#200 – Shattered Lull – Investigations by numerous Guardians continue, and they attempt to find out information on the Alliance and their access to the team.  Dr. Desist, Quiasar, and Portal talk with G-Force about his struggles in Siberia.  Incandescent, Kageryu, Warp, Dr. Desist, and Majestic, along with Mindbender and Justiciar, watch as Tong/Intercrime warriors ambush Vampire’s Alliance forces during a drug shipment at a pier in San Francisco.  During the skirmish, an unseen assailant (Sting) launches a powerful missile at a truck, but slips into the water before he can be apprehended.  After the two sides decimate each other, the heroes swoop in, capturing many of them.  The team gathers more information and continues to pursue multiple leads of research.  L-Force is kidnapped, and clues to his whereabouts lead the heroes to a warehouse outside Manassas, Virginia.  A hidden Weaponsmaster watches as the champions swiftly dispatch many Amazon female soldiers, but are beaten back by a powerful Oni robot; L-Force is rescued unscathed.  At long last, the group discovers evidence against two of their own employees, switchboard operator Melinda Williams and information gatherer John Adkins.  The team arrests Williams at her house, utilizing Incandescent to coerce information from her; Adkins is seized without incident.  Evidence shows that multi-billionaire Robert Wilkins III is the one who had been manipulating the group; they also ascertain that they (and Entropy) have been kept busy while the Alliance has maneuvered.  The superheroes raid a contact house, but Wilkins is one step ahead of them.  Epilogue: The leaders of the Alliance: Gir, General, Sting, Widow, Vampire, Mr. Dark, and Shadow Prince, gather at a villa in the Swiss Alps.  A massive earthquake heralds the arrival of Master back on Earth.

This next whole FORCE series was run by Justice, who came out and visited us at GuardianCon #2.

#203 – The (A)Isle of Lost Souls – L-Force, W-Force, USA Defender, and Dr. Desist fly to St. Sebastian Island, where they discover a hidden antechamber in the rubble.  They are able to retrieve important data discs that show Emerson ordering his transformation into an android, contradicting his current public version of events.  Meanwhile, at a new downtown church, Majestic, Mindbender, G-Force, Quiasar, and Kageryu observe Father Kinkaid work his magic on the crowd while Franklin Emerson stands by.  Majestic makes accusations against the Church of Divine Harmony, but Kinkaid makes him and the team look foolish, welcoming them and presenting the Guardians with a $1 million check.  As the two leaders shake hands, Majestic momentarily blacks out and a dart fires from his armor, barely missing the preacher!  On St. Sebastian Island, the heroes are menaced by four red Hunter-Retrievers, apparently Russian in design.  A W-Force hurricane allows him and Dr. Desist to escape; L-Force phases himself and USA Defender into the mountain to elude the robots as well.  P.R. representative Sally Pearson is devastated by the negative publicity, but the team does what it can to counter it.  Joined by Titan and Incandescent at the base, they debate a course of action, getting legal advice to carefully avoid slander, delaying accusations until they have more proof.  The team from the island returns, and the vigilantes begin searching the recovered discs.

#205 – FORCE OS: X – G-Force calls the entire team together and reveals that he is dying.  The Guardians strategize about Force, getting more pieces of the puzzle from Dr. Niev, one of the Russian geneticists rescued from Siberia.  White Leopard contacts the heroes, and USA Defender, Warp, Kageryu, G-Force, Majestic, Dr. Mercury, Quiasar, and Mischief portal to Tibet, where elder Okono tells them of the evil entity inhabiting the Force android.  He also cryptically hints that G-Force is the key against this enemy.  After debating a course of action back home, G-Force comes up with the idea of emitting a magnetic pulse from the core of the Earth.  Dr. Mercury constructs a new device, and it is taken to the Elderess to place deep in the Earth's core.  During the summit in Jerusalem two days later, the machine is triggered, wiping out or disabling those infected by nanites.  Moments later, the team, joined by L-Force, appears on the stage and confronts Kinkaid.  Dr. Mercury takes out Emerson, a sniper shoots a staff member, and G-Force holds back Kinkaid from interfering.  The control of his nanites eliminated, an enraged Force descends from the clouds, hovering in the air while being attacked from below.  Quiasar nails the android with Dr. Mercury’s improvised weapon, and the defeated villain falls to the stage.  G-Force suddenly collapses in agony and dies in Kageryu’s arms.  Energy consumes his body, and a mysterious being appears in his place, grabbing Warp and the shell of the android and rocketing into space!

