Kobold King

Aldo the Enigmatic smiled. "I'd be honored to tell the first tale," he told Traveler warmly. The man looked like he might have a nervous breakdown if asked to go first--he was an oddly flightly person. "Let's see..." Aldo began, recalling memories. "It began four years ago... "Back then I was a lone wolf. Not a thing to tie me down, not a thing to draw me any which way. I spent my days roaming the country, helping out Epics in need of my special talents." "Thrall was one such Epic. He could tear a football stadium out of the earth with one hand, and his fists had pulverized many overly confident opponents. Yes, Thrall was an amazing man in every respect--every respect save intellect." Aldo gave a nervous chuckle. "I know it's not seemly to speak ill of the dead, but Thrall wasn't what you would you would call the lightest gravatonic in the garage. He was strong and he was quick--but he was not clever, and he was not invulnerable. Without those two key traits, he was open game for any Epic with an interest in deposing him. "That's where I came in. I was bored and looking for something to apply myself to. Thrall was looking for a way to not be murdered. So I became his personal bodyguard. Thrall never traveled unless I personally planned out his movements, and no one but he and I could know the path we'd finally take. When he came into a town to demand tribute, I'd stand by his side and let my keen eagle eyes pick out would-be assassins. "I was getting pretty good at my job... until she decided to give the ol' assassination game a try." Aldo had told this story quite a few times before, and now as ever he gave a dramatic pause before continuing. "The Tennessee Sibyl. Potentially the most powerful precog in the Fractured States--if not on the planet. When she stood in a spot, she could see its future laid out like an open book. No plan could account for her. It didn't matter how cunning I was; she'd know my plan's every detail before I did. "With that being the case, I believe it's perfectly understandable that poor Thrall met his end on my watch. We'd just rolled into town under the cover of night, ready to ambush some unsuspecting vanillas... and a distant sniper put a bullet straight between Thrall's eyes. Someone had planted the sniper exactly where he needed to be at exactly the right time. For the Sibyl this was child's play. But I was left clueless. "I was enthralled. Or rather... de-Thralled." Aldo laughed a moment at his own joke before continuing. "I've always been fascinated with remarkable Epics. The Armsman, Night's Sorrow, Earl Greyback... whenever I hear of a new and exciting man with a new and exciting story, I simply cannot rest until I've tracked 'em down and heard everything they have to say. So I was straight on the Sibyl's heels, anxious to hear her story from her own mouth. "At first, she wasn't interested in meeting me. In hindsight, I'm lucky that she didn't just order my execution. But instead, she just ran. She dodged me at every turn. At times, I could have sworn she was staying just within my reach, giving me just enough hope to keep moving forward. "It took me a year and a day--a poeticism that she likely chose on purpose. I'll never know why she finally gave in to meeting me, but I was quite pleased with myself. After a year and a day of constant chasing, I found her in an old trailer park in east Tennessee. "Decided to be a gentleman, I strode up and knocked on her trailer door. I'd never actually seen her, but I knew what to expect from descriptions. Her tired old voice invited me in, and I introduced myself with a bow and a flourish." Aldo smiled fondly. "The sweet old gal had to be in her nineties--and that's a conservative estimate. She hauled the same trailer all over the country with all her family and belongings in tow, scraping out a living for herself however she could. It turned out the snipers she employed were her own grandchildren. She wasn't interested in ruling; her only hobby was eliminating anyone she found particularly bothersome. Apparently poor Thrall just rubbed her the wrong way. "We chatted for a while. I told her all about my old magic show in Nevada; she told me about her childhood, growing up right here in Portland. "Now I'd never been to Oregon by that point, but I knew it was said to be a lovely part of the country. So I asked her why she decided to move. She just smiled at me, telling one of her boys to bring her watercolor case. "She showed me a painting I've never quite forgotten. The old gal had a way with a brush, and the picture she'd drawn up sent a shiver down my spine." Aldo the Enigmatic shifted to a conspiratorial whisper, smiling at Traveler's intent expression. "The painting was called 'What Happened in Oregon.' It was a landscape piece--a piece of the most twisted landscape I'd ever seen. Mile after mile of ashes and devastated countryside. No cities. No trees. No people. Nothing but the ashes left after the greatest carnage the world will ever see." He let the words hang in the air for a dramatic moment before continuing in a slightly louder voice. "That painting has stuck in my mind ever since. After I said my farewell to the Sibyl, I carried on exploring the country. I met my assistant Cricket, and the pair of us toured the country for years. But over the past month, I've found myself increasingly drawn to Oregon. I had to find out what happens. I had to see it unfold for myself. I had to play my own part in this exciting new story. So I talked Cricket into accompanying me on our biggest trip yet. "We came to see what happened in Oregon."

