Ugly Ghost Squad #25 recap
Oct. 6th, 2016 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jkcarrierUgly Ghost Squad #25A
"Blood Ties"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Night Masters:
Malefactor (Antonio Caravaggio)
Trojan Warrior Statues
Metal Harpies
The Vessel
Other NPCs:
Catalina Cartagena
Fernando Cartagena
Cynthia Davenport
Thomas Hedgestrom
Bertrand La Roche
Adventure Modules Used:
Living Legends: "Blood Ties" by John Karnay
Synopsis:
The Ugly Ghost Squad was called in to investigate a bizarre murder in New York City. Acclaimed artist Cynthia Davenport had apparently been transformed into a marble statue and then thrown off the balcony of her hotel room, shattering into pieces on the ground below. The only witness was an obnoxious french artist and critic named Bertrand La Roche, a guest in the same hotel, who could only say that her assailant was a man dressed in black. Thanatos was suspicious when his spirits could not detect Davenport's ghost anywhere in the vicinity, nor in the afterlife.
Davenport and La Roche were in town for the annual "New Masters" art exhibit. The other exhbiting artists were reclusive sculptor Antonio Caravaggio, flamboyant magican/performance artist Thomas Hedgestrom, and painting prodigy Catalina Cartagena (under the ever-watchful eye of her step-father Fernando Cartagena).
Caravaggio hosted a dinner party for his fellow artists the night before the opening of the New Masters exhibit, and the heroes were in attendance as well, just in case the other artists were also being targetted by the unknown killer. La Roche annoyed everyone by loudly complaining about the food, his fellow artists' work, and any other topic that came up. He also boasted about his latest acquisition, an antique book describing the history and rituals of a mysterious occult group called "The Night Masters". Dating back to the 16th century, the group allegedly included many influential artists and philosophers of the day, including (according to La Roche) members of his own family, as well as those of Caravaggio and Hedgestrom. Hedgestrom, himself a student of the occult, asked if he could get a look at that book, but La Roche refused and eventually left the party in a huff.
The remaining guests joined Caravaggio in his private gallery to witness the unveiling of a priceless art treasure: the 1608 painting "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist" by Michelangelo Merisi ala Caravaggio (Antonio's famous ancestor). The painting had been vandalized in 1991 and had only recently been restored to its original condition.
At that moment, the party was attacked by a group of what appeared to be animated statues of ancient Trojan warriors. They moved to target the guests, and the Ghost Squad stepped in to defend them. The soldiers' marble swords inflicted heavy damage, but the team was eventually able to beat them down. However, in the middle of the melee, a black-clad figured calling himself Malefactor appeared in a puff of smoke. Malefactor attempted to snatch the "St. John" painting, but Thanatos grabbed it first, and the invader could not pry it from his cold, dead hands. Seeing the tide of battle turning against him, the dark-costumed figure chose the better part of valor and teleported away again.
The heroes suspected that these strange events might somehow be connected to the ancient "Night Masters" group. Hedgestrom promised to consult his own occult library and see what he could dig up. However, the next morning, the team learned that both Hedgestrom and La Roche had disappeared from their respective hotel rooms during the night. Examining Hedgestrom's room, the squad found documents relating to the Night Masters, including a reference to some sort of ritual that required the presence of members of the group's bloodline, as well as certain unidentified artifacts.
Caravaggio and Cartagena insisted that the gallery opening should still go on, if only as a tribute to the missing/dead artists. The heroes were once again on hand, and no one was really surprised when the metal sculptures from Caravaggio's display came to life and started attacking. Caravaggio and Cartagena fled the scene, as the team went to battle. As they fought the metal "Harpies", Malefactor appeared once more, and made a grab for Catalina Cartagena. Before he could disappear with the girl, the Black Panther managed to grab hold of them, and was carried along as they teleported away.
The three of them appeared in a strange chamber, decorated with occult symbols and familiar items that had belonged to the various missing artists. Also chained to an altar were the artists themselves, including Cynthia Davenport -- it turned out she was kidnapped, not killed, and a marble fascimile was left in her place to throw off pursuit.
Malefactor removed his mask to reveal the face of Antonio Caravaggio. He was determined to revive the Night Masters cult by performing the ancient ritual referenced in Hedgestrom's texts and La Roche's book. He had planned to use his fellow artists -- all descendents of Night Masters -- as sacrifices to complete the spell. But as he battled the Black Panther, Caravaggio realized he was not going to win, and slit his own wrists to finish the ritual as a final act of defiance.
