabilizing at a cellular level, and having his friends disappearing, dying, or turning on him. Go figure.
E currently spends his entire day (when I'm not logged in playing him) in Steel Canyon Medical Center. He's either working, resting, or... well, there are periods he doesn't remember what he was doing. I do want to make it clear to the other players that I am not fishing for pity with what I'm doing to E. It sucks, but I'm setting up what's going to happen to him next, and I'm trying to do it slowly and "naturally" instead of having it pop up all of a sudden, leaving everyone going "huh? where did that come from?"
Feel free to guess what it is, but only Fyre and I know for sure. And I may yet change my mind if something happens. But I'll say this: I'm not planning on playing E while we play T3.
Speaking of T3, have we decided villains for certain, then? 'Cause I need to decide on a name and make sure the AT & PS I'm mostly settled on will work with the team. Maybe even start putting the costume together and parking him in Breakout.
Vagabond Blade: 44 --> 45
E.VAC: 46 --> 48
Not a huge jump, numerically, but seeing as the wolf hasn't gained a level in a very long time, and E is closing in on 50 a second time, I'm pretty happy with it.
I'm trying to get E one of the Kronos Titan missions as quickly as possible. It seems like it's only going to get harder for Team Angst to continue to work together. This became most obvious to me when it became clear (mostly as a joke?) that E is currently the "stable one" in the group. Yeah, that's right, folks: the stable one is the one having blackouts, destabilizing at a cellular level, and having his friends disappearing, dying, or turning on him. Go figure.
E currently spends his entire day (when I'm not logged in playing him) in Steel Canyon Medical Center. He's either working, resting, or... well, there are periods he doesn't remember what he was doing. I do want to make it clear to the other players that I am not fishing for pity with what I'm doing to E. It sucks, but I'm setting up what's going to happen to him next, and I'm trying to do it slowly and "naturally" instead of having it pop up all of a sudden, leaving everyone going "huh? where did that come from?"
Feel free to guess what it is, but only Fyre and I know for sure. And I may yet change my mind if something happens. But I'll say this: I'm not planning on playing E while we play T3.
Speaking of T3, have we decided villains for certain, then? 'Cause I need to decide on a name and make sure the AT & PS I'm mostly settled on will work with the team. Maybe even start putting the costume together and parking him in Breakout.
Jason's Dream
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
The chapel is made of stone. Indecipherable runes that are still somehow menacing in their meaning cover the walls. Torches and fire flicker everywhere. An altar with a summoning portal mounted on the wall behind it. Demons everywhere. And him. Styrm. Standing at the altar. Waiting. A smug look on his face.
All around me, my friends and allies are dead. The Futura Force is there. Blood, Em, Kit, Red, Scott, Thad... even StarWyng. Bodies torn apart and burned. Bloodshot is trying to pull together, but some demon keeps tearing him back apart. Blood everywhere. Keen Frost, a charred skeleton, icicles still clinging to his bones. Fyre Hex... lying on the floor... her eyes open and staring... but lifeless... like the old woman...
And me. I'm alive, but have no strength left. My body has melted out from under me. I can see... hear... smell... but I cannot move. Cannot summon my powers.
And then they walk into the room. Nathan, dressed in browns with dark hair, and Lodestar, wearing the same face, but dressed in blue with snow-white hair. Nathan is carrying Jennifer. She is struggling weakly, and I hear bones popping and snapping as he holds her tighter. Jack... Lodestar just shakes his head, trailing behind Nathan, doing nothing but disapproving.
The demons are violating the corpses of my friends. Breaking... burning... eating... playing... all for my benefit as they look to be sure I'm watching.
And Nathan passes the broken form of my daughter to Styrm. Styrm grins that vile, simpering grin he uses... and fires a quantum cannon through Nathan and Lodestar. They die with a surprised look on their re-united face.
Styrm raises the knife... and a demon begins to peel the skin off of my back...
...and I wake up. Screaming. Hurting. Bleeding.
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
The chapel is made of stone. Indecipherable runes that are still somehow menacing in their meaning cover the walls. Torches and fire flicker everywhere. An altar with a summoning portal mounted on the wall behind it. Demons everywhere. And him. Styrm. Standing at the altar. Waiting. A smug look on his face.
All around me, my friends and allies are dead. The Futura Force is there. Blood, Em, Kit, Red, Scott, Thad... even StarWyng. Bodies torn apart and burned. Bloodshot is trying to pull together, but some demon keeps tearing him back apart. Blood everywhere. Keen Frost, a charred skeleton, icicles still clinging to his bones. Fyre Hex... lying on the floor... her eyes open and staring... but lifeless... like the old woman...
And me. I'm alive, but have no strength left. My body has melted out from under me. I can see... hear... smell... but I cannot move. Cannot summon my powers.
And then they walk into the room. Nathan, dressed in browns with dark hair, and Lodestar, wearing the same face, but dressed in blue with snow-white hair. Nathan is carrying Jennifer. She is struggling weakly, and I hear bones popping and snapping as he holds her tighter. Jack... Lodestar just shakes his head, trailing behind Nathan, doing nothing but disapproving.
The demons are violating the corpses of my friends. Breaking... burning... eating... playing... all for my benefit as they look to be sure I'm watching.
And Nathan passes the broken form of my daughter to Styrm. Styrm grins that vile, simpering grin he uses... and fires a quantum cannon through Nathan and Lodestar. They die with a surprised look on their re-united face.
Styrm raises the knife... and a demon begins to peel the skin off of my back...
...and I wake up. Screaming. Hurting. Bleeding.
The dream is always the same. I have it every time I close my eyes. Ever since the night Nathan turned.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The End?
Well... um... wow. Okay.
If you read Masonry's blog, you've already got a pretty darn good idea of what happened last night. Styrm had spent the better part of the day banging on the inside of my skull, demanding screen time. I gave in and wrote the previous post here, but that didn't placate him. He wanted to talk to the heroes again. Oh, all right...
Well, Styrm knows the weak link is going to be Mason. He's prone to anger, talks too much, and hates (depending on the day) one or two of his teammates. Ask a couple questions, make a couple offers, add in a couple threats, call it a night with the information Mason's bound to let slip.
Neither I (the player) nor Styrm expected what happened last night. E certainly didn't. Masonry's blog summarizes it very well, but here's the highlights: Styrm now knows Fyre most likely knows where Jen is. Masonry doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Mason is practically looking forward to E's death. If Mason knew where Jen was, Styrm would already have her. Mason has let anger, hate, pride, selfishness, and cowardice lead him down the Dark Path.
Just when E had started to think he was wrong and that Mason not only could change but would... Mason turned evil.
We've talked about how sometimes the characters will do things we don't expect. We've talked about how we as the writers and players of these characters can force them back into the stories we want to tell or the game we want to play. I think Masonry is one square peg who resented being forced into that round hole. He squirmed and wriggled until he finally broke free. And I don't think he's going back in.
For putting Fyre in danger and for not only saying he doesn't care about Jen but nearly proving it... E is done with Mason. For good.
Maybe it's time to solidify and start Team 3.
If you read Masonry's blog, you've already got a pretty darn good idea of what happened last night. Styrm had spent the better part of the day banging on the inside of my skull, demanding screen time. I gave in and wrote the previous post here, but that didn't placate him. He wanted to talk to the heroes again. Oh, all right...
Well, Styrm knows the weak link is going to be Mason. He's prone to anger, talks too much, and hates (depending on the day) one or two of his teammates. Ask a couple questions, make a couple offers, add in a couple threats, call it a night with the information Mason's bound to let slip.
Neither I (the player) nor Styrm expected what happened last night. E certainly didn't. Masonry's blog summarizes it very well, but here's the highlights: Styrm now knows Fyre most likely knows where Jen is. Masonry doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Mason is practically looking forward to E's death. If Mason knew where Jen was, Styrm would already have her. Mason has let anger, hate, pride, selfishness, and cowardice lead him down the Dark Path.
Just when E had started to think he was wrong and that Mason not only could change but would... Mason turned evil.
We've talked about how sometimes the characters will do things we don't expect. We've talked about how we as the writers and players of these characters can force them back into the stories we want to tell or the game we want to play. I think Masonry is one square peg who resented being forced into that round hole. He squirmed and wriggled until he finally broke free. And I don't think he's going back in.
For putting Fyre in danger and for not only saying he doesn't care about Jen but nearly proving it... E is done with Mason. For good.
Maybe it's time to solidify and start Team 3.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Somewhere in Steel Canyon...
