Last night, in a stunning battle just outside the city of Mythtropolis, leader of the shadowy Monster League of Injustice and ultimate super villain, Ragnarok, was defeated by a pantheon of heroes, led by the barbarian champion Watchdog of the Silver Knot.
The evening’s events started with a pitched street battle not far from the militia headquarters between the mystery-shrouded vigilante, Spider, the Monster League of Injustice’s Crystal Knight and a mysterious golem. Eyewitnesses claim that Spider was pursuing a citizen from a local watering hole when the villains pounced on him. A frenzied melee ensued, attracting the attention of Mythtropolis’ own Captain Rock, soon followed by his Silver Knot cohorts Ironthorn and Watchdog. Ironthorn and Watchdog took part in a rooftop fight with another Monster League scofflaw, Hemlock the poisonous dwarf, while Capt. Rock and Spider did battle on the street below. After the dwarf was teleported to safety by his cohorts, Watchdog destroyed the golem in a mighty display, worthy of his legendary forebear.
The Crystal Knight took it upon himself to flee the scene of the crime, flying up to a giant, black bat shaped spelljammer. Challenges from Ironthorn and Capt. Rock lead to the vessel firing energy beams at the street, heedless of the damage it was doing to the city. Only the presence of the super-speedster, Watchdog, prevented a tragedy of epic proportions, by removing innocent bystanders from the scene. Capt. Rock and Ironthorn managed to fend off the terrible energies projected at them, and using his metahuman powers, Ironthorn brought the strafing craft crashing down into the bay.
Running across the water in pursuit of the downed vehicle, Ironthorn, Watchdog, Spider and Capt. Rock were joined by fellow Silver Knot member Red Robin, intent on capturing the villains. As they reached the villains’ craft, they were set upon by the Crystal Knight and, from within the bowels of the vessel, the monstrous Ragnarok.
An epic struggle ensued, as the heroes present sent out the call for more of their kind to help defeat the menace of Ragnarok. A roll call of the city’s finest were up to the challenge, all intent on ensuring Ragnarok would not be allowed to rain destruction upon the city. Joining those already engaged in the battle were Count Owen Jenozev (known to all as O.J.) and his bride to be, Slaughterhouse; their companions in the Knights Below, the kenku Nighthawk, swordsman Teffle Readyhand and his son; recent debutantes on the costumed justice scene, the Knight Watch, comprising Garland, halfling foot soldier, Goldshield, dwarven mechanic and Vanguard the living armour; Drax Dragonslayer, mightiest minotaur of the civilised lands, the Thorling, dwarven wielder of Mjolnir, and nature’s handmaiden Blackfoot of the Silver Knot. By accounts, the adventurers were kept in touch by the force of Capt. Rock’s mind, able to communicate to one another in the heat of battle as easily as if they were standing together in the same room.
Even with this gathering of the mighty, it was no easy battle against the evil of Ragnarok. Tragically, despite striking the hide of the despoiler, the Thorling was destroyed by Ragnarok’s malignant energies. Fighting toe-to-toe with the beast, the heroes seemed to be incapable of striking it dead, as it shrugged off blows that would shatter mountains. At one point, O.J. and his lady left the battle to seek a clue to the beast’s demise and were seen streaking off to a playground in the north of the city, as well as the elven quarter and the Dockside Clinic. The Knight Watch approached in a flying vessel, only to see Goldshield explode into nothingness, another victim of Ragnarok.
Whilst the heroes were battling the might of Ragnarok, Mythtropolitans were kept calm by an army of animated golems similar in aspect to the past hero WARlord’s battle armour. These troops were used alongside the militia to keep the populace from rioting while the battle took place.
Just as the battle seemed to be at its darkest for the heroes, Watchdog steeled himself and laughed in the face of the foe. This seemingly suicidal gesture caused the beast to evaporate into smoke, and thus was Ragnarok vanquished.
Crystal Knight is believed to have escaped in the chaos of the battle, while Hemlock’s unconscious body was found during the battle, and secured by Spider. Hemlock is currently imprisoned within Bitterstone Prison, awaiting trial on as yet undetermined charges.
A state memorial service will be held for the fallen heroes, Goldshield and the Thorling at a time to be announced by the court.
On the night of the 23rd, a pitched battle took place between the Executioner, chief suspect in the murder of Shea O’Ryan, and Silver Knot heroes Ironthorn, Capt. Rock and Blackfoot, as well as the mysterious vigilante known only as the Blazing Skull. The fight ended with the Executioner dead at the hands of the Blazing Skull.
