Defenders Prologue:

"Kyle?" came a voice from down the hall of the fabled Sanctum Sanctorum.

"Yes? What is it?" Kyle Richmond responded, stubble forming on his face, illuminated by a computer screen.

"Stephen wanted to know if you've found anything regarding the Leader and his plot?" The Valkyrie asked, stepping into the room.

"Ah, well, erm, no. Not specifically. No leads, no nothing. I guess there isn't peanut butter in the Leader's head after all, and he does have the brains to at least cover his tracks." He explained, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Has Strange found him yet using his mystic mumbo jumbo?"

"No. It appears that the Leader is employing some rudimentary aid in covering his tracks now that he knows Dr. Strange is on his tracks." Val replied, "It appears we're running out of options to find him..."

"No!" Nighthawk yelled in frustration, slamming his fist on a nearby coffee table, smashing it to pieces. "Darn it! I mean, there's GOT to be something we can do! We can't just let the leader go free!"

"I agree Kyle." She said as she gripped the sheathe of Dragon Fang tightly, her knuckles showing white. "The idea of such a fiend running free, such a wrong not brought to due justice...it sickens me. A coward flees and plots. He is but a sickly rat, infecting the world with his plague."

"You're exactly right, but what do we do about it? He's apparently impossible to find! No one could hide such a major operation like this without leaving some kind of paper trail! No one! I just don't get it!....wait."

"What is it Kyle?"

"The Leader was working those gamma weapons, wasn't he?"

"Kyle....yes, he was working on gamma weapons! What were you up here doing all this time!?"

"Nono, just listen, I'm thinking aloud. What if....what if he ISN'T hiding? What if he's just using a...a disguise! Like, not just using a fake name, but a fake identity as well!?"

"What are you getting at Kyle?"

"I think...give me a moment here as I check some things..."He says, typing furiously at his computer. "I think....a-HA! I've got something! A one, 'Dr. Walter Langowski', canadian scientist and one of the leading physicists in gamma radiation! He's a buddy of Bruce's! Apparently, he's working on a project of sorts, requiring massive shipments of gamma tech to his facillity in Canada. These shipments....yes, these could be just what we were looking for! Leader, you cunning little rat you! Hiding in plain sight!"

Rushing out the door with his findings, he finds Dr. Strange, Bruce Banner and Patsy Walker sitting in the observatory, Strange in deep meditation. Explaining his theory, Nighthawk told them about Langowski's experiment, and how it would be a perfect front for such an operation. Banner agreed. Offering to test it, Bruce called Langowski, to no avail.

"I think it's worth checking out. If this is what he's working on, there isn't the need for such bulk of equiptment. Walter's a really conservative guy, he wouldn't order all of this to be delivered without some findings, and A. I'd know about them first, and B. It says the projects only been active a few months. Walter's good, but not that good."

"Excellent. This will be a wonderful test of what we're able to accomplish. Kyle, will you be able to offer us transportation? My Magics are still...unbalanced. I can't yet determine what has gone awry, but I'd prefer to not make such grandiose gestures with my abilities quite yet. Why drive, when you can walk, yes?"

"Of course Stephen. I'll give in a call to Pennysworth immediately." Nighthawk stated with authority, donning the mask of Nighthawk once more, beforing making his leave.

"Hey Doc!" Patsy called once she and Dr. Strange were alone in the observatory. "Hey, are you allright Doc? You've been mentionin that your mystic whammy jammy has been on the fritz lately, but I haven't seen you do anything about it? You sure you're ok?"

"Quite so, Ms. Walker. Quite so. I'll give more focus to any such malladies immediately upon return from our mission. I've done all that I can do about the issue as our time warrants."

"I guess you're right, Doc. I guess there isn't a 'doctor of the mystic arts' who'd make a house call, is there?" She smiled wryly, winking as she leaped out of the room. Stephen laughed, before donning his Cloak of Levitation, and heading out of the room, prepparing himself for what was to come.

*****************

Soon after, the group was airborne, flying high over the white covered forests of the Canadian north. Nighthawk piloting, Hellcat chatting with the Valkyrie, Val clearly confused, Patsy clearly continuing, obliviously. Banner and Strange peered out their windows thoughtfully.

A klaxon rang out!

"Holy smokes!" Kyle yelled, a giant crash and a tearing sound erupting, as a massive tree tore through the center of their craft! "Jeez! Hang on everyone!"

The plane smoked and burned, as the Defenders leapt into action! Nighthawk, using his enhanced agility to leap back to the others as his section of the plane tore off due to stress, and ripped itself away from the back of the plane, where his allies sat. Strange called upon the Mystic Vapors of Mulgore to dissipate the flames, before calling upon the Shield of the Seraphim to create a giant force bubble around them, as they hurtled toward the ground. Landing harder than they'd like, it took a minute for them to rise. The Hulk was there now, his transformation missed in the chaos of the crash.