The men, although still dressed in their black Malta Group uniforms, were unmasked, their arms bound behind their backs, kneeling in a long line. Bruises, welts, burns, and blood still bore mute witness to the beating they had received at the hands of the heroes. The man in the black trenchcoat paced up down the line, stalking back and forth like a caged tiger.
"I hand them to you on a silver platter," he spat, his hands clenching and unclenching as though eager for a throat. "You had ample time to conceal yourselves among those stupid carnival folk. Extra weapons, extra ammunition, extra body armor. You were supposed to be more than a match for half those heroes. And you couldn't even take down ONE!?"
The man in the coat took the hat from his head and flung it across the room. He paused, composed himself with a deep breath, and ran a gloved hand over his head, smoothing down his hair. He walked up to one of the Malta Gunslingers and took a pistol from his shoulder-holster. He looked it over appraisingly.
"The Malta Group is supposed to be the best in Paragon City. The most feared. Most heroes panic at even the idea they're going against you or those 'Knives' ladies."
He looked up at the Gunslinger who did not meet his gaze. "But your reputation is undeserved," he said, pointing the pistol at the other man's head and pulling the trigger. With the air of a man walking up a shopping aisle, he moved up the line, putting a bullet into each man's head.
"Incompetent." *BANG* "Sloppy." *BANG* "Incapable." *BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He stopped when he realized he had emptied the clip and two remained. One of them let out an almost-imperceptible sigh of relief. "Looks like your lucky day, doesn't it?" the man with the gun sneered. "Maybe your fellows will see fit to come rescue you. Or you can work your way free of your bonds and report to your superiors."
He tossed the gun into a corner and whirled on a woman in the corner. "We're going," he barked at her. She nodded slowly, hefting her own, much more substantial gun. The two walked out of the Steel Canyon high-rise and crossed the street. A group of ruffians dressed in reds and browns waited there, many tossing fire-bombs from hand to hand. The man walked up to one wearing a demonic mask, pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and slapped it into the Hellion's open hand. "Be thorough," the man in the coat told him.
With a shout and whooping, the Hellions descended on the building, rapidly setting it ablaze.
A young hero dressed in blues and whites landed nearby with the stagger-step of someone only recently taken to the air. He jogged up as the man in the coat pinned on his "David Nightstorm" Hero ID. "Hello, fellow hero!" the younger man announced, putting his fists to his hips. "Is it true we can earn badges by helping fight the fire?"
David turned to the hero, smiling at him in a friendly sort of way as his female companion moved around behind. "Yes, you can, young man!"
*BANG*
The hero slumped to the ground, a large hole burned through his skull. David laughed and dropped a business card marked with a simple silver crescent moon on the hero's body. "I'd see that you were buried with one, but that Vahzilok Reaper over there will probably just use you to upgrade his latest batch of zombies."
Styrm and the woman strolled up the street as she whistled tunelessly.
"Maybe I should have a word with Mr. Greene," he said to the woman. "We are running out of time."
She nodded. "The upgrades to your battle-suit are almost complete, my Lord," she said, picking off a stray Outcast.
"I hand them to you on a silver platter," he spat, his hands clenching and unclenching as though eager for a throat. "You had ample time to conceal yourselves among those stupid carnival folk. Extra weapons, extra ammunition, extra body armor. You were supposed to be more than a match for half those heroes. And you couldn't even take down ONE!?"
The man in the coat took the hat from his head and flung it across the room. He paused, composed himself with a deep breath, and ran a gloved hand over his head, smoothing down his hair. He walked up to one of the Malta Gunslingers and took a pistol from his shoulder-holster. He looked it over appraisingly.
"The Malta Group is supposed to be the best in Paragon City. The most feared. Most heroes panic at even the idea they're going against you or those 'Knives' ladies."
He looked up at the Gunslinger who did not meet his gaze. "But your reputation is undeserved," he said, pointing the pistol at the other man's head and pulling the trigger. With the air of a man walking up a shopping aisle, he moved up the line, putting a bullet into each man's head.
"Incompetent." *BANG* "Sloppy." *BANG* "Incapable." *BANG* "Stupid." *BANG* "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He stopped when he realized he had emptied the clip and two remained. One of them let out an almost-imperceptible sigh of relief. "Looks like your lucky day, doesn't it?" the man with the gun sneered. "Maybe your fellows will see fit to come rescue you. Or you can work your way free of your bonds and report to your superiors."
He tossed the gun into a corner and whirled on a woman in the corner. "We're going," he barked at her. She nodded slowly, hefting her own, much more substantial gun. The two walked out of the Steel Canyon high-rise and crossed the street. A group of ruffians dressed in reds and browns waited there, many tossing fire-bombs from hand to hand. The man walked up to one wearing a demonic mask, pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket and slapped it into the Hellion's open hand. "Be thorough," the man in the coat told him.
With a shout and whooping, the Hellions descended on the building, rapidly setting it ablaze.
A young hero dressed in blues and whites landed nearby with the stagger-step of someone only recently taken to the air. He jogged up as the man in the coat pinned on his "David Nightstorm" Hero ID. "Hello, fellow hero!" the younger man announced, putting his fists to his hips. "Is it true we can earn badges by helping fight the fire?"
David turned to the hero, smiling at him in a friendly sort of way as his female companion moved around behind. "Yes, you can, young man!"
*BANG*
The hero slumped to the ground, a large hole burned through his skull. David laughed and dropped a business card marked with a simple silver crescent moon on the hero's body. "I'd see that you were buried with one, but that Vahzilok Reaper over there will probably just use you to upgrade his latest batch of zombies."
Styrm and the woman strolled up the street as she whistled tunelessly.
"Maybe I should have a word with Mr. Greene," he said to the woman. "We are running out of time."
She nodded. "The upgrades to your battle-suit are almost complete, my Lord," she said, picking off a stray Outcast.
E-VAC's Team
Jason has put together a team that is made up entirely of young doctors. Most of them are recent graduates or have just earned their licenses. All of them have specialties in either radiation or super-powered beings. A few of them are experts in both. They are all extremely intelligent, but they also lack real-life experience. They refer to E as "Dr. Pace", although they know in the field he goes by "E-VAC".
They are all really excited to have been given the opportunity to participate. A couple of them may not seem like they really grasp the seriousness of what they're working on, even though the "subject" is their team leader. They all talk excitedly about anything they're working on. Most get even more animated when talking to another hero.
All of them are hopeful they can find a cure or at least a catalyst to slow down the degenerative process. Most of them don't honestly believe they'll do so in time. "If only we'd been able to start sooner..." is a common mantra.
They all intend to see the experiments through, however, because E is not likely to be the only one to ever go through something like this. If pressed by a hero, they may reveal that, in the event of his death, the team is authorized and prepared to continue the experiments post-mortem. And yes, Dr. Pace is not only aware, but insisted.
They are all really excited to have been given the opportunity to participate. A couple of them may not seem like they really grasp the seriousness of what they're working on, even though the "subject" is their team leader. They all talk excitedly about anything they're working on. Most get even more animated when talking to another hero.
All of them are hopeful they can find a cure or at least a catalyst to slow down the degenerative process. Most of them don't honestly believe they'll do so in time. "If only we'd been able to start sooner..." is a common mantra.
They all intend to see the experiments through, however, because E is not likely to be the only one to ever go through something like this. If pressed by a hero, they may reveal that, in the event of his death, the team is authorized and prepared to continue the experiments post-mortem. And yes, Dr. Pace is not only aware, but insisted.
E-VAC's Condition
The mutagenic radiation E's body was inundated with has been constantly changing and coursing through his body since his return to Paragon City. His blood and organs are radioactive. The radiation has been constantly damaging him internally, but his innate healing ability has been repairing the damage over and over. This is why his healing powers don't work as well as they used to: most of their energy is directed inward, keeping him alive.
His ability to heal is beginning to fail, however. It's still at work, but E's body is losing the battle with the radiation. If his condition had been known sooner (by someone who didn't want him dead, anyway), preventative measures could have been taken. Currently, it is most likely too late. There is still a chance, but it's a slim one. The damage is extensive and it is unlikely E's body will recover its ability to heal.
As of right now, the damage is most obvious in the most delicate and sensitive tissues and areas: E's hands and arms (which were already extensively damaged during the torture he endured) as well as his lungs and digestive organs (in case you were wondering why he keeps complaining about "hospital food"...). Most likely (and most feared by E), his sight and hearing will probably soon follow.
The radiation permeating his skin has left him highly sensitive, and he feels itchy at best. Most often, his hands and arms especially pain him and he often complains of an all-over burning sensation like having a bad sunburn. The more he uses his radiation powers, the more it hurts him and damages him. The less he uses them, the more chance he gives his body to repair the damage. But even that process is slowing down.
