Lex Sedet In Vertice: A Supervillain in the DCU CK2 quest

[Gumiho]

[X] Plan Forging Connections
-[X] [Deal] Offer to buy one of Bito's weapons directly
-[X] [Deal] Reveal that Roxanne's boss is wealthy, influential, and in the weapons industry and interested in allying with him.
-[X] [Deal] Offer information on why NATO is in the country, in exchange for getting to see who Bito is dealing with in two hours time.
-[X] [Deal] Offer to help Bito destabilize and destroy the Markovian monarchy in exchange for (for now) only attacking targets Roxanne's boss approves of.
-[X] [Deal] Attempt to find a way to stay in contact with Bito for the future

 

[Simon_Jester]

Hmmm... While I'm anbit wary of triggering the Geo-Force & Terra Origin, lets go with this for how.

Click to shrink...

I don't mind.

From the sound of it, Baron Bedlam is Whisper A'Daire's ally. That makes him, realistically, our enemy, or at least an obstacle to us.

Remember, it's not clear that we need or want to defeat or neutralize all of Team Hero around the world. There are arguments for not doing that. Too many supervillains and global threats are just plain big and crazy, and in too many cases having altruistic do-gooders willing to risk their lives sorting those problems out will be to our advantage.

 

[King crimson]

So some bad news, delays will occur. T.O. Morrow in Russia will occur tomorrow and the update is expected to occur late today

 

[King crimson]

So this is out now. It's relatively small now but this is all the setup before diving into the action. This is important though as what it states is immensely relevant. What is stated in this interlude directly contradicts the file that you obtained (which can be seen in the Interlude: A Bright Future Built on a Hidden Past). This is not an error on my part. The contradictions are intentional as the file obtained is merely what the American intelligence agency had on file. T.O. Morrow proves a few of the statements made there to be wrong. As such I feel like this is a good stopping point as it sets up the future conflict, reveals that there is more going on behind the scenes than the files indicate and sets the tone for future encounters. This interlude series will reveal a lot of secrets and has some major twists that play roles in key elements of the current quest (by the end of this series of interludes, hints towards things like Red Tornado's location, where Ignition got his armor, a bunch of major individuals who are involved in metahuman affairs and more will all come to pass if not be outright stated). I hope you enjoy. Feel free to speculate what is coming in this series and what the secrets that will be revealed might be.

T.O. Morrow in Russia Interlude: For the Human Race
Thomas Oscar Morrow
Thomas hated the Soviet Union. It was a collection of useless jackbooted thugs who misunderstood his genius. They had no sense of the artistry or ideas behind the mechanics, all they saw was a new form of weaponry they could exploit. His work was so much more than that. His androids could improve upon and eventually replace the human race. Already they were far stronger and faster than the average human even with the shoddy working conditions the soviets forced onto him. They constantly told him what to make and how to make it. The men who forced Thomas to work for them were so obtuse and pedantic that they forced him to make all of his androids red and yellow so that they would match the party colors of all things on top of their ridiculous demands. Thomas would soon be rid of them all soon.

Thomas's handler a man only known to him as "Zastrow" was unaware of Thomas's true intentions. He had recently forced Thomas to create the third of his elemental androids, the Red Tornado. Tests had shown that Red Tornado was just as powerful as his previous creations, Red Inferno and Red Torpedo. However unknown to Zastrow was the fact that Thomas had been constructing a fourth even more powerful robot. He had then leaked information on this robot as a "doomsday device" to a few American spies. His work was well known in the superspy community and he figured that the threat would be enough to cause them to do something rash. He'd then have his androids turn on both the American's and the Russians to maximize the chaos of the incident. Then he could obtain what he was after and kill everyone who knew of him before slinking into obscurity to complete his work and replace the human race with a superior form of life. With the relatively recent death of Stalin and rise of Nikita Khrushchev to power now was the ideal time to cause some damage.

Nobody would stand in his way. He had escaped from the US and he would escape from the USSR. And once he was out T.O. Morrow would finally be free to fix the human race and achieve his destiny.

Charles McNider
The news was bad. The DEO had managed to handle all of the supernatural problems of the US Government ever since the end of the Second World War. However new enemies constantly kept popping up and they needed to be put down in order to protect truth, freedom and the American way of life. Charles had done his duty for his government and followed his orders putting down any dissidents who might destabilize the nation. Of course it wasn't that simple anymore. The JSA, problematic and lawless as it was had been the premier American metahuman fighting force. While the DEO had some good agents they were underfunded and severely lacking in the necessary firepower to put down the efforts of the Soviet Union. Wesley did his best and the experimental unit known only as the "Creature Commandos" was certainly promising but when Charles got a call from President Eisenhower at 3 in the morning that the Red Shadows had been developing something terrifying in the Kola Penninsula, Charles knew that it was going to be a major mess. The Red Shadows were the Soviet equivalent to the DEO only instead of regulating the metahumans of the USSR they attempted to collect and create them in order to combat the nation.

