Campus Vigilantes

[-Sentinel-]

OOC thread


September 8th, 9:35 PM


The school year was only starting, bringing a new batch of freshmen into the old red brick buildings of Maxwell University. Most of them had heard of the venerable establishment's ill repute — the high crime rate of the surrounding neighborhoods, the strange incidents that happened almost every week, even the odd disappearance. Still, they came; some because it was cheaper than the better known universities, others because it was close to their homes, a few because their friends all went there, and a handful because they were inexplicably attracted to the creaking floors and dusty bookshelves of the hundred-year-old college.

There was a strange, almost mystical quality to Maxwell: despite its infamy as a dangerous place, its students were fiercely loyal to it and came back year after year, some even turning down scholarships from prestigious colleges. A disproportionate number chose to stay as postgrads and teachers, while the rest graduated with the strange certainty that the best years of their lives were now behind them.

Few were more loyal to Maxwell than its small, tightly-knit community of vigilante defenders — students who went to class during the day and patrolled the campus during the night. They alone knew the extent of the supernatural threats looming over the college. They alone had the knowledge and the will to fight back, without pay or recognition of any sort. It was a hard, thankless job, but someone had to do it.

The defenders had not been idle during the summer. Even those who went home remained busy training for combat or searching the Web for information that might aid them in their vigil. Matthew Gunz, the team's computer geek, had emailed his friends dozens of videos, courtesy of Network Zero. Christian Barber, student at the police academy, had invited them to several games at the local paintball club to teach them marksmanship, test their nerves and wits, and try out some tactics. When the vigilantes came back to Maxwell in September, they felt more ready than ever.

It was a cool, rainy Friday evening. The smell of autumn was already in the air. In the room assigned by the school to the vaguely-named “RPG & Movie Club”, half a dozen vigilantes sat on the couches and chairs, relaxing and talking. A coffeemaker was slowly filling. Network Zero's webcast was reporting about an elderly woman from Seattle found delirious and amnesiac in the New Mexico desert, a series of unexplained cattle stampedes in Nebraska, and a homeless New Yorker arrested for possession of an ID card claiming he was born in 1889, but all was quiet on the Chicago front since the school year began.

This could not possibly last.


OOC note:

Spoiler

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I use the past tense and third person (as in a novel) by personal preference, but you don't have to do the same.

I'm giving you some time to discuss in-character: what you did this summer, your plans for the school year, etc. I first want to get a feel of the characters.

The PC's are not necessarily the only members of the vigilante group. They're just the ones who happen to be present right now, and the ones who will be swept up by the first story's plot.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon lounged on in one of the chairs, his feet up on another that he dragged over. His head is down on his chest, his eyes closed, and he would seem to be sleeping to anyone who didn't know him. To those around him, however, it was perfectly obvious that he was awake and cognizant of what was going on. "So, what'd you guys do over the summer? I got the e-mails, but being out east, well..."

[Misaat]

Matthew sits quietly on his little "shop" at the corner of the room. He starts cutting a large PVC pipe while talking to Neil.

" So ... you gather around a table and play with dice. I got it... But what are the graphic's like? "

Then he turn's his head to answer Leon's question.

" Meh... Not much. Been surfing the Net mostly . I have found 12 New sites about Documented Paranormal activity's, 27 New indie games i'm interested on.... and 138 Porn Sites... It was a lucrative summer to say the least... "

Spoiler

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To Rasje: Matthew's asking Neil about Tabletop gaming since the only RPG's he has played had been on the Computer XD

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"One hundred thirty-eight? I'da figured most people would make do with just one or two. Seems like the rest of the country's going nuts. Wonder when something interesting's gonna happen here."

[Rasje]

Neil returned from the tiny, battered fridge in the corner, one of his early contributions to the 'club', a couple bottles of beer in hand. He put them down on the table before sinking into a chair. His chair. He looked content to be back. Adjusting his glasses, he grabbed a beer, and set to socializing.

"Uh, went to visit with my folks." He took a swig from his drink. "Was good. Met up with some old friends." He looked thoughtful for a moment, his brow creasing in a frown. "Probably shouldn't have, come to think of it."

He turned to answer Matt: "Uh. High-definition in my case. Great imagination. Comes with the field."

On the subject of gentlemen's special interest websites, Neil murmurs his agreement with Leon, while taking another swig of his drink.

[Misaat]

Matthew leaves the pipes on his desk and takes out the laptop from his backpack.