At this point, E's team is accepting any and all assistance. There are certain exceptions, people they have been told under no circumstances to accept help from. Longbow, for example, and anyone matching Styrm's description. They have already taken a number of samples and a case history from Red Pulsarion. They have been given Hope and Kit's names and descriptions and are under orders to give either one any help they require.
The damage is extensive. Some of it may be irreversable. Will he die? Again, most likely. The time-table is unclear at this point. It could be a matter of days... maybe weeks. It is not likely to be months. But neither E nor the team is giving up hope. E is, however, preparing for the worst. His affairs are in order, a will drawn up, and other legal matters have been seen to.
Just in case.
His ability to heal is beginning to fail, however. It's still at work, but E's body is losing the battle with the radiation. If his condition had been known sooner (by someone who didn't want him dead, anyway), preventative measures could have been taken. Currently, it is most likely too late. There is still a chance, but it's a slim one. The damage is extensive and it is unlikely E's body will recover its ability to heal.
As of right now, the damage is most obvious in the most delicate and sensitive tissues and areas: E's hands and arms (which were already extensively damaged during the torture he endured) as well as his lungs and digestive organs (in case you were wondering why he keeps complaining about "hospital food"...). Most likely (and most feared by E), his sight and hearing will probably soon follow.
The radiation permeating his skin has left him highly sensitive, and he feels itchy at best. Most often, his hands and arms especially pain him and he often complains of an all-over burning sensation like having a bad sunburn. The more he uses his radiation powers, the more it hurts him and damages him. The less he uses them, the more chance he gives his body to repair the damage. But even that process is slowing down.
At this point, E's team is accepting any and all assistance. There are certain exceptions, people they have been told under no circumstances to accept help from. Longbow, for example, and anyone matching Styrm's description. They have already taken a number of samples and a case history from Red Pulsarion. They have been given Hope and Kit's names and descriptions and are under orders to give either one any help they require.
The damage is extensive. Some of it may be irreversable. Will he die? Again, most likely. The time-table is unclear at this point. It could be a matter of days... maybe weeks. It is not likely to be months. But neither E nor the team is giving up hope. E is, however, preparing for the worst. His affairs are in order, a will drawn up, and other legal matters have been seen to.
Just in case.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Dear Friends,
I want to thank all of you for your generous and kind offers of help and your words of support. At first, I had thought this was something I would be better off handling alone. That's why I kept it a secret for about... a week, I think? But it quickly became apparent that this was not something easily handled. This is why I have been trying to talk to all of my friends and allies about my condition and what I am trying to do about it. All I expected was silent nods, words of concern, and then business as usual. I did not expect the offers of assistance and the words of support.
I want to re-iterate that I am not accepting my condition graciously and letting it all go. Nor is my intent to push everyone away so I can die in peace. I intend to go down fighting, possibly literally. My team is taking all donations of time, money, equipment, and... other things? and adding it to what we have already learned. Time is our enemy, but we remain hopeful.
Again, thank you all for your support, regardless of how you render it.
Yours,
Jason Pace, M.D.
aka E-VAC
((Copies of this letter are sent, via Hero Corps, to Futura Force, the Night-Watch, and Safe Havens.))
I want to re-iterate that I am not accepting my condition graciously and letting it all go. Nor is my intent to push everyone away so I can die in peace. I intend to go down fighting, possibly literally. My team is taking all donations of time, money, equipment, and... other things? and adding it to what we have already learned. Time is our enemy, but we remain hopeful.
Again, thank you all for your support, regardless of how you render it.
Yours,
Jason Pace, M.D.
aka E-VAC
((Copies of this letter are sent, via Hero Corps, to Futura Force, the Night-Watch, and Safe Havens.))
Friday, June 8, 2007
Degeneration
I want to start by saying that it's sheer coincidence that Keen Frost and E-VAC are both dying slowly. We did not get together and decide to do it at the same time, and I think he's as surprised by E as I am by Frost. Unfortunately, it means we're competing for the same spot on stage. Not actively or intentionally competing, mind you, but I gotta tell you: nothing makes me feel as foolish as hearing Keen Frost say "the radiation is killing me" only to have E come out and essentially say "me, too". Or vice-versa. We're not trying to do it, and we're both taking different tacks on it, but still...
The day before yesterday, I decided E was going to be starting on drugs. Up until then, he was trying to do without, confining himself strictly to experimenting on the radiation and injecting himself with different substances designed specifically to target the radiation. But the pain is getting worse and worse. His empathic powers don't trigger it, but every time he uses the radiation, it's new worlds of pain. So he started to take something for the pain. Naturally, my very first outing after making that announcement, I started screwing up. It was a series of total accidents, but it quickly made sense there were side-effects of the medication, making E get sloppy, lose control, lose concentration.
Let me explain how I envision E's powers actually work. RP-wise, his powers basically fall into five categories, and they don't necessarily fall where you'd expect.
Containment Suit
Power Blast: Kit apparently installed a few extra gadgets in the containment suit she built. A hidden trigger inside the gauntlets sends out pulses of energy.
Empathic
Accelerate Metabolism: E once had refined his empathic powers to where he could actually stimulate the adrenal glands directly, one of his favorite beneficial uses of his empathy. This is much harder with the radiation interfering, but he eventually learned to combine the empathic stimulation with a "squirt" of radiation, making this a "combo" power.
Blind/Spectral Wounds: E's oldest and most-used power is to use his empathy to make his victims feel pain. He either takes pain they're already feeling and amplifies it, or he makes them feel injuries they don't have.
Deceive: One of E's favorite tricks is to insert paranoia into his victim's mind. This tends to work best with villains who already have reason to distrust their companions.
Mutation: Another "combo" power, E uses his empathic powers to reach in and re-stimulate his fallen comrade. A little burst of radiation causes the process to happen more rapidly as well as invigorating the body at the same time.
Radiant Aura: Yes, I know this is a radiation power mechanically, but to me (RP-wise) it's his old empathic healing aura.
Spectral Terror: E summons up (in his words) a wad of pure fear and tosses it up in the air. Since it's just a raw emotion, the victim's minds will sometimes conjure up mental images to rationalize the sudden fear.
Haunted
Phantom Army/Phantasm: The spirits of the people E killed during his criminal career have been raised to serve as bodyguards. As spirits, they have powers they did not have in life (PA) or altered versions of the powers they used to have (Doppleganger).
Mutagenic Radiation
Accelerate Metabolism: See above.
Choking Cloud: Most the time, E is holding in the radiation his body produces. When he relaxes his control, this poisonous, mutagenic radiation leaks out into a cloud around him. In my mind, it should affect friend as well as foe, but mechanics don't allow for it.
EM Pulse: By concentrating on forcing his body to produce more radiation, but holding it in for a few minutes, E can do a quick burst, causing an electro-magnetic pulse as well as shooting out radiation in all directions.
Enervating Field, Lingering Radiation, Radiation Infection: E sort of... squirts some of the radiation from his own body at a target, coating them with a specific radiation type, generally harmful.
Mutation: See above.
Pocket Dimension
Group Invisibility: With a little effort, E can nudge friends around him part way into his pocket dimension. This causes them to be harder to see and harder to hit (yes, I slot GI for defense).
Recall Friend: E can reach through his pocket dimension, grab a friend, and yank them over near him.
Teleportation: While in L.A., E was able to go virtually anywhere he liked just by stepping through his pocket dimension. Unfortunately, the dimensional instability of Paragon City only allows him jumps of about 200 yards at a time.
Now the other four "categories" work just fine, but his radiation-based powers hurt. The radiation courses through his system and generally comes out through the marks on his hands and arms. But this is not a natural process and his body has to heal itself every time the radiation comes through his pores. This is part of why his regeneration is burning out. In addition to having to constantly repair him internally, he's also been forcing it to constantly work on him externally as well. And the more he uses his radiation, the more it builds up in his system and hurts him.
But now, rather than risk hurting the people he cares about or innocent bystanders, he's refusing any more pain medication. So last night, as people in a lot of pain often do, he went back and forth between quiet and sullen and grumpy and rude. He was more uncomfortable than he's ever been, and I tried to make it show.
And at the end of the night, he noticed his hands are bleeding again...
