Category: Steampunk
#24 Captain of the Time Agents
#24 Captain of the Time Agents (Scifi/Steampunk) Back in 1880, in an England we never knew, technology advanced in other directions than our world did. And amoung their “modern marvels” is a secret organization called the Time Agents. Answerable only to the Queen, the agents have scientific devices that awhile them to travel forward and backwards in time. They are well aware to the danger of that travel — accidents do happen — but they do their duty to help purserve the timeline and the British Empire as they know it.
This concept for a comic is interesting. I’m a fan of not only H.G.Wells and Jules Verne, but the X Files and Warehouse 13 TV series. So a Steampunk sci fi angle for this series was/is a natural. In fact, on the Warehouse 13 series, the show has their version of H.G.Wells as an agent in England at Warehouse 12. Hmm, could I somehow squeeze in a crossover story, where the Captain (I haven’t given him an actual just yet) and Warehouse 12 agents join in a single adventure?
Also, sorry about the color this time. The layout of the drawing I made was the way I wanted it, but the color turned out crappy. If I had known how the picture turned out, I would have left it as a black and white illustration.
Bonzai Guacamole
Bonzai Guacamole has been sworn by duty and country to return the wayward princess to her throne. His strict adherence to this duty though, leaves a wake of devastation and loss of property.
You might ask yourself how does a kung-fu assassin move? By his sense of smell.
#23 The SCARLET PHANTOM
The Scarlet Phantom is shrouded in mystery. Is he friend or fiend? Dr Spector has run into Scarlet Phantom on a number of occasions. Sometimes on the same side, other times as enemies. His motives are not clear but one thing is very clear. He strikes fear into those he confronts and he wields powerful skills and weapons that leave his targets helpless and outclassed.
Pea Gardenia
Princess Pea Gardenia is the reluctant heir to the Mole Kingdom’s throne. When she becomes queen of the mole people, she will be waited on hand and foot and need for nothing. Sounds Great! Except the queen weighs over 2 tons and is responsible for birthing the entire royal court. So you can understand why she’s run away.
#27 – Ishtar called Spiritbane – Outcast Aethermancer
One Drop
“You have to concentrate, Ishtar. Your Shikai state is unfocused. Your sword is an extension of your arm. Your Shikai is an extension of your aether. Shikai binds your sword to your will and to your aether, a triumvirate of power.” My father’s words cut deeply because I wanted so badly to please him. My two brothers were much older than I was and had already mastered my father’s training. Moliki trained me from the time I could walk and Deniki took turns when Moliki was on missions for my father.
They were both excellent teachers and had inherited all of father’s patience. They were also excellent swordmasters but there was something in them that did not let them achieve the Bankai state. Despite that, they had almost no equals among my father’s students, able to defeat even the two or three who could summon the Bankai and extend their aether energies into amazing feats of magic. What Moliki and Deniki lacked in Bankai, they made up for with sheer mastery of their weapons, sword and spear, mace and rod. They were engines of destruction who taught me everything they could about fighting, footwork, combat magic, and Shumpo.
Their secret was Shumpo, called the flash-step by foreign warriors who hired my family as spies, mercenary, or aethermancers. They could use Shumpo even without a Bankai. In that way, they were unique. It seemed to run in the family as I learned to use the flash step by the time I was seven. I thought I was so special when I discovered I could use this power. I had never seen either of my brother use it, so I thought I had discovered something unique. I did not tell anyone for weeks and practiced it until I could call it and use it at will.
While my brothers were practicing I would sneak past them and snatch their weapons away or hide their tools when they were working. First they were there and then they weren’t. Imagine my surprise when I stopped running only to see them standing before me with their hands out. We would flash-step everywhere and I learned it had limitations, but for them, they were able to do things with it, I still can’t.
“Now, concentrate.” My father appeared to be an ageless man, of solid sinew and a steely will. His morning regimen which he had not missed in all of the time I had known him, all eighteen years, was a two hour session, filled with grace, speed and power. Some mornings with weapons, others without. Sometimes alone, others with my brothers and now lately with me.
I reveled in his attentions, at first, but the more time I spent with him, I began to realize there was something he was looking for in me, that I could not see. He was relentless. We trained every morning, sometimes until the sun was high in the sky of Qing, and sweat ran down our bodies in rivers. More mine than his. His black skin, like coal would shine and glisten but would only being to sweat when the sun was at the peak. I was sweating by mid-morning and he gave me no release.
