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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 22, 2011 13:34:22 GMT -5
Vigil says to Elixir, "No, we do not have the original Hypnoporter. The Nazi original was destroyed before it saw much use, destroyed by Allied bombing and some timely assistance from Captain America and the Invaders in 1943. It was fueled by strange hallucinogenic compounds first synthesized by Arnim Zola from the notes of a 9th Century alchemist named Esteban Corazon de Ablo, the immortal enemy of the Fantastic Four now calling himself 'Diablo.' The second Hypnoporter was taken down by SHIELD in 1964 and was to be powered by clones of Rin here that Arnim Zola had been refining since his original's abduction by the Nazis in 1938. What we have in Rin is the fuel of the second attempt to build a Hypnoporter. The Paladin Institute recovered 27 clones. Many have died over the years. Only 8 remain, unless Arnim Zola and HYDRA had others stashed away in cryogenic suspension. We suspect the latest version of the Hypnoporter in use now uses Diablo's old alchemical potions used by the first version. If they had clones of Rin they would not need to abduct people to connect to the device to mind control into attacking the gangs, as the clones have limited reality manipulation powers on their own. The saving grace is that they don't have Rin or they would be nearly impossible to stop. The downside is that each time they use the Diablo alchemically fueled version they rend holes in the dimensional barriers."
"As for Hammerhead and where he is conducting his recruitment of mercenaries, since we have one of them," Vigil gestures at Deadpool inside the block of ice, "perhaps reviving him would get the answers we seek. I'm not certain how cooperative he will be. I would prefer that Flashdance attempt to teleport the amulet off of him while he is incapacitated, and secure it before we go further with him. But we do know that Hammerhead owns a jazz club in the Bronx called 'The Roaring Twenties' where he conducts his meeting with local gangsters under his allegiance."
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Post by Vendetta on Jan 22, 2011 15:56:39 GMT -5
"Well, then I suggest we go talk to him - I dont like people trying to kill me. Although all we have is Deadpools word that it was Hammerhead who sent him. Not excatly sure how much we can trust the words of a madman." Vendetta gives up trying to decipher the readouts and desides to stay at the back of the group to let the people who know about magic deal with it.
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 23, 2011 17:00:15 GMT -5
"Indeed," Vigil says, "We are after the grimoire of a madman. A Madman's Mutterings probably ought not be taken as completely trustworthy. Demons and those who serve them are not known for their straightforwardness. That is why that computer you are looking at monitors fluctual changes in the dimensional barriers, determining their nature and patterns of occurance. At full power, the "Angel Array" could theoretically monitor and track all the transdimensional traffic on Earth in real time. But full power would require blacking out the power across North America. By taking short readings of the "aurasphere" of Earth from here and other facilities at offset scheduled intervals, we can compile a crude database of seemingly unrelated information that with occult research and probability physics can usually give us a somewhat precognitive glimpse of the shape of things to come and the events driving them. It is how the Paladin Institute has tracked down demons and other dimensional disturbances for over 400 years. Just not with the supercomputers we have today. We've gotten faster at responding to the minor threats with our enhanced security operatives. It's the big threats that sound the alarms, and call in the need for superhuman teams. Teams that we no longer have on call. Which is why we're down to trying to accommodate the establishment of your team. Nothing good can come from the cataclysmic future of Bartholomew Jacobs pulling the Earth into the Fomorexian Dimension and allowing its corruption to enslave humanity to fear and terror."
Vigil turns to everyone. "Because of the data we've collected, we've been able to get two of the amulets, without the book. We theorize that not arranging the amulets in the proper sequence will either only temporally seal the barriers between Earth and the Fomorexian demons for a few centuries or burst them wide open. We need the book to help decrypt the inner workings of Jacob's spell to get it right... this time. When the seventh amulet is placed, the artifact disappears through time and space. reappearing at Jacobs' old property at a predesignated time in the future if permanently sealing the dimension barrier was unsuccessful."
Vigil says, "I believe the Board of Directors have asked me to assist your team because of the fact that I did not recieve my powers from them. I merely agree with their cause. And it is because not only did they help me understand and use the artifact that gave me sight after I lost my eyes, I have since seen great demonic evils the world must never know exist lest they become overwhelmed with horror and corruption. There was once a time I would dismiss their probability calculations as pseudo-scientific astrology nonsense and psychobabble. But I've seen enough uncannily accurate profiles emerge from their data scrying to lead straight into confrontations with paranormal forces our regular enhanced agents can't win. That is why the Paladin Institute has a metahuman enhancement project like the one that produced Flashdance, and also a few successful global stock market predictors to keep it well funded. Call it a conspiracy if you will, but it is a conspiracy to fight evil."
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Post by shockwave on Jan 24, 2011 0:45:36 GMT -5
(Totally missed that I owe a reason feat)
[attack=742853984481562]
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Ferine
Gd(10) Member
Posts: 75
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Post by Ferine on Jan 24, 2011 11:03:04 GMT -5
Ferine walks over to where the artifact is and begins to study it (not touching it). "Hmm very interesting" she goes. Ferine asks "Are you sure it is a good idea to have all the medalions in the same place?"