The day before yesterday, I decided E was going to be starting on drugs. Up until then, he was trying to do without, confining himself strictly to experimenting on the radiation and injecting himself with different substances designed specifically to target the radiation. But the pain is getting worse and worse. His empathic powers don't trigger it, but every time he uses the radiation, it's new worlds of pain. So he started to take something for the pain. Naturally, my very first outing after making that announcement, I started screwing up. It was a series of total accidents, but it quickly made sense there were side-effects of the medication, making E get sloppy, lose control, lose concentration.
Let me explain how I envision E's powers actually work. RP-wise, his powers basically fall into five categories, and they don't necessarily fall where you'd expect.
Containment Suit
Power Blast: Kit apparently installed a few extra gadgets in the containment suit she built. A hidden trigger inside the gauntlets sends out pulses of energy.
Empathic
Accelerate Metabolism: E once had refined his empathic powers to where he could actually stimulate the adrenal glands directly, one of his favorite beneficial uses of his empathy. This is much harder with the radiation interfering, but he eventually learned to combine the empathic stimulation with a "squirt" of radiation, making this a "combo" power.
Blind/Spectral Wounds: E's oldest and most-used power is to use his empathy to make his victims feel pain. He either takes pain they're already feeling and amplifies it, or he makes them feel injuries they don't have.
Deceive: One of E's favorite tricks is to insert paranoia into his victim's mind. This tends to work best with villains who already have reason to distrust their companions.
Mutation: Another "combo" power, E uses his empathic powers to reach in and re-stimulate his fallen comrade. A little burst of radiation causes the process to happen more rapidly as well as invigorating the body at the same time.
Radiant Aura: Yes, I know this is a radiation power mechanically, but to me (RP-wise) it's his old empathic healing aura.
Spectral Terror: E summons up (in his words) a wad of pure fear and tosses it up in the air. Since it's just a raw emotion, the victim's minds will sometimes conjure up mental images to rationalize the sudden fear.
Haunted
Phantom Army/Phantasm: The spirits of the people E killed during his criminal career have been raised to serve as bodyguards. As spirits, they have powers they did not have in life (PA) or altered versions of the powers they used to have (Doppleganger).
Mutagenic Radiation
Accelerate Metabolism: See above.
Choking Cloud: Most the time, E is holding in the radiation his body produces. When he relaxes his control, this poisonous, mutagenic radiation leaks out into a cloud around him. In my mind, it should affect friend as well as foe, but mechanics don't allow for it.
EM Pulse: By concentrating on forcing his body to produce more radiation, but holding it in for a few minutes, E can do a quick burst, causing an electro-magnetic pulse as well as shooting out radiation in all directions.
Enervating Field, Lingering Radiation, Radiation Infection: E sort of... squirts some of the radiation from his own body at a target, coating them with a specific radiation type, generally harmful.
Mutation: See above.
Pocket Dimension
Group Invisibility: With a little effort, E can nudge friends around him part way into his pocket dimension. This causes them to be harder to see and harder to hit (yes, I slot GI for defense).
Recall Friend: E can reach through his pocket dimension, grab a friend, and yank them over near him.
Teleportation: While in L.A., E was able to go virtually anywhere he liked just by stepping through his pocket dimension. Unfortunately, the dimensional instability of Paragon City only allows him jumps of about 200 yards at a time.
Now the other four "categories" work just fine, but his radiation-based powers hurt. The radiation courses through his system and generally comes out through the marks on his hands and arms. But this is not a natural process and his body has to heal itself every time the radiation comes through his pores. This is part of why his regeneration is burning out. In addition to having to constantly repair him internally, he's also been forcing it to constantly work on him externally as well. And the more he uses his radiation, the more it builds up in his system and hurts him.
But now, rather than risk hurting the people he cares about or innocent bystanders, he's refusing any more pain medication. So last night, as people in a lot of pain often do, he went back and forth between quiet and sullen and grumpy and rude. He was more uncomfortable than he's ever been, and I tried to make it show.
And at the end of the night, he noticed his hands are bleeding again...
Disclaimer
Especially after last night's "grumpy E", I feel I should mention this.
I am not my characters, nor are they me. I am a role-player and story-teller. My characters have attitudes, background, and mental processes that are not mine.
If, at any point, you (the player of another character) find that you are upset with or offended by me (the player of E-VAC, etc.), please send me a /tell or otherwise talk to me out of character. I don't want what the characters do coloring how the players feel, especially as Team 2.0 is in the depths of major in-character angst.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming, already in progress.
I am not my characters, nor are they me. I am a role-player and story-teller. My characters have attitudes, background, and mental processes that are not mine.
If, at any point, you (the player of another character) find that you are upset with or offended by me (the player of E-VAC, etc.), please send me a /tell or otherwise talk to me out of character. I don't want what the characters do coloring how the players feel, especially as Team 2.0 is in the depths of major in-character angst.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming, already in progress.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Another Team 3.0 Idea
First of all, this is still nothing set in stone or even a jumping-up-and-down, I-want-to-play-this-character thing. This is just another concept/idea I've come up with, and since my brain keeps playing with it, I thought I'd put pen to paper (fingers to keys?) and write it down.
Apologies if I take liberties with other characters. :)
Captain William Piett (name subject to change)
Mercenaries/(I thought "Traps" at first, but I wouldn't want to double up on Mas if he goes AR/Traps or Thugs/Traps; so more than likely, it'd be Force Field) Mastermind
Fyre (and Masonry) end up in the Zig on charges of (murder, kidnapping, arson, trumped-up charges from Styrm, whatever). Who's going to get them out? Naturally, it's Fyre's "people" to the rescue. Taking advantage of yet another Arachnos breakout at the Zig, Fyre's people slip into the prison to free her (and Mason), escorting (her/them) out of the prison and taking command of one of the Arachnos fliers. Having little choice in safe havens thanks in no small part to Styrm, the small band escapes to the Rogue Isles and meets up with a contact there, a mercenary by the name of Burke.
The captain seems to have a number of contacts around the Rogue Isles and makes it his job to make Fyre (and Masonry) appear to fit in (but do they need the help?), in the meantime acting as bodyguard and trying to make sure Fyre (and Masonry and whoever else) are as comfortable as possible. Although he is dependable and has always been able to help out with "less-than-legal" things for Fyre in the past, he is not a nice guy and his connections around the Isles might be a bit disturbing. It also becomes apparent that he is receiving aid, information, and possibly orders from someone other than Fyre.
One of my thoughts behind this loose description is that this would be a character that could act as a gateway to the Isles, allow us to take some of the less-savory missions, and still allow the ex-heroes a lot of room to wrestle with their consciences. Does he further taint the former heroes? Or do they prod his own dying conscience back to life?
Apologies if I take liberties with other characters. :)
Captain William Piett (name subject to change)
Mercenaries/(I thought "Traps" at first, but I wouldn't want to double up on Mas if he goes AR/Traps or Thugs/Traps; so more than likely, it'd be Force Field) Mastermind
Fyre (and Masonry) end up in the Zig on charges of (murder, kidnapping, arson, trumped-up charges from Styrm, whatever). Who's going to get them out? Naturally, it's Fyre's "people" to the rescue. Taking advantage of yet another Arachnos breakout at the Zig, Fyre's people slip into the prison to free her (and Mason), escorting (her/them) out of the prison and taking command of one of the Arachnos fliers. Having little choice in safe havens thanks in no small part to Styrm, the small band escapes to the Rogue Isles and meets up with a contact there, a mercenary by the name of Burke.
The captain seems to have a number of contacts around the Rogue Isles and makes it his job to make Fyre (and Masonry) appear to fit in (but do they need the help?), in the meantime acting as bodyguard and trying to make sure Fyre (and Masonry and whoever else) are as comfortable as possible. Although he is dependable and has always been able to help out with "less-than-legal" things for Fyre in the past, he is not a nice guy and his connections around the Isles might be a bit disturbing. It also becomes apparent that he is receiving aid, information, and possibly orders from someone other than Fyre.
One of my thoughts behind this loose description is that this would be a character that could act as a gateway to the Isles, allow us to take some of the less-savory missions, and still allow the ex-heroes a lot of room to wrestle with their consciences. Does he further taint the former heroes? Or do they prod his own dying conscience back to life?
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Night in King's Row
Jason Pace moved quietly across the carpeted floor of the room, counting cubicles in his head. The lights were dimmed a bit because of the late hour, but Longbow operated twenty-four hours, so there was still a background whisper of papers being shuffled coupled with the muffled rattle of people tapping on their keyboards. Jason didn’t feel the need to sneak, however, or to dash from shadow to shadow. Sure, he was partially phased into his pocket dimension just in case, but even if he wasn’t, his red-on-white uniform would hardly draw attention to him here.