Charles knew that Dr. Mid-Nite would once again have to take the field. The might of Steel Wolf, the supernatural power of the vampire Schrek, the explosive might of the malicious Molotov, the cunning mind of Major Zastrow and whatever other secrets they had made for a deadly combination. However the threat came from a defector from the US Government. For half a decade the USSR had been producing androids to fight against the DEO's metahuman operatives. The source of these machines was previously unknown but recent events had revealed that Thomas Oscar Morrow, who was presumed to have died in an American military base, was in fact responsibly for these machines which far outstripped anything else in the world.. Charles began to gather his forces he pulled the neophyte Creature Commando's, Wesley was told to gather his Sandman gear, and he broke out his own tech as well.

He was preparing to inform the President that he had the forces he was willing to deploy when a booming resonant voice emanated from behind him.

"It won't be enough" The voice stated. Charles would have recognized that voice anywhere. The self proclaimed Dr. Fate had a distinct voice that made it sound as if two individuals were speaking at the same time. While Charles had very mixed feelings on the good doctor and he most certainly did not like how Fate seemed to be able to bypass all of his security measures and sneak up on him, still he acknowledged that Dr. Fate's predictions of the future had not once been wrong.

"Then what will I need to do?" Charles irritably questioned.

"Our old comrades are necessary to prevent the end of all life on earth" Dr. Fate responded. That was terrifying. Apparently if this mission went wrong the human race would be wiped out. While Charles had no love for filthy commies he hadn't expected them to be evil enough to want to wipe out the human race.

Charles sighed. He had not parted on good terms with the rest of the JSA. Only Ted Knight was still on speaking terms with him. Only Ted was still on speaking terms with him and Pratt was in prison. Still Charles would do what was necessary to save the world. The JSA would come together one last time to save the world.

 

[Negation]

So T.O. Morrow is only as useful as what tech we can loot from his corpse. Guess "Sapient Rights for Synthetic Life!" will be LexCorp's next Social Cause.

 

[Simon_Jester]

So this is out now. It's relatively small now but this is all the setup before diving into the action. This is important though as what it states is immensely relevant. What is stated in this interlude directly contradicts the file that you obtained (which can be seen in the Interlude: A Bright Future Built on a Hidden Past). This is not an error on my part. The contradictions are intentional as the file obtained is merely what the American intelligence agency had on file. T.O. Morrow proves a few of the statements made there to be wrong.

Click to shrink...

Hmmm.

I'm... actually not seeing the contradictions?

Your earlier file said:

Thomas Oscar Morrow was born Tomek Ovadya Morah in a small town outside of Warsaw Poland. His family emigrated to the US shortly after the end of the second world war where the whole family proceeded to rename themselves. Thomas' parents were rather eccentric futurists and brilliant scientists and decided to rename their son Thomas Oscar Morrow as a joke. Thomas' father died when he was very young testing a prototype jetpack. Morrow displayed a genius level intellect and attended college as a teenager. He was often bullied due to his young age and inability to relate well with others who lacked his prodigious mind. All of this was not helped by his mother's encouragement and constant hovering which drove him to further isolation from everyone else. Morrow began to intercept and decode hidden messages during the cold war to give himself an additional intellectual challenge during college as he was often bored by the classes. Eventually the government realized that Morrow had been stealing classified information from both the American and the Soviet governments. Thomas was kidnapped from his home and taken to a base where he was put to work for the government. Eventually Thomas managed to blow up the base he was kept in and fake his own death before escaping.

Morrow then resurfaced in Russia and had been designing androids for the red army. These robots were so advanced that even to this day the feat of engineering has not been matched. Use of these robots forced the United States government to once again employ members of the JSA and the Creature Commando's. Eventually the soviets decided that Morrow wasn't doing enough for them and decided to force him to work on robots non-stop. Morrow began creating more and more advance robots but all the while schemed to bring down those who imprisoned him.

As the JSA closed in on the facility in which Morrow was kept Thomas managed to finish his Magnum Opus, the Red Tornado. Using the power of this new Android T.O. Morrow managed to fend off both the red army and the us forces all at once. T.O. Morrow escaped in all of the chaos. Eventually Red Tornado developed individuality distinct from Morrow's and abandoned the scientist. While Red Tornado has been conclusively located ever since the battle in Russia, all sightings of T.O. Morrow is rather apocryphal. There is photographic evidence of several men who look just like him in several different locations in the world yet it appears he hasn't aged a day. It is likely that some of these images are either fakes or doubles. Morrow's location is currently unknown but the US is investigating whatever they can find on him. Thomas Oscar Morrow was a threat to national security as a teenager and has only grown more dangerous with time. Ensuring his death or capture is a high priority for the United States government.

Click to shrink...

Your omake post here doesn't talk about Morrow's personal background, which means it doesn't conflict the first paragraph. The second paragraph seems to fit EXCEPT that Morrow is designing robots willingly and isn't being "forced" by the Soviets to build them, only micromanaged by them ("and we want it painted red"). The third paragraph isn't even addressed.