They'll be brought to the edge of town where Reader is kept, where they can be read and their threat level can be determined. There could be a church somewhere around there--Reader could even have his office in a former church, if Mail-me has no objections. I can help justify pretty much anything you need. The biggest obstacle will be convincing Backtrack to peer into Koschei's head again.

I believe Fatebreaker is the one who created Quicksilver. I do not believe we have any random cannon fodder Epics in The Dalles yet. You could draw one from Voidus' exhaustive list on the Epics of Oregon thread, though. You're welcome to kill Sergeant Shoot 'Em Up if you like. He can convert any metal within ten feet of himself into spare bullets, which are magically channeled into whatever gun he's currently holding. His modus operandi? Shooting things.

And now we know why the Doctor is in Portland. ...That does make me wonder, though. If there were an immensely powerful precog standing in a place where Backtrack would someday visit, could the two of them have a conversation with years between them? He can visit the city two years later as an epilogue, in which he throws up profusely.

I like those, actually. You are clearly far more gifted at this than Dalles!Headshot. (I might actually have an Epic called Sergeant Shoot 'Em Up at some point. Something gun-related, I guess. )

I think I'll formally introduce Vondra once Backtrack and the twins meet him. He can be referenced before then, if other players want to get a start.

Icon hereby officialized. So, general question. Would it be better to introduce Stephen Vondra doing his thing now, or should he make his first appearance when Backtrack and the twins meet him? Also, is the Headshot who worked for Koschei the same one who joined the Museum Quartet in Portland?

Only Backtrack can maintain an arch-enmity against a man he's never met who died two years previously.

Please let Koschei have been a DJ please let Koschei have been a DJ please let Koshei have been a DJ...

He could come across Slaughterhouse if you like. And I can bring Karma into the mix soon so they can have a target to trail after.

According to quantum theory, until her first major POV post is up it is simultaneously canon and non-canon at the same time. Yup. Because it's time to see what she can do; to test her limits and break through.

Yup, it's true. Mobius is currently roaming the streets giving a heartfelt rendition of "Let it Go."

Answer: better than Panacea, who would expire from an immediate and lethal stroke.

Just keep repeating "Remington Springfield. Laser-Guided Karma." The mantra should help. How's this as an icon for Stephen Vondra?

When you use the word "badchull" in real life, to your family's perplexion.

That would be cool, but... sell. Kelsier didn't seem to see his religion as a philosophy to be spread on its own merit; it was a weapon against the Lord Ruler. Main antagonists in the Reckoners series will all be evil versions of famous superheroes. Just as Steelheart was evil!Superman, we will see evil!Green Lantern or evil!Professor X as the novels go on.

I forgot all about that. Do we have all the sacrifices lined up already? Or should we negotiate deaths with Joe in PMs, to keep things secretive-like?

I actually don't know enough about the National Guard to answer that question. I would guess inside of town, in a hastily built fort somewhere by the police station. If there had been attacks on the city government by that point, then they might be closer to city hall. Travis could take up employment with the Warriors of Light. I don't have any ideas for Kathy, but maybe Travis could die while snapping a photo of an Epic's weakness in effect? It's a dangerous line of work, after all. Considering the criminal presence in the city, he'd probably keep Edgerunner occupied with spying on Quicksilver's goons or assassinating his minor Epics.

Tears would well in his eyes before he pulled her into a tight embrace, sobbing about all the mistakes he's made in life. Lightwards has a few minor parental issues, but ultimately he'd just be happy to have a clean coat. (Fun fact: Thomas Cardinal's parents both passed away a few years before Calamity, and he took in his mother's terrier as his own pet. The first time he used his power was when the dog got loose from the house and was hit by a car--when the distraught Thomas Cardinal put his hand on the body, it came back to life at his touch.)

Cool. (And he must not be introduced to Upgrade. Ever. ) I'm kind of having fun imagining how a Reader-Backtrack conversation would go.

Reader can divine what Epics' powers are, right? They probably wouldn't let new Epics meet Vondra in person unless Reader signs them off as safe. That way the police can't inadvertently bring someone like CorpseMaker inside to assassinate the mayor.

I imagine Reader's the kind of immensely useful Epic Vondra wouldn't want to risk in the field too much. He probably has his own air-conditioned office at HQ.

You can do either, I s'pose. Whatever you feel would be coolest to write.