Just as the other squad members arrived, the spilled blood summoned a demonic creature made of cloth, metal, and rotted flesh, known to the Night Masters as "The Vessel". The beast assaulted the team with powerful tentacles and blasts of molten metal, pushing them to their limits. But in the end, the Ghost Squad triumphed, destroying the demon, rescuing the artists, and preventing the reformation of the Night Masters (or so they hoped...)
Memorable Quotes:
"Is it just me, or is this guy a little creepy?" Martian Manhunter, referring to Fernando Cartagena's excessive Trump-like interest in his sexy stepdaughter.
Sources and References:
None for this adventure
--
Ugly Ghost Squad #25B
"Exposed"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Wizard and his Frightful Six:
Black Hole
Drom the Backwards Man
Equinox
Klaw
Man-Killer
Other NPCs:
Juan Donovan
Iron Man
Kang (behind the scenes)
Adventure Modules Used:
DC Heroes: "Exposed", author unknown
Synopsis:
Bored one afternoon, the Ugly Ghost Squad was flipping tv channels when they came across a live special starring tabloid tv "journalist" Juan Donovan. Donovan claimed to have found a vault belonging to the notorious time-traveling villain Kang. But when workers blasted open the vault, it appeared to be empty. Further examination revealed a single tape cassette, whose label indicated that it held the true identities and other secrets of the superhero team known as the Avengers. Donovan became very excited and vowed to reveal the tape's contents on the next day's show.
Former Avengers Captain America and Black Panther were not overly concerned, since their identities were public knowledge anyway. But they got a call from their former teammate Iron Man. He explained that the Avengers were tied up in a battle with Thanos, and asked if the Ghost Squad could do something to prevent the broadcast, since there were other Avengers who still might be endangered if their secrets got out.
The team went to Donovan's tv studio and tried to intimidate him into surrendering the tape. He refused, citing "the public's right to know", as well as what a ratings bonanza the show was going to be.
Before they could press the issue further, a team of supervillains led by the high-tech Wizard invaded the studio, hoping to get the tape themselves. The gravity-sucking Black Hole, energy-draining Drom, temperature-controlling Equinox, sonic-powered Klaw, and amazonian Man-Killer put up a good fight, but the heroes were triumphant.
However, Juan Donovan refused to press charges against the villains and made both teams a proposition: Both groups would appear on his show tomorrow, and give arguments why they should be allowed to have the tape. Donovan's audience would vote on which side made the best case. The Wizard and his crew thought this was a great idea, and the heroes eventually, reluctantly agreed.
The next day, the two teams appeared live in the studio to make their pitch. The debate was going badly for the heroes, as the villains seemed to know exactly what to say to push the viewers' buttons -- a combination of high-minded rhetoric about "freedom of information", sympathetic personal stories, and audience flattery that proved very effective.
The Martian Manhunter realized that someone was feeding lines to the villains, and ghosted behind them to remove their earpieces. Cut off from his "speechwriter", the Wizard became flustered and tongue-tied, and finally admitted that the real reason he wanted the tape was so he could threaten the Avengers' loved ones. Realizing that the jig was up, the villains attacked again, trying to take the tape by force. Once again, the Ghost Squad beat them down. Donovan surrendered the tape to the heroes, satisfied that he'd at least gotten another top-rated show out of the deal, and the Avengers' secrets were secure once more.
Memorable Quotes:
"We don't have television in Wakanda." - Black Panther, explaining why he didn't care if Donovan exposed the Avengers' secrets.
Sources and References:
This was originally a DC Heroes adventure, full of goofy DC villains. But since we just had a DC-heavy adventure last week, I substituted goofy Marvel villains.
Black Hole:
Morton Kribbee was struck by a grain of dwarf star matter, causing a large hole to appear in the middle of his chest. Like a black hole in space, it could suck objects into itself with irresistable gravity. Black Hole was part of a team of assassins sent to kill Howard the Duck (who was running for President at the time), but he was thwarted by the Defenders.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Morton_Kribbee_(Earth-616)
Juan Donovan:
Of course, Juan is a parody of sleazy tv talk show host Geraldo Rivera.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldo_Rivera
Drom the Backwards Man:
Shortly after he was born, some unexplained phenomenon caused Drom to transform into an old man, and he began aging backwards (as well as speaking backwards). Anything he touched would disintegrate from old age. He found that he could slow down the de-aging process by absorbing energy from other people. Super-heroes turned out to be an especially good source of energy, and he tried to drain the power from Spider-Man and Iron Fist. But they were able to defeat him, and Drom rapidly turned into a child, a baby, a fetus, and then disappeared completely.