Thomas's handler a man only known to him as "Zastrow" was unaware of Thomas's true intentions.

Click to shrink...

Zastrow is the head of the Red Shadows, I'm pretty sure.

He had recently forced Thomas to create the third of his elemental androids, the Red Tornado. Tests had shown that Red Tornado was just as powerful as his previous creations, Red Inferno and Red Torpedo. However unknown to Zastrow was the fact that Thomas had been constructing a fourth even more powerful robot. He had then leaked information on this robot as a "doomsday device" to a few American spies.

Click to shrink...

Ahhh, perhaps this is the contradiction? Perhaps the US doesn't realize that Morrow leaked this information deliberately?

Hmm. I wonder what happened to Red Inferno and Red Torpedo.

As to the rest of Morrow's plans, well, the robot apocalypse hasn't happened yet, so I'm pretty sure something interfered materially with his plans since we know he got away. The Red Tornado being independent and not following orders can only be part of it.

@King crimson , is the next update in this sequence also 3000 XP?

 

[King crimson]

Ahhh, perhaps this is the contradiction? Perhaps the US doesn't realize that Morrow leaked this information deliberately?

Hmm. I wonder what happened to Red Inferno and Red Torpedo.

As to the rest of Morrow's plans, well, the robot apocalypse hasn't happened yet, so I'm pretty sure something interfered materially with his plans since we know he got away. The Red Tornado being independent and not following orders can only be part of it.

@King crimson , is the next update in this sequence also 3000 XP?

Click to shrink...

The contradiction is that one of the files states that T.O. Morrow was making his magnum opus, Red Tornado, as the compound he was in was being stormed. In reality he had made Red Tornado long before this incident and the materials gathered were to make Red Volcano, an Android the US has no record of.

The next update will be worth 2000

 

[Simon_Jester]

The contradiction is that one of the files states that T.O. Morrow was making his magnum opus, Red Tornado, as the cpound he was in was being stormed. In reality he had made Red Tornado long before this incident and the materials gathered were to make Red Volcano, an Android the US has no record of.

Click to shrink...

Ah-ha. Gotcha.

The next update will be worth 2000

Click to shrink...

So noted.

 

[LollipoPReapeR]

Damn.... I guess that's a no to employing Morrow then. Considering DC, we would only be safe after we put a bullet into his skull. Then cremate him. Then scatter him. I'm still scared he might resurrect and haunt us.

Edit: Or we could trick him to come over, help Ivo, then murder the shit out of him. Thoughts?

 

[Simon_Jester]

I think it's not worth trying to recruit him, in general. He's had a long time to settle down in a situation of his choosing. He's unlikely to align with us unless it benefits him somehow. And he's probably one of Lex's few equals in intelligence, plus being experienced enough at intrigue to successfully hide from the world's police forces while still pursuing his schemes for something like thirty years.

Not a viper I want to invite into our tent if I can help it.

 

[Negation]

I think it's not worth trying to recruit him, in general. He's had a long time to settle down in a situation of his choosing. He's unlikely to align with us unless it benefits him somehow. And he's probably one of Lex's few equals in intelligence, plus being experienced enough at intrigue to successfully hide from the world's police forces while still pursuing his schemes for something like thirty years.

Not a viper I want to invite into our tent if I can help it.

Click to shrink...

Sigh. Such a waste. We just keep Markovia stable on the geo-political scale and buy/steal his tech for our own reverse-engineering for civillian applications (not weapons, too easy to trace)

 

[King crimson]

The vote is now closed. An update will be up shortly. On top of that I can also post some stuff regarding my thoughts on some more recent DC media (the two I can immediately talk about are Harley Quinn and the ongoing clusterfuck of an event that is Doomsday Clock/Year of the Villain/Dark Multiverse thing that is going on right now) if people are interested. The non-canon omake I am writing will also be uploaded today.

 

[King crimson]

So now we move on to the next bit in Markovia. I expect about one more interlude, and then two more of the event posts till this ends up wrapping up. I hope you all have been enjoying this as it is a bit of a break from the regular format of the quest and I want to try and implement more events. The winning vote from last time was as follows

[X] Plan Forging Connections
-[X] [Deal] Offer to buy one of Bito's weapons directly
-[X] [Deal] Reveal that Roxanne's boss is wealthy, influential, and in the weapons industry and interested in allying with him.
-[X] [Deal] Offer information on why NATO is in the country, in exchange for getting to see who Bito is dealing with in two hours time.
-[X] [Deal] Offer to help Bito destabilize and destroy the Markovian monarchy in exchange for (for now) only attacking targets Roxanne's boss approves of.
-[X] [Deal] Attempt to find a way to stay in contact with Bito for the future

Click to shrink...

Enjoy the update. Also I'm very happy with the dumb Simon and Garfunkel references in the titles of interludes that take place in Markovia. It's a fun easter egg and I want to try and work in more little things like that for people to pick up on. This ended up being a little more complicated than I initially wanted it to be (particularly the last subvote) but that is all part of the learning experience. I'm curious to see how you all will attempt to solve this puzzle and what will end up coming from this.

