Previously: Our heroes managed to rescue the Muse Courage from the diabological grasp of Hades and his nefarious agents. They brought her back to Neapolis using The Path, where she merged with their supercomputer at their secret headquarters. They discovered that their adventures on the path had taken far longer than expected and ended up missing the entire weekend. Safine, the errant daughter of Hades, told them that she would figure out a disguise while present in the mortal realm (and adapt to all the changes since she had last visited Earth).

June 11, 2011 Session Gameplay

[Two Days Later: 9/29/2010]

• The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Vector, Madcap, and Aemerys the Atlantean (or “Crow”).

• The heroes were summoned to the OUA headquarters after they went their separate ways for a day. Amereys learned more about the 21st century Republican States, Vector returned to his family and police force, Stix returned to college to catch up on his studies, and Madcap and Cougress resolved concerns by Congresswoman Capelli’s staff and caught up on fundraising.

• The ultrahumans were then reintroduced to Agent Alyssa Mason, who was surprised when Amereys began ranting about Colonel Warhammer. Agent Mason expressed incredulity at Amereys’ rants and responded that there had been no Colonel Warhammer working with the OUA (it seems that Hades had since covered his tracks in the mortal realm).

• Although Amereys then proceeded to annoy Agent Mason almost to the point of rage, the liason managed to hold her composure and brought the rest of the party along with the Atlantean to an experimental “holo-room” in the facility dubbed the IVANSIM where they were to take their tests to finally become beta-5 ranked agents. Agent Mason also introduced them to Sprite, a runaway Southern girl turned ultrahuman, who would be joining them on their test.

• The Virtual Reality test set the heroes in Chicago, where they were directed to rescue the inhabitants of a burning apartment building. Luckily, the fire was initially restricted to the top floor- and Madcap managed to finagle water from Lake Michigan to put out the flames.

• Most of the heroes then proceeded to rescue the inhabitants of the building, but Amereys ended up engaging a deadly anti-Ultrahuman robot almost single-handedly. With the assistence of the rest of the team, the robot was swiftly dispatched.

• Once the last resident was rescued, the simulation concluded and Agent Mason announced the results of their evaluation: the team had successfully completed the test and all of its members were now beta-ranked OUA agents (specifically beta-5s). The adventure concluded with Cougress hitting on the handsome Atlantean, who was visably taken aback, and fled once his advances were rejected by Agent Mason (and Cougress’ flirts began escalating).

Previously: While in Miami, our heroes were lured into a trap planned by Hades, God of the Underworld. They were transported into the underworld and imprisoned by the Greek God, who delivered an ultimatum to them: either they could join him or be imprisoned for all eternity. Luckily, the heroes were rescued by Safine, Hades’ renegade daughter, who brought them out of the underworld and back to Miami. Unfortunately, they had to return to the Path to stop Hades’ agents (of the Mouth of Tarturus) from killing Courage the muse.

May 25, 2011 Session Gameplay

[The Same Day: 9/27/2010]

• The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Vector, Madcap, and Aemerys the Atlantean (or “Crow”)
• Safine brought the Heroes onto the Path, where she taught them how to manipulate The Path to their own advantage and use it to transport them to Courage’s hiding place.
• The heroes finally reached Courage’s hiding place, where they fought a Chosen of Hades, a mysterious assassin and his flock of ravens.
• After a ferocious battle, Madcap used an illusion spell to convince the assassin that he had destroyed Courage, who had returned to crystaline form. Unfortunately, he nearly convinced the rest of the party that he was responsible for the deed and was almost torn apart by Cougress.
• Thankfully, Courage was still alive but was left in a severely weakened conditions. The heroes brought her and Safine to their headquarters, where the muse merged with the computer system to become a mystical supercomputer.
• The heroes had thus avoided capture by Hades and saved their Muse, but Hades and his minions continued to remain at large. Meanwhile, Vector had secretly opened a line of communication to Hades as he had been persuaded by the God’s arguments and was skeptical of the wisdom of freeing the rest of the First Ones.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously: Our heroes travelled to Miami to find the mad scientist Dr. Theodore Reckland and put a stop to his nefarious experiments. Maria was interviewed by Angelina Jolie, getting a boost for her re-election campaign. The Ultrahumans managed to capture a superpowered drug dealer named Cobalt as well as defeat a mutant gang called The Brood.

