Lawsuits, cults, massive collateral damage and a former StarGuard member loosely based on Ric Flair. As far as I was concerned, the second session of ‘StarGuard,’ our Icons campaign, had everything. Unfortunately, it also had our first absences.
Rhea’s Player ‘A.’ was unable to attend due to illness and Brainzor’s Player ‘C.’ was similarly afflicted. That meant we were missing our Greek Titan turned lawyer and our Alien Space God’s Mutant Love Child. Inevitably, that also meant that I had came prepared with a courtroom drama plot and a Alien Space God Cult plot. C’est la Guerre.
Having felt that the PCs were breezing through threats when assembled as a group; I started the session off by dividing the PCs into smaller groups and threw them into non-punch-them-in-the-face situations. This worked well and gave each Player a little chance to have the spotlight on their PC and stretch their roleplaying legs a bit.
Now, although I’m jotting down each group’s mini-adventure in pretty big chunks, I want to stress that I intercut between each group frequently giving the whole session a T.V. drama quality. Here’s what went down:
Chronos
Chronos and Phil, the team’s lawyer, met with lawyers from the famed (and shady) firm Lee, Kirby and Byrne. Known for defending super-villains, lawyers from this firm were informing StarGuard that:
a) their client had a tape of Jessica/Ga-In brutally crippling Isadora Deadly after she was no longer a threat and;
b) their client, and a number of others, were filing a class action lawsuit after being exposed to the radiation Chronos gives off.
If StarGuard would settle on the lawsuit and turn Jessica into the authorities, all of this could go away of course…
Cruthu and Jessica/Ga-In
Meanwhile, Cruthu and Jessica/Ga-In were helping battle a wildfire on the edges of Los Angeles. Witnessing them in action, a few heroes of the Protectors (my setting’s Avengers knock-offs) requested they try to get the members of a nearby religious community, the Zorgologists, to evacuate before the fire reaches them, adding that it would help StarGuard’s tarnished image.
Cruthu and Jessica/Ga-In flew to the compound, only to discover that the Zorgologists worship an insect-like Alien Space God and are waiting for the ‘star-child’ to lead them. Jessica let out, in a tone so innocent that it couldn’t be taken innocently, that she ‘had an alien inside her.’ Immediately, the cult leaders began pressuring her to enter their inner sanctum for ‘echo testing.’
Golden Hammer
At the same time, Golden Hammer had an unexpected visitor turn up on his doorstep: former StarGuard leader and famed 80s ‘Confederacy of Justice’ member Freedom Flare. Plagued by drinking, financial and romantic problems, Freedom Flare was replaced on the team by Golden Hammer in Season 3. This led to a downward spiral of drinking and reality TV, including a special wedding episode of Super-Celebrity Intervention.
Not having parted on the best of terms, Gold Hammer is surprised when Flare begs him for help. Flare pleads “they’ll never think to look for me here. You’ve got to believe me, I didn’t kill my wife. woo.” Golden Hammer pours a huge glass of scotch and hands it to Flare, buying time while deciding what to do.
Chronos
Faced with threats of litigation and the Isadora Deadly/Ga-In tape being leaked, Chronos did not cave. Instead he used his time control powers to freeze the inhabitants of the room (including his own lawyer) and dug up that:
a) Lee, Kirby and Byrne’s legal actions were being paid for by the ‘Tomorrow Foundation’
b) StarGuard has been losing money by the bucket load, but Fantast-Inc. Productions is still applying pressure to keep it in the air
This done, Chronos swapped everyone’s underwear, restarted time and created a radiation flash to wipe any electronic devices in the room. Of course, the radiation flash outraged the lawyers and his accuser, resulting in them storming out of the room and promising to go the media. Unfazed, Chronos strolled out of the building and planned to head home, when he saw a plume of smoke and heard smashing a few blocks over.
Cruthu and Jessica/Ga-In
Creeped out by the Zorgologists, Cruthu used her powers awe and intimidate them, but was less successful than she had hoped. Relying on brute force, Cruthu removed herself and Jessica/Ga-In from the compound and left the cultists to fend for themselves. Needless to say, when the Protectors discovered this while they speaking at a press conference, they were unimpressed and expressed their displeasure.
Cruthu and Jessica/Ga-In started to defend themselves at the Protector’s press conference, but were called away by an emergency in downtown L.A.
Golden Hammer
After listening to Freedom Flare explain that after a Zorgologist sponsored rehab session he had a blackout and then discovered that his wife had been murdered, Golden Hammer contacted the authorities and sold Freedom Flare out. A.L.P.H.A. agents arrived on scene and GH flirted with Director Cleopatra Stone for a while before being informed of the incident occurring downtown. Cleopatra offered him a lift and he took it.
Pulsar and the People’s Revolutionary Action Front
The downtown disturbance was Pulsar, a time-lost Soviet Super-Soldier, and a group of self-styled (and very well armed) revolutionaries attacking the ‘Bailout Boutique,’ a boutique owned by the spouses of several important bankers. Being a true believer, Pulsar particularly hates Golden Hammer for selling out the Communist cause.
StarGuard arrived on the scene and, in the resulting chaos:
• Pulsar got away with loot
• The revolutionaries were captured, but they way their vehicle was take down damaged several building and dozens of Occupy L.A. protestors
• One of Chronos’ duplicates stole some of the loot and fenced it at a nearby ‘cash for gold’ shop
Aftermath
As the PCs attempted to say it was a good day’s work, the tape showing Jessica/Ga-In’s crippling of a surrendered foe was given the press, a lawsuit against Chronos was filed and a flock of Zorgologists formed a vigil outside of StarGuard HQ.
Good Times.
