13052/The Cursed Shield - Batman brings in a big gun

The Cursed Shield - Batman brings in a big gun
Date of Scene:	17 April 2021
Location:	Monitor Room, Watchtower
Synopsis:	Batman recruits Zatanna to investigate the origins of the magical shield he came into possession of.
Cast of Characters:	Zatanna Zatara, Batman

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Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara has been in the Justice League with Batman for more than a little while, now. Long enough to know that when Batman asks for a meeting... in the Watchtower, no less... that something BIG must be going on. The magician dresses for the occasion in her 'working clothes'... boots, fishnets, tux, and top hat. Complete with white gloves.

While the base does sport Zeta Beam transports, Zee can teleport just fine on her own (thank you very much!). One moment the Monitor Room is mostly empty, and in the next eyeblink she just appears. Giving the station's security scanners a moment to recognize her, Zatanna steps over to one of the screens to give it a casual glance.

Batman has posed:
The doors swish open to reveal The Dark Knight, dressed in his uniform and cowl, as well as a frown upon his face. He has a metal suitcase in his hands as he heads towards the large table. "Zatanna. Thank you for meeting with me. I have hit a brick wall and I need someone of your talents to put the last few pieces of this puzzle together. I reached out to Hellboy as well but I think he is tied up with duties at WAND."

As he puts the suitcase down, he unlocks it by pressing his thumb against it once he removes a glove, then lifts the lid upwards. Inside is a beautiful hardened leather and gold painted shield with the depiction of a bobcat on the front. He lets out a gravely clear of his throat.

"Catwoman and an accomplice stole this from an antique store and broke it in half. When it hit the ground, green mist came out and took the form of Native American warriors that held very real weapons dipped in snake venom from a long extinct species of the eastern coral over a hundred years ago. The spirits were only injured by their own weapons. As soon as they stabbed Catwoman, they disappeared. I was able to synthesize an anti-venom to the best of my ability to keep her alive."

He gives a visible frown upon his face. "My research has determined that these Natives are of the Chumash tribe, those who roamed the coasts of southern California."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara tilts her head just a bit at the sound of the door opening, the woman turning slowly in time to catch the billowing of the cape with the Dark Knight's entrance. Her initial smile of greeting fades when he gets right down to business. No surprise there, of course.

He puts the suitcase down and that's where her gaze shifts. Heels click slowly with her approach, the magician not reaching out to touch the shield. Her gaze shifts from the shield to Batman's masked face, then. "Is she going to be alright? Catwoman, I mean." First things first. Painted lips twitch at the sight of the bobcat image, then.

Only then does she lean in more closely. "The Chumash Tribe? I'll have to do some research.... but what is it you're looking for on this one?"

Batman has posed:
"I don't know if she will be alright. She walked away from the situation after the anti-venom took effect, though she didn't look very put together. I would like to arrange a meeting with you and her to determine if there is any lingering effects. She's alive. That's good enough for me, for now."

Batman has no real love for the cat burglar it seems. She is just another crackpot in a mask making Gotham uncomfortable at night in his opinion. "I would like to know how we can break this curse before it happens again. I am thinking this is a situation in which the one who stole the artifact is punished for doing so, especially after breaking it. I would like to know the point of origins for it, and how we can go about returning it to hopefully put these spirits at peace."

"I can't have this thing killing more people if it continues to act in vengence. So far it has behaved, but I am not comfortable with it in my possession, especially not in my city."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara nods slowly at that, extending both hands before her. "Enac." she declares, resting her palms on a white-tipped black cane as it appears. "I'd be happy to, if she's willing to meet with me. I do appreciate that trust can sometimes be an issue with those in her... profession."

Her attention turns back to the shield, then. "That may or may not be a good assumption, actually. In the *best* case, the artifact is going to be singular in it's focus. In *any* case, however, the spirits have been set loose. And we really don't know anything about its intentions."

She looks up from the shield to his masked face, then, reaching up with a white-gloved finger to tip her hat up a little. "Are you asking me to take it, then?"

Batman has posed:
"I will leave it here for you to evaluate. Here in space amongst the Justice League it will not be an issue. All I know is that the spirits disappeared back into the shield in green mist the moment they struck her down. My deductions make it think it accomplished what it sought out to, to punish."

Batman stares down at the shield, then picks it up in his gloved hands and presses the two pieces together, but nothing happens. "This is just out of my wheelhouse and I know you're the League's resident expert on all things magical, seeing how Fate is currently not available for counsel."

"Take your time but be careful and contact me if you figure it out, or if you need me. Worst case scenario Superman can throw it into the sun." He says with an angry huff in his throat.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna Zatara rests both hands on the cane again, giving him a nod. "Perhaps." she replies. The magician watches carefully as he handles it, gloved hands or no. Her nostrils twitch, and mystical hackles raise briefly.

Nothing happens. She relaxes a little, exhaling a breath she wasn't aware that she was holding.

Red lips twitch at the idea of Superman hurling it into the sun. "Yes. Well we *could* ask him to do that, I suppose. But we can't just rely on incinerating all of our problems." When the shield is returned to the case again, she steps back and the cane shrinks into a wand. "Tirips reirrab!" Pointing it to the shield with a flourish, visible seems to happen. "I'll be careful. And I will keep you informed." she replies.

Batman has posed:
"Thank you. I appreciate you giving me your time." Batman says as he rises up once more, then turns as he starts for the doors again with a swish of his cowl behind him. "If you see anyone else today, give them my regards. I'll be eagerly awaiting your call."

The doors swish open once more as he steps through into the elevator to take the swift ride down before he will take his transport back to Gotham. It will be a long day of work for him adn the criminals won't have an easy night as far as he's concerned.