Tag: superhero

#Lore24 – Entry #186 – Supers Month II #5 – Winter Comes Early in Louisville

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

After that hot summer down in Franklin, and a little more time spent in the surroundin’ area to make sure no more of them mongrels were lurkin’ about, I eventually drifted up north, and into Louisville.  It just so happened that fall was comin’ on hard by then, and when I say hard, I mean winter hard.  There was a cold snap came in, and it was downright wintery up there, and it was barely halfway through October; had snow in the air and everything.  Asher pointed it out to me first off:  that weren’t no natural weather pattern what had come in; it was magical.  I was downright impressed with the scale they’d managed to change up the weather, but then I started wonderin’ exactly why whoever was responsible for it had done it.  Didn’t make no sense at first glance, ‘ceptin’ to make things harder on the folk ‘round the city, till I got to thinkin’ about some of Granny Opal’s stories and lectures.  Looked like I had another monster runnin’ around to deal with, some kinda feyfolk or, Lord forbid, a wendigo.

Well, as I would soon learn, I weren’t to have no such good luck.

I restocked my supplies and got me some winter clothes first off, checked into a hotel for the first time in a good while and started to get a feel for Louisville and the arcane flows that were messin’ with the weather.  The flows of magic weren’t like anything I’d seen before.  They were subtle, mostly hidden, but stronger than anything I’d encountered before, like a true master of the arcane had formed them.  As I was tracin’ them out and lookin’ for a source, I began to wonder if I was steppin’ in on the territory of some witch more powerful than Granny Opal, cause I’d never seen even her make somethin’ like this. 

So, after a few days trudgin’ round in the freezin’ weather, with snow startin’ to pile up, I finally managed to trace down the source, which was in the Cave Hill Cemetery.  Once I’d worked out the nature of the flows, it was like a vortex swirlin’ around the place, and a cold one at that.  I was wrackin’ my brain tryin’ to figure out what could be lurkin’ in there that could be controllin’ the weather like that, what kinda creature could or would do it.

Well, when Asher and I finally made our way in, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, so I had insulated myself against cold magic and had some fiery surprises in store for whatever it was.  What I didn’t expect to find was a beautiful woman wearing a rather scandalous dress for the time, the kind you’d see in a brothel, even if it was colored more like something befitting a funeral, moping about amongst the graves, not affected in the slightest by the wintery weather.  Won’t say much about her looks here, cause, as I’d learn, how she looks from one time to another don’t much matter.  She hadn’t noticed me as I approached, too deep in her melancholy, and I strained to get a read on what she was.  She looked human at first, and for the longest time, I thought she was, but once I’d had a good long look at her with my mystic sight, I finally pierced the magic that was around her; there was a spell up to keep her from being noticed, one I’d used myself plenty of times, but there was somethin’ extra about her appearance. 

But it weren’t no illusion she wore.  I wasn’t even sure what I’d seen even then, cause what I saw didn’t make no sense to me.  It was like I saw two overlapping images that were at once the same being; one the human woman, the other a woman composed entirely of elemental ice and cold, both bound together by something else I just couldn’t put my finger on.  She must’ve finally felt my eyes on her, cause she whipped around suddenly, and the air got even colder somehow, pressing down on my wards against it like an avalanche rolling down a mountain; it was all I could do to hold them in place.  Even Asher got anxious, dancing about a bit despite himself.

She didn’t attack me outright, though, seemed more startled that I’d spotted her, really.  We stared at one another for several minutes I think, not sure what to make of one another.  I sensed her mystic sight upon me as she looked me over and saw her look of puzzlement.  Finally, I broke the ice, so to speak, and introduced myself, and that I was just inquirin’ as to why she felt the need to turn the Louisville area into a winter wonderland, and if there were anything I could do to help her out. 

Lookin’ back on it now, I suppose that was one of the biggest mistakes I could’ve made.

Before I knew it, she had burst into tears and was on her knees in the snow, cryin’ her eyes out about her lover and her getting’ into a big fight, and before I knew it, I was down there tryin’ to comfort her.  Finally got a name out of her, and it was a weird one for Kentucky to be sure, Assane.  Sounded foreign, just couldn’t guess which kinda foreign back then, not that I would’ve ever guessed it right anyway.

I certainly had no idea what was happenin’ right then, nor could I have understood exactly what I’d just stepped into, but the next few years would be one hell of a ride.

#Lore24 – Entry #185 – Supers Month II #4 – Something Worse than Man

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

With some supplies from Granny Opal’s stores, a bit of food, and plenty of powder and shot, I set out from her cabin and didn’t look back.  I wanted to see the country, see what had become of it after the war.  I was kinda an odd case at that time, I guess.  I’d had my life torn apart by the war, but I didn’t feel no strong emotions about it.  I guess my trainin’ in the arcane, learnin’ that there was a much bigger world out there that most people don’t even know about kinda put things in a whole new perspective.  Things I’d only heard of growin’ up that I thought were fairy tales were real, in some way or another, and though I didn’t know it at the time, it weren’t too long before I’d run headlong into some of them.

I’d only ever been around small towns and the hill folk growin’ up and even when I was with Granny Opal, so for all my desire to explore, I was nervous as heck when it came to dealin’ with people, and they were not shy about givin’ me the hairy eyeball.  Guess it was the fact that I was dressed like a mountain man, wearin’ leathers and hides instead of them dresses and the like that women normally wore back then. 

I was a lady out of time even when I was a youngin’, I ‘spose. 

Still, as I made my way along through the small towns and down them hills and valleys of Kentucky, goin’ from place to place, I was slowly learnin’ how to speak with folk again, though I could tell there was some serious trauma all over the place.  I’d lost count of how many wounded soldiers I’d seen makin’ their ways back home, or how many homesteads I’d come across that were abandoned or burnt out.  Weren’t none of it right, and it ought not have happened, and I don’t even think I understand exactly how it came about even to this day.

But, I’m ramblin’ on here when I need to get to my point.  It were maybe three months after I’d cleared on outta Granny Opal’s holler and I was over on the western end of the state in the flatlands, just south of Bowling Green when I first came across one of them kinds of things Granny had warned me about.  By this time, I’d managed to earn a bit of money and had won a few shootin’ contests, and had myself a pretty well-kept Colt Navy revolver and a proper gun belt and clothes (still weren’t wearin’ none of them fancy dresses, though), and I still had my trusty old Enfield and a wicked little Arkansas toothpick I’d picked up.