March 26, 2011 Session Gameplay

[The Same Day: 9/24/2010]

• The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Vector, Acertijo, Madcap, and Aemerys the Atlantean (or “Crow”)
• The heroes interrogated Dr. Reckland at the OUA headquarters in Miami. They discovered that Dr. Reckland had been working with some mysterious organization to carry out his experiments of combining human and animal DNA.
• The heroes then were visited by Colonel Warhammer, who informed them that an agent of his had gone missing. He apologized for the lack of briefing, but urged them to travel to a location in Miami to pick up an informant who knew the whereabouts of his agent.
• The heroes arrived at the address and were promptly ambushed by an army of Shinobi ninjas that used strange weapons that nullified superhero powers. The Shinobi were led by a black-robed assassin named Darkwire who simply observed the fight and then ended it with by teleporting the heroes into the Underworld.
• The heroes, stunned to be in the underworld, discovered that they were surrounded by Shinobi. Colonel Warhammer revealed himself among the Shinobi and confessed that Colonel Richard Wheeler had been dead for 7 years, and he was actually Hades: God of the Underworld.
• Hades compelled the heroes to surrender by taking away their powers, and then imprisoned the heroes inside of Tartarus. He then offered the heroes the choice to join his cause and gave the following story.
• Hades was originally Laertes, one of the First Ones. He was aggravated by the decision of the First Ones to allow the world to fall into a dark age, and overthrew them 500 years ago. The First Ones were then imprisoned, while Hades manipulated the world using his Mouth of Tartarus and his Chosen.
• Hades described his agenda to simply “keep the world running,” and referred to the heroes as the “First Chosen in 20 years,” as well as the “Chosen of Aeteniya.” He then departed and left the heroes to debate among themselves.
• After a polarizing debate among the heroes, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Safina: daughter of Hades. Safina informed them that Hades had lied to them, as he had actually murdered 6 of the 10 Gods who were his own family members. She restored their powers and freed them from their bonds.
• The party then battled their way out of Tartarus led by Safina, and managed to narrowly escape from Hades.
• The heroes then arrived in Miami, stunning the local beachgoers and bystanders. They mentioned to Safina that they needed to find Courage, and Safina informed them that Courage was probably still on “The Path,” and her father has perhaps sent agents to deal with her (or even himself). Safina then summoned them onto “The Path,” and the session concluded with the heroes and Safina racing off to find Courage before it was too late.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously: Our heroes, shaking off the death of their friend and ally Jin Tonakami, went to sleep that evening. They then woke up in a mysterious dream where they encountered the Muse Courage once again. Courage sent off the team to Ancient Atlantis to find Amerys, a mighty warrior, engineer-scientist, and master of the elements. They rescued Amerys and brought him back to present-day Neapolis.

March 5, 2011 Session Gameplay

[The Next Day: 9/23/2010]

• The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Peacemaker, Acertijo, Madcap, and Aemerys the Atlantean (or “Crow”)
• Amerys woke up in Peacemaker/Ali Mansour’s mansion, and being unaware of modern technology or customs, he promptly trashed the bedroom and smashed up the glass doors to Ali’s porch.
• Ali was not amused by the Atlantean’s antics, and went ballistic; thankfully, the situation was resolved when Madcap arrived and served as a translator for them.
• Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes were briefed by Agent Mason that the OUA had discovered the whereabouts of Dr. Theodore Reckland, a reclusive Albany University Professor who had been accomplished in genetics research. In particular, he had come up with a scheme called “hybridization,” which combined human and animal DNA to create ultrahumans. Dr. Reckland disappeared shortly after he made those findings about a year ago, and the agent tasked with finding him had vanished 2 weeks ago. However, the mad scientist had been spotted in Miami.
• The heroes were then dispatched off to Miami by the OUA and tasked with finding the reclusive Dr. Moreau-wannabe before he caused any further damage.
• Before heading off on a flight to Miami, Congresswoman Maria Capelli finally had an interview with Angelina Jolie on her acclaimed daytime talk show. She had an extremely successful interview with the daytime host which got rave reviews.
• The Chosen then arrived in Miami, where they traveled to the Cubano Inn. They discovered that the seedy motel was actually an OUA base, where they rested up. They then proceeded to the 18th St Cafe where they encountered Agent Castenada, their OUA contact in the city.
• After searching around the city for traces of the mad scientist or his creations, the ultrahumans discovered that there was a drug spreading throughout the underworld called “Uber.” Its source was a Ukrainian immigrant-turned drugdealer named Cobalt who ran his operations out of a hip dance club.
• The heroes (not including Vector at this time) proceeded to the club, where they managed to find Cobalt and his cronies. They attempted to trick Cobalt with a ruse, but the ultracriminal was not fooled and was ready for them.

