's
"Sentinels" and he created the art and story. Amazon Arrow frequently
visits their home turf (Coastal City) and she has lots of history with
many of the Sentinels. 
The Sentinels usually met monthly to remain up to date about various threats within the city, the status of certain high profile villains or criminal organizations, and to assign patrol routes and regions of responsibility to each hero. The meeting room was also their "War Room" when emergency situation arose and they needed to plan quickly. So naturally, when Hierophant called an emergency meeting, everyone was braced for bad news.
"I've called everyone together because a series of events is taking place that I believe to be cause for concern. Has everyone been keeping up with the latest reports on what's been happing to other super villains abroad?"
"Uh no," said Slugger.
"You mean all the defeated villains that the authorities have been stumbling across for like the last week?" asked Scrapper.
"Yes," Hierophant replied.
Guardian nodded, "No wounds to speak of, mostly just bumps and bruises, but some of these villains they've found were powerful enough take a tank shell to the face and then shred up the tank. Most folks are assuming that it's a new vigilante running about."
"Not a vigilante," corrected Hierophant, "most of the defeated villains were taken into custody after the local authorities found them. They've all been interrogated, though the details have been kept from the public. A contact of mine forwarded me transcripts from the interrogations."
"Please don't tell me it's been an even worse bad guy beating these people up," Spellbound sighed.
"No, it's been the Amazon Arrow."
The silence that followed this declaration was almost deafening. Slugger was the first to break it, "You mean little miss 'Oh look at me and my pretty magic bow' Amazon Arrow? The one who spends more time tied to a chair than actually doing any heroing work?"
"Kurt!" Spellbound scolded angrily, "That's not true! She isn't doing any worse than you were when you first started!"
"I'm just saying it seems hard to believe," he retorted, "After all, her track record does speak for itself."
"Perhaps she has finally tapped into her inner power," the Red Empress offered, "I've heard that the other Amazon Champions sent here are quite formidable. It could be that she has taken a rite or learned a skill that has made her as powerful as they are."
"You wouldn't have called us here if all you wanted to tell us was that Amazon Arrow is doing a great job of clearing out the bad guys," Wire said to Hierophant, "What else is going on?"
"On the surface, this seems merely to be evidence that Chryseis has finally come into her own as a heroine, but the details from the interrogations have revealed some disturbing facts. Each villain she has defeated has described her as using powers that she never previously possessed."
"Ok," interjected Spellbound, "So Empress is right, she's gotten her Amazonian powers finally."
"No," Hierophant said solemnly, "With each new attack, she is using the powers of the villains she defeated previously."
Again, the room was plunged into silence.
"Ok," Wire said slowly, "So she's able to duplicate their powers. But she hasn't been killing or seriously harming them. I still don't see how this is a problem."
"Wait, how is she even doing that?" Guardian interrupted, "That's no 'Amazonian Power' that I've ever heard of before."
"That I do not know," replied Hierophant, "But this news troubles me."
"Why?" demanded Spellbound, "She's cleaning house! If she really is the one responsible for what's been going on, she's put more big bads behind bars in the last week than all of us combined have in two months! This is a good thing!"
"I'm not so sure," spoke Nammu for the first time, "My ability to enhance other people's powers is incredibly helpful, but it does take its tole one me, and overpowering a person for too long can have adverse effects on them as well. She may be becoming more powerful, but who knows what other effects it's been having on her."
Wire shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Ok, forgive me for saying this but, what difference does any of this make? She isn't doing any of this in Coastal City; she's out there, well outside our jurisdiction. And while there certainly may be some cause for concern over her personal well-being, this isn't exactly a good enough reason to call an emergency meeting. There are always risks to what we do, but these are hers to take. I'm sure she knows what she's doing."
"Are you kidding me?" scoffed Slugger, "She can barely go outside with getting clubbed, drugged, overpowered, or otherwise captured and imprisoned. She's more of a liability than a help!"
"That's enough Kurt!" Spellbound yelled.
"Oh please," Scrapper spat back, "You're only defending her because she helped you go after the Clue Gang! Remind me again, how did that all work out for you?"
"ENOUGH!" Hierophant commanded, "I called you all here because I have seen this kind of thing happen before, long ago. In her case it isn't as severe. No one has died, yet. I still believe her actions to be cause for concern, and that she should be watched closely. If her actions should develop into the threat I fear they might, out duty as heroes will outweigh out duty to this city."
"That's all well and good," said Defender, "but if what you're saying is true, she could already be too powerful for any one of us. And what's to stop her from stealing our powers too? Not to mention the fact that we'd be attacking an emissary from the Amazons, you really think that would go over well?"
"That is why I will be the one who goes against her if the need arises," said Thane, stepping up beside Hierophant, "I am not of this world, nor am I like your kind. I can defend myself against the powers she wields."
"You think!" retorted Spellbound.
"And because you belonged to some kind of policing unit from another plane of existence, you can always claim that you were acting on oaths you had made rather than on orders from the Sentinels," Wire concluded disapprovingly.
"Why are we even contemplating this?!" bellowed Red Empress in disgust, "We should be aiding her! Not plotting against her!"
Hierophant closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and quiet, but filled with authority, "The last time I saw powers being used like this, the world was nearly enslaved. An immortal was slain before we finally did what needed to be done to stop it. I will not let it come to that again. Chryseis has been our guest, ally, and friend in this city, but if she is going down the same path others have tread before her, we must do whatever it takes to stop her before it is too late."
Below are biographies for each of the Amazon Champions. They will be featured heavily throughout the rest of the Power Quest storyline.
