The Big Villains Thread

Games Sentinel Comics RPG
1

Looking for a specific villain?  Look HERE for the Villain of the Day Index!

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Villains of the Day:  January 1st, 2nd, and 3rd  (The Undying Husk, The Shattered villain team, and Coagulus, the Living Clot)

 

We have a thread with heroes out there already; let's make some Villains!  

It occurs to me that, long ago, we had a Villains thread...which is now several pages deep in the forum.  Oh well; new one!

 

Two of mine from earlier:  

Xu (of Xu's bell) isn't dead.  Nor can she die.  While her physical essence has faded, her role as a Virtuoso of the Void forever ties her to both the material world and to the Nexus of the Void.  And, because Anthony Drake destroyed her bell during the Voss invasion, she can no longer manifest as a true Void-Spirit or provide counsel to the other Virtuosos.  She has been stripped of her one true purpose and denied the sweet release of death.

Now, as an enervated Void-Wraith, The Undying Husk seeks vengeance upon the Argent Adept and any who would dare defile the relics of the past. Her songs are dirges, broken and dissonant; her chants bring ear-splitting pain and misery.  And the horrible silence from her broken bell?  The sound of heartbreak.

 

...if I'm feeling more ambitious, I might start working towards a "Great Escape" plotline, borrowing heavily from the Crisis on Earth-2 storylines:  the various villains from the shattered timelines, marooned in this reality, decide to band together for self-defense, hoping to acquire/borrow/steal/manipulate enough power to breach the boundaries into a less-defensible reality.  Should they succeed, an entire reality would be at their mercy; all the while, they face the heroes with the challenge, "You wanted to be rid of us, right?  Well, let us go, and you'll never hear from us again..." Enter, The Shattered:

I'm thinking a team-up of Citizens Storm and Dusk, BloodMist (a version of Nightmist who sought additional power from blood magic, rather than the Void), Inferno (a sort-of reverse Absolute Zero, constantly in danger of literally igniting the atmosphere around him), Commander KNYFE (the general-type one, featured in the art on The Letters Page, who mentally commands a legion of subservient KNYFE clones, who provide the group's muscle), and The Reckoner (a version of Chrono-Ranger corrupted by Biomancer's meddling into CON's systems, turned assassin/enforcer).

 

And one New One:

Biomancer hasn't always restricted his arcane creations to mere flesh.  Rather, the unfortunate runoff from his experimentations has served to be a unique medium unto itself.  The blood, effluvia, and arcane fluids leftover from a legion of homunculi accumulated in the vats below Biomancer's laboratory, awaiting disposal...until it arose.

Biomancer has dubbed his most unique creation as Coagulus, the Living Clot, which serves him as a spy and infiltrator.  In its natural form, Coagulus can slither through the smallest opening, shrugs off most physical attacks, and can literally drown its victims in a flood of half-coagulated plasma.  However, Coagulus can also take the form of any person which went into its creation or any creature with which it shares blood.  In this form, it exists as a perfect spy, able to infiltrate 'real life' with ease...

Coagulus' greatest weakness, however, is also its greatest strength:  its true nature as a creature of blood.  This leaves it particularly susceptible to the use of blood magic, which can both permanently discorporate Coagulus or enthrall it to the blood magic user.  As such, Biomancer kept Coagulus as a great secret--a sleeper agent, hidden as a grand contingency--in the fear that the Blood Countess will overtake his magicks.

2

I'll repost this character from the "RPG Character Thread" to get all the villains in one place. I'll post a second one latter

 

The Patchwork Preacher

The ravages of Obliveon left the entire world reeling, but as is always the case in the face of grand disaster, not everyone suffered equally. The poor and the disenfranchised don’t have insurance policies to cover the damage, and not everyone has a local hero team to employ advanced science or magic power to help clear the rubble. There are angry grumbles by some, seeing ivory towers rebuilt while in the shadows there lives are encroached upon by decay.

Those bitter feelings have found someone to give them a voice.

The man known as the Patchwork Preacher lurks in the worst areas of the world. Slums and wastelands where even day to day living has become a problem. His name comes from his appearance and clothing. He is a weather beaten, leathery man with a wild masses of tangled hair and more than a few scars indicating a live hard fought. His clothing is layers and layers of ragged and unwashed clothing, stitched and sewn together into a mess. Bits of leather and cloth and rags giving his silhouette an inhuman quality and making him appear to have much more bulk then his short height would normally convey.