The Silver Knot trio happened upon a brawl between Blazing Skull and the Executioner after a local brothel had been destroyed. While a localised rain shower put out the blazing remains of the brothel, the combatants plunged into the river. Ironthorn leapt in after them saving the Burning Skull from drowning. The Executioner made it to the other side of the river, and started sniping at the heroes with a fire projectile device. A brief but furious battle followed, and the Burning Skull managed to reach the Executioner, ending his life.
Militia sources say that the vigilante has had all charges of affray dropped in lieu of the reward offered for the capture of the Executioner.
Ironthorn was quoted as saying that “O’Ryan can rest more easily now.”
The truth surrounding the recent disappearances of the Emerald Avenger and local mage Urtaan the Sage was uncovered by Gazette staff, in an amazing tale of wonder from the West.
It appears that both the Avenger and the sage were kidnapped by a villainous mage known as Skarda, and taken to the Zakharan city of Muluk, known locally as the City of Kings. A shadowy team of adventurers from Haranlarche assembled to save them. The team is believed to be composed of vigilante Spider, the Silver Knot adventuress known only as Mystery, the blue-skinned sorcerer the Dreamer and another unnamed sorcerer.
With Mystery already working undercover in the foreign city, the other adventurers stepped through a portal to Muluk, and with only a handful of sketchy clues, found their way to bandit encampment, meeting a mighty ogre chieftain named Jazref ibn Gebrazazal, and a genie named Namredden. They were charged with a mission to obtain these powerful beings’ co-operation, and given a flying carpet to travel upon.
They then travelled to the stronghold of a cult of assassins, freeing the ogre’s daughter as well as a harem full of local captives, and releasing a phoenix enslaved by the foreign devils. Finding a powerful and evil magic there, they destroyed it. Then escaping the stronghold, they had to contend with giant rocs and griffins attacking them from the air.
Escaping the clutches of the assassins, the adventurers found themselves in the desert, competing with a grandiose and powerful genie for a boon with which to fight Skarda. Eventually they made their way back to Muluk, and confronted Skarda, who had installed himself as vizier of the city. Having found out Skarda’s demands, the heroes met with the sultan of the city, and forced him to see what ruination his hubris had visited upon his subjects. Accounts say that this foreign prince was struck blind by a magic artifact, revealing to him the truth of what the adventurers said.
The Haranlarchians then returned to Skarda, and gave him that which he desired, a way back to his pocketed realm, a deal which released Urtaan and the Emerald Avenger, and brought release to the villain, as he returned to a place that no longer existed. The Emerald Avenger then returned all to where they had come from, with the exception of the hero Mystery, who has decided to pursue an extended journey through the mysterious West. The city was left to find its own destiny in that mysterious land of Fate.
by Peltar Agnarn
Yet another battle to save the city, the realm, the world; citizens of Mythtropolis certainly do have a front row seat for all sorts of ‘derring-do’. But is all this colour and excitement merely a distraction to keep the people from pursuing the goal of all right minded individuals: the right to determine our own destiny free of the parasitic nobles.
In another example of the shambolic mess having nobles overrun our land produces oh so well, Durous Sabot, aka Ironthorn, regent of Westshire, claimed the space vessel used by Ragnarok in his attack on the city as his own property, and then in the ultimate act of nepotism, gave it to another ne’er-do-well of noble birth, Watchdog. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I certainly haven’t forgotten that these two are team mates in the “Royally Approved” Silver Knot. Surprise, surprise.
It seems that Count Sabot, in his eagerness to claim spoils that belong to every citizen, that’s you and I dear reader, forgot to take into account the tax burden of over three million gold pieces he would incur by taking this vessel as his own personal property - forgot or just hoped no one would notice in the heat of the battle. Well I, for one, will be taking a close interest in how the Count repays his realm.
The only options ahead of him are to either bankrupt his own shire in order to shift the burden of responsibility to the people he is supposed to govern, or he has to work off the debt himself, an unlikely possibility given his history of profligate spending. By all reports, this scion of one of the wealthiest families of Haranlarche can barely rub two copper bits together, so wasteful is his lifestyle. Of course, the idle rich can afford this when they are subsidised by the honest, hard working citizen on the street.
There is always one more option ahead for our Count: his noble buddies could simply forgive the debt and sweep the whole mess under the carpet.
Who wants to place the first bet? I hear there’s a good return of odds of three million to one.
Peltar Agnarn is the spokesman for the Republic First Committee.
All opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect the views of the management of the Mythtropolis Gazette.