#207 – Spirit Journey – Kageryu finds herself on a misty mountaintop.  She meets her ancient ancestor Rumiko, her companion through the spirit realm where she is to receive additional gifts from the earth kami for her heroism and sacrifice.  The two face many obstacles and trials, and are attacked by an old man.  They battle for many hours, gaining the sensei as an ally after fighting him to a standstill.  Over the next few days they defeat many ninja, sneak past mystical snake-men known as naga, and vanquish undead ronin.  Kageryu faces and overcomes dangerous challenges, learning that she can no longer vibrate through things, but is able to focus her ki to manifest an ectoplasmic katana.  She sneaks past a massive dragon and meets up with Rumiko and the sensei at the top of the mountain, who tell her that she has achieved what her family has not claimed in centuries.  They disappear and she finds herself alone on Mount Fuji in Japan.

#209 – Dreams wished Forgotten – The New Babylon government asks the Guardians to infiltrate a group called Freedom of Chaos.  There is a possible connection to the World’s Scorned, but the organization doesn’t appear to have done anything criminal so the team refuses.  Weeks later a news report shows a massive cult-like death scene at that group’s headquarters in New Babylon.  The lone survivor, a tattooed teenaged boy, is detained at Dulles International Airport in Virginia by I.C.E. officials.  Majestic, Araneae, Dreamer, Mischief, Neutron, and Kageryu arrive and interrogate him, finding his story to be full of holes.  Suddenly, the Demon Prince of Nightmares emerges from the boy and overpowers the men guarding him.  The heroes battle the creature, who unleashes an attack that puts everyone within a two mile radius (with the exception of Kageryu and Dreamer) into a coma.  When Kageryu finally sleeps, she joins up with the others in a mysterious dream world.  They skirmish and defeat Dar’kness, a changed and evil version of Warp, and some minions, then are challenged by riddles.  Finally, they negotiate with the Demon Prince over how many souls he will keep.  They wake after a month in the dream/coma and find that nearly 2,000 people died in their sleep.  Tesseract, one of the victims, is the only one who remains in a coma.

#211 – Heading to the Stars – The Guardians recover at the Dream Clinic in Indianapolis, Indiana, watched over by Dreamweaver and Dreamer.  Based on coordinates spoken by Neutron in his coma, the team has to choose which of two locations they will investigate.  Neutron quickly scouts both locales, discovering the site of a former spacecraft launch in Antarctica, so the team elects to deal with an ongoing crisis in eastern Asia.  Neutron flies the team to the Kamchatka Peninsula, where they find a Russian C.H.E.S.S. observatory being sacked by supervillains.  The villain Brainmelt and numerous Knights are already down when Araneae, Mischief, Kageryu, Neutron, Dreamer, and Majestic join the skirmish with Mr. Magnum, Clamor, Shadarkos, Jotunn, Samhain, and many Force soldiers.  A speedy and mysterious Knight joins the battle on their side, and they quickly defeat their adversaries; only Shadarkos is able to elude capture.  A large spacecraft decloaks nearby, and they find that the Knight is Kubera (formerly USA Defender), assisting Kodiak and the Gwai’ir, who have come to Earth to enlist the aid of the team.  The captured villains are transported aboard, but Samhain makes a bloody escape.

#213 – Poker Night – To relax, the superheroes gather together and play poker, spending time together in rest and relaxation as they make the long journey through the vastness of interstellar space.  They explore their new spacecraft, the Star Guardian, discovering that Kodiak has incorporated many ideas from modern-day science fiction shows.  Among other features, the ship has a working “holodeck”, “replicator”, and “transporters”, all similar to those from the “Star Trek” TV franchise.  They get to know some of the Gwai’ir crew, especially making friends with scientist Sir’Inor and warrior Kr’Skir.  Neutron is able to race back and forth between Earth and the ship, keeping both sides informed on current events.  Samhain mysteriously disappears from custody.  The U.S. government recovers a Slaughter Droid out of the still comatose Tesseract.

