# [Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic



## Davies

I hope this will be of interest to someone; I've been posting a fairly large collection of M&M builds on my Google Drive.


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## Davies

_These are some of the most recent builds._

True Believer






In 2007, Janet Hinkley was a grad student studying to obtain a Master's Degree in Education at Teachers College, and her concerns were those typical of someone in that position -- worries about whether following this path would lead to emotional fulfillment and a reasonable degree of financial success or to emotional devastation and financial ruin, or possibly some middle ground between the two. She'd never met any superheroes, and didn't honestly find them very interesting. They existed, they'd saved the world from threats she didn't really understand, and that was a good thing, but celebrating them wasn't high on her list of personal priorities.

And her life got turned upside down when she was walking home down a sidewalk along a deserted street one evening. A vehicle looking like a car out of a science fiction movie exploded out of nothingness on the street, and screeched to a halt right in front of her. Before Janet's stunned eyes, the driver's side door opened and a tall man wearing a strange costume stepped out, walked up to her and handed her one just like it, saying, "You wear this." She didn't get a chance to say anything in response before he turned around, got back into the car, and drove off to disappear in a flash of light. All of this would have been shocking enough, but then a trio of similar looking cars burst into and then back out of sight in quick succession, this time without stopping, as though pursuing the first one.

Dazedly, Janet made her way back to her apartment, and there took a long look at the costume she'd been handed. She's really not sure why she decided to see what it looked like when she was, as the stranger had said, wearing it, but that's what she did. Finding it not really all that flattering, she was startled to see its appearance changing to match her thoughts. Some quick experimentation revealed that it also granted her a number of super-powers beyond that, though she found herself wishing that the suit came with an instruction manual. But that was clearly not to be.

Janet spent a whole week studying the suit's abilities, and carefully considering what she was supposed to do with them. She didn't feel particularly confident about becoming a superhero, but she knew that she'd never be able to live with herself if she just let bad things happen now that she had the power to do something about them. And after all, there had to be some deep meaning to the fact that she, of all people, had been handed this thing -- she'd been told '_you_ wear this'. So she shaped the thing into something that suited her patriotic ideal of what a superhero costume should look like, and became the True Believer.

It went pretty well. she helped take a further bite out of crime in the Big Apple, opposed supervillains when they showed up, and managed to keep her identity a secret. She met a number of the members of the Powerhouse early on, and suspected that she was being scouted as a potential member. But no invitation ever materialized, and Janet concluded they must have decided that she probably didn't bring anything to the table that O Homen de Oro hadn't already brought. Oh well.

A few years later, though, the American Angel contacted her with an offer to get in on the ground floor of Heroic Enterprises. Flattered by the offer, and happy to be working with some other patriotic heroes, she accepted ... much to her eventual regret. She hung around almost as long as Doctor Sapien, but the business with the Bridge (which happened while she was recuperating from another episode) was the last straw. She tendered her resignation right before the company was kicked out of California, and decided to seek fresher pastures back east.

Settling in Philadelphia has been exciting and challenging. She's finally getting some use out of that Education degree by getting a job teaching at one of the city's noisier public schools, and dealing with the fact that everyone there expects her to either burn out or flame out in a fairly short time. Well, she'll just see about that. She's also become a mentor figure of sorts to Philadelphia's somewhat notorious super-team, the Minor League, trying to help them to live up to the potential she sees in them. She sometimes thinks that they have the same expectation about her burnout or flameout, but again, she's going to show them that they're wrong.

While quite patriotic, and somewhat conservative -- she openly voices her disapproval of the more sexualized costumes of some of the Minor League -- True Believer dislikes and disapproves of the Millar administration. However, she would never express that disapproval publicly as a superhero; she feels that doing so is the first step towards becoming a super-powered demagogue who uses her unelected power to sway the public to her will. Whatever political work she does will only ever be as Janet Hinkley, not as True Believer.

More than anything else, Janet wonders whether she's using these abilities as the person who gave them to her intended her to do so. It's probably for the best she doesn't realize that the suit's primary function is that of a camera recording footage for the equivalent of reality TV a bit less than two hundred years in the future. That would probably break her heart.

*True Believer - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 9/2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
The Suit:*

*Camouflage: *Morph 2 (clothes), Only changes appearance of suit - 8 points
*Defensive Field:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 9 - 28 points
*Enhanced Mobility:* Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 30 points
*Offensive Settings:* Array (20 points)
*Force Blast:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
*Strength Booster:* Enhanced Advantage (Close Attack 6); Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 point
*Stun Blast: *Ranged Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point
*Tractor Beam: *Move Object 10 - 1 point

 *Sensory Functions:* Senses 6 (extended vision 2, extended hearing 2, low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Connected, Defensive Attack, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Luck 2, Redirect, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Civics 4 (+7), Expertise: History 4 (+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Suit Powers 8 (+10), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8/+2 (Close Damage 9/+2)
Force Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Stun Blast +10 (Ranged Fortitude 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/4, Parry 9/3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 10/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 95 + Advantages 10 + Skills 25 + Defenses 8 = 170 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Patriotic. Power Loss* (The Suit, can't be removed involuntarily when worn but can be easily removed if it's not being worn). *Responsibility* (the Minor League). *Secret Identity.*


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## Davies

The Material Guy





Up until his powers manifested shortly after his sixteenth birthday, Brandon Turgenev was a typical teenager in most respects. He was best described as brilliant but unmotivated (to be more kind than everyone who just called him lazy.) Coasting through his first year of high school, he expected that there'd be no money for his college education and that he'd have to get a dead-end once he graduated. Therefore, he tried to have as much fun in high school as possible. And then, while doing just that at a local swimming pool on a hot summer day, he dissolved.

Merging with the chlorinated water was bewildering to him, as his senses were assaulted with information unlike anything he'd previously experienced. He managed to pull himself together into a humanoid form of water, further scaring his friends who were panicking over his disappearance, and then tried to return to his original human shape. Things just got confusing at that point, because instead of freezing back into solidity, he evaporated into a gas that hovered over the pool's surface.

This did nothing to ease the panic, and Brandon was beginning to get a bit frightened himself. Drawing on vaguely remembered chem classes, he forced himself to become lighter than air and floated up high into the sky, somehow triggering his next phase change, ionizing into a hot plasma. Hoping against hope that this would work, he expelled some of the plasma up higher into the atmosphere. Doing so for the first time knocked him out, causing him to black out as he recombined, condensed, and froze into his solid state -- the latter just seconds before he splashed into the pool.

Just where these powers came from is not terribly clear. Each of the phase changes that he can undergo -- including the one he didn't discover until later, turning into denser-than-flesh solids -- is similar to the abilities possessed by the members of a small subgroup of the Institute, the so-called Primal Pattern. As all four of them died thirty years before Brandon was born, there can't be any direct connection, and attempts to establish a link between any of them and any of his parents or grandparents have come up empty. It seems to be a weird coincidence.

Once he was released from the hospital, Brandon was greeted at home by a representative of the Futurian Academy, offering him a scholarship to attend the private school in Wales. He turned them down flat. All that he wanted to do was mend his relationships with the friends that he'd scared, and leaving for the UK didn't sound all that conducive to such plans. And more studying? More than he was already doing in high school? No thank you sir, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Despite not having any interest in learning more about his powers, Brandon found himself drawn in to the events that led to the formation of his current circle of close associates. The fun parts seemed to overpower the scary parts, so he was quite willing to keep tagging along with the rest. He was even the one to come up with the team name (which everyone else initially hated, and some still do.) When asked by a reporter for NBC10 what they should call the group, Brandon quickly replied, "Well, we're all minors, so why not call us the Minor League?"

It's a bit ridiculous now that they _aren't_ minors, three years later, but the fact that they're all still very small fish in the ocean of superheroes has kept it an appropriate name. And hey, the fact that they all get a nice stipend from the city government for being the city's official super-team has meant that whole dead-end job nightmare that he was trying to avoid is forever delayed! So the fun never has to stop, or at least that's what it seems to this Material Guy, living in a ma-- well, you know the lyrics.

*The Material Guy -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 9/3 | *STA* 10/4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Life Support: *Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*State Transformations: *Array (39 points)

*Gaseous: *Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Feature (color change); Flight 4 (30 MPH); Insubstantial 2; Affects Corporeal 3 on Strength - 1 points
*Liquidity: *Visual Concealment 4, Only in liquids; Elongation 5; Feature (color change); Insubstantial 1; Impervious Protection 6; Swimming 8 (120 MPH); Affects Corporeal 3 on Strength - 1 point
*Plasma: *Feature (color change); Flight 4 (30 MPH); Insubstantial 3; Ranged Damage 7, Accurate - 39 points
*Super-Solidity:* Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 6; Morph 3 (metals), Standard Action; Impervious Toughness 6 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Close Attack 2, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Taunt

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+13/+7), Deception 6 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Plasma 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 9/3)
Plasma +9 (Ranged Damage 7)

*Defense:
Solid: *Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 11, Toughness 10, Will 4
*Liquid:* Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 10, Will 4
*Gaseous:* Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4, Will 4
*Plasma (or Normal):* Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 52 + Advantages 9 + Skills 16 + Defense 8 = 125 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Lazy and Fun-loving. Power Limit *(limited to going from normal form to super-solid or liquid, liquid to normal or gas, gas to liquid, super-solid to normal.)


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## Davies

Scandalous





Lionora Cabrera (she usually just goes by Lio) was born to a single mother and raised by her on the road as her mother (who'd renamed herself Frida, so that they were both referencing famous Mexican artists) pursued her dreams of artistic success. Somewhat out of necessity, Lio learned how to paint as well, though she never had any illusions that she had a great talent for that. Modeling was another story. Regardless, shortly before Lio's sixteenth birthday, their journey reached what would become its final stage as they arrived at an artist's commune in (of all places) the Catskills.

The self-proclaimed guru who ran the place was very much into combining yoga and physical exercise, performed to exhaustion, in order to open up the doors of consciousness and allow 'true vision'. Lio took part in this praxis, mostly to keep an eye on her mother, who'd never been in the best of health. Throughout the training, she was constantly aware that the guru was very much checking her out. It wasn't pleasant, but she'd been eyed by artists before and nothing bad had happened, so she expected the same this time.

Evidently, she realized as he cornered her in the retreat's washroom, she'd been wrong to do so. As he leaned over her with his hands sliding down to her hips, murmuring, "You smell like your mother," something exploded in Lio's mind, and the smell he'd been perceiving became a toxic odor, making him collapse in a choking heap on the washroom floor. Not bothering to see if he was all right, she ran out of there to get her mother and then get the heck out of this den of deceit ... only to find that the heart attack she'd always feared had finally carried her mother off with it. Saying a silent farewell, she stole the keys to their van and went on the lam.

By the time she got to Philadelphia, there was a several state manhunt in effect for the girl who was assumed to have murdered both her mother and the guru (who, for maximum gross-out points, turned out to have been her biological father.) She got involved in the adventure that created the Minor League much against her will, and wanted to just start running again afterwards, but was convinced by her new friends to stand and tell the truth. With their help, and a bit from the True Believer, she was able to get the charges against her dismissed and get a bit of justice for her mother in the process. But the whole thing fully justified her codename, in her view.

Scandalous' powers are similar in some respects to those of the Ultra Girl known as Le Charme, but while the French illusionist's powers involve a combination of light manipulation and psychic abilities, Lio's are completely psychic in nature. She supplements her ability to create illusions vivid enough to injure and even kill with the power to sense emotions, which isn't fully under her control as yet. She's developed enough mastery to be able to combine the two talents to allow her to present the appearance of just about anyone's ideal of beauty, though this doesn't always work.

Despite that ability, which she has no problem using in tactical situations, and despite the way that she designs her costumes to accentuate her appearance and shock conservative viewers, Lio has no interest in romantic or sexual relationships of any kind. Her own experiences, and what she saw her mother go through as she grew up, have left her extremely cynical about the subject. She keeps even her teammates at a distance and shoots down any attempts to get closer with an acerbic wit. In the privacy of her room, she has taken up her art studies again, and much like another badly hurt woman long ago, is very fond of recreating the image of Judith and Holofernes.

*Scandalous -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Become Your Dream: *Enhanced Advantage (Attractive 2) - 2 points
*Empathy: *Mind Reading 8, Limited to Emotions, Uncontrolled - 4 points
*Mindwarp:* Independent Selective Illusion 8 (all senses), Resistible by Will; Perception Range Damage 8, Quirk (only against a target who believes the illusion), Reversible - 64 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points

*Advantages:*
_Attractive 2,_ Defensive Roll 2, Second Chance (Will resistance).

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Art 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Illusion -- (Perception Range Will 8, Perception Range Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 2, Toughness 5/0, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 74 + Advantages 1 + Skills 12 + Defense 14 = 121 points

*Complications:
Reluctant Heroism--Motivation. Distrusts Most Men. Reputation* (accused murderer who got away with it.)


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## Davies

Moment





Petra Iraklidis is the youngest daughter of a large family of Greek immigrants who settled in Philadelphia just a bit before she was born. As a young girl, she realized that she was avoiding many of the minor injuries that her friends sometimes suffered in their horseplay, with things sort of sliding off of her. She didn't know what to make of it, and decided not to tell anyone so that she could have a secret from her nosy siblings and cousins. It wasn't that big a deal, after all, since she still got sick just like any other kid, so she clearly wasn't that super, and she expected nothing would ever come of it.

When she was fifteen, though, and working as a waitress in the family restaurant, she learned that expectation had probably not been all that accurate. While carrying an order out to one of the tables, she tripped and the dishes went flying. Embarrassed and upset, she wished more than anything that their fall would slow down so that she could catch them -- and then, before the stunned eyes of herself and everyone else in the dining room, they did just that! After a stupefied moment, she quickly grabbed the trays and the dishes and the utensils out of mid-air, and wished the weird effect to stop. It did, and she flashed her audience a smile. "All part of the show, folks!" she declared.

So, she had super-powers. What luck. Against the advice of her mama and bampás, she started going out at night in a thrown together costume to try her hand at the whole 'superhero' thing. She picked the codename 'Moment' out of a song that she liked. While she foiled what small amount of street crime her neighborhood experienced, it wasn't really all that exciting or fun. Unbeknownst to Petra, her parents were contacted by a representative of the Futurian Academy to offer her an education, but the thought of sending her off to Wales didn't sit well with them, so they sent the man packing and never mentioned it to her.

While engaged in her low-key superheroics, Petra ended up involved in the events that led to the formation of the Minor League. Unfortunately for her ego, her 'involvement' consisted of being kidnapped, used as the power source for an earthquake machine, and then rescued by the other three. She did help kick butt afterwards, but it was even more embarrassing than the first time she'd used her powers, _and_ this time her parents got seriously mad at her for lying to them. She considered quitting then, and has done again several times since, but her fire-forged friendship with the rest of the team has always kept her going.

The irony is that Moment has very little to be embarrassed about when it comes to her performance since then. She has experimented with her powers, and while she has yet to achieve the full control that she'd like, she can use them in a variety of combat applications as well as support ones. She's also made more of an effort than most of her teammates to become a good, if not exceptional, hand-to hand fighter, and developed a talent for spotting the strengths and weaknesses of her opponents in order to counter or exploit them. Last but not least, she's worked to learn as much as she can about potential opponents.

Unfortunately, her worst potential opponent is one that she knows nothing about. Unbeknownst to Petra, her biological father is actually a scion of the Meusz family of Belgium, who have a family heritage of the sort of gravity control powers she possesses. While he doesn't know and probably wouldn't care about what his by-blow is getting up to, one of his older sons has learned about it, and wants to eliminate this little embarrassment to his lineage ...

*Moment -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Deflector Field:* Linked Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Linked Sustained Protection 4 - 16 points
*Floating Rock: *Burst Area Affects Others and Self Flight 6 (120 MPH), Platform - 18 points
*Gravity Control:* Array (18 points)

*Concussive Blast: *Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
*Crushing Gravity Field:* Damaging Burst Area Move Object 6, Limited to Moving Downwards - 1 point
*Gravity Warp:* Deflect 6, Reflect, Redirect - 1 point
*Null Gravity Field:* Burst Area Move Object 9, Limited to Lifting Upwards - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Close Attack 3, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Taunt, Teamwork, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+5), Ranged Combat: Gravity Control 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Concussive Blast +7 (Ranged Damage 9)
Crushing Gravity Field -- (Burst Area Damaging Move Object 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/1, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 55 + Advantages 10 + Skills 15 + Defenses 12 = 122 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Family* (large). *Low Self-Image. Unknown Enemy.*


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## Davies

Clarity





The story that Henry Yung tells is a simple one. Two years older than his comrades in the Minor League, he was in his second year at a military school when some friends of his convinced him to join them in taking an experimental performance-enhancing drug. Unfortunately, the group made a fatal mistake and took far too much of the substance, killing most of them and leaving others in a permanent vegetative state, with Henry the only survivor. Expelled from the school in the aftermath, he discovered that his experience had left him with greatly enhanced reflex speed, and decided to use this gift as a superhero in order to bring some good out of the tragedy.

The best lies are mostly true. All of that happened, but the powers that Henry developed were not those of the body, but of the mind; specifically, the most desired and feared of all psychic abilities -- accurate precognition. Henry is aware that if he were to be open about what he is able to do, he would instantly be seized by any of a dozen factions and interests who wanted to use his talents for their own purposes, and would likely never know another moment's freedom. Even if he somehow avoided that, Pythia continues to cast a shadow over the world even thirty years after her end, and another precog would likely be feared and hated by those he tried to protect.

Posing as yet another hyper-skilled martial artist allows him to avoid all this, but it has consequences of its own. Again, Henry's mind has been enhanced, not his body. He routinely pushes himself past the limits of his endurance in the name of keeping his secret, and suffers minor or even serious injuries as a consequence. Because of his precognition, he often knows that this will happen, and can take steps to mitigate his pain, but cannot avoid it without more undesirable outcomes.

Clarity acts as the leader of the Minor League. Partly this is due to his seniority, partly to his leadership training. But the major reason is that he was the one who assembled the team in the first place, recruiting the Material Guy and Scandalous to help him rescue Moment, whose kidnapping he'd discovered through his "investigations." Despite this, he was blindsided (and dismayed) when the name of the group was proposed, since he'd planned on calling them the Transient Alliance or something cool-sounding.

Henry is actually a Philadelphia native, like most of the team. While he's not close to most of his family -- his attendance at the military school was arranged by his stepfather, and he hasn't seen or spoken to his mother since he was expelled  -- he has made attempts to reconcile with his older siblings, with some success. They are, in the main, proud of him, as his career as a community defender echoes that of their late father, one of two hand-to-hand combat instructors employed by JSOT. (The other was a famous Philadelphia-based boxer.)

*Clarity -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Precognition:* Enhanced Advantages 10 (Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Seize Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Senses 4 (precognition) - 24 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, _Close Attack 3_, Defensive Attack, _Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Improved Defense,_ Improved Initiative _3_, Inspire, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, _Seize Initiative,_ Trance, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Insight 4 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +15
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/6, Parry 11/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 24 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 11 = 122 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Accident *(frequent injuries due to pushing his physical limits). *Blindfold* (actually semi-transparent, but still renders Impaired on visual Perception and Search checks). *Secret* (precognition).


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## Davies

Martin Callahan





Martin Callahan, age 57, is an employee of the cleaning company that has a contract to provide janitorial services for the headquarters of Philadelphia's official superhero team, the Minor League. He is consistently given the assignment to act as the building's caretaker, accepting just enough other assignments to maintain plausible deniability. It will probably not come as any surprise that he is secretly an agent of the international security agency, Argus, tasked to make sure that they get directed towards matters that Argus wants them to handle.

That's what he's _supposed_ to do, at least. And he actually did make a good faith attempt to do just that, a few times, when he got started with this new assignment in 2018. It wasn't the one that he would have picked -- he'd have greatly preferred to wait out the remaining years until his retirement on guard duty at one of Argus' more secure facilities -- but he was professional enough, _then_, to do the job. But every time that he tried to arrange matters so that these meddling kids would find out about their assignments, the one who swans about in a blindfold would tell them about the task in question, claiming to have learned about it from his own sources.

By the sixth time this happened, Martin had had enough. He had his suspicions about the real sources of Clarity's discoveries, but no way of proving them without exposing himself. So he decided to report back to his superiors that he was succeeding in feeding intel to the Minor League, while no longer even trying to do so. When he gets his assignments, he destroys them after reading, and then watches the team head off to deal with the situation that they describe without any effort on his part.

It's the cushiest job he's ever had, and he doesn't want to do anything that will jeopardize it. Three more years, and then he can go spend the rest of his life fishing. Martin retains just enough professionalism that if the Minor League's headquarters came under attack, he would covertly assist in its defense, with a focus on protecting any innocents caught in the crossfire. The dumb kids do not count as innocents for this purpose. Well, _maybe_ Moment, but she can probably take care of herself.

Martin is a veteran of JSOT and returned to the army after the end of the Pythonian Insurgency, ending up serving in the invasion of Syria. He doesn't have fond memories of those years, and this definitely contributes to his grouchy and generally unpleasant demeanor, which has kept him from getting the more sedate assignments that he'd prefer. He feels, probably correctly, that he's much too old for this, and somewhat regrets listening to Argus' recruiter after he finally left the military. He also doesn't get on very well with True Believer's handler, who contacted him after he received this assignment.

*Martin Callahan -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Fearless, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged, Cover), Ranged Attack 2, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4) and 17 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+4), Athletics 2 (+4), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Expertise: Survival 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+5), Stealth 4 (+5), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Heavy Pistol +5 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 18 + Skills 26 + Defenses 9 = 93 points

*Complications:
Vestiges of Professionalism--Motivation. Past His Prime. Secret* (Argus agent).


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## Doug McCrae

Is the Pythonian Insurgency influenced by Cobra from GI Joe, Marvel's Hydra, or the Kobra Cult in DC Comics?


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## Davies

Doug McCrae said:


> Is the Pythonian Insurgency influenced by Cobra from GI Joe, Marvel's Hydra, or the Kobra Cult in DC Comics?




Mostly the first. I'm planning on detailing their leadership in a series of builds starting in about two weeks, after I finish this current series and then describe some extraterrestrial threats.


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## Davies

Lord Ranivorous





According to the most credible of his numerous passports, the man who styles himself Lord Ranivorous was born Carlo Maltese in Milan, in December 1966. He has abandoned that name, however, and regards any other name he might employ as a mere alias meant to cover the glory that is his by right as the only begotten son of the Greatest Scientific Mind of Any Age, Dr. Silas Ranivorous. Pointing out that Dr. Ranivorous spent the entirety of 1966 in prison in America, making it unlikely that he could be his son, is likely to provoke a furious rant about how men of genius go where they please. (And it should be noted that he does bear a resemblance to the old monster.)

He made his debut as a would-be world conqueror in 2007, opposed by Argus agents and by various law enforcement agencies. He led a mostly undistinguished career over the next decade, never succeeding in any of his campaigns but rarely captured and never held for long, either. His most distinctive trait, in contrast to other mad scientists, was that he was very successful at building organizations to support his ambitions. Where the majority of scientist villains employ only laboratory assistants and rely on their creations for security, Lord Ranivorous was usually supported by dozens of mercenaries commanded by crack professionals selected by himself. While not a good boss by any stretch of the imagination, he was well-regarded in the mercenary community as someone who always paid his bills.

In 2017, he was meeting with a potential new lieutenant in a certain Greek restaurant at the same time that Petra Iraklidis awakened to her gravity control powers. He was the only other person in the dining room to realize the implications of what he'd just seen, and immediately began thinking of ways to exploit the powers he'd just witnessed. Working out the details and building a sufficient organization to implement them took a few months. He built an earthquake machine that would use 'Moment's' powers as a battery, kidnapped her, and prepared to extort Philadelphia's government for millions of dollars ... then activate the machine regardless of whether or not he'd been paid. (How else would they know that he wasn't bluffing?)

The other three members of the Minor League thwarted this plan, earning Lord Ranivorous' eternal enmity. He has sought revenge on the group on four separate occasions since then, as well as outfitting various other villains who've opposed the team for their own reasons. While engaged in a variety of criminal enterprises to support these operations, his organization is entirely directed towards defeating the Minor League, and he has ignored 'invitations' by other criminal masterminds, ranging from Melania Domnina (the Minor League's other nemesis) to the Combination, to cooperate with them.

Out of the Minor League's membership, it's known that Lord Ranivorous fears Scandalous more than any of the others. The physical powers that the Material Guy and Moment possess can be opposed by sufficient firepower, but none of his followers' weapons will make the least bit of difference against someone who can control their perceptions and can kill with a thought. Thus, he has taken steps to protect himself against her powers, both through a technological solution and a mental regime designed to allow him to break free of illusions that overcome his defenses. He's much less worried about Clarity, but is increasingly suspicious that the man must have some mental advantages to assist him in overcoming his plans.

*Lord Ranivorous -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Mind Shielding Helmet: *Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects; Removable (-1 point) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 20, Evasion, Inventor, Language 3 (English, others, [Italian is native]), Ranged Attack 4, Second Chance (Will resistance against illusions), Speed of Thought, Well-Informed.

*Equipment:*
100 points for any bases or vehicles needed for a given plot.

*Skills:*
Deception 12 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 5 (+13), Expertise: Science 6 (+14), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+13), Insight 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+9), Technology 6 (+14), Vehicles 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)
Ranged +6 (by invention)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 2/0, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 3 + Advantages 33 + Skills 35 + Defense 20 = 122 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Temper *(especially concerning his supposed parentage).


----------



## Davies

Melania Domnina





Little is known about the background of Melania Domnina prior to 2009, when she, as a corrupt FSB agent, betrayed her country to assist Billie Zane in the latter's attempt to seize control of Russia. The Powerhouse was prevented from intervening by the Russian government itself, and the coup was only opposed by Baba Yaga, the vigilante Parovoy, and a handful of implanted Argus agents. Against all odds, they prevented the takeover, and Zane was forced to flight. (There are rumors that the entire episode was actually cover for a successful attempt to steal certain psychoenergetic technologies possessed by the Russians.)

Domnina escaped with Zane's forces, but had been seriously injured in the conflict. To continue to remain useful to her employer (and thus remain among the living) she arranged for cybernetic surgery to repair her wounds. The experience awakened something in her. While she had apparently always been a transhumanist, seeking to enhance her mind with the most advanced techniques available, Domnina now became obsessed with upgrading her body as well. This was necessarily conducted in secret, as Zane has a very low tolerance for any technologies that augment humanity, viewing them as no different than super-serums and psychic awakenings. Domnina, however, views her employer as someone she must eventually overcome, rather than someone to emulate.

Nine years after the debacle in Russia (if that's indeed what it was) one of Zane's lieutenants finally gave Domnina a new assignment, ordering her to undermine and eliminate the recently formed Minor League. It was almost certainly a calculated insult, setting her up as the enemy of a bunch of kids, but Domnina elected to take it seriously and traveled to Philadelphia to set up shop. Her attempt to inveigle herself into an alliance with Lord Ranivorous was a failure, but she was able to obtain a fair amount of data about her opponents in the process.

Since then, she has made numerous attempts to either discredit or destroy the Minor League, failing each time but only narrowly. Thanks to her cybernetics, particularly her buzzsaw-like hands, she is personally a match for any two of them in combination, though she prefers to have her minions soften them up a bit first. The fact that she normally only enters the fray after her employees have all been incapacitated is also a sound strategy to ensure that no reports get back to her employer about her performing superhuman feats. She employs her technology in clever ways; in a recent conflict with Moment, she employed her implanted jump jets to power herself out of the young hero's null gravity field and blast through her defenses, allowing her to take Moment hostage.

Her current scheme may be her most ambitious and dangerous yet. She has either blackmailed or extorted a number of Philadelphia editorial writers to publish articles asking why the Minor League has yet to increase its numbers beyond its charter membership, with the intention of getting the City Council behind such an expansion. Any young superheroes who attempt to try out for the group will then be targeted for assassination, sending the clear message that doing so is a death sentence. Ideally, Domnina would like to frame one of the founding members of the team, or possibly the True Believer, for these attacks.

*Melania Domnina -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Jumpjets: *Leaping 6 - 6 points
*More Machine Than Meat:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Impervious Protection 8, Subtle - 47 points
*Vibroblade Hands:* Strength-based Damage 2, Penetrating 4 - 6 points

_Power Stunt:_
*Defying Gravity: *Enhanced Strength 6, Limited to resisting Move Object.

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 4, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (vibroblade hands), Improved Initiative, Language 3 (English, German, others, [Russian is native]),  Precise Attack (close, concealment), Skill Mastery (Technology), Takedown, Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Deception 8 (+10), Investigation 5 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)
Vibroblade Hands +10 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 59 + Advantages 20 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 159 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Secret *(cyborg). *Subject to Orders* (Zane's organization).


----------



## Davies

Colonel Violence





In 2007, Eddie Ennis was a high school dropout who lived with some friends of his in Malibu, and his concerns were those typical of someone in that position -- mostly involving where he was going to score his next hit of methamphetamine. And then his life got turned upside down one evening while he was going to meet a supplier of such.  A vehicle looking like a car out of a science fiction movie exploded out of nothingness on the street, and screeched to a halt right in front of her. Before Eddie's stunned eyes, the driver's side door opened and a tall man wearing a strange costume stepped out, walked up to him and handed him one just like it, saying, "You wear this."

As the tall man turned to go, Eddie managed to find his voice, and asked _why_ he was supposed to wear the costume. The tall man paused and looked back at him, answering, "Entertainment." Then he popped back into the vehicle and drove off to disappear in a flash of light. Still bewildered, Eddie ducked into an alley and changed into the costume, quickly discovering that it could change its appearance to anything that his limited imagination could come up with, and that it granted him super-powers.

He promptly used those powers for the purpose he'd been given them, entertaining himself by shaking down the drug dealer he'd been going to visit and taking the man's entire supply plus all the money on him. Eddie was somewhat annoyed to discover that he couldn't experience the same drug high that he had before while wearing the costume, but the rush of the experience was a fairly good substitute. Over the next few years, the legend of the man who called himself Colonel Violence (with the rank pronounced 'Carnal') spread across Malibu and much of Los Angeles.

A few years later, when the True Believer went to work for Heroic Enterprises, one of her first assignments was to assist in an attempt to arrest Colonel Violence. The two of them instantly recognized each other as deriving their abilities from the same source, and actually had a fairly lengthy conversation. But Janet Hinkley's sense of morality was provoked by Eddie's complete lack of one, while he was disgusted by the way that she tried to claim that they had been given these costumes for some higher purpose than the one he'd been explicitly told about. The result was a serious super-brawl that True Believer's experience in fighting supervillains allowed her to narrowly win, and the arrest of Colonel Violence.

Eddie didn't stay arrested very long, of course, since his costume couldn't be removed from his person anymore than Janet's could. That was the beginning of a grudge that has lasted right up until the present day, with Colonel Violence eventually following the True Believer from the west coast to the east, setting up shop in Philadelphia and going after her whenever he gets the chance. He's also attacked her stupid little sidekicks in the Minor League from time to time. No matter what happens, he always seeks to entertain himself in whatever ways his impulses tell him to do ... and in the process provides bloody entertainment for people in the future, observing the action through the suit's cameras.

*Colonel Violence -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 10/3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
The Suit:*

*Camouflage: *Morph 2 (clothes), Only changes appearance of suit - 8 points
*Defensive Field: *Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 9 - 28 points
*Enhanced Mobility: *Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 30 points
*Offensive Settings: *Array (20 points)
*Force Blast: *Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
*Strength Booster:* Enhanced Advantage (Close Attack 6); Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 point
*Stun Blast:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point
*Tractor Beam:* Move Object 10 - 1 point

*Sensory Functions:* Senses 6 (extended vision 2, extended hearing 2, low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 6 points
*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Daze (Intimidate), Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Suit Powers 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +10/+4 (Close Damage 10/7)
Force Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Stun Blast +8 (Ranged Fortitude 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/2, Parry 10/4, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/3, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 95 + Advantages 12 + Skills 12 + Defenses 6 = 163 points

*Complications:
Psychopath--Motivation. Addictions and Other Bad Habits. Power Loss* (The Suit, can't be removed involuntarily when worn but can be easily removed if it's not being worn).


----------



## Davies

Destrons





Kapech, a planet on the trailing fringe of the Crimson Imperium, is one of the few acknowledged 'red zones' of the interstellar state, a quarantined area guarded by a naval unit of _five packs_ of Heavy Destroyers, supporting the Imperium's Eighth Guard Group and a regiment of the Marines. All of these forces are directed towards the tasks of preventing the ongoing conquest of the planet by what appears to be a robot army, evacuating the remaining Imperial citizens from the planet, and preventing the robots from spreading beyond this one world. The first task is acknowledged to be a lost cause by the High Command. Because Kapec was home to a number of robotic manufacturers prior to the robotics ban, it is generally believed that the robots are the product of a surviving, hidden factory, likely reactivated by the Insurgency.

This belief is utterly wrong.

Roughly four thousand years ago, in a different region of the galaxy entirely, another planet was under the dominion of a different empire, that of the Olympians. For various reasons, the rulers of this planet decided that they no longer wished to be subject to Olympian rule, and plotted to attack their so-called masters. To do this, they asked their populace to volunteer to be transformed into cyborg warriors who could more effectively battle against the Olympians' Spartoi. Thousands agreed, and embarked on their great revolution.

They were very successful, and if they were not the sole cause of the end of the Olympian empire, they certainly contributed to it. Yet as they fought across countless worlds and endless years, dissatisfaction with their leaders -- who had, after all, remained behind, and sacrificed nothing for the cause -- began to grow among them. At last, after their successful assault on the moon now called Ganymede, their commanders sought to gain permission to return to their home world and recuperate for a time. This request was denied.

They therefore returned anyway, fired upon by the planetary defenses that made it very clear that they were regarded as enemies of the world they'd fought and figuratively bled to defend. In a blind fury, they descended on their home world not as soldiers seeking rest and recuperation, but as merciless invaders and conquerors, slaughtering those who stood in their way regardless of whether they were combatants or civilians. They made their way to the commander in chief, an ancient man sitting in a wheelchair, and prepared to execute their greatest enemy.

Their weapons refused to fire, and the old man laughed. Everything had been done according to his design. The voices in the night that kindled the cyborg's dissatisfaction had been his. The order to deny them the chance to return home had been his. The weapons which had attacked them and driven them to their rage had been his. And from the very beginning, their systems had been programmed so that they could never harm _him._ "You have all fulfilled my will perfectly, my Destrons," he said, naming them. "Now would you kindly finish the extermination?"

Within a week, the Maker was the only living thing, other than the Destrons, on their home planet. He then sent them on to other worlds, replacing their fallen with clones implanted into newly built cyborg frames, conquering an empire for himself out of the ruins of the Olympians' realm -- a sterile realm where worlds existed only to support factories for the creation of more Destrons. Despite his best efforts, however, the Maker's attempts at life extension only granted him a few centuries of life. But by that point, the Destrons no longer remembered any existence but their war of extermination.

Yet theirs is a strange war, fought in four dimensions. The last great discovery of their Maker was a method of time travel, which only functioned within a planet's gravity well, and they have sent their armies forward in time to invade worlds throughout history. Kapech is their beachhead in the current era. Far in the future, they have often been opposed by Exelion, who may understand more of their nature than any other figure in all of time and space. If he knew that they were invading in the present, he would urge Earth's superheroes to assist the tyrannical Crimson Imperium to oppose their invasion. But it may already be too late.

The following are the most commonly known Destron units, those depicted in the illustration above. There are many other kinds.

*Extermination Unit -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* -2/6 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* -2/4 | *DEX* 0/6 | *FGT* 0/8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Exoskeleton:* Removable (-22 points)
**Advanced Sensors:* Senses 12 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, accurate radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 12 points
**Duraluminum Chassis: *Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Impervious Protection 8 - 72 points
**Encrypted Comms:* Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
**Nanite Repair Systems:* Regeneration 5 - 5 points
**Sealed Systems: *Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Close Attack, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 5, Precise Attack 2 (ranged, both), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Startle, Weapon Break

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate)

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+5), Intimidation 8 (+7), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 2 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/2, Parry 8/0, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 90 + Advantages 16 + Skills 12 + Defenses 9 = 141 points

*Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Weakness* (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).

*Artillery Support Unit - PL 11

Abilities:*
STR -2/10 | STA 4/6 | AGL -2/4 | DEX 0/6 | FGT 0/8 | INT 2 | AWE 6 | PRE -1

*Powers:
Large Exoskeleton: *Removable (-30 points)
**Advanced Sensors:* Senses 12 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 12 points
**Autoblaster Cannons:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 9, Accurate 2 - 29 points
**Duraluminum Chassis: *Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Permanent Growth 2 (+2 Strength, +2 Stamina, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, +1 Intimidation, -2 Stealth), Innate; Impervious Protection 9 - 81 points
**Encrypted Comms: *Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
**Nanite Repair Systems:* Regeneration 5 - 5 points
**Sealed Systems:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Close Attack, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Ranged Attack 3, Startle.

*Skills:*
Intimidation 10 (+10), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +9 (Damage 10)
Autoblaster Cannons +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/2, Parry 7/0, Fortitude 10/8, Toughness 15/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 120 + Advantages 8 + Skills 9 + Defenses 9 = 160 points

*Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Very Heavy. Weakness* (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).

*Air Support Unit -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* -2/6 | *STA* 4/6 | *AGL* -2/4 | *DEX* 0/6 | *FGT* 0/6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Large Exoskeleton:* Removable (-31 points)
**Advanced Sensors:* Senses 14 (extended analytical vision, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, accurate radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 14 points
**Autoblaster Cannons:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 9, Accurate 2 - 29 points
**Avionics:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 points
**Duraluminum Chassis:* Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 6; Enhanced Strength 6; Permanent Growth 2 (+2 Strength, +2 Stamina, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, +1 Intimidation, -2 Stealth), Innate; Impervious Protection 6 - 67 points
**Encrypted Comms:* Radio Communication 4, Limited to Destrons, Subtle - 13 points
**Nanite Repair Systems:* Regeneration 5 - 5 points
**Sealed Systems:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Precise Attack 2 (ranged, both), Ranged Attack.

*Skills:*
Intimidation 8 (+7), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 2 (+8), Technology 4 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 6)
Autoblaster Cannon +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/3, Parry 6/1, Fortitude 10/8, Toughness 12/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 125 + Advantages 7 + Skills 8 + Defenses 11 = 164 points

*Complications:
Annihilation--Motivation. Slow Ground Movement. Subject to Orders. Weakness* (Paralyzed by Nullify Technology).


----------



## Davies

Garkun









For almost as long as the Albadine people have been nomads of the skies, they have been warring with the other nation of star travelers, whom they call by the name Garkun ... which just means "enemy" in the Albadine language. (What they call themselves is not clear; when communication has been possible, they have always just used the local word for 'we' or 'us'.) There were many mysteries about the Garkun, who seemed too technically inept to maintain their interstellar spacecraft, much less the other technology they employed with great skill. Quite recently, an answer was discovered when Albadine explorers realized that the Garkun seemed to keep another species as slaves for their technical skill. Both for charitable purposes and to diminish the ability of the Garkun to defend themselves, the Albadine have tried to rescue these slaves on many occasions, but are frustrated by their tendency to commit suicide rather than accept their freedom.

This new mystery would be easily understood if the Albadine were willing to accept that the technicians were not slaves, and were actually of the same species as their warrior partners -- and were, in fact, their literal brothers. Essentially, the Garkun species consists of three phenotypes. The 'male' warriors are the best known, and each of them is psychically linked to a 'neuter' technician. Each pair is born at the same time from one of the largely sessile 'females', who also act as the chiefs of the Garkun's planetary communities, only being moved between them when very young. These 'queens' typically give birth to three pairs of children every two solar years, who achieve maturity within another twelve.

Garkun planetary settlements are extremely diverse, with some acting no differently than the raiders and pirates who typify Garkun space travelers, while others prefer to engage in trade and negotiation with their neighbors. The differences in behavior are generally explicable through economics -- Garkun who have settled in resource-poor areas will not hesitate to engage in banditry and extortion to obtain what they need, while those in more bountiful situations are much more willing to deal fairly with others. Of course, the history of these settlements also influences their behavior, as past hostility against a community, regardless of circumstances, is unlikely to be forgotten.

It should be noted that Garkun settlements are no less likely to be victimized by nomadic Garkun raiders, and that those settlements willing to cooperate with their non-Garkun neighbors will not hesitate to assist them in fighting such raiders off. Becoming a raider, however, is viewed as an acceptable career choice by nearly every Garkun community, largely because of the sacrifice involved. Garkun raiders rarely survive long enough to return to their homes and take part in reproduction, thus sacrificing their future for momentary glory and the promise of riches.

The majority of Garkun settlements are within the Crimson Imperium, with only a tiny number to be found in the Technate, largely due to the fact that Albadine settlements are more common in the latter polity. While most raider ships are fiercely independent, a few have joined forces to become an element within Garth Maruad's mercenary army. Others are employed as enforcers or even bodyguards by the Augrah crime syndicate, and there are rumors that claim one ship clan is active as a group of bounty hunters. The Insurgency's command has discussed the prospect of recruiting Garkun mercenaries for their own forces, but so far have not done so.

*Garkun Warrior -- PL 7 / MR 6

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* -1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:*
*Healing Factor: *Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points
*Mindlink: *Feature (_can_ have minions even if a minion); Senses 1 (communication link with tech) - 2 point

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Equipment 4, Fearless 2, Sidekick 12

_Equipment:_
Armor (Protection 3), Blaster Gun (Ranged Damage 5), Spaceaxe (Strength-based Damage 3, Reach). 

*Skills:*
Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Vehicles 3 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 6)
Spaceaxe +5 (Close Damage 9)
Blaster Gun +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9/6, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 6 + Advantages 19 + Skills 8 + Defenses 11 = 82 points

*Complications:
Greed or Thrills--Motivation. Others as Needed*

*Garkun Tech - PL 6 / MR 4

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:*
*Healing Factor: *Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points
*Mindlink: *Senses 1 (communication link with warrior) - 1 point 
*Small Size: *Permanent Shrinking 4 (-1 Strength, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation), Innate - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improvised Tools

*Skills:*
Perception 6 (+6), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 2 (+9), Technology 5 (+8), Treatment 5 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 10 + Advantages 3 + Skills 11 + Defenses 9 = 60 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Frequent Feeder. Others as Needed*


----------



## Davies

Augrah





One of the first major clients of the Manguai, the Augrah long ago traded all rights to their home world's resources, and the majority of its territory as well, in exchange for wealth and technology to allow them to start spreading across the galaxy. They were apt pupils of the Manguai, but where their mentors knew enough to _usually_ leave their clients with enough to let them survive -- the better to continue exploiting them in the future -- the Augrah were more willing to reduce theirs to penury and leave them with no options beyond starvation and slavery, believing that you couldn't put a price on the pleasure of owning another sapient. It's very possible that the Manguai's decision to help form the Imperium may have been influenced by the hope that it would work against the Augrah's most predatory excesses.

That didn't happen. They were held in some semblance of check by the mystics, but the Augrah have, if anything, flourished in the Imperium, especially since it became the Crimson Imperium, with the mystics banished to obscurity. Where there is law, especially unjust law, there will always be those who try to break said laws, and the opportunity to profit from those violations. The Augrah crime syndicate has become a major power within the Crimson Imperium, and Augrah crimelords have gone so far as to say that they are protectors of the most vulnerable members of their civilization.

Of course, not all Augrah are part of the syndicate. The recently installed replacement Grand Inquisitor, Zazanax, is an Augrah who would resent the implication that they're at all influenced by such criminal scum. While unquestionably corrupt, Zazanax accepts bribes only from other members of the Imperium's bureaucracy and aristocracy, wielding the power of their office on their behalf, rather than for the benefit of other members of their species, and is utterly loyal to the Crimson King. Until someone makes them a better offer, at least.

In the absence of the mystics, the worst enemy of the Augrah is the largest criminal organization active within the Technate, known as Vaskahne. Descended, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally, from renegades from their own organization, they have built themselves up to the same level as the Augrah syndicate in an incredibly brief time, and prevented the Augrah from extending their figurative tentacles to the younger polity. If the borders of the two nations are officially tense, they are unofficially bloody from the conflicts between the two groups. It's easy to get rich in that region. It's also really easy to get dead.

A few of the Augrah have taken an interest in the Insurgency. The situation that confronts these desperate rebels puts them in a position where they have to rely on the Augrah's black markets, and so they make for good customers. But even those who will deal with the Insurgency certainly don't wish them well; they love them as losers, but at least some of them worry that they might just win ... and that would not be good for business. Not at all.

*Augrah Crimelord - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* -1 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
_*All-Seeing:*_ Senses 8 (visual senses counters all concealment, counters illusions) - 8 points
*Hovers:* Continuous Flight 1, Innate - 4 points
*Large Size:* Permanent Growth 4, Innate; Impervious Protection 6 -25  points
*Nefarious Gaze:* Array (28 points)
 *Damaging Gaze:* Perception Ranged Damage 9, Variable 2 (energy), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 28 points
 *Dominating Gaze: *Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession); Senses 1 (Communication Link with target) - 1 point
 *Enervating Gaze:* Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point
 *Paralyzing Gaze:* Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point
 *Telekinetic Gaze:* Perception Ranged Move Object 9, Quirk (cannot be used twice in succession) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Benefit 6 (Billionaire, Crimelord), Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Redirect

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Bite +8 (Close Damage 3)
Damaging Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Damage 9)
Dominating Gaze or Paralyzing Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Will 9)
Enervating Gaze -- (Perception-Ranged Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 11, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 77 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 15 = 158 points

*Complications:
Greed or Power--Motivation. No Fine Manipulators.*

_For Zazanak's stats, replace Benefit (Crimelord) with Benefit (Inquisitor), drop two ranks of Benefit (Wealth), add Connected, Contacts, and Well-Informed, replace Expertise: Criminal with Expertise: Streetwise, add Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 8 (+10), and Persuasion 6 (+8), and increase Will to 12._


----------



## Davies

Isakari





As with many other generally hostile species, the name Isakari was assigned to these hunters by those hunted by them. What they call themselves remains something of a mystery, and likely to remain so, as they do not appear to have a spoken language, and their written one remains cryptic. For most of the history of their interactions with other species, it was assumed that they were telepathic with each other, but psychic nullifiers have been shown to have no effect on them. The current belief is that they communicate with each other through a combination of gestures and scent cues, and that they don't bother 'talking' very much.

Their home world is believed to be located not far from Chirab (the home of the Chiraben humans) in the regions of space unclaimed by either the Imperium or the Technate. Chirab has long been the site of the Isakari's hunting expeditions, especially with its increasing desertification. The Isakari definitely prefer hot climates to cold ones, and have been known to withdraw in the face of unexpectedly cold weather, even if their hunt has produced no game.

These hunts appear to be the Isakari's only interaction with other species. They do not seem to regard any other life form, regardless of demonstrated intelligence, as a person, and have no compunctions about killing them for sport or for food. (It is known that they consider the brains of intelligent life forms to be something of a delicacy.) Presumably, there are Isakari who are not hunters, but if they exist then they remain on their home world. Any Isakari found elsewhere will be engaged in the task of hunting and killing other sapients.

However, the majority of the Isakari seem to observe certain proprieties in their hunts. The primary focus of their honor appears to be self-reliance; they normally operate alone rather than in groups, and when hunting in parties they will compete with each other rather than cooperate. They do not engage in torture; their victims are killed quickly and cleanly, though they will often mutilate the corpses to claim a trophy. They have a demonstrated aversion to killing lifeforms who give birth, but this should not be misunderstood as a reluctance to kill their young, if they find it to be a sufficient challenge or are in need of food. Lastly, but perhaps most significantly, any being who succeeds in killing an Isakari is off-limits to others of their kind.

At least, that is how it's _supposed_ to work. From Technate reports of encounters with the Isakari, it has become clear that an increasing minority of their kind regard these proprieties as obsolete or pointless. These Isakari do operate in groups, and are perfectly willing to cripple their victims to use them as bait. And they apparently view killing those who have overcome others of their kind as a challenge to be eagerly met.

This would probably not be relevant to anyone's concerns, had the Isakari not begun using Earth as a hunting ground. Their earliest documented visit to the planet was in 2012, when one of them hunted in Chicago during that year's heat wave, crossing paths with Darkwing in the process. While seriously injured in their clash, the crime fighter was able to recover and defeat the hunter, which committed suicide when he refused to kill it. The body was reclaimed by a group of its fellows, whose ship disappeared using a cloaking mechanism. Shortly thereafter, one engaged in a hunt outside of Hespera, and was killed by the Hesperan called Nzarde after the loss of several lives.

Subsequent encounters have led Argus to determine that this group of Isakari has remained on Earth, apparently based out of Bhutan, and have hunted prey all across Earth's hottest regions, as well as making trips to Venus. The prospect that these hunters might become infected with the Psilofyr fungus and bring it back to Earth is a _very_ concerning one, as is the way that they keep making visits to the Sahara, which do not apparently involve hunting anything. The purpose of these trips is a question that Argus, and a number of other groups, would like answered.

*Isakari -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:*
*Alien Senses: *Senses 5 (accurate acute tracking scent, low-light vision) - 5 points
*Arsenal: *Array (19 points); Removable (-4 points)
* Explosive Trap: *Burst Area Damage 6, Trigger - 19 points
 *Hunting Blades: *Strength-based Damage 3; Feature (+2 to track injured target) - 1 point
 *Plasma Caster:* Ranged Damage 9, Accurate - 1 point
 *Snare Rocket: *Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Accurate, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Cloak: *Concealment 5 (normal hearing, normal sight, radio), Blending; Removable (-1 point) - 4 points
*Fast:* Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (Sure-footed); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 10 points
*Sneak Attack:* Strength-based Damage 2, Limited to targets who are vulnerable or defenseless - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Equipment 11, Evasion, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (Hunting Blades), _Improved Initiative 2,_ Improved Trip, Improvised Weapon, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ranged Attack 5, Skill Mastery (Stealth).

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3)
*Space Ship:* Size Colossal; Strength 16; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 2; Toughness 13; Features Cloak (Concealment 10 [all senses]), Star Drive (Movement 2 [space travel 2]) - 52 points 

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+14), Deception 10 (+11), Expertise: Survival 12 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Perception 10 (+14), Stealth 10 (+14), Vehicles 6 (+12)

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 5, 7 with sneak attack)
Hunting Blades +12 (Close Damage 7, 9 with sneak attack, Crit 19-20)
Plasma Caster +13 (Ranged Damage 9)
Snare Rocket +13 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Explosive Trap -- (Burst Area Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10/7, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 82 + Powers 37 + Advantages 27 + Skills 27 + Defenses 15 = 188 points

*Complications:
Bloodlust--Motivation. Can't Speak, Only Imitate Speech. Hunter's Code* (or possibly not). *Vulnerable* (cold).