He reached his destination and slipped into the cubicle that used to be his. Most of his personal items were already packed into a box, apparently ready to be mailed to him if he didn’t show up to pick up his final paycheck. He made a mental note to have it scanned for bombs, poisons, or any other “gifts” from Styrm that might be inside before opening it.
He tapped as quietly on the keys as he could, inserted a CD-R into the drive, and set the computer to burn a few things onto the disk. Good thing I set up a few back doors, he thought to himself as the burning process started. He watched the screen for a few minutes before sighing and looking at the clock. He knew he couldn’t put this off, although he was afraid of what he was going to find.
Powering off the monitor, Jason slipped out of the cubicle again, moving deeper into the room. At the far end, he reached a set of security doors marked with a red cross and flanked by a pair of police drones. He kept a wary eye on the flashing lights as he slid his home-made card into the reader. Attached to the end of the card were small cables, leading back to the palm-top computer in Jason’s hand. Numbers scrolled across the tiny screen as Jason impatiently looked around.
A beep. A green light. A click. The hero known as “E-VAC” pushed his way into the medical facilities at Longbow Headquarters.
The room was brightly lit but unoccupied. The medical teleporters lined one side of the room, offices and labs the other. Jason ducked into one of the labs and closed the door quietly behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he jammed a chair under the door handle. It would’ve been just his luck someone had needed medical attention during the few minutes it took him to get in. Luck seemed to be on his side for a change, though.
Grabbing another chair, he started working on the computer. First, he accessed his records, burning them to a CD for later perusal. He had a suspicion, but wanted the files anyway. Then he pulled out the palm-top and connected it to the computer with a USB cable. Ironic, he thought, noting the silver crescent-moon logo on the palm-top. Styrm builds these things for the Night, and here I am using it to find out what he’s hiding from me.
The scan didn’t take long, and neither computer made any noise, but suddenly a series of new screens began opening. Their resemblance to the records he had glanced at a few minutes ago was remarkable, but it was the differences that were the most eye-catching. Jason tapped the palm-top, forcing the computer to burn these encrypted files onto another CD, this time with no encryption. While the CD spun, he looked over the records.
Rad counts higher than they told me, he thought. Experiments they told me would help appear to have been either placebo or aimed to harm. Looks like I’ve been getting pumped full of a lot of saline. Cellular mutation more advanced. Cellular degeneration more...
Suddenly, Jason caught his breath and stared. All thought left him. All emotion drained out, and he went suddenly and completely cold. Exactly what he had suspected from the beginning and feared since learning of the Longbow infiltration was spelled out in large red letters right there on the screen: TERMINAL.
Jason slumped in the chair and sat there, eyes unfocused. He lost track of time, even when the palm-top told him the burning and decrypting process was complete. I’m going to die...
The door handle rattled, startling Jason from his reverie. He scrambled as the door started to move more forcefully, gathering up CDs and the palm-top. When the door slammed open, throwing the chair blocking it across the room, the Longbow tech found the room empty. He scratched his head, examined the door, shrugged, and went to work.
He reached his destination and slipped into the cubicle that used to be his. Most of his personal items were already packed into a box, apparently ready to be mailed to him if he didn’t show up to pick up his final paycheck. He made a mental note to have it scanned for bombs, poisons, or any other “gifts” from Styrm that might be inside before opening it.
He tapped as quietly on the keys as he could, inserted a CD-R into the drive, and set the computer to burn a few things onto the disk. Good thing I set up a few back doors, he thought to himself as the burning process started. He watched the screen for a few minutes before sighing and looking at the clock. He knew he couldn’t put this off, although he was afraid of what he was going to find.
Powering off the monitor, Jason slipped out of the cubicle again, moving deeper into the room. At the far end, he reached a set of security doors marked with a red cross and flanked by a pair of police drones. He kept a wary eye on the flashing lights as he slid his home-made card into the reader. Attached to the end of the card were small cables, leading back to the palm-top computer in Jason’s hand. Numbers scrolled across the tiny screen as Jason impatiently looked around.
A beep. A green light. A click. The hero known as “E-VAC” pushed his way into the medical facilities at Longbow Headquarters.
The room was brightly lit but unoccupied. The medical teleporters lined one side of the room, offices and labs the other. Jason ducked into one of the labs and closed the door quietly behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he jammed a chair under the door handle. It would’ve been just his luck someone had needed medical attention during the few minutes it took him to get in. Luck seemed to be on his side for a change, though.
Grabbing another chair, he started working on the computer. First, he accessed his records, burning them to a CD for later perusal. He had a suspicion, but wanted the files anyway. Then he pulled out the palm-top and connected it to the computer with a USB cable. Ironic, he thought, noting the silver crescent-moon logo on the palm-top. Styrm builds these things for the Night, and here I am using it to find out what he’s hiding from me.
The scan didn’t take long, and neither computer made any noise, but suddenly a series of new screens began opening. Their resemblance to the records he had glanced at a few minutes ago was remarkable, but it was the differences that were the most eye-catching. Jason tapped the palm-top, forcing the computer to burn these encrypted files onto another CD, this time with no encryption. While the CD spun, he looked over the records.
Rad counts higher than they told me, he thought. Experiments they told me would help appear to have been either placebo or aimed to harm. Looks like I’ve been getting pumped full of a lot of saline. Cellular mutation more advanced. Cellular degeneration more...
Suddenly, Jason caught his breath and stared. All thought left him. All emotion drained out, and he went suddenly and completely cold. Exactly what he had suspected from the beginning and feared since learning of the Longbow infiltration was spelled out in large red letters right there on the screen: TERMINAL.
Jason slumped in the chair and sat there, eyes unfocused. He lost track of time, even when the palm-top told him the burning and decrypting process was complete. I’m going to die...
The door handle rattled, startling Jason from his reverie. He scrambled as the door started to move more forcefully, gathering up CDs and the palm-top. When the door slammed open, throwing the chair blocking it across the room, the Longbow tech found the room empty. He scratched his head, examined the door, shrugged, and went to work.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Showdown with Styrm
After my posts yesterday, part of my mind finally went to work on how exactly we're going to fight Styrm. See, I've been wracking my brain, trying to come up with a CoH mission or TF (or zone or whatever) that we could use. We "re-write" the plot or whatever the game gives us, claim one of the baddies as Styrm, and have a satisfying showdown with E's arch-enemy.
I hate to give the audience a badguy and then not let the heroes beat the daylights out of him. :)
Now, I have an AR/Dev blaster named David Nightstorm (Night-Styrm) that I created to let me do a bit of RP with the badguy. I had E harp on the "any idiot can get a Hero ID" point for weeks before actually dusting him off and showing him to people. But I've only gotten him to level 6. I'm not going to PL him to a "respectable" level, and it'd just be rude to ask others to Ex down for an Arena Battle. Not to mention 1 AR/Dev versus everyone who wants a piece of Styrm now? Not even remotely a fight (sorry, Bloodshot, but you and I both know it's true). Besides, if I play the badguy, then E has to be out of the fight for some reason.
So I'd been thinking about various Malta missions... pointing at one of the named-boss Gunslingers and yelling "that's Styrm!" Or maybe going into a Council mission and hoping for a nice beefy Council boss to foot the bill. Or heck, even a Praetorian AV. Reading lists, checking websites, looking at CoH spoilers...
But last night, in the middle of Fyre & Masonry's argument dujour, goaded by Bloodshot's comments and ideas, the part of my brain that's been working on the problem stood up and shouted "EUREKA!"
I mentioned in a post yesterday that whenever Styrm took the field, he was always in some enormous battlesuit. A battlemech or "mecha", if you will. Ladies and gentlemen...
We need the Kronos Titan.
I hate to give the audience a badguy and then not let the heroes beat the daylights out of him. :)
Now, I have an AR/Dev blaster named David Nightstorm (Night-Styrm) that I created to let me do a bit of RP with the badguy. I had E harp on the "any idiot can get a Hero ID" point for weeks before actually dusting him off and showing him to people. But I've only gotten him to level 6. I'm not going to PL him to a "respectable" level, and it'd just be rude to ask others to Ex down for an Arena Battle. Not to mention 1 AR/Dev versus everyone who wants a piece of Styrm now? Not even remotely a fight (sorry, Bloodshot, but you and I both know it's true). Besides, if I play the badguy, then E has to be out of the fight for some reason.
So I'd been thinking about various Malta missions... pointing at one of the named-boss Gunslingers and yelling "that's Styrm!" Or maybe going into a Council mission and hoping for a nice beefy Council boss to foot the bill. Or heck, even a Praetorian AV. Reading lists, checking websites, looking at CoH spoilers...