“Channel the aether. Summon it up from the ground. It is everywhere but you have to be able to concentrate it around you. Draw it from everywhere you dance. As you dance, you should be weaving the circle and attracting it to where you battle. Do you see it?”
“Yes, father. I see you have created the circle while you danced and now aether moves from outside of us, toward it.” I had dropped into the second sight to better see how his dance created the power-sink which moved the energy of chi or aether into a controlled pattern that could be harnessed by our swords or our bodies for a variety of effects.
“From here as the circle has been drawn and the sword begins the Shikai dance you will be able to enhance your body’s efficiency, speed, accuracy. This is why we cannot simply jump to Shikai with a terrible price in our personal energy stores. It is always best to use the early battle time to draw the energy of Shikai from your opponents and the world around you. Now attack me.” His voice brooked no disobedience and I immediately complied.
He moved his hand in a flashing motion and then deflected my blade with his open hand. His hand was surrounded by aether and my blade rebounded with an audible clang as if it had struck an armor. Since he had not told me to stop, I continued my assault, my mind focused on both his attack and my need to build to my Shikai state. I noticed he moved in a way to prevent me from creating a greater circle which would draw aether faster, so I contented myself with created a minor circle inside just a few steps and use the air as my medium for my aether matrix. My sword flashed with one hand and my left drew my matrix in the air around me. I could feel him trying to unmake my matrix but as the defender, he had a harder time, since aether moved toward the aggressive mind first and I used that to my advantage.
“Good, good. You are not allowing me to define your field of battle. I can feel your matrix building. But you are taking too long. Your enemy may not give you as much time.” He switched from defense to offense and his open palm strike was lightning quick as he stepped into my attack. His blow tried to push me from my feet, but I could sense his change at the last second and while I slid backward, I did not lose my footing.
But he did not let me rest. His follow redirected my energy that was resisting him, by coming alongside with his Shumpo, and using his free hand, he gripped me for a throw and hurled me in my resisting direction.Tricked into this state, I could do nothing to prevent it, so I relented and allowed him to complete his attack, as he hurled me away, I flipped over mid throw and struck at his face, disrupting his balance and weakening his throw. He, of course, deflected but this let me hit the wall of our training area, foot first.
“Shikai.” My whisper contracted the aether bound into my matrix into me and I exploded from the wall, leaving cracks and ruptures from where my feet pushed away from it. I flew at my father like a arrow, sword first. I could see him standing there, weaving the aether around him with a speed I did not know was possible. But I could see my sword being able to reach him. I knew that I would. I could see my blade slipping past his defenses and spearing him in the chest. This was apparent to me as I streaked toward him, but I knew if I did anything less than my best, he would be angry. I could feel the moment stretching out, slowing down, crystallizing into certainty.
My sword touched his chest and he did not appear to move. I drove my blade forward and suddenly he was gone. This was not Shumpo. Shumpo has a signature energy that lingers even as the target leaves the area, an afterimage of chi. He disappeared. There was blood on the very tip of my blade. Only a drop. But I guess today, that was enough. Practice was over.
Aethermancer-‘One Drop’ © 2011, Thaddeus Howze
First Appearance: Ishtar called Spiritbane appears in the novella Aethermancer, a tale of conflict between the magical East and the technological West. Two untested warriors of an age confront a mechanized evil from the West called the Clockwork King. He combines the best of the magic of the East and the technology of the West in a way that drives the world before his army in flames. With the greatest sorcerers and warrior-kings slain, these cultural enemies must overcome their antipathy to protect the Land and its people.
Skillet Hampton
Skillet was a member of a group of street thugs paid to kidnap the Queen elect. But after his fellow members where wiped out by a rival gang, he is left as the only witness to the kidnapping. Unfortunately he was not at the hand off, and…
He can’t talk. He’s a complete mute. But his Hat talks for him. Percival can read minds only while worn and only of the wearer. He only remembers waking up in a hat  shop and nothing before that. He and Skillet go a ways back.
#27 Tybalt Lavandula “Captain Lavender”
Was considering making him an airship captain, but I may try something more modern.
Noooot sure.
Savoit
Chancellor of the reptilian parliament, Savoit is an example of the sometimes rocky relations between mammalian and Reptilids since the cold blood war. On one hand Savoit is very much the progressive, working for a more ecumenical relationship between the peoples. But Savoit has his own agenda, himself.