He preaches a message of survival and triumph though misery, how the meek who now suffer shall use that suffering to grow strong and destroy those who have exploited there pain, and he possess a strange, gruff charisma and miraculous powers that has earned him more than a few followers.

The Preacher is a practitioner of Pathomancy, from the Greek Pathos, a form of magic that takes eldritch energy from the emotions of those around him. He can channel his own anger to inflame the emotions of a crowd and make them more receptive to his words. He can, in turn, channel the emotions of others to great effect.

A favorite trick is the creation of Ragged Angels, bits of cloth and junk animated to serve his will, infused with a malign will if not true sentience by the gathered eldritch energy. These servitors can range greatly in form and power, from a broken doll with a knife created from the essence of a word shouted in anger to a junkyard colossus from the channeled hatred of a riot.

The preacher likely has other tricks up his sleeve just waiting to be used, he has not yet confronted any hero directly, but like fungus growing in an open wound the damage caused by OblivAeon has allowed him to grow ever stronger

3

Villain of the Day:  January 4th  (Rubble)

The destruction that Rook City faced at the hands of OblivAeon turned an already-shattered city into one of ruins.  While Rook City was spared the total annihilation that faced San Alonzo, its art-deco skyscrapers and grotesque-adorned cathedrals were razed, its streets cracked and blood-spattered.

Rook City's emergency crews were stretched particularly thin during the OblivAeon crisis; the police had all but abandoned the streets, leaving all-out anarchy in the streets.  Paramedics Marcus Mannon and Kathryn Cargile were among those that refused to abandon the people of Rook City in their time of need, providing emergency care to trapped individuals and evacuating citizens to safe points outside of the city limits.

That was, however, until the very street collapsed beneath their wheels, plunging their ambulance into the archaic Rook City sewers.  The pair died screaming, drowned by the filth of Rook City in a cage of steel and stone.

But, of course, the chemicals and runoff in Rook City has strange effects at times and, in the presence of the cosmic power of OblivAeon, can bring about phenomenal change.

Rubble rose that day from the wreckage of Rook City:  an animated behemoth of twisted steel and shattered concrete.  Confused and enraged, it lashed out against any who dared approach it.  However, some witnesses claim that the creature speaks on occasion--sometimes with the voice of a middle-aged man, other times as a young woman.  Could it be that Marcus and Kathryn live on, somewhere in the consciousness of Rubble?  And, if that is so, whose consciousness dominates the creature, causing it to lash out so violently?

4

Villain of the Day:  January 5th  (Cross-Cut)

Elliot Barnes was sure that he was the last man on Earth.  The last thing he remembered seeing was the massive form of OblivAeon, walking away.  When Elliot crawled out from under the wreckage of his Lighthouse Studios office, everything in San Alonzo was naught but smoke and ruin. 

Injured, but not dead, Elliot managed wandered for weeks across the devastated city.  Not once did he even find another living soul.  However, he was determined.  Elliot believed that he was the last of humanity, set to rebuild the world after so many others had failed.

After five weeks of starvation, thirst, and desperation, Elliot managed to find a semi-intact car and decided to head towards the American heartland, hoping to find a farm or such, where he could live out the rest of his days.  After the first hundred miles, he found....a rest stop.  With three gas stations.  And two fast food restaurants.  And a convenience store.  All of which were fully staffed and bustling.

Confused, the grimy, lean Elliot staggered into the convenience store, much to the chagrin of the staff and other patrons.  As he looked up, the tv above the the register was flaring a special news report:  the opening of Freedom Plaza and the institution of the Sentinels of Freedom.  There was Legacy, Tachyon, and all the Freedom Five and their allies--still alive, smiling and cheering.  

Elliot screamed in rage.  And, as he did, everything around him froze.  The counterman stood stock still, his mouth hanging open in alarm.  A female patron froze in mid-step, her right foot never hitting the floor.  Frightened beyond belief, Elliot ran...

Within weeks, Elliot grew to realize:  he could manipulate time in small areas:  speeding it up, slowing it down, or freezing it entirely.  Still enraged that "those heroes let my city die, let my friends and family die!", he christened himself Cross-Cut, a knife-wielding time manipulator who would show the world who those heroes left behind.