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/drombackwardsmansm.htm
Equinox:
see notes for issue #7
Iron Man:
Surely needs no introduction. But here's one anyway:
https://youtu.be/9EBar7BK8Mk
Kang:
A time-traveler from the 30th century, Kang has made multiple attempts to conquer the "primitive" 20th century with his futuristic technology. But he always gets thwarted by the Avengers or other heroes. He was originally believed to be connected somehow to Dr. Doom, but it was later revealed that he was a desendent of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Nathaniel_Richards_(Kang)_(Earth-6311)
Klaw:
Scientist Ulysses Klaw created a device that could transform sound into solid matter. He needed the rare metal Vibranium for his experiments, and he took a group of mercenaries to the nation of Wakanda to steal some. In the ensuing battle, Klaw killed the Wakandan king, T'Chaka. T'Chaka's son, the young Black Panter, in turn used one of Klaw's sound-weapons to drive off the mercenaries, shattering one of Klaw's hands in the process. Klaw replaced his missing hand with a sonic cannon (and later transformed himself into a creature of pure sound), and came back to fight the Panther, the Fantastic Four, and other heroes over the years.
http://marvel.com/universe/Klaw
Man-Killer:
Katrina Luisa Van Horne was a championship skier who was crippled in a mishap during a race (the other skier, a man, had "accidentally" knocked Van Horne off-course and into a ravine when he couldn't face the idea of being beaten by a woman). Van Horne was approached by a group of militant feminists who supplied her with an armored exoskeleton that restored her mobility and increased her strength to superhuman levels. Eager for revenge against all men, Van Horne joined the terrorist group and fought against Spider-Man and the Cat. Since then, she's become less ideological and more of a standard mercenary, working for various villain groups.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/man-killer/4005-14575/
The Wizard:
You've battled him before, in issues #3 and #6. Just like in the comics, he keeps coming back with "new and improved" versions of his Frightful Four team, hoping that this time he's got the magic combination that will allow him to win. Don't stop believin', Wiz.
"Blood Ties"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Night Masters:
Malefactor (Antonio Caravaggio)
Trojan Warrior Statues
Metal Harpies
The Vessel
Other NPCs:
Catalina Cartagena
Fernando Cartagena
Cynthia Davenport
Thomas Hedgestrom
Bertrand La Roche
Adventure Modules Used:
Living Legends: "Blood Ties" by John Karnay
Synopsis:
The Ugly Ghost Squad was called in to investigate a bizarre murder in New York City. Acclaimed artist Cynthia Davenport had apparently been transformed into a marble statue and then thrown off the balcony of her hotel room, shattering into pieces on the ground below. The only witness was an obnoxious french artist and critic named Bertrand La Roche, a guest in the same hotel, who could only say that her assailant was a man dressed in black. Thanatos was suspicious when his spirits could not detect Davenport's ghost anywhere in the vicinity, nor in the afterlife.
Davenport and La Roche were in town for the annual "New Masters" art exhibit. The other exhbiting artists were reclusive sculptor Antonio Caravaggio, flamboyant magican/performance artist Thomas Hedgestrom, and painting prodigy Catalina Cartagena (under the ever-watchful eye of her step-father Fernando Cartagena).
Caravaggio hosted a dinner party for his fellow artists the night before the opening of the New Masters exhibit, and the heroes were in attendance as well, just in case the other artists were also being targetted by the unknown killer. La Roche annoyed everyone by loudly complaining about the food, his fellow artists' work, and any other topic that came up. He also boasted about his latest acquisition, an antique book describing the history and rituals of a mysterious occult group called "The Night Masters". Dating back to the 16th century, the group allegedly included many influential artists and philosophers of the day, including (according to La Roche) members of his own family, as well as those of Caravaggio and Hedgestrom. Hedgestrom, himself a student of the occult, asked if he could get a look at that book, but La Roche refused and eventually left the party in a huff.
The remaining guests joined Caravaggio in his private gallery to witness the unveiling of a priceless art treasure: the 1608 painting "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist" by Michelangelo Merisi ala Caravaggio (Antonio's famous ancestor). The painting had been vandalized in 1991 and had only recently been restored to its original condition.