----------



## Davies

Vaask





The Vaask are an omnivorous reptilian species who rule over a small multi-system empire, dubbed the Vaask Hegemony, which borders on the regions of space explored by the Technate. While rumors about them had been known to the Technate Space Agency since it began its exploratory missions roughly sixty solar years ago, the Vaask were not actually encountered until the _TSV Adventure_, under the command of Arlan Hayez, stumbled onto a similarly outfitted Vaask vessel during Hayez' first year of command. The two ships' crews ended up joining forces to overcome a group of psychically powerful aliens who attempted to have them fight each other for their pleasure.

This has more or less set the tone of the relationship between the Technate and the Hegemony. They are not _friendly_, and certainly not allied with each other, but neither is in any hurry to go to war, despite occasional incidents that are usually dismissed as the actions of rogue commanders on either side. The Vaask are actually glad to have the Technate as rivals, as focusing their efforts on competing with them reduces the amount of _internal_ competition that is apparently endemic to their Hegemony. They generally regard the Technate's claims of desiring peaceful coexistence with the amusement appropriate to absurd jokes, though some more militant Vaask are less amused and more inclined to believe 'peace' to be a code for 'subjugation'.

That's perhaps understandable, as the Vaask have subjugated a number of species in the formation of their empire. Such peoples are left to their own devices, for the most part, but never considered the equal of a Vaask unless they have served time in the Vaaskorium, the military service. Any being who has survived a full 7.33-year term in the Vaaskorium is treated as a full citizen of the Hegemony for all purposes ... in theory. In practice, there is a major glass ceiling both within and without the Vaaskorium that keeps authority out of the hands of non-Vaask, and for that matter of Vaask whose scales are blue, yellow or purple or combinations of the above, rather than pure green.

While the Vaask are on average stronger and _much_ tougher than a typical Chiraben or any of their allies, they are aware that their rivals possess other advantages. As such, the Hegemony has a number of competing super-soldier projects designed to produce enhanced Vaask who are the equal of the most elite mammalian combatants. As with other super-soldier projects, these have typically produced only a single or rarely a handful of acceptable results, but the Vaask are more than willing to keep trying until they get it right. They are also experimenting with technomancy, and also, lacking the Technate's prejudices, with mysticism.

The stereotype of the Vaask is one of extremely straightforward behavior. Despite this, the Vaask are actively engaged in espionage against the Technate, largely relying on their subject peoples and hired Technate traitors as agents. As a result, they are reasonably informed about what the Technate knows about the Crimson Imperium, about Earth, and about the Dark Side. They've come to view the lattermost as a potentially serious threat, and would be willing to become ... co-belligerents, shall we say, should that front ever heat up. 

*Vaask Soldier -- PL 6/MR 4

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:*
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Hide: *Impervious Toughness 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Equipment 4, Fearless

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Body Armor (Protection 4)

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+5), Expertise: Military 5 (+5), Perception 3 (+3), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+4), Vehicles 2 (+2)

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 4)
Blaster Rifle +4 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 3 + Advantages 5 + Skills 8 + Defenses 13 = 51 points

*Complications:*
*Duty--Motivation. Competitive. Others As Needed.*

_For a more experienced PL 7 Vaask Elite Soldier, increase STR and FGT to 4 ranks, add Improved Initiative, increase Perception to 5 ranks, Ranged Combat: Blaster to 6 ranks, and Vehicles to 4 ranks, and increase Parry to 7; consider also giving them an additional rank of Equipment (to buy a dashka [Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Reach] and 4 more points of gear as needed) and Close Combat: Dashka 2 (+6). Vaask supersoldiers, mystics and technomancers should be unique characters._


----------



## Davies

Ennessea





A relatively recent addition to the Vaask's spy ring in the Technate, the entity known as Ennessea is the only member of his species ever encountered by Technate authorities. He has been attached to a number of embassies and consulates in the six solar years since he made his first appearance, and by now the Cosmic Intelligence Agency is aware that his appearance usually signals the beginning of much chaos and confusion in a region. They have yet to discover concrete proof that he is a spy, but his actions are carefully watched.

Technate agents inside the Hegemony have been unable to discover much about him, which suggests that he's every bit as much of a mystery to his so-called employers as he is to his enemies. A ship carrying him was captured by Vaaskorium forces, three solar years prior to his debut, and within a few weeks of that he was engaged by one of the Vaask programs to study mysticism, owing to his demonstrated psychic abilities. While this particular program failed to produce results, Ennessea was able to convince his managers that his skills would be much better used as a secret agent.

While able to seize control of the minds of other sapients, in such a way as to leave them firmly convinced that the actions they take under his telepathic command are their own idea, Ennessea apparently regards this talent as a blunt instrument, to be used only when his more conventional abilities of coercion, deception and persuasion have failed to produce the results he desires. This is an aesthetic consideration on his part, not a moral one. Ennessea is beyond ruthless in his manipulations of other entities, and is fond of giving the knife a last twist when he's done with them -- often giving orders that result in his victim destroying their own life and happiness.

He is also known to express contempt for the Vaask when they are out of hearing, though his normal behavior towards them varies between being obsequious and acting the part of a respectful colleague. It is possible that his supposed contempt is a façade, intended to manipulate Technate citizens into believing in a commonality of interests that does not exist. Another possibility, that Ennessea is actually the representative of a hidden civilization which is manipulating both the Technate and the Hegemony, is a concern to those familiar with his activities. 

That, at least, is a pointless worry. If the course of the vessel on which he was discovered were to be traced back to its origin point, it would bring the tracer to a dead world outside the regions claimed by the Hegemony, thoroughly picked over by scavengers at this point. Ennessea is the last of his kind -- and it is very likely that he is personally responsible for that. While he has no association with the Dark Side, he finds what he has heard of them to be ... fascinating.

*Ennessea -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:*
_Hardiness:_ Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
*Mind Control: *Linked Cumulative Perception Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Insidious, Subtle; Linked Senses 1 (communication link with target) - 43 points
*Shielded Mind: *Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit (diplomatic immunity), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Deception), Languages 5; Seize Initiative, Well-informed

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: History 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 9 (+12), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 8 (+13), Stealth 6 (+10), Tehchnology 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)
Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 54 + Advantages 10 + Skills 37 + Defense 19 = 164 points

*Complications:*
*Subversion--Motivation. Emotional Sadism. Regards Mind Control as a Last Resort. Secret* (spy).


----------



## Davies

The Konan Armada





The Konan Armada is the name used by the military forces of a small, expansionistic interstellar state on the trailing border of the Technate and the Vaask Hegemony. It consists of five worlds in two different star systems and an undisclosed number of worlds under siege by the Armada. In addition to these unending attempts at conquest, the Armada conducts raids on planets within the borders of their neighbors. They offer those they attack a single chance at unconditional surrender; should this generous offer be refused, they begin bombarding the planet with mass drivers as well as their mechanized infantry. Interestingly, they never launch attacks on orbital habitats or spacecraft, though they respond to attacks _from_ them with characteristic brutality. No Konan vessel or battlegroup has ever offered any surrender to an enemy, choosing to self-destruct rather than accept capture. 

Aside from their surrender demands, and what is needed to obtain the resources they seek after a surrender, the Konan do not otherwise engage in communication. On their conquered planets, they live apart from their subjects, showing no real interest in them beyond, again, what is needed to extract resources and wreak vengeance upon those subjects who choose to rebel. As such, their subjects know little about them, and the intelligence services of their neighbors have not been able to learn much beyond that.

The Konan Armada has its origins in a cosmic accident. Roughly more than three hundred years ago, a concealed Spartoi factory on a moon in the Konan's original system reactivated long enough to produce a single Spartoi infantryman before it shut down again. The Sparton, programmed to fight the enemies of the Olympians, awaited orders for a while, before it became clear that no orders were forthcoming. Investigating, the Sparton finally reached the conclusion that he had been created by mistake, that the Olympians were long gone, and that there was absolutely no point to his existence.

He did not take this discovery well. When he regained his composure, he decided on a course of action meant to deal with his existential crisis. He seized control of the factory to produce one hundred and sixty-nine additional clones -- thirteen of each of the thirteen Spartoi lineages -- and told them grandiose lies about how the Olympians had chosen them to rebuild an empire for their return, under his command. Thus began a war that has continued right up until the present day, ostensibly a holy war in the name of absent gods, but actually a pointless conflict meant to salve the ego of a man long dead. Only the most trusted members of the Armada's ruling council, or Primacy, are aware of the truth.

The Konan are not particularly technically inclined; while capable of keeping their equipment in good working condition, they do not engage in much research and development. Within the last century, however, they conquered the Technate separatist colony of Trantia, a world devoted to that subject. Most of the innovations of their technology, such as the newer models of their battlemovers, were designed in Trantian workshops. Trantian advisors sometimes accompany Konan battlegroups, but they generally offer only technical and rarely tactical advise rather than attempting to steer their rulers towards more peaceful pursuits. They've learned their lessons on that score.

Quite recently, the Konan have learned about Earth from Technate sources, and are considering the worth of sending a few of their ships to conquer it and gain access to the resources of a young world with much to recommend it, which may also have been important to the Olympians at one point. It would be a long voyage, skirting the Technate's borders, and they are aware that the planet has its protectors. But the Konan have never been ones to turn away from a hard fight.

*Konan Trooper -- PL 9*/MR 9

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
*Konan Biology:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
*Konan Swiftness:* Leaping 3 (125 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (15 MPH) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Equipment 21*, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 2.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3; Immunity 10 [life support]), Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Klaug Battlemover (see below).

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 2 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 3 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +6 (Ranged Damage 5)
Blaster Rifle +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 9/6, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 10 + Advantages 27 + Skills 14 + Defenses 8 = 123 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Others as Needed.*

* Konan Troopers who are assigned a Klaug II are PL 10/MR 9 and have Equipment 26. Konan Troopers who are assigned to a Agrass are PL 10/MR 8 and have Equipment 11, with the Warframe's cost shared between the four members of its crew complement.

*Konan Equipment:*

*Klaug Battlemover*




The original workhorse of the Armada's mechanized infantry, and one of the few of their original fleet still in service. These days, it is mostly used as by troopers garrisoned on captured planets, though a vast number remain in service with the Armada. It is operated by a single pilot.

*Klaug Battlemover:* Size Huge; Strength 10; Speed 6 (120 MPH space/ground; 30 MPH aquatic); Defense 5; Toughness 13; 22 Features: Armor (Impervious Toughness 10), Comms (Radio Communication 2), Primary Cannon (Ranged Multiattack Damage 10), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 9), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]), Strikers (Close Damage 6) - 75 points

*Klaug II Battlemover*




An upgraded version of the original Klaug, produced by the Trantians. It possesses greater maneuverability, firepower and armor, and is an all-around improvement. However, there are at least two orders of magnitude fewer of these machines, and they are slightly harder to keep in good working order. Thus the Klaug and its successor are both still in service. As with the original, it is operated by a single pilot.

*Klaug II Battlemover:* Size Huge; Strength 12; Speed 10 (800 MPH space), 6 (120 MPH air/ground; 30 MPH aquatic); Defense 5; Toughness 15; Features Armor (Impervious Toughness 12), Comms (Radio Communication 2), Manipulator Arms (Close Damage 8), Primary Cannon (Ranged Multiattack Damage 12), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 10), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]) - 98 points

*Agrass Warfame*




An improved Trantian version of the long obsolete Bahast Warframe, the original heavy artillery unit of the Armada. While used in landing operations, it is also frequently used as a gun emplacement on the hulls of Armada starships, providing additional anti-fighter cover. It requires four Konan to operate: a commander/gunner, driver, loader and radio operator. 

*Agrass Warframe:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 13; Speed 6 (120 MPH space/ground); Defense 4; Toughness 16; Features Armor (Impervious Toughness 15), Comms (Radio Communication 2), (Radio Communication 2), Manipulator Arms (Close Damage 9), Primary Cannons (Ranged Damage 12, Burst Area Damage 9), Secondary Blasters (Ranged Damage 10), Sensors (Senses 4 [accurate radio, low-light vision]) - 100 points


----------



## Davies

Vulcan




_Main body_




_Drone_

In 1859, the French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier hypothesized that certain perturbations of the orbit of Mercury could be explained by the presence of a small planet between it and the sun. While he met with an amateur astronomer, Edmond Lescarbault, who claimed to have observed such a planet, most other researchers would fail to confirm these observations. Decades later, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity offered an explanation for the oddities of Mercury's orbit which did not rely on the presence of another planet, and so Vulcan, as the hypothetical world had been named, retreated into the realm of phlogiston and luminiferous aether. Sightings were dismissed as having been mistaken glimpses of other stars and even sunspots.

Lescarbault's observation was not such a mistake, but rather a glimpse of something much more terrible.

The entity known as Vulcan is roughly 850 kilometers (528 miles) in diameter, and constructed from hyperdense metals more advanced than any current space-faring civilization can manufacture. It moves through space and hyperspace on no predictable pattern, sometimes (as in the 19th century) passing through inhabited star systems and taking no action, and sometimes dispatching enormous humanoid drones to visit the inhabited planets of those systems and begin a procedure that drains the vital energies of these worlds and their inhabitants. This kills them slowly, over the course of weeks or months, unless the drones are prevented from doing so.

Vulcan itself is as close to indestructible as anything in the known regions of the universe can claim to be. While certain vessels used by the Dark Side can devastate an unshielded planet, such as Earth, within a relatively short amount of time, _not even these ships are capable of actually destroying a body on the size of a planet._ And Vulcan possesses shielding, _and_ is made out of material far more durable than the natural materials of a planet.

The drones are considerably more vulnerable, and Vulcan apparently has a limited number of them. Some sources claim that it attacked Daath in the mid 1970s, and was repelled after the recently arrived Abraxas destroyed eight of its drones before they could damage the dark world's ecosystem, prompting the wandering planet to depart. (This is supposedly the reason that he was invested as the effective ruler of Daath by Ananke.) This should not be taken as evidence that Vulcan can only create eight drones at a time; even if it was limited in that way in the past, that was more than forty years ago, and it has had ample opportunity to improve upon itself.

Vulcan is also the entity whom Eradicaton regards as his master, to whom he intends to offer the worlds of the Sol system as gifts. Vulcan has no idea of this being's existence, and will likely give him no more attention than it does any other being. Its motive appears to simply be to satiate its need for energy, but surely an entity such as this could gain all the energy it needs from solar sources. When questioned, the being's drones have claimed to be serving a higher purpose than that, but refuse to answer any questions about the nature of that purpose, claiming that no other entity could appreciate their concerns.

Overcoming Vulcan, as opposed to simply defeating its drones and sending it to flight, will likely require finding a way to board its structure and make one's way to its core, where the living entity who controls it -- what remains of the Olympian named Mulciber -- can be found. Neither the journey to that place nor the battle to be fought there will be easy ones, and the whole affair borders on a mythic accomplishment.

*Vulcan Drone -- PL 16

Abilities:
STR* 18 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Automaton:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 12 - 70 points
*Datalink:* Radio Communication 4; Comprehend Languages 4, Activation (Standard Action, -2 points); Comprehend Machines 2; Quickness 8, Limited to Mental; Senses 3 (darkvision, radio) - 39 points
*Energy Manipulation:* Array (40 points)

*Destructive Beam:* Ranged Damage 20 - 40 points
*Energy Counter:* Nullify Esoteric Power 20, Broad - 1 point
*Energy Drain:* Burst Area 2 Weaken Stamina 14, Activation (Standard, -2 points) - 1 point
*Gargantuan:* Permanent Growth 16 (Strength +16, Protection +16, Speed +2, Intimidation +8, Stealth -16, Dodge -8, Parry -8), Innate - 49 points
*Thrusters:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Startle.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 5 (+15), Expertise: Science 6 (+16), Ranged Combat: Energy Manipulation 6 (+12), Insight 7 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+15), Perception 8 (+14), Technology 6 (+16).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 18)
Destructive Beam +12 (Ranged Damage 20)
Energy Counter +12 (Ranged Nullify 20)
Energy Drain -- (Burst Area Weaken Stamina 14, Resisted by Fortitude)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 24, Will 14.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 218 + Advantages 5 + Skills 22 + Defenses 26 = 335 points

*Complications:
Sustenance--Motivation. Monologues About The Deeper Meaning of Their Actions.*


----------



## Davies

Hivers

They were first encountered by two exploration teams, from the Crimson Imperium and the Technate, during their respective surveys of two completely different planets, separated by thousands of light years, in the Earth year 1982. The Imperium team was nearly slaughtered to a man, with only a single survivor escaping to persuade the Captain of their accompanying warship to bombard the site from orbit. The Technate team seemed luckier, escaping with only a few casualties. The horrific truth of their situation would not become apparent for nearly a year, and by then it was almost too late.

Since then, the Hivers, as they have been named, have been discovered or transported to countless worlds across the known regions of space. It seems very likely that some prior galactic civilization deliberately spread them across the universe, whether because they were under their influence or because they had some method of controlling them. If the latter, then it has been long lost, and the Hivers are recognized as a serious threat by both current space-faring civilizations. One of the few matters that the Technate's Cosmic Intelligence Agency and the Imperium's Border Patrol cooperate on is trying, perhaps futilely, to prevent their ongoing spread.

By now, the creatures' life cycle is well-known. Eggs, which can remain viable for centuries and perhaps even longer, hatch in the presence of other living creatures, freeing the _larva_ which then try to 'infect' targets in their surroundings. Reports that the larva die after infecting a single target are optimistic in the extreme; the same larva can deliver its payload to dozens of hosts. Within a few hours of a successful infection, the host will experience extreme chest pains, followed swiftly by the adult form of the hiver exploding from their chest. This is invariably fatal. However, the Chatpaura people of the Imperium, who are able to recover from most fatal injuries within fifteen minutes under optimal circumstances, have claimed to be able to recover from this one as well, though they offer no proof of their claims.

There are two adult forms of the creatures. The first, dubbed _hunters_, are much more common, possessing at best low intelligence but considerable cunning. They are believed to result from larva that hatch after extended periods of dormancy, though exactly how long an egg must be dormant before its larva produce hunters has never been determined. Fresher eggs, those laid within a few days, will produce larva that infect their targets with the slightly larger, more intelligent hivers dubbed _warriors_, who are a considerably greater threat.

Hiver warriors have the ability to produce a flesh-and-soft-tissue disguise over their chitinous shells, allowing them to appear as the being from whom they hatched. There have been claims that they can only do this if they consume the remains of their host bodies, but this remains unproven. As if this was not sufficiently disturbing, there is evidence that they retain knowledge, both factual and practical, that their host possessed, and so impersonate them perfectly. This was the fate of the Technate exploration team. While some have expressed hope that some portion of the host's consciousness survives inside the hiver, it is by now accepted that no trace of any moral or ethical values that individual possessed remains in the hiver's mentality, replaced by a fanatical urge to protect and expand the hive.

The eggs are laid, apparently through parthenogenesis, by the large adult hivers dubbed _queens_. This is the most mysterious of the hiver's life cycles. It has been hypothesized that hiver warriors who survive long enough will naturally develop into the queen form, but this has never been observed. Others have suggested that a queen can produce a so-called 'royal jelly' which will spark such a development in a warrior who is then sent to create a 'daughter' hive. And there is an account of a queen directly producing larva which infected one soldier assaulting their hive with an egg which _rapidly_ produced a warrior spawn that grew into a queen form, who then assaulted the original queen, giving the other soldiers the opportunity to escape.

As with warriors, queens retain some if not all of the knowledge of their hosts, though they are unable to produce a flesh disguise and would be too large to appear as a typical humanoid in any event. While they are every bit as devoted to expanding their hives' domains as any other hiver, they are also capable of negotiation with other life forms, though most accounts agree that they will, like most sapients, only keep to any agreements as long as they profit from them.

It should be noted that the hivers have no larger hierarchy above the individual hive. Hiver larvae can and do infect hivers from other hives, hunters and warriors will attempt to kill foreign hivers, and the only account of two queens meeting has already been discussed. Thus, they prey upon each other as much as they do other living things, and this has likely served as a check, possibly the only serious check, on their expansion across the universe. This is a cold, cold comfort.

*Hiver Larva -- PL 7 / MR 4*






*Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* -1 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* -3

*Powers: 
Alien Infection:* Progressive Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Transformed), Grab-based, Insidious, Limited to Third Degree - 9 points
*Alien Movement: *Movement 3 (Slithering, Wallcrawling 2); Speed 1 (4 MPH) - 7 points
*Grasping Tentacle:* Enhanced Strength 2, Limited to Grabs; Extra Limb 1 - 3 points
*Small:* Permanent Shrinking 6 (Strength -1, Stealth +6, Intimidation -3, Dodge +3, Parry +3), Innate - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, _Improved Grab_, Improved Hold

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 7 (+9), Stealth 1 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Grab +9 (DC 15)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 4 

*Totals:*
Abilities 10 + Powers 32 + Advantages 3 + Skills 4 + Defenses 13 = 60 points 

*Complications:
Instinct--Motivation. Animal* (cannot speak or manipulate objects). 

*Hiver Hunter -- PL 7 / MR 9*





*Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* -1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* -1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Alien Movement: *Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 8 points
*Alien Senses:* Senses 2 (accurate tracking hearing) - 3 points
*Armored Chitin:* Immunity 11 (corrosive blood, life support); Protection 4 - 15 points
*Corrosive Blood:* Reaction Burst Area Damage 7 (triggered by lethal damage), Secondary Effect - 42 points
*Teeth and Claws:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Terrifying: *Feature 1 (Intimidation does not require understanding) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Close Attack, Set-up, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Deception 3 (+3), Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 3 (+5), Stealth 3 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Teeth and Claws +7 (Close Damage 7)
Corrosive Blood -- (Burst Area Damage 7, when suffers lethal damage)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 72 + Advantages 4 + Skills 7 + Defenses 11 = 124 points

*Complications:
Instinct--Motivation. Animal* (cannot speak)

*Hiver Warrior -- PL 9*





*Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Alien Movement: *Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 8 points
*Alien Senses: *Senses 2 (accurate tracking hearing) - 3 points
*Armored Chitin:* Immunity 11 (corrosive blood, life support); Protection 4 - 15 points
*Corrosive Blood: *Reaction Burst Area Damage 7 (triggered by lethal damage), Secondary Effect - 42 points
*Dance in the Enemy's Skin:* Morph 1 (the individual who spawned them), Standard Action - 3 points
*Memories of Another Existence: *Variable 2, Limited to skills, mental advantages, and Enhanced Intelligence to match those of the individual who spawned them - 12 points
*Teeth and Claws: *Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Terrifying:* Feature 1 (Intimidation does not require understanding) - 1 point
*Voice of the Hive:* Mental Communication 3, Limited to Hivers - 9 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set-up, Startle, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+5), Intimidation 7 (+7), Perception 3 (+7), Stealth 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Teeth and Claws +8 (Close Damage 10)
Corrosive Blood -- (Burst Area Damage 7, when takes lethal damage)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 103 + Advantages 9 + Skills 9 + Defenses 10 = 177 points

*Complications:
Protect the Hive--Motivation. Others as Needed

Hiver Queen -- PL 13*





*Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* 11 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Alien Movement: *Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2) - 6 points
*Alien Senses: *Senses 2 (accurate tracking hearing) - 3 points
*Armored Chitin: *Immunity 11 (corrosive blood, life support); Protection 4 - 15 points
*Corrosive Blood:* Reaction Burst Area 3 Damage 7 (triggered by lethal damage), Secondary Effect - 56 points
*Large Size: *Permanent Growth 4 (Strength +4, Stamina +4, Intimidation +2, Stealth -4, Dodge -2, Parry -2), Innate - 13 points
*Memories of Another Existence: *Variable 4, Limited to skills, mental advantages, and Enhanced Intelligence to match those of the individual who spawned them - 24 points
*Spawn: *Summon Hiver Larva 4, Multiple Minions 3 - 32 points 
*Teeth and Claws: *Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Terrifying: *Feature 1 (Intimidation does not require understanding) - 1 point
*Voice of the Hive:* Mental Communication 3, Limited to Hivers - 9 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Inspire 3, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set-up, Startle, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+9), Perception 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Teeth and Claws +14 (Close Damage 12)
Corrosive Blood -- (Burst Area 3 Damage 7, when takes lethal damage)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 11, Toughness 15, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 72 + Powers 162 + Advantages 15 + Skills 7 + Defenses 16 = 272 points

*Complications:
Expand the Hive--Motivation. Underestimates Weaker Creatures.*


----------



## Davies

Tavipahter





While it's impossible to say for certain if any of it is true, more is apparently known about Tavipahter's background than is typical of one of the powerful of Daath. During his apprenticeship to Yacobus the Arch-Imaginist, Aun Taxad spent several months in the laboratory-castle of the Bottled Brain. For whatever reason, perhaps the novelty of the presence of a being not under domination, Tavipahter discussed what he claimed to be his history with Aun.

According to that account, Tavipahter was once a common denizen of the distant world of Aperion, the world where the Power Prisms are manufactured. He was, in fact, employed as a worker in the factories where these wonder-works are created. Possessing a spark of intelligence and creativity much like Aun Taxad's own, he rose in this profession, and was eventually chosen to represent his industry on the planet's ruling council. This required him to be transformed into a brain, as the council of Aperion is exclusively composed of such transhuman intellects.

Tavipahter was, he claims, ill-impressed with his new peers. They seemed petty and juvenile, focusing on affairs that either no longer mattered to them, in their exalted state, or that never had mattered to anyone. He began to scheme to gain influence over the other council members, to direct them towards more appropriate ends. He underestimated his opponents' political acumen, however, and soon lost what little influence he'd been able to gather. Frustrated, he turned to more direct ways of asserting his will upon reality, mastering the telepathy that his transformation had awakened in him.

Pushing himself beyond the limits of what was known about the telepathic sciences, Tavipahter discovered the existence of Daath, and realized that this ancient world would be the place where he achieved true mastery. This is what drew every one of the potentates of Daath to this world, he claims -- even the Metropolitan was originally a creature from some other, long-lost planet. All of them came here seeking power, and suffering the price of power. That price, in Tavipahter's case, was the loss of certain psychokinetic talents which allowed him mobility and physical power to match his mental might.

And so it has been ever since, with Tavipahter existing in a rivalry with the Metropolitan, which has since been rendered irrelevant by the rise of Abraxas. Aun Taxad has related this story to the archivists of the Last Men Standing, who have in their turn provided it to intelligence and security services within the Technate. All of them, however, take it with a grain of salt. While the council that rules Aperion is every bit as much of a mystery as the rulers of Daath, they do not _appear_ to be a collection of bottled brains ...

*Tavipahter -- PL X/16

Abilities:
STR* -- | *STA* 0 | *AGL* -- | *DEX* -- | *FGT* -- | *INT* 9 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 9

*Powers:
Containment Tank: *Enhanced Fortitude 16; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 16; Removable (-12 points) - 46 points
*Galactic Awareness:* Remote Sensing X (all senses); Quickness X, Limited to Remote Sensing - X points
*Telepathic Supremacy: *Array (64 points)

*Mind Burn:* Perception Range Damage 16, Resisted by Will - 1 point
*Mind Freeze:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed) - 1 point
*Mind Mastery:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point
*Mind Mold: *Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 16 (Entranced, Compelled, Transformed), Selective, Limited to editing recent memories - 1 point
*Mind Probe: *Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 16 - 64 points
*Shielded Mind: *Impervious Will 12 - 12 points
*What I Don't Know Isn't Knowledge: *Comprehend Languages 4; Mental Communication 5 - 32 points

*Advantages:*
Fascinate (Intimidation), Jack-of-all-Trades, Speed of Thought, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+16), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+17), Insight 6 (+15), Intimidation 8 (+17), Investigation 8 (+17), Persuasion 7 (+16)

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Mind Burn -- (Perception Range Damage 16, Resisted by Will)
Mind Freeze -- (Perception Range Will 16)
Mind Mastery -- (Perception Range Will 16)
Mind Mold -- (Perception Range Will 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge --, Parry --, Fortitude 16/0, Toughness 16/0, Will 16

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 148 + X + Advantages 4 + Skills 22 + Defenses 7 = 195 + X points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemy* (The Metropolitan.) *No Non-Remote Senses. Permanently Immobile. Subordinate to Abraxas, And Also to Daath's True Ruler.*

_For those morbidly curious, a being able to use Remote Sensing to examine the entire Milky Way galaxy would require Remote Sensing *57*, and Quickness 46 to be able to search that area in about a year's time. I'll just use X, thanks._


----------



## Davies

Pythia





As William Shakespeare had Mark Anthony say, "The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones." This may be the tragedy of the human species, that we remember the worst of people long after whatever else they were is lost, and that the worst capture the imagination of the world too much more often than those who strive for right. So it was with the woman who started the Pythonian Insurrection, which carved wounds in the world that are still healing, some thirty years after her violent and brutal end.

She was born Marya Bouras in New York, 1941, to Greek immigrants to the United States. Very little has ever been discovered of her early life. At sixteen, she ran away to join a traveling circus. While she learned many talents from her fellow performers, her best calling was as a fortune teller and occasional prostitute. It was while pursuing the former career, under the alias Regina Royale, in 1968, that she had her first brush with destiny, when an odd looking gentleman entered her tent and asked her to divine his destiny.

There was something familiar about him, but Regina was not really familiar with current events at that point. She dismissed a vague premonition of danger, and described her client's nature in glowing and favorable terms. And then Dr. Ranivorous interrupted her with an expression that might have been the smile of a shark, and told her that everything she had said was the exact opposite of true, that she was such a terrible judge of character as to possess a genuine talent for getting it wrong, and that he had decided to make use of that gift. Regina, no fool, agreed.

So she was drawn into a scheme of the Mad Doctor's to trick Captain Mystic into believing that the latter was doomed to destroy the world if he did not abandon it, offering predictions to Captain Mystic that Ranivorous would then secretly fulfill. To assist her in making the plan work, she was given a drug treatment that awakened genuine telepathic powers in her. (Apparently, he expected them to only last long enough to drive her completely insane, and he was surprised when they didn't do that and endured much longer than predicted.) The scheme failed, of course, but the fortune teller avoided both jail time for her role and the need to testify against her 'patron', and then quickly disappeared.

Nothing is known about her over the next few years, beyond the fact that she became a single mother in 1970, to a daughter she named Korie. A year later, she would later claim, she was in a bar watching a televised report of the Battle of Vietnam when the scales fell from her eyes and a vision of the future unfolded before her. She saw all that was to be, all that _might_ be, and a way for her and those who followed here to have everything they deserved. At once, she abandoned her old identity, renaming herself Pythia, after the Oracle of Delphi. Unlike that ancient foreteller, though, she would not just council the rulers of the world; she would rule it herself.

Through the rest of the 1970s, she built up her forces, gathering the resources of the Stardust Crusaders and dozens of other radical and criminal organizations, uniting them all under her prophetic leadership, convincing ideological enemies that temporary cooperation, guided by one who could see the future, would serve their interests best. She waited a very long time to let them loose, specifically waiting for Basilea to abandon the outer world -- something she foresaw, and might have acted to provoke -- before the Pythonian Insurrection struck. The President of the United States, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Mexico, Fidel Castro, Yuri Andropov, countless leaders and heroes died on the first day of the Pythons' war, and for a time it seemed that the world was about to break.

Yet there came an answer to them, and the American Joint Special Operations Taskforce and other agencies began to fight back. And they held the Pythons in check long enough for doubts to begin to set in about the validity of Pythia's prophecies, for none of this had ever featured in any of them. Pythia responded by pursuing various schemes, with varying success, right up until one of the schemes, to augment the morale of her troops, resulted in the so-called mystic who promised her results murdering Korie in the course of their escape.

Everything seemed to change for Pythia, then. She increasingly allowed herself to be sidelined by other would-be leaders within the Insurrection, acting as a figurehead and, yes, oracle for them. Some feared that she had lost her mind, for she would often be seen having conversations while completely alone. But there were other reports that she was pursuing a more subtle strategy, allowing the worst consequences of the last years of the Insurrection to fall on the shoulders of others, rather than herself.

In the end, JSOT foiled the most ambitious of the Insurrection's last schemes, discovered the location of their secret base (in Delphi, Indiana) and launched an all-out assault. Her organization burning around her, Pythia made no attempt to escape, and was confronted by Shannon and Ken Hazzard, along with Jack Dore. Completely unafraid of them, she proceeded to describe what her visions had revealed to her about the next thirty years, a vision of greater horrors than she had ever perpetrated. At last, Dore interrupted. "Enough," he said. "You're no prophet, or none of this would be happening."

"Oh?" she said, and reached into a fold of her tunic.

None of them was sure, ever, which of them fired first, but three bullets struck her at once. Pythia left this life with a sigh ... and then Ken Hazzard pulled out the photograph she'd been trying to produce, a picture of her younger self holding up a newspaper dated the day after the Battle of Vietnam, with a date and time marked on it ... and slowly looked up to see the clock on the wall ticking down the remaining seconds of the minute of the hour of the day written down there.

*Pythia -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Foresight:* Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable* - 2 points
*Mind-Gazing: *Mind Reading 7, Limited to Surface Thoughts - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Equipment X, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (Greek, Spanish, others), Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery 2 (Deception, Insight), Trance.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 4 (+8), Expertise: History 4 (+8), Expertise: Magic 2 (+6)* Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+9), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 2 (+6), Stealth 4 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+6).
* INT-based.

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 9 + Advantages 22 + Skills 25 + Defenses 14 = 128 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Family* (daughter, until 1986). *Infamy. Rivalry *(other leaders of the Insurrection.) *Secret* (unreliable precognition)*.

* Whether Pythia actually possessed precognition, how reliable her abilities were and when she developed them, are all topics that remain hotly debated. It may have been more reliable than this, in which case she does not have a Secret and some of her active defenses and Advantages might be Enhanced Traits. It may have been nothing more than a set of elaborate lies, in which case she has a different Secret complication and might have Ultimate Effort (Deception).


----------



## Davies

Tania





It would probably have gone very differently if they'd kidnapped the Hearst girl. But they found out about _two_ young women who were descendants of the ultra-wealthy living in the vicinity of their hideout, and selected the other one somewhat at random. Maureen Edelfelt wasn't actually considered part of the main Edelfelt family, as her branch of the clan had lost the special qualities that the main branch considered important in her grandfather's generation, but they were certainly affluent. And so, on February 4, 1974, they kidnapped her from her Berkeley apartment, and demanded the release of two of their members from jail in exchange for her freedom. That never happened.

In less than a week, Edefelt convinced the militants who were holding her that she found their beliefs compelling and persuasive, and joined their discussions. She claimed to have grown disenchanted with her family's capitalistic lifestyle, and earnestly desired to assist in achieving the 'symbiosis' that they claimed to value. Becoming part of a _menage de trois_ with the group's two leaders, she started to quietly influence and guide the group towards goals that interested her. There was no second ransom demand, as she had thoroughly convinced them of her loyalty.

A bank robbery in April served as the announcement that the young woman now calling herself Tania was one of the leaders of this so-called Army. It was executed with surprising effectiveness, as were a number of other heists committed in the Bay Area, where they remained rather than attempting to relocate to Los Angeles. Several of the members of the group were killed in confrontations with the police, including both of Tania's lovers. Some have since suggested that she manipulated events, possibly even anonymously informing the police, to bring about these deaths so that she would be in sole command of the organization.

In 1977, after several years of these antics, Tania was contacted by Pythia and invited to incorporate her army, which consisted of nearly forty members at that point, into the much larger Pythonian Insurgency. Initially skeptical, she was quickly convinced of the reality of Pythia's prophecies, but still negotiated an alliance which resulted in her being given the title Director of Terrorism. (She preferred to call it 'Guerilla Warfare', but this clashed with the organization's Director of Military Assets, whom she was not ready to challenge. Not yet.) Throughout the late seventies and early eighties, she was also Pythia's personal hatchet-man, and was allegedly one of the assassins of Fidel Castro.

Tania flourished within the Pythonian Insurgency, openly relishing the destruction that they were causing and mocking anyone, including former comrades, who nursed 'fantasies' about how they would create a better world on the ashes of the new. By 1985, however, her importance within the organization was on the wane, with other Directors gaining much more prominence. There is an account which suggests that she vengefully lashed out at Pythia for this, and that the murder of Korie was the result of a conversation she had with Jodie Crowley shortly before those events.

In the aftermath, she became one of the players in the Insurgency's power struggles, but never quite managed to get back the influence she believed should be hers. Following the assault on Delphi, she ended up as one of the highest-ranking members of the Insurgency to be captured, rather than killed, and was bound over for trial. A distant cousin of hers arranged for an extremely capable legal defense, which portrayed her as the victim of brainwashing, claiming that she had, from 1974 onwards, been subjected to a course of drugs to control her actions. Repudiating her allegiance to the Insurgency during her trial, she offered testimony against other Pythonians, and so received a reduced sentence of only ten years.

As it happened, she served only eight, released for good behavior in the aftermath of Cerebron's attack. In 2003, she married a wealthy widowed rancher in Arizona, and became the stepmother to his two children. She apparently ignored attempts by Billie Zane's organization to recruit her. One of President Clinton's last acts before leaving office in 2007 was to issue her a pardon. Her husband died in 2011, and since then she has lived a quiet life in Arizona. And if she still dreams of burning the world to ashes and then dancing on them, well, one's dreams are a private thing, aren't they?

She still goes by Tania, however.

*Tania -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
The Advantage of Having No Scruples Whatsoever:* Immunity 5 (interaction effects) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4, Seize Initiative, Taunt, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Submachine Gun (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4), Holdout Pistol (Ranged Damage 2), and 17 points of additional equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 3 (+4), Deception 5 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 5 (+8), Expertise: Military 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Expertise: Survival 3 (+6), Insight 6 (+7), Intimidation 1 (+5), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+6), Technology 5 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Submachine Gun +8 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4)
Holdout Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 5 + Advantages 18 + Skills 35 + Defense 12 = 116 points

*Complications:
Destruction--Motivation. Schemes Within Schemes. *


----------



## Davies

Hannes Zaharoff





The man who would rename himself Hannes Zaharoff was born in Gndingen (now Gydnia) in 1908. In his early twenties, after a brilliant career at the University of Warsaw, he was hired by a Polish government ministry, and given a very sensitive position. With characteristic amorality, he proceeded to betray his employers and nation by selling intelligence to the Third Reich, though his sole interest was in their money, rather than their political aims. Having reached a level of comfort, he began to engage in some private genealogical research.

He was fascinated to discover that his mother, a Greek woman supposedly born in Thebes, had apparently been born to Aristides Damala and his mistress, then given by Damala's wife, Sarah Bernhardt, to her friend, the notorious 'merchant of death' Basil Zaharoff, who had arranged for her adoption. At least, that was the official story; he developed a very different theory as to what had happened. It seemed much more likely -- to him -- that the child had actually been the child of a heretofore unknown affair between Bernhardt and Zaharoff, which made himself the grandson of a man who shaped the fate of nations. (That this would have meant that his grandfather had dumped his mother somewhere out of the way was not something that he was inclined to view as a character flaw.)

Thus, when the Germans and Soviets invaded Poland and he fled the country, he adopted the name Zaharoff as his own, taking up residence in Turkey and selling intelligence to both sides of World War II. In the aftermath of the conflict, predicting the start of the Cold War, he began to organize a new organization which he intended to serve as a third force between the two nascent super-powers, with agents in the ranks of both. The primary goal of this organization was to reap as much money as possible from both sides, with no particular political agenda beyond that. 

Despite his seeming prescience regarding both the Second World War and the Cold War that followed it, Zaharoff was caught somewhat off-guard by the rise of the superhero, and these bewildering figures did a great deal of damage to his organization's operations in the United States, just as one particularly intrepid agent of British intelligence was doing the same in Europe. Clearly, he would need to improve his game a bit, so he began to sponsor research into mad science for the first time, with an eye towards developing a way to ensure that he, personally, would never be captured or killed by his enemies.

This resulted in the discovery of a method to alter someone's appearance to match his own while simultaneously using a combination of drugs and hypnosis to convince that person that they were Hannes Zaharoff, making them into the perfect decoy. The decoys would be kept unconscious until they were needed, and be briefed on awakening about recent events. They would frequently suffer 'memory lapses' when asked about things not covered by the briefing, but Zaharoff's authority remained unquestioned by his agents.

At some point in this process, the original Zaharoff died of apparently natural causes. The people who ran the duplicate program released a decoy to take his place, and the whole thing continued. It continued after he was defeated, repeatedly, by the aforementioned British agent, with the replacements regarding all those events as having happened to a decoy, rather than their own, authentic self. Thus, 'Zaharoff', while diminished in wealth and power, actually outlived his famous enemy, who died a miserable, lonely death in the early 1970s.

It's not clear whether Pythia knew that the man she approached in 1977 about joining forces was not the original Hannes Zaharoff, but it is not clear whether she would have been concerned about that, either. Regardless, they agreed to unite, with Zaharoff becoming the Insurgency's Director of Espionage. His goal, of course, was unchanged -- to gain as much money for himself as could be imagined, and then perhaps more. He was therefore content to remain in his chosen position, rather than strive to replace Pythia after she apparently began to falter. Or perhaps he viewed this faltering as the falsehood that it may have been.

Association with the mad scientists of the Insurgency also allowed a number of improvements to the 'doubling' process, which now involved digital recordings of 'Zaharoff's' brain patterns and the decoys being preserved in so-called 'Russian sleep'. They still suffered memory lapses, however, since the process remained not quite perfected.

All of the scientists involved in the decoy process were present in Delphi when the final assault began, and all were accounted for, in one way or another. The story above was revealed in post-operational interviews with the lone survivor of the original group, who was given a death sentence for multiple counts of kidnapping -- the decoys having been largely created from the victims of same. It is believed that the process was completely shut down, and all the extant decoys euthanized.

But who knows whether they really got them all?

*Hannes Zaharoff -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Endless Doubles:* Immortality 5 - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Equipment 4, Evasion, Favored Environment (planned situation), Improved Disarm, Language 4 (English, German, Greek, Italian, others, [Polish becomes native]) Ranged Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3) and 14 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Business 4 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 6 (+9), Expertise: Conspiracy 7 (+10), Expertise: Politics 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+8), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+6) Stealth 2 (+5), Technology 2 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+5), 64 points

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 10 + Advantages 14 + Skills 32 + Defenses 13 = 113 points

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Memory Lapses. Pretense of Honor and Courtesy. Secret.*


----------



## Davies

Kiyohime





Like most folktales, the story of the woman called Kiyohime has been told many ways. Perhaps the best known portrays her as the daughter of a family who provided lodging for Buddhist priests on pilgrimage to a certain shrine, who chanced to fall in love with one of them, called Anchin. Falling in love with a celibate worked out much as one would expect, and in her fury she transformed into a great serpent to pursue him. Just how culpable for his own doom Anchin is varies from telling to telling.

It's not known when Tomita Mariko, daughter of a moderately prosperous land-owner in one of Tokyo's many suburbs, learned this story. It might have happened when she was still a young girl in the early 1960s, possibly while reading it to her younger brother Kyousuke. Their mother passed away when they were both children, and their father largely left them in the care of an old friend of his, who ran a dojo on land their father owned. He taught them both the style of aikijutsu that he practiced, and they were reasonably adept at it.

In 1976, when Mariko was seventeen, a visitor came to the dojo. George Hama was the grandson of one of their mentor's old friends, now serving with the United States Marine Corps and based in Okinawa. He had come to reconnect with that part of his family who remained in Japan, and also with his grandather's old rival. He was four years older than Mariko, and she hated him immediately, with his goofy grin and bad Japanese and disgustingly handsome face. He couldn't stand her either, with her ridiculous pride and terrible attitude and overwhelming sense of her own beauty.

So of course they fell in mad love with each other. Neither her father nor her brother approved, of course, and so it was that two years later they decided to run off together, after consummating the relationship. They arranged to meet at the gate of a certain shrine at a certain time. Mariko arrived exactly on time, and waited. Several hours later, her brother found her there, collapsed in grief and regret. George had clearly taken the opportunity to abandon her after getting what he wanted.

Four months later, her brother was there for her again, paying to deal with the consequences of her error in judgement. Any love that she had ever felt for her American lover died by the time she left the doctor's office, replaced by an utter hatred for him and everything that he represented. She and Kyousuke both joined a group of anti-American extremists in Japan, which wound up being incorporated into the nascent Pythonian Insurgency. Dressing in the fashion of a stage ninja, Mariko started calling herself Kyohime, and became one of the most accomplished assassins within the organization.

It was surely fate that George Hama was recruited for the Joint Special Operations Taskforce, under the alias Deuce, and clashed with Kiyohime repeatedly and inconclusively. She never succeeded in killing him; he never succeeded in capturing her. Despite these failures, and others caused by her tendency to give her targets a chance at survival and enjoy their despair when it failed, Kiyohime rose in the ranks of the Pythonians to be given the title of Director of Assassinations, increasingly outshining the Director of Terorrism.

By 1987, she was dimly aware that Kyousuke was not comfortable in their new way of life but too focused on her own pain and anger to give it much thought. So she was surprised when Pythia herself gave her a warning that her visions indicated that he was considering defecting from the Pythons. Pythia decreed that it was up to Kiyohime to decide what to do about this. A day or so later, her brother entered her private rooms and told her that he had something important to tell her. Seeing that the moment was upon her, she regretfully cut his throat before he could say anything else, and cradled him as he choked to death on his own blood.

Her activities grew ever more brutal and every more bizarre over the next few years, as she joined the struggle for power within the Insurgency, never quite gaining the power that she sought but keeping it out of the hands of those she viewed as rivals. At last, during the final assault on Delphi, she had her final confrontation with Deuce. Driven by her losses and failures, she overcame him and had him at her mercy. But before she killed him, she demanded to know when he'd decided to abandon her.

He told her that he'd been at the shrine half an hour before they were supposed to meet, that Kyousuke had shown up and tried to kill him, and that he'd fled to avoid killing her brother ... and that he hadn't gone back because he didn't want to force her to choose between them.

She wanted to believe that it was lies. She wanted to believe the worst. But she believed he was telling the truth and she remembered the look on Kyousuke's face when he said he had something to tell her and she remembered the look on Pythia's face as she spoke and she _screamed_. And lifted up her sword, perhaps to kill Deuce, perhaps to kill herself. Regardless, that was when some of his friends came upon the scene and shot her dead.

Deuce whispered her name, just once. As far as anyone knows, that is the last word that the man now called Thriller has ever spoken.

*Kiyohime -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Language (English, [Japanese is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery 4 (Acrobatics, Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth).

_Equipment:_
16 points of equipment as needed.
*Arsenal:* Array (12 points)
 *Smoke Grenade:* Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 12 points
 *Sword:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical - 1 point
 *Throwing Stars:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 1 - 1 point

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+9), Deception 7 (+8), Intimidation 7 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Throwing Star 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+7), Treatment 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +9 (Close Damage 5, Crit 19-20)
Throwing Stars +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Advantages 23 + Skills 35 + Defenses 15 = 118 points

*Complications:
Vengeance--Motivation. Family* (brother, up until 1987). *Plays With Her Prey.*


----------



## Davies

General Estrella





Born in 1937, the man who called himself Raimondo Loyola often claimed to be of noble lineage stretching back generations. After he was dead, some investigations were conducted and uncovered the fact that he had been a child of the Loyola family, but one born out of an illegitimate union between one of the family's scions and a maid. He would later take advantage of the Loyola's famous aversity to public attention to claim their family name for his own, using his political connections to further protect himself. It worked, for a while.

A patriotic Spaniard and devout Falangist, he joined the Spanish army in 1955, ironically just as his nation was starting to turn away from its international isolation. The stress of basic training awakened something in him, and he devoted himself to pushing his limits with further exercise and practice. By 1957, it was clear to him that he had achieved literally superhuman levels of ability, and reported this fact to his superiors in hopes that they would put his talents to good use. The Caudillo himself observed his feats, and asked him to use these abilities to protect blessed Spain from the Judeo-Masonic conspiracy that still threatened it. With tears in his eyes, Raimondo agreed, becoming Capitán Estrella (though in fact he was only commissioned as a lieutenant, at that point.)

He served as the superhuman champion of Francoist Spain for the next two decades, battling crime and subversion on the state's behalf and presenting himself as the embodiment of the national virtues.  He would later claim to have been Franco's friend and confidant, though a more impartial assessment of their known interactions suggests that the Caudillo was very careful to keep a distance between them. Franco may have recognized that the Capitán had ambitions not at all compatible with his own designs for the Spanish state.

Franco's death, in 1975, and what the Capitán perceived as the weakness of Prime Minister Navarro, particularly his contemptible acquiescence to the coronation of Juan Carlos, made it clear to him that there could be no place in this new Spain for him. This was further brought home by a confrontation with a member of the Loyola family, who had apparently lost his patience with Raimondo's use of their name. Swallowing curses, he deserted from the Army and fled the country for South America, where he became a mercenary under the name _General _Estrella, no longer answering to any civilian name.

Three years later, Pythia sought him out. He had developed his faculties enough to recognize another psychic when he saw one, and was -- for the moment -- impressed by what she demonstrated of her abilities. The tale that she told of his future, where he would apparently end up the servant of some American boxer, disgusted him sufficiently to persuade him to join forces with her, becoming the Insurgency's Director of Military Activities, charged with recruiting, training and ultimately leading the Pythonian armies. Neither of them operated under any illusions that he would not, eventually, seek to run the entire organization.

In fact, that seemed to have happened after Korie's death. While struggling with the other noteworthy leaders of the Insurgency, Estrella's command of the largest body of troops and his own personal power left very little doubt who held the reins of authority. Unfortunately, for himself at least, he seemed ill-equipped to do anything with them. The victories of the early Eighties were long behind them, and while the Insurgency conducted many dramatic operations under the General's command, these were largely failures and even debacles.

Consequently, in 1992, the General was forced (some might say manipulated) into travelling personally to Mars in a Vaskhane spacecraft to meet with the Insurgency's extraterrestrial allies. JSOT and its allies pursued them there and attacked the 'pyramid' where the meeting was taking place. In the battle that followed, Estrella was confronted by JSOT's Lieutenant Ken Griffin, another psychic martial artist who had crossed paths with him repeated in recent years. They proceeded to fight a duel that sent them through the pyramid's walls out onto the sands of Mars.