For untold thousands of years the Amazons favored isolation and non-interference with regards to the affairs of Man’s World, but in the 1940’s the oracles known as The First Ones received a terrifying vision: Man would soon harness the power of the atom. The seers foretold that Man would not only weaponize this knowledge, he would actually use it! Man’s reckless pursuit of land and territory would threaten the existence of the entire world, including the Amazon Isle. The First Ones could no longer ignore Man’s indiscretion.
They elected to send a corps of representatives from amongst the Amazon's finest warriors to guide Man’s fate; a “Champions Tournament” was held to select the ambassadors. Hundreds of Amazons volunteered, but only a dozen would be chosen, one for each of the Amazon's most ancient and powerful weapons. There would be a Sword Champion, an Archery Champion, a Lariat Champion and nine others tasked to put an end to war, crime and conflict throughout Man’s World.
Lykopis won the Sword Championship and is now known as The Amazon Blade. She is short for an Amazon (only 5'2"), but do not let her height deceive you. Lykopis is a vicious warrior and she is astonishingly fast and agile; many suspect that her ancestors were demigods, though no such recorded proof exists. With an edged weapon in her grasp her spinning and twirling movements become a dance of death.
Lykopis is armed with the Soul Sword, a non-lethal and mystical blade that produces no physical wounds but inflicts damage to her enemy's lifeforce. She also carries an enchanted Crescent Blade capable of slicing through any known substance. The Amazon Blade has sworn not to kill her enemies, but her Crescent Blade could disemboil or decapitate a foe should she ever change her mind.
Lykopis is betrothed to the Amazon known as Aella, and Aella harbors a not-so-secret attraction to Chryseis. The Amazon Blade has often dreamed of beating The Amazon Arrow bloody and tossing her broken body at Aella's feet.
Chryseis's current "Power Quest" has given Lykopis all the excuse she needs to hunt her rival down.
The Light and Night Rings are ancient weapons forged for the Amazons by the Gods. One ring can be used to manifest a "Soul Bow" while the other ring can generate an endless supply of "Soul Arrows". The First Ones, oldest and wisest of the Amazon seers, held a tournament to find their best archer who would serve as The Amazon Arrow in Man's World at the dawn of World War II.
The first tournament champion to win the title of Amazon Arrow was Pyrrah and The First Ones armed her with the Night Rings. Pyrrah was a noble champion who ultimately fell to a lycanthropic curse, thus a second tournament was held.
This time the victor was Chryseis; she was given the Light Rings and became the second Amazon Arrow. When Chryseis went rogue and apparently succumbed to some new manifestation of the Light Ring's power, the First Ones immediately dispatched her replacement.
Her name is Aella... and she is now the third Amazon Arrow.
Aella is betrothed to Lykopis, the Amazon Blade... but Aella has always felt an unrequited love for Chryseis. Aella is not a tournament champion; she was specifically chosen to carry a heavy burden by The First Ones. All previous Amazon champions have been forbidden to take a life; Aella is the exception. She is armed with the Gorgon's Bow and a single Black Arrow. The Black Arrow is said to be infused with the blood of Medusa herself; there is no armor it cannot penetrate, and no foe it cannot kill. The First Ones believe this may be the only weapon that can destroy the now power-mad Chryseis.
The First Ones hope that Aella's gentle spirit and love for Chryseis will grant her the wisdom in battle to determine if and when the Black Arrow is to be fired.
Chryseis's power quest threatens the entire world and the celestial balance itself. Aella is prepared to take Chryseis's life if she cannot be restored to her former self.
The Shield Tournament finals were conducted in secret and judged by The First One’s themselves. Four Amazon healers entered the final arena. Three of them emerged shaken to their very core, traumatized by what they had witnessed and sworn to speak nothing of what had transpired. The fourth Amazon… the victor… was Echephyle, our most respect battlefield surgeon and our most compassionate soul.
Many believe that Echephyle died to become the Amazon Shield.
Some believe that she is now horribly disfigured, or one of the undead, or a demon, or perhaps a ghost doomed to haunt an armored shell. They say she made the ultimate sacrifice to win the tournament so that others might live. Echephyle no longer sleeps or eats or speaks. The Amazon Shield is a terrifying entity…silent, relentless and indestructible… but she is a welcome presence on the battlefield.
The Amazon Shield carries no weapons, but her armor is believed to be impenetrable. Her gauntlets are capable of healing virtually any wound and she possesses supernatural strength; but The Amazon Shield’s most important ability …and responsibility… is the power to cast a bubble of force around those that she wishes to protect. This ability provides her fellow Amazon’s with a tactical advantage and reduces civilian casualties during battle.
Echephyle would sacrifice her life to defend the innocent from Chryseis’s destructive path.
In fact… she may have done so already.
Melousa is the Amazon’s strongest and most feared warrior and the General of the Amazon Armies, a title she has held for thousands of years. At nearly eight feet tall she towers over most Amazons; many believe that the blood of the ancient Giants flows in her veins. There are few Amazons that Melousa has not personally trained; Chryseis is one of her many former pupils.
Melousa’s title is The Amazon Lance and she is armed with The Obolos Spear. The handle of this enchanted weapon was once an oar used by Charon, the boatman of the river Styx and Acheron tasked with ferrying the dead into Hades. While the spear is a non-lethal weapon that produces no wounds, The Amazon Lance can grant her foes a brief taste of death. Those with evil hearts who are struck with The Obolos Spear’s glowing blade receive a vision of the fate that awaits them in Hades; they collapse into a state of shock and awaken reformed, confessing their sins and committed to a more righteous path.
There is no one Chryseis trusts more, on or off the field of battle; Melousa is her mentor and confidant. The Amazon Lance believes this gives her a tactical advantage that she will not hesitate to exploit. Melousa hopes that a glimpse into Hell will turn her former pupil from her destructive path.
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