March 12, 2011 Session Gameplay

[The Same Day: 9/23/2010]

The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Peacemaker, Acertijo, Madcap, Vector, and Aemerys the Atlantean (or “Crow”)
• Although their plan to ambush Cobalt failed, the Heroes still managed to engage the gang leader on favorable terms and swiftly dispatched both him and his cronies. Agent Castenada showed that despite being blind, she was a master of martial arts and possessed uncanny senses which enabled her to take down several goons.
• The party then returned to the Miami OUA headquarters where the team encountered Vector, who had been elsewhere on other missions for the OUA for the past few days. Vector accompanied Agent Castenada and Cougress to interrogate Cobalt.
• The slippy thug was intimidated by the fearsome Cougress and the blunt Vector (driving a hard bargain with his knowledge of the law and manipulating the ignorant brute), and Cobalt divulged the whereabouts of Dr. Reckland, although he refused to reveal who his masters were.
• The team then set off for Dr. Reckland’s laboratory, located outside of the south-side of Miami in a swamp. They arrived at the laboratory to discover that the place had been the scene of a massacre, with its guards slain and the evidence pointing to the culprit as a large mutant reptilian creature (a successful experiment of Dr. Reckland’s).
• The team, led by Cougress, then pursued the creature’s scent and tracks through Miami and its suburbs for several hours until they reached a hideout (a converted warehouse) in the rural outskirts of northern Miami early in the morning on the next day.

[The Next Day: 9/24/2010]

• Agent Castenada, Cougress, Madcap, Amerys, Vector, Acertijo, Stix, and Peacemaker engaged the gang that occupied the hideout, only to discover that the gang’s leaders were a group of mutant beneficiaries of Dr. Reckland’s experiments (two snake-men and two primal brutes) and also had the crocodile-beast that had wiped out the guards at the other laboratory.
• After a ferocious battle, the gang leaders were subdued along with Dr. Reckland’s hideous creation which was dispatched after almost felling Cougress with a single blow.
• Cougress then scampered off to discover Dr. Reckland hiding in warehouse. She discovered that the doctor had not surprisingly, gone slightly insane, but seemed to recognize her as being one of his “experiments.” She then brought the Doctor to face the rest of the heroes and Agent Castenada, while the OUA backup agents arrived to take control of the scene.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously: Several days after the encounter with Pharaoh, The Heroes were sent on a mission by the OUA to capture the supervillain Powergrid at Neapolis airport, the heroes easily succeeded. However, they discovered that Powergrid was actually an OUA agent and their mission was secretly a test of their abilities. The team was introduced to Alyssa Mason, their OUA liason, as well as Colonel Warhammer, the RSA’s military attache with the OUA. The team then visited their state-of-the-art headquarters located in a hidden bunker in Long Island, and made some finishing touches. Later that night, the heroes were summoned to Bromhill Lane where they encountered a mortally wounded Jin Tonakami. Courage showed up and admitted to the team that Jin was dying of a shadow parasite, and that the best she could do was prolong his death. Before the OUA agent passed away, he informed the heroes that he had given his amulet to an undercover OUA agent who had infiltrated the Mouth of Tartarus. He urged them to find the agent and to stop the Mouth of Tartarus, before he passed away. The session ended with the heroes uncovering a new enemy and with the death of their friend.

Current session game play

[The Same Night]