After the conclusion of the operation, the bodies of both General Estrella and Lieutenant Griffin were recovered. It was not clear whether they had killed each other with their powers or died of exposure to the Martian environment. (Lieutenant Griffin's autopsy would suggest that the latter.) Both bodies were returned to Earth with the survivors of the expedition, and while the Lieutenant was buried in Arlington, Estrella's remains were turned over to the Spanish government. It has been rumored that they were dissected and used in super-soldier experiments there, but nothing is known for sure.

*General Estrella -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Aura of Might: *Sustained Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
*Hovers:* Flight 1 (4 MPH), Concentration - 1 point
*Martial Power:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Sense Those of Comparable Power: *Senses 3 (acute tracking psychic awareness) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Close Attack, Defensive Attack, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Inspire, Language (English, [Spanish is native]), Leadership, Power Attack, Startle, Weapon Bind

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+7), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Insight 2 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 4 (+10), Stealth 4 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9)

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 8, Toughness 7/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 15 + Advantages 16 + Skills 24 + Defenses 9 = 130 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Arrogant Beyond Words. Casual Killer. Won't Use The Same Attack Twice in Succession.*


----------



## Davies

The Grail Knight (II)





According to Sheldrake family legend, shortly after the Restoration of Charles II, one of their ancestors committed a serious crime against their liege. The exact details of the crime have been lost to history, but the punishment, which oddly didn't involve their ancestor being shortened by the length of his neck or hung until dead, was memorable. He was sentenced to wear an old-fashioned suit of armor, painted red, with the eldest son of his line likewise condemned to wear it in his turn. A generation later, however, following the Glorious Revolution, Queen Mary generously commuted this sentence to time served and told the current Sheldrake to stop wearing the noisy thing. It was nonetheless still kept in the Sheldrake family's collection of ancient weapons and armor.

This episode likely _wasn't_ on the mind of Robert Sheldrake when he became the original Grail Knight, in 1965. Instead, he was inspired by the example of the Cowl and other American crime-fighters, using his keen wits and antique weapons to fight contemporary criminals. His antics were viewed as somewhat absurd by the populace of the United Kingdom, but he was better respected abroad. He was frequently accompanied by his younger brother Gordon, under the alias Armiger. For his part, Gordon was somewhat obsessed with that early chapter of his family's history, though that wasn't yet apparent.

For various reasons, Gordon didn't accompany his brother when the latter went to assist the Institute during the Battle of Vietnam. While Robert survived despite serious injuries, he was never the same afterwards. His crime-fighting activities stopped, and he began to use the Grail Knight identity solely for charitable purposes. This disgusted Gordon, who had always enjoyed the fighting part of their activities a bit too much. Robert's 1977 death in an automobile crash was likely engineered by Gordon, though nothing was ever proved.

As the second Grail Knight, Gordon sought to become a government agent, but was (to his mind) none too politely told that such a flashy figure was not at all what Her Majesty's service required. Frustrated, he spent several years brooding on his family history, especially the arms and armor of his condemned ancestor. He became convinced that it contained something of that man's spirit and believed that, if he wore it, something of the other man's strength would invest his form, granting him the power to work his will upon the world. And that seemed to be the case. It's now believed that Gordon had somehow developed innate super-powers, possibly from exposure to various radiations and chemicals during his career as the Armiger, but deluded himself that they came from his weapons and armor.

Not long after he discovered this, Gordon was contacted by Pythia and invited to become an agent of the organization she'd assembled. He was intrigued and agreed to her proposal, intending to seize control of the group at the earliest opportunity, of course. These ambitions were somewhat checked by the fact that he failed dramatically in his first mission in 1982, underestimating the forces protecting the Prime Minister and only escaping with the sacrifice of the entire unit sent to assist in her assassination. He would be more successful on other missions, however, and donated much of the Sheldrake family's offshore funds to the cause, keeping him in a prominent position within the Insurgency, though he was never given a Director's chair.

The Grail Knight was the most persistent rival of General Estrella for the leadership of the Insurgency after Pythia's apparent breakdown, and they are believed to have come to blows on a number of occasions. Estrella's 1992 death may have emboldened the Knight, and he was given command of the defense of Delphi during the final assault. While inflicting heavy casualties on the JSOT forces, he was finally overcome, and stripped of his armor and weapons. Regaining consciousness despite the serious injuries, he is said to have quipped, "All right, we'll call it a draw." Tried in the U.S., he was executed by electrocution two years later.

Michael Carrington, the only son of Robert and Gordon's younger sister, considered becoming a new Grail Knight in the late Nineties, but ultimately decided that the legacy was too tainted by Gordon's activities to do so. Now in his late forties, he has nonetheless used his wits and wealth to assist Prydwen, Blakestone and other U.K.-based heroes on many occasions, bringing some good out of this whole mess.

*The Grail Knight -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4/2 | *STA* 5/3 | *AGL* 5/3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9/4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Healing Factor:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 10, Persistent - 13 points
*"Magic" Armor:* Impervious Protection 4; Removable (-2 points) - 6 points
*"Magic" Power:* Enhanced Agility 2; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Strength 2; Enhanced Stamina 2 - 22 points
*"Magic" Sword: *Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Diehard, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (sword), Power Attack, Startle, Takedown, Ultimate Effort (Toughness checks)

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 2 (+11), Expertise: Military 7 (+8), Expertise: Politics 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 4)
"Magic" Sword +11 (Close Damage 7, Crit 17-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/5, Parry 9/4, Fortitude 7/5, Toughness 9/4, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 44 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defense 7 = 120 points

*Complications:
Glory--Motivation. Power Loss* ("Magic" powers, when suffers a loss of confidence.) *Racist, Sexist, Snob.*

_Author's Notes: You knew I was going to put a Monty Python reference in there _somewhere_, right?_


----------



## Davies

The Pythonian Insurgency

The majority of the Pythonian Insurgents were former soldiers of various nations -- either discharged or deserted -- and could be represented by the Soldier, Veteran Soldier and Elite Soldier archetypes in the Deluxe Gamemaster's Guide (_DGG_, henceforth.) The organization also employed Militants and Underworld types, with all archetypes fairly common. Initially, they were outfitted with typical military weapons, and didn't have access to modern body armor. This changed by the mid-80s, when they were equipped with Body Armor (Protection 4), Blaster Pistols (Ranged Damage 5) and Rifles (Ranged Damage 8) that produced green energy discharges. Even then, some operatives understandably preferred more easily-understood and simply-maintained Automatic Rifles (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5.)  

*Other Noteworthy Pythonians*

*The Reinne Quintuplets:* 




A group of five identical girls born in a village in Hampshire, England, in 1969, who possessed a telepathic ability that allowed them to communicate with each other and to use the senses of each other instead of their own. 'Discovered' by the Grail Knight in 1984, they went to work for the Espionage division, providing a perfect and undetectable method of surveillance. Four of them were confirmed dead after the destruction of the Pythonian headquarters, with the fifth missing and presumed dead. Persistent rumor claims that the last of the quintuplets had been sent to prepare the Insurgency's off-world headquarters. [Street Informant (_DGG_ p. 156), plus Remote Sensing 10 (all senses), Medium (each other) and Senses 4 (communication link x4).]

*Clarissa Irvine:* 




Thief and saboteur, of French origin (apparently), employed by the Insurgency on a strictly mercenary basis. While she organized and helped to lead some of the Python's most notorious criminal acts, such as the attempt to steal or deface the Statue of Liberty in 1987, it's now believed that most of these were cover for much more subtle and profound operations. As she was technically only an associate of the organization, occasional references to her as the highest-ranking Pythonian at large after 1993 are inaccurate. Her total disappearance has led some to conclude that she was actually a deep-cover operative for some other organization, or possibly several organizations at once. [Use Vixen's stats, but subtract all Powers and -2 STR, add Master of Disguise (Power Profiles, p. 189)]

*The Investor:* 




Donald Trump was perhaps not the richest of the many corporate backers of the Pythons, buying into their claims of being opposed to socialism and communism, but he was possibly the most arrogant and perhaps the most stupid. Following the death of General Estrella, Trump began to assert a right the organization's actual leadership on the basis that he'd paid for all of this. (He hadn't.) Much as with Estrella, Pythia did nothing overt in response, though some believe that his presence in Delphi during the final attack was her doing. He was arrested, tried and eventually sentenced to a twenty-to-life sentence for treason, and died in prison in 2008. [Boss (DGG p. 154), plus Expertise: Business 6 (+9) and one more rank of Benefit (wealth).]

*Vincent Frankenstein:* 




A Swiss scientist who claimed descent from Victor Frankenstein; as Victor Frankenstein was a fictional character, and George Frankenstein was not known to have had any human offspring, this was probably a delusion on his part. However, he was the most serious rival to Dr. Genome for the title of the Insurgency's chief mad scientist. The rivalry between the two of them drove them to prodigious heights of unethical experimentation, but the verdict of history is that both men probably did as much damage to their organization as any of its enemies. He was killed during the assault on Delphi, and Dr. Genome's alibi for this is perhaps not as concrete as it should be. [Use Dr. Genome's stats, but subtract all Powers; will usually have Abominations of Science as Minions (treat as Robots).]

*Pythonian Remnants:*

In addition to these large groups, there are numerous small cells of Pythons all over the world, still engaged in criminal acts. No one is coordinating them, as far as can be discerned.

*Saturn:* This is the name used in official documents to refer to Billie Zane's organization of anti-super criminals and terrorists, the largest organization of former Pythonians and their philosophical descendants. Ironically, Zane has never given her organization a name, viewing it as simply an extension of herself, like her armor. The name comes from references to their headquarters, referred to as 'the Throne of Saturn', inspired by the poem by Edward Fitzgerald. They are some of the best-equipped Militants and Underworld types in the world, but lack much in the way of training. 

*Secret Police of the Empire of Korea:* Virtually the entire Korean branch (and some of the Chinese and Japanese branches) of the Pythons was absorbed by Gan In-Geun's organization following the end of the Insurgency, with most of the leadership purged as unreliable but many low-ranking members entrusted with roles in the new security apparatus of the recently united peninsula. They should largely be treated as Government Agents, with some Underworld archetypes, with a few equipped with advanced technology; the Emperor traditionally reserves such devices for his personal use.

*Tarot:* A much smaller organization, established in 2011, consisting of exactly fifty-six men and women, started by ex-Python Temperance Waite, who became fascinated by the tarot during her sixteen year prison sentence. Divided into bureaus of Assassination (Swords), Investigation (Batons), Confiscation (Coins) and Technical (Cups), the group is based out of New York City and mostly active in the tri-state area surrounding it. They are well-equipped Underworld types, outfitted in a way typical for late-stage Pythonians.


----------



## Davies

Dancer





When one has the reputation of being one of the world's greatest detectives, and perhaps that of being at the top of that non-existent list, then a genuine mystery that one is unable to resolve is likely to provoke a variety of reactions. Frustration at the ambiguities of the situation will be one of those reactions, but not the only one. There's also likely to be a certain amount of fascination mixed into it as well, because someone who investigates mysteries is generally someone who _enjoys_ investigating them. The hope that things can be resolved thus melds with the irritation when they can't be.

Such is a fairly good description of Darkwing's opinions about another costumed crime fighter who began operating in the Chicago area two years ago, under the alias Dancer. He makes a point of investigating those who operate in the same area that he does, mostly because of the number of times they've turned out to be criminals-in-the making or criminals-running-a-scam. But those who don't fall into those categories are left to their own devices, since he's not some sort of monstrous megalomaniac who refers to Chicago as 'my city' in possessive terms. 

The ambiguities of Dancer's situation, however, concern him. On the surface, things seem ordinary enough. She has a fairly normal civilian life as a young woman named Nikki Purvis, who recently turned a position as a volunteer at the Brainerd Branch of the Chicago Public Library into a paid position there, and also makes a small sum doing menial labor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. Unlike Darkwing, she makes a clear distinction between her civilian life and her heroics, and never changes into her costume before the sun starts to set. She possesses clearly superhuman levels of balance and grace, spontaneously performing feats of movement that expert acrobats will attempt only after weeks or months of practice.

Digging a bit will reveal some of those ambiguities, however. Purvis seems to have come from absolutely nowhere. Approximately seventeen years of age when she first appeared in 2018, she was not registered as a student at any of Chicago's high schools -- nor had she ever been a student at any of its middle or elementary schools, either. While it's possible that she came to the city from somewhere else, he hasn't been able to find any evidence of her existence before 2018. She resided (and resides) in an apartment which was, up until 2018, an Argus safehouse that was purchased by a holding company which _also_ came into existence in 2018. The rent on that apartment, and its utilities, should be more than she is making from her various jobs, but she apparently has no difficulty keeping up her payments.

Finally, there's her hair. This is probably nothing, but she has the power to alter her hair color, normally switching between a vibrant red in her identity as Dancer and a brown shade in her civilian life, but sometimes appearing with black, platinum or golden blonde, or any of a variety of apparently dyed colors. Generally, super-powers follow a particular theme, and how altering one's hair color is associated with superhuman agility is utterly baffling.

Attempts to inveigle information about her background from her have met with failure. She deflects all inquiries about her past by referring to herself as 'an only child of the universe' -- which would probably seem profound if Darkwing wasn't passingly familiar with Fall Out Boy's music. She has a few casual friendships and no apparent intimates. Most bewilderingly, she has no online profile whatsoever.

In terms of her heroics, she mostly fights street crime, though her library job resulted in her developing at least one enduring enemy in the person of 'Ronald Granger', the so-called Deatheater, who commits crimes based on a certain popular series of children's books. She has also fought several of Darkwing's foes, sometimes in conjunction with the man himself. In her first confrontation with Jack, he seemed to recognize something in her that drove him into a fury, which she answered with uncharacteristic violence of her own. Of course, the maniac isn't about to explain his actions to anyone, and she's not talking about that episode either.

In light of it, however, Darkwing recently made a somewhat paradoxical decision to offer Dancer additional training and equipment, since she is clearly going to be running into heavy opposition henceforth. It's possible that he hopes this will lead him to discover more about her, but he might just be concerned for her welfare. Whether she has accepted this offer is still in question.

Most of Darkwing's questions about her would be easily answered if he knew that she won't be born until 2023, that her parents haven't yet begun a relationship, and that she grew up hearing stories about the second age of heroes, which began to end with the debut of a young urban acrobat named Dancer, who died in 2024. But that would also produce more questions.

*Dancer -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 9 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Parkour:* Movement 5 (environmental adaptation [urban], safe fall, sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 1), Limited to Moving in Urban Environments; Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 8 points
*Polychromatic Hair:* Feature 1 (hair can change color) - 1 point
*Situational Awareness:* Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Benefit (cipher 2), Close Attack 3, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Ranged Attack 4, Set-up, Skill Mastery (Acrobatics), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:
_*Utility Belt:* Array (18 points)
 *Explosives:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered 2 - 1 point
 *Meta-Taser:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Stun Grenade:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Visually Impaired, Stunned and Visually Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Techno-Bolos:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 18 points
 *Throwing Darts:* Strength-based Ranged Multiattack Damage 4 (includes Strength 2), Accurate 2 - 1 point

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+14), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 4 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 2)
Meta-Taser +10 (Ranged Fortitude 6)
Stun Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Fortitude 6)
Techno-Bolos +10 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Throwing Darts +14 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 13, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 10 + Advantages 29 + Skills 26 + Defenses 15 = 144 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Enemy* (Jack.) *Responsibility* (mundane life.) *Secrets on Secrets.* 

_Note: For a version of Dancer who hasn't trained with Darkwing, remove her Equipment and Ranged Attack advantages, as well as two ranks of Acrobatics, Investigation, Perception, Sleight of Hand and Stealth._


----------



## Davies

Karsa Har-ul





Born a bit less than twenty-five solar years ago on the planet Dhakimat, Karsa Har-ul led a fairly typical life on one of the many small family-run farm/ranches that constitute the largest private settlements on her home world. Then she turned sixteen and her number came up in the planetary government's conscription lottery, she was inducted into the military service and her entrance exam indicated that she was a good candidate for the super-soldier project. Despite the difficulty of the training, she developed additional abilities, above and beyond those possessed of all Dhakamites.

Commissioned as a lieutenant, Karsa was assigned to a unit of troopers sent to deal with a group of space pirates operating out of one of their star system's asteroid belts. The mission was a success but their ship sustained some damage during the battle. When their drive engaged to take them back to the mother world, it proceeded to go into overdrive, flinging them from the back reaches of the Imperium to the borders of the Technate, a journey that would normally take years, in less than a second. And then it blew up.

The unit's captain died in the explosion, leaving Karsa in command. Swallowing her panic, she sent out scouts to determine the local circumstances before their powers faded. They soon learned that the planets of the nearest star system were being attacked by a huge force of invaders who were being fought by a much smaller force who seemed to be fighting a delaying action. Karsa will claim that she threw a quill to determine which side to assist, but the truth is that she's always favored the underfrax in any fight. And so, they went to the aid of the Last Men Standing.

They were only supposed to stay in the alliance long enough to repair their ship's drive so that they could start their journey home, but obtaining the materials needed proved harder than expected. They were still stuck in their holding pattern when the Lasters joined forces with Earth's Powerhouse organization in 2015, and Karsa met the last Anacreonite. She was quite impressed with him, but they didn't have long to talk before the Dark Side launched an ambush of the Laster fleet, with the Dhakamite vessel apparently lost with all hands.

In fact, Kharsa alone survived that conflagration, shoved into an escape pod by her sergeant. Injured and dazed, she set the vessel on a course that would take it to Earth and then went into coldsleep. Three years later, it arrived on Earth and crash landed in Northern Ontario, where Paragon discovered it. Kharsa awoke from her slumber, smiled at her rescuer, and then collapsed to vomit all over his nice shiny boots.

She spent a few months recovering from her injuries in Paragon's secret sanctuary, visited by both Paragon and Jora. Towards the end of this period she underwent an interview with Argus agents to determine whether she (a) posed any threat to the people of Earth or (b) had any useful intelligence about the rest of the galaxy. The answer to both questions was a qualified 'no', and so it was arranged for her to receive a special refugee status, leaving her free to explore the planet.

This is more or less what she's done since then. Kharsa tends to stick to rural and wilderness areas, since even the smallest cities are _much_ more heavily populated than anything she's ever known, and make her uncomfortable as a consequence. However, she's slowly becoming accustomed to the different circumstances found on this planet, since she was trained to "improvise, adapt and overcome". Even so, she prefers her own company to most others.

Kharsa is not a superhero ... _yet_. As already mentioned, she has a strong tendency to stick up for those she perceives as the weaker or wronged party, and this often leads to her taking a stand to protect people. However, she also recognizes that this tendency can get her into a lot of trouble, and so she sometimes tries to suppress it, leading her to walk away from situations where she could help. What she's ultimately going to decide to do once she finally finds her footing is not clear. She still wants to return to Dhakimat and report on her unit's fate, but she suspects that is probably a chipdream and that she's going to be stuck on this planet for the rest of her extended lifespan. If so, then she should probably start thinking about how to make it a home worth having.

*Karsa Har-ul -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Dhakimat Powers:* Array (11 points)

*Blast Vision:* Ranged Damage 5, Accurate - 11 point
*Hyper-Speed:* Enhanced Flight 5 - 1 point
*Hyper-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 3; Enhanced Strength 5, Limited to Lifting - 1 point
*Great Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defense 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 8 - 45 points
*Great Toughness:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 6; Regeneration 5 - 21 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose,_ Language (English), _Move-by Action_, Ranged Attack 4.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Military 6 (+6), Expertise: Survival 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+4), Vehicles 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 8)
Hyper-Strength +7 (Close Damage 11)
Blast Vision +7 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/4, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 9, Toughness 7, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 79 + Advantages 5 + Skills 10 + Defenses 10 = 148 points

*Complications:
Finding A Purpose--Motivation. Loner. Power Loss* (all; exposure to theonite.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Jolene





In 1973, a rising star in the American country music genre released a song entitled 'Jolene', with lyrics describing the beauty of a seductive woman whom the singer fears will claim her male lover, combined with pleas for her not to do so. The artist claimed, in interviews, that this song had been inspired by an encounter with a bank teller who fit the description, who had been flirting with her husband. At other times, she would claim that the song was based on a fan who sought her autograph. Regardless, the reality behind the song made her unwilling to sing it too often.

Art, it has been said, is using lies to tell the truth. The words and tune of the song 'Jolene' are actually much older than those accounts would claim, as it is one of a number of songs sung in the Appalachian Mountains, largely crafted as warnings. It's not as old as some of those songs, dating back to around the turn of the century where some of them go back centuries. The song was actually softened in its popular release, where the singer pleads with Jolene to refrain from seducing her man, where in the original version she is pleading for his life.

It has been a long time since the woman known as Jolene has haunted the Appalachians. Over the decades, she moved south and east, through Georgia and then through Florida. She settled in Miami in the early Eighties and has lived there ever since, growing rich on the avails of drugs and prostitution. The money doesn't matter to her as much as the opportunities these businesses present to force people to compromise their integrity, often in ruinous ways. She enjoys seeing how far she can bend people, and watching them break.

Her story began in the 19th century, in Ireland, but quickly moved to London, where she lived a life of not-all-that-quiet desperation as one of the streetwalkers of the East End. No, she wasn't one of the ones you may have heard about, but she knew some of them. That was the reason why, one night in 1892, when she saw a man running down an alley in a panic, she knew _him_ for who he was. Whatever fear she might have felt was smothered by a rage she'd never imagined she could feel. 

She chased him, not knowing what she was going to do to the murderer of her friends when she caught him, but knowing that she had to do to this. She followed him through a door where no door should be, and emerged somewhere else. Various things then transpired. A few years later, another door opened, an ocean's distance away in the city of Nashville, and the woman named Jolene walked out of it, made beautiful and terrible by her experiences on the other side, and began to carve out her reputation.

Her primary superhuman ability, aside from her longevity and unearthly charisma, is the ability to steal 'vital energy' from people. This can either take the form of a slow, steady drain from all of those in her vicinity, which leaves people tired or even unconscious but won't actually kill them, or a fast, deadly theft from someone whom she touches directly. Being who and what she is, she enjoys employing the latter through a kiss or other intimate contact.

Jolene has no loyalty to the beings who made her what she was, and does not see herself as serving their designs. (She may be wrong about this. Or not.) Perhaps the strangest aspect of her existence is the way that she can _sometimes_ be moved by the pleas of the truly innocent, as the song about her would suggest, as long as her vanity is flattered in the process. And she gives most of the money she makes through her criminal enterprises to charity, supporting shelters for the abused and food banks in the process. 

If anyone suggested to her that this suggests a hidden heart of gold, she would first laugh and then find one of the beneficiaries of her 'charity' and slaughter them out of hand to demonstrate her contempt for the idea. She views herself as a parasite on society, sickening and weakening it ... but not _killing_ her host, at least not quickly. She wants to take her time, for she has all the time in the world. (For this reason, she has never bestirred herself to finish things with Jack, even though she knows him for what he is.)

*Jolene -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 8

*Powers:*
_*Energy Drain:*_ Array (38 points)
 *Fast and Deadly:* Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless, Incapacitated & Dying), Extra Condition - 1 point
 *Slow and Steady:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Fatigued, Exhausted & Stunned, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Subtle, Insidious - 38 points
*Gift of Gab:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points
*Not of this Earth:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Protection 4 - 21 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Connected, Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+15), Expertise: Crime 10 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+14), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 5)
Fast & Deadly Drain +10 (Close Fortitude 12)
Slow & Steady Drain -- (Burst Area Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 11, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 82 + Powers 69 + Advantages 12 + Skills 26 + Defenses 16 = 205 points 

*Complications:
Corruption--Motivation. Dependency* (regular use of Energy Drain power). *Charitable Impulses.*


----------



## Davies

Devilray





As far back as he can remember, he always wanted to be a pirate. Born just over thirty years ago, under the name Masul Ebrahim in Davoul City on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, his youth was not a happy one, and he escaped from these years by listening to the 'heroic' tales of the pirates of the Sulu Sea. They were the embodiment of the vigor and excitement that was so lacking in his life, and he vowed to himself and to Allah that one day he would join them and have his name become a legend as well. And, in his late teens, after years spent training to build himself up from the weak and feeble child he had been, his dream came true.

Gradually, through a combination of his own skill and the attrition of other leaders among the pirate bands that included him -- some of which he may have arranged himself -- he became a leader among them, able to recruit a dozen men for their exploits. They robbed, raided, kidnapped and ransomed. The only thing that distinguished the groups under his command was an absolute and iron command from Ebrahim that they were not to assault women in a sexual manner. It should not be thought that this was due to any tender feelings for women on his part; he was vocal about his disgust for them, but also believed that rapine was a distraction that his men did not need.

In 2006, Ebrahim was one of several pirates, from all over the world, who were contacted by an unknown patron, outfitted with advanced weaponry and given training to launch an attack on the superhero Nereus, on the same day that a number of other assaults on superheroes both well-known and obscure took place. Ebrahim expected the job to be a relatively simple one, given their numbers and the weapons at their disposal, and looked forward to a large payout at the mission's end.

He never even fired a shot when they finally confronted the aquatic man, who smashed through them like they were made from bubble wrap, sending many of them flying off of the ship into the water. Ebrahim was stunned at the sight of him. Later, as he floated in the sea, the cold making the pain of his bruises fade, he would reach a conclusion. He had to kill this man. No matter what happened, this man must die for what he had done.

His mysterious employer, who was an agent of Billie Zane's organization, was more than happy to assist him in acquiring the weapons Ebrahim would need to do this, resulting in him gaining and learning to use a suit of turbofan-equipped armor that would allow him to move in air and water, and give him the strength to match that of Nereus. It's only been fairly recently that Ebrahim has learned who his actual employer is. How he rationalizes his contempt for women with the fact that he must, by his sense of honor, accept orders that ultimately come from a woman is known only to him, but it seems likely that he's just biding his time until he can make a break from the organization's oversight.

Until then, however, he accepts various missions that take him to all parts of the world to rob, raid, kidnap and ransom. In a lot of ways, his job has not changed. But now he usually works alone, especially during the times that he especially cherishes, when he is free to seek out his vengeance on Nereus. He has never succeeded in his goal, of course, and never even seriously harmed his foe, but he will never stop trying until he succeeds. Then, order will finally be restored to the universe, and he will stop having dreams of that first battle, surely.

He will never accept that he is trying to kill a part of himself that will not die until he does.

*Devilray - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 11/2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Diving Suit:* Removable (-17 points)

*Armored Shell:* Protection 9, Impervious 5 - 14 points
*Devil Rays: *Array (18 points)
 *Lethal Setting:* Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
*Stun Setting:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point

*Exoskeleton:* Enhanced Strength 9; Movement 1 (environmental adaptation--aquatic) - 20 points
*Life Support:* Immunity 10 (life support)
*Sensors:* Senses 5 (accurate extended hearing, radio, ultra-hearing) - 5 points
*Turbofans:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH), Aquatic - 19 points

*Advantages:*
Favored Environment (Aquatic), Improved Hold, Languages 3 (Arabic, English, Spanish, others, [native]), Leadership, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 4

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+15/+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 6 (+6), Perception 8 (+9), Ranged Combat: Devil Rays 4 (+7), Technology 6 (+6), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 11/2)
Lethal Devil Ray +11 (Ranged Damage 9)
Stun Devil Ray +11 (Ranged Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 11/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 70 + Advantages 10 + Skills 26 + Defense 17 = 159 points

*Complications:
Vengeance--Motivation. Misogyny. Obligation* (to Billie Zane).


----------



## Virgo

Davies said:


> I hope this will be of interest to someone; I've been posting a fairly large collection of M&M builds on my Google Drive.



Your builds are amazing, Davies - thank you so much for sharing them. Question for you: on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being very easy and 10 being very difficult), how would you rate the process of creating a character?

It's a shame that superhero rpg's haven't caught on in spite of their influence on popular culture. I even started a thread back in 2017 about it - Superheroes are a hot commodity -- why aren't superhero RPG's?

My very first RPG experience was Hero Games' "Champions" (incoherent mumbling that sounds like a number) years ago.  Since then, I've had an soft spot for superheroic-themed games (the first mmorpg I beta tested was "City of Heroes"). I was fortunate enough to find a complete set of Green Ronin's "DC Adventures" books and have been hoping to find like-minded players in my area for a long time now, but alas, nothing.


----------



## Davies

Trismegistus said:


> Your builds are amazing, Davies - thank you so much for sharing them. Question for you: on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being very easy and 10 being very difficult), how would you rate the process of creating a character?




Well, as with anything else, it gets easier with practice, but even at the start it's much easier to put together an M&M character than, for example, a Hero system character, because the system is much more streamlined. But it's not as easy as putting together an *Icons* character or a *Fate* character, where you don't have to worry so much about checks and balances. So ... call it a 3 after a lot of practice, and maybe a 5 when you're just starting out. (I don't even want to think about what a 10 on this scale would look like ... EDIT: No, I suspect that it would look like a Transformers game played with *GURPS Robots* and *GURPS Vehicles*.)

Regardless, thank you for the kind words!


----------



## Davies

Llogres





Quite recently, Prydwen found herself 'housesitting' for Blakestone while she and Nick were in Australia for some esoteric purpose or other. The notion of posting a guard on a building that no one can enter without the owner's explicit permission struck her as slightly absurd, but its wisdom was soon demonstrated when it became apparent that this forbiddance didn't prevent someone from entering the House of Riddles from an unconventional direction. Prydwen barely had time to get her shield in the way of the intruder's mighty spear, with the clash of the two potent relics creating an unearthly din. When it at last faded, the Last Knight of Camelot realized that she was facing off with a woman with the mirror image of her face.

Prydwen had not heard, then, of the journey that Paragon had taken to and from a world where a handful of historical differences had produced a familiar yet strangely different group of superhuman champions. While her counterpart halted her attack once she realized whom she was fighting, the other woman showed no inclination to discuss the situation, or say anything, for that matter. (Later, when she had become slightly more vocal, it became clear that she had no more understanding of the causes of this situation.) She was clearly observing and learning from her circumstances, just as Johanna would, but did not speak until several hours had passed. The first word to pass her lips was her nomme de guerre -- Llogres.

Gradually, over the next few days, Llogres revealed her history. It was much like Prydwen's tale, up to a point -- that point being when this other Johanna's father had actually taken an interest in her training, and presented her with his own fabled lance, Rhongomiant, where the local Johanna had only ever been given a few terse words of praise from her father, and claimed her shield as a battle trophy. After that point, their stories were again much the same, until the point where they freed Morgan from his crystal cave.

In Prydwen's world, that was when the callous old mage sent her more than a thousand years into the future. But in Llogres' world, he chose otherwise, perhaps because of the confidence that the girl's father had shown in his choice of gifts. He pushed her into the crystalline matrix that had imprisoned him, giving her to a dreamless sleep until such time as he had need of her. 'Such time' came frequently over the years, decades, and centuries that followed. Perhaps as a consequence, Morgan's attempts to extend his own life were more fruitful, and he eventually retreated from the world into a shadow realm of his own creation, becoming known to all by the name associated with his legend.

This constant cycle of being awakened, sent into battle, and then returned to sleep caused Johanna's mind to wither, somewhat. She speaks very little, focusing all her effort on the pursuit of whichever enemy her Merlin sends her after. She can seem cold and unfeeling, yet there is a buried vein of kindness in her that becomes most apparent when she is dealing with animals, whom she seems better able to relate to than she can with people.

In her world's 2012, she was once again awakened and sent to hunt down a target chosen by Merlin, but matters turned out somewhat differently than they usually did. While she was able to find and eliminate her foe, her master was too distracted by other matters to return her to her slumber, leaving Llogres to her own devices. By the time that he was able to command her, she no longer cared to obey such commands. Merlin pragmatically chose to grant her some freedom rather than risk losing such an effective weapon in his arsenal. And so she became her own master for the first time in centuries.

Beyond this account of her origins, Llogres wouldn't speak much of her life. It's clear that she knows the woman called Snow, Blakestone's counterpart, and also obvious, from her reaction to meeting Nick, that there's someone much like him in her life. But none of this was pertinent to the tactical or strategic problem of returning her to her own world, and so she chose to focus on that, instead. The problem was ultimately solved when Blakestone fiddled with the House of Riddle's dimensional boundaries until Llogres was drawn back to her world of origin, then further altering them to make this episode less likely to recur.

Less likely, of course, is not the same thing as impossible, as Prydwen of all people is well aware.

*Llogres -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Runic Armor:* Immunity 21 (own powers, mental effects), Subtle; Impervious Protection 3, Subtle; Removable (-6 points) - 23 points 
*Spear of Wounding:* Array (16 points); Easily Removable (-6 points), Indestructible
 *Close Combat:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 4, Reach - 1 point
 *Ranged:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Superhuman:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Regeneration 2; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Animal Empathy, Beginner's Luck, Daze (Intimidation), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 2 (English, Greek, Latin, Welsh, [Brythonic is native]), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle, Weapon Break, Weapon Bind.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+14), Acrobatics 6 (+11), Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Magic 6 (+10), Expertise: Survival 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 6 (+12), Persuasion 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Thrown Spear 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 8)
Spear +9 (Close Damage 11, Crit 16-20)
Thrown Spear +11 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:
*Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 10, Toughness 11/8, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 90 + Powers 43 + Advantages 16 + Skills 37 + Defenses 9 = 195 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Fish Out of Water. Subject to Authority* (Merlin) *Taciturn. Wanted by the Authorities.*


----------



## Davies

The Veil





Until his powers came on all at once in 2008, when he was fifteen, Larry Vincent had no idea that he was a mutant. None of his family had every had any sort of exposure to mysterious substances as far as they knew, and the source of his powers was a complete mystery to them. Well, possibly not all of them; Larry's father later claimed that his own father, named Lamont for a friend of his long-dead grandparents, had smiled in a somewhat cryptic manner when he heard the news, and later joined his voice to the representative from the Academy in urging his son and daughter-in-law to send their child to Wales. Whatever the old man knew went with him to his grave, two years later.

Regardless, Larry was packed off to the Academy, where he learned the many ways that he could use the mysterious, shadow-like substance that he was able to conjure. He wasn't the best student, and probably earned more than his share of reprimands for getting into trouble on and off campus, but no one could question the courage -- the somewhat impetuous courage -- that he brought to his team-ups with his fellow students. That quality, and his unique powers, resulted in him becoming the first graduate from the Academy to be offered membership in the Powerhouse.

He turned it down. He claimed that all he wanted, for the moment, was to go back home to New Orleans and reconnect with his family and friends, and that he wasn't sure about continuing as a superhero. This was of course a lie, and not a particularly believable one, but the Powerhouse accepted it nonetheless, with Paragon assuring him that the invitation would remain open for as long as needed. Larry thanked him, but knew that his shadowy nature wouldn't really fit in well with the brightly colored costumes of the rest of the team.

He did go home, and spent a while exploring his old home town. While things were better than they had been in his memories of the years right after Katrina, there were still a lot of problems. Well, if it was easy, they wouldn't need a superhero, now would they? He developed the identity of the Veil over the next few months, and embarked on his career in October of 2013.

While the Veil's powers are purely paraphysical in nature, with no mystical component, Larry has taken the time to learn as much about Afro-Caribbean religion and magic as he can. Mostly this is because his most frequent opponent has been the crime lord known as Simon Legendre, who claims -- possibly even truthfully -- to be a decades old _bokor_ who was employed in Haiti's notorious Tonton Macoute. The Veil isn't sure how much of his own hype the gangster believes, but Legendre clearly does have genuine powers ... but these have been successfully opposed by other practitioners of this tradition who've lent their aid to the Veil, in thanks for his help in the past.

He recently made peace with another recurring enemy, the super-villainess Black Velvet, after they were forced to join forces against a Saturn kill team sent after them. Black Velvet, who has similar powers to his own, has decided that she's much too old for these games now that she's in her fifties, and has retired back to Memphis to spend more time with her kids and her mother. As the balance of favors owed and owing between them following their team-up leans somewhat in her direction, the Veil has decided to just take this as a win. 

In combat, the Veil generally prefers to hang back and use ranged attacks when possible. He does have a reasonable level of hand-to-hand combat training, and his shadow powers can deflect and absorb most powers, but he remembers getting beat up a lot despite these advantages when he was a student. He's still a fearless champion who strikes fear into the hearts of evil-doers, but he has learned a bit of caution as he's grown up.

*The Veil -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Shadow Control: *Array (18 points)
 *Shadow Bind:* Cumulative Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Shadow Bolt:* Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2 - 18 points
 *Shadow Images:* Perception Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Limited to fleeing or cowering in terror - 1 point
 *Shadow Shroud:* Ranged Burst Area Visual Concealment 4 Attack - 1 point
*Shadowform:* Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to areas of shadow or darkness; Feature (shadows conceal identity) - 5 points
*Shadowshield:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Immunity 10 (light effects); Sustained Impervious Protection 4 - 26 points
*Shadowstep:* Extended Teleport 7, Medium (shadows) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack 4, Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Fearless 2, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Startle

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Expertise: Theology 4 (+6), Intimidation 7 (+9), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Shadow Control 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 0)
Shadow Bind +8 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Shadow Bolt +12 (Ranged Damage 8)
Shadow Images -- (Perception Range Will 9)
Shadow Shroud -- (Ranged Burst Area Concealment 4, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/7/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 66 + Advantages 14 + Skills 21 + Defense 11 = 150 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Enemy* (Simon Legendre). *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Machinanima





Even in mad science, many of the greatest discoveries are not the products of lone geniuses having single moments of inspiration, but rather long periods of extensive labor to which _many_ brilliant minds contribute. Such is the case of the invention of the android superhero known as Machinanima, or Emil Rossum to use his civilian identity. 

The road to his creation began in 1999, when Valerian Rossum developed a thesis that combined the earliest published work on androtics, dating from the mid-60s, with Andre LaFontaine's more recent publications about memory metals and memory plastics, which had been employed in the empowerment of Trouble. The third major source for Rossum's theories was the research he'd assisted in compiling while a grad student employed at the Morrison Institute, a study of how the Omnivore's powers worked, conducted during the villain's brief incarceration during the early 90s. From these diverse sources, Rossum believed that he could create an android which would be able to imitate the super-powers of any opponent, becoming an incredibly adaptive combatant in the process.

Unfortunately, while his theory was convincing and persuasive, the aftermath of Cerebron's attack had a decidedly chilling effect on androtic research of all sorts. Unable to find sponsors for his work, Valerian turned to crime in order to obtain the funds he needed to realize his goals. Unfortunately, he was a much better scientist than a criminal mastermind, and wound up caught by Argus almost immediately, and was promptly turned over to the authorities, tried and packed off to jail.

Except that was an elaborate fiction woven by Billie Zane. Her interest in androtics was very limited, preferring non-humanoid and completely mechanical robots as she did, but she decided that Rossum's talents would make a fine addition to the conspiracy that she was weaving. A willing patsy was found to take Rossum's place in the dock and later in prison, with the man himself going to work for Argus under a false name. 

Early on in his employment, Rossum and Zane had a brief discussion about his android, whose creation had plateaued even with the greater resources he could access. Essentially, he was unable to create a power supply to fuel the power duplication process. Zane casually outlined some experiments that she'd recently conducted with extradimensional energy sources -- which would later power her Warsuit. It is now believed that this conversation and the diagrams sketched on a napkin probably saved Valerian more than a decade of work.

But it didn't seem that way at the time, for by the time that Zane launched her coup in 2006, Rossum had still not managed to get his prototype up and running. He was captured by Argus -- for real this time -- and tried once again for his original crimes and for what he'd done in support of the coup, including a few things for which he was basically scapegoated. Sent to prison, he will likely not be considered for potential release until 2028. The android prototype was also taken into Argus custody and stored in one of their warehouses in Ireland.

As it turned out, Valerian had made a crucial error in his calculations about how long it would take his creation's batteries to charge, drawing from their extradimensional sources. Instead of a few weeks to fully charge, it took about seven years. In 2013, the android awoke inside the aforementioned warehouse, and naturally attempted to escape from what he viewed as a prison. As it happened, a number of students from the Academy were on a field trip to that warehouse, and both prevented him from doing much damage and rescued him from the somewhat overzealous response by Argus to his escape attempt.

Subsequently, Exelion used some of his clout to persuade Argus' directors to let the android become a student at his Academy, employing their aid to create the identity of Emil Rossum. Machinanima, to use his heroic alias, proved to be a talented if not particularly brilliant student, and graduated with respectable grades five years later. With his public identity's American citizenship -- not strictly a lie, as he was entirely constructed in the United States and could be said to have been 'born' there, despite having spent his entire infancy and childhood abroad -- he returned there to begin his career as a superhero.

He has settled in Baltimore, as it didn't have a native superhero of its own. Machinanima has since learned that this is likely the result of enemy action by the somewhat notorious House of Ashe, a group of local mutant criminals who claim to be descendants of the Usher family whom Poe wrote about. He's failed to make much of an impact on their activities as of yet, though it's only been two years. Roderick Ashe, the family's head, has developed a rather clever strategy for dealing with this new adversary -- he sends only mundane criminals after him, rather than superpowered mercenaries whom Machinanima would be able to imitate.

As Emil Rossum, Machinanima has also made a few friends in Baltimore, most notably a young woman named Penny Lane, who's gone through a rather startling variety of jobs in just the past two years. Penny is well aware of Rossum's true nature, and supports and encourages his attempts to develop a more human attitude. He doesn't necessarily want to _become_ human -- his existence does have certain advantages -- but he does want to be accepted as a person by the general public. That is probably going to take a long time, but he has it to spend.

*Machinanima -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Android Body:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8 - 38 points
*Power Duplication:* Variable 10 (another person's powers), Limited to targets that can be accurately perceived, Cannot duplicate technological powers, Perception Check Required (DC 15) - 64 points
*Semblance:* Morph 1 (human form); Enhanced Morph 2, Limited to individuals whose power has been copied - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Jack-of-all-Trades, Skill Mastery (Insight)

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+8), Deception 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+8), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 18 + Powers 115 + Advantages 6 + Skills 18 + Defense 18 = 176 points 

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Enemy* (the House of Ashe.) *Prejudice* (android.) *Relationship* (Penny Lane.)


----------



## Davies

The Keeper





The lifeblood of any large city is its water supply, and from the very start, the city of Chicago has drawn most of its water from Lake Michigan. Even in the 19th century, however, that particular body of water was often polluted, and once it became clear that simply drawing the water from further away from the shore would not suffice, efforts began to be made to purify it. Chlorination was introduced in 1916, followed by the start of the construction of a major water treatment plant in 1930. The Great Depression and the Second World War delayed the completion of that plant until 1947, but the South Water Filtration Plant that began operations in that year was the largest plant in the world, until it was supplanted by the Central Water Filtration Plant in 1964. Even then, it played a major role in providing fresh water to Chicago and the surrounding area ...

... until 2001, when Cerebron's robots devastated it. The plant was judged to be unsalvageable during the city's reconstruction, and a new plant began construction in 2003, slightly to the north. The original building was simply abandoned, as there was not enough money to properly demolish it under the circumstances. Reports of the homeless taking shelter there were ignored; under the circumstances, everyone had other things to worry about.

And then the first of the bodies showed up outside the plant's former gates. Fingerprints identified these first few victims as men and women who'd been arrested for vagrancy in the past. While the manner in which they'd met their deaths was certainly disturbing, the police department took the attitude that these deaths were probably the result of violence within the homeless community taking shelter within the plant, and that the investigation would probably go nowhere. By 2007, when the body count reached twenty-four, it was more apparent that the community which had existed a few years before that had largely dispersed out of fear.

That was also the year that the first victim who wasn't one of the homeless was discovered, and the police were finally compelled to send in a group of heavily armed investigators to determine what was afoot. Only one of them ever reported back, telling stories of horrific traps and a monstrous figure who had slaughtered the others without mercy. As this affair took place during a period in which Darkwing was being hunted by the police, they were unable (and unwilling) to contact him for assistance.

He went in anyway, and had his first confrontation with the being now known as the Keeper. Clearly a mutant given his unusual size, strength and ability to go without oxygen, water or food, he views any intruders in the environs of the former plant as trespassers in his private domain, to be hunted down, captured in traps and then executed, or killed by more lethal devices. He does not speak, and there is some evidence that he cannot read, either, despite having a great deal of technical skill. He wears a mask that he never removes; beneath it is a horribly deformed countenance.

Darkwing has had numerous unsatisfactory confrontations with the Keeper. He has never been able to capture him, and by now views the apparent deaths that the killer suffers as the manner in which the Keeper makes his escape, returning to his old habits after a sufficient time has passed. As Darkwing cannot focus all his efforts on the problem of taking the Keeper into custody, and so defeating him in combat is only a short-term solution to the problem. A more long-term plan will require preventing his access to the raw materials with which he constructs his traps and other inventions, as well as the shells for his gun. Just who his supplier is remains a mystery.

As with many of the mysteries in contemporary Chicago, the solution is Jack. While in his 'gangster' or 'mad scientist' personalities, Darkwing's archenemy frequently provides the Keeper with care packages of parts and shells. There is no grand scheme here; Jack simply finds it amusing to observe what the Keeper comes up with, as well as Darkwing's enduring frustration with the way that the Keeper has avoided capture. It's not clear whether he knows anything more about the Keeper's mysterious origins than Darkwing does, but it's likely that he considers them irrelevant to his interests.

*The Keeper -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* -1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Harpoon:* Strength-based Damage 3, Reach; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 2 points
*Hunter:* Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Survivor:* Immunity 10 (life support); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect - 20 points
*Traps:* Variable 5 (traps), Subtle 2 - 37 points

_Typical Settings:_
*Spike Pit:* Burst Area Damage 8, Triggered - 17 points
*Tar Pit:* Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Strength; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and
Immobilized), Extra Condition, Progressive, Triggered, Limited Degree - 25 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack, Diehard, Equipment 3, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Smash, Inventor, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Startle, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3), Shotgun (Ranged Damage 5).

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 8 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Hook +8 (Close Damage 8)
Shotgun +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9/6, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 60 + Advantages 16 + Skills 18 + Defenses 9 = 151 points

*Complications:
Obsession* (guarding the plant)*--Motivation. Horrible Appearance. Non-Verbal. Weakness* (becomes Dazed and Vulnerable in bright light).


----------



## Davies

Special Agent Stephen Gregory





In 2007, an arms smuggler named Viktor Bout was apprehended by American agents directed by FBI Special Agent Stephen Gregory. It had been a difficult and stressful chase for both the pursuer and the pursued. Gregory looked forward to seeing his captive go to trial, and told him so. Bout smiled, then, and told him what was going to happen -- in just a few minutes, someone from the State Department was going to come to the door of the room where he was being held, and tell Gregory to release him, as he was far too useful to certain parts of the American government to go down this way. Gregory opened his mouth to answer this ... and then there was a knock on the door.

No one moved for a moment, and then Gregory told his partner, a woman who'd saved his life more than once, to answer it. And as she did so, Gregory drew his hold-out piece and shot her in the back, and the man from the State Department in his face, then turned the gun on Bout, who stammered out, "But you're the good g--" before he joined the ranks of the deceased. Having done so, Gregory casually put the gun into Bout's hand, and manipulated it to shoot himself in the shoulder. No one questioned his version of events, later.

For his entire life, Stephen Gregory had suffered from violent impulses that he had struggled to suppress and control. At university, he studied psychology in hopes of gaining a better understanding of his condition. That had led him to the Bureau, where he hoped that committing himself to Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity would help him to master these urges. Unfortunately, on that day in 2007, Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity had failed him, and so he he needed to find a new cause to champion. He found it in the motto of the Bureau's most hated rival: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

Ever since then, Special Agent Stephen Gregory has pursued the truth, so that he can be set free of his need to control his violent tendencies. He has murdered, stolen, and tortured in the name of this pursuit, and will do so again. Well, maybe not torture; it's fairly clear that inflicting physical pain on someone in order to get information is not a viable practice. Inflicting emotional pain on someone by inflicting physical pain on their loved ones, and relying on _that_ to get information, is something he's interested in studying, though.

At the moment, Gregory is heading up the never-ending investigation of Argus by the Bureau. He doesn't care, anymore, about whatever crimes the agency is engaged in or covering up, but all the secrets that they're hiding are nearly irresistible to him. In pursuit of this investigation, he has also led up the effort to use a number of supervillains, such as Bombast, as intelligence sources. The irony appeals to him.

*Special Agent Stephen Gregory -- PL 8

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA *1 | *AGL *3 | *DEX *4 | *FGT *8 | *INT *9 | *AWE *9 | *PRE *5

*Powers:* 
*Fast Learner:* Variable 2 (learned skills and knowledge), Slow - 12 points
*My Mind is My Self, and My Self is My Mind:* Sustained Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect - 10 points 
*Speed-Thinker:*Quickness 8, Limited to Mental Tasks - 4 points

_Default Setting:_
Enhanced Advantage 3 (Evasion, Favored Enemy [variable], Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Skills 4 (Vehicles 8); Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical - 10 points

*Advantages:* 
Assessment, Benefit (FBI Special Agent), Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, _Evasion, Favored Enemy (variable),_ Improved Critical 4 (light pistol), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Ranged Attack 6, Redirect, Seize Initiative, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Insight, Investigation), _Uncanny Dodge,_ Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), and 14 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:* 
Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Civics 3 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+12), Insight 4 (+13), Intimidation 5 (+10), Investigation 4 (+13), Perception 3 (+12), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 2 (+11), _Vehicles 8 (+12)_ 

*Offense: *
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2, Crit 19-20)
Light Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 3, Crit 16-20)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:* 
Abilities 78 + Powers 26 + Advantages 29 + Skills 19 + Defenses 7 = 159 points

*Complications: 
I Must Know--Motivation. Completely Callous* (understands emotions, but does not care.) _*Secret*_ (_many_ crimes.)


----------



## Davies

Chiropterri






According to a fable supposedly set down by Aesop, at one point the birds and the beasts prepared to make war on each other. But the Bat found himself unsure for which side he should fight, for he was in some ways both. When the beasts bid him join them, he claimed to be a bird; and thus also when the birds bid him join them did he claim to be a beast. At last, peace broke out -- yet this was not a good thing for the Bat, for he was welcome among neither side, now. One who is neither one thing nor another has no friends.

Terri Cooper entered the superhuman community in 2010, as one of the victims of Dr. Charles MacCorkindale, alias the Manimalist, a mad scientist who developed a process of imprinting certain animal traits on human beings in the belief that this would allow his 'patients' to live lives unencumbered by what he considered the false and hypocritical morality of civilization. Basilea stopped the rampaging animal-people from doing too much damage and prevented Dr MacCorkindale from transforming himself into a kaiju-style creature, and used Hesperan medical technology to reverse the treatment he'd performed on most of his victims.