If that last one sounded really familiar, it could be because this was an episode of Stargate: SG-1 (with the same name) that one of our GMs remade.

#216 – Practice Makes Perfect – The team finishes analyzing the discovered data, then bids farewell to the Vneer.  They give some intense analysis to the foes they plan to face (the Ultimates), and come up with a plan to face them in a simulation to prepare for the eventual showdown.  After hours of discussion and strategy about the villains’ abilities and powers, they recreate holographic versions of Dr. Slaughter, Fractor, Supreme, Power Surge, and Venom.  Majestic, Neutron, Warp, Kubera, Mischief, Kageryu, Dreamer, and Araneae then battle the facsimiles, learning tactical changes they’ll need to make when they face the real opponents.

#218 – The Fall of Intercrime – Contact is made with the true group behind the extortion plot (Intercrime), and it is learned that the villainous organization has been pushed further and further north by the Alliance over time.  The vigilantes, joined by Coral Snake, challenge the villains, traveling a few blocks away to confront them on the tarmac of the small local airport.  A major battle ensues with the last vestiges of Intercrime: Apollo, Black Empress, Mind Gem, Shadowjack, Robot, Brimstone, Darkshine, Spyder, Crossfire, and Lightning Lord.  During the clash, Mind Gem is accidentally slain by Coral Snake, and all of the other criminals except Spyder and Crossfire are captured.

#220 – Dark Nebula – The Star Guardian passes through an unusual nebula that nullifies all electronics and shipboard systems.  They detect the Serious Owl, an ancient Gwai’ir starship, stuck inside the phenomena, and use a manual tether to reach it.  Inside, Araneae, Mischief, Majestic, Kageryu, Kubera and Dreamer are attacked by humanoid zombies.  The heroes defeat the undead adversaries and debate whether they should save the antique craft.  Eventually they elect to have a few of their own Gwai’ir crew pilot it back to the Gwai’ir homeworld.

#222 – The Path of Enlightenment – Prologue: Maccane attends a Native American funeral and hears a prophetic chant that foretells events with a bear, fox, eagle, and monster.  Dr. Mercury arrives at the Pan Asian warehouse and shows his allies another clue leading to the Path of Enlightenment, an occult shop in Maine owned by Carlton Path (Electrocutioner).  The superhero Mentor teleports in from the moon to warn of a cataclysmic danger.  The other heroes, joined by Quiasar, Titan, and Xeo Fey, travel via C.H.E.S.S craft to East Wilton, Maine to investigate the supernatural store, which is located in an old mansion.  Bluffing and intimidating their way inside and past two employees, they look around, discovering maps, charts, and a gateway in an upper room.  Bravely the heroes step through and find themselves in an ancient temple on Nacht Island!

Here's #4 of our "Main Six" Guardians - the ones that were the mainstays of the team for the first hundred issues or so.

Quiasar has been there for a long time (first appeared in early 1993 in issue #5).  He's currently the team leader, and - though he has taken breaks over the years - is probably the longest serving Guardian.

You know, I think I'll start throwing in what the character's "First Appearance" was (since that seems like what you see for the comics).

I'll try to get some pictures scanned and uploaded tomorrow as well.


Identity: James Jefferson (J.J.) Johnstone Jr.
Name: QUIASAR
Side: Good
Sex: Male
Level: 22
Age: 52

Powers:
Power Blast: Black beam from hands or eyes; Range=30"; Damage=1d20; PR=1.
Heightened Expertise: +4 to Hit with Power Blast.
Force Field: Invisible; Range=54"; PR=1/attack; able to control as per Illusions: Solid Energy (Inanimate).
Speed Bonus: Jumping +100" (Running=+55"; Standing=+25"; Vertical=+10"; Outside action=+10", PR-2, must wait 10 phases);
     Falling ÷ 38 (Strength + Basic Hits).
Heightened Intelligence: +12.
Heightened Strength: +19.
Heightened Endurance: +12.
Invulnerability: Singularity defense; 20 points versus energy attacks (does not affect HTH and Gravity), even when not aware; +30%
     chance to resist all mental attacks.
Low Self-Control: 10% chance of cramping when jumping.