Day # 24 – May Striker
May Striker, better known as Madame Striker is the owner and proprietor of one of the cities biggest brothels (havnt’t decided on the city) She is publicly neutral when it comes to the war. “As long as the money’s good, and they’re not swimming in filth my house won’t turn anyone away.” Of course she does this because she and her workers are some of the best information gatherers in the buisness. not only does she assist her chosen factions, but she also uses the secrets gleaned from buisnessmen to further her own underground network and earn a little extra cash.
Baku
The allegiance’s of the Baku along with her real name are not very clear. For the time being she is assisting Nina on her mission to track down the kidnapped Concubines.
Harlequin Guards
What they lack in brains they make up for in numbers, and boy, do they need the numbers.
#18 – This Won’t Hurt
A mad-scientist/medic/interrogator gnome, on a gnomish airship (erm, airship not shown).
What could possibly go wrong?
I really mean to color these things…
#20-Quake
Twist’s best friend, he is one of the few members of the UN’s superhero Taskforce to stay at the Globe HQ after the down turn in meta-crime. His Terra-kinetic abilities rival Twist’s more atmosphere based weather control. Always able to call Twist on his more dramatic speeches or stupid moments. Twist usually respects his intelligence and go overs most situations with him first before acting, but recently Twist has been more impulsive and jumpy. He has been talking about weird feelings in the wind lately, and reaching out to there older teammates, even Tinky.
G. Brett Williams #s 21 & 22 – Strangers and Lost Ones
Strangers and Lost Ones
A Stranger is a creature of great power and immortality. Something of a vampire, they feed on the souls of their victims, not their blood. A Stranger receives sustenance from draining the life force from another human being. Just a myth throughout our history, they are masters of staying hidden, due in large part to their method of dispatching their prey. A Stranger does not age, but they are not invulnerable. The Stranger entity is nigh-immortal, but the host body can be killed just like any normal human being. They are more durable, stronger, faster, more agile, and they can heal their wounds, but they can still be killed. These powers are at their peak right after a Stranger feeds. Once a Stranger has drained a person of their essence, he has the ability to completely burn the body away. Because of this, a Stranger tends to develop a connection with the victim, at least long enough to get them secluded for a good period of time. The process takes a while and therefore is not something that can be done quickly down some dark alley. But there are problems and things do sometimes get messy.  If a Stranger goes a certain time without feeding and thus starves to death, the entity that powers him will vacate the host body (thus killing the host) and attach to another worthy vessel. The Stranger entity can only be truly killed by a Lost One that it has created. If a Stranger never creates a Lost One, it could feasibly live forever in one host or in many. Since it’s rare for a Stranger to be so foolish or reckless as to leave behind a Lost One, a true Stranger death is rare. Sometimes, a Stranger may be in a situation where he hasn’t been able to feed for a while and will recklessly do so, not troubling himself with the consequences. Other times, a Stranger may simply be interrupted or chased off during the feeding process. Regardless of the reason, if a Stranger neglects to burn the body of the victim away, a sort of zombie like creature is created. Those creatures are the Lost Ones.
A Lost One is a body without a soul, cursed to live a lonely and ultimately emotionless existence, searching for something it lost. A Lost One is not mindless, though. Part of them, what little bit of them is left, is connected to the Stranger that created them. Because of that connection, the Lost One will always be drawn to that Stranger. Even if they don’t entirely realize it, their life will lead them along a path identical to that of their creator. The only way to silence this constant drive, to erase the memory of having their soul ripped away, is to finally find and destroy the Stranger that created them. A Lost One’s touch will destroy a Stranger much in the same way a Stranger’s burning hand will destroy the body of their victim. It only works on the Stranger that created them though. Interestingly enough, a Lost One is immune to the burning touch of a Stranger once they’ve become a Lost One. A Lost One must be totally destroyed if they are to be killed. The entire body must be burned to the bone and then the bones must be scattered and destroyed. Lost One’s need no sleep and no sustenance. They do not bleed and they do not feel pain. They are unnaturally strong and durable. If in the presence of the Stranger that created him, a Lost One will stop at nothing to reach him, going so far as to destroy anyone or anything that gets in its way.