While transformed into a humanoid bat, Terri retained more of her original mindset than most of MacCorkindale's victims. While flying under her own power was an experience that she thoroughly enjoyed, she wasn't interested in 'rampaging' or hurting anybody, and actually helped to prevent one of the other transformed victims from doing that. However, when she overheard that the Hero of Hespera was planning on returning her to her original form, Terri panicked and few away as fast as she could, escaping that fate.

She made her way from California up to Illinois, occasionally engaging in petty crimes to keep herself fed, but also sometimes assisting people she encountered who needed help. Her somewhat vague plan was to present herself to Darkwing as a new partner in crimefighting, figuring that her abilities would be a useful compliment to his. To her annoyance, he tried to arrest her for all those minor offenses and wouldn't even listen to her explanations! He was able to fly rings around her, too, and so she went to jail.

There she stayed for a few years, until she got out for good behavior. While somewhat hardened by her experiences, Terrri -- Chiropterri, as she now called herself -- still wasn't interested in being a serious supervillain. But it was pretty clear that she wouldn't be welcomed as a superhero, either. So she's settled for trying to just do what she thinks is best, helping people when she feels like it, and committing petty crimes when it suits her. As a result, most of the villainous community in Chicago are disgusted with her, and Darkwing also keeps trying to put her back in the joint. One who is not one thing or another has no friends.

In addition to her wings and the claws at the ends of them, Chiropterri has the ability to release a shrill cry that can stun those in her immediate vicinity. This attack is both sonic and ultrasonic in nature, and so ordinary protection from sonic attacks doesn't assist in resisting it. Absolute sound-blocking techniques might work, however. She also recovers from most injuries quickly, and can echolocate like a real bat.

*Chiropterri -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 7 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Bat-Signal:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude, Dazed, Stunned), Concentration, Limited Degree - 18 points
_*Claws: *_Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Healing Factor:* Regeneration 10 - 10 points
*Keen Senses:* Senses 7 (accurate radius tracking hearing, acute smell, danger sense, ultra-hearing) - 7 points
*Wings:* Flight 2, Wings - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+14), Athletics 7 (+11), Close Attack: Claw 4 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 10 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 8 (+12), Stealth 6 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Claws +12 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/4, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 39 + Advantages 7 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 143 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Neither One Thing Nor The Other. Prejudice* (animal looks).


----------



## Davies

_Ah, what the hell. Let's see how long I can keep up this pace.

Incidentally, if you haven't watched _Brand New Animal_ yet, you're missing out._

Dú Láng and Láng Zai





The original Dú Láng (Lone Wolf) was a masked martial artist who fought crime in Hong Kong from the mid-1960s onward. Almost nothing is known about his mundane identity, and it's not clear if he had any super-powers; his feats, while extraordinary, have been duplicated by mundane martial artists since then. Having worked with the Grail Knight on one occasion, he joined his ally in fighting the Battle of Vietnam, and was reported killed while trying to save the life of Kid Wolf. However, in the immediate aftermath, it was discovered that his remains had disappeared, leading to a legend that Dú Láng had been some sort of immortal. Sightings persisted over the next two decades.

In 1999, sightings of Dú Láng increased dramatically, and even skeptics admitted that someone was clearly using the identity. The new Dú Láng was much more brutal than the original, and there were unconfirmed reports of him killing his opponents. These were investigated by the Hong Kong Police Force, who eventually announced that they were unable to determine whether any murders had been committed, or indeed any crimes at all; the official conclusion, announced in August of 2001, was that the activities of the supposed Dú Láng imitator were nothing more than urban legends.

Then Cerebron attacked, and any questions about the reality of the new Dú Láng were firmly answered when he was filmed in combat with the attacking drones. He was clearly different from the original, wearing a remarkably realistic wolf's head mask rather than a painted hood, and demonstrated clearly superhuman abilities. He was every bit as averse to interviews as the original had been, however, and escaped from the hospital where he was treated for his injuries in the attack's aftermath rather than answer any questions.

Reportedly, the Powerhouse attempted to contact Dú Láng and offer him membership, but he avoided contact with them right up until 2015, when he joined forces with a number of them while preventing an attempt to overthrow Hong Kong's government which was backed by the Empire of Korea. It was an uncomfortable alliance, as Dú Láng was very blunt that he would not observe any 'code against killing' that the Powerhouse expected, and that he viewed them as naive idiots for operating in that manner. Despite this, Darkwing noted that the wolf-headed hero did not actually kill anybody in the course of their battles, though he inflicted some very serious injuries against the enemy combatants, particularly those who had killed Hong Kong citizens. In addition to this difference of values, Dú Láng refused to answer any questions about his background, though he laughed at the idea that he was the original Dú Láng.

In 2018, Dú Láng began working with a partner, dubbed Láng Zai (Wolf Cub) by the press. If her mentor is a mystery, she's even more of one. Apparently possessing the power to change her shape into a bewildering variety of animals, ranging from insects through to mammals, she exhibits a friendlier attitude towards the public and the police, though this has become less apparent since the duo have started acting as protectors of Hong Kong's protest movement from 2019 up to the present.

Dú Láng -- or Mark Liu, to use the name he was born with -- is keeping a large number of secrets, even from his partner and pupil. He was born in West Germany in 1975, and associated with a number of pro-Pythonian students while still in high school. In 1992, he joined with twelve of these students to perform a ritual supposedly taken from the Book of the Great Scorpion which transformed them all into werewolf-like creatures. This so-called Brotherhood of the Wolf committed many crimes in the Germanies and Austria. (They are still active there, and have, ironically, become recurring enemies of Magnolia.)

After the end of the Pythonian Insurgency, Liu became increasingly disenchanted with his colleagues, whose political ideals had largely been replaced by greed and bloodlust, and broke with them, fleeing the country for Hong Kong. He eventually adopted the Dú Láng identity in order to do something to make up for the harm he'd caused. He has never deliberately killed anyone -- though he's not foolish enough to believe that no one has died as a result of fighting him -- but uses his murderous reputation as a tool to encourage people to surrender rather than risk death at his claws. This has not always had the results that he would prefer.

Láng Zai, on the other hand, is a native Hong Kong resident, born about a year after the handover. Her powers developed in her mid-teens, and are probably a straightforward mutation. Fearing that she'd be conscripted for the People's Liberation Army's Metahuman Guard, she ran away from home and sought out Dú Láng for training in avoiding capture. He initially refused to assist her, but events beyond either of their control have forced them together. Their relationship is strictly professional; she would either laugh or become ill at the idea of dating someone as ancient as he is, while he keeps his homosexuality another secret.

*Dú Láng - PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Loping Movement:* Enhanced Advantages 5 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 10 points
*Semblances:* Array (5 points)

*Homid:* Morph 1 (completely human form) - 5 points
*Lupus:* Morph 1 (wolf form) - 1 point
*Song of the Wolf Pack:* Auditory Perception Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 20 points
*Thick-Skinned:* Protection 3, Impervious 9 - 12 points
*Wolf Senses:* Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Animal Empathy, Close Attack 2, _Defensive Roll, Evasion,_ Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative _3_, Languages 3 (Cantonese, English, others [German is native]), Power Attack, _Uncanny Dodge_.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Survival 7 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +16
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 7)
Song of the Wolf Pack -- (Perception Area Will 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11/9, Will 9

*Totals:
*Abilities 70 + Powers 53 + Advantages 7 + Skills 22 + Defenses 18 = 170 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Power Loss* (Thick Skinned, against silver weaponry.) *Reputation* (murderous vigilante). *Secret Identity, and Other Secrets.

Láng Zai - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA *1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Beastforms:* Variable 9 (shapeshifter), Move Action, Limited to animal shapes - 72 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 5 (+7)

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1 or by shapeshifted form)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/1, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 72 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 19 = 138 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Bàofēngyu





Shen Meifeng, operating under the alias Bàofēngyu (Tempest), is recognized as one of the most powerful superhumans on Earth. There are other weather controllers -- Snowfall is one of them -- but none of them have Shen's command of _all_ atmospheric phenomena or her sheer power. For more than a decade, she has been quietly working to reduce the atmospheric pollution of modern China and to prevent weather-related disasters, while also fighting monsters and supervillains who afflict her nation. This leaves her without much time for a social life, but she was something of a workaholic even before her powers developed in her early adolescence.

It should be understood that Bàofēngyu is not an agent of her nation's government or a member of the People's Liberation Army's Metahuman Guard, though she has always 'happily' volunteered her services to the latter during times of national crisis. The quotes around 'happily' are deliberate. The price she pays for her independence is that she can never voice any opinion that is critical of the state or any of its policies, and must be seen as someone who voluntarily upholds it. If others voice such opinions in her hearing, the best reaction from her that is likely to be given is a very formal statement that she would prefer not to discuss such matters at the present.

She does in fact have some opinions on the subject of her country; if these are not necessarily as pro-democracy as some Western observers would prefer, they are generally in favor of a less authoritarian and more compassionate government than the one that currently exists. Under no circumstances will she ever express these opinions in any public manner; anyone could be listening, at any time. With regards to foreign governments, Sheng is generally politely skeptical that things are any better anywhere else, or at least that they are not better on a broad enough scale.

Another consequence of her situation is that she has had to decline the invitation she was given to become a member of the Powerhouse, not long after she made her debut on the world stage. She regrets this, as she would welcome the opportunity to talk shop with the other defenders of the world, and to have peers she could trust. But Shen is aware that if she were permitted to join the group by the State, it would be with the understanding that she would report on their activities, and she is not interested in being a spy.

What does interest in her is developing her powers even further than they already have. Her command of the atmosphere has probably reached its fullest potential, but she suspects that she can go further in other areas. She feels that she might be able to develop the same sort of command of the waves that she's seen Nereus developing, and possibly even command over the movements of the Earth and the flow of its fires. If she could do all that, then she would be truly beyond anyone's control but her own. It is a terrifying but very tempting thought.

*Bàofēngyu - PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Forecast:* Senses 4 (precognition), Limited to weather phenomena; Senses 4 (hyper-extended ranged detect weather control) - 6 points
*Hardened Air Shield:* Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation); Sustained Impervious Protection 8 - 14 points
*Weather Control:* Array (36 points)
 *Exposure:* Selective Ranged Burst Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated), Subtle; Dynamic - 2 point
 *Fog:* Selective Burst Area 3 Visual Concealment 4 Attack; Dynamic - 2 point
 *Hailstorm:* Burst Area Ranged Damage 11, Indirect; Dynamic - 2 point 
 *Shaping:* Environment 9 (3 points of effect), Selective; Dynamic - 37 points
 *Thunder & Lightning:* Linked Ranged Damage 8, Indirect 2; Linked Cumulative Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Hearing Impaired, Hearing Disabled, Unaware), Limited to Hearing; Dynamic - 2 point
 *Tornado:* Cylinder Area Damaging Move Object 12, Concentration; Dynamic - 2 points
*Wind-Riding:* Flight 6 (120 MPH); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [weather]) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Benefit 2 (well-off), Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Defense, Languages 2 (English, Mandarin, others [Wu is native]).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+9), Ranged Combat: Weather Control 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 1)
Exposure -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 8)
Hail Storm -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 11)
Thunder & Lightning +9 (Ranged Damage 8 and Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Tornado -- (Cylinder Area Damaging Move Object 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 15/10/7/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 81 + Advantages 13 + Skills 32 + Defenses 18 = 190 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Public Identity. Temptation of Power.*


----------



## Davies

Sun Wukong





He's never claimed to be the original Monkey King who accompanied Xuanzang on their Journey to the West, more than a thousand years ago. On the other hand, he's never claimed _not_ to be the original Monkey King and so on and so forth. When he told the story of his origins to his closest current human friend, the wealthy and brilliant Zhang Xingxing, she noted that he'd left one crucial detail out of his account. He praised her perspicacity and smiled broadly, never addressing that point. By then, she'd gotten used to this sort of thing, somewhat to her dismay.

According to Wukong, in one particular heavily forested valley of the Himalayas, there still lives a community of the vanara people, ape-like humanoids who have sometimes been mistaken for the yeti of Tibetan folklore. Their histories and accounts of their origins are somewhat vague and confused, but they believe that they were somewhat more widespread in ages long past, featuring in the stories that became the Ramayama, and even travelling further west, possibly as far as Africa. Their legends claim that they are the children of gods, but these gods are not terribly important to their current view of the world, which is largely informed by Buddhist teachings.

In any event, periodically they hold a competition to determine if any of their young are capable enough to go out into the cruel, unwelcoming world beyond their forest, as the Monkey King once did. In the aftermath of the most recent such tournament, the current individual who proclaims himself the Great Sage Equal of Heaven set forth to see what could be seen, to learn and perhaps to teach. He wandered eastward into China, seeing much that did not please him, and some things that did. Eventually, he chanced to meet Xingxing, who has told him of a great martial arts tournament to be held next year, in which he has decided to involve himself.

If he is the original Sun Wukong, and he doesn't address the question except in vague and confusing ways, then his abilities have been greatly exaggerated. He is not a genuine shape-changer, but has mastered the art of projecting hypnotic suggestions into the minds of those around him that causes them to _think_ he has changed his shape, along with other illusions. He can also project his will as physical force that is even greater than his already remarkable strength, and gaze into the hearts and minds of others. As a master of illusions, he cannot be deceived by them himself. His famous staff can extend itself quite some distance, but definitely not as far as the stories would claim. And above all else, he is as tough as the stone from which he was supposedly born.

Oh, and the crucial detail? He has never claimed to have actually won that tournament in his homeland. Then again, he has never claimed _not_ to have won it, either.

*Sun Wukong -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cloud Surfing:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Platform - 6 points
*Compliant Gold-Hooped Rod: *Strength-based Damage 2, Accurate, Reach 3, Split Attack; Easily Removable (-3 points) - 4 points
*Contemplative Gifts: *Array (33 points)
 *Deeper Truths:* Illusion 11 (auditory, olfactory, visual), Phantasms - 33 points
 *Know The Hearts of Others:* Cumulative Mind Reading 11 - 1 point
 *Strength of Will:* Perception Range Move Object 11 - 1 point
 *Transformations: *Morph 4, Resistable (Will), Improved Resistance 7 - 1 point
*Superhuman Durability:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Protection 3, Impervious Toughness 13; Regeneration 10 - 29 points
*True Sight:* Senses 7 (visual senses counters all concealment and illusion) - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Benefit (Cipher), Close Attack, Fearless, Improved Critical (staff), Improved Initiative, Languages 4, Power Attack, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+9), Athletics 3 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Expertise: Theology 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+10), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 8)
Staff +12 (Close Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 11, Toughness 13, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 88 + Powers 82 + Advantages 13 + Skills 20 + Defenses 11 = 214 points

*Complications:
Faith--Motivation. Friend* (Zhang Xingxing.) *Impulsive. Inhuman Appearance. Reputation* (fake mythic hero).


----------



## Davies

Zhang Xingxing





Argus is officially not welcome in the People's Republic of China. Official disapproval, of course, is not viewed as a particular barrier by Argus' board of directors _or_ those individuals in China who want to employ the organization's services. They operate under a variety of front organizations, some of which the Ministries correctly suspect as being fronts, some of which they don't know about. These operations typically last only a few years before they have to be rolled up, fairly quickly. One that has lasted a surprisingly long time is the Bèimó Corporation, run by Zhang Xingxing.

Zhang's father recognized that she was a Hyperbrain when she was about two years old -- that was twenty years ago, incidentally -- and spent a day or so contemplating the future his youngest daughter would face when she was inducted into China's thinktanks, which have endured much longer than those in the West. That future was a sad one, but he knew that she would be trained to use her talents for the service of her nation, and took consolation from that. And then he saw that she was studying his company's spreadsheets and making adjustments to improve them, and decided that his nation could get stuffed.

Zhang has been carefully taught to present the appearance of a giggly, boy-crazy airhead used as an attractive 'face' for her company by a group of evil old men who actually don't take a breath without consulting her. The 'boy crazy' part has not taken much effort, as she does in fact have a healthy desire for romance. But she's sure that will come after she makes her first billion or so, and confines herself to flirting without ever taking anything further. Anything she does for Argus is done entirely in her own interests. That's why she's associated herself with Sun Wukong, or whoever he really is, with the intention of using him as the keystone of a strategy to take down Thunder Dragon, for which she expects to be given a seat at the big table. That's all that she cares about.

Except that's not really true. Spending time with Wukong, seeing the joyous way that the crazy hairy man lives his life, has opened her eyes to the fact that her own life is kind of sad and shabby by comparison. Sure, she gets excited when she makes a score, but it never lasts very long, and then she's back to living in constant apprehension about the next one. She's still not sure about any of this, and keeps telling herself that the reason he's so happy is that he is so very very dumb, but she can't shake the feeling that his genuine friendship might be worth -- well, let's not get crazy, only _as much_ as all her money.

And regardless, she still intends to send him into a fight that she thinks he probably can't win, but he's so darn enthusiastic about it that she's starting to hope that she's wrong about that.

*Zhang Xingxing -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire), Connections, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Inventor, Languages 2 (English, Mandarin, others, [Cantonese is native]), Ranged Attack 3, Redirect, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Business 3 (+11), Expertise: Science 3 (+11), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 1 (+9), Persuasion 7 (+9), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 2 (+10), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 27 + Skills 19 + Defenses 10 = 96 points

*Complications:
Ambition--Motivation. Growing a Conscience. Secret* (Argus agent).


----------



## Davies

Megan Excalibur





Every nation answers the challenge to its authority that the mystical poses in its own particular way. Many nations, including the United States, make a concerted effort to ignore it when possible and treat it as just another set of superpowers when not. Others typically seek out those who have ties to the mystical but remain sane enough -- and human enough -- that they can be guard dogs rather than wolves prowling the borderlands between the known and the unknown. This is the path that Japan has chosen, at least for now.

Why it is that so many of the mystical phenomena that transpire within the shadows of Japan's cities turn horrific so easily remains an unanswered question. There are those who insist that it is because of the island's frequent victimization by kaiju in the previous decades, which have left lingering scars on the nation's collective unconsciousness. Some place the blame on earlier scars that resulted from the nation's rapid modernization. And then there's the possibility that this isn't just the way that it is, but that someone is making things turn this way.

Regardless, the current set of wolves-turned-guard-dogs are a small group of agents, informally dubbed the Ghost Sweepers, who exhibit powers that -- they believe -- derive from their possession by spiritual entities associated with heroic or monstrous figures from Japan's history and folklore. The leader of these agents, or at least their commander in the field, is a young woman who uses the name Megan Excalibur, a somewhat eccentric individual for a government employee. She dresses casually, dyes her fair hair a pink color, and speaks in a slangy, English-influenced dialect that even her teammates have trouble understanding at times. However, no one questions that she has authentic powers that allow her to apparently create weapons from thin air and wield them with uncanny skill, allegedly due to her relationship with the ghost of the 16th century swordsmith Senjo Muramasa.

Much of Megan's behavior is a deliberate act, a pretense of taking nothing seriously. She was born in 1997 under the name Sakura Megumi, and is the biracial daughter of English businessman (and convicted criminal) Guy Gisborne and his Japanese mistress. She was initially educated in the United Kingdom, and speaks fluent English, but was sent to Japan for high school when her father's struggle against the Ultra Girls began to heat up. This ultimately resulted in him going to prison, where he is likely to remain for the rest of his life. Megan takes that very seriously, and wants to someday thank the people who put him there. More than anyone else in the world, she knows exactly what sort of person her father is, and how much he belongs in jail.

In the meanwhile, she hunts ghosts, demons, fairies, all sorts of things that people call into being because they can't accept that they are the authors of their own fate. She believes that 'Muramasa' is just a part of her own personality, but still speaks to 'him' in a courteous and formal manner, and uses the weapons that 'he' fashions for her in a dignified and respectful manner. Failing to do this will rob her of their use until she atones, which is a hassle she really doesn't need. She prefers to disrupt the activities of hostile entities in a way that leaves their host unharmed, even though it would be easier to end these phenomena by ending the host. So far, that hasn't ever had to happen. But how long can that last?

During the course of her activities, Megan has crossed paths with Argus agent Miho Tamura. They _don't_ get along, as much because of their clashing attitudes as the rivalry between her government-sponsored organization and Argus' privately run operation. While they can and have worked together, it's never a comfortable partnership. She has also encountered Darkwing on one of his operations in Japan, and found him to be a much easier ally to work with. Aside from that, she mostly associates with her teammates and their circle of contacts, and hasn't left Japan in the last six years.

*Megan Excalibur -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Weapon Mastery: *Enhanced Advantage 3 (Improved Critical 3), Variable (weapons) - 4 points
*Weapon Summoning:* Variable 2 (weapons), Free Action - 18 points

_Typical Settings:_
*Blaster of Blasting:* Ranged Damage 5, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-5 points) - 8 points
*Dual-Wielded Blades:* Strength-based Damage 3, Split Attack, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 4 points
*Shield of Defense:* Enhanced Defenses (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Strength-based Damage 2, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 6 points
*Sword of Promised Victory:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (Ambidexterity), Close Attack 3, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, _Improved Critical 3 (variable),_ Improved Initiative, Language (English, [Japanese is native]), Power Attack, Takedown, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Sword 2 (+8), Expertise: History 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Dual-Wielded Blades +11 (Close Damage 5, Crit 17-20)
Sword of Promised Victory +11 (Close Damage 5, Crit 16-20)
Blaster of Blasting +9 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 16-20)
Shield of Defense +9 (Close Damage 5, Crit 17-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/7, Parry 12/9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 22 + Advantages 15 + Skills 25 + Defenses 17 = 123 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Power Loss* (all, if she offends "Muramasa".) *Prejudice* (biracial, both in Japan and the UK.) *Secret* (government agent).


----------



## Davies

Diorite





The American war in Vietnam, and its horrific finale, did a great deal to provoke anti-American sentiment in Japan. Many of the most militant members of this movement ended up joining the Pythonian Insurgency, but not all of them did. One particular group of these individuals held back and watched the gradual dissolution and ultimate destruction of the Pythons with the same jaded disgust as they'd watched Mishima's stunt two decades earlier. There had to be some way to make Japan great again, but nothing that had been tried so far was working. What to do?

And then, in 1995, they were contacted by a member of a different radical group who'd stayed out of the Pythonian grasp, perhaps the last surviving member of the Stardust Crusaders. Specifically, this individual had been in charge of the Crusaders' method of communicating with their master, and had spent the last two decades trying to figure out how to restore communications. He had a plan but not the wherewithal to implement it; the Japanese radicals had the wherewithal but no plan. Clearly, they should join forces.

They disagreed, and tortured the specifics of the plan out of him before killing him. The ritual, for there couldn't be any question that this is what it was, required some unusual components that would take a while to manufacture. So one of them adopted a child from the cadet branch of their family as his daughter and raised her isolated from the world except for one close companion. Fourteen years went by; the girl was separated from her companion, fed an unusual tasting meal, and then brought to the basement of their home where it was revealed to her whom she had just eaten. Over the sound of her screams, a chant began, and the door appeared before them. The girl's father opened it and then threw his daughter through it before closing it again.

A moment or so later, there came a knock from the other side of the door. They opened it, and a woman -- much older than the girl who had been sent through, yet still clearly her -- stepped through. Before they could say anything, she asked a simple question. "Whom did you seek to contact through your ritual?"

And her father answered, "Someone to destroy those who oppose us."

She nodded. "I am she." And with one more word, she caused his brain to melt out through his eyes, ears and nose. The others died in much the same way soon afterwards.

She took the name Diorite, the name of a rare mineral found in Japan, and then set about bringing about the destruction of the enemies of her summoners, which she casually defined as the entire human populace of Earth. She is in no hurry to bring this about, having all the time in the world at her disposal, and so has chosen to take the slow route of destroying this one specific nation through twisting its mystical phenomena to bring about horrific outcomes. Diorite intends to spread chaos, madness and death across Japan, and then move on from there to the rest of the world.

It should be understood that she doesn't hate humanity. She just believes that the species has demonstrated its unfitness to survive, and is seeking to euthanize it in what she considers a relatively humane manner. Diorite understands that she will be opposed, and has treated those who have opposed her with politeness and courtesy while nonetheless destroying them. There is no more point in becoming angry than there is in anything else. If they can stop her, then they demonstrate their continued worthiness to survive, until the next time the door to Daath is thrown open, which it surely will be.

It might be possible to convince her to abandon her goals; if she were to be made to realize that humanity exists on countless other worlds than this, then she _could_ conclude that ending humanity on this one planet is ultimately irrelevant. If that happens, she will return to Daath and admit her defeat to Ananke, facing the consequences of that failure. What those will be, she cannot imagine. Perhaps a different assignment will be given her. Or she might be destroyed. It doesn't really matter.

In combat, Diorite will usually spend a few rounds simply defending herself rather than counterattacking, to establish that she cannot be harmed by those who oppose her. Thereafter she will utter such words of power as seem appropriate, reserving her Word of Death for the end of any conflict, or for someone who poses a genuinely serious threat. She has worked patiently to ensure that no one can take advantage of her greatest weakness, but it _is_ still possible to discover the name she bore before she was sacrificed, and then use it to bring about her end.

*Diorite -- PL 14

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Beyond Mortality:* Immortality 5 (1 day); Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8, Impervious 14; Regeneration 5 - 67 points
*Seven Words of Power:* Array (42 points)

*Word of Banishment:* Perception Range Movement 1 Attack (dimensional travel to prison dimension), Resisted by Will, Increased Resistance 13, Reversible - 1 point
*Word of Death:* Perception Range Damage 14, Resisted by Will, Hearing-Dependent - 42 points
*Word of Motion:* Accurate Easy Extended Teleport 10, Extended Only - 1 point
*Word of Pain:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Word of Rule:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Word of Sight:* Remove Sensing 14 (visual), No Conduit - 1 point
*Word of Terror:* Perception Range Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Impaired and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Disabled, Incapacitated and Paralyzed), Extra Condition, Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Daze (Intimidation), Fascinate (Intimidation), Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Startle.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+14), Expertise: Magic 6 (+12), Insight 7 (+15), Intimidation 10 (+16), Perception 5 (+13), Stealth 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 7)
Word of Banishment -- (Perception Range Will 14)
Word of Death -- (Perception Range Damage 14, Resisted by Will)
Word of Pain, Rule or Terror -- (Perception Range Will 14)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 16, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 96 + Powers 109 + Advantages 6 + Skills 22 + Defenses 10 = 243 points

*Complications:
Nihilism--Motivation. Power Loss* (Immortality, when killed by one who knows her true name and speaks it.)


----------



## Davies

Bobby Garfield





Roberto 'Bobby' Garfield was born in Vancouver, but largely raised in New Zealand with his mother's Samoan family. After a brief stint in New Zealand's professional wrestling organization, he found a place in the ranks of Adventures Unlimited, a pan-Pacific private military company that provided muscle for various archaeological, exploration and reconnaissance efforts. (Based in Hawaii, it was founded by a former JSOT operator who'd decided that Argus was too stuffy for his tastes.) In 1999, he and several other employees of the organization were hired to accompany Professor Raymond Fenner on his mission to Dread Island.

By any reasonable standard, this mission was a complete debacle. Three of the company lost their lives, and the four survivors were mutated, with Bobby being one of the latter. He fell into a pool of unidentified and electrified chemicals, and emerged with the ability to fly at fantastic speeds. All of that was bad enough, but it turned out that Fenner was planning on using a mind control device on some of the sub-kaiju creatures of the Island and turning them into an army to conquer Australia, and on top of that had no intention of paying his hired hands. So they stopped him on Dread Island and pursued him back to Australia, where their heroics attracted a fair amount of media attention.

The Australian government had been paying attention to recent world events, and recognized that superheroes were starting to make a comeback. One of their more foresighted ministers wanted to get ahead of the curve on this issue, and offered the four mutants support if they agreed to join forces as Australia's official super-team. In Bobby's version of events, he persuaded the other three that they had a responsibility to use their newfound powers for the benefit of the world, and so led them to form the Discovery Company. (There are three other versions of this series of events.)

In Bobby's view, the last twenty years have been pretty great. They've been doing the job that they set out to do, and are a respected and admired super-team. Sure, they've been through some rough patches, and Bobby's heart aches a bit when he thinks of all the crap Max, in particular, has suffered for the team, but the notion that any of this should make them call it quits is utterly alien to him. He wants to help people, and the Discovery Company helps him to help people, so why would he ever want to stop?

However, something that he's aware of but doesn't really want to admit to himself is that the members of the company are essentially big fish in a fairly small pond, and that there are much larger fish and ponds elsewhere. In Australia, they're some of the most powerful heroes around, but that doesn't mean much on the global scale that their friends in the Powerhouse operate on. If, as Brad has sometimes suggested, they were to combine with the Powerhouse, they'd be second-stringers at best. That's not something that Bobby really wants.

One common misconception about Bobby is that he has super-strength in addition to his super-speed. He is _much_ stronger than a normal human being, but he's still within human limits, and his might is entirely the product of a fanatical dedication to physical fitness, which he encourages in his fellows. Just how well he'll be able to keep up this regimen, as he grows older, is another thing that he tries not to think about.

*Bobby Garfield -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Hyper-Speed:* Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to While Moving; Enhanced Advantages 5 (Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 10 (2,000 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 6 - 48 points
*Speedster Tricks:* Array (18 points)

*Cyclonic Press:* Burst Area Move Object 9, Concentration - 18 points
*Rapid Attack:* Selective Burst Area on Strength Damage - 1 points
*Sonic Boom:* Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, _Defensive Roll 2,_ Evasion, Fearless 2, _Improved Initiative 3,_ Instant Up, Move-by Action, Takedown, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 7 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +16
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Rapid Attack -- (Selective Burst Area Damage 4)
Sonic Boom -- (Bust Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 7, Toughness 7/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 68 + Advantages 8 + Skills 15 + Defense 11 = 148 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Slightly Oblivious.*


----------



## Davies

Jeanie Rayne





Born in Hawaii in 1974 and raised partly there and partly in California, Jean 'Jeanie' Rayne first got involved in heroics when she was a freshman at UCLA, when she stumbled onto a small-time Pythonian operation on campus and promptly contacted JSOT. After she graduated with honors in 1996, she was promptly headhunted for Argus, and took to the training rather well. Her first major assignment, a couple of years later, was to undercover in the competing Adventures Unlimited organization and keep an eye on its activities. She never found any evidence that they were up to anything criminal, but was still on the job a year later when she was tapped for the Dread Island expedition.

Exposed to the "photonic breath" of the kaiju known as Opticullus, Jeanie found herself mutated into a flying energy projector, and worked with her surviving teammates to thwart Professor Fenner's ambitions. She thus found herself on the ground floor of a new team of superheroes, an ideal position for an Argus agent. She was somewhat surprised by the orders she got from headquarters, but immediately obeyed them, and explained to her new teammates that she had been planted inside Adventures Unlimited by Argus, but had been cut loose after her mutation. This neatly sidestepped any possibility that they might find out about her past association with Argus, and would allow her to present her intelligence from the organization as "tips from old friends".

It's really been a while since Jeanie thought of herself as an agent, though. She's been a fairly straightforward superhero for more than twenty years now, and while she still gets the occasional briefing and passes monthly updates back, she's also fairly sure that the agency has other operatives in place to monitor the group. The directors probably wouldn't mind if she just resigned, at this point, and that might help her to deal with the periodic twinges of conscience that she feels about lying to her friends.

At the moment, she's vacillating between Brad's notion that they should contact the Powerhouse and apply for membership en masse, and Bobby's insistence that they keep right on trucking as they have been. Both ideas have their upsides and downsides, she thinks, and she also wonders if maybe the Discovery Company has outlived its usefulness. It's been an awful long time since they did any 'discovering', after all. Maybe a better course of action than either of those options might be to dissolve the Company while renegotiating their contract with the Australian government so that those who want to stay in Australia can keep on as government-sponsored heroes can, and those who don't can move on.

But she's not sure herself what she wants to do, and suspects that if she did become a member of the Powerhouse, she'd be under much more scrutiny by Argus. That's not something she really wants, but it might happen regardless.

Jeanie's greatest weakness arises from her nature as a solar energy absorber -- she becomes progressively weaker when her energy output exceeds her energy input, though even the relatively limited energy from the moon and stars will let her remain active during the night, outside of new moon and heavily overcast nights. Underground and undersea, she quickly burns through her stored up energy, and will try to get out of such situations as quickly as possible. 

*Jeanie Rayne -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Light Control:* Array (18 points)
 *Laser Barrage:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 6 - 1 point
 *Laser Blast:* Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
 *Laser Flare:* Cumulative Visual Perception Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Light & Heat:* Selective Environment 3 (daylight, extreme heat) - 1 point
 *Light Speed:* Enhanced Flight 9 (125,000 MPH), Aquatic, Quirk (only in Photonic Form) - 1 point
*Photonic Form:* Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Flight 7 (250 MPH); Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 5 - 44 points
*Photonic Resistance:* Immunity 5 (light damage) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7) Deception 7 (+9), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Light Control 2 (+5), Stealth 4 (+8), Technology 4 (+4), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Laser Barrage +8 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 6)
Laser Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 9)
Laser Flare -- (Visual Perception Area Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/6, Parry 9/4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 75 + Advantages 9 + Skills 21 + Defenses 10 = 147 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Secret* (not-so-former Argus agent.) *Weakness* (darkness, becomes progressively Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated.)


----------



## Davies

Brad Payne





Brad Payne, one of the two actually Australian members of the Discovery Company, tells a story of trying to enlist in the Australian Defense Force after he got out of high school, but being turned down due to what he terms politics. Frustrated, he managed to make his way to Hawaii in order to sign up with Adventures Unlimited just a few days before he got tapped for the Dread Island expedition. The rest is history, of course ... and what precedes it are lies. He's not a particularly _good_ liar, but he's never given anyone a reason to go looking for the truth.

Biron Panagakos, to use the name he was given at birth, never finished high school, much less tried to enlist in the ADF. By the time he was 16, he was thoroughly enmeshed in the coils of a group of latter-day bushrangers, who supposedly claimed descent from the legendary Kelly gang but were probably just a bunch of ex-Pythons. From this dubious source, "Brad" learned everything he knew about fighting and surviving in the wild, both skills that he would come to rely on heavily after the group was finally broken up in early 1999. He escaped capture, and managed to make his way to Hawaii ... well, the rest of it is more or less true. He viewed Adventures Unlimited as a sort of French Foreign Legion where he could escape from his past.

Whatever sins he might have committed as a bushranger, though, all karma was surely repaid when he ended up being first paralyzed and then _swallowed alive_ by the horrific kaiju known as the Boalisk. He survived, thanks to a secret that he himself did not know -- he was a distant cousin of Steve Panagakos, the member of the Primal Pattern known as Antaeus, and the experience of being exposed to the Boalisk's stomach acids activated his own power to become solid stone. He was still somewhat traumatized by the way that his super-strength didn't allow him to tear his way out of the monster, but instead had to ... well, pass.

Despite this somewhat unauspicious start, Brad was an enthusiastic proponent of the formation of the formation of the Discovery Company, and an enthusiastic participant in their exploits. He's an enthusiastic fellow, though some have noted that his enthusiasm tends to burn itself out fairly quickly, leading him to move on to something else. So it was that he was also an enthusiastic voice in support of the proposal that the Powerhouse made to the Discovery Company, that they should all join not long after the other group was formed. The rest of the team voted against it, though, and he got used to the idea.

More recently, however, he's come back to that old idea, noting the way that Max's heart clearly isn't in it anymore, and arguing that they should check to see if the Powerhouse is still interested in having them as members. He'll never admit it, but he's a bit afraid that his own abilities aren't really anything special in comparison to the members of the Powerhouse, and worries that putting it off as long as they have was a big mistake. As for their contract with the government, well, the pols have tried to amend it so many times that they probably won't really care if it dissolves completely. Heck with 'em!

Honestly, it's a surprise to him that he's stuck around as long as he has.

*Brad Payne -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 10/4 | *STA* 12/4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Jet Pack: *Flight 7 (250 MPH); Removable (-3 points) - 11 points
*Solid Form:* Enhanced Stamina 8; Enhanced Strength 6; Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Lifting; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 8; Activation, Move Action (-1 point) - 48 points
*Sleeper Hold:* Progressive Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Grab-based - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Fearless 2, Interpose, Ranged Attack 2, Takedown, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+13/+7), Expertise: Survival 6 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+6), Stealth 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10)
Sleeper Hold +8 (Grapple DC 20, Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 14/6, Toughness 12/4, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 75 + Advantages 10 + Skills 12 + Defenses 12 = 149 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Accident* (damage to surroundings). *Dark Secrets. Fame.*


----------



## Davies

Max Lalande





Max Lalande graduated from a Sydney-based thinktank in 1997; either this particular operation never employed loyalty conditioning techniques or they failed to take effect on him, because he left the facility and never looked back. After paying his respects to his late parents, who'd passed away while he was inside, he found employment with Professor Raymond Fenner as his lab assistant, and accompanied him on the expedition to Dread Island. Fenner did not confide his goals to him, and Max found himself every bit as jeopardized by his employer's plans as the crew from Adventures Unlimited.

In fairness, though, he was keeping a fairly large secret from Fenner, specifically the rudimentary telekinetic abilities that the meditative disciplines he'd learned at the think tank had unlocked. Desperate to find a weapon to help himself survive the rigors of Dread Island, Max decided to experiment with eating the same plant life as herbivorous kaiju, which he theorized (on very shaky grounds) would energize his own abilities in the same way that they empowered the kaiju. It worked, and he experienced a considerable burst of power, but the consequence has been a lingering dependence on the Dread Island fauna that he ate.

Ignoring that, Max leant his brains, in both a scientific and psychic manner, to the formation of the Discovery Company. The name was his his idea, embodying the way that he hoped they could use their abilities as explorers of the unknown, making the world (or at least Australia) safe by making it more known. He also set quite a few of the group's initial policies, convincing his teammates that 'secret identities' were ridiculous when they were operating in the public interest as they were. His outrage at Fenner's actions had left Max with a lingering anger and loathing for anyone who kept secrets.

He's since had cause to regret that decision, but has responded to the tragedies that have ensued by doubling down on his attitude. First, when the group were attacked by Saturn operatives in 2006, he suffered serious injuries that put him out of action for a year and disfigured his face. The man who hates secrets began to wear a face-covering mask to keep the public from panicking.

He'd just about gotten used to the cognitive dissonance of that when the team picked up its fifth member, the gadgeteer Iris Phillips, who assisted him with his experiments and, by showing no revulsion at the sight of his unmasked face, won his heart. Unfortunately, five years ago, she was critically injured on a mission, and it became apparent that she was an android! And the so-called Discovery Company wasn't able to figure out who had sent her to infiltrate their team before she self-destructed, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Max is, bluntly, burnt out. He keeps going largely out of inertia, but he is desperately in need of some time off from the team at minimum, and probably a lot of therapy. His diet of bizarre vegetation from Dread Isle (and, whisper it, kaiju meat) may not be doing his physical health any favors, either. Unfortunately, he's much too proud to seek the help that he needs, and so he is gradually falling apart, just like his team. Eventually, he's going to snap under the pressure, and what happens next will not be pleasant for anyone.

*Max Lalande -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 1 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Basic Telekinesis:* Move Object 9 - 18 points
*Force Field:* Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 20 points
*Levitation:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Distracting - 7 points
*Telekinetic Techniques:* Array (18 points)

*Telekinetic Column:* Line Area 2 Damage 6 - 1 point
*Telekinetic Grab:* Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Concentration, Instant Recovery, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Telekinetic Pulse:* Ranged Damage 9 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Inventor, Leadership, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks)

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+5), Expertise: Science 6 (+12), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Telekinesis 8 (+9), Technology 6 (+12)

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Telekinetic Pulse +9 (Ranged Damage 9)
Telekinetic Column -- (Line Area Damage 6)
Telekinetic Grab +9 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/1, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 66 + Advantages 8 + Skills 18 + Defense 21 = 147 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Dependency* (unusual diet, powers become Impaired and Disabled without it.) *Fame. Hatred* (deception and secrets). *Horrifying Appearance.*


----------



## Davies

Motley





After the Discovery Company, the best-known of Australia's few superheroes is probably Motley, an urban acrobat with lightly augmented coordination and physical prowess, who operates out of Sydney where they range over the whole continent and beyond. Famous for pelting his opponents with wisecracks as well as punches and kicks, his genuine heroism made him an easy ally of most of the Discoverers, and he frequently worked with him. (Max, of course, disliked the way that he kept a secret identity and the apparently unserious way that he approached things.) While sometimes viewed with suspicion by the Australian press, he is a largely beloved figure.

Unfortunately, this isn't him.

Two years ago, Dr. Anatole Correia, the notorious Mind Flayer, learned of Motley's secret identity as high school teacher Simon "Si" Simmons. Having fought Motley on and off for two decades, Correia was nearing the end of his life thanks to his repeated injuries suffered in their battles. He decided not to just go gently, but rather employed his telepathic powers to swap their minds so that Simmons would be stuck in his own dying body, while he would be in the young and vital form of his greatest enemy. And it worked, with Correia's original body quickly succumbing to the injuries sustained in their final confrontation.

But the experience was not what the Mind Flayer had expected it to be. He was unprepared for the fact that his consciousness would be directly exposed to Simmons' memories of his life, both the painful and uplifting ones. Correia's justifications for his cynicism and cruelty were shattered as he was shown how someone who had suffered as much as he had, if not more, had still chosen an altruistic and heroic path in life. He was forced to admit that Si Simmons was a better man than him, and that he had committed a crime that, for the first time, he deeply regretted.

Unfortunately, Simmons' consciousness was lost forever, and there was nothing that Correia could do to repair this. The only thing he could do to make amends for his terrible act, then, would be to live out the remainder of his life as he thought Simmons would have done, trying to be as heroic as him, and applying his greater intellect towards solving the problems of humanity, instead of his own selfish gain. Without regret, he stopped using the psionic technologies employed by the Mind Flayer, and became what he hoped would be a new and improved Motley.

Motley's friends and allies are aware that he's gone through a serious personality change in a few months, becoming increasingly focused on making sure that everyone knows about his accomplishments. They aren't sure what to make of it, and most of them hope that it's just a phase that he's going through in response to all the troubles in his private life (which Correia exploited in setting up the transfer.) None of them suspect that their friend is gone forever, and that someone else is running around inside his skin, engaged in a vainglorious quest to become a hero. Not yet, at least.

*Motley -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Bag of Tricks:* Array (14 points)
 *"Mr. Sparky"/Overclocked Meta-Taser:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Unreliable--Limited Uses - 14 points
 *Itching Powder Explosion:* Cloud Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Impaired & Vulnerable, Disabled & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Triggered 2 - 1 point
 *Gooey Spray:* Cone Area Affliction 7 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Immobile & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Good Old-Fashioned Bomb:* Burst Area Damage 6, Triggered 2 - 1 point
*Jet Pack:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Removable (-3 points) - 11 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Grappling Finesse, Improved Initiative, Inventor, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Redirect, Set-Up, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+13), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+13), Deception 10 (+15), Expertise: Science 7 (+13), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 7 (+12), Perception 9 (+12), Sleight of Hand 8 (+14), Stealth 8 (+13), Technology 9 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 2)
Overclocked Meta-Taser +11 (Ranged Fortitude 7)
Itching Powder Explosion -- (Cloud Area Fortitude 6)
Gooey Spray -- (Cone Area Affliction 7, Resisted by Dodge)
Bomb -- (Burst Area Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13, Parry 13, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 76 + Powers 28 + Advantages 18 + Skills 43 + Defenses 24 = 190 points

*Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Genuine Desire to be a Better Person. Secret Identity, And Then Some Secrets On Top of That.*


----------



## Davies

Nick Grey





Nicholas Grey never knew his parents, growing up in the questionable care of an aunt and uncle in Surrey. They were never actually cruel to him, but never kind, either, and they just told him that his parents were dead. In 1996, however, the ten year-old boy was contacted by Christopher Potter, a self-proclaimed magus who'd known his parents, revealing that they'd died to stop the monstrous Baron Khan from seizing control of the United Kingdom when Nicholas was two years old. Potter claimed that Nicholas was a chosen one, destined to help finish the job his parents had started, and Nicholas eagerly agreed to help.

It was of course all lies. Christopher Potter was a magician of sorts, but he was first and foremost a secret agent of the British government, who taught his pupil just enough about magic to make him a danger to himself. His youth and apparent talent were bait to lure Baron Khan into a series of deadly traps that were supposed to eliminate him as a threat to the ambitions of Potter's employer. Nick found this out only after the fifth time Potter had 'killed' Khan, and specifically after the still living Khan confronted the two of them, revealing much of the truth in the process.

Potter shot himself rather than suffer whatever vengeance Baron Khan had in mind, abandoning Nick to their enemy's tender mercies. For a wonder, Baron Khan didn't kill him. Perhaps he believed that the boy, absent his master's influence, was no longer any real threat, and simply satisfied his anger by beating him within an inch of his life while demolishing what was left of his belief in Potter. Nick woke up in a hospital, realizing how badly he'd been used, and feeling lower than he could imagine. Every ideal had been crushed, every hope ruined. What was he supposed to do with his life now?

And then, while he was recovering from his injuries, Cerebron attacked. The hospital was spared the worst of it, and so it was here that the young woman who'd fought to save London was brought and treated, and otherwise left entirely alone. Nick wasn't sure why he approached her, beyond the fact that no one seemed to really care whether she lived or died. They were both alone in the world, and yet she'd tried to help people while all he'd been able to do was cower in helpless fear. He held her hand while she slept, willing her to heal. He still doesn't know if it worked or not.

It was a very different young man who left the hospital, a short while later. He started to study magic much more seriously than he ever had before, learning much about his talents that Potter had hidden from him. He wasn't the sort of magical soldier that Potter had tried to make of him, but a healer and seer, who could help others to fight the battles that needed to be fought. He found himself doing just that quite a bit over the next few years, and in the process reconnected with Jennifer Chase, now known as Blakestone, and also met Prydwen.

Nick's attitude towards life is very different from Jennifer's, which may contribute a bit towards the volatility of their relationship _which will not be elaborated upon here lalala can't hear you_. Nick has come to the conclusion that any immortality is probably just an illusion. Sooner or later, all things must perish, and even the 'one thing that never dies' of legend is something that will be remembered for only a few generations at best, in a tiny part of the world, on a speck of dust supported in a sunbeam. Ultimately, in the end, nothing matters.

Therefore, there is no reason in the world not to help people as much as you can. Nick can often be helping people out with things that Blakestone regards as incredibly trivial, never asking for a reward or even counting them as favors owed. This can sometimes result in frustration when his friends need his help for what they perceive as larger matters and he'd prefer to finish what he's doing rather than drop it, but they've had to learn to live with his decisions.

He also still wants to put a permanent end to Baron Khan, but because of what he's learned about the villain's actual goals rather than any imaginary wrongs done to him or his family. He's actually learned that his mother is still alive and supposedly holed up somewhere in Finland, and that his father, a mercenary, died only recently. What he's learned about them doesn't inspire him with any real urge to find out more ...

*Nick Grey -- PL 9

Abilities: 
STR* 1 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Prophecy:* Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable - 2 points
*Sorcery:* Array (36 points)

*Free Your Mind:* Simultaneous Perception Range Nullify Mind Control 9, Sustained - 1 point
*Healing Touch:* Restorative Energizing Healing 9 - 36 points
*Healing Word:* Perception Range Restorative Engergizing Healing 6 - 1 point
*Smithing Word:* Perception Range Healing 9, Affects Objects Only - 1 point
*Wordsmithing:* Comprehend Languages 4 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Extraordinary Effort, Inspire 2, Luck 4, Set-up, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Magic 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/2, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 42 + Advantages 11 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 141 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Enemy* (Baron Khan.) *Generous to a Fault. Relationship* (Prydwen, Blakestone.) *Reputation* (cunning man.)


----------



## Davies

Maureen Summerisle





When she was four years old, Gwenno Summerisle was sent with her mother away from the Hebridean island which her ancestors had ruled since time immemorial (that being defined as the late 18th century) ostensibly because her father planned to divorce her mother and marry someone to give him a son, but actually because he had well-founded concerns for his family's safety, to say nothing of his own. As it happened, he was right to worry, as he was murdered the next year when the harvest failed that year, just as it had the previous year, despite all the desperate measures that had been taken. Summerisle's culture rather devolved after that, but it seems to have made a comeback, recently, under the guidance of a distant cousin of Maureen's grandfather. It would probably not be a good idea for her or any other claimant to the title to go back, though.

Regardless, Gwenno grew up in Nevada and had almost completely forgotten about her origins by the time that she turned eighteen and started trying out to be a showgirl. She managed to get hired by one of the smaller casinos, and then a somewhat larger one, and was actually making a fairly good life for herself when a chance encounter with someone she's never talked about ended that life forever, since pregnant women are not generally considered to be showgirl material. Unwilling to take the simple solution to this problem, she gave birth to her daughter, Maureen, in 1992, spent a year recovering and then went back to work as a dance school instructor. Maureen's father was not in the picture, but Gwenno married a poor but dishonest LVPD officer and established a relatively happy family life all the same.

When Maureen was eight, her younger brother went missing and has never been seen alive since. When she was twelve, her stepfather was killed in a shootout with some drug dealers. When she was fourteen, her mother was murdered by a serial killer. People she got close to while in foster care tended to meet unpleasant ends. She developed the belief that death was stalking her, showing her what he could and would eventually do to her. She decided not to go to that meeting quietly, and took up martial arts, at which she showed a surprising amount of talent. Sometimes, she felt herself _shifting_, becoming stronger, faster, _harder_.

At eighteen, she was finally had her long-expected meeting. Death, as it turned out, was actually a man -- a crazy man who claimed to have magical powers which he'd employed to bend the fates of those around Maureen so that they'd meet unpleasant ends. Apparently, the psychopath was acquainted with her biological father, and took a sick interest in the notion of claiming Mephistopheles' daughter as a bride. All that she had to do to make it stop would be to marry him, and then -- 

Actually, she didn't bother listening to the rest. She proceeded to beat her tormentor half-way to death, at which point he gurgled out a threat that if he died the curse would never end, and that no one she loved would ever be safe. "Okay," she said, and then beat him the other half-way.