As it were, I came across the scene of a right tragic affair down in a town called Franklin, and a spread that had been allied with the Confederates that had seen its own brand of Union terrors.  Place stood out cause it was a unique lookin’ house, octagon shaped, and I could see the arcane energy in turmoil all over the property.  Was somethin’ much worse lurkin’ around them parts back then, cause the Veil Between Worlds was right thin there; I just didn’t know if it were cause of what happened, or if that had caused the stuff that had happened there.  I’d seen places that had off-kilter flows before, but nothin’ like this.  Didn’t take much talkin’ with the locals to learn that somethin’ was goin’ on, and it weren’t no Union troops doin’ it.  There were people goin’ missin’, and piles of bloody remains bein’ found, like people and livestock both were bein’ butchered and eaten.

Don’t know really what made me do it, just a sense of doin’ the right thing, I guess, but I decided to do what I could to deal with the problem.  Not that I was no expert or nothin’, but I reckon I could shore up the barrier and root out anything that might’ve been comin’ through.  Won’t linger too long on the nitty-gritty details here; after some huntin’, I’d learnt that it was a pack of dogmen that had moved into the area, come from somewhere on the other side through the leyline that went through the area.  Kinda like werewolves, only without the subtlety, I ‘spose.

It weren’t the brightest decision I ever made to track these things, to be sure, but I was young and dumb back then.  They knew I was a trackin’ them pretty quick, and it weren’t long before they came after me.  Musta been a good two-dozen of them in that pack.  Asher and I both got one hell of a workout that first encounter, and thankfully they’d only sent half a dozen after the lone human and her horse, thinkin’ I was easy prey.  They weren’t countin’ on me havin’ magic bullets, nor on Asher movin’ faster than them.  He weren’t just no ordinary horse, after all, and had grown stronger alongside me.

After that, things got real dangerous, real cat n’ mouse kind of huntin’, and I took a few licks myself.  If you can, I’d recommend NOT getting’ bit or clawed by dogmen; ain’t a pleasant thing.  I must’ve been out there in those fields and patches of trees for a good two weeks trackin’ these things in and out of the places where they’d jump the Veil.  Each time I’d come across a portal, I’d work up the ritual to seal it off, usually havin’ to fend off another bunch of the pack while I did it.  They eventually got the hint, though, and cleared out of the territory, and I put up as strong a warding as I could in the area to bolster the Veil, though I don’t expect it to have lasted forever.  Ain’t had a chance to make it back there to follow up, cause my life would take a drastic turn after that little excursion. 

#Lore24 – Entry #184 – Supers Month II #3 – The Way of the Gun

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

The rifle I’d managed to get my hands on weren’t anything special, just an old Enfield muzzleloader that had seen a bit too much work on the battlefield.  Accurate enough for what I wanted if a bit on the “well-used” side, but not like them new fancy repeaters that were startin’ to show up.  Couldn’t get my hands on a new Springfield or no revolvers at the time either, but that’d come later on.  I’d grown up with this kind of gun anyhow, so I knew all about their quirks.  Even spending a couple years in the hills with Granny Opal didn’t affect my aim too much; a dozen shots with the gun and I was pretty much dead on target.  Not that she appreciated all my shootin’ up in her holler, and I don’t reckon Smoky liked it none either, but the meat I brought in with it made up for it, even if she might’ve looked at me like I was a little off in my head.

Still, weren’t too long after that when I started playin’ around and mixin’ my magical learnin’ with my shootin’.  Started by enhancin’ my caps so that they would always go off for one, so none of that misfirin’ for me!  Then I started messin’ with some of the divination to enhance my aimin’; before long I was nailin’ shots with that ol’ rifle that nobody on Earth had the right to make.  After that, I got the bright idea to start infusin’ some elemental energy into my shot.  First time I shot a tree with one of them explodin’ Minie balls, I was somehow impressed and terrified at the same time.  After that I toned things down a bit, makin’ a smaller charge, tryin’ some fire and ice and such.  Even tried workin’ with the power to try some kinda quick reloadin’ scheme with an elemental helper, but that didn’t work out so well.  Wouldn’t be the craziest thing I’d wind up doin’ with my guns by any stretch; I was just getting’ started after all.

One day down in town, I heard that the War Between the States was declared done and learned about President Lincoln getting’ assassinated.  Seemed like things were on the mend, but I’d learn soon enough that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Still, I got that itch to see just how things had changed since those Union bastards came in on us.  I was still raw about that, but war ain’t nothin’ great, and brings out the worst in everyone, so I wasn’t plannin’ on holdin’ a grudge or nothin’; I done dealt with those that did it, after all, and was finally startin’ to sleep full nights again without wakin’ up screamin’. 

But, that’s neither here nor there.  Once I’d mentioned to Granny Opal I was thinkin’ about explorin’ about a bit, she put me through my paces in the next few weeks, makin’ sure I had all the knowledge I could ever need.  We parted on good terms, in her cantankerous way, and I was even told I was welcome back if I ever found myself back in this neck of the woods.  I’d never make it back to her, though, and I never really found out what happened to her, but I half expect to see her show up somewhere down the line, chidin’ me for not visitn’ her none.

#Lore24 – Entry #183 – Supers Month II #2 – The Way of Magic

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

I’d learn a few things when I finally woke up and took account of where I was.  I could smell the age of the old cabin mixed with the scent of herbs and fresh-baked bread, saw that my wounds had been tended and bandaged.  It only took a few moments before I realized I was right hungry, so I eased out of bed, unsteady as I was at the time, and stepped through the open doorway into the main room of the cabin.  That was when I’d meet Granny Opal for the first time, a witch older than the hills themselves so it was said.  I’d heard the name growin’ up but didn’t ever figure the tales of a witch up in the distant hills to be fact till I saw her and she introduced herself.  She weren’t nothing like what I figured from what I’d heard about her; she looked more like the ‘granny’ of her namesake than the old crone you’d think of when you hear the word “witch”, gray hair up in a bun, plump and wrinkled with age, a little pair of glasses threatening to slip off her nose, that kind of look. 

Still, she weren’t one to mince words and dillydally about, so she told me how it was and how it was going to be for a fair sight.  As she told it, I’d sought her out on my own after a fashion now that my powers had woke up, and she was gonna teach me how not to get myself and others killed with what I could do, at least, not by accident.  I guess maybe she took a bit of pity on me then when my stomach spoke up, cause she said she’d wait till after breakfast before startin’ my lessons.  I never once questioned her ‘bout all this; just seemed right to me now that I didn’t really have noweheres else to go; I had family up north ‘round Lexington somewhere, so I’d been told, but I never met them, so they might as well not have ever existed.  I took a seat at the old table and noted all the strange things she had hangin’ ‘round her place, animal bones and sticks and beads and feathers and the like, all kinds of different arrangements, and all kinds of bottles and jugs filled with things I’d learn about later on, not all of them pleasant.  Granny Opal was a good cook, I’d say, fixed some fine bread and stew, though the taste was a little funny till you got used to it.

