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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 3, 2021 4:29:01 GMT
April 19, 1940 The Caves
The Justice Society rode out! In two unmarked cars, down lonely country roads, from the Trager farmhouse to the American Aircraft Works factory & grounds. Security guards stopped them at the main gates, but Bart and Doris had government clearance for them to come and go.
As they emerged from the cars, they were the spies, Bart Regan and Doris West, both in fresh combat fatigues. Bart had another sub-machine gun and Doris had a pair of automatic pistols, but also big Bowie knives for close combat. "Like last time, we can't lead with gunfire," Doris said. "I know it hurt us last time, but we have zero chance of sneaking in if we go in shooting."
Zatara had a similar outfit and knife, but without the firearms.
The Sandman had his weird gas mask on, but also only a green shirt, blue slacks, and his yellow gloves, with a pair of belts around his waist, each holding a gun.
Hawkgirl wore her modified Hawkman outfit, minus of course Hawkman's missing wings. She had a machete and knife.
Rex wore his Hour-Man costume, with just a few tears in it from last time.
They made their way through darkness across the acres of empty grounds between hangars, until they passed the northernmost abandoned hangar, and then further past that, turning on a flashlight only to make sure they did not stumble over the cliff. Instead they made their way around it and came down towards the lone cave mouth that led south under the cliff.
And that was when they were ambushed!
Three nearly naked men with snake heads and elongated necks leapt out of the darkness into their midst -- one tried to bite Hour-Man and missed, one stumbled while approaching the Sandman, and one bit Bart Regan, but it was a grazing bite that only tore through his fatigues.
((Surprise turn over -- first regular turn intentions?))
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 3, 2021 16:25:40 GMT
Rex says, " well this case got worse. What evil mad doctor sorcery is this. I thought Mary shelly's book about Frankenstein was for laughs. Lets be careful in case they are poisonous. " Rex pulls his knife to defend himself and will look for an opening to stab one. If there is time with his scientific mind can he identify the type of snake head they are, poisonous or non poisonous.
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 4, 2021 16:01:17 GMT
The snake men continued to press their advantage from the ambush, attacking the same three men, but this time all three heroes were ready for them and kept those deadly-looking fangs at bay. They were definitely real snake heads and not costumes!
Zatara echoed Hour-Man's warnings to the group. "Don't be afraid! There's no reason to assume these are supernatural and not some victims of mad science, as the Hour-Man says!"
Hour-Man happened to be something of an expert on snakes, having frequently used snake venom in his experiments. They looked like venomous timber rattlesnakes -- though enlarged to the size of human heads.
"You sure it's not time to start shooting yet?" Bart asked loudly, as he swung the butt of his gun into the snake man attacking him ((he hit for 2 dmg)).
"Let's see if they're as tough as they look first," Doris said as she tried and failed to pistol whip the snake man on Bart.
Zatara tried to stab the one on Sandman with his silver dagger, but missed by an inch.
The Sandman had both guns out, but tried to pistol whip the one in front of him ((hitting, but for a measly 1 point of damage)).
Hawkgirl moved to Hour-Man's aid with her machete, but the flat of her blade only grazed the scales of the snake man.
Hour-Man had his knife out and thrust, but missed by two whole inches.
"Look out!" Hawkgirl cried, for three more snake men were coming from the cave mouth now!
"Guns?" Bart asked.
Doris sighed. "I guess we go in shooting..." she said ((stating her next turn intentions)).
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 8, 2021 17:19:49 GMT
Hourman comments, " well this might be a short trip after all. Guns blazing it is." Hourman goes to full defense, parry and lets the pistol and tommy gun do their diligence.
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 9, 2021 5:21:03 GMT
((You might be right. Darn dice rolls!))
The snake men were fast and the three that had just emerged from the cave mouth charged into melee in no time!
One of them bit Zatara ((for 3 dmg)), and it looked like it sank venom in.
One of them bit the Sandman ((for 5 dmg)), but did not hold the bite long enough to inject venom.
One of them bit Hawkgirl ((for 1 dmg)), and it looked like it sank venom in.
One of them stumbled backwards to escape Hour-Man's knife.
The two attacking Bart and Doris dodged out of the way as the guns started blazing.
Zatara and Hour-Man were both stuck on the defensive.
Hawkgirl scratched her opponent with her knife ((1 dmg)).
The Sandman still couldn't bring himself to shoot, so he pistol whipped his foe even harder ((5 dmg)), moderately hurting it.
Bart took a few shots, but mostly up into the air and only made one glancing hit ((1 dmg)).
Doris shot her opponent once ((5 dmg)), moderately injuring it.
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 11, 2021 19:15:08 GMT
Hour-man realizes this non powered mode cannot continue. He activates his gets tough power and proceeds to go to work on these snake men. He yells out, " zatarra and hawkgirl may have been poisoned they may not last long. "
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 12, 2021 3:56:35 GMT
A lot of things all happened at once.
Zatara and Hawkgirl tried to step back out of the melee.
Sandman and Bart were stuck on the defensive.
Doris shot her foe, seriously wounding it ((for 6 dmg)).
Hour-Man finally punched his foe, but it was a glancing hit ((2 dmg)), lightly injuring it.
Sandman got bit, but it was just a scratch ((2 dmg)).
Bart was mobbed by two of them and they both bit him ((6 dmg)).
Doris got bit ((5 dmg)), but the wound bled so bad it probably washed the venom right out.