Ever since then, Maureen has ambled around North America in a series of cars that she obtains through fair means or foul, looking for people who have problems with what she considers to be monsters, and helping them out -- for a fee that she sets based upon a completely arbitrary assessment of her 'clients'. She is definitely not a superhero, and regards the capes-and-tights crowd with disinterested contempt. By and large, she preys upon low-powered supers who've completely lost their minds following their mutation, but she has also encountered werewolves, vampires, witches, apparent ghosts and so-called fairies. Whatever the opponent, if someone is willing to pay her to take it on, she does so. If not, then not.

Maureen has never met her alleged father -- either of him -- and has been noted to stay out of San Francisco. She has crossed paths with Dame Beatrice Barrowman, and wants to kill her. One important factor of Maureen's attitude is that once she decides that someone is a monster deserving of death, they are on that list for life, and nothing -- not the most saintly behavior -- will get someone off of it. While she worked with Argus agents during Dracula's recent activities in New York, and didn't attack Dame Beatrice when there were all sorts of people around who would have tried to separate the two of them, she spent the entire episode glaring cold death in the old witch's direction, and getting the same cold glare from her bodyguard.

Sort of a shame. He's kinda cute. Oh well.

*Maureen Summerisle -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2/0 | *STA* 4/0 | *AGL* 5/1 | *DEX* 3/1 | *FGT* 7/3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
"Become Who You Were Born to Be":* Enhanced Characteristics 16 (Agility 4, Dexterity 2, Fighting 4, Stamina 4, Strength 2), Subtle, Activation (Move Action) - 32 points
*Find Weakness:* Strength-based Damage 4; Enhanced Advantage 4 (Close Attack 4) - 8 points
*Monster-Killing Dance:* Enhanced Advantage 3 (Evasion 2, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2) - 7 points
*Resistance:* Immunity 1 (vampiric blood drain); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect - 11 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, _Close Attack 4_, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, _Evasion 2,_ Extraordinary Effort, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon 2, Languages 2, _Move-by Attack_, Power Attack, Redirect, Takedown 2, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Frequently-Replaced Car: Size Large; Strength 5; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 8; Toughness 8 - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11/+7), Athletics 6 (+8/+6), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Magic 5 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 8 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+9/+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9/+5
Unarmed +11/+7 (Close Damage 6/4)
Improvised Weapon +11/+7 (Close Damage 7/5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/7/3, Parry 9/7/3, Fortitude 6/2, Toughness 9/5/4/0, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 58 + Advantages 15 + Skills 27 + Defenses 10 = 132 points

*Complications:
Vengeance, Or Something Like That--Motivation. Cursed to Bring Doom to Those She Loves, and So Loves No One.* Power Loss * (Monster-Killing Dance, if she's not committed to killing the target.) *Reputation* (heartless mercenary.) *Vindictive.*

* Just to be clear, it's not clear at all whether she's actually cursed in this manner. Frankly, voluntary emotionally detachment from everyone around her is probably a curse in and of itself.


----------



## Davies

Helice





Compared to some superheroes, Tina Wilson has had a remarkably mundane life. Born in 1985, her telepathic powers began to emerge in her early adolescence, and were almost at their current level in 2003, when she was recruited by the Department of Defense to become the only female member of the United Supermen of America, tasked with keeping the group safe from psychic intrusion and subversion as well as acting as its lead investigator. As she'd already engaged in a certain amount of mystery-solving in her teens, none of this seemed all that difficult. Her biggest issue in this period was how uncomfortable she was with the constant public attention focused on her team.

When the group dissolved in 2007, it came as something of a relief. Unfortunately, that was followed up by the major headache of being hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to basically serve as a living lie detector. She wasn't allowed to probe anyone without their express permission -- not that she would have, regardless of rules -- just monitor people who were being interviewed to determine whether they were lying in response to specific questions. Tina found herself a bit horrified as she came to realize how many people who worked for the Bureau were such consummate liars as to be able to fool her telepathy.

After three years of this, she was more than ready for a change, and accepted Thomas Dore's invitation to come work with him again at Heroic Enterprises. She was back in the thick of the group's investigations again, and leading a much less sedate life, but it was enjoyable ... right up until it wasn't anymore. After three years of _that_, she decided that she'd had enough of this and handed in her resignation. Later, when she read about the business with the bridge, she briefly wondered if she could have prevented that if she'd stayed around, then reminded herself to only look forward, never back.

These days, Tina makes her home in Attica, Indiana, and acts as the semi-official superhero of the nearby city of LaFayette. She doesn't have to use much in the way of violence in the course of her job, while discreetly making sure that the local police force on which she relies for support is more honest and ethical than the national average. She also works to keep an eye on all the surrounding counties, paying considerable attention to anything that might be going on in haunted Delphi. So far, she hasn't found anything going on there, but she thinks it likely that just means that the Pythonian remnants are smart enough to avoid their former base. That's not a good thing, all around.

Helice has good relations with Darkwing, who contacts her for assistance when he requires a discreet telepath, which Basilea generally isn't. She wasn't particularly close to True Believer when they both worked at Heroic Enterprises, she felt a great deal of sympathy once the other left the company, and has spoken with her several times since then, offering support and consultation. She respects the work True is doing with the Minor League, knowing very well that this is not something she could ever do. She is just plain _done_ with teams, though she has no objection to partnerships.

Helice's telepathic ethics allow her to read surface thoughts without any qualms -- it's not any different from being attentive towards people's facial expressions or body language. The same is true of using someone else's senses. She only permits herself to probe further if she encounters surface thoughts which indicate hostility towards another person who is actually present or if someone is contemplating a criminal act. Nothing of what she discovers through any of these methods is accepted as evidence in a trial, and so she must discover proof of intent or action if she wants to see criminal charges laid. Fortunately, she's kind of good at that.

*Helice -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 10, Limited to mental effects - 5 points
*Telepathic Communication:* Selective Area Mental Communication 3; Comprehend Languages 3 (understands and 'speaks' all languages) - 27 points
*Telepathic Defenses:* Enhanced Advantages 10 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Seize Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8); Senses 2 (acute psychic awareness) - 28 points
*Telepathic Feats:* Array (34 points)

*Mind Blast:* Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Will, Subtle - 1 point
*Mind Probe:* Cumulatative Mind Reading 11, Subtle - 34 points
*Paralysis:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Paralyzed), Subtle - 1 point
*Phantasms:* Illusion 8 (all senses), Feedback, Resisted by Will, Selective - 1 point
*Sensory Link:* Remote Viewing 8 (all senses), Medium (living mind), Subtle - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (well-off), _Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2,_ Fearless, _Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Seize Initiative,_ Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks).

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+9), Expertise: Psychology 5 (+8), Insight 5 (+11), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+11), Persuasion 5 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +11/+3
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 0)
Mind Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Will)
Paralysis -- (Perception Range Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 15/7, Parry 13/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 98 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 14 = 183 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Code of Honor* (telepathic ethics.) *Fame. Power Loss* (Telepathic Defenses, against non-intelligent beings or those with Immunity to mental effects.)


----------



## Davies

The Reaper





Around the start of the Millar administration came the earliest reports of a lethal vigilante acting against mundane criminals in the New York metropolitan area, much as the notorious Hazard had operated against Pythonian-backed criminal operations thirty years before that. While many superheroes have considered taking action against this murderer, none have successfully tracked him down ... and some have gone missing while trying to do so. Basilea has argued that the Powerhouse should consider him a priority target at meetings, but the group has collectively concluded that they have higher priorities at the moment. This may be a terrible mistake.

Blake Rogers was born in 1966, a military brat whose father was serving in Vietnam and whose mother was a member of the Stardust Crusaders. This caused a certain amount of cognitive dissonance in the child when, at the age of five, his father was one of thousands of American servicemen killed during the Battle of Vietnam. His mother avoided jailtime for her association with the Crusaders, and started to devote her life to more conventional religion, but her son never forgave her for having worshipped what had killed his father.

Rogers enlisted in the marines right out of high school, and his performance at Camp Pendleton ensured that he was tapped for the Joint Special Operations Taskforce. He was glad to be given the chance to fight against the latest form of the evil that had claimed his father's life, which he defined as the worship of the super-powered. Given the number of super beings among the Pythonian Insurrection's hierarchy, and the fact that they had partially emerged from the Stardust Crusaders, there was a certain logic to this position. However, he was also noted for his expressed disgust and distrust of the handful of superhumans active among JSOTs allies. This kept him out of the Mars operation, for example, though all hands were employed in the attack on Delphi.

He returned to the Marine Corps after the Insurrection's end, and served a number of terms in Syria, noted for courage under fire. His career in the corps ended in 1999 under something of a cloud, after he exposed certain criminal acts committed by his superiors and was forced out. A later reinvestigation would suggest that he had actually worked to frame those superiors for acts he'd undertaken, but the truth remains somewhat nebulous after a number of classified files concerning his service record were destroyed during Billie Zane's coup.

After leaving the corps, Rogers found employment with Argus, but quickly grew disenchanted with the way that the organization existed in symbiosis with the superhuman plague rather than attempting to extirpate it. His attitude naturally resulted in him being drawn into Zane's conspiracy, and he rose within it. How he reconciled his hatred for superhumans with loyalty to an obvious Hyperbrain is known only to him, but it seems that he either sincerely believed Zane's claims to normalcy or regarded her as a lesser evil to be exterminated later. Regardless, he became an accomplished killer for her cause, and faked his own death as she had.

As he entered his fifties, Rogers began to feel his years and believed that he wasn't doing enough personally to bring about the end of the superhuman hegemony. Understanding this perspective, even though she didn't share it, Zane provided him with a chemical treatment she dubbed Revitalix, which restored him to the vigor he'd possessed in his thirties. (She neglected to mention that it was based on her studies of the work of Doctor Genome.) With restored youth came a more direct attitude, and so he created the identity of the Reaper, hunting down criminals whose actions didn't benefit Zane's organization, as well as using the killings as bait to attract superhumans whom he could capture, torture and eventually kill. He's doing what he loves, and is finally living his best possible life.

Blake Rogers has no idea that Zane has several clones of him prepared to take his place if he dies in this juvenile crusade. She may have already had to activate the first one.

*The Reaper -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (Cipher), Close Attack 2, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Sniper Rifle), Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Attack 4 (Close and Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Ranged Attack 4, Takedown, Throwing Mastery 4, Ultimate Aim, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Arsenal:* Array (16 points)
 *Flash-Bang Grenades:* Ranged Burst Area Dazzle 4 - 16 points
 *Assault Rifle:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 5 - 1 point
 *Combat Knife:* Strength-Based Damage 2, Improved Critical - 1 point
 *Fragmentation Grenades:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 1 point
 *Heavy Pistol:* Ranged Damage 4 - 1 point
 *Sleep Gas Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Sleep 4 - 1 point
 *Smoke Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point
 *Sniper Rifle and Targeting Scope:* Ranged Damage 5, Improved Aim, Improved Critical - 1 point
 *Tear Gas Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 - 1 point
*Body Armor:* Protection 4 - 4 points
*Commlink:* Feature 1 (Communication) - 1 point
*Mini-Tracers:* Feature 1 (Tracking) - 1 point
*Rebreather:* Immunity 2 (Suffocation), Limited to half effect - 1 point
*Motorcycle:* Size Medium; Strengh 1; Speed 6 (ground); Defense 10; Toughness 8; Feature Smokescreen - 11 points
8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 8 (+11), Close Combat: Blades 4 (+10), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 7 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+12), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 9 (+13), Technology 8 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 3)
Assault Rifle +15 (Ranged Damage 5)
Knife +12 (Close Damage 5, Crit. 19-20)
Pistol +15 (Ranged Damage 4)
Sniper Rifle +15 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit. 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 9/7/5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Advantages 41 + Skills 56 + Defense 20 = 169 points

*Complications:
Hatred--Motivation. Dependence* (must take regular doses of Revitalix, or suffer Weaken Physical Abilities 3.) *Sadism. Subject to Orders.*


----------



## Davies

Jeremiah Wander





Jeremiah Wander -- occultist and adventurer. Friend to Geoffrey Tempest, who novelized their adventures in a series of popular paperback novels of the 1960s. Mentor to Diane Fortune, staunch ally to Captain Mystic, and occasionally consulted by other members of the Institute on his areas of expertise. Occasional enemy and rumored romantic partner of Dame Beatrice Barrowman, and well-known foe of Baron Khan and Ayesha the Eternal. This is a man whose life touched many others in many different ways.

And so it is something of a surprise that so little is known about the life of the man himself. Geoffrey Tempest believed that Jeremiah was perhaps a year or so younger than himself when they met in 1963, but eight years later he would comment that the other man hardly seemed to have aged a day since then, rendering all speculation about his actual age pointless. He also believed that Jeremiah was a native New Yorker, and of fairly high class, though the latter may have been Tempest's own class prejudices talking. On the other hand, he was wealthy enough to maintain a brownstone in New York without apparent support.

Complicating the matter further are persistent, unanswered questions about what Jeremiah Wander actually _did_. His heroic deeds were chronicled, of course, but not only did Geoffrey Tempest invent a number of the stories in his series of novels, he also changed names and facts to slightly obscure the truth. And it's not clear how much of the truth that Tempest knew in the first place; the novels clearly depicted Tempest as entirely reliant on Wander's explanations about the phenomena that they encountered, and Wander may not have revealed everything he knew about them, or possibly just been mistaken in his conclusions.

Subsequent investigators, including Blakestone and Maureen Summerisle, have revisited some of the sites of Wander's exploits, and reached varying conclusions about what actually happened there, informed by their varying attitudes towards Wander's legacy. Blakestone regards him as something of a role model, while Maureen has referred to him as a screw-up who often left things half-done, though that might be because of the way that she favors much more lethal solutions than Wander did. No one has had the courage to ask Geoffrey Tempest what he thinks about his old friend, these days.

Jeremiah Wander was apparently killed during the Battle of Vietnam, not long after the death of Diane Fortune. However, in the years since, his astral form has been seen and even conversed with many people, offering counsel and reassurance to those engaged in mystical adventures, while also passing on warnings to those that are treading dangerous paths. Exelion is apparently acquainted with a method of contacting him but has not shared the details of this with anyone. Questions about the man's current situation will be politely rebuffed with statements that he has not come to talk about himself, but about the situation in which those he addresses finds themselves. The most detailed answer that he has ever given anyone about it was in response to a query from Robin Hood, where he expressed the idea that he was an idea in the mind of God.

"But aren't we all?" asked Robin.

"No," Wander replied. "Not all."

*Jeremiah Wander -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Astral Projection:* Remote Sensing 10 (1000 miles; Auditory, Mental, Visual), Limitation (physical body is helpless), Dimensional, Subtle 2; Mental Communication 3, Dimensional - 47 points 
*Magical Spells:* Array (30 points)
 *Dispel Magic:* Perception Range Nullify 6, Broad (Magic), Simultaneous - 30 points 
 *Ghost Hands:* Perception Range Move Object 9, Precise, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Mystic Bindings:* Ranged Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Accurate 2, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Mystical Blast:* Ranged Damage 14, Accurate 2 - 1 point
 *Phantasms:* Illusion 6 (Auditory, Visual), Area (125 cubic feet), Resistible by Will, Selective - 1 point
 *Sensing:* Cumulative Mind Reading 10 - 1 point
*Mystic Awareness:* Senses 3 (Mystic Awareness, Analytical, Radius) - 3 points
_*Warding:*_ Sustained Protection 14, Subtle, Activation (Standard Action) - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Contacts, Equipment 3, Fearless, Ranged Attack, Ritualist, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks), Well-Informed.

_Equipment:
*New York Brownstone:*_ Size Medium; Toughness 10; Features Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Secret, Security System, Workshop - 11 points

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 5 (+9), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+13), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 7 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Mystical Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 14)
Mystical Bindings +8 (Ranged Will 14)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 16/2, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 98 + Advantages 12 + Skills 25 + Defenses 18 = 201 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friend* (Geoffrey Tempest). *Mysterious and Enigmatic.*

_Author's Note: The profile above describes Jeremiah Wander before 1971. As far as is known, he has not used any powers aside from his Astral Projection (which has become Remote Sensing 13 and Mental Communication 4) and Sensing since then. His precise physical condition is a complete mystery.
_


----------



## Davies

And that is that, for a while. I'm going to be taking a break from this project until late December, to recover my forces and focus on the holiday season.


----------



## Davies

Thriller





The first act of George Hama's life has already been described in the biography of Kiyohime. Following the end of the Pythonian Insurgency, he resigned his commission in the Marines and quietly retired to a cabin in a remote part of Alaska. Occasional attempts were made, both by representatives of Argus and the Corps, to persuade him to either become an operative or return to duty, but he answered these with the same stony silence that he gave everything else. Aside from these visits, and trips to a nearby town to purchase supplies, he had very little human contact over the next fifteen years.

He did not abandon the martial arts training that he'd learned, though he began to explore its more meditative aspects. Towards the end of this period, according to a letter he sent to Shannon Hazzard, he realized that he was maintaining a level of physical ability well beyond what a man of his age should be able to achieve, even with constant physical exercise. In 2005, when he turned fifty, he had to admit that he was aging at a much slower pace than he should have been. Whether because of one of the many unusual situations he'd encountered during his years of service, something he'd learned in his training, or something innate to him, he had become more than human. He wanted to view this as irrelevant to the life he was living.

But George was not totally unaware of what was going on in the world during his self-imposed exile from it. He couldn't avoid knowledge of how superheroes had returned, of the threats that had emerged to the world and its peoples. Returning to the life of violence he'd managed to escape didn't appeal to him, but he had joined the Corps, and later JSOT, because he believed that he had a duty to use his skills in the defense of others. He'd done that, and despite how it had all turned out, he still believed that he should be putting his talents to some use. But how could he reconcile this with a desire to never do anyone any harm again?

And then he read about the great race that the Blue Bolt and Paragon had undertaken, racing around the world to raise money for charity, and the idea of using his gifts for that end, all the time, struck him. He contacted some old associates, Shannon among them, and with their help he was able to create the masked identity of Thriller, the masked stuntman who would undertake any risk to raise money for charitable purposes. Finally, there was a little more color in George's life, and he endured the situations where he had to deal with supervillains or more mundane criminals as simply an additional complication in the life he was choosing to live.

While not technically a superhero, Thriller will always choose to help someone in need of it over engaging in showmanship, though he's often found a way to do both. He doesn't deliberately seek out situations where he needs to fight crime, though he'll make an exception if he hears that the Reaper is active in the same area that he is. The two of them have clashed repeatedly and both have figured out the other's identity from their time in the same unit. (They weren't _ever_ friends, but did work together on several occasions.) He has also made attempts, at Shannon's urging, to seek out the Nightstalker, but is increasingly skeptical that there's anything left of a man who _was_ a friend of his left in the creature.

*Thriller -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Inner Reserves:* Array (3 points)
 *Healing Boost:* Regeneration 3 - 3 points
 *Speed Boost:* Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 1 points
 *Strength Boost:* Enhanced Strength 3, Tiring - 1 point
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Languages 3 (American English Sign Language, Japanese, Spanish, others [English is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Ranged Attack 5, Redirect, Skill Mastery 4 (Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Vehicles), Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Armorweave Costume (Protection 2, Subtle) and 22 points of equipment as needed (typically a vehicle used in his current stunt.) 

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+13), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise: 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 9 (+12), Stealth 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+8), Treatment 4 (+6), Vehicles 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 5/2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 12, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/6/6/4, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 6 + Advantages 36 + Skills 59 + Defenses 20 = 177 points

*Complications:
Charity--Motivation. Doesn't Speak. Enemy *(the Reaper) *Fame. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Megawatt





By all accounts, in 2005 Steve Jovanovich was a fairly typical teenager, growing up in Newark as the only child of a single mother. (All attempts to determine the identity of his father have failed.) He got along with his friends, worked in a part-time job, and did fairly well in school, showing some promise in the sciences. And then, while attending a science exhibition devoted to the work of Nikola Tesla, the accident happened. A machine overloaded and discharged several million volts of electricity into Steve and several other onlookers. 

Stunningly, Steve was only left in a coma for a few days, and no one else was seriously injured. When he awoke, Steve found himself bursting with energy. He could absorb, generate and direct electrical energy, even (somehow) using it to augment his own strength and endurance. Naturally, he swore to use these powers for the betterment of humanity, and embarked on a career of crimefighting as Megawatt, the Electric Excitement. His mother, whom he immediately told his secret identity, was a bit startled by the sudden change in her son's behavior -- he'd never been so impulsive before -- but believed that he was doing good.

Unfortunately, the editor-in-chief of _The Star Ledger_ disagreed, and engaged in quite a bit of slanted, unfair criticism of the young hero. Megawatt claimed not to care about this, but his mother realized that he was actually hurt by the insults. She decided to do something about that, and contacted a reporter for the paper whom she knew, offering him an exclusive interview with Megawatt's mother, in the belief that this would counteract the editor's attacks. She was given a guarantee that her anonymity would be respected. 

It wasn't.

It only took two days after the interview blowing Steve's secret identity was published for a criminal who'd narrowly escaped him in the past to break into the Jovanovich apartment in an attempt to kidnap Megawatt's mother, accidentally killing her. Megawatt caught him and turned him over to the police, but then he went after the person he actually blamed for the death, breaking into the paper's newsroom and grabbing hold of the editor-in-chief. To this day, it's not clear whether he deliberately electrocuted the man, or whether this was the first documented manifestation of his tendency to lose control of his powers. The results were the same, regardless.

Megawatt was finished as a hero, and he was in no mood to answer to the authorities for what he claimed had been an accident. He went on the run, hunted by former allies and enemies alike. His anger over what had happened congealed into spite and contempt for the world, and he became the menace that _The Star Ledger_ had portrayed him as being, as well as a feared criminal mastermind. He has been captured, but never held for long, and never actually tried for the crime which began his reign of terror.

While originally independent, a confrontation with Hadron that turned into a conversation led to Megawatt becoming a lieutenant in the old man's organization, albeit one who still usually acts on his own. Conscious of Hadron's advancing age, he fully intends to take over the group when the Radioactive Raider finally kicks the bucket, and to turn it into a much more active criminal organization. He's still loyal enough to Hadron that he doesn't want to speed that day up, though a good part of that is his belief that he doesn't actually have to. 

And before you ask, no, the editor of _The Star Ledger_ wasn't connected to Billie Zane. He was just an naughty word.

*Megawatt -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 9/0 | *STA* 12/3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Arc Riding:* Leaping 12 (4 miles) - 12 points 
*Electrical Absorption:* Immunity 10 (electrical effects); Reaction Energizing Healing 10, Limited to Self, Source (Electricity) - 50 points
*Electrical Control:* Array (36 points)
 *Ball Lightning:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 12 - 36 points
 *Electrical Aura:* Reaction Damage 9 - 1 point
 *Lightning Flash:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Mega-Taser:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Power Drain:* Burst Area Nullify Technology 12, Broad - 1 point
*Power Boost:* Linked Enhanced Strength 9, Fades; Lnked Enhanced Stamina 9, Fades - 18 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Startle.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 7 (+7), Ranged Combat: Electrical Control 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 9/0 and Reaction Damage 9)
Ball Lightning -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 12)
Lightning Flash -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 12)
Mega-Taser +10 (Ranged Fortitude 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 14/5, Toughness 12/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 99 + Advantages 6 + Skills 27 + Defense 19 = 199 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Power Loss* (all, when surrounded by conductive or insulating materials.) *Uncontrolled Power.*


----------



## Davies

Scanner






As a young child, Ray Winter was known for gazing up at the sun for hours on end. As this was a minor eccentricity compared to the way that he just didn't process emotions in the same way that most children did, his parents were inclined to overlook this. His childhood was not an easy or happy one, as he found it difficult to either understand or be understood by others, but no matter what happened, he took comfort in retreating into his own mind and gazing up at the source of energy blazing away in the sky above him.

In his late adolescence, his ability to perceive energy sources in much greater detail than an ordinary person evolved into an ability to absorb energy and project it through his eyes. While this happened in 1999, after the second era of superheroes had gotten underway, Ray didn't feel at all inclined to try wearing a body stocking and going out to fight street crime. Had anyone told him that he had a responsibility that came with his great power, he'd have probably replied, "Responsibility to whom?"

But that would change, too. Cerebron's attack genuinely frightened him, and though he tried to use his energy beam to blast one of the drones that got too close to his home for comfort, he was too startled and too inexperienced to actually hit it. Nobody he cared about was hurt that day, but he decided that he wanted to get better at using this strange talent of his. But where was he supposed to find the training that he required? When his father hesitantly suggested that the military might have some ideas, Ray immediately volunteered at the local Air Force recruiting office, on the theory that the most technically advanced section of the military was the best choice.

It wasn't the worst possible call, as it ended up with Ray being selected as a candidate for the United Superheroes of America, under the alias Starblazer. He got the training he needed, as well as learning a lot of other useful skills, and served diligently if not all nearly as brilliantly as the codename would suggest for the duration of the team's existence. Afterwards, however, he found himself unhappy with his new assignment as a human shaped light artillery piece, and was discharged in a somewhat less than honorable manner after he talked back to his superiors one time too many.

As he'd never had such problems while serving under the American Angel, Dore was willing to give him another chance and hired him for the newly founded Heroic Enterprises. Ray took advantage of the change to rebrand himself as Scanner, and took a certain amount of pleasure in using his energy detection abilities as much, if not more, than his energy beam. But it didn't take long for him to run out of patience with the way that things were being done in the company, either, and he finally quit Heroic Enterprises in 2013.

Returning to his hometown of Milwaukee, Scanner has settled into a comfortable routine as its local superhero. He engages in a regular patrol and coordinates efforts with the local police, but it's been quite some time since he fought any supervillains. Truthfully, his heart isn't in it, and he's accomplished the goal he set out to achieve all those years ago, but, as mentioned, the routine has become comfortable enough that he avoids the sorts of frustrations that could set him off on another path. Eventually, something is bound to happen to jolt him out of that routine, but when it does, he'll adapt just as he always has. More than anything else, the military trained him to be prepared.

*Scanner -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Energy Absorption:* Immunity 20 (energy damage) - 20 points
*Energy Beam:* Ranged Damage 10, Concentration, Variable 2 (energy) - 32 points
*Energy Detection:* Senses 5 (acute analytical tracking ranged detect energy) - 5 points 

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 3 (energy beam), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Shot (ranged, cover), Set-up, Teamwork.

*Equipment:
Body Armor:* Protection 2 - 2 points
*Utility Belt:* Array (16 points)

*Bolos:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Accurate, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point.
*Explosives:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered - 1 point.
*Flash-Bangs:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Impaired, Disabled, Unaware) - 1 point
*Pepper Spray:* Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vision Impaired, Stunned & Vision Disabled, Vision Unaware), Extra Condition - 1 point
*Sleep Gas Pellets:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 5 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep) - 1 point.
*Smoke Pellets:* Ranged Cloud Area Visual Concealment Attack - 1 point
*Tear Gas Pellets:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vision Impaired, Stunned and Vision Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition - 16 points.
*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+7), Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Civics 4 (+6), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+6), Expertise: Military 4 (+6), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Energy Beam 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Energy Beam +8 (Ranged Damage 10, Crit 17-20)
Bolos +7 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10 | Parry 8 | Fortitude 5 | Toughness 8/6/6/4 | Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 57 + Advantages 17 + Skills 26 + Defenses 14 = 174 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Easily Frustrated. Emotional Challenges* (Impaired on all Insight and Persuasion checks.)


----------



## Davies

L'Évêque





In the Montreal neighborhood of Saint-Michel, there can be found an old, worn-down church, tended by a middle-aged priest known to all in his community as Father Michel Saint-Juste. He's a well-respected member of the community, often seen walking about the neighborhood offering words of encouragement and advice to his neighbors. Even though few of them attend church anymore, they are generally glad to see him, as he has been a figure of calm and patience for as long as many of them can remember. Some wonder about his origins, for he speaks French with a decidedly non-Quebecoise accent, but none have any complaints. "He's a good man, Father Michel," is often said.

They could be more mistaken, but only if he was something other than a man. First of all, he's not actually a priest. He has managed to keep the old, worn-down church, long since deconsecrated, from its date with demolition through some rather sizeable bribes paid to the company responsible. Those bribes were paid from money collected from a racket of protection payments, drug deals, and human trafficking that spans the entire island and parts of the mainland as well. Nearly every criminal enterprise in Montreal pays homage, directly or indirectly, to the man they call L'Évêque -- the Bishop.

Long ago, he was a soldier. He's largely put those days out of his mind, but he does recall that he was chosen -- Or did he volunteer? -- to take part in an experimental super-soldier program in his native France. The experiments were painful beyond his previous understanding of the term, but they succeeded in granting him abilities beyond those of a man. But they took away something else, something he can't really remember having. Call it a conscience, perhaps. And without a conscience, he also had no loyalty, and so he deserted.

He wandered for a time, engaging in petty cruelties as it took him, and yet unconsciously searching for a purpose to his existence, now that he was no longer a soldier. At some point, he spent a while in study of theology, and encountered the concept of the problem of evil. As a being who could only be considered evil, he was naturally interested in an answer to the question of why an all-powerful being would allow him to exist, and did not find what was considered the simplest answer (said being does not exist) to be satisfying for some reason. The notion that evil exists as a mean to bring about goodness appealed to him considerably, and he developed the theory that if someone set out to become a great evil, this might bring about a great good. Thus justified, he set out to become that great evil.

After the Schemer, L'Évêque is probably Canada's second most powerful criminal mastermind. While his brain is unable to compete with his rival's schemes, he is far more ruthless and much more of a charismatic leader, able to inspire his followers in ways that the Schemer cannot. He has also been fortunate enough not to be blessed with a successful local superhero, having patiently eliminated a number of would-be champions who emerge in his territory. So far, their respective organizations have not gone to war with one another, but that could change any day now. Ultimately, L'Évêque is much more concerned with causing as much suffering as he can, in furtherance of his dream.

*L'Évêque - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Healing Factor:* Immunity 1 (aging); Regeneration 5 - 5 points
*Shielded Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect - 10 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (millionaire, mob boss), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Fearless 2, Great Endurance, Inspire 2, Languages 3 (Cantonese, English, Latin, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, others [French is native]), Ranged Attack 4, Set-up, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
40 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 10 (+14), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+12), Expertise: Theology & Philosophy 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+13), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/5, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 16 + Advantages 31 + Skills 27 + Defenses 10 = 162 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Methodical and Slow to React. Secret* (criminal mastermind, also not a real priest).


----------



## Davies

Black Shuck





Unlike most of his comrades in the United Superheroes of America, Ralph Preston was already serving in the military when he developed his powers. The exact circumstances under which his unit of the National Guard encountered a space-warping phenomenon, shortly after Cerebron's attack, remain highly classified, but the results were that Sergeant Preston developed the ability to alter his phase state to either become intangible or to transmit himself short distances. A certain amount of specialized training, overseen by the Department of Defense, revealed that he also had the heightened reflexes that often accompany teleportative abilities.

He was a natural choice for the team that took form shortly after, and served as its second-in-command, under the alias Black Shuck (after the hound of ill omen from folklore.) Privately, Preston wasn't all that thrilled that what he'd thought was a temporary commitment, intended only to last for the duration of a national emergency, was turning into a lifetime career, but he adjusted once he realized that he'd become a celebrity. Unfortunately, that didn't last too long, and once the team was disbanded, he ended up assigned to assist Army Ranger operations around the world. By 2009, he was considering deserting when his unit, operating in Vietnam in support of the government, stumbled onto an improvised explosive device.

Preston saved their lives at the cost of taking serious injuries, and received a medical discharge from the army. Which was nice, but he was left without real prospects after he completed his recovery in a Veterans Administration hospital. Thus, he was (to his mind) forced to accept the offer to become one of the charter members of Heroic Enterprises. Freed from military discipline, he became a much more volatile operative, while also actively courting the press, deliberately engaging in 'bad boy' antics that were very far from the spotless image that Thomas Dore had in mind. Ultimately, he wound up fired from the team in 2014.

Ironically, given that he'd wanted to get out of this life a short time before, the Black Shuck has continued his somewhat notorious activities, and is contracted by the city government of Boston as their local superhero. To the mild horror of all who are familiar with him, they are even considering recruiting a group of teenaged supers to learn from him, in imitation of Philadelphia's Minor League. It's possible that the responsibility of that task will cause him to be less of a showboating jerkass. Possible, but not terribly likely.

*Black Shuck -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Enhanced Reflexes:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 14 points
*Phase-State Teleportation:*

*Phasing:* Damage 8, Accurate 3; Continuous Insubstantial 3 - 1 point 
*Teleporting:* Accurate Teleport 9 (2 miles), Turnabout - 28 points
*Advantages:*
Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidation), _Defensive Roll 2_, Equipment 5, _Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 2_, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 5, Startle, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
*Utility Belt:* Array (12 points)

*Bolos:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 12 points
*Boomerangs:* Strength-based Ranged Damage 1, Accurate 2 - 1 point
*Explosives:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 4 - 1 point
*Meta-Taser:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Tear-Gas Pellets:* Range Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Visually Impaired, Stunned and Visually Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+10), Investigation 5 (+6), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)
Phase Touch +12 (Close Damage 8)
Bolos +8 (Ranged Affliction, Resisted by Dodge)
Boomerangs +12 (Ranged Damage 3)
Taser +8 (Ranged Fortitude 4)
Tear-Gas Pellet -- (Ranged Cloud Area Fortitude 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/9, Parry 11/7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 43 + Advantages 15 + Skills 26 + Defense 18 = 142 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Old Injuries. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Bravo





Perhaps the most ringing endorsement for the abilities of the mystery man known (in the English-speaking world) as Bravo comes from the Emperor of Korea. Normally, even the most trusted agents of Gan In-Geun are carefully subjected to loyalty conditioning that makes it impossible for them to consider betraying their master, or working for another party, save under false pretenses -- and not even then, in some cases. Yet this conditioning also creates a certain mental inflexibility that has at times caused the failure of these agents' activities. When Bravo works for the Emperor, he does so on his own terms, and under no loyalty programming. His talents are too great to risk damaging.

Just where he came by those talents is a significant part of the mystery that envelopes the man. Darkwing, who has never directly crossed paths with him but observed recordings, believes that he recognizes some of the more fundamental moves that Bravo uses as being basic lessons taught by the Shadow School of Kageyama Sarutobi, a Japanese martial artist and self-proclaimed ninja who led a small community of Luddite followers through the early eighties and into the mid-nineties. Bravo's ability to camouflage himself also points in this direction, as it is a direct expression of the School's philosophy. This doesn't tell as much about Bravo's origins as one might expect, as the Shadow School was not particularly xenophobic and welcomed anyone who was willing to obey the community's strictures.

Bravo's earliest recorded activities using his current masked identity occurred in 2011, roughly four years before his first confrontation with Trouble, his most frequent adversary. He was working for the Emperor on that occasion, sent to deal with an individual who had repeatedly refused to sell their company, involved in researching countermeasures for mutant powers. Trouble involved herself in the affair, attempting to rescue Bravo's target, and they fought their first duel in a burning building.

It was a fight unlike any in Trouble's extensive experience. Whatever configuration of technological advantages she brought to bear, Bravo would respond with an ability that could counter them. When she struck hard, he would either soak up the hit as though it was the touch of a feather, or avoid it like some sort of ghost. When she moved fast, he moved just that slightest bit faster. Nothing he threw her direction actually hurt her, but she couldn't take him down as effortlessly as she always had. For a few terrifying moments, she found herself reverting to the heartless Concrete Angel that she'd been as a gladiator, caring for nothing save the fight ... but then the cries of trapped civilians reached her, she disengaged from the fight and went to their rescue, leaving Bravo free to complete his mission, which he did.

Their subsequent encounters have gone much the same way, with neither of them ever quite overcoming the other. On one occasion, Trouble was able to knock him unconscious, but only at the cost of disabling herself, as well, leaving her helpless to prevent other agents of Bravo's current employer from removing him from the field. On another, he left her all but wrecked, but was limping away from encounter, preferring flight to avoid capture over bringing things to a final conclusion. Eventually, Trouble believes that one of them will hand the other a defeat that they can't walk away from, but she is in no way certain that it will be her or his.

And something inside of her yearns to find out that answer, no matter what it costs.    

*Bravo - PL 11

Abilities
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 13 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Art of Invisibility:* Continuous Concealment 10, Blending, Partial - 10 points
*Master of Many Styles:* Variable 2 (martial arts abilities), Free Action - 18 points

_*Typical Variable Sets:
Default Setting:* Strength-based Damage 2; Enhanced Advantage 8 (All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Improved Critical [unarmed], Improved Smash, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Weapon Break) - 10 points
*Naked Kill:* Enhanced Advantage 10 (Throwing Mastery 10) - 10 points
*Ox-Body Stance:* Immunity 20 (bludgeoning effects), Concentration - 10 points
*Rapid Strike:* Selective Burst Area Damage 6, Tiring, Check Required (Athletics, DC 12) - 10 points_

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Languages 3 (many), Leadership, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 8, Takedown, Teamwork, Trance, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3) and 22 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+14), Athletics 8 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+15), Expertise: Criminal 10 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 12 (+14), Investigation 10 (+13), Perception 8 (+12), Stealth 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +16 (Close Damage 5/3, [Crit 19-20])

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 13, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9/7/6/4, Will 9

*Total:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 28 + Advantages 30 + Skills 38 + Defenses 16 = 190 points

*Complications:
Professional--Motivation. Enemy*_ (Trouble.) *Secret Identity. Vulnerability* (becomes defenseless after a successful Deception-based feint, rather than vulnerable.)_


----------



## Davies

Zero





One of the last hires that Heroic Enterprises made before it was forced to shutter its operations in California, Mike Ransom was also one of the first to be let go soon after the team relocated to Detroit. There wasn't any discipline problems, as with other members of the team; Ransom was an exemplary employee in most respects. Unfortunately, not only did he not have seniority, his particular form of superheroics presented special challenges for an organization trying to regain its footing in an increasingly challenging market. Basically, the powered armor that allows him to act as a superhero, rather than an individual with powers who's easily dispatched by anyone with a pistol, requires expert maintenance that would keep Doctor Sapien, for example, out of action for long periods of time.

In late 2011, Ransom was a recently graduated Navy SEAL assigned to a still-classified operation conducted in the Yellow Sea. (It is believed that they were attempting to recover biological samples from a kaiju which had recently been eliminated by secret weapons of the Empire of Korea, in order to gain intelligence on those weapons.) The team was captured by Korean forces and accused of conducting operations inside the Empire's territorial waters, and thus held as spies. A show trial was held, with a predictable conclusion, and the operators were sent to a prison complex in a remote part of the peninsula.

There, all of them were subjected to a number of scientific tests, with Ransom receiving the most interest from the scientists. He soon realized, from his observations of the tests they conducted on him, that they had discovered he had a superpower, something he himself had never known due to its nature: he could generate a field in which mutant superpowers generally did not not function. Ransom immediately realized that this was an incredibly useful talent, but not one which could help him with the immediate problem of escaping from captivity. And his circumstances were not such that he had the opportunity to experiment with the power in order to learn to use it to his advantage.

After a few months of this, the prison was visited by the ruler of Korea, and Ransom's abilities demonstrated for him. After some discussion that Ransom's rudimentary Korean could not possibly let him follow, the Emperor actually spoke to him. "Know, young man, that you have played a role in giving the world into my hands ... and so I shall thank you by giving you and your associates the gift of your lives." (In his recollections of the episode, Ransom fires back a pithy response to this. In reality, he was too terrified to say anything.) The very next day, the SEALs were told that they were being returned to the United States as part of a prisoner exchange.

Back in the United States, it was quickly determined that none of the team had committed no treasonous acts, but Ransom's situation concerned the brass. He considered telling them what he'd found out, but feared the consequences if he did, as his cooperation with the tests had not been completely involuntary. He chose to accept a medical discharge from the Navy, as he'd come to the conclusion that he could not meaningfully oppose the evil that he'd encountered within the service.

Ransom spent the next two years engaged in private study of his powers, learning to perceive the field that he could generate, and from there to extend it further, and to channel it as a more focused and powerful 'beam' of visible energy. Unfortunately, it was clear that his power did not come with any physical enhancements, so while he would be able to shut down any supervillains that he faced, he'd be as vulnerable as any other human being against normal criminals. This didn't seem like the beginning of a heroic career, and so he was stymied.

Then he happened to watch a TV interview with the American Angel, who spoke about how he believed that there were many more potential heroes in America than anyone knew, just uncertain how to use their gifts, and how Heroic Enterprises sought to train and equip people to do so. Mike showed up at the office the next day, eager to begin that training. He was a bit annoyed to learn that this had largely been hype, but after a week, management came up with a solution to the challenge that his situation presented.

They contacted Marc Bolton, the president of Cadmus Enterprises, and contracted with him to design a bare-bones suit of powered armor for Ransom. It didn't need a particularly strong exoskeleton or built-in weapons, as it was simply intended to keep him alive so that his innate powers could do their job. The challenge appealed to Bolton, and he agreed to provide technical support for the suit at a reasonable rate. So Mike could finally make his debut as Zero, the power nullifying hero ... just two weeks before the business with the bridge, which was not his fault.

Relocating to Detroit wasn't a problem for him. Unfortunately, it was a bit more of a problem for the company, as the change of circumstances allowed Bolton to renegotiate the terms of his contract for technical support, greatly increasing what he was paid due to the expense of travelling half-way across the country for the purpose of maintenance. And without Bolton's assistance, they faced other problems, as described above. Ransom isn't happy that he lost his job, but he can't really blame Heroic Enterprises' management for making the call that they did.

He has responded to the situation by going into business for himself. Operating out of Washington D.C., he's managed to find enough clients willing to pay to have someone who can negate superpowers on retainer, and thus enough to employ one 'Cog' Cosgrave as his full-time maintenance staff. However, Mike is aware that he may not have vetted his client list as well as Heroic Enterprises used to, and is concerned that he might have put himself in the employ of some very morally questionable parties. So far, he hasn't been asked to do anything against his ethics, but he's not sure how long that will last, or what he'll do if the situation changes.

*Zero -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Battlesuit:* Removable (-9 points)

*Armored Shell:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 8 - 26 points
*Jet Pack:* Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 14 points
*Power Knuckles:* Strength-based Damage 4, Inaccurate - 2 points
*Power Nullification:* Array (61 points)
 *Null Beam:* Nullify Mutant Powers 12, Broad, Simultaneous, Sustained, Precise - 61 points
 *Null Field:* Burst Area 2 Nullify Mutant Powers 10, Broad, Concentration, Simultaneous, Subtle - 1 point
_Power Stunts:
*EMP Emulation:* Burst Area 2 Nullify Technological Powers 10, Broad, Concentration, Simultaneous
*Nullify Mystics:* Nullify Mystical Powers 12, Broad, Simultaneous, Sustained_

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Redirect, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Null Beam 5 (+7), Technology 3 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Power Knuckles +6 (Close Damage 6)
Null Beam +10 (Ranged Will 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/3, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 96 + Advantages 10 + Skills 18 + Defenses 19 = 179 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Dependency* (maintenance, Powered Armor powers become Unreliable without it.) *Fear* (Empire of Korea.) *Patriotic.*


----------



## Davies

The Slough





For as long as he could remember, Jerry Haskell had been aware that he just didn't feel things in the same way that most children did. And not just in the way that he never really cared what happened to the people around him, except for his mother, for whom , jhe felt _some_ affection, based mostly on the fact that she ensured he never missed any meals. He didn't really experience physical pain, either; he had a sensation of impact, but from the way that the other kids talked about how badly certain things hurt, he compared it to gazing at a light bulb through eyes firmly shut.

Thus, despite the fact that he was a fairly unattractive and extremely unathletic boy, he was never subjected to much in the way of bullying from the other kids. Those who tried soon found that it was no fun to try and beat up someone whom they couldn't hurt, especially since they often wound up hurting themselves trying, even though he never tried to fight back. On the other hand, he didn't ever make many friends either, aside from a small gang of kids his own age who lived in the same apartment complex and attended the same school, thus finding themselves stuck together regardless of their wishes. (That said, some of them who were _almost_ as callous as Jerry soon reached the conclusion that it might be best to keep him close, if not closer.)

In 1997, Jerry's powers evolved to their next stage. He could now enhance his already great toughness with a field of energy around himself that made him practically invulnerable, and also slowed people around him down. Finally, his friends, who were starting to engage in various forms of larceny, found that they had a reason to hang around with him, as he could ensure that anyone who tried to mess with him ended up moving too slowly to be any threat. However, he was basically just a tag-along on their various crimes, rarely trusted with any tasks beyond the one that his powers facilitated. Of course, being the sort of person that he was, he began to view himself as the group's mastermind and leader, a delusion that his 'friends' were happy to encourage. They called him the Slug, behind his back.

After three years of this, the gang was hired to pull a major job in Downtown Miami's Jewelry District, just as the relatively inexperienced Blue Bolt passed through the region. Jerry thus became the first real super-powered villain to square off with the newbie superhero. While he was able to sap the Blue Bolt's speed, the interaction of their respective powers meant that the Bolt wasn't completely halted in his tracks, but able to fight off the attacks of the rest of the gang. But Jerry was invulnerable and he knew it, and told the Blue Bolt that, smugly.

The Blue Bolt decided to explain a few concepts to Jerry that he'd missed by sleeping through science class -- namely 'inertia' and 'momentum'. Once the Bolt got away from Jerry, his powers would return. And then he could run far, far away from his opponent, then dash towards him. Sure, Jerry could nullify the Bolt's ability to move so fast, and slow him down -- but could he really be sure that he'd be able to slow him down enough that he wouldn't suffer _any_ injury when the Bolt's body slammed into his own? Unnerved by that thought, Jerry surrendered.

He was given a comparatively light jail sentence, as they could only get him on aiding and abetting the other guys, as well as the relatively minor charge of using a non-damaging, non-dominating ability on people. The defense was also able to portray him as having used those powers to protect people who'd gotten caught up in their activities, which he didn't remember doing, but they had videos of people surviving certain death falls around him to back it up. He still got about a year in jail, but the rest of the gang definitely took more.

And he didn't even end up serving that sentence, as he was broken out of the transport taking him to jail and taken to meet Jolene, Miami's semi-legendary female criminal mastermind. Actually, he'd met her once before, but had only been a few weeks old, when his mother agreed to go to work for one branch of Jolene's organization. While his mother pleaded with Jerry to give up his life of crime, Jolene flattered him by saying that she saw potential in him that intrigued her. Since it had been a while since he'd had any of his mom's home cooking, he went with Jolene's request, becoming her pupil, occasional toy and operative.

She encouraged his mind, helping him to add keen planning skills to his resume. He fought the Blue Bolt several more times in the years that followed, but Jolene discouraged him from wasting energy on unproductive things like grudges. Therefore, he doesn't really view himself as one of the Blue Bolt's nemesis, but as someone who runs into a variety of superheroes, usually while passing through Miami on their way to somewhere else. He found out what his so-called friends had been calling him, and sought to reclaim the name by calling himself 'the Slough', instead, with his motion-dampening field acting like a swamp mess that surrounded him. He also added the ability to use his protective field to encase his fists like a pair of brass knuckles, making him more of a match for the Bolt.

In the last few years, the Slough has slowly reached the conclusion that he's gone as far in Jolene's organization as he'll be able to, and that he needs to strike out on his own. So far, he's hesitated to do so out of misplaced concern that Jolene will kill him if he tries. Well, not totally misplaced, she probably will if he manages to annoy her in the process, but she wants to see the next stage in his development as much as he does. He has big plans, only some of which she suspects.

The biggest is the idea of making another team of crooks to take over another city like the Combination took over St. Louis. He did a fair amount of go-between work for Jolene and Kingfisher, and believes that he could do just as well, if not better. But which city, and which group of potential ally/pawns? He's still working that out, but things might not go so well in Albuquerque, in the next few years ... 

*The Slough -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Basic Protection Field:* Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
*Enhanced Protection Field:* Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 8; Strength-based Damage 5; Quirk (Hindered while active) - 30 points
*Movement Dampening Field:* Linked Burst Area Touch Nullify Movement 11, Broad, Simultaneous, Sustained; Linked Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted by Will, Overcome by Fortitude; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Concentration, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 99 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Extraordinary Effort, Favored Environment (planned situation), Improved Defense

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+7), Deception 8 (+7), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 2 (+5), Stealth 6 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 6/1)
Movement Dampening Field - (Burst Area Nullify 11 and Will 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 16/8/4, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 137 + Advantages 5 + Skills 18 + Defenses 14 = 193 points

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Ambitious. Physical* (diminished sense of touch, Disabled on tactile perception checks and some Technology checks.) *Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Manifest





It's been said that information wants to be free. That's not literally true, of course, for information cannot desire anything and freedom is a nebulous concept. What information does tend to do is spread beyond the confines of its origin point despite the best efforts of people to contain it. A good example, or at least the one most relevant to the current discussion, is the knowledge of the experiment which created the Omnivore, which was in its turn intended to replicate the transformation of Stardust. Despite the failure of the original experiment, it was tried several more times, never producing the dramatic results. Over time, the focus of the experiments shifted to the study of how certainly highly exotic particles, volatized by the phenomenon, interacted.

One such experiment was conducted in New Delhi in 2007, under the supervision of Professor Vikram Bhargava, a relatively undistinguished physicist. Those who knew him as a student have described him as having always had something of a chip on his shoulder about the way that Hyperbrains had come to dominate every major research facility, believing that patient and methodical study that could be conducted by anyone was greatly superior to supposed brilliance available to only a few. He was not a pleasant or well-liked individual, but nevertheless competent in his field.

The accident, if that's what it was, has been analyzed quite a bit in the last decade. Sabotage was initially ruled out as a cause, then ruled back in again after certain evidence was re-evaluated. Regardless, the testing chamber began to buckle under the stress of the experiment, and Bhargava ordered the evacuation of the facility while he attempted to stabilize the reaction. He clearly failed, and it exploded before he could get to safety, reducing him to a lingering cloud of ionized particles ... which regained consciousness an hour or so later.

Transformed into an energy being, able to communicate with others but not physically interact with them, Professor Bhargava supervised the construction of a containment suit which would theoretically restore some physical substance to him. It was a success, and he was startled to realize that, with his particulate form providing the suit with power, it actually made him physically stronger than he'd ever been. Four years after the accident, after going through several iterations of the containment suit's design, he was finally ready to debut as India's newest superhero, प्रकट (Prakat) or Manifest.