Once my stomach weren’t interruptin’ us from jawin’, she started teachin’ me about what had happened.  I started gettin’ images in my head of what all had happened that day as my memories came rushin’ back.  I got real close to sickin’ up right then when I remembered what I’d done, but managed to hold all that food I’d just eaten in somehow.  As she went over the basics and started learnin’ me some techniques to focus my mind and spirit and my head cleared up, I first became aware of my familiar, Asher, lingerin’ over by the fence, chewin’ on some grass.  Turns out he’d been my familiar since I’d handled breakin’ him in a couple years back, I just never realized what it was I’d done.  Now that I’d started learnin’ the ways of magic, it weren’t long before I was talkin’ to him in my head and hearin’ his voice just as plain as day.  That’s how I eventually learned he’d picked me up out in the woods, havin’ slipped outta the stables on his own once the shootin’ started, and he’d sensed Granny Opal all on his own and took me to her.

I’d be sittin’ out the rest of the War with Granny Opal, becoming an apprentice witch, I suppose.  She’d introduce me to her familiar soon enough, a big ol’ bobcat named Smoky, and though he weren’t no normal bobcat, he still put Asher’s nerves on edge whenever he was about.  I’d learn that our familiars acted as something of a buffer and a conduit for tappin’ into the magic that was all around us, though I reckon magic had started to fade away from the world a while back for whatever reason, which was why there weren’t too many of us witches about anymore.  They were also magical beings, our familiars, bonded to us for the rest of our days, though they could certainly still be killed through other means, and were that to happen, we’d lose our connection to the majority of our magic till we bonded a new one. 

I’d learn some basic control techniques, how to call upon the elements and formulate magical essence into our “spells”, and a fair bit of her herbalism and alchemy, and how to use the mystic sight, too.  ‘Course, I had to learn all them pesky rules and such about what I should and shouldn’t be doin’ with my magic, but I’ll save all that lecturin’ for somewheres else. 

We didn’t see a lot of visitors out there at Granny Opal’s cabin; not many would venture out that way unless they was in need of some of her special healin’ poultices and the like.  Everyone was downright afraid of her, really, but I figure that was more just somethin’ she spread around to keep most people away.  She enjoyed her privacy, and just tolerated me for a short spell, I reckon.  Still, she weren’t unpleasant or mean, was a good teacher, and was mostly patient with me.  I’d ride Asher down through the hills a good ways to town ever so often to pick up a few supplies that weren’t traded to Granny by her occasional visitors, and I’d pick myself up a rifle for huntin’ and such after a fair bit of tradin’. 

Granny thought I was a might touched in the head when I came back with that gun, since everything we could ever need we could work through magic in some way or another, but I just didn’t feel right not havin’ one.  Sure, I could fling rocks or manage a spurt of fire, or somethin’ else like that by then, but I don’t reckon that’d go over well outside her little holler.  Folk just weren’t gonna accept that sort of thing in the modern world.  Might actually be why magic started to fade, I guess; people just stopped believen’ in it.  I didn’t plan on stickin’ around forever, and she didn’t expect me to either.  So, I’d start playin’ around on my own, and as I’d learn, I could do some right fancy tricks when I combined my magic with my shootin’. 

#Lore24 – Entry #182 – Supers Month II #1 – An Awakenin’ Magic

From the journal of Abigail “Sassy” Dawson, Mage of the Order of Hecate

I weren’t raised for no book learnin’, and I never figured I’d ever be writin’ this stuff down, but I guess things in life don’t always go how you figured they would.  Since I joined up with the Order, I’ve been asked by Chrona to write out some details ‘bout my past and start keepin’ a record of things, so here we are, I guess.

I was raised up in the hills of Kentucky, over on the eastern part, in a good-sized family, the hard workin’ kind that took care of a large spread up in those hills, tendin’ to the plantin’ and raisin’ animals and such, though my paw always wanted to get a proper horse farm a goin’.  Back then, I had three brothers and a sister, and though we weren’t ever what you’d call “rich”, we lived pretty good.  Weren’t nothin’ really stood out about my early life too much, ‘cept my way with horses, I suppose.  I was always good with them, could “whisper” to’em as I heard it called back then, always knew what they were a thinkin’ and how to get’em to do whatever it was I need’em to do when nobody else could.  Put my big brothers to shame a time or two, I reckon, when none of them could break a particularly spirited horse to saddle, and I could just walk up to’em and speak a few things and they’d let me on’em just as pretty as you please.

‘Course, that was before the War Between the States done got started up, and everythin’ went to Hell.  We was in a border state, so weren’t never nothin’ easy back then.  Always had to walk on eggshells ‘round people who had been close friends back then, and there was always a sense of paranoia around.  Well, things went bad for my family back then, what with my brothers signin’ up and joinin’ the Confederacy along with most everyone else ‘round the hometown.  Won’t be speakin’ much of the details ‘bout then first couple years, just a bit too personal.  It’s what came later on that matters here, cause that’s when I really opened up my gates and experienced my magic for the first time, outside of what I was doin’ with the horses.

Well, as it was, the war went just about everywhere back then, so course, it had to come home eventually.  Weren’t good to learn that two of my brothers had gotten killed, put maw and my sister and me in a right bad state when my last brother rode in damn near dead from gunshot wounds that night.  Course, we didn’t have much time to grieve or register what was really goin’ down, cause weren’t too long before that Union detachment rode up, hot on the trail of my brother.  They was lead by one of our neighbors’ sons, one who I’d been sweet on once, show’d ‘em right where we were. 

Things got…violent, then.  Words were said, voices raised, and before we knew it the shootin’ started.  I weren’t too bad with a gun back then, cause I’d been raised with’em and had to start helpin’ with the huntin’ and such, not near as good as I am now, so I don’t think some of them soldiers were expectin’ it when me and my sis fought back too.  Well, that didn’t last, cause we weren’t no trained soldiers, and they had us outnumbered by a good many.  I don’t rightly recall how exactly it all went down, just remember that my paw and maw and brother were dead, my sis was dyin’ from a shot to her gut, and I had a bullet in my arm. 