Intelude: Hazy Shades and Troubled Waters
Roxanne Sutton
"Alright" Roxy responded "That means I've got a few more things to ask before we part ways."

Roxy was sure that this would most likely end well. Bito had been calm so far and if he was dealing with others surely he would be willing to deal with her as well.

"Ask away" Bito rejoined.

"Firstly my boss is rich, in the weapons gig and is willing to work through less than legal channels" Roxy began. "As such he'd have an interest in both allying with you and in purchasing some of your weapons"

Bito took a moment to ponder this before answering.

"It is certainly an interesting proposition but I do not have much I can give now. In one months time I will have created enough weapons and have set up the infrastructure needed for black market sales in order to be able to sell the weapons without jeaprodizing the revolutions mission. Once I have stabilized things I'd be happy to work with him provided he stabilizes the revolution"

Disappointing but not bad. Bito was clearly willing to work with Roxy's boss and the only reason he wasn't offering anything now was due to a lack of resources immediately on hand more than anything else. As such it was an alliance that could work, even if the results weren't as instant as Lex might have wanted things to be.

"That's great!" Roxy beamed. "Now in order to stay in contact I'll give you an L-Phone number you can call that will enable you to talk to me and thus through me my boss"

The number would lead to a secure burner phone that Roxy kept back in Metropolis. As such anything illegal Bito stated would not be traced by anyone except for Lex Luthor and the immediate connection was only to Roxy. Thus if things went wrong Lex could avoid being implicated as working with violent revolutionaries.

"That is acceptable" Bito aquiesed. Roxy wrote down the number on a piece of paper and handed it over to Bito.

"I have a question of my own though" Bito inquired as Roxy returned both the pen and the piece of paper to him "Is your boss responsible for the NATO forces in the country?"

That was an easy one to answer.

"No not really an enemy of his has fled to here and things have escalated to this point" Roxy answered "They are looking for a woman named Whisper A'Daire who is working with a group called Intergang"

"Never heard of them before" Bito stated dismissively.

"On that note" Roxy changed the subject "Would you be willing to attack only targets my boss has approved for a short duration in exchange for his help in getting rid of the Markovian monarchy?"

Bito was silent for over a minute. Roxy got a little nervous. The fact that he suddenly went all quiet was not the most positive thing out there and it made her tense up.

"No" Bito refused "I do not know who your boss is. While it doesn't seem like the work of these individuals I cannot accept that you are perhaps the agent of some corrupt noble seeking to twist the revolution into a means to propel themselves higher amongst the diseased ranks of the nobility. I will not make any deals which prevent me from executing those parasites who ruin their countries. I'd be happy to attack an additional target if you requested it but that is all I am willing to commit to."

That was significantly less good. However Roxy could at least try to salvage things.

"Could I at least be allowed to stay in your camp long enough to see the man who is having you attack General Karnz and Baron Delamb?" Roxy asked.

"That is acceptable" Bito responded.

Roxy waited, passing the time until the man Bito had previously met arrived. She kept her men hidden and relayed the information she had found to Lex and Mercy. When the man arrived to meet with Bito, Roxy was floored. What she saw was impossible. While she had never seen the man in person before she had seen this man get shot to death on television and the news had confirmed his death. So how the hell was Ubu, a member of the League of Shadows who was dead able to meet here with Bito Wladen? Things had gotten real complicated real fast.

Once again Roxy was in a position where her choices could affect the outcome of the mission in Markovia.

Mercy
Mercy had a job to do. It was her mission to investigate Baron Delamb. There were two ways she could accomplish this mission. Either she could try and infiltrate the royal castle or she could break into and investigate the Baron's own personal estate. She chose the easier of the two options. The guards at Delamb's estate wore armor that covered them head to toe making it impossible to tell who they really were. This actually worked out in Mercy's favor as it enabled her men to hide amongst the rest of the guards. She systematically had her men pick off and steal the uniforms of guards who strayed too far from the premises of the estate. Eventually sixteen of her men were equipped to go in.

Mercy couldn't enter herself because none of the guards were female and thus she would be far easier to discover. She had four of the LexCorp forces hang back with her in order to ensure she wasn't caught by surprise.

The infiltrators walked into the estate and began to plant listening devices throughout the estate. They remained on site and searched the building in the hopes of finding Whisper even if it was a longshot. However something interesting soon occurred. A tall pale blonde haired man with an ornate can and a green cape arrived at the estate. He was promptly let in and told that the Baron had been expecting him. Before this point Delamb had remained within the basement of the estate and had refused to allow anyone else in. Now he left and met this man in a conference room. Luckily it was a conference room that Mercy had managed to bug.

"How goes your work with the doctor?" The man with the green cape asked. Delamb seemed to be quite annoyed by this seemingly innocuous question.

"Watch your tone Vertigo, you are merely my guest here in this country I will not tolerate disrespect" Delamb growled out.

