#17 - Lizzie Hexam https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/4/6/AAUHRBAAESeW.jpg Our mutual friend. Everybody hates Lizzie; after all, through deception, trickery and poisoned Turkish delight belonging to some poor, dead soul, she's managed to kidnap more than a dozen refugees and Checkmate members and send them hurtling towards an imaginary place for as-yet not entirely clear reasons. But for Lizzie Hexam, this path was put in place a long, long time ago, and carrying out each step of her mysterious plan might be merely performative now.
Lizzie Hexam should be fictional, very well might even actually BE fictional, but her perhaps taps into reality itself. By unveiling event after event through the train cars of the Story Line, Lizzie pushes a train northward through Darkseid-controlled Scottish territory. Inch by inch, story by story. When questioned, Lizzie rarely if ever provides answers. When confronted, Lizzie remains stone-faced and defiant. Make no mistake; the woman who pilots this one-way trip to the imagination is just as easily the villain of this tale as the hero - perhaps even moreso. With eyes ever aimed towards her destination, the sacrifices of the journey mean little at all to Lizzie. She has her reasons; she has her methods. Anything else is merely a stumbling block, an obstacle on the path towards Hogwarts.
As for the party's reactions to Lizzie, they've been almost uniformly those of hostility and anger. In particular, Saoirse has demonstrated a significant animosity towards her captor. In fact, the push and pull between begrudging subservience to Lizzie's demands and angry self-righteousness has really added another layer to Saoirse's personality. But there's also curiosity there as well, and learning the truth about her familiar Twiggy has put a little bit of conflict into Saoirse's mind - at least that seems to be the case through our first three sessions on the Railway to Hogwarts. Saoirse's natural inquisitive nature and unbridled curiosity has always weighed significantly on her own morality - and I think the entire party has become fascinated as to what great changes their every action has on the course of history.
As for Lizzie, the engines churn on, and the train lurches forward, pistons firing, stacks pumping steam - and if she gets her way, Lizzie Hexam's captives will propel her to the end of the Story Line... all the way to Hogwarts itself.
Hint: Our highest undrafted character made it to a staggering 16th place.
We had another Storyline session last night. Lush finally did her car and it went as poorly as you could think going into Lush's memories would be. But I have gained a new love for Lizzie as she continues to show how diverse she is.