As them soldiers came inside on us, the things they said, the outright hate they were a spewin’ at us, and the things they tried to do to me…well, something done broke inside me then.  It was like a dam just exploded then, and I felt my first real taste of magic just wellin’ up inside of me as all my anger and sorrow gushed out.  I remember them soldiers who were hasslin’ my sis went first, just exploded all over the place like nothin’ I’d ever seen before.  The rest…well, it was pure chaos.  Fire, ice, stuff I’m not so sure what it was, all of it went through them Union men and spread over the homestead, but specifics are lackin’ in my mind.

After it was all said and done, I remember churnin’ up the earth and buryin’ my family after that, like that magic flow was doin’ whatever I wanted it too at the time, then remember staggerin’ off into the woods, but don’t recall how exactly I wound up where I did after that, cause all that magic what came outta me left me drained.  Reckon it was a week later when I finally woke up, not as dead as I woulda figured on bein’, in an unfamiliar cabin a good ways off from the old homeplace, no idea how I’d wound up there.

 

LORE24 ENTRY #60 – Supers Month #29 – New Heroes in Sentinel City!

 

From the files of Cyber Seer…

 

New Heroes and Heroines

Okay, dudes, this one’s gonna be quick, cause things are heating up and changing in Sentinel City like, superfast!  Here’s some quick info on new faces in town that have come onto the scene over the last few weeks!  Reach out to these guys and gals if you can, get to know’em and maybe we can form up our own big superhero league or whatever!  

 

Wrench Witch and Squatch – Talk about your oddball pair, and no, it’s totally not because they’re from the South!  Wrench Witch drives a tricked out late-70s era Ford pickup and somehow makes it work as her primary weapon dealing with criminal types; hell, there’s even video of her driving over the river in that thing!  Daddy Cyber Seer would be envious!  She also packs what looks like a cobbled together battery-powered drill and nailgun combo, but that thing shoots lightning bolts and can pin people to the floor!  Like wow, low tech, but super advanced!  She knows how to shoot guns, too, and looks to be pretty mean with a shotgun!  She’s also got a mean right-hook and isn’t afraid to get in a scrap right beside her bro, either; total tomboy energy!

And Squatch, well, he’s…a sasquatch.  Like, literally, that’s what he is.  At least, that’s what Wrench Witch has said in interviews, though she is adamant he’s her little brother, and has been since her family found him in the woods and adopted him.  All he says is is his name, but she’s totally able to understand him on a completely different level, even translates for him.  He’s big, he’s strong, super-hairy, and he’s apparently a book nerd, and pretty dang smart to boot by all accounts.  

Also, the pair run moonshine into Sentinel City.  Like, not what I’d call a real crime, but the Feds say its illegal, so whatcha gonna do?  I’m not calling them out for it, though; gotta make a living somehow!

 

Kinbaku and Lovely Angel – OMG, now here’s a pair I could totally hook up with!   I mean, Kinbaku’s name would be enough, but these ladies are going to make it big in no time, I’m sure!  I mean, they’re totally hot, like wowza!  Kinbaku, the mysterious catgirl swordswoman with some super-tricked out rope bondage techniques, and Lovely Angel in that stripperiffic outfit, doing those sexy pole dances in the middle of fights?  Ohhh, I’m totally looking forward to seeing a lot more from these chicks!  They can tie me up and give me a lap dance any day of the week!  

 

Silverstreak – Oh, I think he might be on par with Clean Sweep in terms of sheer speed!  He’s hard to catch on camera because of it, but this silver wolfman can leave afterimages behind him, and he can run circles around the opposition, or probably anyone else for that matter.  I’d say reach out to him, but I don’t know if any of us can catch him!  He’s not one to stick around after he’s done wrapping up the bad guys, and certainly hasn’t sought out any kind of fame or recognition as of yet.

 

Rad Wolf – Well, if it’s one thing I can say about Rad Wolf, it’s that he’s totally got a latex fetish.  Like, full-body latex suit (complete with a VERY impressive bulge) and gas mask, and it’s definitely build around wolf-like features (pretty sure that’s a real tail and wolf-like muzzle behind that mask).  And I think he’s totally got radiation powers, though I get the feeling he’s keeping them in check, or is just starting to manifest them.  Like, he’s got those glowing green radiation symbols all over the suit for a reason, right?  I think he might be still refining his style, though; I mean, why use just a steel pipe for weapon?  So far he’s come off as a bit of a goofball in the few interviews he’s had, but he’s just getting started, so we’ll see what becomes of him, huh?

 

Lawdog – This guy just showed up during the last full moon, and I don’t even know what his name is, so I’m just calling him Lawdog, cause that’s like, the vibes he put out.  That was the night that outlaw biker gang was causing trouble all through the city and had us running ragged.  This guy just appears on a rooftop like some mysterious werewolf gunman out of an old western, howling at the moon and unloading his six shooters at the gang.  He even wears a duster and cowboy hat, hell, I think he even has a tin star on his costume!  So yeah, totally going with Lawdog here.  He’s shown up a time or two since, seems to have a thing for putting some fear into his targets before confronting them, so he’s got some style!  

(Side note:  Totally just an off-the-wall theory on my part, but I’m seeing a pattern here!  Female supers tend toward feline traits, and males toward lupine or canine traits!  How crazy is that?!)

 

 

Comments

Pink Pussy – Hey, chica, Kinbaku and Lovely Angel?  They’re guys.  Just thought you should know 😉

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  WHAT?  No, you’re pulling my leg here!  I’m a connoisseur of this kind of thing, an expert!  I have a finely tuned eye for traps!  There’s no way they’re dudes, dude!  Like, how do you even know that?

–Reply from Pink Pussy:  The nose knows 😉  And I may have just flirted with them a couple of times now and gotten Angel a little hot under the collar.  

—-Reply from Cyber Seer:  No way, I still don’t believe it!  Best traps ever!  You totally have to introduce me sometime!  

 

Gun Bunny – I’ve met Lawdog once.  He’s quite the gentleman, really, and is absolutely going for the classic western hero.  I daresay Sentinel City could use more men of that kind of character.  He’s also very much a cop, or at least, used to be one before putting on the duster and six guns; the way he carries himself, refers to the criminals, some of the observations he had, definitely has had training as a detective.  Early impressions, yeah, I’d trust him in a firefight.

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Neato!  You seem to know a lot about how cops act too, GB!  Bet you watch a lot of those shows on TV, huh?