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 25, 2011 1:48:54 GMT -5
ooc: Shockwave's Reason + computer knowledge (and SHIELD training) rather easily picks up on a security flaw in the Angel Towers complex. All voice activated access ways could easily be fooled by his armor's sonic generators via recordings and manipulated recordings of voices, creating convincing imitations of someone's actual voice. And now I need an Intuition + Occult Lore FEAT from Ferine to notice something frightening ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Ferine
Gd(10) Member
Posts: 75
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Post by Ferine on Jan 25, 2011 5:47:05 GMT -5
Int + occultlore feat:
[attack=522229178274561]
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 25, 2011 16:10:15 GMT -5
Ferine examines the inscriptions on the artifact and notes that it seems to employ evil cursing and hexing spells from several different ancient cultures all intricately woven to compliment each other for the effect of using demonology and necromancy as a sort of weapon of mass destruction in order to empower Bartholomew Jacobs into transforming into a "death god." And deep inside Ferine's instincts and knowledge, she knows it will work. Vigil wasn't kidding about how dangerous a resurrected Bartholomew Jacobs would be. The artifact itself seemed to contain an evil presence, like a gate between Earth and countless demons spilling forth to kill all life, human, animal, and plant. Whoever places the seventh amulet will open this gate for a moment, no doubt releasing and freeing some of the monsters it is holding back. (ooc: future enemies in later issues of the After Midnight comic book ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png) ) Bartholomew Jacobs' maliciousness was thorough. Even the best case scenario of stopping his ressurrection spell by retrieving the book and placing the amulets in the proper positions was going to release something dangerous upon the Earth. And apparently already had once before. Trading one horror for another. If Bartholomew Jacobs' soul was to be permanently trapped in this 'Fomorexian Dimension,' some demonic horror from there would have to be trapped on the Earth Dimension. If Bartholomew Jacobs' spell can't return him to life, he made sure there would be a spiteful backlash of murderous evil regardless. Something called a 'Fomorexian Deathwraith' would be trapped on Earth in his place, which the inscriptions describe as a massive demonic creature that grows larger and more powerful as it kills. Vigil has mentioned none of this. It seems he may not even be aware of the inscriptions' full meaning.
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Ferine
Gd(10) Member
Posts: 75
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Post by Ferine on Jan 26, 2011 14:18:08 GMT -5
Ferine examines the inscriptions again and she suddenly straightens and shakes her head and says "Gentlemen, I think we may have a big problem". Ferine turns to Vigil and asks "Has anyone translated this for you before?"
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Post by Vendetta on Jan 26, 2011 15:44:16 GMT -5
Vendetta tenses visibly as ferine speaks of a problem, but keeps quiet and stays to the back of the group.
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 27, 2011 17:44:01 GMT -5
Vigil replies to Ferine's question with, "No, the inscriptions aren't fully translated, and they change with each placement of an amulet in it. Which is why we need Jacobs' book to try to place them correctly. The current placement of the two inside of it has the best probable outcome we've managed to decipher, which doesn't seem so good. Can you read the artifact? I'm afraid our best specialists in translating technomagical artifacts are engaged in other pressing matters." ooc: Like Task's ABYSS game
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2011 5:12:47 GMT -5
I can't say that I understand this arcane stuff, but I have learned that it does work. I know I cant be of that much assistance, but at one point, as you are aware one of the amulets bonded to me.
I am guessing it is because of the style I do things in conflict. Even tough it seems macarbre we could go into this gang war and not pull any punches in order to have the remaining medallions appear on the persons. Id recomend me and Vendetta do that job supported by the rest of the Team.
I know it sounds cruel, but more is on the stake a couple of Terrorists wont be mist in order to save the World from this Extradimensional Threat.
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 29, 2011 1:43:16 GMT -5
Vigil interjects, "That utilitarian approach, killing people to attract the amulets, then killing the people who the amulets bonded to, is only a temporary fix. Bartholomew Jacobs' artifact reappeared in the late 1700s and the Paladin Institute unfortunately tried that approach then, back in the American Revolutionary War, using the war to conceal the violence used. Unfortunately, the artifact reappeared in the 1800s, which means that approach will merely delay the evil spell, as will getting the placement of the amulets wrong. The artifact will merely reappear in a future, more technological age and make the spell more powerful for those who would have to deal with it then. I can't condone the brute force approach, even aside from the corrupting influences such actions would have on your soul. Suppose you begin killing, get an amulet bonded to you again, and you become corrupted by its evil so that we in turn have to kill you to get the amulet? Seven Paladin agents in the late 1700's had to be hunted down and killed when they became corrupted by Jacobs' amulets and couldn't stop themselves from killing people. I don't want any of you to suffer that, or force us to do that."
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Elixir
In(40) Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Posts: 232
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Post by Elixir on Jan 29, 2011 12:38:45 GMT -5
Elixir also moves to the back of the group and just listens and waits, wondering if this is all going to lead back to the 20's clubs again since their leads are relatively few.
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Post by Dead Sidekick on Jan 30, 2011 5:04:08 GMT -5
Vigil says, "Now that you've seen the artifact, and have some of the history of what the amulets can do, allow me to show you what our scanning systems have picked up."
Vigil goes to a computer keyboard near Vendetta and types a few commands, bringing up a map of the Earth with odd clouds of various colored swirls hovering over populated areas.
"This is a reading of the emotional and psychic states of the people of Earth, their shifting moods and the energies of their feelings. War, violence, political turmoils... sometimes these either have a extradimensional demonic impetus behind them, or these events attract entities that feed on negative energies. The Paladin Institute tracks these trends, and if there are paranormal forces at work, we try to stop them."
Vigil zooms the map to only display North America.
"There you see a malicious disturbance in the Southwestern United States, and here along the East Coast, centering on New York City. There's a lot of fear and anger and hostility out there. The phenomenon in New York does have outside, paranormal influences - Bartholomew Jacobs' resurrection spell."
Vigil zooms the map to display New York City.
"This scan is a day old. The ANGEL Towers array can only take detailed readings once a day. We're hoping to get another snapshot with the next scanning burst. But we've detected the emergence of the fourth amulet. Here."
Vigil zooms the map to street level in the Bronx.
"Hammerhead's acid jazz club, the Roaring Twenties. Deep in the heart of the most gang-patrolled, Maggia-controlled neighborhood there. If the amulet is not there, someone there knows who has it."
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