"Hulk hate cold. Why Hulk not have jacket?"

Strange was doubled over, sweating profusely, his eyes aglow, with a black miasma. Kyle went to him immediately, holding him up at his side, not able to determine if he was wounded from the crash or something far worse, as Strange seemed unable to speak.

"Come. I have faced worse than this against the wicked frost giants, in their own territory. We must keep moving, find a clearing." the Valkyrie said, sword drawn and pointing.

They moved on, Valkyrie at point, Hulk taking up the rear. Soon they came to a clearing, where they saw the fallen form of a man! Rushing over to him, Hellcat turned him over, to find fresh wounds all over his body, barely concious. She recognized him as Michael Twoyoungman, the man known to the great white north as the Shaman, member of the illustrious super team, Alpha Flight.

"Shaman, Michael, are you allright?"

Shaman coughed, clearly gravely wounded, and pointed to the eerie dark forest, into the nothingness. The Hulk began to snarl and growl.

In a quite raspy whisper, a name escaped Michael Twoyoungman's lips:

"Wendigo..."

End Prologue.


************************************


The Defenders!

1) E IC Dr. Strange 71 pts (7/7)
w/ Darkness Within 15*
2) LE MM Hulk 82 pts (5/8)
w/ Monster Hunter 3
3) R SIN Valkyirie 44 pts (6/7)
4) V AW Shaman 74 pts (1/6)

289 pts


vs.


Wendigo Pack!
1) E AW Wendigo Alpha 61 pts (8/8)
2) E AW Wendigo Beta 61 pts (8/8)
3) R AW Wendigo Omega 1 40 pts (7/7)
4) R AW Wendigo Omega 2 40 pts (7/7)

202 pts

Map: Dawn of Man

http://www.ianparmenter.com/hcutils/map.jsp?map=DOM

BFC: Crosswinds

Characters with the wing speed symbol gain Earthbound. This ability may not be countered.


Darkness Within:

Darkness within works as normal in this scenario, except whenever Strange makes a ranged attack, he MUST use an adjacent friendly character to deal a click of damage to. If no figures are adjacent, he must deal the click of damage to himself.

If Shaman survives to the end, to lead you out of the Wilderness, you will gain 5 bonus TXP


Good luck

So I get a bonus of Shaman on his last click....and Darkness Within on Strange? Ye gads....you really don't want me to win any games do you TVK?

Thanks for getting the game up though mate.

You ARE 80+ points over. I basically gave you Shaman for free

i'll take you on, WakandaMan.

Init: 1+3=4
Object: 3+2=5

ahwooooooo!

Thought about it, changed Darkness to Crosswinds. Only two ways I could think about simulating a blizzard

On his last click though. Barely counts at all.

If the Doc can get to his Support clix can he at least heal Shaman up?

Initiative: 4 + 5

Objects: 3 + 6

I pick the south edge of the map.

You get to place first sable.

Since Darkness within causes the click to be taken before the attack, Strange can't use his RCE unless he gives the click to an ally. With everyone else already wounded, I don't think I want to do that. Hmmm...and he's not even useful as a taxi now (not that it was much use with this version's speed values anyway).

I guess it's all up to Hulk....as usual.

Didn't think of that. I intended Darkness Within to force strange to take a click after the initial attack.

So, see how that works out for ya

And yes, Strange on his support clicks will be able to heal Shaman.

It's free perplex


Counts for some


If this goes how your other matches go, we're going to have to figure how I'm gonna give you beatable villains. Last one, was admittedly tough with the Earthquake. but also, the first one wasn't my fault, it was Melkhor's, (though, I did villain on that one...), and you have been rolling pretty terribly, rather consistently

Your next one, should be manageable. I may change it a bit, just cause it's kinda similar to somethings you've faced.

And oh dang, I just thought of a wonderful idea for your last issue :D That one, i'll play test though

Yeah well my dice are a big part of the problem. That and I don't have access to decent versions of my characters yet. Once I get a few upgrades in I should do much better.

Free perplex = Rookie Con Artist. Worth about 11 pts. His AV and DV will make him virtually useless for combat.

Darkness Within with a wounded team = worth almost nothing. Although Valkyrie is kinda better one more click down I noticed.

And those E Wendigo's have nasty dials. Very efficient for the points! At least I've got Monster Hunter on Hulk though, so that could give me a chance.

Has Shaman been errated as having flight since they changed the soaring rules? Not that it matters with Crosswinds, but just curious.

It was errataed that he has the Boot symbol.

Wendigo Pack!

1) E AW Wendigo Alpha 61 pts (8/8) J2
2) E AW Wendigo Beta 61 pts (8/8) K2
3) R AW Wendigo Omega 1 40 pts (7/7) I2
4) R AW Wendigo Omega 2 40 pts (7/7) L2

HOs: U14
LOs: D13, F17

map: http://www.ianparmenter.com/hcutils/...4p1=x-512y-300