–Reply from Gun Bunny:  Guilty as charged 😉

 

Mecha Musume – In spite of her more crude methods, I am confident in saying that Wrench Witch shares some of my own talents with mechanics.  I managed to catch the tail end of that fiasco on the freeway tonight, and thankfully she and Squatch were there to keep all those logs from causing serious harm to people.  She didn’t hesitate to use her truck as a shield, and he was easily able to grab them and toss them off the bridge into the river.  That truck is built more than “Ford tough”; it barely had any scratches to the paint let alone dents after slamming into those huge logs.  

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Black Cat called what y’all do being an artificer, btw.  But yeah, caught some drone footage of that mess, and did some sniffing around, pretty sure I’ve found the cause of that.  Looks like Rampage got out of Edgewater somehow and is loose again, so expect things to get nuts sooner rather later.  Funny how they’re keeping that quiet, huh?

–Reply from Mecha Musume:  Absolutely suspicious, or perhaps Jennifer Tempest couldn’t handle the fact that someone broke out of her facility and doesn’t want to admit failure?  Either way, we need to get the word out to be on the lookout for this guy!

—-Reply from Pink Pussy:  Consider the word out!  I freakin’ hate this guy!  It’s like all those video games where you drive around and shoot up the city and cause chaos got embodied into one nutjob!  Madre de Dios, don’t let him get wound up too far, or we’ll have a city-wide mess on our hands!

 

LORE24 ENTRY #59 – Supers Month #28 – Solaria

 

From the files of Cyber Seer…

 

Heroine Name

Solaria

 

Real Name

Unknown

 
Description

if it’s one thing Solaria has, it’s a sense of style, though, like, I’m not so sure about some of her fashion choices.  On the outside, that whole “priestess of the Light” thing is pretty hot, flowing white dress, revealing slits on the sides and on the skirts to show of her hips and legs, the golden accents, thigh boots and opera-style gloves, yeah, it totally works with the goodly healer bit.  I’m not so sure about the rest of that outfit though.  Like, the golden collar and cuffs on her wrists and ankles, those are totally awesome, sure, but the full set of chastity gear under the dress?  That’s a bit much, I think.  Like, no way I could handle something like that.  Not at all, I’d go like, totally crazy in no time flat.  Wonder if she’s like, focusing her mental energies somehow by doing that, or if maybe she’s like, a virgin and has to protect her virtue or like, lose her powers and stuff?

Oh, she also has this really cool looking sun-themed staff too, also gold, for like, channeling her energy, I think.  Really sets off the rest of her look!

 

Powers and Abilities

So like, Solaria is all about the heals, right?  She’s like, the only person I know who can do a proper RPG-style healing, and she does it super-awesome like.  She even does the prayers and stuff to the Light when she does it!  And she isn’t the least bit shy about sharing her gift, either, which is totally awesome!  She goes around the city to all the clinics and homeless shelters and stuff and heals those she can, from minor cuts and scrapes to broken bones and like, even some diseases!  

She’s even like, got some other powers relating to the light, too.  She can pull off a totally awesome flashbang attack, and she absolutely glows when she calls on her healing powers; total beacon of holiness!  She can do light shields and stuff too.  She’s probably got other powers relating to Light manipulation (HOLY LASERS!!!) if I were to make totally random guesses, but like, maybe she’s saving them for hard times?  Or something?  I’ll get into that more in a sec…

And honestly, guys, I’m like, 99% sure I could take Solaria in a fight, and I’m totally not a fighter, right?  She like, totally doesn’t get the combat thing, even worse than me!  You’ve seen the vids, right?  She can defend herself, like, in the general sense of the term, but like, your average street thugs tend to overpower her on the regular.  If this were like, an RPG, I’d say she totally min-maxed her offense and defense, and it’s like, totally out of balance.

And like, this is totally unconfirmed and stuff, but there’s like, this other chick that’s been spotted near Solaria a couple times now, just came on the scene.  Like, I don’t know if Solaria is summoning a literal angel (cause she totally looks like a kickass avenging angel), or if like, she’s aligned with Solaria spiritually or whatever (her armor sort of looks an awfully lot like Solaria’s chastity gear), but it looks like she packs a punch!  Maybe she’s min-maxed the opposite way Solaria is to act as a balance?  I’m still digging on this one; camera footage is totally whacked so far, just got tons of eye-witnesses and you know how they can be.  

Update from Black Cat:  Dudes!  Finally caught up with Black Cat again and like, she’s totally confirmed some things!  Solaria is definitely using full blown healing magic, and she’s definitely got like, an otherworldly patron of some kind guiding her!  So all that stuff she is always preaching about?  Like, totally true!  What Black Cat couldn’t say for sure was whether it’s actually something from beyond our mere mortal realm, or if Solaria actually willed it into being herself, or if it’s one of those familiar things with a super-bloated opinion of itself.  But like, she also said a bunch of other stuff that I had trouble following (magic is actually pretty hard to understand; give me some deep encryption algorithms any day!), so like, maybe you can ask her about it next time you see her?  But like, that new angel chick spotted with Solaria?  She’s definitely not a manifestation of Solaria’s power, she’s her own thing!  Need more info, like seriously!

 

What She Does

Okay dudes, I’mma lay this one out here and just, like, make of it what you will.  Solaria is like, this totally awesome healer, right?  Seems like someone Sentinel City could use more of, right?  I mean, she totally spends most of her time helping people and expecting nothing in return, right?  Well, like, maybe?  But like, she’s got this quirk about her, and I’m totally not against religion and stuff, but dudes, she’s totally developing a cult around her.  Like, seriously, the Light she is always praying to?  More and more people are praying to it now after she’s been preaching about it so much (like, she’s even been hauled off by the cops a few times when she got really fired up about it); she’s practically starting her own church.  It’s like, only a matter of time before she starts doing healing live on TV and getting donations and stuff from all over the country.  Like, those megachurches that are out there now?  They will have nothing on Solaria if the girl got serious about it.  Am I saying that’s a bad thing?  Not really, I mean, maybe it’s high time for a new religion to spring up?  Not my field, though; I’ll stay well out of the whole theology debate, yeah?

And like, there’s this other quirk about Solaria though, and I can totally get it!  And like, she’s worse than me in this regard!  She gets captured.  A lot.  Like, running the numbers, I’m seeing like, of her known fights that have been captured on video, like 85% of them end with her getting overpowered and captured, tied up in various humiliating ways and drug off somewhere by the baddies.  Like, I get it, totally, she’s got a damsel-in-distress fetish; I’ve been there (still might be there, in fact), but still, when I’m saying that it’s a bit much, you know its bad.  Like, damn, PP, you need to catch up with this girl and put her through some serious training!  I guess maybe that’s why she adopted the chastity gear?  Like, it makes sense in a hentai-kind of way.