At that moment, the party was attacked by a group of what appeared to be animated statues of ancient Trojan warriors. They moved to target the guests, and the Ghost Squad stepped in to defend them. The soldiers' marble swords inflicted heavy damage, but the team was eventually able to beat them down. However, in the middle of the melee, a black-clad figured calling himself Malefactor appeared in a puff of smoke. Malefactor attempted to snatch the "St. John" painting, but Thanatos grabbed it first, and the invader could not pry it from his cold, dead hands. Seeing the tide of battle turning against him, the dark-costumed figure chose the better part of valor and teleported away again.
The heroes suspected that these strange events might somehow be connected to the ancient "Night Masters" group. Hedgestrom promised to consult his own occult library and see what he could dig up. However, the next morning, the team learned that both Hedgestrom and La Roche had disappeared from their respective hotel rooms during the night. Examining Hedgestrom's room, the squad found documents relating to the Night Masters, including a reference to some sort of ritual that required the presence of members of the group's bloodline, as well as certain unidentified artifacts.
Caravaggio and Cartagena insisted that the gallery opening should still go on, if only as a tribute to the missing/dead artists. The heroes were once again on hand, and no one was really surprised when the metal sculptures from Caravaggio's display came to life and started attacking. Caravaggio and Cartagena fled the scene, as the team went to battle. As they fought the metal "Harpies", Malefactor appeared once more, and made a grab for Catalina Cartagena. Before he could disappear with the girl, the Black Panther managed to grab hold of them, and was carried along as they teleported away.
The three of them appeared in a strange chamber, decorated with occult symbols and familiar items that had belonged to the various missing artists. Also chained to an altar were the artists themselves, including Cynthia Davenport -- it turned out she was kidnapped, not killed, and a marble fascimile was left in her place to throw off pursuit.
Malefactor removed his mask to reveal the face of Antonio Caravaggio. He was determined to revive the Night Masters cult by performing the ancient ritual referenced in Hedgestrom's texts and La Roche's book. He had planned to use his fellow artists -- all descendents of Night Masters -- as sacrifices to complete the spell. But as he battled the Black Panther, Caravaggio realized he was not going to win, and slit his own wrists to finish the ritual as a final act of defiance.
Just as the other squad members arrived, the spilled blood summoned a demonic creature made of cloth, metal, and rotted flesh, known to the Night Masters as "The Vessel". The beast assaulted the team with powerful tentacles and blasts of molten metal, pushing them to their limits. But in the end, the Ghost Squad triumphed, destroying the demon, rescuing the artists, and preventing the reformation of the Night Masters (or so they hoped...)
Memorable Quotes:
"Is it just me, or is this guy a little creepy?" Martian Manhunter, referring to Fernando Cartagena's excessive Trump-like interest in his sexy stepdaughter.
Sources and References:
None for this adventure
--
Ugly Ghost Squad #25B
"Exposed"
Played 10/1/2016
Roll Call:
Black Panther
Captain America
Martian Manhunter
Thanatos
Experience Level: 10
Enemies Fought:
The Wizard and his Frightful Six:
Black Hole
Drom the Backwards Man
Equinox
Klaw
Man-Killer
Other NPCs:
Juan Donovan
Iron Man
Kang (behind the scenes)
Adventure Modules Used:
DC Heroes: "Exposed", author unknown
Synopsis:
Bored one afternoon, the Ugly Ghost Squad was flipping tv channels when they came across a live special starring tabloid tv "journalist" Juan Donovan. Donovan claimed to have found a vault belonging to the notorious time-traveling villain Kang. But when workers blasted open the vault, it appeared to be empty. Further examination revealed a single tape cassette, whose label indicated that it held the true identities and other secrets of the superhero team known as the Avengers. Donovan became very excited and vowed to reveal the tape's contents on the next day's show.
Former Avengers Captain America and Black Panther were not overly concerned, since their identities were public knowledge anyway. But they got a call from their former teammate Iron Man. He explained that the Avengers were tied up in a battle with Thanos, and asked if the Ghost Squad could do something to prevent the broadcast, since there were other Avengers who still might be endangered if their secrets got out.
The team went to Donovan's tv studio and tried to intimidate him into surrendering the tape. He refused, citing "the public's right to know", as well as what a ratings bonanza the show was going to be.
Before they could press the issue further, a team of supervillains led by the high-tech Wizard invaded the studio, hoping to get the tape themselves. The gravity-sucking Black Hole, energy-draining Drom, temperature-controlling Equinox, sonic-powered Klaw, and amazonian Man-Killer put up a good fight, but the heroes were triumphant.