But last night, in the middle of Fyre & Masonry's argument dujour, goaded by Bloodshot's comments and ideas, the part of my brain that's been working on the problem stood up and shouted "EUREKA!"
I mentioned in a post yesterday that whenever Styrm took the field, he was always in some enormous battlesuit. A battlemech or "mecha", if you will. Ladies and gentlemen...
We need the Kronos Titan.
The Changing Arc of E-VAC II (v.2.0)
When I originally created E2, my intent was for him to start out in a really bad situation that would slowly get better. He would start out with new powers out of control and learn to control them. He would start out having lost Jen and get her back. He would start out angry, frustrated, depressed, and scared of his friends; and he would learn to deal with it and come to accept them as they are now.
I blame the auras.
Let me explain: If it was up to me, E2 would've shown up with an aura to show how radioactive he was. And his powers would've progressed almost backwards from the order they rank, going from the blatant and unfocused down to the single targets. All to show his progress and focus.
But the game doesn't work that way. "Okay," I'm thinking. "Slight adjustment." I'll get an aura at 30, so what I need is more of a downward-pointing arc. Instead of starting at the bottom and climbing up, I'll start E low, let him sink lower, peak at 30ish with the aura, and then he can start climbing out of that hole.
Best-laid plans and all that. I had set out with the idea that E was eventually going to get better. He'd learn to control his new powers (or get rid of them when we were ready to "re-roll"), get his life back in order, and E2 would have a happy ending.
But somewhere in the 30s, it started to become painfully obvious to me that E wasn't going to get better. Between the story the players were telling, the one CoH runs you through, and the power progression... it didn't make sense that E was going to get better. The happy ending kept getting pushed farther and farther away, and although I kept telling myself that I could find a way to make it work, there's only so far I feel comfortable pushing believability.
And like I mentioned earlier, I don't think I'd want to do another version of E anyway. I want to branch out a bit, preferably without having to put the character through hell in order to explain new powers. E is already broken enough. He's earned his retirement.
Is he going to die? Maybe. I don't write endings. I let them happen. I can think of a few ways that E might come out alive, including a couple ways that would pave the road for the next team. But it'd just be so I could continue to play the existing versions (I hate to think I might have to delete one level 50 character, let alone two). Alive or dead, Jason Pace will not be a part of Team 3.0...
...well, 95% sure. I mean, nothing's set in stone yet... :)
I blame the auras.
Let me explain: If it was up to me, E2 would've shown up with an aura to show how radioactive he was. And his powers would've progressed almost backwards from the order they rank, going from the blatant and unfocused down to the single targets. All to show his progress and focus.
But the game doesn't work that way. "Okay," I'm thinking. "Slight adjustment." I'll get an aura at 30, so what I need is more of a downward-pointing arc. Instead of starting at the bottom and climbing up, I'll start E low, let him sink lower, peak at 30ish with the aura, and then he can start climbing out of that hole.
Best-laid plans and all that. I had set out with the idea that E was eventually going to get better. He'd learn to control his new powers (or get rid of them when we were ready to "re-roll"), get his life back in order, and E2 would have a happy ending.
But somewhere in the 30s, it started to become painfully obvious to me that E wasn't going to get better. Between the story the players were telling, the one CoH runs you through, and the power progression... it didn't make sense that E was going to get better. The happy ending kept getting pushed farther and farther away, and although I kept telling myself that I could find a way to make it work, there's only so far I feel comfortable pushing believability.
And like I mentioned earlier, I don't think I'd want to do another version of E anyway. I want to branch out a bit, preferably without having to put the character through hell in order to explain new powers. E is already broken enough. He's earned his retirement.
Is he going to die? Maybe. I don't write endings. I let them happen. I can think of a few ways that E might come out alive, including a couple ways that would pave the road for the next team. But it'd just be so I could continue to play the existing versions (I hate to think I might have to delete one level 50 character, let alone two). Alive or dead, Jason Pace will not be a part of Team 3.0...
...well, 95% sure. I mean, nothing's set in stone yet... :)
Monday, June 4, 2007
E-VAC's Attitude
I was originally going to make this a post explaining why E reacted the way he did, but the more I wrote, the more I realized: it's relevant to the way he reacts and responds to just about everything. So I've scrapped the original post in favor of a broader one.
There are three things Jason does not handle well: things he doesn't understand, change, and death. Arguably, all three are the same thing (or at least related), but it's easier for me to explain them separately.
But I Don't Understand...
E has a very scientific mind. Everything has labels, limits, and explanations. Everything has to be quantified and have a logical reasoning behind it.
Even if it wasn't for all the mystical types coming after his daughter, E would probably still be distrustful of magic. As it is, in his mind, it's magic's fault his daughter's life is constantly in danger. The Contest Between Good and Evil was for his daughter's life, and as far as E is concerned, it had nothing to do with her. So on top of his natural inclination to distrust comes a fairly understandable if fairly unreasonable fear and hatred of all things magic.
As a side note, this aspect of the character can sometimes be difficult for me to play. E's player is fascinated by magic and my main is an ages-old wizard. So sometimes things come along that I want to find out more about... and I have to slap myself and let E be afraid of it. Dammit.
Note that this is not confined strictly to magic, though. Aliens. Other dimensions. Fortunately, things like the Rikti have explanations that can be delved into and learned. They follow rules that E can understand. So instead of fear, distrust, and hatred, they spur him on to learning. Unfortunately, not much is known about, for example, the Kheldians or the Rularuu.
This is why: E distrusted Fyre, he hates Oranbega and the Circle of Thorns, he distrusts Vagz, he will not look at magical alternatives, he will not go to Mirror Spirit, he freaked about the Kheldian bonding (partly), he will not go to the Shadow Shard, etc.
Change Is Bad
Jason has always been a fan of settling in and getting comfortable. When it comes to most things, he likes to settle into a nice routine. He likes to know what to expect out of his day and when. He's not an extremist about it and doesn't freak when things don't go off precisely on time. He's just not a fan of surprises, and there's something very comforting about routine.
When forces outside his control disrupt his routine, he gets irritable in general. But beware if a person (or persons) are responsible for this breakdown. Instead of being generally irritable, his anger has a target. Depending on the situation, he will get frustrated, verbally angry, or (less often) quietly resentful. He tries to avoid people who unsettle his routines, especially if they seem to do it willfully (I'm looking at you, StarWyng :) ), and he is happiest when he knows what to expect from the people around him.
Well, maybe "comfortable" is a better word for it than "happy".
This is why: E gets quiet on large teams, he gets grumpy or angry when someone won't follow instructions, it took him so long to reform (partly), he freaked about the Kheldian bonding (partly), etc.
Death Is the Enemy
I've known a few people in the medical profession as well as seeing them portrayed on T.V., and this is a fairly common attitude that intrigues me about people in that line of work. So naturally, I gave it to E. Death is not "a part of life" or "something to be accepted". Death is the enemy. Death is the cold, heartless, brutal killer that must be stopped at all costs. Guns don't kill people. Death kills people. And it's up to doctors (nurses, healers, medics, whatever) to stop him.
This is why: E tried to help Masonry live even against his wishes, he freaked out about Fyre dying, he assembled his medical team, he would rather sacrifice himself than see a friend or ally fall, etc.
I hope this gives you a little insight into E's personality.
There are three things Jason does not handle well: things he doesn't understand, change, and death. Arguably, all three are the same thing (or at least related), but it's easier for me to explain them separately.
But I Don't Understand...
E has a very scientific mind. Everything has labels, limits, and explanations. Everything has to be quantified and have a logical reasoning behind it.
Even if it wasn't for all the mystical types coming after his daughter, E would probably still be distrustful of magic. As it is, in his mind, it's magic's fault his daughter's life is constantly in danger. The Contest Between Good and Evil was for his daughter's life, and as far as E is concerned, it had nothing to do with her. So on top of his natural inclination to distrust comes a fairly understandable if fairly unreasonable fear and hatred of all things magic.
As a side note, this aspect of the character can sometimes be difficult for me to play. E's player is fascinated by magic and my main is an ages-old wizard. So sometimes things come along that I want to find out more about... and I have to slap myself and let E be afraid of it. Dammit.
Note that this is not confined strictly to magic, though. Aliens. Other dimensions. Fortunately, things like the Rikti have explanations that can be delved into and learned. They follow rules that E can understand. So instead of fear, distrust, and hatred, they spur him on to learning. Unfortunately, not much is known about, for example, the Kheldians or the Rularuu.
