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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MnM_UH" data-source="post: 716804" data-attributes="member: 10023">Issue #5 - "Heat" (Continued)Scene 2: "Escape?"Who do they think they're dealing with? the Scoundrel asked himself as he threw off the last of the ropes that bound him in place.  Mere ropes?  I would have expected more from a technologically advanced villain such as Trickster.Now, how to get out of here, he considered.  The room he was in was like an old-time jail cell, with bars on the windows and a small space on the door, ostensibly for guards to peek through as they walked by.  Apparently, Trickster had not hired any guards, as no one had been by to check on the Scoundrel in quite a while.The villains took his Hellfire Pistols and his Jade Mask, but they had not done a full search for items on the hero's body, which the Scoundrel discovered as he went for the small set of lockpicks hidden in a sleeve.  "Bingo," he said upon their discovery.  He knelt down and worked the lock with success.(The Scoundrel makes an Open Lock attempt (DC 20 for a Simple Lock), and succeeds with 28.)The door opened into a very drafty hallway, and it looked somewhat like a medieval castle.  The corridors were big, cold, and made of stone, and the doors were sturdy and made of wood, with cast-iron bindings.  Looks like a nice place, the Scoundrel thought.He looked at his own hallway, and saw several other jail cells, each with a name spray painted on the door.  Each of the United Heroes had a cell, along with some other names the Scoundrel didn't recognize.  He sure is organized.I'd like to find my gear, if any of it is left, the Scoundrel thought.  Trickster said it was destroyed, but maybe that was a lie.He found some stairs that led down, and quietly crept down the stairs, keeping an eye out for guards.  No guards yet, he realized.  Why would he put me here unguarded?A few rooms were searched, but these searches revealed nothing of consequence.  This place was apparently built pre-electricity, as all of the electrical work was outside the walls rather than built inside the walls.  Of course, since they were made from stone blocks, it was easy to see why the electricians decided to pin the wiring outside of the walls.He passed a huge chamber and decided to go back and have a look.  It was a grand audience chamber of some kind, about a hundred feet long, with suits of armor along the sides, and tapestries on the walls.  At the end of the chamber was a throne that likely dated to the 18th century.  Seeing no one in the audience chamber, the Scoundrel decided to check it out.  He walked right up to the throne, and saw a rack behind the throne with some weapons displayed on it -- including a pair of familiar revolvers.  There you are, my darlings, the Scoundrel thought as he picked them up and put them back in their holsters where they belonged.  I knew that meanie wouldn't destroy you.  After all, how could he?  You're magical.This is my lucky day, he thought as he spotted his Jade Mask hanging on a suit of armor near the throne.  The Scoundrel quickly donned the mask and felt complete.Now, he thought.  How to get out of here...************************************************An island? he thought as he approached the walkway on the outside of the castle walls.  Interesting.  That's why Trickster wasn't too worried about my escape.The island must have been far from the nearest shore, as the Scoundrel could see no land on any horizon.  From his vantage point atop the wall surrounding the castle, the Scoundrel could see for miles in any direction, but he saw nothing but ocean.He spotted an old pier, but there were no ships anywhere, not even evidence that ships had been here recently.  Getting off this island is going to be trickier than I thought.He walked completely around the castle along the walls, but found nothing that might help him get off the island.  He determined that the island must be about 2 square miles in area, 8 at the most.  It was barren except for the castle, and was composed mostly of black lava rock.  He wondered where this island might be located, and how far it might be from the mainland.Just then, the Scoundrel spotted something washing up on shore.  It wasn't a thing -- it was humanoid in form.  The bluish being walked ashore from the ocean, and behind him, a pair of silver vessels also washed ashore.  The hulking blue guy pulled both of the vessels further aground by himself.  Impressive, the Scoundrel thought.  This might be one of Trickster's goons.  I'd better be careful.The hero hopped down from the wall and looked for a vantage point from which to get a better look at this guy and the two vessels.  The Scoundrel, looking from an arrow slit in the battlements, spotted dozens of soldiers exiting the seaborne vessels.  These soldiers were dressed in armor, and carried rifles.  Who are these guys? the Scoundrel wondered.  He watched as the soldiers filed out of the vessels and got into formation, with the blue guy heading the group.  The big guy spoke to the rest of the men, but the Scoundrel did not recognize the language used.I've got to get closer, so I can figure out what's going on, the Scoundrel decided, and he scurried to the drawbridge, which was currently down, and quickly made his way around the opening in the wall to the other side, where he vanished behind some rocky outcroppings.(The Scoundrel needs to make a Hide check to avoid being seen by Barracuda and the Atlantean Soldiers.  His Hide is 21.  The Atlantean Soldiers' best Spot check is 19, so none of them spots the Scoundrel, but Barracuda scores a Natural 20.  He spots the Scoundrel!)Maybe I can try to steal one of those ships to get off the island, the Scoundrel considered.  Of course, I have no idea how to drive them... or maybe I do.  The amnesiac hero had realized many things in the past few years, including the fact that he could pick locks, pilot aircraft, and speak German.  Perhaps piloting a strange seagoing vessel was another of his hidden talents.He got up to see where the soldiers were, and saw that they were right on top of him, ready to attack! This Ends Issue #5, "Heat"Watch for Issue #6, "Fire", Coming Soon!</blockquote>

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