The man in the green cape, named Vertigo apparently, merely smiled.

"The same could be said for you." He demurely stated "You are a mere Baron and I am a Count, by the rules of nobility I am your superior. I have powers and you do not, unless your experiments with Quixium have proven fruitful so I am more powerful than you. I'd be far more careful with my words if I were you, after all I might think that in your eagerness to seek recompense for perceived slights you were disrespecting me."

The Baron snarled but didn't say much going forward. Still Mercy had to wonder, this Count Vertigo apparently had powers of some kind, powers strong enough that he could threaten Delamb in his own home and get away with it potentially. That was concerning especially since Count Vertigo was a complete unknown in the preparation for this mission.

"Do you need more Quixium?" Vertigo asked.

"No" Delamb responded "My experiments are going fine for now, my brother-in-law is getting too nosy for his own good but I can deal with him, what I need is for you to play your part in making sure no one catches that Intergang woman who has given me that wonderous technology you have observed."

"I had wondered what this whole mess was all about" Vertigo responded "Still to meet in person seems rather excessive"

"The phones are tapped somehow" Delamb rejoined "And the postal service is far too slow to deal with things in time, you've seen the state of the country do not take me for an idiot Vertigo while I do not like you I would not have called an ally here if I did not have a need for you"

Well that confirmed a few things. Delamb had been working with Whisper A'Daire and was now attempting to ensure she remained uncaught. Mercy waited for further information before she decided to act.

"And what do you need me for?" Vertigo continued to question "I have no interest in gettign caught with one of the worst terrorists of the century, this seems like your mess to clean up"

"Listen all I need is for you to take a package to the border of the country" The Baron elaborated "Me and General Karnz will be heading to the border as well. Even if people do somehow figure out that I was working with her they won't know which of us are getting her out of the country, plus the woman has contingencies put into place that I do not intend to see unfold."

"Fine I'll help you" Vertigo aquiesed "But you will owe me."

"Excellent I'll give you the coordinates from which safe house you will pick up a package from. We all move towards a different border in three hours time." Delamb chimed in.

He then went on to establish the routes that they were taking. Delamb would head southeast, Karnz will head south west, while Vertigo will head north. Mercy had her men pull out as the men went silent. She began to call Lex to inform him of what she had learned. Two trucks left the building each heading in an opposite direction. The chatter from the planted listening devices indicated that Vertigo and Delamb had each taken their leave. However as their men regrouped Mercy realized she had a problem. One of her men hadn't come back meaning he had gotten caught. This was a mess and a half. The sooner Lex could respond to things the sooner this crisis could be averted. Mercy had gotten more than enough information she just hoped she hadn't unwittingly tipped her hand.

This was a massive mess but one way or another Whisper would soon be dealt with and would no longer be in Markovia.

Ubu's Arrival subvote
Roxanne has a few actions she can attempt to take when dealing with the revelation that Ubu has hired Bito Wladen to attack General Karnz and Baron Delamb. Ubu is not aware of Roxanne's presence as of now and Bito has no knowledge of any connection between the two. Please pick one option from the list below. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting. Write-in's are acceptable for this vote but all write-ins are subject to QM approval.

[ ] [Ubu] Remain hidden and observe the interaction between Bito and Ubu
[ ] [Ubu] Reveal herself to Ubu and attempt to coordinate with both Bito and the League
[ ] [Ubu] Let the men who have hidden know that they are to assassinate Ubu
[ ] [Ubu] Attempt to wipe out everyone in Bito's camp
[ ] [Ubu] Attempt to convince Bito that Ubu is leading him into a trap
[ ] [Ubu] Ask Bito to attack an additional target before leaving
[ ] [Ubu] Leave without doing anything
[ ] [Ubu] Write-in

Regrouping subvote
Mercy's investigation had confirmed that Baron Delamb was working with Whisper A'Daire. However it is unknown if Delamb, Count Vertigo or General Karnz is smuggling her out of the country. Furthermore on of your men has not returned since infiltrating Delamb's estate and was presumably caught. Now you have to make snap decisions to determine how to hunt down the leads you have and attempt to catch Whisper. Note that these actions will take place after Lex and those with him finish infiltrating Karnz's base and Roxanne finishes dealing with Bito and potentially Ubu. Please vote in plan format and indicate how many men you want sent to each position. Lex Luthor and the units with him will have a vote as to where they go after they finish infiltrating their base. Furthermore any units sent after Karnz will be redistributed if he is dealt with in the next update. The relevant units for this vote is Mercy and her 19 units, Roxanne and her fifteen units. Write-ins are acceptable for this vote but all write-ins are subject to QM approval. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.

[ ] [Regroup] Chase down Count Vertigo
[ ] [Regroup] Chase down Baron Bedlamb
[ ] [Regroup] Chase down General Karnz
[ ] [Regroup] Contact the League of Shadows to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Contact NATO forces to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Contact the royal family to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Write-in

 

[King crimson]

I'm off to update the other encountered character information pages, let me know if you have any questions.