This is why: E distrusted Fyre, he hates Oranbega and the Circle of Thorns, he distrusts Vagz, he will not look at magical alternatives, he will not go to Mirror Spirit, he freaked about the Kheldian bonding (partly), he will not go to the Shadow Shard, etc.
Change Is Bad
Jason has always been a fan of settling in and getting comfortable. When it comes to most things, he likes to settle into a nice routine. He likes to know what to expect out of his day and when. He's not an extremist about it and doesn't freak when things don't go off precisely on time. He's just not a fan of surprises, and there's something very comforting about routine.
When forces outside his control disrupt his routine, he gets irritable in general. But beware if a person (or persons) are responsible for this breakdown. Instead of being generally irritable, his anger has a target. Depending on the situation, he will get frustrated, verbally angry, or (less often) quietly resentful. He tries to avoid people who unsettle his routines, especially if they seem to do it willfully (I'm looking at you, StarWyng :) ), and he is happiest when he knows what to expect from the people around him.
Well, maybe "comfortable" is a better word for it than "happy".
This is why: E gets quiet on large teams, he gets grumpy or angry when someone won't follow instructions, it took him so long to reform (partly), he freaked about the Kheldian bonding (partly), etc.
Death Is the Enemy
I've known a few people in the medical profession as well as seeing them portrayed on T.V., and this is a fairly common attitude that intrigues me about people in that line of work. So naturally, I gave it to E. Death is not "a part of life" or "something to be accepted". Death is the enemy. Death is the cold, heartless, brutal killer that must be stopped at all costs. Guns don't kill people. Death kills people. And it's up to doctors (nurses, healers, medics, whatever) to stop him.
This is why: E tried to help Masonry live even against his wishes, he freaked out about Fyre dying, he assembled his medical team, he would rather sacrifice himself than see a friend or ally fall, etc.
I hope this gives you a little insight into E's personality.
So What's with Longbow?
A little more "behind-the-scenes" information, although there are ways of finding this out.
CAUTION! Here there be spoilers for the City of Heroes plotline. Ye be warned.
There is a story-arc in the game where you have to rescue a Longbow agent from the Malta Group. You discover that the Longbow operative is a double-agent. Then it gets more complicated.
See the Malta Group has infiltrated Longbow through the use of "sleeper" agents. They've mentally conditioned a number of Longbow operatives. These operatives don't know they're double-agents. Under the right conditions, they just wander away from whatever they're doing and deliver information or other help to the Malta. Then they wander back, revert to "normal", and go back to what they were doing, not remembering they ever did anything odd.
Well, the Malta Group is well-connected, well-funded, and into just about everything in Paragon City. That makes them perfect allies for Styrm. Especially since they also share his fashion sense.
In E's telling of the final battle in the Contest, he said that everyone was there and the heroes rounded up all the badguys after it was over. As you can probably guess, this was not entirely true.
The few times Styrm has taken the field himself, he has piloted a large battle-suit along the lines of anime-style mecha. He sent the mech and controlled it remotely. See, he wanted to be close to Dawn while the others fought over Eve. He also kept E's wife close by. So when everyone was arrested and jailed, the two of them were free. E knew his wife was, especially since when he returned to the base for Dawn, he saw her there. They didn't fight at the time since E had expected her to be there. E slipped in, collected his things and his daughter, and slipped out.
This is also why E knew that the rocket that was fired at his plane came from her. I love imagining the reactions when E tells people his ex-wife tried to kill him with a rocket launcher.
Now Styrm had expected E was going to get away. He had a plan in place to keep an eye on E and depending on circumstances, either let him go, bring him back, or kill him. Circumstances changed a bit when E made off with Dawn, but that only made the plan more important. Malta would "retire" one of their Longbow "sleeper" agents who was becoming willful or otherwise a problem. This agent would disappear and his records would be tweaked with so he could be replaced. The replacement would extend an offer of employment to E when he arrived in Paragon City. He would directly oversee E, other agents would help control E, and what would happen from there could be decided later. So when the time came, the agent was replaced by...
David Styrm.
That's right. E's "new boss" was E's "old boss". Remember I pointed out how it seems like your contacts are trying to get you killed? Well, E's contacts actually were. And most likely would've succeeded if not for unexpected interference from Fyre and Masonry.
See, Styrm tried very hard to keep E as isolated as possible. Easier to manipulate him and such that way. But it seems that someone else was working against Styrm. Assigning E to work with Fyre Hex and repeatedly bringing the hammer down to make sure the two stayed together, no matter what... It was very frustrating for Styrm, but he tried to take a long-term view of it and keep working at it.
This all came to a head in the creation of E2, as related previously. The Longbow that "freed" E were Styrm's men. The "doctors" that were supposedly treating E were Styrm's men, and the treatments they were administering were either phony or part of Styrm's experiments. E was, from the very beginning, surrounded by enemies who wanted him dead or at least brutally injured as often as possible.
Will they get their wish?
CAUTION! Here there be spoilers for the City of Heroes plotline. Ye be warned.
There is a story-arc in the game where you have to rescue a Longbow agent from the Malta Group. You discover that the Longbow operative is a double-agent. Then it gets more complicated.
See the Malta Group has infiltrated Longbow through the use of "sleeper" agents. They've mentally conditioned a number of Longbow operatives. These operatives don't know they're double-agents. Under the right conditions, they just wander away from whatever they're doing and deliver information or other help to the Malta. Then they wander back, revert to "normal", and go back to what they were doing, not remembering they ever did anything odd.
Well, the Malta Group is well-connected, well-funded, and into just about everything in Paragon City. That makes them perfect allies for Styrm. Especially since they also share his fashion sense.
In E's telling of the final battle in the Contest, he said that everyone was there and the heroes rounded up all the badguys after it was over. As you can probably guess, this was not entirely true.
The few times Styrm has taken the field himself, he has piloted a large battle-suit along the lines of anime-style mecha. He sent the mech and controlled it remotely. See, he wanted to be close to Dawn while the others fought over Eve. He also kept E's wife close by. So when everyone was arrested and jailed, the two of them were free. E knew his wife was, especially since when he returned to the base for Dawn, he saw her there. They didn't fight at the time since E had expected her to be there. E slipped in, collected his things and his daughter, and slipped out.
This is also why E knew that the rocket that was fired at his plane came from her. I love imagining the reactions when E tells people his ex-wife tried to kill him with a rocket launcher.
Now Styrm had expected E was going to get away. He had a plan in place to keep an eye on E and depending on circumstances, either let him go, bring him back, or kill him. Circumstances changed a bit when E made off with Dawn, but that only made the plan more important. Malta would "retire" one of their Longbow "sleeper" agents who was becoming willful or otherwise a problem. This agent would disappear and his records would be tweaked with so he could be replaced. The replacement would extend an offer of employment to E when he arrived in Paragon City. He would directly oversee E, other agents would help control E, and what would happen from there could be decided later. So when the time came, the agent was replaced by...
David Styrm.
That's right. E's "new boss" was E's "old boss". Remember I pointed out how it seems like your contacts are trying to get you killed? Well, E's contacts actually were. And most likely would've succeeded if not for unexpected interference from Fyre and Masonry.
See, Styrm tried very hard to keep E as isolated as possible. Easier to manipulate him and such that way. But it seems that someone else was working against Styrm. Assigning E to work with Fyre Hex and repeatedly bringing the hammer down to make sure the two stayed together, no matter what... It was very frustrating for Styrm, but he tried to take a long-term view of it and keep working at it.
This all came to a head in the creation of E2, as related previously. The Longbow that "freed" E were Styrm's men. The "doctors" that were supposedly treating E were Styrm's men, and the treatments they were administering were either phony or part of Styrm's experiments. E was, from the very beginning, surrounded by enemies who wanted him dead or at least brutally injured as often as possible.
Will they get their wish?
The Truth About Jen
While it's unlikely the characters have any way to discover this right now, I feel this is important for player knowledge, especially if I do end up actually playing Jen. So here, minus what E thinks and minus Styrm's... well, minus Styrm... is the real story.
Just like the original story, Styrm had a brush with mortality and decided he needed an heir. Now Styrm looks to his people and decides rather than taking his chances on the usual ways of having a child, he'll make a perfect successor. This child will, naturally, have his intelligence, but he also wants the child to be gifted with powers. E-VAC's regeneration is a natural. Add in the empathic powers and you have a healthy child who will have that much more of an edge in the boardroom as an adult. Conveniently enough, there's a female Night who has a natural cunning and ruthlessness as well as a gift for technology. So Styrm helps arrange for E and his wife to get together, gives just the right amount of nudge for them to fall into bed together, and makes sure they have the alone-time and the inclination to have a child.