" Well there was nothing last time i checked... At least nothing more interesting than a couple rumor's on the Forum's and some small news report's far from here... But i guess i could check again this things get posted like every second or so... "


Then he looks at the beer on the table.

" Don't we have any Mountain Dew left?"

And suddenly he stares at the monitor frozen with his mouth wide open.

" I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! "

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon looks up when he hears bottles clinking. "Sweet." He levers himself out of his chair and grabs a beer off the table. He returns to his seat, opening his beer as does so. He doesn't even look up at Matthew's outburst, taking his time to relish the first sip. "What's got you worked up now?"

[Misaat]

" MINUS EFFECT 4 got it's release date! Time for a Pre-Order! "

He say's as he continues to tap the key's on his notebook.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon shakes his head. "See, this is why I barely look up any more. What were you working on with those pipes, anyway?"

[Misaat]

" Ahhhh! Good that you asked! Have you ever heard of a Blunderbuss? "

Matthew asks with a grin on his face while looking up from his computer.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon takes another swig from his beer. Some sort of old gun, right? Big, muzzle-loaded, obvious compensation for something. What about it?"

[Misaat]

" Mmmm. Sort off... But not quite. The Blunderbuss is ,in simple terms, the ancestor to the shotgun. And it's fairly easy to build... at least for me... One of them loaded with the adequate bunch of silver pellet's might even be able to stop a werewolf dead on it's tracks. It would only be good for one shot though so i'll probably need to make a couple for when we need them... The good part is no one would suspect we where carrying actual functioning 18th century weapons with us so we can just disguise them as prop's for our movie's! "

Matthew explains rather excitedly.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Didn't all 18th century fire-arms use black powder? And you're building them out of PVC. I see this ending hilariously. For everyone except whoever's holding one of those things."

[Misaat]

"I'll be fine..Probably... PVC is fairly resistant ... And i did say only one shot! And black powder is just a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. Nothing i can't sneak out of the lab... "

He says shrugging

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"It's not reusability I'm concerned about. I'm not convinced PVC can stand up to a blackpowder explosion. I could be wrong, of course, but still. Just be careful with it, alright? I like a good explosion as much as the next guy, probably more, but not when they injure my friends."

[Misaat]

" Don't worry i'll test it... It mostly depends on the amount of powder used though. Too much of it could even eat through a steel pipe... "

And after that he turns again to his computer.

Spoiler

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Should i roll computer use to search for things that happened around campus?

[Marx]

Lillian slips into the clubhouse, soy latte in one hand as she shuts the door with the other. She enters just in time to hear her friends discuss inevitably blowing off their hands with zip guns.

"Matthew, I don't think I have quite enough training just yet to sew one of your hands back on if you're wrong about the PCV. If you're gonna try using that thing, maybe you try it near St. Mary's?"

Lil says this in a lighthearted but concerned smile, making her way further into the clubhouse while taking a swig of her latte. She peers over Matthew's shoulder, catching a glimpse of whatever he's researching at the time.

[Rasje]

Neil lifts his beer in greeting when Lillian enters. "Think it'd be tough explaining how you'd gone the way of James the 2nd if they asked too." He chuckled carefully, but it sounded strained. He clearly wasn't sure Matt wasn't still going to try. "Probably best to get boomsticks from more reputable sources, myeah? Not that the 'passing them off as 18th century weapons'-angle wasn't good, just. You know..." He trailed off, seemingly searching for a word. "Impractical."

[Misaat]

" All right all right... I wont make them into shotgun's... for now... Well if it's about something safer i guess i could create some kind of remote controlled mortar. It wouldn't be as practical as carrying a homemade shotgun but it should have the same power... and it might be good for setting up trap's... I'll cross that bridge when i get there... "

Matthew explains to the group as he keep's searching the web.

[SmileyOgre]

The door handled rattled before being flung open with reckless abandon, revealing a well-dressed (possibly overly so) man with well-quaffed hair and sweat on his brow, his chest heaving and his eyes filled with fury... But far from justified fury. The man known as Maxwell Hodge III (or simply "Max") threw his brand-name-over-the-shoulder bag into an empty seat before he began pacing and shouting loudly.

"That man is a monster! A scoundrel! A beast! A tyrant of the highest caliber! I spent all summer researching those damnable beast and practicing my everything and that... FIEND goes and tells me that my Monologue choice was 'solid'?! Solid?! I've never been insulted in all my life!" he said for the twentieth time in the past three months. He plopped down in another chair, arms crossed and pouting for a bit. He took a deep breath before relaxing, "So, how did every one else's vacations go?" the large personality gifted man said with a smile, apparently just needing to vent.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Not bad, though I'm glad to be back. I don't have access to a good lab at home. Now grab a beer and relax."