 

Known Allies

Hooded Harlot

Her Mysterious Guardian Angel

The Solaria Cult

 

Known Enemies and Rivals

Anyone on the captor side of a kidnap fetish?

Shadow Lynx.  Maybe; I mean, like, their powers are like, totally opposites, right?  We all remember what happened to Shadow Lynx when the lights came on in the Dollface fight, right?  So like, I could see sparks between these two.  And Shadow Lynx is such a bitch (taking PP’s word on that one!), so like, it’d make sense, right?

 

Comments

Mecha Musume – I cannot help but feel like we should be keeping a closer eye on Solaria; her healing abilities are very unique, and could be dangerous in the wrong hands.  As prone as she is to being captured, who is to say that some villain out there doesn’t already have their eyes on her, and is planning on kidnapping her and forcing her to keep them and their minions healed?  I also think that, if you’re willing to assist, Pink Pussy, that some self-defense training is certainly in order.  Perhaps Cyber Seer and Solaria can be enrolled in your program together?  Since someone here has thus far been avoiding said training.

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Oh, that’s not fair!  You know how busy I am all the time!  The internet totally never sleeps!

–Reply from Pink Pussy:  Si, I’m more than willing to put these two through their paces!  Strength training, combat training, long runs and hikes, the works!

—-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Uhhh…nope, totally not for me.  I’m super-delicate, you know?  All these late nights, stuck by my computer?  I’m totally not built for that kind of thing.  This is a nerd body, through and through!

——Reply from Mecha Musume:  Oh, I think that sounds wonderful!  You could use some proper sunlight from time to time, Cyber Seer.  And perhaps we should look into getting you some gear to match Solaria’s?  Maybe you would be more motivated to getting yourself in shape if certain pleasures were denied?  I can discuss the matter with Mecha Mistress and I’m sure she’d be in agreement.

——–Reply from Cyber Seer:  Totally not cool, dude!  Not cool at all!  Like, no!  NO!

———-Reply from Pink Pussy:  Have Mecha Mistress tag me in on that convo, ‘kay?  I think we can work something out!

Further comments on this thread have been blocked by the administrator.

 

Pink Pussy – Hey, chicas, I have some bad news here…I think Solaria has already been scooped up by someone!  Don’t ask me how I know, but I’m like 99% sure Solaria is moonlighting at the Edgewater Institute!  They’ve got a healer on staff that could absolutely be her, wears the same golden chastity gear, has the flashy light effects when healing, the works.  She wears some pretty heavy-duty latex nurse outfit, though, so her face is hidden.  I’m not sure she’s there of her own free will, but with the way she’s always getting captured, maybe?  Either way, I don’t trust someone like Jennifer Tempest with her.  That woman is scary in her own way.

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Heavy-duty latex nurse outfit?  Tell me more 😀 😀 <3 <3 <3

–Reply from Pink Pussy:  Nah, I’m not taking that bait, chica.  I’ve said too much already.

—-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Awww, come on!  Edgewater is like, totally locked down; I haven’t been able to take a peek inside at all, so tell me!  Inquiring minds want to know!

——Reply from Pink Pussy:  Fine, I’ll tell you, but you gotta do some serious training with me first.  

——–Reply from Cyber Seer:  You know what?  I’m totally not that interested suddenly 🙁 🙁

———-Reply from Mecha Musume:  Thank you for telling us about this, though.  We’ll have to keep it  on the radar for a future investigation.  Maybe Black Cat could perhaps use her magic to discern more information about the situation there?

 

Gun Bunny – if it weren’t for her healing abilities, Solaria would be in the crazy file at the SCPD.  When she gets rolling about the Light, she really gets rolling; records indicate that the PD have had to gag her a few times when she’s been hauled in, though I’m guessing that’s intentional on her part.  Still, I’d say she’s a net positive in the city, though if she’s got links to Edgewater and the Tempests, I’d definitely tread carefully around her, and be careful what you say, otherwise the Tempests may hear about it.

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Heh, she’s definitely worse off than me when it comes to the bondage thing.  Totally good advice as always, GB!  I’ve been digging into the Tempests myself, and there’s definitely something shady with that family!  If someone knows more about them, I’d say it’s that reporter for channel 9, Delia Emmerson.  She’s done several interviews with them lately, so maybe we reach out to her?  Seems to me like all of the Tempest’s operations are locked behind the same level of security as Edgewater, and thus far I’ve not had a reason to try to bust through their firewalls.  Might have to take a deeper dive soon…

–Reply from Gun Bunny:  Don’t do anything too dangerous, Cyber Seer.  The Tempest family isn’t to be underestimated; they’ve got their fingers in so much around the city, it’s scary.  They’ve got roots with the Italian mafia families, so expect harsh retaliation if you’re caught.

—-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Don’t worry, I’m the best at this kind of thing!  They’ll never even know I was there!

LORE24 ENTRY #58 – Supers Month #27 – Hooded Harlot

 

From the files of Cyber Seer…

 

Heroine Name

Hooded Harlot

 

Real Name

Unknown

 
Description

So like, she’s a whore, or a harlot, right?  And she wears a hood, hence the name.  Totally mind blowing, right?  Seriously, though, not gonna throw shade, just like, being snarky and stuff.  Chill!  Anyway, Hooded Harlot has a thing for purple, the darker the better.  It’s her primary color choice, next to black.  Her costume has that stylish hood and cape thing going on, though she wears a domino-type mask beneath the hood too to help with the secret identity thing.  She wears a two-tone black and purple one-piece on her upper body and thigh high heels over lighter purple tights, and sports a pair of opera-length gloves to top things off.  She’s got some pretty deep pockets in that outfit too, sporting your classic utility belt and some extra weapons hidden about herself.  Nothing too flashy for this chica, just down to business.  And might I say, she rocks the look, especially since she’s buffed up some lately, really cracked down and got herself in greater shape!  Seriously, dudes, have you seen those thighs?  Hawt!