Edit: I've updated the character pages, Blindspot (because I forgot to include his relationships with other encountered characters), Ubu and Whisper have been updated to reflect the current state of the game while Bito, Delamb, Vertigo and Karnz have all been added.

I'll be adding Dr. Moon after the Markovian adventure runs its course.

 

[King crimson]

So I'm going to comment on something kind of funny I just realized. Fredrick Delamb took the alias Baron Bedlam because he is a baron and his last name is an anagram of the word bedlam. His last name is also an anagram for ambled. Just a weird observation.

 

[Simon_Jester]

Disappointing but not bad. Bito was clearly willing to work with Roxy's boss and the only reason he wasn't offering anything now was due to a lack of resources immediately on hand more than anything else. As such it was an alliance that could work, even if the results weren't as instant as Lex might have wanted things to be.

Click to shrink...

Lex isn't as short-term a thinker as Roxy; I'm sure he'll be fine with that.

"No not really an enemy of his has fled to here and things have escalated to this point" Roxy answered "They are looking for a woman named Whisper A'Daire who is working with a group called Intergang"

"Never heard of them before" Bito stated dismissively.

"On that note" Roxy changed the subject "Would you be willing to attack only targets my boss has approved for a short duration in exchange for his help in getting rid of the Markovian monarchy?"

Bito was silent for over a minute. Roxy got a little nervous. The fact that he suddenly went all quiet was not the most positive thing out there and it made her tense up.

"No" Bito refused "I do not know who your boss is. While it doesn't seem like the work of these individuals I cannot accept that you are perhaps the agent of some corrupt noble seeking to twist the revolution into a means to propel themselves higher amongst the diseased ranks of the nobility. I will not make any deals which prevent me from executing those parasites who ruin their countries. I'd be happy to attack an additional target if you requested it but that is all I am willing to commit to."

Click to shrink...

Aaand there is the disadvantage of voting NOT to reveal Lex's identity.

Lex Luthor:

"Pompous upstart punk! My great-to-the-sixth-grandpappy was in the monarchy-overthrowing business when the House of Markov was a gleam in some Ottoman noble's eye."

"...Admittedly, reluctantly."

[sniffs]

That was significantly less good. However Roxy could at least try to salvage things.

"Could I at least be allowed to stay in your camp long enough to see the man who is having you attack General Karnz and Baron Delamb?" Roxy asked.

"That is acceptable" Bito responded.

Roxy waited, passing the time until the man Bito had previously met arrived. She kept her men hidden and relayed the information she had found to Lex and Mercy. When the man arrived to meet with Bito, Roxy was floored. What she saw was impossible. While she had never seen the man in person before she had seen this man get shot to death on television and the news had confirmed his death. So how the hell was Ubu, a member of the League of Shadows who was dead able to meet here with Bito Wladen? Things had gotten real complicated real fast.

Click to shrink...

Hmmm.

Perhaps Ra's publicized Ubu's death and revived him with the Lazarus Pits? OOC, of course. IC, Lex doesn't know about Lazarus Pits.

So, yeah, our speculation is again confirmed- Wladon and his rebels are acting as hired guns for the League of Shadows. We have some influence over Wladon, but not as much as Ubu does.

Mercy
Mercy had a job to do. It was her mission to investigate Baron Delamb. There were two ways she could accomplish this mission. Either she could try and infiltrate the royal castle or she could break into and investigate the Baron's own personal estate. She chose the easier of the two options. The guards at Delamb's estate wore armor that covered them head to toe making it impossible to tell who they really were. This actually worked out in Mercy's favor as it enabled her men to hide amongst the rest of the guards. She systematically had her men pick off and steal the uniforms of guards who strayed too far from the premises of the estate. Eventually sixteen of her men were equipped to go in.

Mercy couldn't enter herself because none of the guards were female and thus she would be far easier to discover.

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I mean, she could probably cross-dress into the armor, but at a bare minimum it'd be uncomfortable as hell, or wouldn't fit well.

The infiltrators walked into the estate and began to plant listening devices throughout the estate. They remained on site and searched the building in the hopes of finding Whisper even if it was a longshot. However something interesting soon occurred. A tall pale blonde haired man with an ornate can and a green cape arrived at the estate. He was promptly let in and told that the Baron had been expecting him. Before this point Delamb had remained within the basement of the estate and had refused to allow anyone else in. Now he left and met this man in a conference room. Luckily it was a conference room that Mercy had managed to bug.

"How goes your work with the doctor?" The man with the green cape asked. Delamb seemed to be quite annoyed by this seemingly innocuous question.

"Watch your tone Vertigo, you are merely my guest here in this country I will not tolerate disrespect" Delamb growled out.

The man in the green cape, named Vertigo apparently, merely smiled.