Weight: 210 (6'1")
Basic Hits: 5
Agility Mod.: -

Strength: 33
Endurance: 27
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 25
Charisma: 30

Reactions From:   Good: +6   Evil: -1

Hit Points: 146
Power: 106
Healing Rate: 4
Damage Mod.: +4
Accuracy: +4
Carrying Capacity: 4,057
Basic HTH Damage: 2d8

Movement Rates: 81", Running Jump=91", Standing Jump=43", Vertical Jump=15"; Outside action=15".

Det. Hidden: 18%
Det. Danger: 22%

Inventing: 75%
Security Clearance: 3
Rep. Pts.: 10
Perception: 35

American Citizen

Training: +1 to hit with HTH, +2 to hit with Special Weapon
Awarded Medal of Freedom by President Bush in 2008

Athletics 4/18
Demolitions 3/17
Piloting 3/16
Lockpicking 3/17
Escape Artist 3/17


Chance to Hit / Damage:
Power Blast - 24 / 1d20+4
Special Weapon - 15 / 4d8+4
Force Field - 20 / 2d8+4
HTH - 10 / 2d8+4

First Appearance: Guardians #5

Born in 1958, James Jefferson (J.J.) Johnstone Jr. was raised by his mother Meredith in South Carolina, but never knew his father.  He tended to pick things up easily and did well in school, but was never ill.  While playing in the woods one day at the age of eight, he met the man he would later call Sir.  The mysterious stranger began a process that would eventually be repeated every eight years for much of his life.  Nine days after each time they met, J.J. would get a fever that would last for nine days.  When it would abate, the young man would discover that he had gained a miraculous new ability.  Still nine weeks later, Sir would again visit to instruct him in the responsible use of his new gift.  Over time he gained incredible strength, the power to project dark waves of energy, the ability to manipulate invisible force fields, and the capability of jumping incredible distances.  J.J. was sick during the time his collegiate basketball team (the University of North Carolina) won the NCAA tournament (1982), but nonetheless he still ended up playing a number of years in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks.  Following his pro career, he started a sports agency using the contacts he had made.  He eventually learned that Sir was his father, and that they both obtained their powers by the absorption of sheltarian radiation given off by quasars in space.  His father’s race was one that watched but did not interfere with developing races; he himself had been banished to his homeworld for his indiscretion with J.J.’s mother.  Taking the name Quiasar, J.J. became one of the first members of the Guardians, and he swiftly became known for his nobility and creativity.  In 1995, when the Earth was overrun by space pirates, Quiasar ventured deep into the vaults of C.H.E.S.S. Headquarters, where he bravely survived a nuclear blast.  As a result he gained the ability to manipulate solid forms of energy.  Though this mutation ended up being temporary (disappearing when the Earth was restored by the Primordial), Quiasar has over the years become more and more proficient in controlling the energy of his force fields.  In 2004 he married Guardians publicist Ami Johnson.  Over the last two decades he has served as a valuable member of the Guardians, and he is currently the team leader of that storied organization.

#224 – Islands of Infamy! – The heroes journey across the island chain, battling Elite Guardian robots and scouting out a native village.  As they near a satellite tracking station, the otherworldly Og unleashes extra-dimensional monsters upon them.  They take out Og and cleverly use pheromones from his clothing to hold the beasts at bay.  The group then disables the tracking station and defeats multiple Guardian robots inside.  At the undersea base, Doctor Apocalypse and his remaining Destroyers heal and prepare to counterattack.

Here's what Quiasar (spotlighted a few posts back) looks like:



To see what his counters look like, go here:
http://s976.photobucket.com/albums/ae247/VandVforum/Guardians%20Campaign/#!cpZZ2...

[For some reason, when you click on these pictures, though, they turn all pink, like the color has been inverted]

#227 – Derelict – Far in the future, the crew of the salvage starship Seagull discovers a derelict vessel as they skirt the borders of the forbidden Dead Zone.  Captain Leonell Codi, Marcel Shoemaker and his son Andre, Smiley Amrita, Caitlin Poppy, Blaine Grimm and his son Sharpe, Ostrovi, and Chan Liu board the ancient craft and discover dead, frozen, strangely-clad bodies (the Guardians and crew of the Star Guardian).  The Seagull crew debates their options and watches a holographic replay of a Guardians’ meeting where the team considers their choices regarding Fractor and the doomsday device being gathered by the Ultimates.