 

5

Villain of the Day:  January 6th  (The Jigsaw Man)

Mark Harrington was Spite's final victim.  Slashed to ribbons with his gardening shears, The Wraith found him crawling across the paving stones in his gardens, trying to reach his kitchen phone.  The last thing he remembered was the look of failure in her eyes as everything faded to white.  

Harrington awoke, screaming, in his own coffin.  The Rook City coroner did their best, but his body was still covered with rough stitched scars--a closed casket, to be sure.  

After the first hour, he finally stopped screaming and realized that, in fact, he was still alive.  Cold, not breathing, with no pulse, but somehow alive.  In a moment of cognizance, he started to wonder how to escape his six-foot deep tomb.  

Luckily enough for Mark, whatever eldritch force animated him also allowed him a most unique ability.  In addition to the strength and durability of the undead, he found himself able to tear off his body parts, which would act independently in his command.  A few severed fingers were all he needed to claw an opening through the coffin lid, then his two severed hands to dig their way out from his grave-earth.  Eyes would skitter about on tendril-like optic nerves, while his chattering jawbone snapped and clattered.

Mark has gone utterly mad from his death and resurrection.  Vengeance and death are his watchwords now, as The Jigsaw Man brings a new degree of horror to the streets of Rook City.  And The Wraith will surely know his wrath.

6

Villain of the Day:  January 7th  (Rahm-Tel-Lorn the Ravager)


Rahm-Tel-Lorn the Ravager was born on a backwater world, the son of moisture farmers on the outskirts of a great desert.  Rahm always swore that he'd "make it off this rock, and everyone will respect me, then!"  His parents saw this as nothing more than the foolishness of a ranting teenager, unhappy with his lot in life.  When he stole most of their savings and fled the planet on a scavenger's ship, they were utterly stunned.  How could they have possibly gone so wrong?

If nothing else, Rahm was a poster boy for petulance and greed, taking mercenary jobs on various warring planets and, in between those, exploring rusting hulks in space for salvagable wares.  

On one of those massive hulks, Rahm-Tel-Lorn changed his fate entirely.  Stowed away in the deepest holds of a derelict warship, Rahm found a weapon:  a pulsing orb of living energy he later found to be called the Soul of Paloran.  The Soul of Paloran held the cosmic energy of an entire defunct race--the Paloran energy beings-- which Rahm now wielded with aplomb.  

However, Rahm is nothing if not a selfish, arrogant, childish creature.  He wields massive cosmic power--the ability to absorb and project energy, immense strength and durability, flight, and an ability to catalyze exothermic reactions--but he does so with all the skill, grace, and wisdom of a toddler in mid-tantrum.  He roams from world to world, conquering worlds for their riches and whatever strikes his fancy, then grows bored for further conquests.  He is petulant and immature, but the Soul of Paloran makes him a force that could shake the Multiverse.

7

Christian Dunmurray was, finally, just as had been predicted so many aweful years ago, a failed actor. The realization struck like a silver hammer destroying what was left of his tenuous pride. When this type of event happens some people rally, they turn themselves towards the future and make efforts to improve themselves. Christian is not one of those people.

 

In fact, Christian was very much standing at a pit stop on the freeway, looking down at San Alanso and cursing everyone there who had conspired against his "obvious greatness" when OblivAeon arrived. The Shockwave of destruction killed a great many, Christian was struck by the first wave and thrown back against is rustbucket van even with more than an hours drive between him and the massive spectre of doom that now stood like a vengeful god amidst the rubble of the city that had rejected him.

 

When he saw the second shockwave coming he ran, he as fast as he could and as he ran everything started to get brighter until he could bearely see, then he hit a power pole, and smashed through it. Paramedics found him and rushed the injured christian to the nearest hospital to set bones and help him recover. All the while Christian marveled at where he was, from San Alanso almost to Rook City in the blink of an eye. He decided that if people wouldn't make him rich because of his acting talent, he would use these new powers to take whatever he wanted

 

After his recovery and some experimentation with his powers BlueShift set about his first few crimes, determined to gain the fame and recognition that was rightfully his.