 

Powers and Abilities

So like, from what everyone has observed (at least those who ain’t afraid to speak up and post footage online, anyway), she’s not sporting any flashy super powers, but DAMN if Harlot’s not a great fighter.  Like, ninja warrior shit here!  Some of the footage of her, as little as there is of it, tells me she’s got leet skillz!  There was that one vid of her dropping down on a bunch of drug dealers harassing some of the working girls and man, she had them all messed up in record time!  Left the lot of them strewn about the street, and how!  More on that later, though.  She packs a lot of tricks in her utility belt, too, like smoke bombs, gas grenades, bolas, stun guns, and dudes, she’s even got a grapple gun!  Like, where does she get all those wonderful toys?  Oh, she ain’t afraid to use weapons, either; she’s usually wielding a pair of batons that are totally not dildoes (okay, they probably are, but like, HARD ones), even has some versions of them that she can throw like a ninja star!  Imagine getting clunked in the head with something like that!

 

What She Does

Hooded Harlot kicks ass; that’s like, what she does!  At least, those asses that come into the Red Light District and start trouble, anyway.  She’s like, totally territorial in that regard, rarely spotted outside that area of town, and if she is spotted elsewhere, it usually means she’s tracking down someone who hurt one of the pros, or did something else to really piss off those in the biz with some seriously shady shit.  Drug dealer types seem to be pretty high on her ass kicking list, based on the numbers.  Oh, but Harlot doesn’t just let’em off with a good beat down!  She’s got a style all her own, cause she has to humiliate the shit outta these douchebags, like, damn, I think she’s got some serious mental trauma or something.  Or maybe she’s just like, totally kinky; I’d buy that too.  Kinda hot, right?  Well, maybe not if you’re on her bad side.  Harlot’s got a mean streak, and she makes sure people know about it.  She’s got this habit of leaving those criminal types who cross her laying out in the open, usually beaten black and blue, but also usually arrayed in some really humiliating fashions.  Like, remember that time all those guys were tied to the railing, pants down, asses spanked, and stuffed with some of her toys?  Yeah, like, don’t get on her bad side!  Total X-rated stuff, but like, she could totally monetize it!  (She hasn’t, though; believe me when I say I’ve done the research!)

But I’m like, not really sure how to get on her good side, either.  She’s like, really dedicated to taking care of the Red Light District, and like, doesn’t play well with others.  I’ve tried leaving some messages here and there, and got nothing.  PP mentioned some run ins with her, but like, she didn’t sound too receptive to a co-op, more like she wanted everyone else outta her territory.  Still, she’s not outright come out and gotten hostile with any heroes as far as I know, just like, really cold and mysterious and anti-social and stuff.  Like, “don’t mess with me shit, and I won’t mess with yours” kinda vibes.

 

Known Allies

So like, Hooded Harlot is mostly a loner, right?  Like, she’ll tolerate other hero-types passing through, but as long as they finish up and clear off fast, she doesn’t seem to take offense to them.

There seems to be a particular exception, though.  Like, Solaria has been spotted in the RLD multiple times, and as far as I can determine, she’s like, not gotten her ass beaten yet.  Thinkin’ maybe it’s because she’s always out there healing people up, you know?  Like, has Solaria ever really pissed anyone off?  Or maybe she and Harlot have something else going on?  Like, how many times do you think Harlot’s had to save Solaria from getting kidnapped in her territory?  Anyway, if Harlot has an ally, it’s Solaria, though how close they really are is anyone’s guess.

 

 

Known Enemies and Rivals

Organized Crime Types

Drug Dealers

Corporate Douchebags

Bad Tippers?

 

Comments

Cyber Seer –  So like, I think I should probably like, try to do some on-the ground kinda investigatory actions here and get to know Hooded Harlot, for like, the team and stuff.  We’re all on the same side here, right?  Keep Sentinel City and its people safe, and that goes for the hookers and stuff too, right?  I can totally go in undercover.  I can almost guarantee she’s a dominatrix by day!  Or well, by night?  Well, she works crime-fighting at nights usually, so…maybe she doesn’t sleep much either?  But yeah, totally should investigate her more!

-Reply from Mecha Musume:  I will admit that I’m rather impressed that you kept most of the NSFW stuff to a minimum here given the subject’s nature, but I would think that our attention should be in other places for now?  There is that whole matter of stolen artifacts and Kitsune’s mysterious backer to research, yes?  Hooded Harlot is doing her own thing, doesn’t seem to be hurting anyone who doesn’t deserve it, and for now, hasn’t asked for help from us.  Don’t be getting involved where you’re not needed or wanted.

–Reply from Cyber Seer:  You should have seen the first draft; like totally X-rated and like, ten times longer 😉  Like yeah, you’re not wrong, but like, I’m just saying, she could totally be worth reaching out to!  Think of all the stuff that goes on in the RLD that she probably knows about!  Could be super-useful to have a contact on the inside!  

—-Reply from Mecha Musume:  (≖_≖ )  Are you hiding something?  You seem very restrained for such an X-rated heroine as Hooded Harlot.  You aren’t planning on disguising yourself and trying to draw her out to experience one of her humiliating beatings, are you?

——Reply from Cyber Seer:  NO!  Totally not planning anything like that!  Of course not!  Like…I’m just, you know…curious…like…what’s it like in that position, you know?  But no, I’m not planning anything.  Nope nope nope!  Good girl here!

——–Reply from Mecha Musume:  I’m pressing the doubt button…

 

Pink Pussy – Yeah, I’ve had a run-in or two with Hooded Harlot since I’ve been fighting crime; it was sort of like when two big cats cross paths and try to assert dominance, I guess.  She’s definitely doing her own thing.  You’re right about her being territorial; she’s very protective over the workers there, kinda like a guardian angel, yeah?  Chica’s definitely got issues, but I’d probably lean on the side of trusting her to jump in to help if you happened to get dragged into a fight there.  Just don’t expect her to welcome you afterward; likely she’d beat the bad guy and then threaten you with a beating too if you didn’t clear out rapido.  

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Think that maybe if someone were to like, willingly take the beating she’s offering that she’d like, open up to them?  I could like, test that theory!

–Reply from Pink Pussy:  I don’t even know what to say to that…like seriously, you need to calm the kink, chica.

—-Reply from Mecha Musume:  Oh, don’t worry about that; we’re going to have a long discussion over this one, and she’s not going to enjoy it.

——Reply from Cyber Seer:  You might be surprised ;p  

 

Gun Bunny – My sources in the SCPD don’t really have much to add about Hooded Harlot; she’s got a niche and she fills it well.  She plays about as well with the cops as she does anyone else, but only sticks around long enough to see that the bad guys are arrested.  She went quiet there or a few weeks though, before she came back in better shape than ever, so they’re assuming she went through some kind of intense training, maybe in response to the growing number of superpowered criminals out there.  The week following her return had the highest arrest rate to date for the RLD.  