While perfectly willing to fight criminals, supervillains and monsters, Manifest's primary goal is to prevent the sort of scientific accidents that transformed him, and also to stop deliberate attempts to induce super powers. He believes that his own experiences grant him the best possible perspective on the subject, and has had frequent, heated debates with other scientific heroes on the subject with different opinions. It's been noted that he _still_ has something of a chip on his shoulder when dealing with Hyperbrains, and is not considered a pleasant or well-liked individual in the superheroic community, either.

That said, he is respected, and was invited to join the Powerhouse in 2014. He turned down their offer of membership, preferring to focus on his own agenda rather than being distracted by other affairs, but has maintained ties to Paragon and Supergiant, often passing along information about (what he considers to be) dangerous experiments that he's discovered through his own sources that would be completed before he could interfere. He has closer ties to them than he does most of India's other superheroes, who often embrace mysticism, playing up parallels between themselves and India's legends to a degree that makes him uncomfortable. That his actions in preventing scientific origins ensures that there are fewer scientifically themed superheroes in the subcontinent is not something that makes him happy, either.

*Inertron -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 8/-- | *STA* -- | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Energy Being:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH); Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects); Insubstantial 3, Switchable (Sustained Duration to turn off); Regeneration 1; Senses 8 (darkvision, extended vision 2, vision penetrates concealment) - 72 points
*Energy Containment Suit:* Removable (-15 points)
* *Energy Direction:* Array (33 points)
 *Energy Blasts:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 11 - 33 points
 *Energy Burst:* Burst Area Damage 2 Damage 11 - 1 point
 *Energy Wave:* Cone Area Damage 2 Damage 11 - 1 point
* *Physical Substance:* Enhanced Strength 8; Impervious Protection 12 - 40 points 

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Diehard, Inventor, Languages 2 (Bengali, English, others [Hindi is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 8 (+12), Insight 8 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 10 (+11), Ranged Combat: Energy Direction 8 (+10), Technology 8 (+12)

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 8)
Energy Blasts +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 11)
Energy Burst -- (Burst Area Damage 11
Energy Wave -- (Cone Area Damage 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12/0, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 12 + Powers 122 + Advantages 8 + Skills 28 + Defenses 11 = 181 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Obsession* (prevent superpowered accidents.) *Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Sangeet ("Musical Interlude")





One of the things that the cinema of the Indian subcontinent is best known for is the frequency with which their films include song and dance numbers. Even gritty crime dramas have included scenes where one of the characters dreams themselves into a scene like this, where they sing about how happy life would be if they were successful in love. They are quite popular with the audience, who often sing along with them. But not everyone in India is all that happy with this aspect of their film industry.

Ranjeet Sangha was a film critic with one of Mumbai's larger papers, as well as a published author and blogger. And he absolutely _hated_ song and dance numbers. He felt that they had long since reached a point where they were nothing but clichés that were presenting a ridiculous image of Indian culture to an increasingly international audience, that they slowed down the films' plots and added nothing of substance, and that most of them were poorly sung and choreographed. He was not shy about expressing these views.

It has been said that every critic is a frustrated artist. Sangha had certainly had aspirations to work more directly in the film industry, but these had come to naught, something that always annoyed him. So when a director he had lambasted in the press contacted him, laughingly admitting that he'd made some good points in his most recent article, and offered him the opportunity to act as an assistant director on his current film for a few days, Sangha let his aspirations overrule his suspicion.

He showed up at the set, chatted with the director, and then took the chair to watch the rehearsal. Only then did he realize that he'd been asked to direct a song and dance number. He'd been had! Everyone was snickering up their sleeves at him. Outraged, he nonetheless decided to make the best of the situation and not go storming off like some petulant child. He watched the scene preparations with a terrible scowl, and when the time came for the cameras to roll, he gritted his teeth for a full minute before giving the order to start the film rolling.

And then something strange happened. The music that played was not what had been playing in rehearsal, and everyone on the set, not just the actors, started doing a dance utterly unlike that they'd rehearsed, singing all the while about how much song and dance numbers were really terrible and how ashamed they felt to be doing what they were doing. At first Sangha thought that this was some elaboration on the joke that had been sprung on him, but then he saw the obvious confusion and bewilderment on their faces, and realized they didn't know what was going on. The realization came suddenly -- _he_ was doing this. He was controlling the action far more directly than any director ever had, and they were expressing his thoughts.

The power went to his head immediately. He made them all dance until they collapsed of exhaustion, then laughed his head off. One studio staffer who'd been lucky enough to be outside the area of his influence managed to call the police, but Sangha was long gone by the time that they arrived. He knew that he could never go back to his old life, but didn't care. He'd found a new calling in life, to directly demonstrate the silliness and inanity of song and dance numbers by showing people what they were _really_ like, and in the process enrich himself.

Normally, संगीत (Sangeet) works with a crew of hired criminals who go masked, unlike him, and also wear sound mufflers. He activates his power, often in public areas, and his associates proceed to move among the dancing people, pocketing their wallets and valuables while they're too focused on singing and dancing to stop them. On rarer occasions, they use the routines as distractions to commit burglaries, and on a few have kidnapped victims of the song and dance to hold them for ransom. Sangeet isn't a particularly violent criminal, though, and is actually something of a Robin Hood figure in India, often donating a portion of his takings to charity. However, he's also associated with the Indian branch of Hadron's organization, and sometimes commits acts in support of their goals. So far, his career has not taken him out of India, but he would actually like to engage audiences on a more global scale than he already has.

*Sangeet - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Song and Dance Number:* Linked Independent Illusion 2 (auditory); Linked Burst Area 2 Perception Range Progresssive Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Entranced & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Compelled, Controlled), Extra Condition, Concentration, Limited to making people sing and dance - 84 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Defensive Roll 2, Languages 2 (English, others [Hindi is native]).

*Skills:*
Expertise: Performance 8 (+8), Expertise: Pop Culture 6 (+7), Insight 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 6 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Song & Dance Number -- (Burst Area Perception Range Will 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 5/0, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 6 + Powers 84 + Advantages 4 + Skills 15 + Defenses 13 = 122 points

*Complications:
Revenge, Greed, Power, Really It Varies--Motivation. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Parovoy





The mysterious Russian vigilante known as паровой (Parovoy, "Steam") is often compared to America's Darkwing -- and boy oh boy did he get tired of _that_ almost immediately. It should be obvious to anyone who bothers to study the situation that he is a much more capable and effective crimefighter, since he operates without any assistance from the incredibly corrupt police force in Moscow and has been hunted by them since his debut in 2004, unlike certain individuals who are practically deputized by the police in their region. He's a better fighter, a better scientist, and a better investigator -- the comparisons should go the other way, but just because Darkwing happened to start a few years earlier, he gets all the good press!

Pavel Kuznetsov's view of matters should probably not be confused with reality. While not actually delusional, he has a decidedly paranoid view of his existence. Part of this is for obvious reasons -- the authorities actually are out to get him -- but part of it has another source that he's unable to accept or admit. He is a brilliant scientist, quite probably Darkwing's peer in at least that area, but Pavel never had the opportunity or resources to seek out the sorts of  physical training that Darkwing has done. So he had to use his brilliance, particularly in the area of chemistry, to give himself an edge.

He refers to the substance as Velikolepiye, "Splendor", and it is the closest that any inventor on Earth has ever come to a universal super-soldier treatment. Calibrated for Pavel's own physiology, it would produce the same strength- and reaction speed-enhancing effects on roughly one in ten thousand other human beings who took it. For nearly two thirds of those who would not receive these enhancements, however, it is a lethal toxin with no known treatment. It is relatively simple to determine who would be affected, however, by giving the subject with a microdose that will produce a statistically insignificant muscular enhancement, no effect at all, or fairly severe but not life-threatening nausea.

If Pavel had devised Splendor almost anywhere else in the world, he would be able to write his own check with big pharma, who would probably engage in quite a bit of distillation to make it a bit safer before selling it to the military. Unfortunately, he came up with the stuff in Russia, and fully expected to be murdered for the formula _before_ he started taking it, and its side effects, as you will probably guess, include a decided tendency towards psychosis.

He came by these problems naturally, as well. Orphaned during the street-fighting of the Soviet Union's collapse, he was taken in by one of the nation's newer think tanks, and was actually happy there despite the constant pressure to produce results. Unfortunately, a number of the older boys there viewed his talents as a threat to the hierarchy they'd established, and conspired to frame him for crimes against the staff, resulting in his expulsion. Pavel finished his education in a more conventional manner, completed his compulsory military service, and then found a job as a janitor at Moscow State University, taking advantage of his access to its facilities to advance his knowledge of science. Despite his bitter opinions of all this, he nonetheless decided to use his talents to avenge crimes rather than commit them.

Parovoy works alone, trying to be as mysterious and easily vanished as his alias. His most noteworthy accomplishment was preventing Saturn from seizing control of Russia -- thus upholding its _wonderful_ status quo -- in association with Baba Yaga and others, and has worked with the master spy on other occasions since then, but it is a tense and difficult partnership on both sides. Even when working with others, he usually speaks as little as possible, rarely using people's names -- since he usually suspects that whatever name they've given him, or others, is a lie. Interestingly, he has never actually met Darkwing, despite his anger and annoyance at the other man.

*паровой (Parovoy)/Steam -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 5/2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Armored Costume:* Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 4; Removable (-3 point) - 11 points
*Splendor:* Enhanced Advantage 18 (All-out Attack, Close Attack 5, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Takedown 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Enhanced Strength 3; Leaping 2 (30 feet); Quickness 2; Speed 5 (60 MPH); Activation—Move Action (-1 point), Removable (-8 points) - 33 points

*Advantages:*
_All-out Attack, Close Attack 5, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard_ Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Evasion _2, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed),_ Improved Initiative _3_, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Language 2 (English, German, others, [Russian is native]), Jack-of-all-Trades, _Move-by Action,_ Skill Mastery (Technology), _Takedown 2,_ Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
*Underground Lair:* Size Huge; Toughness 14; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed 2, Defense System, Holding Cells, Isolated, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 20 points

*Skills:*
Athletics 7 (+12/+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: Science 4 (+12), Insight 9 (+11), Investigation 6 (+14), Perception 10 (+13), Sleight of Hand 7 (+10), Stealth 10 (+12), Technology 5 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14/+6
Unarmed +15/+10 (Close Damage 5/2, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/6/4/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 44 + Advantages 14 + Skills 37 + Defenses 19 = 166 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Paranoia. Rivalry* (Darkwing).


----------



## Davies

Koschei





He's not called that because he's the deadliest man alive. (By all accounts and excluding supers of any moral persuasion, that's probably the Reaper.) He's not even considered to be the most effective assassin active today, because there are plenty of stories of him failing to service the target, whether due to effective defensive preparations on their part or the intervention of factors beyond anyone's control. They gave him the name because of those stories, because just like the stories of Koschei the Deathless always end in his defeat and demise but always begin with him inexplicably alive again, no matter what sort of horrific fate he encounters on his missions, the latter day Koschei always comes back.

In his civilian identity, he lives a comfortable and quiet life just outside of Honolulu under the name Jim Lee. He almost doesn't remember the name under which he was born, and under which he nearly died, along with his birth family, during Cerebron's attack. But he was rescued by Li Yin-Sau, a Chinese hitman who happened to be in Hawaii on business and found himself returning to old patterns of behavior in the aftermath. (In the 80s, before a disgrace he never discussed, he had been a police officer in Hong Kong.) With the boy orphaned and no distant relatives interested in taking him in, Yin-Sau found himself in the unexpected role of a father, and did his best.

While he trained "Jimmy" in the arts of assassination, it was more because he didn't know what else to teach him than because he hoped that his foster son would follow him into the profession. He was a bit startled at how well the kid ended up taking to these lessons, and how willing and able he was to discuss the ethics of being a hired killer. When Sau-Yin finally passed away of an illness in 2007, his eighteen year-old son waited a year before contacting his father's old fixer and seeking employment. The man passed along a task almost as a joke, expecting to never hear from him again -- it wasn't like there could be another Mathilda, or something like that -- and was stunned when it was completed.

Since then, he has operated across Eastern Europe and Asia, especially in Russia -- hence the name. Koschei follows a set of ethics that he and Sau-Yin worked out together in their discussions. The first rule is that he doesn't work through cut-outs. If someone wants to hire him to end another human being's life, that someone can and will tell him to his face that this is what they want -- and why. The second rule is that if the client lies to him -- omissions are sometimes acceptable, deliberate falsehoods never are -- the contract is cancelled immediately. The third rule is that he will not kill people for _being_, but only for _doing_. He doesn't have any delusions of serving some higher purpose in his actions, but he does have standards. 

Thus, he actively avoids contracts with Saturn, even though they could be very lucrative, because of the danger involved and the fact that he'd be killing people for being super-powered, which would no better than killing them for the color of the skin or the people with whom they have sex. Despite his understandable desire to avoid conflict with superheroes, he's ended up fighting them and usually meeting his apparent end as a result many times. In particular, he's crossed paths with Baba Yaga -- their respective aliases almost ensured that -- quite a few times, usually as an adversary but sometimes, interestingly, as an ally. He was as bewildered by these circumstances as she was, but found they actually worked well together. It was ... nice.

Now in his early thirties, and feeling much older than that, Koschei really wants to get out of the game and permanently retire to the house in Hawaii. It's a pipe dream, though, and Yin-Sau warned him that the notion of the 'one last job' is always a trap. Still, he's avoided traps before, and maybe it will be the same this time. Incidentally, the notion of him as a genuine immortal has attracted some unwelcome attention, resulting in him being 'interviewed' by seekers after that mirage. They've all either reached the correct conclusion, that it's a myth resulting from clever planning and lots of luck on his part, or they've reached a different sort of conclusion.

*Koschei -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (Alternate Identity), Connections, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (Sniper Rifle), Languages 3 (many, [English is native]) Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Takedown, Ultimate Aim, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Concealed body armor (Protection 1, Subtle) and 17 points of equipment as needed.
*Arsenal:* Array (16 points)
 *Flash-Bang Grenades:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vision & Hearing Impaired, Vision & Hearing Disabled, Vision & Hearing Unaware) - 16 points
 *Heavy Pistol:* Ranged Damage 4 - 1 point
 *Sleep Gas Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep) - 1 point
 *Smoke Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point
 *Sniper Rifle:* Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical - 1 point
 *Tear Gas Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Visually Incapacitated, Stunned & Visually Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition - 1 point
*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+11), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Deception 9 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 9 (+12), Technology 8 (+10), Vehicles 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 4)
Sniper Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 17-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/5/4/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Advantages 24 + Skills 50 + Defenses 17 = 137

*Complications:
Professionalism--Motivation. Ethics* (skewed ones, but his.) *Reputation* (the killer who cannot die.) *Secret Identity. Wants to Retire.*

"Sometimes, dogs are better than men."


----------



## Davies

Penny Lane





In 1829, a young poet and soldier named Edgar Allan Poe, discharged from the army, moved to Baltimore to live with his widowed aunt and her children for a time before entering West Point. During this time, he decided to visit with some childhood friends of his, named Usher, and was startled to learn that one of them had recently died and the other was very ill. Some rather horrific events then transpired, which he would, a decade later, describe in print as "The Fall of the House of Usher", presenting them as fiction and notably censoring the way that Madeline Usher ended the life of her brother Roderick before dying herself. Perhaps he had forced himself to forget that horror.

There was much that Poe did not know about the Ushers. They were a very old family, and had begun, generations before, a course of inbreeding to regain certain advantages which they were slowly losing. And while Roderick Usher believed himself and his sister to be the last of their family, he was mistaken. There had been another pair of twins born to their parents, a decade before their own birth. When the sister of the pair had died in childhood, they had sent the brother to be raised by some friends of theirs while they tried again. In his thirties when the House of Usher fell, Timothy Usher took the opportunity to reinvent himself as Timothy Ashe, founder of a new house ...

... and the ancestor, in several lines, of one Penelope Ashe, who ran away from home in her early teens when she realized the intentions of most of her male relatives towards her. Being able to read minds can really suck at times. Like her ancestor before her, she took a new name as Penny Lane, and has tried to live a normal, unremarkable life since then. Such plans have been somewhat disrupted by her growing friendship with the android hero Machinanima, and his ongoing feud with her fa-- the people to whom she's related.

Initially, Penny was drawn towards Machinanima because his mind was unlike any consciousness she'd ever encountered, coolly precise rather than a jumble of impulses and memories. Later, she hoped that he might become a powerful protector if her family ever tried to come after her. Most recently, though, she's been startled to realize that she really does care about him, worrying about the violence of his lifestyle and even trying to help him out discreetly. This has also made her feel increasingly guilty about the fact that he doesn't know anything about who she is or where she came from, but she does know that he's never expressed any curiosity about the subject, either. It's just not how he's wired, she guesses.

In addition to the abilities to speak mind to mind and probe the thoughts and memories of others, while shielding her own mind from such intrusions, Penny's telepathy allows her to retain quite a bit of what she gleans from these minds. That's how she's been able to do all the many jobs that she's been doing since Machinanima has met her, and how she's managed to create a variety of false IDs in case she ever has to make a quick getaway. She has never been known to use any sort of telepathic 'power stunts', but nothing is stopping her from developing them other than a lack of opportunity.

*Penny Lane -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 6, Limited to mental effects - 3 points
*Stolen Skills & Memories:* Enhanced Advantage 1 (Eidetic Memory); Variable 1 (skills & languages), Free Action - 9 points
*Telepathy:* Mental Communication 2; Cumulative Mind Reading 6 - 26 points

_Typical Variable Sets:
*I Know Kung Fu:* Enhanced Defense 3 (Parry 3); Enhanced Skill 2 (Close Combat: Unarmed 4) - 5 points
*Of Course I Speak Sumerian. Doesn't Everyone?*: Enhanced Advantage 1 (Language [any]) - 1 point
*Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?:* Enhanced Skill (Expertise: [any] 10) - 5 points_

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Roll, _Eidetic Memory,_ Fascinate (Persuasion)

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+4), Deception 4 (+5), Insight 2 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+5)

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 38 + Advantages 3 + Skills 6 + Defenses 12 = 79 points

*Complications:
Freedom--Motivation. Enemy/Family* (House of Ashe.) *Friend* (Machinanima.) *Secrets* (oh so many.) *Uncontrolled Power* (Mind-Reading, activates randomly.)


----------



## Davies

Emanuel Cardona





Born in Morocco in 1951, Emanuel Cardona emigrated to France with his family in his early teens. It was as a seventeen-year-old vocational school student that he first encountered la Belle on one of her first appearances. He's never discussed the circumstances of that meeting with anyone, never said whether he was caught up in a protest or took part in one willingly, but he will say that she saved his life that night, and he has spent decades trying to repay that debt. And then he found out exactly how much that was going to cost.

At eighteen, he underwent compulsory military service, serving a bit more than the then-mandatory year. In the aftermath, he returned to Paris and went to work for the Prefecture of Police, frequently crossing paths with la Belle and her rival/parner, la Bête -- with whom he had a much more unfriendly relationship. He rose through the ranks thanks to cases closed with their help, and lent them whatever limited aid that he could as an inspector. The years passed, and they remained exactly the same as Cardona grew older. That didn't bother him, or at least he told himself that it didn't.

He married in 1989, and had a number of children whom he loved almost as much as he loved his job. In 1998, he was recruited by Argus to serve as an implanted agent in the Paris police, and also the handler for France's famous heroes. He viewed this as the best way to ensure that la Belle, at least, had an ally inside Argus. Nothing changed, really -- he'd always provided the police with all the information that he _knew_ about the two of them, if not always what he _suspected_, and now he was just duplicating those reports for another interested party.

In 2004, he was assigned to work with a new partner, the much younger Helene Remarque, who'd achieved some distinction while assisting la Bête on one of his cases. Cardona found it divertingly amusing that her opinions of the duo were exactly the opposite of his own, but came to respect her sharp intellect and courage. He thought she was probably going to go even further in the police service than he had, as he was looking forward to retirement by that point.

A bit more than a year later, Cardona, Remarque and la Belle were all attacked by what he eventually learned were renegade Argus agents, part of the conspiracy that shook the world that year. La Belle was critically injured, and Cardona helped both her and the less wounded Remarque to a safehouse where he hoped they'd be able to recover. Despite his best efforts, though, he saw his beloved heroine take her last breath ... and then dissolve into golden dust.

And then he heard a strange noise coming from the bed where Remarque's unconscious body lay. Slowly, he turned, and watched, in stupefied horror, as her body was altered to make it an exact duplicate of la Belle's. When she awoke, a moment later, she even asked where Remarque was, if his partner was all right. He stammered out that she hadn't made it, and the look of genuine grief on her face convinced him that she knew less than he did about what had just happened.

Nothing, not even the death of his wife in 2009, has ever shattered Cardona as much as what he learned that day. He has never passed on this secret to anyone, not even to Argus, from which he retired in 2011. Every time one of them suffers a life-threatening injury, he quietly waits for his own end, fully expecting that as the person closest to them both, he is doomed to become a new host for these strange beings. It hasn't happened yet. Perhaps it never will. And so he keeps on helping them, in any way that he can, now that he's an old man whose children rarely visit.

But he looks back on the sheer number of times that this must have happened, and is appalled at the price that has been paid for all their heroism. 

*Emanuel Cardona -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* -1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 1 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Fearless, Languages 2 (Arabic, Basque, English, French, [Spanish is native]), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), and 9 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 7 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+7), Treatment 2 (+5), Vehicles 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage -1)
Light Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 1, Toughness 1/-1, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 65 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Elderly. Secrets* (ex-Argus agent, knows the secret of la Belle et la Bête.)


----------



## Davies

Okamura Koji





The second longest-serving member of the Ghost Sweepers has been with the team almost as long as Megan Excalibur -- or "Megu-chan", though he's the only person on Earth who's permitted to call her that. He joined a few days after she did, having been recruited at the same time and out of the same high school, but not permitted to join the team in the field immediately. He spent that time having his abilities studied by the Yokoyama Group, as they were atypical for those the Sweeper organization in a number of ways.

As a consequence, Koji believes that his abilities are purely psychic in nature, without any spiritual component. There are no baseball bat-wielding psychics who can teleport in Japanese legend, after all. At least one parapsychologist who took part in the study, however, argued that Koji was somehow channeling the 'spirit' of the protagonist of an extremely popular video game, or possibly the gestalt consciousness of everyone who's ever imagined themselves in that role. Regardless, until relatively recently, Koji didn't have to take the same steps to keep the spirit he's associated 'happy' that his teammates did.

That changed not long after his high school graduation, when the team suffered a major defeat that could easily have resulted in their deaths, had the attacking entity not regarded them as too insignificant to finish off. When the team recovered, it seemed that Koji had completely lost his powers, and nothing that he did was making them come back. After consulting the Yokoyama Group's files, though, Megan decided that the 'Ness' that lived inside Koji's brain had gotten a 'Game Over' result and was pouting over this. The only thing to do, then, was to restart.

She did this by dragging him into a series of fights with various spectral entities, which grew progressively harder until they forced Koji to unconsciously draw on his abilities -- specifically his 'Offense Up' -- to protect himself. Once that was done, the rest of his wild talents came back, one by one, and Koji was once more able to take his place in the party lineup. The entire affair firmly cemented his loyalty to Megan, though neither of them is looking forward to having to do this again.

That loyalty is an interesting development in itself, since Koji started out on the team fully expecting to be handed the position of leader once their original leader retired to an administrator's position in the agency. He was shocked when _a girl_ was given the job instead, especially since her abilities seemed so much less impressive than his. This rivalry is almost entirely a thing of the past, although Koji still finds himself second-guessing Megan's choices in the privacy of his own thoughts, especially when she does things he doesn't understand. But he's seen those weird calls play out too many times to openly question them.

Outside of his teammates, Koji's closest relationship is with his girlfriend, Miyake Shizuna, whom the group rescued from an attempted human sacrifice three years ago. What was a typical Tuesday to the Ghost Sweepers was the most terrifying experience of her life, and she was a long time recovering. Against regulations, Koji decided to take a role in her recovery, and they've become close. She knows that he fights ghosts and witches, but has no idea that he does so with official sanction. It's a fairly happy and supportive relationship that would probably be broken up in an instant if the Ghost Sweeper's oversight committee ever found out about it.

"So they never will," Megan has promised.

*Okamura Koji - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 5/1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Psi-Shield:* Linked Enhanced Will 4, Impervious; Linked Sustained Protection 4 - 12 points
*Psychic Abilities:* Array (8 points)
 *Brainshock:* Perception Range Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Entranced), Limited to One Degree - 8 points
 *Defense Down:* Perception Range Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable), Limited to One Degree - 1 point
 *Hypnosis:* Perception Range Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Fatigued), Limited to One Degree - 1 point 
 *[Life Up:* Perception Range Healing 2 - 1 point
 *Offense Up:* Enhanced Strength 4 - 1 point
 *Paralysis:* Perception Range Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Hindered), Limited to One Degree - 1 point
*Teleport Stride:* Accurate Extended Teleport 6 (125 miles), Activation (Standard Action), Limited to Extended Only - 16 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

_Equipment:_
Baseball bat (Strength-based Damage 2), smartphone and 6 other points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9/+5), Close Combat: Baseball Bat 4 (+9), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 3 (+5), Expertise: Science 3 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Insight 3 (+7), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+8), Treatment 2 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 5/1)
Bat +9 (Close Damage 7/3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/7/5/3, Will 9/5

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 41 + Advantages 9 + Skills 20 + Defenses 9 = 121 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Power Loss* (all, if defeated or otherwise suffers damage to his self-image.) *Relationship* (girlfriend.) *Secret* (government agent.)


----------



## Davies

Kishinami Monoka





The youngest current member of the Ghost Sweepers, Monoka is just sixteen years old and was recruited two years ago, when she was still in middle school. She's somewhat unique among her colleagues in that she doesn't channel the spirit of an individual from Japanese legend, but one of the four symbols associated with the Chinese constellations -- specifically, the Vermillion Bird, called Suzaku in Japanese, which embodies the element of fire, the southern direction, and summer. This allows her to use various flame-related abilities, notably allowing her to fly on wings of flame -- although not very fast, as superheroic flyers go.

Monoka's powers, while considerably potent, have the strong limitation that she cannot normally call fire into being, but rather causes flames to rise higher and burn faster and more hotly by an act of will. Occasionally, she has been able to somehow cause combustion to occur in regions of high temperatures and low humidity, such as an extremely hot summer day, but for the most part she relies on a set of matches and a lighter that she carries in her blazer pocket to create the fires that she needs to do her work. Despite the challenge that this sometimes creates for her, she has never complained about it. She might only have one match, but she can make an explosion.

Unlike a lot of her colleagues, Monoka strongly believes that Suzaku exists independently of herself, and is a genuine deity, not a manifestation of any innate power on her part. She takes comfort in the notion that she is Suzaku's chosen priestess, and strives always to behave in a way consistent with this heavy responsibility. Ironically, her own personality is somewhat contrary to this, as she is every bit as prone to making quippy remarks as most of her teammates, and a decidedly nasty sense of humor. She claims to want to keep this under control, but whether or not this should be believed is questionable.

Under the air of sanctity, and the sarcastic personality beneath _it_, there's a rather lonely young woman who values the found family that the Ghost Sweepers have become for her. Her own family is broken in many ways. After her birth father died in a fire that also killed a lot of his colleagues, her mother married again -- to one of Monoka's paternal uncles, just to make things that much more confusing. Neither her mother nor her stepfather care very much about her, and she was dumped at a boarding school where she got wrapped up in a series of events that attracted the Ghost Sweepers attention, being both rescued by them and rescuing them in quick succession.

Monoka is considered a likely candidate to replace Megan Excalibur as the Ghost Sweeper's field commander if the latter ever suffers a career ending injury or power loss. Aware of this, Megan is being very careful in giving Monoka the sort of training that she received when she was Monoka's age, but Megan worries that the younger woman is a bit too in love with her own power to focus on commanding others well. Still, there's time for that lesson to be taught, surely.

*Kishinami Monoka -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE *3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Flames of the Vermillion Bird: *Array (17 points)
 *Flame Arrow:* Ranged Damage 9, Quirk (requires existing open fire or high temperatures) - 17 points 
 *Flame Breath:* Cone Area Damage 9, Quirk (requires existing open fire or high temperatures) - 1 point
 *Flame Shapes*: Ranged Shapeable Area Fire Damage 3, Concentration Duration, Selective, Quirk (requires existing open fire or high temperatures) - 1 point
 *Scrying:* Remote Sensing 9 (visual), Quirk (requires existing open fire) - 1 point
*Touched by No Lesser Flame:* Immunity 10 (fire effects) - 10 points
*Wings of the Vermillion Bird:* Flight 5 (60 MPH); Reaction Damage 3 - 22 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Power Attack, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+6), Expertise: Theology & Philosophy 5 (+7), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Flames 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0 and Reaction Damage 3)
Firebolt +7 (Ranged Damage 9)
Firebreath -- (Cone Area Damage 9)
Fire shaping -- (Ranged Shapeable Area Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 52 + Advantages 6 + Skills 13 + Defenses 17 = 120 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Power Loss* (all, if Suzaku is disappointed.) *Prejudice* (minor.) _Secret_ (government agent.) *Sly and Sarcastic, Beneath an Air of Sanctity.*


----------



## Davies

Asagiri Sayo





More than a decade ago, when Sayo was even younger than Monoka, she and a group of her friends were accidentally transported to a parallel world where magic was much more prevalent than it is on their own. There they developed magical powers, possibly due to the affects of their slide across dimensions and possibly because some of the local powers-that-be needed agents in a hurry. Sayo acquired powers associated with truth and knowledge, able to see through all illusions and ask questions of reality that it had to answer. Until that point, she'd been something of a hoodlum, but the shock of her sudden understanding changed Sayo's personality quite a bit.

When the survivors of this adventure finally found a way back to Japan, their powers were lost, but Sayo managed to retain the knowledge that she'd gleaned through the use of her own. She became a teenaged detective, often handling cases that seemed to involve supernatural phenomena. During one of them that actually did turn out to be mystical in nature, Sayo found herself empowered on this world, as well, when she forged a contract with what she believed (and to be honest, still believes) to be the ghost of the great detective, Akechi Kogoro. That led to her joining the first incarnation of the Ghost Sweepers, of which she's the only surviving and still-active member.

Sayo's powers are primarily defensive instead of the offensive ones used by most of her teammates, and so she's well-aware that she cannot act as a frontline combatant as they do. Instead, she acts as the team's scout and investigator, often using the faculty for disguise that she shares with Akechi to impersonate and infiltrate the opposition ranks. In a scuffle, her primary goal will be to escape, though if she can inflict some damage on the enemy while doing so, she'll try to do so. Likewise, she's never sought a leadership position, preferring to advise whoever is in charge.

However, her association with Akechi brings with it problems as well as blessings. The fact that she can't ever guess -- or at least can't discuss her guesses until her detective work has uncovered proof to back them up -- is something of a pain, as it forces her to play her cards close to her chest and often annoys her teammates. That's still not anywhere nearly as annoying as the fact that Akechi requires her to smoke Egyptian cigarettes while on the case, despite her attempts to convince him that a nicotine patch would be _much_ less noxious.

*Asagiri Sayo - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Master of Disguise:* Continuous Morph 2 (Other People), Deception Check Required (DC 12), Removable (–1 point), Standard Action - 5 points
*Quicksilver Wits: *Enhanced Advantages 5 (Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative, Speed of Thought); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 4, Limited to mental actions; Impervious Will 6, Limited to mental effects - 17 points

*Advantages:*
Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll _2_, Equipment, Improved Defense, _Improved Initiative,_ Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2 (English, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, [Japanese is native]), Power Attack, _Seize Initiative,_ Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Investigation), _Speed of Thought,_ Taunt, Tracking, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 2 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+11), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 8 (+13), Perception 8 (+12), Sleight of Hand 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+10), Technology 2 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13/+2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/3/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 23 + Advantages 16 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 124 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Addiction* (nicotine.) *Power Loss* (Quicksilver Wits, if Akechi is offended.) *Secret* (government agent.)


----------



## Davies

Tetsu





Despite the Ghost Sweepers' mission being to deal with hazardous supernatural phenomena, they sometimes end up dealing with events that are confused with supernatural phenomena. Most of the time they turn over those cases to more mundane authorities, but there have been a few that weren't so easily resolved. The most notorious of these cases involved the discovery of a functional automated android production factory in Saitama, possibly the very same one which had produced the android who became known as Iris Philips of the Discovery Company. The question of who constructed this facility remained an open one even after the challenge it presented had been resolved.

The Ghost Sweepers shut down the factory, but one android remained intact at the end, having been given no mission programming by the facility's controlling intelligence. The team turned it over to the Yokoyama Group, expecting to hear no more about it, and were shocked when they received a new member a week later -- the android, given programming to make _him_ into a loyal ally of the team. It took a while for them to get used to this unusual ally, but Tetsu ("Iron") has proven his worth many times over.

Tetsu maintains a cover identity as Iwasaki Tetsurou, a college student who received extensive cybernetic implants to save his life. (From a certain point of view this is true, as he would never have become functional without them.) As Tetsu is aware that he's not particularly _good_ at maintaining this cover identity, he avoids dealing with people as much as possible. He would actually prefer to be more truthful about his real nature, but all signs point to this creating more problems than it would solve. Someday, hopefully.

The Yokoyama Group did not tell the Ghost Sweepers that Tetsu was put on their team as an insurance policy, intended to prevent any of them from going rogue in a fairly direct manner. Megan has repaid this favor by not telling _them_ that one of the other members of the team, who channels the legendary magician Kashin Koji -- apparently a very talented inventor, instead of a sorcerer -- discovered that contingency programming almost immediately, and removed it, as well as the whole 'loyalty' business. Tetsu works with the team out of his own free will, not because of any electronic slavery.

*Tetsu -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* - | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Android Body:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8 - 38 points
*Implanted Autoblaster: *Ranged Multiattack Damage 6 - 18 points
*Speed: *Enhanced Advantages 3 (Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 4; Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 19 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Evasion, _Improved Initiative 3,_ Precise Shot (ranged, cover), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Intimidation 8 (+7), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 7 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 8 (+10), Technology 4 (+8), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +12
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 6)
Autoblaster +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/4, Parry 8/4, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 75 + Advantages 4 + Skills 19 + Defenses 9 = 129 points 

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Regular Maintenance. Secret Identity. *


----------



## Davies

Yurusha Elaynu





What sort of person takes a look at the most powerful stellar empire in known space, ruled by one of the most brilliant and resourceful individuals ever to live, and decides, "This has to go, and I'm the one to bring it down"? In the case of Yurusha Elaynu -- _Senator_ Elaynu to you -- who has served as the commander in chief of the Insurgency for nearly three decades, now, it's the sort of person who was there at the start of it all, who regards the mistakes she made back then as the greatest errors of her life, and who will do almost anything to correct the consequences of her actions and inactions. _Almost_ anything, which is why she is more likely to be an antagonist than an ally for would be heroes of the Crimson Imperium.

Seventy-six years* ago, the Imperium was facing one of the greatest challenges of its history. The mysterious superbeing dubbed Galactor was busily commanding the pillaging of worlds on the periphery, and the Senate was dithering over the appropriate response. Yurusha was then a young senatorial aide, likely decades away from earning her own seat, but she was in a position to join the embassy that the Senate sent to the mystics on their garden world of Hasham, to demand or to beg, depending on the situation, that they do more about Galactor than they'd heretofore done.

It was a long and difficult journey, and Yurusha was the only member of the Senatorial group to actually survive the voyage, leaving the onus of deciding how to approach the mystics on her. Had she humbled herself and begged, perhaps they would have been moved to send more assistance. But she'd believed that she couldn't get much more humble, and so she phrased the request in the form of a demand, and so two of the mystics, a mentor and his student, left Hasham along with what was left of her expedition. She despaired, then; what could two men do?

Having gotten something of a lesson in the actual answer to that question when pirates attacked the ship, she felt a bit more hopeful. On the other hand, they were now without a pilot, and so they made an emergency landing on the backwater world of Gomiori in hopes of finding one. And there the tale began to take its strange turns, for not only did they meet with a young and incredibly self-impressed pilot named Eflas Garden, who agreed to help them, the younger mystic brought back a mendicant named Osborne, who claimed to have certain special knowledge of Galactor's weaknesses.

For a wonder, this little band of heroes managed to accomplish what not all the forces set against the powers of Galactor had managed to do so far, and sent him to flight away from the Imperium. The cost was great, though, for the older mystic laid down his life for the cause, but not before he urged his pupil to take Eflas as his own pupil. This meant that Yurusha would be separated from him, and that was a sorrow, for they had grown close despite themselves. But she was more concerned with her own reward: the senatorial rank that would normally have been decades away. Her joy at this was only lightly disturbed by the way that the same gift was bestowed, for his role in all this, on Osborne.

Ten years* went by, as she watched the crimson-robed Senator grow in power and influence, striving to stop him when possible and slow him down the rest of the time. Despite her opposition, Yurusha never had the sense that he viewed her as an enemy, but rather as a source of amusement. Despite this frustration, there came a bit of happiness back into her life when Eflas, now a mystic in truth, returned to the world with his master to act as the overseers of the Senate. She soon learned that Eflas still thought that rules were for other men, and they loved and then married in secret despite the laws against it.

Four years* went by, and a new crisis arose, and the Crimson King was asked by a cabal of Senators to take the title of Lord Protector. And as if that wasn't enough of a horror, Eflas' master revealed himself to be the King's chief ally, slaughtering those mystics who refused to swear obedience to the new Crimson Imperium and terrorizing the resistant Senators as well. Eflas came to his wife's aid, fighting his master in a deadly duel that left the other man critically injured, and then helped her to flee the planet, separating from her to increase their chances of escape. She wouldn't see him again for more than sixty years*.

For her, the war began that day, not decades later when she finally assembled allies who could provide the forces she could not. She knew that the battle to come would take decades, so she began taking boosterspice to slow her aging process and protect her from poisons. Even then, she knew that some of the other leaders of her Insurgency viewed it as hers for only so long as it would take to remove her. It was nothing new to her; life in the Senate in those last years had been good training for this.

To Yurusha, there is no question that the Insurgency must not, under any circumstances, seek to change the pre-Crimson King Imperium from the way that it was, but rather restore it, with all its flaws intact. Once that is done, they can start to make the sort of reforms that will make it impossible for this _interlude_ to ever repeat itself, but to insist on such changes when there is no Senate to approve of them is simply to set oneself up as a different dictator than the Imperium currently endures, or at best an oligarchy of several would-be dictators. She has explained this, over and over again, to her fellows, and yet even the best of them, like Balin Mauresco, just ignore her. She doesn't want to kill any of them, but they're really not leaving her with any other options.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, she is once again alone. After Gelesh, she and Eflas finally began to slowly and tentatively rebuild their long-shattered relationship. They had both changed so much, and it was a difficult process. Then, one day, he simply didn't wake up. There was no great battle, no dissolution into a luminous being instead of crude matter. He just passed away in his sleep, leaving her bereft of her most important ally. His last pupil will have to take up the banner for him, when he finally returns from wherever he's gone. Hopefully that Lansam child will bring him back alive ...  

*Yurusha Elaynu -- PL 6

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Boosterspice: *Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) - 3 points 
*Translator Earrings: *Comprehend 2 [understand and speak all languages]; Removable (-1 point) - 5 points

*Advantages: *
Attractive, Benefit 4 (Millionaire), Connected, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 11, Improved Critical (Blaster Pistol), Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Leadership, Luck 3, Taunt, Teamwork.

_Equipment: _
Concealed Body Armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Customized Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate), and 4 points of equipment as needed.
*Personal Shuttlecraft:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 6; Toughness 13; Powers: Movement 2 (Space Flight); Features: Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer, Navigation System, Remote Control

*Skills:* 
Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Civics 9 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+6), Insight 7 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 7 (+11), Ranged Weapons: Blaster 3 (+5), Stealth 7 (+8), Technology 6 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +5
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 19-20).

*Defense: *
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 7.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 30 + Powers 5 + Advantages 29 + Skills 38 + Defenses 13 = 115 points

*Complications:* 
*Responsbility--Motivation. Conservative Views. Dependency* (must take regular doses of boosterspide or lose Immunity and begin aging rapidly.) *Enemy* (oh so many.) *Hunted by the Authorities.*

* Earth years.

_Author's Note: Certain aspects of this character's backstory were suggested by Voltron64._


----------



## Davies

Doctor Wlelahu





Within a few weeks of the settlement of Muraddin, the newly born Technate found itself in the first of a series of wars against the Hazlan people who lived in a star system just a few light years away. Even the most pro-Technate account of these affairs will admit that the new arrivals provoked the war by traveling to that system without making any attempt to broadcast peaceful intentions, but the Hazlan response was fairly disproportionate. While the Technate won that war, forcing the Hazlan in that system to sign a peace treaty, but promptly found themselves in another with a different nation of Hazlan. The whole cycle kept repeating, off and on for, for more than a hundred years*, as there was no higher authority over all the Hazlan nations that the Technate could treat with.

Finally, these pointless conflicts came to an end around ninety years ago, with all the Hazlan nations agreeing to permanent peace treaties among themselves and formally joining the Technate. Their integration with Technate civilization has been fairly slow, however, owing to their steadfast adherence to Hazlan traditions, of which their insistence on certain gender roles for work assignments has been the biggest barrier. Male Hazlan are soldiers and poets, while females perform all technical and administrative work, and never the twain are supposed to meet.

The one big exception to the latter is that medicine is considered an appropriate pursuit for both males and females, likely because it is used on the battlefield as well as civilian life. The largest success at integrating Hazlan into the Technate Space Agency's organization, then, has been in their department of medicine, to the point where the Hazlan medic is becoming something of a stock type in popular fiction. That probably wasn't taken into consideration when the chief medical officer for the relaunched TSV _Adventure_ was selected, but he has been known to play to the expectations of the role, diagnosing at a glance and commenting that his claws are always sterilized for surgery.

Wlelahu is neither a particularly brilliant nor inspired doctor, but he has devoted his life to perfecting his craft to the best of his ability. He gets along well with the Captain, following the ancient tradition of the ship's doctor acting as the sounding board and counsellor to her master. He has actually had more success in getting her to moderate her more aggressive instincts than the robot has -- something that Wleahu thinks that Otodevol resents -- because she recognizes and respects that Wleahu has made a conscious choice to follow a more pacifistic path than his traditions would expect. The doctor and the robot don't get along, but confine their verbal sparring matches to situations where the ship isn't in immediate danger.

The one real problem in Wleahu's life is the fact that, as a student in the Academy, he was recruited to serve as an undercover operative of the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, and given training to prepare him for that role. He strongly suspects that his position on the TSA's flagship was arranged for the agency's benefit, and has frequently found himself in a position where he has to choose between what he believes is best for the ship, and what's best for the agency. So far, this hasn't cost him anything other than a great deal of stress and uncertainty, but he expects that the price will only go up as time goes on. Still, he's also been able to use the intelligence reports that he gets to the ship's benefit, and so believes that it's worth it ... for now.

*Doctor Wlelahu -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Claws:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Fur:* Immunity 1 (cold) - 1 point
*Keen Senses:* Senses 2 (low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Equipment 4, Improvised Tools, Language (Technate Standard, [Yazlan is native]), Second Chance (Treatment), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Medical Kit, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Stunbeamer (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]) and 4 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Galactic 7 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+7), Technology 4 (+7), Treatment 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Claws +3 (Close Damage 3)
Stunbeamer +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 3, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/3, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 5 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 90 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Divided Loyalties. Secret* (CIA agent.)


----------



## Davies

_Only one post today, but it's a twofer._

Tarmund the Hunter & Sister Night




_Tarmund_





In the Crimson Imperium, where what justice you can get depends on how much you're willing to pay for it, a bounty hunter might be a hero, a villain, or just someone trying to survive the tough times that keep coming. They might be all three, at different times. But some of the profession, simply by their methods of choice, fall more into one category than others. The pair of Tarmund the Hunter and Sister Night are a good example of those who would generally be considered villains. And it's somewhat ironic that their activities usually serve to support the structure of the Crimson Imperium, as both of them might be expected to prefer its fall.

Tarmund the Hunter, notorious for bringing back only enough of his targets to identify them, with the rest sliced away by his weapon of choice, is a former Imperium Marine -- a deserter. Only a very few of the Imperium's elite manage to overcome their indoctrination to even consider abandoning their posts, and most of those who put those ideas into action don't survive very long in the wild. It's not that the Imperium bothers to hunt them down -- that would be a further waste of the resources already expended in producing such a flawed vessel -- but that they cease to have access to the food supplements and drug treatments that keep their biological modifications functional.

Tarmund has survived longer outside of the corps than any other known deserter, roughly twenty years*. The Inquisition, which has made use of his services in the past, considers it likely that he has some sort of mutation which works with his biomods, supporting them so that he doesn't need so much of the supplements. He does still need them, though, and much of the money that he makes from his bounty hunting goes to pay for black market access to these chemicals. Occasional efforts have been made to shut down the suppliers of such, but those efforts have been stymied from orders from higher up ... _much_ higher up.

The woman called Sister Night is an actual mystic, although a renegade who is close to treading the Nightmare Path. Most of those mystics who survived the purges at the start of the Crimson King's reign agreed to remain on Hasham and shun involvement in the larger universe beyond their idyllic garden planet, under the threat of having their world bombarded into ashes by the division of the Imperium Navy that guarded them. But the young pupil who would become Sister Night, unsatisfied with the slow pace of life on this world, unhappy with how little she was being taught, chose to make an escape attempt, and succeeded without provoking that retaliation. (Not that she cared what sort of retaliation she might have provoked, as long as she personally got away.)

Sister Night is an extremely accomplished telepath, and while she does not _yet_ have the ability to gain power from the fear she causes in other living creatures, she is able to steal 'vital energy from them, either so subtly that they have no idea that they are being harmed until they fall down dead, or blatantly, which usually takes the form of lightning blasts. The Inquisition considers her a much greater potential threat than Tarmund, but will still make use of her services. If she ever took a pupil, they would both immediately be marked for death, but she is probably too selfish to ever share her power with anyone.

Tarmund considers Sister Night a useful ally, who has abilities that he cannot match and is willing to use them to their mutual benefit, whom he will naturally try to protect as long as it's convenient. That is as far as his feelings for her extend. He has no romantic interests whatsoever, and satisfies whatever sexual needs he might have through paid companionship. Her feelings for him, on the other hand, border on obsession. When they first joined forces, Sister Night attempted to put her fellow mercenary under her psychic domination. Her powers failed then, as they had never failed before, and they failed again on a few occasions. She eventually reached the conclusion that Tarmund must be somehow protected by the Source, using it unconsciously, and has come to believe that he is destined to father an even greater champion, someday. If she ever realized that she was simply unlucky when she made those attempts, it would probably lead to a violent end to their partnership.

Neither Tarmund nor Sister Night would ever even consider working with the Insurgency -- Tarmund regards them with contempt, and the Sister cares only for her own power. They were recently given a very unusual job offer from the Inquisition, which would have them travelling to a backwater planet they've never even heard about in order to recover -- alive -- an Inquisitor who seems to have gone rogue. They're still considering whether to take the job, but the pay for just taking the job is very impressive indeed, regardless of their success or failure.

*Tarmund the Hunter -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PER* 3

*Powers:
Augmented Biology:* Immunity 4 (disease, need for sleep, poison, starvation & thirst), Limited to half effect - 2 points
*How Can Something So Big Move So Fast?:* Leaping 3 (125 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (15 MPH) - 8 points
*Situational Awareness: *Senses 1 (Danger Sense) - 1 point
*Starforged Axe: *Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate, Improved Critical 3; Easily Removable (-3 points) - 4 points
*Translator Implant: *Comprehend Languages 2 (understand all languages, speak any language) - 6 points

*Advantages:
*Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Equipment 7, Fearless 2, Improved Critical (axe), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (close; cover and concealment), Takedown, Ultimate Effort (Toughness check), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Space Armor (Immunity 10 [life support]; Protection 2).
*Spaceship:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 6; Toughness 13; Powers: Movement 2 (Space Flight); Features: Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer, Holding Cells, Infirmary, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control. (Cost shared with Sister Night.)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+13), Close Combat: Axe 4 (+12), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 7)
Starforged Axe +14 (Close Damage 10, Crit 16-20)

*Defense:*
Parry 12, Dodge 10, Fortitude 13, Toughness 12/10/8, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 82 + Powers 21 + Advantages 21 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 176 points

*Complications:
Bloodlust--Motivation. Dependency* (chemical supplements to maintain powers and health.) *Useful Ally* (Sister Night.)


*Sister Night - PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Bonded Laser Sword:* Damage 3, Penetrating 3, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-3 points) - 5 points
*Draw On The Source:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects; Regeneration 5 - 11 points
*Sense The Source:* Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 5 (Accurate, Acute, Ranged Danger Sense) - 13 points
*Work With The Source:* Array (36 points)
 *Lifetheft:* Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Fortitude, Insidious, Subtle - 1 point
 *Telepathic Basics:* Comprehend Languages 2; Mental Communication 2; Cumulative Mind Reading 8 - 36 points
 *Telepathic Delusion:* Illusion 12 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Telepathic Suggestion:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing Dependent - 1 point
*Advantages:
*Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
4 points of equipment as needed.
*Spaceship:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 12 (air/space); Defense 6; Toughness 13; Powers: Movement 2 (Space Flight); Features: Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer, Holding Cells, Infirmary, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control. (Cost shared with Tarmund.)

*Skills:* 
Close Combat: Laser Sword 5 (+11), Deception 8 (+12), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+10), Stealth 8 (+9), Technology 6 (+8), Treatment 6 (+8), Vehicles 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Laser Sword +13 (Close Damage 3)
Lifetheft -- (Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Fortitude)
Suggestion -- (Perception Range Will 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 8, Toughness 9/4, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 68 + Advantages 14 + Skills 27 + Defenses 17 = 176 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Obsession* (Tarmund.) *Watched Very Closely By the Inquisition.*


----------



## Davies

Infernus





As with all the twisted aristocracy of Daath, what is known about the so called Flame Emperor Infernus is largely derived from Aun Taxad and Vittara's recollections, which are themselves based on overheard conversations, rumors, dubious accounts and (in Aun Taxad's case) conjecture. Infernus is believed to be one of the mightiest of Daath's second tier of potentates, beings of lesser power than the Metropolitan or Tavipahter but possibly greater freedom of action. He rules over a land of flame located near one of Daath's geographic poles, but, in Aun Taxad's memories, was more often to be found in Abraxas' palace attempting to inveigle his way into a position of greater authority as an adviser to Abraxas.