Yeah, as you might've guessed, pretty much most of E's "decisions" haven't actually been up to him... ever.
Styrm took steps, of course. Genetically modifying the child in the womb, inserting some of his own DNA and nudging the development of the fetus in the directions he wanted. When the time for the birth came, he made sure E was elsewhere. He had learned of the Contest and so had two reasons to clone the child: first as an ace-in-the-hole against the Contest, but secondly he wanted to make sure E and his wife had a child. Not out of kindness, naturally, but because that would make them easier to control. A few more genetic modifications brought out Styrm's resemblance in Eve and E-VAC's in Dawn. Styrm gave E and his wife Dawn to raise, and they named her "Jennifer".
Fast forward to the Contest ending. You'll note that in the original story, Styrm grew into a respectable citizen and E freaked and went back to a life of crime with Dawn. Well, in our revised tale, as you know, E was the one who grew into a respectable citizen and Styrm went back to a life of crime. E still made off with Dawn, but took her off to be raised well while he became a hero.
This does not sit well with Styrm. Styrm created Dawn and only he gets to decide what will become of her. She is, after all, as much Styrm's daughter as E's on a genetic level. And Styrm did put a lot of effort into her creation. She will not be left in the wrong hands (wrong in Styrm's mind, anyway), and he will either try to undo the damage E has done to her (again, in Styrm's mind) or he will destroy her and be satisfied with Eve. Also, he will not tolerate E's betrayal. He made E and has controlled E all his life. E must be brought back into the fold... or destroyed for his insolence. And so no one else can have E.
So when Styrm and E each say that Jen is their daughter, they're both right.
Just like the original story, Styrm had a brush with mortality and decided he needed an heir. Now Styrm looks to his people and decides rather than taking his chances on the usual ways of having a child, he'll make a perfect successor. This child will, naturally, have his intelligence, but he also wants the child to be gifted with powers. E-VAC's regeneration is a natural. Add in the empathic powers and you have a healthy child who will have that much more of an edge in the boardroom as an adult. Conveniently enough, there's a female Night who has a natural cunning and ruthlessness as well as a gift for technology. So Styrm helps arrange for E and his wife to get together, gives just the right amount of nudge for them to fall into bed together, and makes sure they have the alone-time and the inclination to have a child.
Yeah, as you might've guessed, pretty much most of E's "decisions" haven't actually been up to him... ever.
Styrm took steps, of course. Genetically modifying the child in the womb, inserting some of his own DNA and nudging the development of the fetus in the directions he wanted. When the time for the birth came, he made sure E was elsewhere. He had learned of the Contest and so had two reasons to clone the child: first as an ace-in-the-hole against the Contest, but secondly he wanted to make sure E and his wife had a child. Not out of kindness, naturally, but because that would make them easier to control. A few more genetic modifications brought out Styrm's resemblance in Eve and E-VAC's in Dawn. Styrm gave E and his wife Dawn to raise, and they named her "Jennifer".
Fast forward to the Contest ending. You'll note that in the original story, Styrm grew into a respectable citizen and E freaked and went back to a life of crime with Dawn. Well, in our revised tale, as you know, E was the one who grew into a respectable citizen and Styrm went back to a life of crime. E still made off with Dawn, but took her off to be raised well while he became a hero.
This does not sit well with Styrm. Styrm created Dawn and only he gets to decide what will become of her. She is, after all, as much Styrm's daughter as E's on a genetic level. And Styrm did put a lot of effort into her creation. She will not be left in the wrong hands (wrong in Styrm's mind, anyway), and he will either try to undo the damage E has done to her (again, in Styrm's mind) or he will destroy her and be satisfied with Eve. Also, he will not tolerate E's betrayal. He made E and has controlled E all his life. E must be brought back into the fold... or destroyed for his insolence. And so no one else can have E.
So when Styrm and E each say that Jen is their daughter, they're both right.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Appointments (IC information/spoilers)
Because this blog is supposed to be helping to make coherent sense out of the complicated mess that is E's backstory, I've been trying to keep it all in rough chronological order. However, last night, I moved up my in-game time-table a little, and the blog isn't caught up to "now" yet. So. Presented out of order for necessary informational purposes...
What your character can find out:
Asking around the hospital (any hospital):
One of E's "appointments" has apparently been job interviews and applications at every hospital in Paragon City. He started in Atlas Park and Galaxy City... then King's Row, Skyway City, and Steel Canyon... then Talos Island and Independence Port... He's been turned down every time so far. Officially, they won't discuss why. Unofficially, it becomes obvious fairly quickly that Dr. Jason Pace has been black-listed because he left Longbow.
Asking around the Steel Canyon Medical Center:
It's pretty easy to find out this is where E has been spending the most time. He's been coming in several times a day. While there, he lends a hand where he (legally) can, anywhere from offering suggestions to the staff to pushing a mop in the hallways. When it's time for his appointment, he and a team of young doctors lock themselves away in one of the experimental labs.
Poking around the experimental labs:
The labs in question are heavily shielded to contain harmful side-effects of super-powers, including explosions, fires, and yes, radiation. The equipment being used by or on E is all radioactive to some degree or another.
Grilling the staff, breaking into records, or any number of... less-than-legal information gathering techniques:
E has been co-leading and participating in a series of experiments. The object is to find a substance that will absorb or neutralize the radiation in his system. So far, the experiments have been unsuccessful, but the other doctors involved think "the preliminary results so far have been promising" (i.e. they're pretty hopeful they're on the right track). Unfortunately, the side-effects so far have included pain (especially when using his powers, "...but that's to be expected."), fluctuations in rad count and even changes in the type of radiation being emitted ("See? The experiments are working!"). The containment suit apparently helps dull the pain and regulate the fluctuations. All those involved are fascinated with and amazed by the suit.
E apparently assembled this team himself, hand-picking a number of young doctors who not only had experience in radiation and super-powers but who also had radical treatment ideas.
Player's Note
If there's something your character would check into or more specific questions you want to ask, feel free to add them as comments to this post, and I'll try to answer/respond.
How is he?
Dr. Pace is resting comfortably (i.e. unconscious) in an isolation ward. His injuries have been seen to, and he is listed in "guarded" condition. Visitors are out of the question due to his condition and the fact that the radiation levels in the ward are well above "safe".
Apologies to all of Team 2.0 for keeping them up so late last night. :-D
What your character can find out:
Asking around the hospital (any hospital):
One of E's "appointments" has apparently been job interviews and applications at every hospital in Paragon City. He started in Atlas Park and Galaxy City... then King's Row, Skyway City, and Steel Canyon... then Talos Island and Independence Port... He's been turned down every time so far. Officially, they won't discuss why. Unofficially, it becomes obvious fairly quickly that Dr. Jason Pace has been black-listed because he left Longbow.
Asking around the Steel Canyon Medical Center:
It's pretty easy to find out this is where E has been spending the most time. He's been coming in several times a day. While there, he lends a hand where he (legally) can, anywhere from offering suggestions to the staff to pushing a mop in the hallways. When it's time for his appointment, he and a team of young doctors lock themselves away in one of the experimental labs.
Poking around the experimental labs:
The labs in question are heavily shielded to contain harmful side-effects of super-powers, including explosions, fires, and yes, radiation. The equipment being used by or on E is all radioactive to some degree or another.
Grilling the staff, breaking into records, or any number of... less-than-legal information gathering techniques:
E has been co-leading and participating in a series of experiments. The object is to find a substance that will absorb or neutralize the radiation in his system. So far, the experiments have been unsuccessful, but the other doctors involved think "the preliminary results so far have been promising" (i.e. they're pretty hopeful they're on the right track). Unfortunately, the side-effects so far have included pain (especially when using his powers, "...but that's to be expected."), fluctuations in rad count and even changes in the type of radiation being emitted ("See? The experiments are working!"). The containment suit apparently helps dull the pain and regulate the fluctuations. All those involved are fascinated with and amazed by the suit.
E apparently assembled this team himself, hand-picking a number of young doctors who not only had experience in radiation and super-powers but who also had radical treatment ideas.
Player's Note
If there's something your character would check into or more specific questions you want to ask, feel free to add them as comments to this post, and I'll try to answer/respond.
How is he?
Dr. Pace is resting comfortably (i.e. unconscious) in an isolation ward. His injuries have been seen to, and he is listed in "guarded" condition. Visitors are out of the question due to his condition and the fact that the radiation levels in the ward are well above "safe".
Apologies to all of Team 2.0 for keeping them up so late last night. :-D
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