• The heroes present for this session were: Cougress, Stix, Peacemaker, Acertijo, Madcap, and Aemerys the Atlantean
• Cougress went out clubbing to shake off the pain and loss from Jin Tonakami’s death.
• The rest of the team searched the crime scene for any clues, but found none and returned home.
• At about 2 AM, the whole team was asleep in their respective bedrooms when they awoke in the same dreamworld from the adventure “The Day and the Path.”
• In the dreamscape, the superheroes were all in their mortal forms, and Maria broke down crying as she reflected upon the sad death of Jin Tonakami as Ali Mansour comforted her.
• The heroes then saw before them two doors: one with the symbol of a winged dragon and the other with a griffon claw symbol. They heard the voice of Courage asking them to choose their path.
• Maria directed the party towards the door with a griffon claw symbol, having been reminded of the experimentation ring that kidnapped her and gave her her powers. The party then entered the door, and travelled down a passageway before they entered a ghostly room.
• Courage awaited them in the room and informed them that Dr. Shaw had rejected the mission, and that she knew of the hero that would replace him. The team was then tasked to travel back in time to ancient Altantis to rescue an Atantean warrior named Aemerys.
• The heroes were then transported back in time to the Ancient City of Atlantis, and to a great foundry where they encountered a handsome, strapping blacksmith who ordered them to help with a smithing task. After completing it, the blacksmith introduced himself as Aemerys.
• Nathean, as usual, blew the heroes’ cover by informing the ancient myrmidon of their mission and the fact that Aemerys would die if he didn’t go along with them. The myrmidon was befuddled, and it took considerable persuasion to convince him of the party’s good intentions and veracity of their claims.
• The team also discovered that Aemerys was a Chosen of the god Hephaestus/Vulcan, which had caused considerable resentment among his fellow Atlanteans who viewed him as a curse upon the city. The city was also on the brink of war with the powerful Roman Empire and had been repeatedly threatened by the neighboring Roman Governor, Faustus Lucianus.
• Suddenly, Aemerys was summoned by armed guards to a council meeting where he was accused of treason and espionage by Jilanus, his jealous rival at the foundry and a snobbish highborn Atlantean.
• Aemerys was placed under house arrest while the rest of the party sought to prove his innocence. With the use of magic and good fortune, the heroes managed to discover correspondence in Jilanus’ room proving that the Altantean noble was the real spy and had framed Aemerys.
• Aemerys and the heroes were then summoned back to the council chambers, only to discover that Jilanus had prepared a trap for them. The gloating villain mocked Aemerys and summoned two massive metallic minotaurs to dispatch the heroes, only to discover that he was facing a powerful group of Chosen.
• The heroes defeated Jilanus and fought the minotaurs to a standstill. However, with guards about to swarm into the room- Madcap managed to pull off an illusion convincing them that Aemerys had been killed. With the ruse having succeeded, the heroes were then transported from Ancient Atlantis back to the dreamscape.
• Back in the dreamscape, Courage admitted to the superheroes that she was a Muse of the “Old Ones,” the Greco-Roman “Gods” who were the first ultrahumans. She warned them of a traitorous god who had betrayed the others god and imprisoned them, and informed them that they (and her) were the only ones stopping the betrayer god from completing his ascendency.
• Cougress proceeded to hit on Aemerys, much to the amusement of the Atlantean and the perturbed horror of the rest of the party. However, the other heroes swiftly were returned to their slumber while Courage debriefed Aemerys on his situation and the modern world he would soon find himself in. Unanswered questiosn still remain, but now it will be seen how well the ancient myrmidon adapts to the post-modern Republican States of America.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously: The Heroes defeated the mighty supervillain the Pharaoh in a pitched battle in Times Square. After apprehending the diabolical miscreant, the heroes were invited to become agents of the OUA. All of the heroes with the exception of Peacemaker agreed to the offer, while Peacemaker agreed to work as an outside “consultant” with the team. The team discovered that Russell Harrison was to be their benefactor and financier, and was eager to build them a headquarters. They also interrogated The Pharaoh, who revealed that he was working for a shadowy organization called The Mouth of Tartarus, and the mysterious red-headed woman revealed that her name was “Courage.”

Current session game play

[Several days after]

•Cougress, Stix, Madcap, and Acertijo (Ping Kona) were present for the adventure. Dr. Shaw, Peacemaker, and Vector were absent for the session.
• The team members arrived at the OUA headquarters, where they were introduced by Agent Rogers to Alyssa Mason, the team liason. They spent most of the day being tested by the OUA as to their power levels, skills, and mental states. Then, Agent Mason informed them of their mission: they were to apprehend a dangerous supervillain named Ivan Fabrien (also known as Powergrid).
• Powergrid was a dangerous international criminal with the power to control electricity, and was discovered to be about to depart Neapolis airport for the Czech Republic. The team members then formulated a plan: Cougress would distract Powergrid (in her human form though disguised) while Madcap would teleport the suprised supervillain to the airstrip outside, where Ping and Stix would then take him down with Madcap and Cougress.
• The plan worked to perfection. Maria bumped into Powergrid pretending to be an Italian fashion designer. As Powergrid helped the woman to her feet, a disguised Madcap grabbed the unwary ultrahuman and teleported both him and Maria to the airstrip. The heroes all then descended on the shocked criminal, and Maria transformed into Cougress.
• Although Powergrid managed to avoid the initial attacks, Cougress managed to pounce on him and tackle him to the ground- subduing him with the remark: “never play a game of cat and mouse with a cat.”
• Powergrid then surrendered, and the team brought him back to the tarmack where Agents Rogers and Mason were waiting for them, along with a middle-aged yet burly military officer. The OUA agents revealed that the mission was a test, and Powergrid was actually an OUA agent pretending to be a fictitious criminal. The annoyed Madcap then transformed Powergrid’s clothes into that of a baby in a fit of spite. The military officer stepped forward and revealed himself to be Colonel Warhammer, and gave some gruding compliments and criticisms to the team before walking off with the awkwardly-dressed Powergrid.
• The agents stated the Colonel Warhammer was the military’s contact with the OUA, and rarely complements superheroes- demonstrating that the team had earned his respect. They then took the team to their new headquarters on Long Island.
• The team discovered that they had a state-of-the art headquarters which was a hidden bunker underneath a disguised warehouse. Russell Harrison complimented the team on their success, and showed them around their new pad. He took advice from the team and stated that the headquarters would be completed as swiftly as possible.
• The new headquaters is to have a supercomputer, living space for 8 people, a gym, a combat simulator, a security system, its own power system, a library, a communications room, a laboratory, a workshop, an infirmary, a pool, a defensive system, and enhanced size and toughness.
• Stix and Ping went back home, while Cougress and Madcap went off clubbing for the evening. Stix discovered that his apartment had been ransacked sometime earlier in the day, and most of his furniture turned into scratching posts. He naturally assumed that this was Cougress’ revenge for outing her to the OUA, and he began plotting how to make amends.
• Suddenly, at 9 PM the heroes were summoned by a desperate call from Jin Tonakami to a run-down neighborhood. The heroes arrived and discovered that their friend had been badly wounded and was infected by some kind of shadowy parasitic creature.
• Courage appeared and removed the parasite, but glumly reported to the party that Jin was dying and there was no cure for his condition. She then gave Jin the offer of transferring some of her life energies into him so he could inform the party as to what had happened. Jin agreed, even though he knew the process would be painful and shorten his last moments on the mortal plane.
• Jin revealed to the team that he had been tracking the Mouth of Tartarus and had given his amulet to an agent that was to go undercover in the organization. However, without his amulet he was vulnerable to attack and was surprised by an assassin clad in black whom Courage stated was a “Chosen of the Enemy” who mortally wounded him using those shadow parasites as weapons. Jin urged the party to find the agent and that the coded sentence to find the agent is “slay evil now.”
• Jin then passed away, and Courage reflected that he would be memorialized on Mount Olympus for his valorous deeds. She then urged the team to finish Jin’s mission and that she had to return to inform her allies. With one of their major allies dead, the team returned home despondent- and anxious about their new beginning…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously: Congresswoman Capelli had a disastrous interview with the Parade Sisters, who ambushed her at her fundraiser. Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes investigated the accusations against Samuel Trask, discovering that there were holes in the charges levied agianst Trask as there were several pieces of possible exonerating evidence that had been withheld or ignored. Madcap discovered that the police were under some kind of mysterious spell that looked like the work of the supervillain named Pharaoh, a former archaeologist turned villain after stumbling upon an ancient artifact that gave him superstrength, giant size, and magical powers. The heroes then went off to consult an eyewitness to the crime, and foiled an assassination attempt by one of Pharaoh’s minions, a hitman armed with strange gadgets and a massive pistol. However, the heroes then discovered that the situation had gone haywire in the police station, with Pharaoh mind-controlling the entire station as well as Samuel Trask to wreak havoc. The heroes, starting with Cougress, Stix, and Madcap, arrived at the station where they opened up a battle against the mind-controlled police and Samuel Trask, who was revealed to be under the control of Pharaoh.