G. Brett Williams #s 19 & 20 – Beauregard Cash and Jack Reed
His team consists mainly of two other men, the first of whom is Beauregard Cash. Cash is the team’s gadgeteer. He’s an engineering wizard, but he’s also a drunk, a braggart and something of a racist. Southern and proud of it, he is prone to drunken outbursts about the glory of the Confederacy, even though the Confederacy is long gone. Graye tolerates the man since his acumenl in fringe science and engineering is unmatched throughout the world. Cash creates things heretofore unthought of, using primarily the steam technology of the day. Flying machines, archaeological tools, weapons and even steam-powered automatons. Cash grew bored once he’d mastered all there was to master about steam technology, so looking for a new challenge he decided to join up with Edmund Graye and his crew. Being a veteran of the war effort and a lifetime Southerner, he’d seen more than his fair share of strange and inexplicable occurrences, so he figured what the heck. Cash combines his knowledge of engineering with Graye’s knowledge of the occult to create some seriously crazy ghost hunting devices.
Rounding out the group is Civil War veteran and former Buffalo Soldier Jack Reed. Reed is big, tough and quiet. He was befriended by Graye shortly after the Civil War ended while the inspector was on a mission to study the effects of the Civil War on the paranormal health of America. Graye immediately recognized and respected the courage and tenacity he saw in Jack Reed. Needing a strong man and good fighter to round out his crew, he hired Jack for a handsome sum, saving him from the unenviable life of a black man in Reconstruction America. Jack is good with a pistol but his real gift is with a Winchester rifle. A sharpshooter for his regiment during the war, he has an uncanny skill with long arms. He is also a formidable hand to hand combatant. Understandably, Jack and Beauregard have their differences, but Jack usually just ignores the man. They don’t tend to deal with each other that much outside of the field and Cash, as blustery as he is, knows he’d never survive a fight with Jack Reed. Jack’s most important duty is operating the cutting edge, steam powered ghost trapping machine that Cash has designed. Heavy, cumbersome and complicated, only someone as strong of body and mind as Jack Reed could carry and operate it.
19 – Rutherford Duckworth III
Despite his appearance of an eccentric but aimiable old man, Rutherford Duckworth III, also known as “The Ruddy Duck”, is considered by many in the spy trade to be the most dangerous man on the planet. Not necessarily directly in a combat sense, although he is certainly an accomplished fighter, but because he runs the vast international spy network, which actually manages to remain secret in itself. He has contacts everywhere, and even more people who owe him favours, and he is able to call both in to cause maximum damage to opponents. He was a spy himself in his younger days, one whose tactic seemed to be being glaringly obvious to the point that noone would suspect he was a spy. He still goes on the occassional mission, utilising his grappling hook umbrella and his cunning mind to outwit foes. He tries to keep his mind sharp, by, amoung other things, playing chess by letter with Pato.Â
Miernie
Miernie is the Queen Elect. Formerly she was a warrior priestess of he Tontin sisterhood known as a “Warcaptain”. He standing down from her position to become a royal concubine was highly controversial among her fellow sisters. Not as controversial as when the King chose her to be his bride, and the Queen Elect. Now the most powerful of the Clock-work aristocracy wants her dead, only one group will take her alive.
#20 Zombie (aka “Z-Man”)
Zombie was formerly a magician and illusionist. Faking his own death many who do recognize him believe that he has risen from the grave in an unnatural manner. Now using his skills of illusion, slight of hand, and stealth he and Burn-Out work to solve mysteries and combat the criminal element.
#19 Burn-Out
Jaren Anderson was metalworker, he made parts for factories/mills he was struck by lightning which caused him to build and release energy in bursts. However he runs out of juice after a large burst and it takes him time to rebuild his charge. With the aide of his custom built battery pack and arm gauntlets he can more easily regulate exactly how much energy he’s using so he does not run out of juice.
Day 15 Matik
God Bless,
-Marshall aka Calmplex
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Lucinda Bellonte
Dressed in yellow She said Hello!
Lucinda Bellonte was my favorite jazz singer. She was know for the songs “Dressed in Yellow (she said Hello)†and “You can do what you want (in Living Color).â€
She says, “When the electro magnetic waves were fired down on my hometown, that is when most of the older people died. Those of us from the younger, wildly-irradiated demographic found ourselves enhanced.â€
Now her sonic humming powers and her gravity altering abilities are put to a task on a daily basis.
“The source of my powers, the electromagnetic waves which have continued to annihilate the inner cities, well, they’ve given me the physical abilities of moving at Legendary Speeds and Conquering Themselves.
I’ve got this DONE.â€
#15 #16 #17 (Catchup)
I was severely lacking in my “drawing guys” skills.
This doesn’t make up for it, but it was good exercise.
Also now I’m only TWO days behind. Go me.
#30Characters Chatter…