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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8342834" data-attributes="member: 30538">Gerolds<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-dL2Kx4B/0/9906ca35/S/Tribbles%2C_2268-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />On Earth, at least, the story of the creatures known as gerolds is inextricably linked with the story of the criminal organization known as Vaskhane. In the earth year 1958, two Chiraben-descended agents of this syndicate, Taddely and Aunat, were in the Alpha Centauri star system on other business (specifically selling drugs to the denizens of the refueling station there) when their ship was damaged by the wavefront of a hyperspace phenomenon originating in the Sol System two years earlier. Unlike Bzz Trgal, whose ship was affected by the same event but was under way again within a week, it took them several months to return theirs to function, though they were eventually able to follow his course.Where Trgal spent several months in orbit around Earth, the Vaskhane agents' cloaked ship immediately descended to the planet's surface, landing in Sylmar, California. From there, they began posing as Terrestrials and conducting a wide variety of criminal activities on the planet, selling extraterrestrial technology and lifeforms, most notably examples of hemovoric plantlife and early blaster weaponry. They were not really interested in the money these schemes raised, beyond its immediate uses, but rather in establishing connections and laying the groundwork for future operations. The Meteor detected their activities soon after his debut, and foiled some of their plans, but was never able to capture the operations' leadership. Other superheroes thwarted individual schemes without ever discovering the truth about them.In 1967, Vaskhane's Earth branch began one of their most dangerous schemes ever. Earlier in that decade, a mission to the Enigma sector brought back an animal species that the Technate quickly realized was a dangerous, potentially lethal threat to any ecosystem other than its native one. Their attempts to control the species, dubbed gerolds after a favored pet of their discoverer, were thwarted by both the creatures' own fecundity and the efforts of Vaskhane, who recognized them as an incredibly useful asset for the syndicate's ecological sabotage operations. A small number were sent to Earth (turning into a much larger number along the way) where they were marketed as unusual pets in North America, with plans to spread beyond there.A bit less quickly than the Technate, the local governments realized that the danger of the gerolds -- in addition to their rapid reproductive cycle, typically spawning a new gerold every six hours, they could and would eat anything organic and smaller than themselves, and tended to leave those around them in a state of stupefied bliss while that happened. A number of regions where large numbers of gerolds had been purchased found themselves on the verge of famine before steps were taken. All the creatures were gathered up, with exotic means (provided by Diane Fortune, Jeremiah Wander and some of their allies) used to ensure that none escaped, and transported to Dread Island, in the belief that the creatures there would keep them in check. And that has happened; they have become a major part of the diet of most carnivorous species on the island, while continuing to prey on those creatures whom their empathic fields are able to affect. The island has also seen the development of a phenomenon known as the gerold swarm, in which dozens of the creatures act as something of a hive mind, while acting like folkloric piranha that are able to devour a human-sized target in a few moments.Ironically, the gerold operation was actually a major disaster for Vaskhane's Earth operations, as it drew the attention of Stardust upon them. Taddely and Aunat ended up transformed into giant gerolds that promptly ate each other, and most of their employees died similarly horrible deaths. Vaskhane's operations on Earth wouldn't recover until the mid-1970s, though that era and the '80s proved to be glory days for the organization thanks to its alliance with the Pythonian Insurgency. They have never tried to import gerolds again, though. If they ever need any, they can just get them from Dread Island.Individual Gerold -- PL 5Abilities:STR -3 | STA 0 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 0 | INT -3 | AWE 2 | PRE 1Powers:Empathic Manipulation: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Concentration, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 16 pointsTiny: Permanent Shrinking 12 (-3 Strength, -1 Speed, +6 Dodge, +6 Parry, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation) - 12 pointsUniversal Digestion: Feature 1 (iron stomach) - 1 pointAdvantages:None.Skills:Stealth 0 (+12)Offense:Initiative +1Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -3)Defense:Dodge 7, Parry 6, Fortitude 1, Toughness 0, Will 5Totals:Abilities 2 + Powers 29 + Advantages 0 + Skills 0 | Defenses 4 = 35 pointsComplications:Hunger--Motivation. Physical (cannot talk to humans, no manipulators.) Swarm of Gerolds -- PL 8Abilities:STR -- | STA 2 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 0 | INT -- | AWE 2 | PRE 0Powers: Aura of Empathic Manipulation: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Sustained, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 33 pointsSwarm: Permanent Insubstantial 2, Innate, Quirk (limited to Size -3 or larger holes) - 10 points Swarm Attack: Damage 6 - 6 pointsAdvantages:Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative.Skills:Close Combat: Swarm Attack 8 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+9).Offense:Initiative +5Swarm Attack +8 (Close Damage 6)Defense:Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 2, Will 6Totals:Abilities -10 + Powers 49 + Advantages 2 + Skills 11 + Defenses 23 = 75 pointsComplications:HUNGER--Motivation.</blockquote>

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