Current session game play

[The same day]

•The rest of the heroes caught up with Cougress, Stix, and Madcap and engaged the police horde once Trask had been knocked out.
•The heroes easily defeated the horde, but were surprised by the sudden appearance of Pharoah, who entered the fray
•Pharoah showed off his impressive array of powers, which included superhuman strength, a vast array of spells such as mind control and deflection, and the ability to transform himself into an indestructible form.
•Jin Tonakami displayed his powers, which are derived from some kind of mystical amulet. He used the amulet to summon lightning bolts and then turn into a blue dragon, but his even his powers had little effect on the Pharaoh.
•With the battle at a standstill, and Pharoah about to summon a powerful rain of fire spell, Jin ordered the party to stand down and for the OUA to teleport them out of the area. The heroes were able to retrieve the unconscious Samuel Trask, but Wilson Thurberry was left a hostage for the nefarious Egyptian.
•The heroes: Cougress, Acertijo, Stix, Vector, Peacemaker, and Madcap regrouped at the OUA where they re-encountered Dr. Ivan Shaw, Agent Steven Rogers, and Agent Tonakami. They received the news that their exploits were being broadcast on live tv, and the Pharaoh remained at large.
• Nathean/Stix had an unfortunate slip of the tongue during the debriefing, when he “outed” Cougress to Agent Rogers by mentioning that Samuel Trask was Cougress’ husband. Thankfully, Peacemaker restrained Cougress from tearing the embarassed teenager limb from limb.
•Russell Harrison arrived at the station, pursued by police under the control of Pharoah, and revealed that he had the Rod of Nike. Agent Rogers declared the amulet to be under the jurisdiction of the OUA and sent the police on their way.
•Dr. Shaw examined the Rod of Nike and realized that he would be able to use it to dispel Pharoah’s magic and negate the supervillain’s most potent defensive spells.
• The heroes and the OUA were then given an ultimatum by Pharaoh to deliver the Rod of Nike to Pharoah in Times Square in return for the life of Wilson Thurberry.
• Agents Rogers and Tonakami decided that the heroes needed backup and introduced them to The Citizen, a female supersoldier with a powerful shield who was experienced in dealing with difficult situations. The Citizen was on leave from Chicago, her usual home base, and offered to assist the heroes in their battle against Pharoah.
• The Citizen came up with a tactical plan to employ against the Pharoah’s trap in Times Square. She broke up the party into three team: one team to rescue Wilson Thurberry, one time to dispatch/neutralize/distract Pharoah’s police horde, and the final team to take on the villain himself.
• The plan went off without a hitch: Cougress and Madcap rescued Thurberry; Peacemaker, Acertijo, and Vector all dealt with the police horde; and Dr. Shaw, The Citizen, and Stix engaged The Pharoah after tricking him into believing that they were going to submit to his demands.
• A battle royale ensued between the heroes and Pharoah, and Dr. Shaw dispelled Pharaoh’s most powerful defensive spells so that the heroes’ attacks could actually harm the villain.
• Vectpr unleashed a powerful stun attack on the supervillain, which rendered Pharaoh senseless. Madcap, delighting in the situation, then transformed the Pharoah’s garments into that of a baby while the once mighty supervillain transformed back into that of his human state: that of a small-statured middle-aged professor.
• The heroes were then dismissed by the OUA, who arrived to clean up the situation. Agent Rogers ordered the heroes to rest up for the night and to meet him in Central Park the next morning- preferably as their alter-egos.

