WCAvengers #37 - "


As momentous as the Avengers’ recent exploits had been, the team would get no respite. They might have fought against a multitude of mythological monsters, confronted deities, saved the sun from dying, helped restore an Egyptian god to health, and faced down Ares, the Greek god of war, but evil remained afoot in the world. This meant, of course, that the Avengers would rise up to fight it.

It seemed that hardly any time had passed before Moon Knight called his compatriots together for an urgent meeting. The heroes came to the expansive conference room in the Avengers’ mansion where Moon Knight awaited them, standing motionless at the head of the large table.

When the Avengers assembled, they fell quiet and listened for the reason for Moon Knight’s calling the emergency meeting. The mysterious hero in jet and silver seemed never to remove his cowl and he appeared a bit uncomfortable as the object of everyone’s attention in such a formal setting.

“Khonshu,” Moon Knight began but then paused. “There seems to be some trouble in Atlantis,” he resumed. “We are supposed to help them.”

“Atlantis? Trouble?” Wonder Man asked. “What sort of trouble? How do you know about this?” Simon seemed genuinely concerned and willing to help but was a bit unsettled by the way Moon Knight presented the situation.

“And why didn’t our monitors pick up anything?” Hawkeye challenged. “I mean, we have access to satellites and receivers all over the place.”

“Because Kulan Gath is a powerful sorcerer,” came a female voice from the corner of the conference room. Almost as one, the assembled heroes spun to see who had spoken, and Iron Man even raised his armored gauntlets, prepared to defend the Avengers’ headquarters.

“Wait!” interjected the Scarlet Witch. Wanda took a step toward the young woman with white hair who had mysteriously appeared in the secure confines of the Avengers mansion. “She looks familiar,” the Scarlet Witch said.

“I know her,” Mockingbird said, and her voice bore a hint of cold steel. “She fought against me, Black Panther, and Sersi when we were trying to recover the Mind Gem on that weird astral plane. I managed to knock her out – or at least her astral form or whatever – but Doctor Strange and the others defeated us.”

“But now we know that Mephisto was manipulating all of us,” Hank Pym said quickly, hoping to reduce the tension that had suddenly surged in the room. “We were all led to believe the other group was pursuing evil ends, but that demon was behind it all. And before he and the other Defenders split up with the infinity gems, Dr. Strange told me about a Kulan Gath. It had been in the back of my mind but Olympus was a bigger priority...”

There was a tight pause, and Mockingbird maintained her gaze on Clea’s face. Bobbi’s brow was furrowed, her eyes were narrow with suspicion, and her fists were clenched.

“Another demon is at work here,” Moon Knight said quietly but forcefully. The statement brought the Avengers’ attention back to Moon Knight, whose direct manner and mysterious nature commanded respect. “I spoke earlier of Apep, whose evil entered Egypt millennia ago…”

Sersi spat symbolically at the mention of the god’s name. Her disgust at the deeds of Apep, known in ancient Greece as Apophis, was written plainly on her usually stunningly beautiful face. “Apophis and his serpents threatened many thriving kingdoms. His evil is ancient. We must stop him."

“Yes,” Clea went on, “he must be stopped. I am glad we agree. That is why I have come to you!” At this moment she appeared to be worried; and she struck the Avengers as young, and her facial expression was one of imploring. “Kulan Gath has returned from the dead and has acquired a powerful artifact dedicated to Apep and his serpent-cult. When Ra was slain, Apep was released from the sun-god's power and unleashed onto the astral plane. He lurks there now, tearing at the veil between worlds and leaking his dark power through into this realm. He needs only for Kulan Gath to take the Serpent Crown into Atlantis and then...”

"And then?" Bobbi pressed, her suspicion of Clea eroding slower than her teammates.

"Well I don't know exactly," Clea said, having reached the limit of her research. "I can't read Gath's mind. But if he's trying to get into Atlantis then there must be a reason, and I doubt he has anything nice planned!"