Even Hour-Man was bit! ((4 dmg)) He could almost feel the venom sinking in...
"Sssurender!" one of them said in surprisingly good English. "It isss your only chanssse for thossse bitten..."
"I think we have to, guys!" Doris said. "We're losing this one too!"
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 12, 2021 22:57:54 GMT
Get tough gives hourman temporary hitpoints bonus to attack and damage yes?
( even with this) Hourman stops and says, " you win for now and drops his knife. Save the others or let me assist with antivenom."
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 13, 2021 6:16:14 GMT
((Yes, yes, and yes. And it will last a while longer because we are in exploration turns now.))
The snake man who spoke English shouted something that sounded a lot like a rattlesnake's rattle, and the other five snake men backed off.
One by one, the Heroes dropped or holstered their weapons.
"Good," said the snake man. "You lisstened. You need usss to sssave you, but we alssso need you. You come with usss and I will explain. You will not need your potionsss..." he said, dismissing the Sandman as he produced the society's only vial of antivenom.
Zatara was the first to need help walking and felt feverish. The Sandman helped him into the cave mouth as the snake men herded the heroes inside...
((Assuming Hour-Man goes with them -- to be continued!))
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 13, 2021 15:33:54 GMT
Hour-man will follow. Using his chemistry training he will see if this is anti venom that is being used to heal his friends
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 15, 2021 6:04:25 GMT
The cave led into what looked like a natural tunnel, quickly widening in circumference as it sloped down and went further south and then southwest. By the time it was 40' in, the tunnel was 15' wide and 12' high, and looked like it opened into an even wider cavern to the south just past that. The cave stank of bat guano, which liberally coated the floor.
The cavern was 40' wide east-west and longer north-south than anyone could see. Small fires illuminated the portion of the cavern they could see. Two smaller snake men were chasing each other around the cavern. Snake children? A very fat snake man sat in a chair sitting on a fat stalagmite.
The snake men talked in their rattling tongue, and the one that spoke English spoke to the fat one in the crude throne. The fat snake man bellowed and three of the snake men ran around, fetching bags that sloshed like waterskins.
By then, both Zatara and Hawkgirl were shaky on their feet.
"Zatara, can your magic tell what their intentions really are?" The Sandman asked.
"There are spells like that, but I don't have them," Zatara answered gravely. "We're going to have to hope they aren't planning on giving us something that makes the poison work faster..."
"Just a minute," Hour-Man said, stopping one of the snake men with a waterskin. He asked if he could examine the contents. It clearly wasn't any commercially available antivenom. It smelled like spoilt milk. The smell was so overpowering that there was no way to identify the ingredients by smell so that left...tasting.
Hour-Man volunteered to taste it first. It definitely tasted like spoilt milk, but underneath that was the earthy sweetness of tumeric, and that was a natural antivenom.
With an approving nod to the others, the skins were passed around...
((To be continued!))
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 15, 2021 19:03:22 GMT
Hour-man takes the milk skin and sees what happens
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 16, 2021 6:35:44 GMT
Hour-Man drank -- and doubled over from serious cramping. He wriggled on the floor and couldn't hold still. And then--
The other heroes started screaming. "Hour-Man!" "He's ...gone!"
But he wasn't. As Hour-Man looked at himself, he couldn't see himself. He was...invisible!
The snake men did not seem surprised. The one that spoke English said, "there can be additional side effects as the poison is consumed."
Hawkgirl volunteered to try it next. She moaned and groaned and clutched her stomach for about five minutes...but then was fine, with no sign of side effects.
Zatara went next. As the antidote took effect on him, the snake man began explaining other things.
"Thessse caves were oursss. Oursss until the man with yellow hair came. He told usss we would ssserve the humansss now. And brought other ssspeciesss to our cavesss, like the rat men. We do not like the rat men. We do not like the humansss. You kill man with yellow hair, all othersss will go away."
((To be continued!))
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Post by dtspurrier on Nov 16, 2021 22:55:05 GMT
Hour-man stands up and turns his flashlight on trying not to scare the group, anyone who jumps he chuckles. Once the team does seem to be moving around he says, "snake leader I am not sure what your species is or where you are from but stopping the rat man leader and the rat man is what we need to do. However us humans have been using the base for a while. So maybe we can compromise. "
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Post by Adminenkainen on Nov 18, 2021 6:29:53 GMT
Zatara was in a lot of pain from the reaction he was having. "My face, it feels like it's on fire!"
"I'm not doing so hot either..." Bart said. "I may have to take a chance with a swig too."
The English speaking snake man translated to the snake leader everything that was said. The snake leader just nodded and flicked his forked tongue at them.
Doris said to Hour-Man, "Rat man leader? The man with the yellow hair...that sounds like the man with no shadow that you described."
The snake man also didn't understand what Hour-Man meant about by "the base" right away, until it was explained this meant on the surface.
"We hatesss the sssurface!" the snake man said. "Sssometimesss we go up there to hunt when it isss dark, but there are ssso many humansss about. Can you make them go away?"
Bart took a swig of the antidote. He also disappeared, like Hour-Man. But not like Hour-Man, because his fatigues and gear were still there and had fallen to the floor!
"Bart?" "Bart?" the other heroes started calling out, but there was no response.
"What did it do to him?" the Sandman asked the snake men.
"There isss no way to know...it can be ssso random..."
The snake men took defensive stances, in case there was going to be renewed fighting...
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