[The next day]

• Maria, Raynard, Ping, Isaac, Nathean, and Ali (keeping up his cover as Peacemaker’s “messenger”) all arrived at Central Park to meet Agent Rogers. The OUA agent brought a surprise guest: Russell Harrison, who was amazed to discover that Congresswoman Capelli, her Press Secretary, and Senator Fitzgerald’s son were all ultrahumans!
• Agent Rogers then offered all of the heroes the opportunity to register with the OUA, and in return the OUA would help them maintain their dual lives. Furthermore, Russell Harrison offered to serve as the new team’s benefactor.
• All of the heroes accepted the OUA’s offer, with the partial exception of Ali who agreed to work as an “outside contractor.”
• Agent Rogers then offered the newly-minted team of ultrahumans the opportunity to witness the interrogation of Pharaoh at the OUA headquaters. The team followed Agent Rogers there and joined the interrogation. They discovered that the supervillain was only the tip of the iceberg as the cackling criminal told them that he was a member of the Mouth of Tartarus and that his employers knew everything about each one of the heroes and he chortled as he challenged each one individually. The Pharoah apparently had wanted to “get Samuel Trask out of the way” so he could execute his organization’s master plan, but his attempt had been foiled by the meddling ultrahumans.
• The Citizen was released from her duties in Neapolis and announced that she was going to return to Chicago and her superhero team known as the Crusaders. The heroes were also visited by the mysterious red-headed woman who had summoned them on their previous adventures. She revealed her name to be “Courage.” The team then went their separate ways for now: Ali returned to his lab, Ping and Isaac returned to the police force, Maria went off to see her husband in the hospital, Raynard went off to meet with Maria’s staff, Dr. Shaw returned the Rod of Nike and went back home, and Nathean returned to his studies at NYU.
• There was a final “post-credits” cut-scene with Pharaoh being visited in his prison cell by “Courage.” Pharaoh threw challenges and insults at “Courage” and pledged that her heroes would be defeated. Courage easily retorted the villain’s tirades, argued that her heroes would vanquish Pharaoh’s order, and then wiped Pharoah’s memory clean of the talk once she had found out what she needed.

“The disparate band of Ultrahumans are now a team, but what new challenges and foes await them? Tune in next time for Ultrahumans: Shadows of the First Ones!”

Previously:The heroes chased after the trail of the illegal experimentation ring, but were tricked into a trap set by the nefarious mad scientist behind the ring. They were forced to fight a mutant hydra creature, but discovered the monster was a kidnapped boy named Thomas Malwell, the scion of a wealthy New York family- who had been experimented on in a similar manner to both Bruce and Cougress. Nathean brought Thomas to the OUA, where the boy was studied to see if there was a way to find a cure. Meanwhile, Ping Kona was suspended from the NYPD and assumed her Acertijo identity- complete with a caped costume! Maria Capelli’s CEO husband, Samuel Trask, was arrested for murder of a prostitute; Peacemaker, Acertijo, and Madcap then investigated the crime scene while Maria was in the middle of holding an event to raise funds for her re-election campaign. Ping/Acertijo also encountered her former partner, Jin Tonakami, who is now a member of the OUA and on the Trask defense team with Wilson Thurberry, Maria and Sam’s lawyer.