However, Juan Donovan refused to press charges against the villains and made both teams a proposition: Both groups would appear on his show tomorrow, and give arguments why they should be allowed to have the tape. Donovan's audience would vote on which side made the best case. The Wizard and his crew thought this was a great idea, and the heroes eventually, reluctantly agreed.
The next day, the two teams appeared live in the studio to make their pitch. The debate was going badly for the heroes, as the villains seemed to know exactly what to say to push the viewers' buttons -- a combination of high-minded rhetoric about "freedom of information", sympathetic personal stories, and audience flattery that proved very effective.
The Martian Manhunter realized that someone was feeding lines to the villains, and ghosted behind them to remove their earpieces. Cut off from his "speechwriter", the Wizard became flustered and tongue-tied, and finally admitted that the real reason he wanted the tape was so he could threaten the Avengers' loved ones. Realizing that the jig was up, the villains attacked again, trying to take the tape by force. Once again, the Ghost Squad beat them down. Donovan surrendered the tape to the heroes, satisfied that he'd at least gotten another top-rated show out of the deal, and the Avengers' secrets were secure once more.
Memorable Quotes:
"We don't have television in Wakanda." - Black Panther, explaining why he didn't care if Donovan exposed the Avengers' secrets.
Sources and References:
This was originally a DC Heroes adventure, full of goofy DC villains. But since we just had a DC-heavy adventure last week, I substituted goofy Marvel villains.
Black Hole:
Morton Kribbee was struck by a grain of dwarf star matter, causing a large hole to appear in the middle of his chest. Like a black hole in space, it could suck objects into itself with irresistable gravity. Black Hole was part of a team of assassins sent to kill Howard the Duck (who was running for President at the time), but he was thwarted by the Defenders.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Morton_Kribbee_(Earth-616)
Juan Donovan:
Of course, Juan is a parody of sleazy tv talk show host Geraldo Rivera.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldo_Rivera
Drom the Backwards Man:
Shortly after he was born, some unexplained phenomenon caused Drom to transform into an old man, and he began aging backwards (as well as speaking backwards). Anything he touched would disintegrate from old age. He found that he could slow down the de-aging process by absorbing energy from other people. Super-heroes turned out to be an especially good source of energy, and he tried to drain the power from Spider-Man and Iron Fist. But they were able to defeat him, and Drom rapidly turned into a child, a baby, a fetus, and then disappeared completely.
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/drombackwardsmansm.htm
Equinox:
see notes for issue #7
Iron Man:
Surely needs no introduction. But here's one anyway:
https://youtu.be/9EBar7BK8Mk
Kang:
A time-traveler from the 30th century, Kang has made multiple attempts to conquer the "primitive" 20th century with his futuristic technology. But he always gets thwarted by the Avengers or other heroes. He was originally believed to be connected somehow to Dr. Doom, but it was later revealed that he was a desendent of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Nathaniel_Richards_(Kang)_(Earth-6311)
Klaw:
Scientist Ulysses Klaw created a device that could transform sound into solid matter. He needed the rare metal Vibranium for his experiments, and he took a group of mercenaries to the nation of Wakanda to steal some. In the ensuing battle, Klaw killed the Wakandan king, T'Chaka. T'Chaka's son, the young Black Panter, in turn used one of Klaw's sound-weapons to drive off the mercenaries, shattering one of Klaw's hands in the process. Klaw replaced his missing hand with a sonic cannon (and later transformed himself into a creature of pure sound), and came back to fight the Panther, the Fantastic Four, and other heroes over the years.
http://marvel.com/universe/Klaw
Man-Killer:
Katrina Luisa Van Horne was a championship skier who was crippled in a mishap during a race (the other skier, a man, had "accidentally" knocked Van Horne off-course and into a ravine when he couldn't face the idea of being beaten by a woman). Van Horne was approached by a group of militant feminists who supplied her with an armored exoskeleton that restored her mobility and increased her strength to superhuman levels. Eager for revenge against all men, Van Horne joined the terrorist group and fought against Spider-Man and the Cat. Since then, she's become less ideological and more of a standard mercenary, working for various villain groups.
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/man-killer/4005-14575/
The Wizard:
You've battled him before, in issues #3 and #6. Just like in the comics, he keeps coming back with "new and improved" versions of his Frightful Four team, hoping that this time he's got the magic combination that will allow him to win. Don't stop believin', Wiz.