8

Villain of the Day:  January 8  (The Sous Chef)

There are many assassins and hired killers in the Multiverse.  And, of course, these guns-for-hire run the gamut from colorful, bombastic would-be villains to individuals you wouldn't bat an eye at if they sat beside you on the subway.  Georges Maillard--The Sous Chef--is just one of the latter.  

A classically trained French chef, Georges is particularly adept at preparations of fish, lamb, and numerous vegetables.  And poison.  And, as one might imagine, his knifework is impeccable.  While he trained at the Ecole de Cuise Alain Ducasse, he *also* trained in the French Special Operations Command, from which he was dismissed, following some disturbing revelations during one of his jobs in Vietnam.

George occasionally takes jobs from The Chairman, but mostly works as an independent operator, taking on jobs that fit within his own schedule and are of particular interest to him.  He charges exorbitant fees for his services--typically in excess of $250,000 per job--but his discretion, his skill, and his shocking rate of success make him an assassin in particular demand.

9

I see what you did there.

10

Glad someone caught that one.  It's almost as bad as naming a cold-manipulating character Frost… :stuck_out_tongue:

11

This one beggars my imagination a bit.  San Alonzo is based on Hollywood, CA, which is in the middle of hundreds of square miles of suburban Los Angeles sprawl.  It should take a lot less time to reach the edge of the destruction.  Not to mention, I'd guarantee that news crews and relief efforts, including helicopters, would have showed up a lot sooner.

12

Could be his sanity cracked long before this, and he wasn't able to perceive reality until it was brutally smacked in front of his face. I'm just making this up, but if during that time his brain "edited" his perceptions so that he didn't realize there were others around. (This is something that has happened to people in real situations, unfortunately. :frowning: ) 

Don't know if this was what was intended, but it could work…

13

Got it in one, chief. Elliot has seen The Omega Man too many times…

14

Villain of the Day:  January 9th  (Scrutiny)

"...but you open the envelope, you always open the envelope, for the end of man is to know."

The true identity of the individual(s?) known as Scrutiny is unknown.  Direct face-to-face contact with Scrutiny has not been recorded by any heroes, though several would-be Sentinels of Freedom--particularly individuals for whom a secret identity is sensitive information--claim to have been contacted, with a manila-brown envelope under their door, with any compromising messages or information in simple Times New Roman font.

Scrutiny provides an information databank to villains, pure and simple.  If you have the cash, Scrutiny can tell you what Dana Bertrand had at the Mumbai Tiger lunch buffet earlier this afternoon or what shampoo is in the bathroom of Expatriette and Setback's apartment.  No detail is too insignificant, no information too 'unimportant'--Scrutiny collects it all and, to the right buyer, that information may be the difference between victory and defeat.  

All efforts to track Scrutiny have resulted in dead ends, though a few leads still remain outstanding.  A former Megalopolis reporter and blogger, Shannon Birchold, claimed to have access to an external hard drive which held recorded video, online chats, and contact information for an investigator claiming to be affiliated with Scrutiny in some way...

...that was before Shannon disappeared.

15

Villain of the Day:  January 10  (Senator Daniel Ellison)

When Senator Daniel Ellison (R-IN) ran for office, he did so on a platform of small government, tax cuts, and "A return to Main Street, America."  Ellison was instrumental in the return of over 30,000 jobs to Indiana during his tenure as Lieutenant Governor, and mediated numerous disputes in both the economic and judicial sectors.  Ellison served two tours of duty with the United States Navy in the 1980s before returning to his hometown, where he joined as a managing partner of the Wenzer's Grocery chain.  Now in his 4th term as a Senator, Ellison sits on several notable standing committees, including both the Appropriations and Small Business/Entrepreneurship committees.  

While many of his critics on the other side of the aisle have criticized Ellison for his personal ties to two major defense firms and an ongoing legal battle with his home state's government regarding a questionable property sale, Ellison's moderate social views have allowed him to retain the incumbancy for his Senate seat for what will likely be a lengthy career.  His skill in business brought him wealth, but his skill as an orator and persuader have made him a formidable political rival.