Current session game play

[The same night]

•Nathean wrapped up his visit to the OUA, and showed the mutagen formula to Dr. Belleisle, the agent in charge of finding a cure for Thomas Malwell’s monstrous condition.
•Maria continues her gala fundraiser, until it is interrupted by the surprise appearance of the mischevious Parade Sisters, a pair of gorgeous political gossips.
•The Parade Sisters, Lizzie and Lilah, ambushed Congresswoman Capelli and grilled her for her reversal on Ultrahuman rights. The Sisters’ discrete ultrahuman powers were able to frustrate and harass the Congresswoman, who was far weaker in her human state.
•Cougress was nearly unleashed, but thankfully Russell Harrison intervened to stop the ambush interview before Maria yielded to the transformation.
•Meanwhile, Acertijo, Peacemaker, Raynard, Officer Isaac Johansson, and Jin Tonakami investigated the murder scene. They discovered some previously overlooked evidence that pointed to Mr. Trask’s innocence, which showed that the prostitute was clearly shot with a much more powerful gun than Mr. Trask was found carrying.
•Peacemaker took off, bored by the investigation, and having other priorities.
•Dr. Ivan Shaw continued his analysis of the mutagen formula, and was surprised by the sudden appearance of a mysterious woman who insisted that he join up with the other heroes.
•Maria, frustrated by the near-disastrous interview with the Parade Sisters and news of the ruthlessness of her opponent, fled the fundraiser as she felt herself lose control to Cougress. She then transformed in an alleyway, and ended up encountering the other heroes while on the prowl, who updated her on the situation.

[The next day]
• The police allowed the heroes to meet with Samuel Trask to discuss the allegations against him. Maria stood faithfully by her husband and displayed her unyielding support for his innocence.
• Jin, Wilson Thurberry, Officer Johansson, Officer Kona, Maria, and Raynard all interviewed the beleaguered CEO who admitted to them that he had no recollection of how he ended up in the dark alleyway, holding a smoking gun, and standing over the body of a prostitute.
• Raynard then utilized his magic to examine whether or not a spell had been cast upon Sam, and discovered that the CEO had been mind-controlled and his memories of what happened wiped clean. Madcap/Raynard also noticed that the entire police department had been manipulated magically to despise and hate Sam Trask and thereby firmly believe in the man’s guilt.
• Raynard then shared the information privately with Jin, Isaac, Ping, and Maria. They also discovered that the police were claiming to have a witness who could ID Sam as the shooter. They also found out who the witness was, and set off to the investigate.
• Jin, Isaac, Ping, Raynard, and Maria arrived at Bromhill Lane to interview an elderly African-American woman who witnessed the murder. The woman admitted to them that Trask had not committed by the murder, but rather a ruthless hitman carrying a massive hand-cannon along with several other suspicious men. She then described Sam being set up while in a trance-like state, being lead around by a menacing man.
• Suddenly, a flying assassin appeared and nearly executed the witness on the spot, and would have succeeded if not for the kinetic control powers of Officer Johansson.
• Nathean Fitzgerald, on the way to class, heard the commotion and ran full-force towards it.
• The heroes then engaged in battle with the gadgeteering hitman while Maria helped the witness back to her apartment, transforming into Cougress after she did so.
• A ferocious battle ensued between the ultrahuman villain and the heroes, but the villain was swiftly defeated thanks to Isaac’s mastery of kinetic energy and a sneak attack from Cougress.
• As Cougress dispatched the villain with her claws, she said, “You won’t be killing any more old ladies, pendejo!” The villain called for his boss to “do it,” as he fell unconscious.
• Jin then received a phone call from Wilson declaring that the police station had become a madhouse and that Samuel had just attacked him. The phone went dead.
• Maria and Raynard teleported to the station, where they encountered a mind-controlled Samuel Trask and several cops. Meanwhile, Jin and Dr. Shaw took care of the unconscious and badly wounded assassin as well as the bewildered witness as Ping, Nathean, and Isaac both transformed into Acertijo, Stix, and Vector, respectively.
• Cougress and Madcap then confronted the mind-controlled Trask who revealed his controller to be none other than the mighty supervillain pharaoh. As the Pharaoh and Cougress exchanged taunts (and the supervillain bragged about his master plans and knowledge of their secret identities), Stix snuck up behind Trask and knocked the mind-controlled CEO unconscious as he delivered his ultimatum. The three supers then found themselves facing a horde of enraged police officers under Pharoah’s control.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Previously:Nathean Fitzgerald met Dr. Ivan Shaw, a visiting professor at NYU. The two had an abrupt conversation about the findings from the warehouse, and Nathean discovered that Dr. Shaw’s sarcasm was as good as his medical skills. The team fought a ferocious battle against three mutated thugs in the Bronx that was finished quickly by powerful blows from Peacemaker and Cougress. Dr. Shaw also miraculously cured Bruce of his mutation, displaying ultrahuman powers while doing so. Ping and Dr. Shaw then dealt with the police while the rest of the team went to Stuckey’s bar to go find Paul and investigate the mysterious illegal experimentation ring.