According to a dubious account told to Vittara by one of her tutors, Infernus was once a much greater power than he is now. Before the Metropolitan or Tavipahter, Infernus was the effective ruler of Daath -- though his rule was apparently contested by others of similar potency, most of whom no longer exist. The circumstances of his rise to power and those of his fall to his present state are mysteries, but the fact that he survived that fall is easily explained by the fact that he, alone among the powers of Daath, apparently cannot be permanently killed by violence.

This is not rumor. Early in his time as a page in Abraxas' service, Aun Taxad personally witnessed his master casually executing Infernus for some unknown insult or error. Yet a month later, the Flame Emperor had returned, showing no signs of any injuries. Yacobus the Arch-Imaginist would later tell Aun Taxad that Infernus was like a phoenix, dying and reborn in flames, time and again. The price for this, apparently, was that Infernus is apparently dependent on fuel for his flames. Starve them, and he will not be reborn.

Lately, the Flame Emperor's attempts to gain power in Abraxas' service have apparently borne fruit, for he has replaced the Warlord Schatter as the commander of the Dark Side's invading armies, supplementing them with flame beings drawn from his own province. These beings cause a more visceral fear within their opponents than other forces of Daath do, for there are ancient traditions on many worlds throughout the galaxy tof a world of flames and agony where the damned and doomed are punished. Whether those tales are memories of times long gone when many gates to Infernus' realm on Daath existed are impossible to say ...

*Infernus -- PL 14

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Ancient:* Comprehend Languages 4; Enhanced Advantage 1 (Jack-of-all-Trades); Impervious Will 12 - 25 points
*Fire Generation:* Array (36 points)
*Fire Bolt:* Ranged Damage 18 - 36 points
*Fireball:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 12 - 1 point
*Fireflash:* Perception Area Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
*Firestorm:* Ranged Cloud Area Damage 12 - 1 point
*Heatwave:* Cone Area Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Flame Shield:* Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 20 points
*Reborn, Like The Phoenix:* Immortality 5 (1 day); Immunity 10 (aging, disease, poison, all environmental conditions, suffocation) - 19 points
*Rocket Flight:* Flight 10 (2000 MPH) - 20 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Improved Grab, Improved Smash, _Jack-of-all-Trades_, Power Attack, Startle. 

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 4 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Fire Control 8 (+10). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)
Fire Bolt +10 (Ranged Damage 18)
Fireball -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 12)
Firestorm -- (Ranged Cloud Area Damage 12)
Fireflash -- (Perception Area Affliction 12, Resisted by Dodge)
Heatwave -- (Cone Area Affliction 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 13, Toughness 19/9, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 86 + Powers 124 + Advantages 5 + Skills 18 + Defenses 19 = 252 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Flames Must Be Fed* (requires large amounts of food.) *Subject to Orders* (Abraxas and Daath's true ruler.)


----------



## Davies

Amothat






When the great Armada departed from the Imperium in whatever spaceships they were able to scrounge together -- many of them vessels that were never meant for long-term occupancy -- they were by no means certain of their ultimate destination, only that it must be a place far from the government in which they no longer had any faith. The Chiraben given charge of their fleet, Commander Muraddin, stated that he knew of a world that would suit their needs, but others among the crew of his flagship would later claim that he never spoke of their destination to any of them. Further, a tradition would eventually develop that the Admiral engaged in lengthy, private conversations with a mysterious figure swathed in robes, who was only glimpsed momentarily by anyone else. When asked about these episodes, the Commander nearly always denied that they'd ever occurred. Except for once, towards the end of the voyage, when he referred to the figure as 'our guide'.

An entire religion has grown up around those words on Muraddin and other worlds of the Technate. Ironically, ultra-orthodox Guidists would regard the suggestion that the being known as the Amothat was the same entity who guided the Armada as utter heresy, as it is clearly a material entity, not the spiritual one in which they believe. Even less rigorous followers of the Guide are dubious as to the identification, for it is well known that the Amothat never gives anyone a straight answer to a question, making it seem unlikely that it could possibly have aided the Commander or the Armada on their journey.

The Amothat is a mysterious entity, sighted throughout the space explored by the Technate, and also that of the Vaask and the Konan. For the most part, it seems to act as an observer to the events that take place in this region of space, though there are dubious tales of it intervening to rescue innocent lives when no other being was able to do so, or defeating threats which seemed on the verge of triumph. It has been suggested that it has some connection to the Council of Aperion, for it has been seen on that world many times, and its powers are _somewhat_ like those of a wielder of a Power Prism. Yet the Council, when asked by a Technate diplomat, disclaimed any authority over the Amothat, and implied that it was every bit as much of a mystery to them.

When the Amothat does interact with other entities, it usually does so by asking them questions -- often of an extremely personal nature, frequently of matters that the subject has completely forgotten. When asked anything, it normally replies with nonsense, or poetry that seems poorly applicable, at best. The individual in the modern Technate who has had the most interaction with the Amothat is Captain Mystic. Briefed on the way that conversations with the creature usually went, she embarked on a different approach. She answered all of the Amothat's questions as honestly and directly as she was able to do, admitting gaps in her knowledge when necessary, asking it absolutely nothing in return.

When the Amothat was apparently satisfied with her answers, it engaged with the Captain through telepathy, revealing certain things about herself that she had never realized, and in the process opening itself up to her, so that she had more of an understanding of the nature of this being than any other mortal entity had ever managed. The immediate outcome was that the Captain learned of her amulet's potential technomantic abilities, and began to gain mastery of them. But of what she learned about the Amothat, she has only ever spoken briefly. When asked what the Amothat thought of the Technate, she answered in one short phrase: "It pities us." 

*Amothat -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 11 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Levitation:* Continuous Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 21 points
*Psychokinetic Field:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 12 - 34 points
*Superior Mental Capacity:* Comprehend 2 (languages, understand and understood); Impervious Will 12; Quickness 10, Limited to Mental Tasks only  - 23 points
*Telepathy:* Mental Communication 4 - 16 points
*Vast Psychic Powers:* Array (32 points)
 _*Gaze:*_ Perception Range Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Hallucinations:* Illusion 10 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Mind Probe:* Cumulative Mind Reading 10, Subtle - 1 point
 *Spacewarp:* Movement 2 (space travel); Accurate Extended Teleport 7 - 1 point
 *Telekinetic Lash:* Ranged Damage 16 - 32 points
 *Telekinetic Constructs:* Create Object 10, Moveable, Precise, - 1 point
 *Telekinetic Motion:* Move Object 16 - 1 point

*Advantages*
Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-Trades, Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
An artificially intelligent self-repairing starship of undocumented capabilities.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+17), Insight 8 (+16), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 7 (+15), Ranged Combat: Telekinesis 4 (+10), Technology 3 (+14), Vehicles 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Telekinetic Lash +10 (Ranged Damage 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 16, Will 16

*Totals:*
Abilities 90 + Powers 132 + Advantages 5 + Skills 25 + Defenses 19 = 271 points

*Complications:
Responsibility (Probably)--Motivation. Makes People With the Complication "Mysterious and Enigmatic" Seem Straightforward and Opaque.*


----------



## Davies

Geretil





For as long as their history records, the Geretil have practiced what they consider to be a benign form of infiltration, assuming the forms of other humanoid species and living among them in secret, in order to develop a greater understanding of their motivations. Their legends claim that their species' home world, located within the boundaries of the Crimson Imperium, was also home to several other intelligent species, and that their ancestors developed the ability to change their shapes in order to learn about these other peoples so that they could live in peace with them. The legends also claim that the other peoples of the planet eventually moved their entire populace into off-world colonies, leaving the world entirely to the Geretil.

There are those who view this as a very convenient set of legends, and note that the Geretil's account is studiously silent as to the identities -- and current whereabouts -- of the other species with whom they supposedly shared a world. For this reason, among others, the Geretil's reputation for benevolence is questioned in some quarters. However, it's also been noted that the people most paranoid about them tend to be paranoid and intolerant of everyone. 

The species' tendency towards pacifism is also well-known, but even they will admit that their pacifism applies only to direct, personal confrontations -- while they won't fight in hand-to-hand or use lethal weaponry at a distance, the majority of their people have no difficulty in engaging in _vehicular_ combat, firing a vessel's weapons against another vessel. On the other hand, a Geretil who are forced into conflict with another will normally engage in a brief, silent 'conversation' with the other, with one of them then choosing to voluntarily die at the other's hands rather than fight. The one who dies is considered to have made the easier choice, as the one who survives must live with their guilt.

Geretil are found in the service of the Crimson Imperium and as members of the Insurgency, with some associated with other factions within the Imperium's space. The stereotype of their people is that they are more loyal to their fellow Geretil than they are to whatever other associates they might have, but many defy this expectation. They are much rarer in the Technate, but some are known to have accompanied the Armada (and claim to have saved the expedition on one occasion, though _every_ community in the Technate makes some form of that claim) or arrived after the rise of the Crimson King. As individuals with innate powers, Geretil citizens of the Technate are subject to greater suspicion and prejudice than their Imperium cousins, but no official disapproval. They are not, after all, capable of impersonating the artificial intelligences that govern the Technate. 

The handful of Geretil on Earth are not agents of the Technate, and are in violation of the planet's officially protected status. Three of them are simple scholars who are studying Earth's native cultures and how they are responding to alien visitation. (They find the frequency with which reptilian invaders feature in human mythology to be very disturbing, but are just depressed by the fact that such depictions are usually coded references to despised human populations.) Two others are in the employ of Vaskhane, the interstellar crime syndicate, and either work with the organization run by El Diablo Rojo or are active in Bhutan. They engage in non-violent crime, but don't consider selling drugs of extraterrestrial origin to be an act of violence ...

*Geretil Infiltrator -- PL 6 / MR 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA *3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:* 
*Shapeshifting:* Morph 3 [humanoids]; Regeneration 1; Variable 2, Move Action, Limited to Physical Abilities - 30 points

_Typical Variable Sets:
*Battle Form:* Enhanced Strength 5 - 10 points
*Void Form:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Winged Form:* Flight 5, Winged; Shrinking; Senses 3 (extended vision 2, low-light vision) - 8 points_

*Advantages:* 
Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Hide in Plain Sight

_Equipment:_ 
Concealed Stunbeam (Ranged Affliction 4 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated], Improved Critical, Subtle)

*Skills:* 
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 5 (+6), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+5), Perception 3 (+4), Persuasion 3 (+4), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+5), Stealth 4 (+5), Technology 2 (+3), Vehicles 1 (+2)

*Offense:* 
Initiative +1
Concealed Stunbeam +5 (Ranged Fortitude 4, Crit. 19-20)
Unarmed +5 (Close, Damage 1)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 6

*Totals:* 
Abilities 24 + Powers 30 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 18 = 90 points

*Complications:
Curiosity--Motivation. Pacifistic Tendencies. Others as Needed.*


----------



## Davies

Seshai





To look at the Seshai, one might think that they were just a blue-skinned branch of the human race, such as the people of Aychran, whose entire population have a condition similar to the methemoglobinemia possessed by some Terran humans, such as the Fugates of Kentucky. This is a false conclusion, and the Seshai are very prompt to correct the misapprehension when they encounter it. They are not even hominid, being descended from creatures similar to Terrestrial marsupials, and notably require major surgery in order to survive giving birth to live young. It is very likely that this condition is what led to them developing the advanced medical techniques that are their hallmark.

Many of these medical practices involve the enhancement or replacement of damaged organs and tissues with electronic systems -- cybernetics, to use the Terran term, which has no cognate in Seshai. While not all Seshai have such implants, they regard the need for them as no different from the use of clothing for protection from the elements. The notion that 'cybernetics' damage some essential aspect of an individual, rendering them less than a person or unable to empathize with those without them, is utterly foreign to their experience, and would be regarded as a profoundly disturbed perspective.

The Seshai were one of the founding members of the Imperium, having established a small interstellar polity surrounding their home world and fought several wars with the Manguai and their clients, the Augrah. They have maintained a long-standing rivalry with these old foes, but until the rise of the Crimson King, it had become an almost ceremonial relationship. The general opinion of the Seshai of the Crimson Imperium is an unfavorable one, but the majority of the populace has chosen to simply ignore it as best they can and wait for better times to come. A sizeable minority have taken action by joining the Insurgency, contributing valuable technological and medical assistance as well as acting as frontline soldiers.

Unfortunately, an equally large minority of the Seshai has responded to these developments in a much less positive and much more dangerous manner. While the Seshai have always been willing to share the benefits of their medical research with other peoples, they have never tried to force them on others, any more than they have tried to force their communal and uncommercial way of life on the rest of the universe. In the last half-century, however, a movement has developed in the Seshai community which asserts that their species possesses a uniquely enlightened perspective, and that the only way to bring other life forms to the same level of enlightenment is to provide them with medical enhancements -- regardless of the patient's wishes, which they view as a false consciousness.

Referring to themselves as Uplifters, these renegade Seshai have become space pirates of a particularly bizarre style, seeking neither profit nor excitement, but rather using the victims of their raids as the subjects of implanted medical enhancements -- 'cyborging', to use another term for which there is no Seshai cognate. They point to the fact that such subjects often join their crusade as evidence of their philosophy, but others, including mainstream Seshai physicians, have claimed that their victims have been cognitively rewritten by neurological implants rather than making free choices. The Uplifters are considered a criminal organization within the Imperium, with the Guard having shoot-on-sight orders concerning them. Despite this, they have continued to flourish.

Only a few Seshai families joined the Armada -- despite their technological orientation, their culture did not ever engage in much technomancy -- and the species is extremely uncommon in the Technate. The Uplift movement has not, as yet, found any purchase in this branch of their culture. But some have compared its diffusion to that of a computer virus, and it might only take a single infected Seshai to begin spreading it further.

*Seshai Uplifter -- PL 8/MR 8

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Arm Blade:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 1 - 4 points
*Eyemods:* Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Communications Implant:* Enhanced Skills 1 (Technology 3), Limited to Security; Radio Communication 3, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 14 points
*Subcutaneous Armor:* Protection 4 - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Diehard, Equipment 4, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Precise Shot (ranged, cover), Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and 4 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 5 (+6), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 8/5 (+10/+7), Vehicles 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 5)
Arm Blade +6 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)
Blaster Rifle +8 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 23 + Advantages 16 + Skills 17 + Defenses 12 = 120 points

*Complications:
Obsession--Motivation. Electrical* (becomes Hindered, Immobilized and Paralyzed if subjected to Nullify Electrical.) *Others as Needed.*


----------



## Davies

_And now for a trip to A World More Sorcerous But No Less Challenging ..._

Amagda Levent





Elsewhere in the multiverse, there is a land ruled by a magic-wielding aristocratic elite, who reign over a largely non-magical peasantry. In this land, called Galantri, the aristocracy generally wields magic associated with one of the four elemental powers -- earth, wind, fire, water -- with the same elemental alignment usually possessed by all the members of the same family. From time to time, however, there are born children who have powers that are not aligned with one of these elemental realms. In less enlightened lands than Galantri, such children are often considered to be blessed by the Immortals, often thought to be their children. Of course, this is nonsense, and these people are simply attuned to the same sources of power as these beings, who are _not_ gods, whatever they might deceive the credulous into believing.

One of these children, born some twenty-five years ago, was a girl-child named Amagda of the Levent family, 'gifted' with the ability to move at great speed rather than her family's normal wind magic. Despite the enlightened attitudes of the adults around her, the children who were supposed to be her peers were less kind to her than they should have been, with whispered imprecations that her mother had dallied with an Immortal or one of their servants, who was Amagda's true father. Angered by these insults to herself and those she loved, Amagda grew into a terribly wrathful young woman.

There was only one among her generation who was kind to her, and who sought to calm Amagda's anger instead of stoking it. Rossandra Colleyne was a cousin to the Levent family, and she frequently visited their home in her childhood. Two years older than Amagda, she constantly assured the other young woman that her speed, and the strength that her training had given her, were both wondrous things, and that Rossandra believed that her friend would do things still more wondrous with them. She won Amagda's friendship and loyalty, and perhaps her heart as well, though only Amagda herself knows how deep her feelings were. At sixteen, she looked forward to studying at the Grand Academy because it would mean more time spent with Rossandra.

And then Rossandra was murdered. Worse, she was slandered in death, with those responsible for her death claiming that she had chosen to drink poison rather than face responsibility for heinous acts. Amagda knew well that her friend would never have done that, no matter what circumstances confronted her, and sought to fight against Rossandra's enemies. All that this won her was expulsion from the Grand Academy -- not that it mattered much, as her studies would have ended only a few months later, when the Academy suspended its operations in response to civil unrest.

The Levent family fled south to Tohrukin, but Amagda did not. As the old order of Galantri was thrown down by the rise of the Committee of Public Security, she knew that she must oppose this evil, not just because its first victim had been Rossandra, but also because of the harm that it wrought against the high and low alike. Whatever sins and crimes the aristocracy had committed, the violence of this terror was out of all proportion and sanity, and someone had to take a stand. So she told herself, at least, in trying to convince herseslf that she fought for a cause more noble than simple vengeance.

Amagda, in her heart of hearts, believes that she fights for a lost cause. The enemy is too numerous, and too well-organized, for her small group of brigands to meaningfully oppose through the hit and run tactics she employs. Yet in her darkest hour, when she sought out the counsel of an oracle, she was given a tiny bit of hope. The oracle told her that, sometimes, when a life ends before its fated moment, the Immortals gather up the soul of the departed and hide it in another world -- and that this is what happened to Rossandra. Somewhere, her friend is alive.

It's almost no hope at all. There are surely as many worlds as there are stars in the night sky, and even if she knew which one holds that particular soul, she has no way to get there. But she is determined to speed through this challenge and overcome it with all her strength, and then, somehow, she knows that her enemy will fall. There may be Immortals, and they may be gods, but Amagda believes in just one thing. She believes in Rossandra Colleyne.

*Amagda -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Blessing of Zephyr:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 6; Speed 6 - 23 points
*Good Swift Strike:* Strength-based Damage 4 - 4 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 2,_ Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative _2_, Instant Up, Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Magic 4 (+7), Intimidation 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12/+8
Unarmed +10/+8 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/7, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 27 + Advantages 9 + Skills 17 + Defenses 15 = 112 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Soft Spot for the Needy. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Mhaim Ashenputtel





Once upon a time, a little girl lived with her mother and father in a tiny village far from the centers of power in the land of Galantri, and though they were poor and times were always hard, they were happy. And then one day a beautiful sorceress came into their village and accused her mother of seducing the sorceress' husband, and even bearing his child. Her father tried to protect her, but died in the blink of an eye. The sorceress promised to allow the little girl to keep her wretched life if she didn't let out a tear during her mother's punishment, and when her mother finally took her last breath, the sorceress owned that her the child had kept her word. So she only killed everyone else in the village, leaving the little girl in its ashes. Mhaim Ashenputtel was her name from that day forward.

Eventually, the little girl left the ruins, and tried to flee to the mountains in hopes that she could find a pass that would lead to another land, but all that she found was frostbite and starvation, before she took shelter in a deep, dark cave. Within the depths, she heard a voice addressing her, asking what she desired. For a moment, she considered asking for her parents to be alive again, but then pain and anger burned away those gentle thoughts. She asked to become the agent of vengeance on the sorceress and all those like her, and the Shadow Dragon agreed to grant her this, so long as she brought this land under the rule of Great Ananke. She didn't know who that was, but she was past caring.

A few years later, a young magical prodigy was discovered in one of the provinces of Galantri, and quickly brought to be a student there. Her charm and beauty won her many friends among the young men of the school, and many enemies among the young ladies. But strange and terrible things happened to those who sought to bully her, such as the strange death of Rossandra Colleyne. And in addition to her apparent romantic conquests, she found other allies among those who had grown weary of the sorcerous aristocracy.

The revolution began in winter, with blood staining the white snow. Many sorcerers died, many fled, and finally the assembly sued for peace. A Committee of Public Security was set up, with Mhaim as one of its leaders, officially. (Unofficially, the others were all her poppets.) And then the trials began, with one particular sorcerer and his family dragged before her ... along with an unfamiliar-looking woman. The sorcerer stammered out some tale about how his wife had been mad with paranoia, slaughtering a village for an imagined crime, how she had finally taken her own life years before, how he would abandon his title and donate all his property to -- and then she stopped listening and drove her sword's point through his eye into his brain, telling her guards to smother the man's wife and brats in the dungeon.

It brought her no solace. Nothing will, she suspects, until the land is reduced to a few scattered villages like the one where she lived. Of course, such small villages can probably only sustain a much smaller population than the country now possesses, so she'll have to decrease the surplus population to something more manageable. The unceasing executions are a means to that end, as well as being amusing, and committed to instill the worship of Great Ananke in the remnant population.

Her greatest fear is somewhat bewildering. At the start of her great war, she was ordered to poison a certain aristocratic woman, whom she framed as her persecutor. She was only supposed to leave her weakened and injured, but something about her just aroused all of her anger and fear, and so she used enough of the poison to end her. That should be the end of it, surely, but she keeps having dreams in which her enemy returns from the grave, somehow ...

*Mhaim Ashenputtel -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Gifts of the Shadow:* Array (39 points)
 *Shadow Consumption:* Cloud Area Nullify Magic 9, Broad, Simultaneous - 1 point 
 *Shadow Domination:* Perception Range Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Insidious, Subtle; Senses 1 (communication link with compelled or controlled target) - 39 points
 *Shadow Poison:* Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Dying), Subtle; Energizing Healing 9, Self Only, Subtle - 1 point
 *Shadow Step:* Movement 1 (dimensional movement [Shadowland]); Accurate Extended Teleport 12, Medium (shadows) - 1 point
 *Solid Shadows:* Perception-Ranged Damaging Move Object 9 - 1 point
*Shadowed Eyes:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
*Shadowshield:* Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5) - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 3 (commissioner of public security, independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Equipment, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless, Ritualist, Ultimate Effort (Will), Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical).

*Skills:*
Close Attack: Sword 6 (+10), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: High Society 5 (+10), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Insight 4 (+11), Investigation 5 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+12), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Sword +10 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Domination -- (Perception-Range Will 9)
Poison +4 (Close Fortitude 9)
Solid Shaodw -- (Perception-Range Damaging Move Object 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/8, Parry 15/10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3, Will 13 

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 56 + Advantages 12 + Skills 28 + Defenses 18 = 170 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Fear* (Rossandra Colleyne.) *Hatred* (aristocracy.) *Vulnerability* (magic of the heart.)


----------



## Davies

The Dragon




_Normal Form_




_Human Form_




_*Other* Human Form_

The dragons of the World More Sorcerous do not name themselves or their offspring. Generally, the parent who hatches the eggs doesn't remain with the offspring for more than a few days, long enough for them to become independent. Parental affection is all but unknown, it is rare for dragons to form bonds with their fellow clutch mates. There is no real draconic language; when a dragon needs to communicate with another dragon, they typically either employ very physical nonverbal communication or, more rarely, the languages of one of the more social species, such as humanity. This is despite the contempt and disgust that they feel towards those species, especially humanity.

This particular dragon is at one and the same time an exemplar of this attitude, and a somewhat perverse exception to it. On the one hand, the dragon regards the majority of humanity with the same weary annoyance that a picnicker might feel towards a group of ants. They might kill a few of them, but is well aware that destroying all of them is probably not within their power or a productive use of their time. In more sadistic moments, they might behave like a young boy with a magnifying glass, but this too loses its charm after a while.

Periodically, however, the dragon develops a, well, fascination with an individual human. Despite what the tales will claim, this isn't always a virginial princess, as human concepts of purity and status mean absolutely nothing to the dragon. These obsessions never last, but they don't always end the way that you might be expecting, either. When they do end, though, the dragon typically retreats from the scene of this latest fling and spends an extended period isolated from any contact with other intelligent life. It would not be safe to call this pouting.

During one such pout, a few decades ago, the dragon spent an extended period underground. While burrowing through the caves, they chanced to discover a portal to another world, which led to a strange land of animate fungus. The dragon was enchanted with this place, and its ruler in particular, and naturally sought to rule over it and her. Unfortunately, the dragon was soon to discover that, despite their hopes, this world was just as filled with obnoxious humans as the one from which they'd come, and so gave up on its new hope and returned whence they came.

Fairly recently, something unexpected happened. Dragons have no more of a religion than they have a language or culture, but they reluctantly acknowledge that there are powers greater than their own and will generally do what those powers tell them to do when told. So it was that when an entity called the Shadow Dragon -- probably not an _actual_ dragon, but arguing the point is a bad idea -- extracted an oath from them to serve as an ally to one of its other mortal pawns, the dragon readily agreed. After all, there's only one real purpose that anyone would send a dragon to work for a human, and the dragon was in the mood for that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, while the dragon has been witness to a great deal of death while in the service of Mhaim Ashenputtel, it hasn't been nearly as entertaining as they expected it. Quite apart from the way that Mhaim usually commands the dragon to remain in one of its human forms and even pretend to be a human, an insult they must reluctantly bear because of their oath, the sheer amount of senseless violence and terror that are being caused in Galantri are ... well ... horrifying. It's so methodical and deliberate, a far cry from the impulsive acts that the dragon has been known to commit. And his quote-unquote master acts as though all this is somehow 'good'. 

Morality is an alien concept to the dragon, but they are starting to think that agreeing to this, instead of dying a pointless and painful death, might not have been the wiser choice. 

*The Dragon -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 13/6 | *STA* 12/5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Firey Breath:* Ranged Damage 13, Extended Range 3 - 29 points
*Keen Vision:* Senses 2 (extended vision, low-light vision) - 2 points
*Monstrous Toughness:* Immunity 21 (aging, flame effects, life support); Impervious Toughness 5 - 26 points
*Shapeshifting:* Array (28 points)
 *Huge Form:* Growth 7 (STR +7, STA +7, Intimidation +3, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -7); Impervious Toughness 7* - 28 points
 *Human Form:* Morph 1 (specific human form) - 1 point
 *Human Form:* Morph 1 (_different_ specific human form) - 1 point
*Wings:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Wings - 7 points

* 1 rank per Growth rank active.

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Languages 4 (many), Move-by Action, Startle.

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+16/+9), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+10/+7), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Firey Breath 5 (+9), Stealth 5 (+0/+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13/6)
Firey Breath +9 (Ranged Damage 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5/9, Parry 6/10, Fortitude 14/7, Toughness 12/5 , Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 89 + Advantages 12 + Skills 17 + Defenses 11 = 193 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Easily Romantically Obsessed. Oathbound. Vulnerability* (cold effects).


----------



## Davies

Roeven





Roeven, the wandering adventurer and general scapegrace known by some as Roeven the Jackal, is a dark elf, and specifically a drow. Drow are specifically those dark elves who live in what's called the Adamant Citadel. Before we get into that, let's talk about dark elves -- they are simply elves who live in the underworld, no more vicious or cruel than any other elves, and have the same range of skin tones as wood elves or high elves (the ones who live in floating cities). They usually aren't very friendly to surface dwellers who trespass in their realms, but they don't enslave them or even mistreat them beyond escorting them back to the surface. They have very poor relations with dwarves, whom they've largely pushed out of the underworld and onto the surface, and the dwarves don't particularly like them either. Their religion is largely animistic, they tend to be governed by an aristocracy, and frequently have female leaders, but this is by no means universal.

Now, the Adamant Citadel is one particularly large cave that's notable for having certain radioactive crystals growing in the walls, and constant exposure to this radiation has had an impact on those who live here. They tend to have purple or grey skin, white-blonde hair, red or golden eyes, and are much more capricious than other dark elves. (It's not clear whether the last is a consequence of the radiation.) The drow aristocracy tend to engage in all sorts of wild antics, but they are not really any more depraved than human aristocrats. Worship of demon lords is considered acceptable behavior here, though most drow only seek to appease them rather than viewing them as a source of power. Assassination is thought to be a perfectly reasonable response to an insult, mostly because most everybody has easy access to resurrection magic. so 'you're only dead when the priest says you're dead.' There are plenty of decent and compassionate drow, they just focus their efforts on making life better for their fellows rather than going into exile.

So when Roeven spins tales about how he's an exiled prince of his people, driven away for his attempts to change their way of life for a better, those who know anything about the subject realize he is making up whatever stories he thinks will convince his audience to buy him drinks. He has all sorts of stories, but the truth is that he was a bravo on the streets of the Citadel, slightly more talented than most of his fellows, and with a much higher opinion of himself than was probably warranted. He left the citadel claiming that he would win fame and fortune in the outer world. That was a few decades ago.

Somewhat even to his own surprise, Roeven has in fact found fame -- well, notoriety -- and fortune -- well, _brief_ fortune -- in his journeys on the surface. This is largely due to his discovery, on one of his first adventures, of the infamous wonder-weapon known as the Sword of World Slicing. In addition to being a deadly magical blade, the Sword has the power to cut open holes in the world, variously unleashing elemental assaults against all who stand before its bearer, facilitating seven-league strides, and even allowing him to visit distant worlds. Of course, all this comes with the difficulty that the Sword is aware and has decided opinions about what it should be used for -- mostly as much murder as possible -- and the ability to demand such behavior of its wielder.

So far, Roeven has never fully fallen under the spell of the Sword, mostly because he has a perfectly acceptable level of bloodlust without its help. While willing to engage in heroic exploits, his icy blue eyes are always looking for an opportunity to profit from such activities, regardless of who has to suffer. His one relatively admirable trait is that he will always stand with anyone who's been willing to stand with him in the past. Flatly, he doesn't have that many friends, and will go to great lengths for those that he does have.

*Roeven -- PL 11

Abilities: 
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Dark Elven Gifts:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, need for sleep); Regeneration 2; Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 6 points
*Sword of World-Slicing:* Easily Removable (-20 points)

*Blade:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2 - 5 points
*Portals:* Array (24 points)

*Diagonal Cut:* Movement 3 (dimensional movement [any]), Portal - 1 point
*Horizontal Cut:* Cone Area Damage 11, Variable 2 (elemental) - 24 points
*Vertical Cut:* Extended Only Teleport 6, Portal - 1 point

*Speaks With Sword:* Enhanced Advantage 17 (Sidekick 17); Senses 1 (communication link with blade) - 18 point
*Unfazeable:* Immunity 5 (interaction effects) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Equipment, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Improved Defense, Language 4 (many), Power Attack, Ritualist, _Sidekick 17,_ Takedown.

_Equipment:_
Mail armor (Protection 3) and 2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+12), Expertise: Magic 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Thrown Object 5 (+11), Sleight of Hand 2 (+8), Stealth 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6,
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 4)
Sword Blade +12 (Close Damage 7)
Horizontal Cut -- (Cone Area Damage 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/5, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 72 + Powers 40 + Advantages 12 + Skills 28 + Defenses 16 = 168 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Prejudice* (dark elves, by surfacers) *Reputation* (drow, by dark elves.) *Tries to Be Loyal to Friends.

Blade of World Slicing -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -- | *STA* -- | *AGL* -- | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* -- | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Control the Wielder:* Array (20 points)

*Blessing:* Sustained Immunity 20 (mental effects), Affects Others Only - 20 points
*Curse:* Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Subtle, Insidious - 1 point*
*Mystical Awareness:* Senses 3 (mystical awareness, acute, extended) - 3 points
*Solid Object:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Impervious Protection 5 - 40 points
*Speaks With Wielder:* Senses 1 (communication link with current owner) - 1 point

* This effect will only work on an individual who is already holding the sword, but doesn't require any attack roll. The advantages and disadvantages of this cancel out.

*Advantages:*
Fascinate (Deception), Speed of Thought, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+14), Expertise: History 8 (+12), Expertise: Magic 5 (+11), Insight 9 (+13), Perception 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Curse -- (Close Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge --, Parry --, Fortitude --, Toughness 5, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities -6 + Powers 65 + Advantages 3 + Skills 19 + Defenses 4 = 85 points

*Complications:
Bloodlust--Motivation. Reputation* (demonic blade.)


----------



## Davies

Preparatory to the restart of this project on Monday, please have a gander at the Setting Timeline I've assembled.


----------



## Davies

_"Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear ..."_

The Cowl and Masque




_The Cowl_





Owen LeBrett, born in 1909, learned to hate the injustice that poisoned the world early, when his older brother Henry lied about his age to fight in the War to End All Wars and died heroically in Italy. ("Heroically" sounded so much better than "pointlessly.") Owen grew up in the shadow of his brother's sacrifice, determined to build a world worthy of it. This he did first as a reporter for the _New York Herald Tribune_, as an agent for the O.S.S., and later as an editor for the paper.

But despite all he did, it just didn't seem to be enough. The world was afflicted with Communism and gangsterism, and LeBrett increasingly felt that the only thing to do was to force it to make sense. Just what sparked the idea of putting on a mask to disguise his identity has never been adequately explained; it may have been simple pragmatism, a step taken to protect his friends and family from retaliation. But he wasn't actually close to his only remaining family, a younger sister who had married one of the Chicago Richmonds, and generally kept even his circle of acquaintances at a distance. He had a reputation as a quiet man who kept to himself, outside of his work in the editor's room.

He never bothered to give the masked identity he created  in 1956 a separate name -- that came, ironically enough, from one of the younger reporters of the paper, one Francis Tyler, who'd investigated the first accounts of his activities. Once it became clear that 'the Cowl' was going to stick, he accepted it, and used the name himself. In his identity as the editor, he encouraged skepticism about the Cowl's motives, suggesting that he might simply be a masked hoodlum striking out against rival criminals, rather than any sort of hero. It seemed the best way to insure that no one ever made any connections between the two men.

1959 marked two great changes in the Cowl's life. While battling a group of drug smugglers in Harlem, he was surprised when a young colored man came to his assistance in a particularly dicey fight. The boy was injured, and LeBrett chose to take him back to his hidden fortress rather than a hospital, ostensibly because a hospital that would accept the young man was further away but actually because he was curious. As he recovered, Jimmy Graham explained that he'd lost a brother to the allure of drugs, and despised those who dealt them. The story resonated with LeBrett, who offered to take Jimmy as a pupil and sidekick, under the alias Mask. Jimmy agreed, but altered the name a bit. To explain their association, LeBrett publicly hired Jimmy as his driver.

The other change came out of the first adventure outside of New York that the Cowl and Masque embarked on, which took them all the way to Washington and led them to save the President's life from a group of saboteurs. In the course of the exploit, the Cowl was forced to reveal his identity to President Eisenhower. At first, this seemed to be no problem -- if you couldn't trust the President of the United States, who _could_ you trust -- but it would have consequences that the Cowl did not foresee.

Those consequences manifested when LeBrett received the invitation to take part in the first meeting of the Institute, delivered to him in a way that made it clear that this was an offer he couldn't refuse. He was uncomfortable at the meeting, as he was just an ordinary many surrounded by eccentric inventors and a pair of demigods. He framed the way that he never brought Masque with him to the group's meetings as a way to shield his young friend from this strangeness, but there were likely other reasons that he didn't admit. Masque claimed not to be bothered by this, at first.

But the times kept on changing, and the arrival of Basilea and the Iconoclast as members of the Institute made that even clearer. The Amazon woman was confusing enough, seeming to embody everything that confused LeBrett about the way that the world was changing. But the Iconoclast was even worse, for it seemed that he could do _everything_ better than the Cowl, or at least do it with more ... panache, for lack of a better term. It didn't help that LeBrett was well aware that, as he moved through his fifties, he was not holding on to the edge that he'd possessed in his earliest days.

Rather the opposite -- it often seemed that Masque, who was growing into an extremely capable man, thanks to tutoring from _those two_, was the more effective member of their partnership. All this left him surly and unhappy, and the fact that he was forgetting things -- important things -- was also becoming apparent. When the _Herald-Tribune_ closed in 1966, the publisher offered him a job with one of his other papers, but LeBrett was so disgusted with the situation that he turned the offer down and retired, increasingly abandoning his civilian identity.

Masque never complained, keeping whatever dissatisfaction he felt for his supposed mentor firmly to himself, and never voiced any suggestions that the old man should consider retiring as the Cowl, too. He would have cause to regret that decision, especially after 1971. The Cowl accompanied the rest of the Institute to Vietnam, but ordered Masque to remain behind and keep the hidden fortress secure against a group of costume malcontents who'd been imprisoned a decade before. During the Battle of Vietnam, the Cowl seemed bewildered and confused by his surroundings. Officially, he died a hero's death in the fight. Unofficially, there is an account which describes him driving a jeep, apparently believing it to be his beloved Silver Bullet, at Stardust, who proceeded to disassemble it and him with a wave of his hand.

James Graham disappeared after the funeral of Owen LeBrett, though Masque assisted Basilea on a number of cases in the mid-1970s. He was no longer using any costumed identity when he fought crime at the side of Songbird in the 1980s, and was involved in a romantic relationship with her. He was last seen in 1996, leaving the apartment he shared with her and their child after an argument with Sarah Blade, and has never been seen since. He would be 78 years old in 2020, and his ultimate fate remains a great mystery.

*The Cowl -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Benefit 1 (well-off), Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon 2, Languages 2 (German, Italian, Russian, Spanish), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Sidekick 15 (Masque), Startle, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Equipment:*
8 points of equipment as needed.
*Silver Bullet:* Size Huge; Strength 8; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 8; Toughness 12; Feature Disguise - 12 points
*Hidden Fortress:* Size Medium; Toughness 8; Features Communications, Concealed, Garage, Gym, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 3 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Business 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+6), Insight 7 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+12), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 7 (+9), Technology 4 (+6), Treatment 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Improvised Weapon +7 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Advantages 41 + Skills 37 + Defenses 13 = 133 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity. Senility* (after 1967.)

These abilities represent the Cowl in 1959; they began to degrade shortly after. By 1963, his STR, STA, AGL, DEX and FGT all drop by 1; by 1967 they've dropped by 2; and by 1971, shortly before his death, they drop by 3, and his INT, AWE and PRE drop by 2 as well.

*Masque -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Intimidation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 8 + Skills 17 + Defenses 10 = 75 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Prejudice* (Black, teenager.) *Secret Identity.*

Again, this represents Masque in 1959, when he first began working with the Cowl. His skills, advantages, and powers improved over time, to the point where he was almost a completely different character by 1971.


----------



## Davies

Perseus





The most mysterious member of the Institute would have been faintly baffled to realize that people thought of him in that way. To his own way of thinking, there was no mystery about him at all -- he was Perseus, King of Tiryns, son of Zeus and Danae, slayer of the Gorgon and the Cetus, and he would never fail to introduce himself as such, making no attempt to hide his identity. He would, if pressed, admit that he was somewhat at a loss to know how he had traveled from Tiryns to this strange and foreign land, so that was a mystery, but it was a mystery about the world, not about himself.

In 1962, a recently arrived member of the Smithsonian Institution's archeology department, Amelia Simmons, was informed that a half-naked man had been discovered making something of a pest of himself in the display of recently discovered Bronze Age artifacts currently being presented in the Arts and Sciences Building. One of the security guards who had attempted to subdue the man was something of an archaeology buff, and recognized that the language he was speaking was something like the spoken form of the recently translated Mycenaean language. As Amelia had done some of the most recent studies on that language, she was asked to come to try and calm the stranger down.

This was not at all in Amelia's job description, but she was used to doing ridiculously inappropriate things in the early days of any post she'd held, and so she elected to go and try to calm him down, somewhat disconcerted to watch him casually smacking about the security guards who were trying to restrain him. She addressed him in Mycenaean, and succeeded in getting his name out of him. Naturally, she thought that his claimed identity was proof that he was a lunatic, but focused on getting him to leave the building without causing more of a scene. However, that effort was interrupted when a group of crooks broke into the museum and attempted to rob the place.

Perseus didn't hesitate, turning the skills that had protected him against the security guards against these criminals, as well as demonstrating the abilities of some of his panoply -- specifically the winged sandals and helm of darkness that he carried with him. Amelia was left utterly flabbergasted by these devices, which she naturally recognized as some of the magical tools that legend put in Perseus' possession. Combined with his strength and skill, the notion that he really was the person that he claimed to be seemed ... slightly less insane.

He continued to use these gifts of his to fight ordinary criminals and villainy in the general vicinity of the Smithsonian, with Amelia acting as his adviser, much of the time. Initially, he took great offense to attempts to 'explain' him that went beyond, or ignored, his statement that he was exactly who legend proclaimed him to be. Gradually, he came to an understanding that the people who proposed such notions weren't actually calling him a liar, just trying to understand him in their own way. He never budged from the simple explanation that he'd always offered, though.

His goal in all his exploits was to demonstrate his arete, the use of all his abilities to achieve admirable results. A secondary goal was to figure out how to return to his proper place. He never fully accepted that he had been removed from his proper time, as the notion of time travel was utterly foreign to him, and persisted in believing that his homeland was just far away across the ocean -- or possibly several oceans.

Invited to join the Institute not long after his earliest appearances, he served with distinction and ability. The variety of odd tools that he carried with him in his enchanted knapsack made him an invaluable teammate, although his skill in combat was somewhat narrowly focused on swordplay instead of the fisticuffs favored by most of his colleagues. He was also famous for being one of the most accepting members of the team -- no matter how strange one of his allies might seem to be, he would always welcome them as a comrade. The world was full of strange things, after all.

Perseus met his end in the Battle, having missed the early hours of it. He challenged Stardust, claiming that his latest adventure had allowed him to recover the Gorgon's head, and that he was now holding it in his _kibisis_, ready to use. This focused the Super Wizard's attention firmly on himself, allowing Basilea to strike from an unexpected angle and inflict the wound that sent the enemy fleeing. Unfortunately, Stardust had already retaliated against Perseus in the instant before that blow landed, inflicting some sort of creeping petrification that suffocated him before he transformed into stone. He lived long enough to gasp out a phrase in Mycenaean, but Basilea (the only other person present who spoke the langauge) was unconscious, and so whatever last message he intended was lost forever. A heartbroken Amelia Simmons arranged for his petrified remains to be sealed in one of the Smithsonian's vaults.

*Perseus -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Helm of Darkness:* Concealment 4 (visual); Removable (-2 points) - 6 points
*Heroic Stature:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 3 - 6 points
*Kibisis:* Feature 3 (extradimensional storage of 400 lbs); Removable (-1 point) - 2 points
*Reflective Shield:* Strength-based Damage 2; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Easily Removable (-2 poitns) - 4 points
*Winged Sandals:* Flight 7 (250 MPH); Removable (-3 points) - 11 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Diehard, Equipment 6, Evasion, Great Endurance, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Language (English, original unclear), Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical) and 26 points of equipment as needed, contained in _kibisis_.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+11), Deception 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 4)
Shield +6 (Close Damage 6)
Sword +11 (Close Damage 7, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/9, Parry 13/11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 27 + Advantages 16 + Skills 23 + Defenses 16 = 138 points

*Complications:
Arete--Motivation. Friend* (Amelia Simmons). *Unfamiliar With Modern Culture.*


----------



## Davies

The Iconoclast





Bursting onto the scene in San Francisco of 1963, the Iconoclast quickly established himself as an unconventional eccentric who marched to the beat of a different drummer, while nonetheless being an extremely effective crime fighter. He battled against a collection of would-be criminal masterminds who were every bit as bizarre as himself with a stream of patter and extraordinary agility, overcoming them all. Despite the skepticism of some of the more conservative members of the Institute, he was quickly invited to join the group, and unhesitatingly revealed his secret identity to them.

Behind the mask, he was one Andrew Lewis, a wealthy young gentleman who claimed to have been born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. His talents had been cultivated through a somewhat misspent youth, touring India and China. He claimed to have developed the identity of the Iconoclast after seeing how much fun the other early superheroes were having, and deciding to join in. None of this did anything to allay the doubts of certain of his new teammates, but the Iconoclast soon took his place as one of their most well-regarded members.

Perhaps those doubts should have been given more heed. In 1993, long after it was all over, journalist Richard Lawson discovered the minutes of a secret society called the Golden Mean, apparently established in 1919 despite an internal mythology that put its formation a century or so earlier. Their goal was to achieve the transformation of the American government into a technocratic state, run by themselves, and eventually the installation of a technocratic world government. And those minutes revealed that, in 1947, the nineteen-year-old Andrew Lewis had been recruited by the Golden Mean, trained by them as an operative, and eventually -- some sixteen years later -- assigned to infiltrate the Institute.

What those minutes did _not_ reveal was that, despite this sinister origin, Lewis had never really had much interest in the Golden Mean's goals. He had joined the group largely on a lark, not taking it -- or anything else -- all that seriously. The thrill of being a secret operator, and later the greater excitement of being a famous superhero, were what he'd sought, though he also came to find genuine enjoyment in the good deeds that the Iconoclast performed. 

Furthermore, whatever loyalty Lewis might have notionally felt for the Golden Mean was utterly destroyed when one of its leaders tried to blackmail him into becoming his _personal_ agent through threats to reveal the other major secrets that he was keeping -- his homosexuality and his occasional recreational drug use. *That*, he took seriously. He promptly retaliated against this threat, secretly eliminating that senior member of the society and a few others whose activities had offended him, all without ever exposing himself to either the other members of the Golden Mean or his teammates on the Institute.

During the Battle of Vietnam, the Iconoclast was apparently the author of the strategy that successfully injured Stardust and prompted his retreat, though he was demonstrably horrified by the cost of the victory. He met his own fate after Stardust's disappearance, when a helicopter carrying him and several American servicemen suffered an equipment failure and crashed in the jungle. By the time that a rescue operation was mounted, there was no one alive at the crash site, though the Iconoclast's body was never actually recovered.

The exact cause of this incident has never been formally demonstrated. Lawson speculated that the Golden Mean had decided to end their agent's activities and faked the crash to extract him, or possibly to eliminate him. Others have noted that one of the Iconoclast's recurring enemies, the Soviet super-soldier Remontnik, had been in the area before the helicopter took flight, and that he might have sabotaged it, either of his own volition or as part of an assignment. In 1988, Kevin Hazzard, who had also been on the helicopter, reported to JSOT that the Iconoclast had been killed saving his life in the crash, and that he'd buried him before going AWOL. He had no more idea of what had caused the crash than anyone else, but believed it to have been a genuine accident.

Regardless, the Golden Mean endured only a few more years after this, before dissolving acrimoniously in 1977. Some of its members and agents wound up as part of the Pythonian Insurgency, while others disappeared completely in 1981. Its legacy, and that of the Iconoclast, would seem to be the later career of Hazard, and all that came from it.

*The Iconoclast -- PL 8

Abilities: 
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

_Equipment:_
Throwing Discs (Ranged Damage 3), and 14 points of equipment as necessary.

*Advantages:* 
Agile Feint, Assessment, Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-of-all-Trades, Languages 3 (several), Power Attack, Redirect, Set-up, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: High Society 4 (+11), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 6 (+13), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Throwing Discs 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+11), Treatment 4 (+11), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +12 
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 5)
Throwing Discs +9 (Ranged Damage 3).

*Defense:* 
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 7.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 74 + Powers 2 + Advantages 25 + Skills 44 + Defenses 13 = 158 points

*Complications:* 
*Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Secrets* (association with the Golden Mean, drug use, homosexual.)


----------



## Davies

Selkie





In her youth, as far as Nora knew, the world consisted only of the island where she and her father lived and the endless icy sea surrounding it, and it was populated only by herself and him. She had a dim set of memories of other people, and her father admitted that her mother had left them long ago, taking her son -- not 'our son', _never_ 'your brother' -- with her. That tiny admission ensured that one day Nora too would leave their tiny world for whatever lay beyond it -- since saying that they left meant that they had to have gone somewhere else, which meant that somewhere else existed -- but for a time she was content to dwell on the island and swim in the sea, learning to use the command of water that she had inherited from him.

The time came when she was fifteen years old, in the year that she would learn was 1964. It was an accident, really; she was playing with a storm and it blew up into something beyond her ability to manage, and so she found herself lost at sea. Swimming faster and further than she ever had before brought her within sight of a different island -- Newfoundland, specifically. She rested there awhile before continuing to swim down the coast she'd just discovered, to Nova Scotia and then to Maine. That chanced to be where she rescued another child who'd swum too far, bringing him back to Old Orchard Beach and being bewildered by the strange language that everyone was speaking.

Eventually, they found someone who spoke Scots Gaelic, and Nora started to learn English from the Adams -- the people whose son, Ryan, she'd saved. They took her in when it became clear that she had no one else in the world save a father whose exact location was something of a mystery. It took her a while to get used to the idea that most people were not aquatic, not as strong or as tough, and could not command water at will, but as she did, it became clear to her that she had to use these talents of hers to be useful to the people around her or else they wouldn't put up with her. So she began patrolling the coastline, sometimes swimming as far south as Montauk, where she made the acquaintance of fisherman Frank Mundus.

It didn't take long for her to be invited to join the Institute -- who, like most everyone else, were under the impression that she was an adult instead of a teenaged girl -- though her participation in the group's activities was usually quite limited. She needed to remain hydrated, and quite a few of their cases took place far inland. Even beyond that, she was a shy person who rarely spoke up during meetings, generally abstained from voting, and didn't seek the society of her fellows. There was an exception to that, as she was initially quite fascinated by Protius of the Primal Pattern, whom she thought might have some connection to her. That turned out not to be the case, but they remained somewhat distant friends until the end.

Her survival during the Battle of Vietnam was something of a miracle. She used the water of the Mekong River to ambush Stardust, but he proceeded to boil it and her. Nora later claimed that Protius had actually survived the Primal Pattern's apparent demise, and sacrificed himself to save her, though she was unclear about how he'd managed this. Regardless, she spent most of the next year isolated from her friends and fellows, though she ultimately did return to take part in the Institute's last cases.

After the Institute shut down, Selkie finally managed to find her way back to the island where she'd grown up, only to find it long abandoned. What had happened to her father remained a mystery that she was never able to solve. While swimming north of the island, she had a confrontation with some would-be pirates and took a serious injury in defeating them. Her unconscious body was caught by an Icelandic fishing vessel, captained by one Árni Einarsson. Grateful to him for saving her life -- while she couldn't drown, she could easily have found herself consumed by an oceanic predator if she'd remained adrift -- she also enjoyed how he made her laugh for the first time in quite a while.

They were married a year later, and their son born in 1979. The rest of the story has already been told. Nora Adams lies buried in a Reykjavik cemetery, beside her husband.

*Selkie -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Aquatic:* Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Impervious Toughness 6; Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation-Aquatic); Senses 7 (Accurate Extended 2 Tracking 2 Hearing (Only when submerged), Low-Light Vision); Swimming 8 (120 MPH) - 23 points
*Maritime Empathy:* Comprehend Animals 2, Limited to Aquatic Animals - 4 points
*Water-Mastery:* Array (18 points)
 *Hard Water Objects:* Create 9 (hard water) - 18 point
 *Move Water:* Perception Range Move Object 9, Limited to Water - 1 point
 *Stormy Weather:* Environment 9 (impede movement 1, visibility 1) - 1 point
 *Water Blast:* Ranged Damage 9 - 1 points
 *Water Snare:* Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited to Two Degrees - 1 point

*Advantages:
*Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Favored Environment (underwater), Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Languages (English, [Scots Gaelic is native].)