However, Ellison has one particular target within his sights:  the Sentinels of Freedom.  While he will be the first to thank Legacy and his comrades for their service during the OblivAeon crisis, Ellison is galled by the sheer amount of funding being requisitioned for the new Freedom Plaza, a whole series of superheroic shenanigans, and a number of other high-cost items associated with maintaining the Sentinels, who effectively perform without any finite government oversight.  Ellison is quick to note the unchecked, "blank-book" spending at Fort Adamant, citing the lack of financial and ethical oversight by General Armstrong as nothing more than a precursor to the several trillion dollar price tag on the Sentinels of Freedom. And, as vice-chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Ellison is well-situated to create a massive bureaucratic entanglement, capable of shuttering the doors on Freedom Plaza.  

Could it possibly be that the Sentinels fall not to a villain or an alien invasion, but to red tape?

16

 

 

– Date, 1.10. 11th year after capture

— Enclosed encrypted transmission of Commandant Luctiena Ferr-ihm's personal log

---- It has been three days since we managed to secure our freedom. We have been imprisoned in this place since being captured by the human unit called the Freedom Five.  Some type of massive explosion in the human city west of us just out of the mountains disrupted our captors. Our force has apparently been held in this secret underground prison until some cataclysmic event disrupted it enough to allow nearly 30 of my men to escape and reacquire weapons. Because of the collapse of the entrance and the lack of human response they were able to slowly conquer the base and free me to reestablish command and gain access to encrypted QuantiCom channels. Of the nearly twenty six authority squads detained as prisoners of war in this camp I am the only surviving comandant. The others either did not reawaken from stasis or perished of injuries during their detainment. Many squads had to be combined to form proper units and I assigned the most experienced leaders available as temporary authorities beneath me until proper Commandants can be found for them.

Once I was reawakened restoring order to the platoon was difficult but it has been accomplished. and we've managed to reacquire and reassemble most of our weapons. The humans were disecting them in a wise, but ill fated attempt to duplicate our superior weaponry. I have taken to using digging out the collapsed entrances to our new opperations center and reassebling weapons as punishment in lieu of the usual lashes. It may not instil as much fear of failure but it has been more useful of late.

I have also, thanks to the prodigious library of the instilations original commander, taken to studying ancient human commanders and warriors, the Philosophies of Sun Tsu, Genghis Khan, and Hannibal have been of particular insight. I have also studied the stories of many humans trapped behind enemy lines, the stories of these sorts are plentiful and held with reverence by the historians involved. Humans seem to have a blind spot in rooting for the "Underdog". Though it feels strange to empathise with dissidents, let alone humans, these stories have been comforting in their similarity to our situation.

Because of my study of them, I now believe though it pains me to say it, that Grand Warlord Voss underestimated these humans. I will await punishement for that sentiment as well as orders from High Command as we fortify our position and ensure it remains secret. If we have not recieved orders by the time the entrance has been cleared we will begin conducting a geurilla war against this world in an effort to acquire enough tech to construct a ship to return to Dok'Thorath.

If the Humans hold this type of story in reverance that will be my greatest weapon against them. I will take a name for myself from their own languages. I will raid their military instilations and burn their science facilities to the ground; all the while their own communications network will spread tales of my last stand in a foreign land and my heroic attempts to lead my people home. I swear on the banner of my soverign, their fractious governments will tremble at the warcries of Peregrivox and her Thousand, while their own people cheer for my victory.

—end playback

17

Villain of the Day:  January 11th  (Nimbus)

Augie Emmanuel always had his nose in a book.  Even in elementary school, he could be found in the scienc section of the library, reading up on inventors from throughout history.  While he admired the likes of Newton, Franklin, and da Vinci, he reserved his deepeest admiration for Nikolai Tesla.  Borderline fixated on the eccentric inventor, Augie saw Tesla as something of a kindred spirit--both "misunderstood geniuses" who were never appreciated in their own time.  Never mind that Augie was barely a high-school junior and could barely pass high school chemistry; he knew his own worth, even if no one else would recognize his greatness.

When he was rejected for his school's quiz bowl team--citing his lack of effort in his coursework--Augie snapped.  He'd show them!  He'd show them all!  His frustration and entitlement knew no bounds as Augie took to his 'workshop' (i.e. his parents' garage) to exact his revenge, by completing one of Teslas's forgotten experiments and wreak his vengeance all across the cafeteria.  

He didn't get far.  HIs prototype exploded in his backyard, which was investigated by the authorities.  When they saw what he had been planning, Augie was arrested on domestic terrorism related charges, whereupon he was sentenced as an adult to 4 years in prison.