Current session game play

[Late that same day]
While Ping dealt with the cops, and was reprimanded for concealing information from her superiors- the rest of the party went to Stuckey’s, a biker bar in a run-down part of the Bronx. Nathean and Raynard went in, pretending to be junkies in need of money, and asked for Paul (the bartender), who then showed them to a secret entrance to a building behind the bar. Nathean and Raynard went into the building while Peacemaker and Maria waited outside. Stix and Madcap ended up in a sealed room, discovering that their ruse had led them straight into a trap. The mysterious villain then revealed himself as the mad scientist who transformed Maria Capelli into Cougress and taunted the ultrahuman heroes before unleashing his trap: complete with sealed doors and a ferocious mutant hydra-like creature.

Peacemaker and Cougress broke through the two sealed doors into the chamber, and then the united party vanquished the beast, which then surprisingly transformed into a little boy when it fell unconscious. The team then reverted back to normal, and talked to the boy. They discovered that the boy was a Thomas Malwell, the 10-year old scion of a wealthy New York family who had gone missing several months ago. Ping caught up to the group and agreed to handle the police while Nathean took Thomas to the Office of Ultrahuman Affairs. The rest of the party departed the scene before the police could arrive.

[That night]

•Nathean visits the OUA where he takes Thomas Malwell to get treated by Agent Steve Rogers and the OUA team.
•Maria holds a gala fundraiser, with the attendance of Russell Harrison, while Raynard is sent off to go find her husband, Samuel Trask, who has gone AWOL.
•Dr. Shaw is absent for the session, along with Isaac Johansson.
•Peacemaker returns to his hideout, where Ali Mansour then attempts to see if he can find any leads about the mysterious mad scientist. His search proves fruitless, but he discovers that Samuel Trask has just been arrested by the police for 1st degree murder.
•Ping Kona is suspended from the NYPD for her refusal to share information with her boss, as well as lying to him when pressed on the matter. Ping also obtains a superheroine costume for her Acertijo identity.
•The rest of the party, including Maria, discovers that Samuel Trask is currently under arrest for the murder of a prostitute. Raynard goes to the police station where Mr. Trask is currently being held, and meets up with Wilson Thurberry, Maria and Samuel’s official lawyer to discuss the situation.
•Acertijo and Peacemaker go to investigate the crime scene where they meet Jin Tonakami, a former boyfriend and partner of Ping Kona’s, who is now a lawyer working on the Trask defense team. He also seems to be a member of the OUA and believes that Mr. Trask has been framed for murder by the supervillain known as Pharoah, who is renowned for his mind control abilities.
•Maria, stressed out by the situation, barely avoids transforming into Cougress and causing chaos at her fundraiser. She was pleased, however, to find out that Raynard, her new press secretary, has secured a high-profile interview with Angelina Jolie on her daytime talkshow.

Other information given to specific characters
[Cougress and Peacemaker]— Cougress found a hidden camera in the trapped facility, but destroyed it in a fit of rage against the mad scientist. Peacemaker took the camera back to his secret HQ, but failed to find any computer trail for the mad scientist.
[Stix/Nathean Fitzgerald]— Agent Rogers tells him about the studies of Dr. Samuel Moses, the first major scientist to study the Ultrahuman phenomena. Dr. Moses said that there are two parts to being an ultrahuman: one must have the power to do something great and the will to do something great.

Previously:The team investigated the warehouse where Bruce had been taken. It reminded Maria of her past. Ping Kona took a sample to the OUA lab. Raynard Watkins pieced together a black and white document with a picture of a scaly arm.Ali was going to take it back to his lab to try and recreate it. Also found was a broken beaker, magazines, cigarette butts and part of a bar sign.

Current session game play

[Late that same night]
A second searchof the warehouse revealed a page of the report. Raynard attempts to look for a bar around the area of Lexington and 22nd and finds nothing. Maria receives a call from her cheif of staff, Julia, informing her that Catlin Powers has decided to run for her congressional seat.

[The next day]

• Nathean takes the report to Dr. Ivan Shaw, a visiting biology professor at NYU. Ivan refuses to tell Nathean what he knows of the report and Nathean threatens him to no avail.
• Maria has a meeting with her staff to discuss Catlin Powers.
• Ping takes the sample to be analyzed and files a report that the warehouse should not have had electricity.
• Ivan goes to the warehouse and sees the mysterious woman. He goes to find Natean and when Bruce comes to inform them that the bad men are back at 22nd and Lexington. Nathean calls everyone together.
• Raynard disguises himself and gets the information to meet Paul at the bar at four.
• Bruce can’t hold himself back and attacks one of the men who then turn into monsters and combat begins.
• After combat Bruce is healed completely by the mysterious woman and Ping calls the police.
• The team decides to go to the bar and find Paul.

Other information given to specific characters
[Ivan]— The report page contained part of the formula of a solvent used to graft animal genes into the human genome