[SmileyOgre]

"Beer? Nothing but empty calories!" Scoffed Max, just as haughty as he ever as he relaxed... As much as he could, really. He mused over how he took a few hits in the "cool" department, being a member of this silly club, but seemed to enjoy the company none the less.

"Now then, what will the plan be today, mon amis?" Max said in his ever-broken and sporadically used French.

[Rasje]

"The same thing we do every night, Maxxie." Neil intoned dramatically from behind his half-empty bottle of beer. He straightened up in his seat before continuing. "Think Matt is looking for news." He motioned in the direction of Matt sitting with the laptop. "Which would mean an RPG and Movie-related excursion if he finds anything really mysterious." He took another swig from his drink, and looked as jittery as ever at the thought of the Vigil.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon finished his beer. "A rocket-propelled grenade and molotov excursion. That's what it should be. ...What? I like explosions."

[-Sentinel-]

Matthew found no strange events that might be supernatural in nature, but his search led him to some rumors about a small street gang muscling in on the established criminals' territory, near the university. He could find no details about their name, their gang colors or their recent activities.

Someone knocked softly on the door frame. A short, dark-haired girl with light brown skin was standing there, looking ill at ease under everyone's gaze. In her hands was a sealed envelope. She cleared her throat.

“Excuse me,” she said with a slight accent. “This is the RPG & Movie Club, right? I was told Christian was here?...”

[Misaat]

Matthew looks at the visitor intrigued while he mutters to his teammates.

" Ohhh... A love letter? How Wonder Years... "

[Marx]

Lil gives Matthew a quick slap to the back of his head and walks over to the girl.

"I don't know where Christian is; I thought he'd be here by now, but he might not be back on campus yet. Anything one of us might be able to help you with?"

[SmileyOgre]

"Well, good! Well, not good, but simply interesting would be a good enough word I assume. As much as a gentleman abhors violence one can not sim-" His stopped mid sentence. A new girl! One he didn't recognize! Clearly this was a sign from the Gods above that he was to spend the rest of his days in her sweet embrace as the dawn rises on the Earth he (and the rest of the club he guessed) totally saved yet again!

If any one was watching the hammy auburn-haired man, they still wouldn't be able to explain how how he managed to get that rose in his mouth and slide on over to the young woman with the proposed 'love letter'. Nor how he managed to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt.

On his knees, he proposed: "Oh, my fair-eyed angel, where have you been my whole life...? Forget this silly infatuation with Christian, run away with me to my family's private island! Perhaps not a private island, but an interesting one with only two neighbors to even mention!"

Spoiler

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If this works I'm going to laugh.

(6d10)[4][1][3][4][6][10](28)

[-Sentinel-]

Obviously not used to being talked to this way, the girl was somewhat taken aback by Max's manner. She avoided his gaze and turned to Lillian as if only she could protect her from the strange guy.

“Um. H-hi,” she stammered. “I'm Vishakha. Vishakha Rani. I'm Karen Turner's roommate, I think Christian knows her...”

Everybody on campus knew Karen Turner, Christian especially. She was Maxwell College's chronic troublemaker, with a long record of petty crimes ranging from death threats to drug possession to drunk driving. Last spring, Christian had almost gotten her expelled for vandalism on school grounds, but the investigation had been dropped due to lack of eyewitnesses. Needless to say, there was no love lost between the two of them.

“I was really hoping to find Christian, but...” Vishakha hesitated. “You're friends of his, right? Thing is, last night Karen went out and didn't come back. She doesn't answer her phone. I think she got in trouble. I mean, more trouble than usual. She left me this...”

She handed Lillian the envelope. On the back, a terse message had been scrawled:

Vish, if I'm not back by morning, find Christian Barber and give him this. Tell him I need his help ASAP.

“Karen never asks for other people's help,” said Vishakha, looking genuinely worried. “Think you can help me?”


OOC: Lillian knows Karen as well, as Karen is a regular marijuana user, but their relationship does not extend beyond supplier/buyer.

[Misaat]

Matthew listen's to the girl's plea from his desk and start's to bombard her with question's.


" What's her cellphone Number? Do you know where she went? If she was meeting with someone? Had she been absent before? Am i making too much question's? "

The last he says with a small grin on his face.