Augie simmered in a white-collar, medium-security prison...until the day he was visited by a mysterious man with an equally mysterious offer.  He could offer Augie the chance to exact his revenge, to be the genius he was destined to be:  a chance to do all the things he truly 'deserved'.  All he had to do was sign on the proverbial dotted and agree to a few 'future tasks'.

When Augie returned to James Madison Memorial Prep School, it was not in his normal black t-shirt and jeans.  Rather, now it was in his new identity:  Nimbus, complete with Tesla-Coil gauntlets and his Electro-Static Discharge Harness....all courtesy of his mysterious benefactor.

18

I just wanna say this thread is really great!

At first I thought Christian was going to mistakenly believe he had somehow caused OblivAeon to destroy San Alonso and that would largely inform his character.  You could probably make a hero with that idea who is trying to do good to atone for the suffering they think they caused.

I'm a little confused about BlueShift's powers from this description.  Is he a speedster, or does he teleport, or is it something else?  Will he always travel large distances without realizing it, or is that just because he isn't used to it yet?

19

 

He is a speedster. He was just shocked because it was the first time he'd ever done that & didn't really have time to think between OblivAeon and the sudden power pole. When you move above a certain speed the Doppler effect starts to apply light & that's why he couldn't see, everything got brighter cause it was blueshifting. Which is where got his name and is also the extent to which he understands the concept. He would have to train and push himself to hit that speed again(fear is a hell of a motivator) He is very dangerous because he lacks the scientific mind that Tachyon or even to a lesser extent friction had that allowed them to minimize their effects on the stuff around them. He will decide he wants coffee, jet off to get some & go back to where he was. & that's the extent to which he cares about the event, he has his coffee now. but the people he pushed past on the sidewalk are severely hurt & the door to the coffee shop has to be repaired because at his speed he tore it off the hinges on his way out. Tachyon is careful with her powers, Friction while a villain was more focused on what she wanted, Christian just kinda… does stuff.

That hero idea is pretty swanky, maybe a teleporter who leaves just before OblivAeon arrives and is now wrestling with survivors guilt or something, 

 

Also i have to go back through cause rereading it i noticed some spelling/punctuation errors i missed. lol

20

Villain of the Day:  January 12th--Missy the Maw

Melissa Akins was meant to be a sacrifice.  A loner by nature, Melissa--or, Missy, as her book club called her--had few friends and would while away the hours reading books in her local Harbucks Coffee shop.  Captured by the Cult of Gloom while on break from Overbrook University, Melissa was abducted fand went missing for 6 days, and was the subject of a feverish manhunt.  

During that time, Melissa was awash with emotions.  Despair, abject terror, stern resolution....then, finally, something of a strange admiration.  These strange, hooded cultists were just like her, only they knew something she did not.  They knew the truth of the universe.  Within the span of 72 hours, Melissa dropped into acute Stockholm Syndrome, even convincing her captors to allow her free roaming of their secret compound and asking numerous questions about their planned ritual.

The ritual, roughly translated from the Sumerian, was known as "Call Forth the Devourer of the Living".  In actuality, it would have summoned Valifar the Ever-Hungry, a lesser servitor of GloomWeaver and denizen of the Realm of Discord.  Even as the cultists began their chant and made their first incision into Melissa's belly, the girl was smiling.  She was part of something greater.

That's when the heroes burst in.  With Valifar only partially summoned, the ritual was disrupted.  Melissa howled in protest as the "heroes" handily defeated her new friends and unchained her from the altar.  However, something was very off...

The interruption to the cultists' spell had left Valifar trapped between the worlds, with his great devouring mouth manifest in the gaping incision in Melissa's lower torso.  Where her intestines and other organs would be, now lay the opening to an eternity of pain, digesting slowly in Valifar's infinite bowels.  That incision flapped open like a toothy mouth unto itself, able to chew through anything and send the remains to feed her symbiotic demon ally.  Valifar could even use Melissa to project toothed, tentacular tongues which could grapple, rip, and rend...making it all the easier for Missy the Maw to feast.

Now?  Missy the Maw seeks out other cultists of Gloom eager to bring about a darker world.  And with Valifar infesting her gut, she need never be alone again...