"The same could be said for you." He demurely stated "You are a mere Baron and I am a Count, by the rules of nobility I am your superior. I have powers and you do not, unless your experiments with Quixium have proven fruitful so I am more powerful than you. I'd be far more careful with my words if I were you, after all I might think that in your eagerness to seek recompense for perceived slights you were disrespecting me."

The Baron snarled but didn't say much going forward. Still Mercy had to wonder, this Count Vertigo apparently had powers of some kind, powers strong enough that he could threaten Delamb in his own home and get away with it potentially. That was concerning especially since Count Vertigo was a complete unknown in the preparation for this mission.

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Hmmm.

Well, in canon, Count Vertigo's powers seem to be an intensive disorientation-inducing ability. One that can work not only on human senses, but on mechanical sensors and guidance systems. If the blast radius on that ability is high enough, he can walk right out of Bedlam's manor and all his guards...

Mercy's Great-Aunt Mildred:

"Unless someone picks him off from fifteen hundred meters before he knows to worry about them."

[smirks wickedly, reminiscing]

"Do you need more Quixium?" Vertigo asked.

"No" Delamb responded "My experiments are going fine for now, my brother-in-law is getting too nosy for his own good but I can deal with him, what I need is for you to play your part in making sure no one catches that Intergang woman who has given me that wonderous technology you have observed."

"I had wondered what this whole mess was all about" Vertigo responded "Still to meet in person seems rather excessive"

"The phones are tapped somehow" Delamb rejoined "And the postal service is far too slow to deal with things in time, you've seen the state of the country do not take me for an idiot Vertigo while I do not like you I would not have called an ally here if I did not have a need for you"

Well that confirmed a few things. Delamb had been working with Whisper A'Daire and was now attempting to ensure she remained uncaught. Mercy waited for further information before she decided to act.

"And what do you need me for?" Vertigo continued to question "I have no interest in gettign caught with one of the worst terrorists of the century, this seems like your mess to clean up"

"Listen all I need is for you to take a package to the border of the country" The Baron elaborated "Me and General Karnz will be heading to the border as well. Even if people do somehow figure out that I was working with her they won't know which of us are getting her out of the country, plus the woman has contingencies put into place that I do not intend to see unfold."

"Fine I'll help you" Vertigo aquiesed "But you will owe me."

"Excellent I'll give you the coordinates from which safe house you will pick up a package from. We all move towards a different border in three hours time." Delamb chimed in.

He then went on to establish the routes that they were taking. Delamb would head southeast, Karnz will head south west, while Vertigo will head north. Mercy had her men pull out as the men went silent. She began to call Lex to inform him of what she had learned. Two trucks left the building each heading in an opposite direction. The chatter from the planted listening devices indicated that Vertigo and Delamb had each taken their leave. However as their men regrouped Mercy realized she had a problem. One of her men hadn't come back meaning he had gotten caught. This was a mess and a half. The sooner Lex could respond to things the sooner this crisis could be averted. Mercy had gotten more than enough information she just hoped she hadn't unwittingly tipped her hand.

This was a massive mess but one way or another Whisper would soon be dealt with and would no longer be in Markovia.

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Ah crapbaskets.

We only realistically have the manpower to stop one of the three convoys ourselves, if that.

You know, one of our options is to reveal everything to the Markovian royal family, or to NATO, and get THEM to stop one or more of the convoys. Or at least to try. Karnz has those high-tech tanks, probably upgraded with Whisper A'Daire's alien tech. And Count Vertigo can hard-counter most conventional attackers who aren't prepared to deal with him or attack from within his (pretty long) effective range. Bedlam's personal convoy is probably well protected too, but by unknown means.

Bito Wladon's rebels have pretty strong gimmick sonic weapons (they might be effective against Vertigo based on the details of how his power works, but then again, might not)... but how well the things will actually work in combat, I don't know.

Ubu's Arrival subvote
Roxanne has a few actions she can attempt to take when dealing with the revelation that Ubu has hired Bito Wladen to attack General Karnz and Baron Delamb. Ubu is not aware of Roxanne's presence as of now and Bito has no knowledge of any connection between the two. Please pick one option from the list below. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting. Write-in's are acceptable for this vote but all write-ins are subject to QM approval.

[ ] [Ubu] Remain hidden and observe the interaction between Bito and Ubu
[ ] [Ubu] Reveal herself to Ubu and attempt to coordinate with both Bito and the League
[ ] [Ubu] Let the men who have hidden know that they are to assassinate Ubu
[ ] [Ubu] Attempt to wipe out everyone in Bito's camp
[ ] [Ubu] Attempt to convince Bito that Ubu is leading him into a trap
[ ] [Ubu] Ask Bito to attack an additional target before leaving
[ ] [Ubu] Leave without doing anything
[ ] [Ubu] Write-in

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HmmMM.

Well, we really don't want the League to get ahold of Whisper or her doomsday device. But on the other hand, we don't know where the device IS or who's carrying it. The reference to a 'package' being transported by Count Vertigo might be interesting, but on the other hand it's unlikely that A'Daire would willingly be separated from her device. Conversely, it's unlikely that Baron Bedlam will trust Count Vertigo to transport A'Daire herself, given his stated reluctance.