“If Apophis is truly behind this sorcerer’s assault on Atlantis, both the sorcerer and the snake-god must be stopped,” Sersi said, clenching her fist and holding it at her shoulders’ height.

At this revelation, the Scarlet Witch inhaled sharply, alarmed by the implications. Almost reflexively, Wonder Man placed his powerful arm around Wanda’s shoulders in a gesture of protection. “The crown is a key, and Atlantis is the gate…” Wanda began, but her theory remained unformed. She didn't want to imagine a god set free into the physical world.

“Let’s go, then,” exclaimed Iron Man. “The quinjet is the fastest way for us to reach Atlantis.” He turned to Clea. “Are you coming along?”

"Of course," she replied, "How else would you find Atlantis?"

*******

One short trip by supersonic quinjet later, the Avengers found themselves entering a turbulent region of the Atlantic. According to satellites and weather radar there was nothing here but a minor sea storm. But the Quinjet's readings said differently. Just looking out the window was enough to tell you that something otherworldly was occurring.

In the midst of the ocean a vast and ancient city had arisen, though weakened by decay and death. The once beautiful coral spires of Atlantis were dry and crumbling, the formidable undersea empire starved and under constant assault.

"There," Hawkeye pointed out, seeing their enemy before the quinjet's sensors magnified the view on the monitors. "I'm guessing that's our guy?"

"That is indeed Kulan-Gath", Clea confirmed, recognizing the dessicated, living cadaver with the jeweled snake crown adorning his skull. Kulan-Gath slouched on a golden throne in the midst of a small encampment on the edge of the shores surrounding the great city walls of Atlantis. At his side was a lemurian woman that Clea claimed was named Llyra, onetime ruler and traitor to the undersea kingdom. Kulan-Gath barely moved, looking dead but for slight turn of his head to sip the goblet that Llyra brought to his lips. His flesh was gray, wrinkled and leathery, what little hair he had was long strings of ash-white. And yet all around him Lemurians and monstrous snake-people fawned over him like some living monolith to their god given flesh.

"That bag of bones? Well geeze, have the quinjet air-drop us down there on the shore and we'll put an end to this siege right now!" boasted Simon, smacking one fist into the opposite palm.

"I do not believe it will be that easy, but... perhaps Kulan Gath has been weakened by the Atlanteans' own magics," Clea agreed, a touch of youthful optimism cutting past the caution that her mentor had instilled in her. "However, don't forget that the real threat of Apophis still lies imminent. It lurks beneath Atlantis, waiting for the crown to unseal it. That is where we need to be most."

Hank Pym assessed the situation, and decided to hedge his bets. "Go on ahead to Atlantis, contact Namor or whoever is in charge. It wouldn't hurt to let the Atlanteans know we're here to offer them some help. But Simon's right; if we've got an opportunity to the end quickly here and now, we've got to take it," He glanced over the team, doing a quick mental survey of who would be best to join him and who would be better off inside the city walls. "Avengers, Assemble!"


West Coast Avengers
1) V Ant-Man (Supernova) 81
2) V Wonder Man (Avengers) 117 w/Hold The Line 4
3) V Hawkeye (Fantastic Forces) 84
4) U Sersi 76 w/Life Model Decoy 12
5) V Moon Knight (Avengers) 38
6) V Mockingbird (Sinister) 34 w/Vault 3
7) E Wasp (Universe starter) 19

468 points

vs.

Kulan-Gath's Army
1) Llyra (jl52008 Mera) (6/6)
2) Water Elemental (sn012 Hydro Man) (8/8)
3) Water Elemental (sn012 Hydro Man) (8/8)
4) ff027 Asp (5/5)
5) ca038 Cobra (7/7)
6) ul033 Anaconda (7/7)
7) Kulan-Gath, First Form (mu054 Living Monolith) (9/9)

469 points

Map: Edge of Atlantis

Bonus Objective: WCA score a bonus 5 TXP if Kulan-Gath is KO'ed by the end of the issue. Villain player, try not to let this happen!