-Reply from Cyber Seer:  Ohhh, neat to know!  Still think you’ve got better legs, though 🙂

–Reply from Gun Bunny:  Noted, and appreciated 😉

 

LORE24 ENTRY #57 – Supers Month #26 – Claire Tempest

 

From the personal journal of Delia Emmerson, Star Reporter of Channel 9 News…

 

Claire Tempest.

Claire.  Tempest.

WHO IN THE HELL IS CLAIRE TEMPEST?!?!?!!!

There’s another Tempest sister?!  When?!  HOW?!  Where is she?  Who is she?  How is it possible I’m just now learning of her existence?!

Seriously, full stop.  I don’t know how I missed this one, or how none of the Tempests or any of their underlings ever mentioned Claire Tempest before.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, not even the best government spooks can exist with this level anonymity.  I found nothing, absolutely NOTHING about Claire Tempest ANYWHERE.  Even my law enforcement sources swear I have to be mistaken, because they’ve never heard of a Claire Tempest either.  

So how did I find out about Claire Tempest at all?  It wasn’t easy, and maybe a little stupid, if not outright dangerous, but something stirred the family up a few weeks back.  It started with Misha Kyle of all people; apparently she’s got some kind of grudge against Sei-Sei’s friend Honey.  Whatever she had planned, Maria and Jennifer stepped in to intervene before Misha did something she’d regret; still trying to work out the details on that one.  I happened to be tailing Julia at the time, and happened to be masquerading as one of the waitresses at her favorite restaurants when she got a call from Grace.  I couldn’t overhear all the details, but I saw Julia of all people go pale.  She recovered quickly, but I heard her mention “our dear sister Claire” and making sure that the entire family would be there for her arrival.  She left almost immediately thereafter, so I hightailed it too, and followed her all the way to the Tempest estate.  I hung back in my favorite hiding spot in the woods outside the property, and sure enough, within a matter of hours, every one of the Tempest family had shown up.

I never saw Claire Tempest arrive, though (perhaps she was already there, waiting for Julia?), and as much as I wanted to, I wasn’t about to try to slip into the Tempest Estate.  I just had some seriously bad vibes about the place that night.  I can’t really explain it, but there was this overwhelming feeling that I didn’t want to be anywhere near the place, something…intangible in the air, like that static feeling you sometimes get when a thunderstorm is coming in.  

I’m digging with renewed vigor on this one; I will find out who Claire Tempest is, eventually.  Whatever she’s scheming, it’s got the rest of the family working extra hard on…something.  All of them seem to be redoubling their efforts at their various activities, almost like they’re trying to impress Claire, maybe, or more like they’re preparing for something big?  I may try to approach Honey and try to get what she knows about it; I overhead some of a conversation she had with Sei-Sei after the family meeting.  She’s been in a foul mood ever since, apparently, and had nothing good to say about any of the Tempests following that event, though Sei-Sei seemed to be entertained by whatever happened, teasing Honey about it before the two went off for their private escapades.  

This Tempest rabbit hole is going deeper than I ever could have imagined.  Though I will see it through to the end, I can only hope that I won’t be buried in it.

 

LORE24 ENTRY #56 – Supers Month #25 – Julia Tempest-Redhall

 

From the personal journal of Delia Emmerson, Star Reporter of Channel 9 News…

 

Julia Tempest-Redhall may well be the head of the Tempest crime family.  She doesn’t share the spotlight like some of the younger girls in the family, and by most accounts is a rather private individual, but her name is known throughout Sentinel City, and she is frequently spotted at every major public function, and most private ones, the city’s elite hold.  She’s the very image of a graceful, elite socialite, but I’ve yet to uncover what she’s actually done to become so famous amongst the wealthy elite.  Maybe it has something with her ties to old European royalty and her marriage into the Redhall family, maybe she inherited some significant wealth there; I’m still waiting on more details on that front, but information is surprisingly hard to find regarding the links here.

I’ve yet to find the exact dates here, but from what I can piece together, Julia has to be in her sixties, if not her seventies, but I daresay she barely looks forty, and the younger women of the family have reportedly taken to calling her ‘Granny’, a moniker that she despises, apparently.  I just can’t get over how well these women age.  Maybe the Fountain of Youth is just one of their many secrets?  

But what is it that Julia actually does in Sentinel City?  Besides being a socialite…I can’t really find anything else, officially.  She apparently doesn’t have any official income, even though she lives within the walls of the Tempest family mansion, and has perhaps the largest estate in the wealthy areas on the outskirts of the city.  I haven’t found any criminal records indicating tax evasion or other schemes one might expect to find, and I’ve barley found any public records of her at all, not even a drivers’ license.  I suppose that’s why she is always spotted with her driver, chauffer, butler, whatever, Sei-Sei (he may look all hot and plays sweet, but what little I’ve seen of him, his eyes scream career criminal, real mafioso-type muscle) in tow, though he’s also been known to work with the other members of the family.  I’ve followed him a couple times when Julia’s sent him out on errands, and have discovered that he sometimes hooks up with a prostitute, known as Honey, though I’ve not gone deeper than that; maybe she’s another angle I can investigate when I have the chance.

Back to Julia, though.  I’m absolutely certain she’s got her hands on Sentinel City’s strings, controlling a good chunk of the politicians and influential wealthy elite in the city.  She’s just too common a sight not to wield some kind of incredible power.  I’ve seen it myself, have photos of how these people look at her, and they practically worship her, always fawning over her.  It’s that  damn Tempest force of personality at work again.  But what does she actually tell them to do?  I’ve only gotten close enough to overhear a few conversations, and haven’t managed to get clear long-range recordings, but the conversations seem innocent enough.  Yet, there are plenty of private meetings I’ve not managed to slip close enough to eavesdrop on yet, and those are where the big business gets done, I’m certain.  Julia and the rest of the family has a grand plan in the works, probably dozens of criminal operations that all seem unrelated, but no doubt tie together at the head of the family.  

I may be going out on a limb here, but I am convinced I’ll find proof of it sooner or later, but I daresay that the Tempest family runs the single largest criminal enterprise in the country, maybe the world!  These women simply have too much power and influence to be using it entirely for the benefit of the city.  I just need that one detail, the one scrap of information that’ll bust this case wide open, and I’m sure I’ll find it!  Once I’ve taken care of a few more things swirling around Julia, I’m going to ambush her after one of her clandestine meetings, and I’m going to wring the truth out of the woman!  Anything for a scoop!