If we could trail Count Vertigo, we might be able to deduce whether the "package" he's transporting is Whisper herself or just some kind of valuables.

Regrouping subvote
Mercy's investigation had confirmed that Baron Delamb was working with Whisper A'Daire. However it is unknown if Delamb, Count Vertigo or General Karnz is smuggling her out of the country. Furthermore on of your men has not returned since infiltrating Delamb's estate and was presumably caught. Now you have to make snap decisions to determine how to hunt down the leads you have and attempt to catch Whisper. Note that these actions will take place after Lex and those with him finish infiltrating Karnz's base and Roxanne finishes dealing with Bito and potentially Ubu. Please vote in plan format and indicate how many men you want sent to each position. Lex Luthor and the units with him will have a vote as to where they go after they finish infiltrating their base. Furthermore any units sent after Karnz will be redistributed if he is dealt with in the next update. The relevant units for this vote is Mercy and her 19 units, Roxanne and her fifteen units. Write-ins are acceptable for this vote but all write-ins are subject to QM approval. There is a 1 hour moratorium on voting.

[ ] [Regroup] Chase down Count Vertigo
[ ] [Regroup] Chase down Baron Bedlamb
[ ] [Regroup] Chase down General Karnz
[ ] [Regroup] Contact the League of Shadows to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Contact NATO forces to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Contact the royal family to better coordinate with them
[ ] [Regroup] Write-in

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HmmmMMM.

We didn't count on having so little time. Lex and Cassandra only have five mooks with them. That's probably not enough to stop General Karnz's entire force. Though we MIGHT be able to assassinate him, or to sabotage enough of his weaponry to slow him down and let NATO or the royal family stop him.

We definitely need to reduce the number of prongs of the threat here, or Whisper probably gets away. What do people think? I'm unsure.

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[King crimson]

And the vote is now open. I look forward to seeing how you try to solve this problem.

 

[Negation]

However as their men regrouped Mercy realized she had a problem. One of her men hadn't come back meaning he had gotten caught.

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On one hand we've been made. Do we send Bito to rescue our man with a terrorist attack on DeLamb's estate as a distraction? This is one of our competent and loyal men even if he is un-Named.

 

[tri2]

ask ra, if admits yes he lied then we go from there, if he admits no then we kill the 'rogue agent'

 

[Negation]

[ ] Plan Better Evil through Communications

[ ] [Ubu] Remain hidden and observe the interaction between Bito and Ubu. After which,
- [ ] [Ubu] Reveal herself to Ubu and attempt to coordinate with both Bito and the League. Depending on how things go,
-- [ ] [Ubu] Ask Bito to attack an additional target before leaving. (DeLamb Estate to rescue our man). [Hero Unit Roxy + current LexCorp men]

[ ] [Regroup] Contact the League of Shadows to better coordinate with them to have them chase down Count Vertigo. After which,
- [ ] [Regroup] Contact NATO forces to better coordinate with them to chase down General Karnz under the guise of co-ordinating efforts. [Lex + Cassandra + Current LexCorp men]
- [ ] [Regroup] Contact the royal family to better coordinate with them. Have them Chase down Delamb under the guise of recalling him to Court. [Mercy + LexCorp men]

Shadows to go after Vertigo, NATO to go after Kranz, Royal Family to recall DeLamb so they can handle him internally.

 

[Simon_Jester]

The big thing to remember is that if Ubu's League troops or anyone under their control gets the doomsday device, the League will want it. Depending on its nature, they may use or threaten to use it.

So far as possible, we want to make sure that the League of Shadows' people cannot act freely without our knowledge- if we need to attack Nanda Parbat to seize the doomsday weapon, we'd better know we need to do that.

 

[Negation]

The big thing to remember is that if Ubu's League troops or anyone under their control gets the doomsday device, the League will want it. Depending on its nature, they may use or threaten to use it.

So far as possible, we want to make sure that the League of Shadows' people cannot act freely without our knowledge- if we need to attack Nanda Parbat to seize the doomsday weapon, we'd better know we need to do that.

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Hmmm... which is why I suggest we point them to Vertigo informing them that yet another interloper has entered the stage. We of course as a close ally will inform them of possible paranormal powers involved. (As a bit of metagaming since the League's own training methods would provide a better counter to his abilities.)

 

[Lockheart]

I thought Ubu is a title for Ras' right hand man? Is it the particular Ubu we wanted dead?

 

[LollipoPReapeR]

Yes. We need to point our 'allies' at convenient targets and only go after one ourselves. The question is which ally to which target exactly....

 

[King crimson]

I thought Ubu is a title for Ras' right hand man? Is it the particular Ubu we wanted dead?

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I'm unfamiliar with this if that is a thing. As far as I knew Ubu was a specific individual who is Ra's right hand rather than a title. I'm kind of curious where you got this idea from.

I will confirm that Ubu is a person's name rather than a title in quest.