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Water Control 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)
Water Blast +9 (Ranged Damage 9)
Water Snare +9 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 10, Toughness 9, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 49 + Advantages 7 + Skills 13 + Defenses 9 = 152 points

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Friends* (Adams family of Maine.) *Shyness. Weakness* (lack of regular exposure to water.)


----------



## Davies

Diane Fortune





According to the official biography she provided to the U.S. State Department during her naturalization procedures, facilitated by her membership in the Institute, Diane Fortune was born in Salisbury at the end of September, 1946, nine months after the death of her so-called previous incarnation. More than one question was raised about this, as these interviews took place in 1964 and she seemed somewhat older than seventeen or eighteen years of age. However, as she had already helped to save the United States from several disasters, these questions were overlooked at the time.

Three decades later, Richard Lawson would conduct his own investigations into the matter, and discovered much of the true story. Margaret Lambkin was born in 1941 to a respectable middle-class family in Glastonbury; her father was a shop-keeper and her mother a housewife. A precocious child, she discovered Dion Fortune's writings in her early adolescence, and became enchanted with them, striving to develop mystical abilities as a result. Her parents discouraged this, and so she ran away from home in 1957.

Among the things that Lawson did not discover was that Margaret soon formed a partnership with another runaway, Benjamin Herschlag, and accompanied him across the Atlantic. Their partnership did not long survive their arrival in the United States, as she was intent on pursuing her own dreams and had no interest in 'Johnny Master's" criminal ambitions. Margaret began calling herself Diane Fortune in 1960, not long after she took up with one Nicholas Ashe, who facilitated her access to his family's archives.

In 1962, Diane gave birth to her only offspring, listing Nicholas as the father. Lawson was not able to discover what had become of the child, largely because the House of Ashe blocked all of his inquiries. Uninterested in motherhood, Diane allowed Nicholas' family to take charge of their descendant, despite the fact that Nicholas was estranged from them. This marked the end of any friendly or intimate relationship between the two of them, and also the beginning of Nicholas' career as Diavolus, Diane's most recurrent foe.

Indeed, Diane largely joined the Institute in 1963 to take shelter among its membership from Diavolus' attempts at revenge, as well as those of other mystics whom she had offended or outraged in her pursuit of power. While a loyal member of the organization who provided its members with intelligence about the mystical community and support, her priority was very much on gaining as much magical knowledge for her own uses as possible. Her stated goal in doing so was to use that wisdom to make the Age of Aquarius a utopian one, but how much of that was self-justification is hard to say.

Shortly after Diane accepted the petition of another young mystic to become her apprentice, she was caught up in the Battle of Vietnam. She chose to avoid the frontlines, instead using her astral projection as a means of reconnaissance, passing intelligence through her apprentice to those who needed it. When Stardust finally retreated, she was observing in astral form and let out a sigh ... that turned to a choke as she realized that her physical body was being smothered. Unable to return to it in time, Diane Fortune joined the ranks of the fallen, and her apprentice, later to be known as Gertrude Gallowglass, stole off with all her collected arcane lore.

Diane's child, later known as Jodie Crowley, has no notion of their mother's identity, and would not care if they did know. 

*Diane Fortune -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Mystic Awareness:* Senses 3 (analytical radius mystic awareness) - 3 points
*Mystical Talents:* Array (24 points)
 *Astral Projection:* Remote Viewing 8 (Auditory, Visual), Quirk (physical body is helpless), Subtle - 24 points
 *Ghost Hands:* Perception Range Move Object 7, Precise, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Maddening Blast:* Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Phantasms:* Illusion 4 (All Senses), Area, Selective, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Suggestion:* Hearing-Dependent Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Roll 2, Languages 3, Ritualist, Trance.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+8), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Magic 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Maddening Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Will)
Suggestion -- (Perception Range Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 35 + Advantages 8 + Skills 26 + Defenses 18 = 119 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Enemy* (Diavolus.) *Mystical and Enigmatic. Secret* (true origins.)


----------



## Davies

Antaeus





Born in Greece in 1938, Demetrius Panagakos' name was Anglicized to Steve when he and his family fled their homeland and came to the United States as refugees. Settling in upstate New York, Steve led a fairly normal life, which included a football scholarship at the University of Michigan thanks to his strong build and aptitude from the sport. However, although he gave the team his best effort, football was not his passion. That was given to his scientific studies, particularly geology, which had fascinated him for his entire life.

After completing his Bachelor's Degree, Steve continued to pursue post-graduate studies in the Earth Sciences. While conducting a solitary research study in southwestern Montana, he chanced to discover an undocumented cave system. Normally, he would have simply noted the cave's existence and possibly returned later with a group of spelunkers, but for some reason he felt compelled to examine the caves personally. Before he had gotten very far, the cave entrance collapsed, leaving him buried alive.

Something surged within him, then, and he tore his way out of the collapsed chamber with main strength. In the light of day, he realized that he had been transformed into a being of solid rock, vastly powerful and nearly invulnerable. Steven would soon learn that three other people had, on that very same day, been transformed into bodies of air, fire, and water. Dubbing himself Antaeus, after the monster from Greek mythology who drew strength from the Earth, Steve promptly volunteered to join the Institute and used the team's resources to persuade the other three to join as well.

Despite having taken this initiative, Steve was startled to find himself installed as the leader of what became known as the Primal Pattern, as he believed that he lacked the sort of charisma or tactical brilliance that were the hallmarks of leadership that he'd. But his steadiness and stability, learned from the quarterbacks that he'd known, proved to be very helpful in keeping his teammates on task, and his intellect, while not spectacular by the standards of Hyperbrains, was also a factor in his selection. He was actually elected as the Institute's Chairman in 1966, but only served a single two-year term.

As with all the members of the Primal Pattern, Antaeus met his end in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust employing the various elemental powers of the sub-team against them. Drowned in water and battered with wind, Antaeus' body was reduced to a muddy mess, one of the first members of the group to succumb. He had arranged for his remains to be donated to science in hopes that some method of restoring other individuals who suffered permanent physical transformations could be discovered, ideally benefiting his teammates. As far as is known, no discoveries of this nature were ever made prior to the introduction of power nullification technology in the last decade. 

*Anateus -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 10/2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Strength Tricks:* Array (10 points), Based on Strength Damage
 *Groundstrike:* Burst Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude, Overcome by Dodge; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Prone), Extra Condition, Limited Degrees, Limited, targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground - 1 point
 *Shockwave:* Burst Area Damage 10, Limited, targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground - 1 point
*Transformed Form:* Reaction Damage 8 (being struck in melee), Limited to lesser of attack's Damage rank or power's Damage rank; Enhanced Strength 8; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 10, Source (contact with natural earth) - 71 points 

*Advantages:*
Interpose, Leadership, Move-by Attack, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 73 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 18 = 149 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Inhuman Appearance. Very Heavy. Weakness* (when separated from the earth by air or water.)


----------



## Davies

Phoenix





Born in 1936, Sam Farrell sought and found employment as a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department in 1956. He was good at his job, and well-respected by his colleagues for his level headed approach to the tasks of preventing the spread of fire and rescuing its victims. By 1962, he'd risen to the rank of Lieutenant, and was expected to one day fill the role of Battalion Chief or even District Chief. And then his destiny was changed, and not really for the better.

Just what started the fire in the warehouse in Chicago's Fulton River District was something of a mystery. Faulty wiring was blamed, as the warehouse's owner had received a warning on the subject in the past. But in the aftermath, the owner produced evidence that he'd made the required repairs, and was as mystified about the fire as anyone else. Sam would later claim that right before the roof collapsed on him, he'd glimpsed a crate with a weird marking on the side of it, which diagram was beyond his abilities to reproduce.

When he regained consciousness, the fire had been extinguished -- but the other firefighters panicked at the site of Sam moving around. He soon realized that he'd somehow been transformed into a humanoid body of fire, able to make his human features appear on its head with difficulty, but unable to touch anything without exposing it to his flames. He was also, mysteriously, lighter than air and able to fly, which he did to escape the attempts of his former comrades to extinguish him.

A few days later, having hidden out on Northerly Island, Sam was sought out by Antaeus, another recently transformed being, who explained the two of them and two other individuals had all been transformed into representations of the classical elements at roughly the same time. He convinced Sam that there had to be some purpose behind this, and that they should use their powers in the service of humanity as members of the Institute. Sam promptly agreed to this notion, and took the name Phoenix.

It soon became clear that the transformation that Phoenix had undergone had changed his personality as well as his physical form. Gone was the calm and level-headed rescue worker; he had become an impulsive and quick-tempered combatant, frequently sniping at his fellow members of the Primal Pattern. He was probably the most individually powerful member of the team, and never let anyone forget this. It was also noted that he'd completely cut all ties with the friends and family of his previous life, acting as though he'd literally died and been reborn as a Phoenix. However, he still clearly remembered being a firefighter, and frequently advised his colleagues on the best way to handle such situations.

In the end, he died in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust employing water to extinguish his flames and earth to smother them entirely. Little remained of his body but ashes, which were subsequently taken into care by the same scientists who claimed the remains of Antaeus. If they learned anything from them, nothing was ever published.

*Phoenix - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* --/2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 |* FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Fire Control:* Array (24 points)
 *Fire Blast:* Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
 *Fire Burst:* Burst Area 2 Damage 8 - 1 point
 *Flame Flash:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Open Flame:* Environment 6 (Extreme Heat, Bright Light) - 1 point
*Transformed Form:* Reaction Damage 4 (touching or touched); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Immunity 15 (fire damage, life support); Permanent Insubstantial 3 - 58 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Expertise: Firefighter 6 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 6 (+6), Ranged Combat: Fire Control 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage -- plus Reaction Damage 4)
Fire Blast +6 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 85 + Advantages 7 + Skills 17 + Defenses 19 = 166 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Hot-Headed* (well duh.) *Inhuman Appearance. Vulnerability* (anything that extinguishes flame also does damage.)


----------



## Davies

Aeolia





The year 1956 was not just the year that the first age of heroes began; many other things happened that year as well. For Corey Murphy, growing up in Queens, the most important event of that year was the first airing of _The Wizard of Oz_ on television. She'd seen the movie before, sort of, having been taken to the 1949 theatrical re-release when she was five, but she'd fallen asleep partway through and missed the ending. That wasn't a problem this time.

Someone else might have been fascinated by the many colorful characters to be seen in the film, but one thing, more than any other, captured Corey's attention. That was the balloon that the Wizard used to leave Oz. She'd seen drawings of balloons in books, but this was something different, something _real_. And it was something she wanted to do, now more than anything. And as it so happened, 1956 was also the year that Ed Yost founded Raven Industries, which would create the modern hot-air balloon.

After high school graduation, Corey managed to finagle herself a secretarial job in Raven's South Dakota headquarters, and from there wound up as an occasional back-up test pilot. In 1962, while on a routine flight, Corey suffered an inexplicable blackout at 13,000 feet, and the balloon continued to ascend. By the time that she regained consciousness, the balloon had reached an altitude of 102,000 feet, and after a brief moment in which she was bewildered by the fact that she could breathe unassisted at that altitude, the heating mechanism failed and the balloon dropped like a stone.

Corey herself, however, did not. She had been transformed into a gaseous being, though her initial belief (which never fully left her) was that she'd died and become a ghost. While haunting the offices of Raven Industries, she was contacted by Antaeus, who convinced her of a somewhat more scientific explanation for her condition, and coaxed her into joining the Primal Pattern and the Institute. Her role in the group's operations was that of a scout, primarily, though she was able to use her command of the wind as a potent weapon.

Like all her teammates, Aeolia was killed in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust using fires comparable to Phoenix's to ionize the atoms of her gaseous form, a transformation that apparently destroyed her consciousness. However, literally _nothing_ remained of her person in the end ... and some have suggested that this meant that she was not, in fact, actually dead. She was never seen again, though some of the survivors reported feeling a gentle breeze during the memorial service for the other victims of the conflict. It was probably just the wind, though.

*Aeolia - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* --/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Transformed Form:* Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 7 (250 MPH); Immunity 10 (life support); Permanent Insubstantial 2 - 56 points
_Wind Control:_ Array (24 points)
 *Lifting Winds:* Move Object 12 - 24 points
 *Shearing Winds:* Damaging Move Object 8 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+7), Technology 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Wind Control 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Shearing Wind +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 14/8, Parry 12/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 81 + Advantages 4 + Skills 17 + Defenses 13 = 149 points

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Gloomy and Morose. Inhuman Appearance. Vulnerability* (temperature-based attacks).


----------



## Davies

Protius





When Antaeus tracked down Protius, in the city of Freeport, Texas, he was almost as hard to find as Aeolia had been, despite the fact that there'd been far more sightings of the water marauder. Eventually, the two elementals met each other, and after a relatively short fight, they agreed to sit down and discuss matters like civilized gentlemen. Protius told the story of having been Wayne Manderville, a boat owner and occasional practitioner of the relatively young hobby of scuba diving. While diving in the Gulf, he'd encountered a strange pattern on the seabed that had blinded him with a brilliant light, transforming him into a liquid creature who flowed out of his wetsuit and up towards the surface.

Antaeus found it easy to persuade Protius to abandon his career of slightly criminal mischief in Freeport and join him and the other members of the Primal Pattern in the Institute. The aquatic lunatic was a frequently disruptive presence on the team, often questioning the strategies that Antaeus devised -- sometimes to the team's benefit, but often just to be contrary. He was also fond of engaging in trickery of their opponents, and of their allies, often coming up with frankly juvenile pranks. The only member of the Institute he never played jokes on was Selkie; despite what his teammates thought, their relationship was never actually romantic, just straightforwardly friendly.

Or at least, as straightforwardly as he could be. In the nineties, once again, Richard Lawson undertook some research into Protius' background. He found records of a Wayne Manderville resident in Freeport in 1960, but no evidence that he'd ever owned a boat _or_ a set of scuba equipment. He'd been a pool hustler and multiple time loser. While he had disappeared in 1962, the last verifiable sighting of him had been more than a week before the origins of the Primal Pattern.

Lawson argued that Manderville had actually been Protius, as his background would explain why someone who'd supposedly owned his own boat demonstrated no particular familiarity with seamanship -- not knowing the definitions of port and starboard -- as he did during a 1967 case. The most likely explanation of his origin, in Lawson's view, was that he'd annoyed someone after winning (or losing) a particularly important game, who then drowned him on the same day as the other Primal origins. But there was no proof of any of this, obviously.

Regardless, his fate was the same as the rest of his teammates, boiled into steam and then dispersed by a wind blast from Stardust. Tiny puddles of unusual liquid were discovered on the ground surrounding the site of his demise, and recovered by the scientists who also gathered Antaeus' and Phoenix's remains. Selkie claimed that enough of Protius' consciousness survived in his steam state that he was able to help her in some unexplained manner, but offered nothing but vehemence as evidence that had happened.

*Protius -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Transformed Form:* Visual Concealment 4, Limited, Only in liquid; Elongation 8; Immunity 12 (life support, water effects); Permanent Insubstantial 1; Movement 2 (Slithering, Sure-footed); Protection 8; Regeneration 8, Source (Water); Swimming 7 (60 MPH) - 52 points
*Water Control:* Array (20 points)
 *Drowning:* Progressive Affliction 10 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Grab-based - 1 point
 *Water Blast:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack 3, Daze (Deception), Favored Environment (water), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Water Control 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2)
Water Blast +7 (Ranged Damage 10)
Grab +7 (Strength or Dodge 10 plus Fortitude 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 73 + Advantages 5 + Skills 17 + Defenses 19 = 149 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Inhuman Appearance. Trickster. Vulnerability* (anything that boils water also damages him, freezing attacks also Hinder, Immobilize and Paralyze him.)


----------



## Davies

The Meteor





To those who first witnessed him rescuing the _Enterprise_, a prototype supersonic transport constructed by Lockheed, in 1960, he must have seemed like the American Dream of that Space Age come to life -- a square-jawed, steely-eyed hero, quick to smile and quicker on the draw with his high-tech shooting iron. And, on top of all that, he was the brilliant creator of his own space ship, the living embodiment of the idea that simple human ingenuity would take everyone to the stars. To many, the Meteor seemed almost too good to be true.

They were right; he was. Even at the start, there were those who saw holes in his story, most notably the civilian name he gave -- Richard Swift -- and his absolute refusal to let anyone examine his spaceship. One of these early skeptics, Lieutenant Jerry Lawson, would plague Meteor throughout his career in the 90s, and it was with some hopes of vindicating his father that Lawson's son, Richard, began studying the history of the first age of heroes and publishing his research on the subject. He was never able to solve the riddle that Meteor posed, but his speculations came surprisingly close to the truth.

His real name was Bzz Tirgal (a family name which does, coincidentally, derive from a word for 'lightyear') and he was born on the planet Chirab sometime in the early 1920s. Chirab is a world whose best days are far behind it, and many of its children leave each year to seek their fortunes out among the stars. Bzz was one such, finding his way into a career as a self-employed scout shortly after he saw his twentieth year*, making money through the discovery of resources and the sale of the rights to same to organizations better equipped to exploit them. In the course of these adventures, he became an excellent pilot and proficient hand with an electrolaser, or zap gun.

The costs of his operation were greatly reduced when he discovered, on one planet, a dying space traveler who passed him the Power Prism that the latter had used, urging him to use it to good purpose. Not fully trusting the Prism, he used it as an inexhaustible fuel supply for his ship instead of as a weapon and armor. His reluctance to employ it as it was meant to be employed was mostly caused by his knowledge that it hadn't saved its previous owner, and he expected that using it in that way would just attract unwelcome attention. That said, he often found himself feeling guilty that he was using such a wonder for such a banal purpose.

The nearest his journey was supposed to take him to Earth was a pass through what Terran astronomers know as the Alpha Centauri star system, which he visited in what Terran historians knew as 1958 -- just as the hyperspace wave front from an _event_, roughly two years in the past, moved through it and disrupted many of his ship's systems. Surviving and making repairs, Bzz decided to investigate what had caused the _event_, out of curiosity and a sense of self-preservation, as well as some concern for the welfare of whatever life might be found in the system that had produced it.

He arrived in the Sol system not long before a second _event_ occurred with a comparable disturbance to hyperspace. This time he was prepared, though, and better able to analyze the phenomenon. Something had arrived in the orbit around the third planet of the star, and Bzz decided to take a closer look at that planet. (His focus was on the planet, and so did not at that time discover the other alien spacecraft in hiding around Earth's moon.) Bzz was startled to find a species much like his own; it was almost like looking through a time-viewer at Chirab's past, for better or worse. A lot of what he saw disturbed him, and he was surprised to feel a sensation that he'd never felt when considering alien life -- sympathy.

And so, he joined the nascent paranormal culture, posing as a brilliant rocket scientist of Terrestrial origin, who'd invented his own space ship, and naturally set out to use this wonder to overcome criminals, as one apparently did. Most of his colleagues in the Institute suspected that he must not be telling the whole truth, but their apparent belief was that he had been hired to act as the public representative for the actual inventor of his ship. Regardless, he was well-respected by the general public, especially after he assisted in dealing with the earliest Martian raids, and even more so after he handed the Soviets a black eye by defeating their super-soldier, Chelovek-Meteor ("Meteor Man") and forcing (actually just persuading) him to change his alias to Krasnaya-Kometa ("The Red Comet".) The Meteor never told anyone that his name was actually a pun, as the word 'miitiyar' in the language he grew up speaking actually mean 'crazy individual'.

Never chosen as the leader of the Institute due to the suspicions about him, the Meteor nonetheless served as one of its mainstays right up until the end. He didn't directly confront Stardust during the Battle of Vietnam, instead using his ship to ferry as many civilians as possible out of the mad titan's way. In the aftermath, his critics had a field day with asking why he hadn't used his ship's weaponry to assault Stardust, and his responses seemed poorly considered and inadequate. His popularity at an all-time low, Bzz ultimately chose to leave the system, ostensibly to pursue Stardust.

Just what happened in the next quarter of a century remains a mystery in space. Sometime in the late 90s, his ship returned to Earth, without being detected, and came to rest in the Amazon jungle, where it would eventually be found by Victor Furtado. Ironically, just as Bzz Tirgal used it in a different way than its previous owner, so too did Victor choose to use it in a way different from Bzz's use -- in both cases, because it didn't seem to have worked out all that well for them.

*The Meteor -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Born Spacer:* Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]) - 2 points
*Space Suit:* Radio Communication 3; Flight 5 (120 MPH); Enhanced Flight 4 (1000 MPH), Only in microgravity; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 6; Senses 5 (direction sense, distance sense, infravision, radio, ultravision); Removable (-10 points) - 38 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points
*Zap Gun:* Array (12 points); Easily Removable (-5 points)

*Blaster Setting:* Ranged Damage 6 - 12 points
*Stunner Setting:* Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Equipment 18, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Precise Shot 2 (Ranged/Concealment & Cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up.

_Equipment:_
9 points of equipment as needed.
*Spaceship:* Size Huge; Strength 10; Speed 13 (air/space); Defense 8; Toughness 10; Powers: Arsenal (20 point Array: Ranged Damage 10, Move Object 10); Radio Communication 3; Concealment 2 (radio); Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 81 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+8), Perception 9 (+11), Ranged Combat: Zap Gun 4 (+9), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 7 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Setting +12 (Ranged Damage 6)
Stunner Setting +12 (Ranged Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 9/3, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 54 + Advantages 29 + Skills 24 + Defenses 14 = 173 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Power Loss* (Zap Gun, must be periodically recharged in spaceship); *Secret* (alien.)


----------



## Davies

Moth Man and Papillion




_Moth Man_




_Papillion_

Louis Byron never expected to be any sort of a hero. Born just a bit before Black Friday, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to a mechanic's family, he was one of the top students in his high school. If his teachers had a complaint about him, it was that he lacked focus; instead of concentrating all his efforts on physics, or biology, or chemistry, he would flutter from one subject to the next as it interested him, demonstrating aptitude but not a deep interest. And yes, flutter was the word that they used.

After high school graduation, he began studies at Duke University, and his 'fluttering' continued as he switched majors repeatedly, to the dismay of his faculty adviser. His associates were even more baffled by his decision not to claim deferment as a student when his draft number was called, but he reported for duty nonetheless. He served as a radio operator in Korea, demonstrating a surprising amount of focus on his tasks, possibly as a result of his experiences in Boot Camp.

After his discharge in 1954, Louis returned home to West Virginia, where he obtained a teacher's certificate and began teaching high school science at the same school where he'd studied just a decade before. He was equally able in all the classes he was given to teach, and confined his tendency to flutter to his private experiments, conducted at home. He also acted as the head of the local Mr. Wizard Club, taking the opportunity to further educate the young people in town about science.

As the age of the supermen began, Louis found himself fielding a lot of questions about how some of the things that they did were possible, and admitting to a lot of uncertainty on the subject. But he never lost faith in the idea that science could provide the answers that he needed, and tried to communicate that to his students as well. In 1958, perhaps the biggest change in his life occurred, when fifteen-year-old Paula Kaminski joined the Mr. Wizard Club. She was an enthusiastic and talented student, and Louis rather enjoyed working with her. He told himself, of course, that he was just interested in her mind. (She would later claim that she didn't share that delusion.)

In 1960, Louis completed an experiment in metallurgy that produced a material which, he was startled to realize, seemed to be defying gravity. An examination of its properties suggested that he'd rediscovered the material which H.G. Wells had termed cavorite, which he'd always believed to be fictional. He was stunned by the implications of this, but planned to patent the material so that the entire world could benefit from its properties. He certainly didn't plan to use it to fight crime.

Fate, however, had other plans. When Paula failed to show up for the club meeting that week, Louis called her house to see what the matter was, and got a borderline hysterical response from her mother. Going there in person, he learned that Paula and her father had been kidnapped by some foreign agents who believed that Mr. Kaminski, who'd fled Poland in 1939, knew the secret location of some kind of buried treasure of their homeland. Louis' first impulse was to contact the FBI, but he hesitated at the thought that they'd put a higher priority on capturing the criminals than saving the lives of the victims. No, what Paula and her father needed was a hero.

He threw together the first Moth Man suit from scraps and the first batch of neo-cavorite that he'd created. It was basically just a flying harness, without any of the enhancements that he'd add later, and the mask was just a pilot's hood that he'd picked up somewhere. Nevertheless, he was able to locate the kidnappers and defeat them, despite their armaments, due mostly to their sheer surprise at being attacked by a superhero. He took Paula and her father back home, accepting the name that her mother gave him with a cough. (Moth Man? Really? Oh well.) 

The problem now was that he couldn't release the neo-cavorite like he'd planned -- if he did so, it would be obvious to the criminals he'd just captured who had come after them, and he might be targeted by the underworld. So the only way to use his invention for the betterment of humanity was to keep on using it in the way that he'd already started. So Moth Man was here to stay, and he began fighting crime and rescuing people from that night forward.

When the Institute formed, he was a cheerful volunteer, but was stunned to be chosen, by the President himself, as the group's first leader! It was quite a vote of confidence, though it led to him finally starting to understand what other people called stress. Between his work as a teacher, a club leader, a private crime fighter, a researcher _and_ leading the Institute, he was very much overworked. When the group met to elect a new leader in the summer of 1963, he was happy to decline the nomination, turning the group over to Doctor Freeze, who proved to be much more effective.

1963 was also when Paula came back into his life, having graduated from high school two years before and gone off to a finishing school. He was stunned by how beautiful she'd become since she left, and then completely floored by the fact that she knew he was Moth Man, and had since the very beginning. She wanted to join him in his activities, as his sidekick. After all, there were plenty of other women superheroes, so why shouldn't she be one too? Impressed by her conviction but fearful for her safety, Louis agreed to temporarily take her on as a partner -- in a strictly professional sense, of course, he quickly assured her.

She stared, then nodded, wondering as she did, as many in similar situations have, how someone so smart could be so dumb.

Papillion made her debut later that week, and Moth Man planned to propose her for membership at the next monthly meeting of the Institute. Unfortunately, that meeting, scheduled for November 25, was pre-empted by other events. As it turned out, Papillon didn't join the Institute until February of 1964, and her membership caused a certain amount of controversy, with the Cowl angrily arguing that his sidekick wasn't a member, and neither should anyone else's be. Nobody else quite understood his argument, but Papillion was accepted by a majority vote.

Over the next three years, Moth Man and Papillion worked well together, though not as much 'together' as Paula wanted. He remained oblivious to the fact that she was not one of his students anymore. 'Somewhat annoyed, she had a brief relationship with the Meteor, but decided that trying to make Louis jealous was the sort of behavior she'd be disgusted by in someone else. (Besides, something about that guy creeped her out as much as Stardust did.)

Matters finally came to a head in December 1967, when they happened to be in the air over Point Pleasant as the Silver Bridge collapsed. Hurling themselves into action, they managed to limit the deaths to less than a score, but Louis was still clearly haunted by those they didn't save. He finally turned to Paula for emotional support, and she allowed her own desire to control their actions. In the aftermath, Louis believed that he'd made a terrible mistake, but Paula eventually convinced him that she'd been in love with him for a very long time, which should make everything okay, right?

Despite that, it was a troubled relationship from the very start. Given that she hadn't wanted to make Louis jealous earlier, Paula found the jealousy he was now demonstrating whenever she so much as glanced at another man to be frustrating in the extreme. They went through several break-ups over the next four years, which also ended their crime fighting partnership, with every reconciliation starting it up again. Towards the end, Basilea noted that Paula had some unusual bruises, but was told that she'd just taken some hits in a fight earlier. The Hesperan considered intervening, but events outpaced her intentions.

During the Battle of Vietnam, the two of them followed the Meteor's lead in evacuating civilians rather than trying to fight Stardust. Unfortunately, as they were clearing one particular village, Papillion realized that there was still a child in the area that they'd left behind by accident. Moth Man insisted that they get clear, but Papillion went back to save even one more life, with her partner following her ... right into Stardust's path. He annihilated them and the child they were trying to save in an almost perfunctory manner.

In 2003, Point Pleasant unveiled a statue to Moth Man, with Basilea among the honored guests. She quietly asked when Papillion was going to get her statue, and was pleased when she was told that it was scheduled for 2004, and would be on the other side of the Ohio River. "Good," she said. "They were better apart than they were together." Just what she meant by that is known only to her.

*Moth Man -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 5/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4/1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Moth Suit:* Removable (-8 points)

*Artificial Muscles:* Enhanced Agility 3; Enhanced Strength 4 - 20 points
*Body Armor:* Protection 2 - 2 points
*Moth Swarm:* Burst Area Visual Concealment Attack 4 - 12 points
_*Sensors:*_ Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Wings:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Winged - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Equipment 2, Move-by Action, Set-up, Sidekick 18, Teamwork

_Equipment:_
Utility Belt (10 points of equipment as needed).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10/+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+9), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+10), Investigation 5 (+11), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 5 (+9/+6), Technology 5 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4/+1
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 5/1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 33 + Advantages 24 + Skills 21 + Defenses 19 = 135 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Distractible. Relationship* (Papillion.) *Secret Identity.

Papillion -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3/-1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 5/2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Moth Suit:* Removable (-8 points)

*Artificial Muscles:* Enhanced Agility 3; Enhanced Strength 4 - 20 points
*Body Armor:* Protection 2 - 2 points
*Moth Swarm:* Burst Area Visual Concealment Attack 4 - 12 points
_*Sensors:*_ Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Wings:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Winged - 6 points

*Advantages:
*Agile Feint, Move-by Action, Set-up, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+9/+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Stealth 3 (+8/+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5/+2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/6, Parry 9, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 31 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 15 = 90 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Relationship* (Moth Man.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Quark





The beginnings of sizewarping technology occurred when Michael Newton, who would be credited with advancing it further than anyone before John Wright, was only an elementary school student, and are somewhat obscure. By 1938, a Dr. Alexander Thorul (called Thorkel in the fictionalized version of these events; his birth name remains unknown) had developed a method of reducing a biological organism's size to one-fifth of its size through exposure to certain radioactive gases. His ostensible goal was to reduce the impact of human beings on their environment; from his later actions, it seems much more likely that he had ambitions of being the only full-sized human being in a world of the diminished -- essentially, a god.

However, his process had a number of drawbacks, most notably the fact that it tended to kill its subjects. He brought in a small group of researchers to assist him in correcting this flaw, which they did. He rewarded them by making them the next experimental subjects, killing some of them when it became apparent that the process was still limited in that it would eventually wear off. He was himself killed before he could finish the job, and his victims returned home, with one of them passing information about their experiences on to the Office of Scientific Investigation, and another selling the story to Hollywood.

The Office investigated the remains of Thorul's laboratory and were able to reconstruct his process. It was added to the organization's files of potentially useful but also dangerous technologies, to be used only in emergencies. Whether or not it was ever actually employed to that end in the years that followed remains classified -- the one likely case, in 1953, involves an accidental release of the gas -- but, as with the Griffin Formula, research continued in the hope of making it more useful.

Michael Newton had been working for the Office of Scientific Investigation for four years, since shortly after he obtained his second doctorate, when he was given the assignment of continuing that research in 1960. He was only supposed to work on the subject for half a year before being rotated back to field work, but something about the subject fascinated him as nothing before it ever had. He spent a full year working on it, and achieved greater results than any prior researcher. 

He identified the energy frequencies involved, so that the phenomenon could be projected as a ray rather than needing to be taken internally as a gas. This also facilitated its use on inorganic material -- objects could be reduced as well as living creatures. In addition, it could reduce the size of its target by a slightly greater amount. However, Newton's version of the process only lasted a minute, on average, making it less useful for espionage purposes than the original. However, Newton included in his final report speculation that a subject were to be subjected to the radiation on a constant basis, while wearing an emission device, he would be able to remain in a constant state of miniaturization, only reverting when the device shut off.

As it happened, that final report was not delivered to the Office, which had been shuttered before Newton reached his conclusion. It was instead presented to his current employers at the FBI's Department of R&D, who in turn passed on a summary of their project to the Director, who arranged a meeting with Newton. The Director complimented Newton on his work, and then asked the scientist what he thought of the recently created Institute. Reading the room correctly, Newton replied that it seemed potentially dangerous to the American people. The Director smiled and nodded, and laid out the details of Newton's first job for his new employers.

Quark, a superhero employing a Newton Field emitter in his costume as well as a pair of wrist-mounted Newton Beam projectors, made his debut a month later. He quickly became the first non-founding member of the Institute, just as planned, keeping an eye on the group's activities for the Bureau, the Director, and -- theoretically -- the American people as a whole. It didn't take him long to figure out that there were no real threats to the American people in the group, but he kept filing his reports all the same. When urged to 'find' (read manufacture) evidence that wasn't there, he reported unfortunate failures that might expose his infiltration if repeated, which kept his handlers pacified.

The mission lasted up until Quark's death in the Battle of Vietnam, where he was the first member of the Institute to fall in battle. He attempted to use an experimental version of the Newton Beam to reduce Stardust to a minute size in hopes that he could be more easily dealt with. Not only did it not have the desired effect, the device caused Stardust to increase to an even greater size, large enough that he crushed Quark beneath the sole of his boots with his next footfall.

In the aftermath, the Bureau attempted to train a new agent to use the Newton Field emitter, only to discover that it didn't have the same results for any other user,, acting simply as a portable self-directed Newton Beam. It has been suggested that Newton had tuned it to his own unique biology, or that he was unwittingly a superpower whose abilities required some technological mediation. Regardless, the sizemorphic field generator was put back on the drawing board, with numerous other scientists trying and failing to improve on Newton's work in subsequent decades ... until John Wright began his work on the subject. 

*Quark -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Shrinking Suit:* Continuous Shrinking 8 (-2 Strength, +4 Dodge, +4 Parry, -1 Speed, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation); Removable (-5 points) - 19 points
*Shrink Ray:* Ranged Shrinking 8 Attack, Independent, Extended 2, Increased Mass 6 (3200 lbs); Removable (-6 points) - 26 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Trip, Inventor, Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Technology), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 0 (+2/-2), Investigation 4 (+11), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Shrink Ray 5 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Stealth 0 (+11/+3), Technology 5 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2/0)
Shrink Ray +8 (Ranged Toughness 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 10/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/1, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 45 + Advantages 9 + Skills 23 + Defenses 11 = 138 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secrets* (identity, actual loyalties.)


----------



## Davies

Doctor Freeze






The story of how a twenty-five-year-old amateur inventor named Henry Meddows ended the rampage of the Protean entity, using a device that projected what appeared to be a ray of 'cold', has already been told. But the story is deeper and stranger than that simple summary would indicate.

Henry Meddows' earliest memories were of the funeral of the man whom he believed to be his father, who passed away when he was six. Thereafter, it was just himself and his widowed mother in the old house outside of Chicora. She spent most of her late husband's fortune arranging for her son's private education, hiring tutors and buying texts. Henry's technical genius was apparent from a young age, and his first inventions were labor-saving devices allowing them to maintain their home, followed soon by a skin cream to help both himself and his mother to cope with their albinism.

In his late teens and early twenties, Henry found himself fascinated by snow and ice, notably by the way that water tended to expand its volume when it froze, unlike most liquids. He developed the somewhat outré theory that there were other liquids that had this property which had just not yet been discovered yet, and set about changing that. When asked, by one of his few friends, how this would benefit the world, he admitted that he wasn't sure, and volunteered the confidence that he sometimes felt like a sculptor 'discovering' the shape of a statue in a rock.

Regardless, he did in fact discover his 'infrawater' -- a substance that absorbed heat from its surroundings as it froze at room temperature, and expanded in volume several hundred-fold as it did. The discovery occurred just a day or so before the Protean began its rampage, which Meddows, horrified by the loss of life, naturally tried to stop. After hearing that a teenager had managed to momentarily escape from the creature after using a fire extinguisher on it, Henry theorized that infrawater could incapacitate the entity. And his theory proved correct.

That evening, while he recounted the episode to his mother, who had been bed-ridden for the past several years, she listened in somber silence until he reached the end of the somewhat rambling tale, and then nodded before telling him that there was something he needed to know. She had thought that it would be best to take this secret to her grave, but Henry was clearly walking the same path, and it would be cruel to hide it from him. The man he had always thought of as his father had not been.

In the early 1930s, Rosalind Richards had been romantically involved with a noteworthy surgeon and philanthropist in her native New York. Accounts of his discomfort around women had been slightly exaggerated in a series of juvenile novels about his activities. Rosalind had known much of his past, about the strange way he had been raised, and about his ambivalent feelings towards that way. But she also knew that, regardless of his ambivalence, he believed that it would be the best way for any child of his to be raised.

She disagreed. And so, when she discovered that she would bear his child, she made the impossible choice to walk away from their relationship, marry another man, and never see the great love of her life and the father of her son again. She had raised Henry to become a different sort of person, hopefully more happy in his life than his father had been. But nature would apparently tell, regardless of her intentions.

Henry was stunned at this revelation. At first, he tried to comfort his mother by assuring her that this episode had been a unique one, that he had no intention of going off to become some sort of crusader. And he meant it when he said it, continuing his experiments and caring for her in her final illness. When she finally passed away a few months later, he made an attempt to contact the man she'd told him about, but that individual had already departed for what would become his own last adventure. Alone in a world that was clearly stranger than he'd ever imagined, Henry Meddows chose to do the only thing that made sense to him. And so Doctor Freeze, cold-wielding superhero, was born.

He joined the Institute, and served as its leader over two terms, striving to lead by example. He was well-known for observing a code against killing that applied to all life, not just humans; this led him to clash with the military when they wanted his help to permanently end the Protean, and with Stardust on multiple occasions. Well, to call the latter 'clashes' is an exaggeration -- he would get angry and even raise his voice with Stardust, who would respond with stoic indifference. He was never mad enough to attack the other man, though Henry would and did try to get him thrown out of the Institute on several occasions.

His end came early in the final battle. Attempting to cover the withdrawal of civilians from the area under attack, he employed an experimental version of his Freeze Gun that produced a larger amount of 'ice' than he had ever managed before, shaping it into a wall designed to slow Stardust down. The Super-Wizard proceeded to reduce the material to its liquid form, resulting in a torrent that drowned Henry Meddows before he could escape. His body was recovered and lies buried in Chicora's cemetery; there is a small museum devoted to his activities there, based out of his former headquarters. Versions of his freeze ray have been used by several others, heroic and villainous, in the decades since.

As far as anyone knows, he had no children of his own. But most believe that to be the case of his father, too.

*Dr. Freeze -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Freeze Gun:* Array (31 points); Easily Removable (-13 points)
 *Blasting:* Linked Ranged Damage 8; Linked Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude, Overcome by Damage; Hindered, Immobile, Paralyzed); Reduced Range - 31 points
 *Sculpting:* Continuous Create 8, Innate - 1 point
*Protective Gear:* Immunity 6 (cold damage, cold environment); Protection 4; Removable (-2 points)

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Equipment 10, Evasion, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Leadership, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Technology), Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Utility Belt (10 points of equipment as needed)
*The Icebox:* Size Large; Toughness 10; Features: Communications, Computer [1960s computer], Fire Prevention System, Hangar, Holding Cells, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 15 points
*Icewing:* Size Huge; Strength 8; Speed 7 (air); Defense 6; Toughness 10; Feature Immunity 10 (cold effects) - 25 points

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 3 (+10), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Freeze Gun 5 (+8), Technology 5 (+12), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Freeze Gun +8 (Ranged Damage 8 and Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 27 + Advantages 20 + Skills 24 + Defense 20 = 137 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Albinism. Fame. Honor* (code against killing.)


----------



## Davies

Captain Mystic (I)








_Unmasked_

Francis Tyler's mother told everyone that her husband had been killed when the Nazis invaded Belgium, and that she'd fled back home to the United States with their child so that he could be raised in the Land of Liberty. This was, Francis would eventually learn, untrue. She had not been married to his father, a French journalist noted for having undertaken numerous motorcycle expeditions, and they had been parted by a quarrel, not death. When Francis found out that his father had been a collaborator, he decided not to inquire any further about the man.

As a child, though, Francis knew none of this. He grew up in the company of his aunt and uncle while his mother worked as a secretary for a great metropolitan newspaper. Later, he would join her as an office boy for the _Herald Tribune_, and eventually became a young reporter -- a 'cub' in the newspaper jargon of the day. He had a fascination for the strange stories that were becoming more and more common, but his wilder imaginings were gently (and not so gently) curbed by the editorial staff, notably Owen LeBrett.

Still, his talent for finding the story could not be denied, and so he found himself sent on expeditions across the country, and then across the world. It was while on one such journey, taking him to Cairo to cover the account of a giant scorpion monster who'd been repelled from destroying the Old Aswan Dam at high cost, that he discovered the Amulet of Jedidiah in the ruins of a tenement that had been leveled by the creature's rampage. It fascinated him, though he wasn't sure why, and when he attempted to consult with scholars about it, he was told that it was nothing more than tourist trash. The hieroglyphs read 'almin', which was just an Arabic name of no particular significance. Probably it was the signature of whoever had carved the thing.

Nevertheless, he remained intrigued, and finally succumbed to the strange impulse to put it on. "I wonder what you were thinking when you made this thing, Almin?" he said aloud -- and then everything changed. He abruptly became a figure in blue and gold, far more robust than he'd ever been before, filled with more power than he knew what to do with. But that confusion lasted only a moment, as the sounds of screams from outside the hotel room told him that something was amiss, and he soon learned that the scorpion monster had not been as dead as they'd believed. He didn't even think twice before launching into battle with the beast, pounding it into oblivion.

When he returned home, Francis was beset with questions about the mysterious superhero who'd emerged from nowhere to physically battle an atomic monster with his gloved hands. He considered telling them the truth, then decided that it was best to act as though he was still outside the story, an observer ... albeit one who had spoken to the helmed figure, who asked to be called Captain Mystic. He became known as _the_ source for stories on the Captain, and the fees for the stories helped to support both himself and his mother.

If there was any real problem with the situation, it was that he almost never had any real time to rest. Between his reporting, his solo heroism and his work with the Institute, he had to be ready for action at all hours. And being Captain Mystic, the perfect exemplar of truth, justice, and the American Way, the man who did not lie, smoke, drink or swear, was a hard burden to bear for a man who had a normal level of enjoyment of the simpler pleasures in life. People who knew Francis could tell that he was under stress, but they thought it was just the difficulties of life in the sixties that were getting to him.

And then the nightmare began. He took the field in the Battle of Vietnam relatively late, believing that the might of his Amulet would allow him to face Stardust as a peer. He was disabused of this notion very quickly. Even when he broke past his own limits, wielding the light as a weapon for the first time, it didn't even faze the Super-Wizard. The best that could be said was that he was still alive, though broken in many ways, when Stardust finally moved on. The Captain forced himself to rise once more, but the Battle was over by that point. The villain had fled. And the hero ... was someone else.

The Captain was airlifted to a hospital in Japan to have his injuries treated. When the nurse asked him if he could take off the helmet so she could see if he had injuries beneath it, he wearily agreed. Off it came, and he asked her how bad it was. She smiled, a gentle smile, and told him that he was a very handsome fellow, with just a few bruises. She showed him his face in the mirror, and he was startled to see that it was the face he always had, not that of the super-being he'd always imagined. He was just a man, who'd done what he'd been able to do, and whether or not it was enough was for later generations to decide.

He didn't start dating that nurse, one Sasaki Yui, until he'd been out of her care for a while, and he was sure that his feelings were genuine, and that she shared them. They were married in 1974, and their only daughter was born in 1975. The injuries that he'd suffered troubled him throughout the remainder of his life, and so he abandoned his heroic identity when Yuriko was born, focusing on studying and learning about the Amulet, changing what it could do so that the next user would be better equipped to fight the never-ending battle.

When Francis died, in 1988, he was somewhat stunned to discover that there was, at least in his case, an afterlife. Some part of his consciousness was preserved within the Amulet. He cannot easily communicate with his daughter, and she does not know that this fragment of his mind still exists, but he has continued to study the Amulet of Jedidiah from within, and in the process learn about its connections -- tenuous though they may be -- with other Artifacts. These things were made to stand against great evils, like Stardust or Abraxas or Galactor or whatever he's calling himself these days. And though Francis may have set down the burden of that fight, he's not about to stop backing up his daughter or her friends with everything he has and then some.

*Captain Mystic (I) -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 12/8/0 | *STA* 10/0 | *AGL* 8/0 | *DEX* 6/0 | *FGT* 10/1 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 6/3

*Powers:
Amulet of Jedediah:* Activation (Standard Action; -2 points)

_*Amulet Attacks: *_Array (15 points)
*Bringer of Light:* Environment 7 (bright light) - 1 point
*Magical Strength:* Enhanced Strength 4; Leaping 7 (900 feet) - 15 point

*Amulet Augmentation:* Enhanced Agility 8; Enhanced Dexterity 6; Enhanced Fighting 9; Enhanced Presence 3; Enhanced Stamina 10; Enhanced Strength 8; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 10 - 108 points
*Amulet Database:* Comprehend 4 (languages) - 13 points
*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Inspire, Language 3 (several), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Investigation), Takedown.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+18/+14/+6), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 10 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+12/+9), Investigation 8 (+9), Perception 9 (+11), Persuasion 7 (+13/+10), Stealth 6 (+14/+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +10/+1 (Close Damage 8/0)
Magical Strength +10 (Close Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/2, Parry 12/3, Fortitude 12/2, Toughness 10/0, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 127 + Advantages 10 + Skills 34 + Defenses 13 = 198 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Fame. Family* (mother.) *Power Loss* (Amulet, cannot activate if unable to speak.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Dr. Ranivorous





In 1957, the year he coincidentally began his war on the world, he also happened to spend a few peaceful hours reading a recently released novel. Most of it was arrant nonsense in his view, but there was a rather fascinating passage that stuck with him throughout all the years afterward. "I like to think of fire held in a man's hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come from such hours. When a man thinks, there is a spot of fire alive in his mind--and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression." And, much like the author of these words, he would ultimately die of lung cancer.

The man who named himself Silas Ranivorous -- it is believed that he was aiming for an anagram of "Carnivorous" -- was born around 1910 on the island of Malta. Very little is known about his life prior to 1935, when he left Malta and traveled to Italy using that name. His intention was to offer his talents as a scientist, indeed the Greatest Scientific Mind of Any Time, to a government untrammeled by petty considerations of bourgeois morality. His attempts to interest the Fascists in his ideas met with failure, variously because he was Maltese and they were a bunch of nationalist snobs, because he was absolutely unable to work _with_ anyone much less _for_ them, and because his ideas were so far beyond the imagination of even 'typical' mad scientists that they thought him delusional.

He did not take rejection well. He reacted by becoming a menace to society, engaging in petty crimes and acts of destruction, always staying at least one step ahead of the Milizia and costing the Kingdom dearly to clean up the messes, human and material, that he left in his wake. The continuing failure of the Fascists to deal with the problem that Ranivorous presented, on top of the military disasters of World War II, were a key factor in the downfall of regime in 1943. Oddly, Ranivorous seemed to disappear when the Italian Civil War broke out. Some accounts suggest that he accepted a large bribe from the  to cease his activities; others claim that the Salo Republic was finally desperate enough to hire him. There is also the theory that he suffered some sort of reversal around the same time that left him unable to continue his activities for some time.

He resurfaced after V-E day, pursuing a variety of schemes throughout Western Europe -- mostly petty affairs aimed at hording resources under his own control. Not much changed, really, save that now he was focused on staying at least one step ahead of the Allied Forces in Europe, who mostly viewed him as an annoyance when compared to the Soviets. But the profits of all these petty crimes added up over the decade that followed, and his schemes began to grow more elaborate, involving increasingly complicated inventions and ranging into Asia and Africa.

His schemes finally went big in response to the International Geophysical Year, ostensibly out of outrage that such an international scientific project was being conducted without any attempt to involve him. (Of course, had anyone attempted to involve him, his outrage would have been based on their temerity in doing so. He enjoyed outrage.) He conducted a set of serious crimes that culminated in shooting down the Sputnik satellite -- admittedly in November of that year, after it had ceased transmitting. The fact that he was apparently unable to do this to subsequent satellites, regardless of their national origin, suggested that he had basically used up the lion's share of his accumulated resources on this stunt.

It would in fact be another two years before he managed to pull off something similar, when he somehow gained control of a Dread Island arachnid, transported it to Egypt, and used it in an attempt to destroy the Aswan dam. This attempt was foiled first by conventional military forces, and then by the being whom Ranivorous would come to despise more than any other:  Captain Mystic. Time and again, that big blue carrot would thwart his every clever scheme, regardless of what sort of brilliant advances in science and technology he employed -- and the idiot didn't even understand or appreciate what he was smashing his way through!

One question that puzzles some students of this era is why Stardust never took any action against Dr. Ranivorous, despite him being the cause of exactly the sort of disasters and loss of life that the Super Wizard would normally seek to avenge, and despite the fact that Stardust never hesitated to annihilate the nemeses of his putative allies in the Institute. Reports that Stardust actually had exacted retribution on Ranivorous were discounted in light of the fact that the Wickedest Man in the World was clearly still alive in their aftermath. But in more recent times, it has been theorized that Ranivorous actually succeeded in tricking Stardust; the scientist had mastered the technology of cloning, and was able to create temporary, short-lived duplicates of himself, which he used not only to escape capture but also to convince Stardust that he had succeeded in destroying the 'real' Ranivorous. Of course, this remains a contentious theory.

The ultimate fate of Ranivorous has already been discussed. He died in the care of medical robots in 1984, aboard the greatest monument to both his genius and his hatred for humanity, the space station constructed from the asteroid dubbed Pallas, having set into motion events that would bring about the downfall of the objectivist colony which called it home. Back on Earth, hidden laboratories constructed by him have continued to be discovered right down to the present day, with whatever scientific wonders or horrors they might have contained usually long-since escaped or perished, but still holding tools that could be put to the use of potential heroes or villains. He would be distressed at the notion of his works being used for good. Happily, he'll never know.

*Dr. Ranivorous -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll 2, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 20, Evasion 2, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 4 (English, others, [either Maltese or Italian is thought to be native]), Ranged Attack 4, Speed of Thought, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
100 points for any bases or vehicles required for any given plot.

*Skills:*
Deception 10 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 5 (+15), Expertise: Science 6 (+16), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 4 (+14), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+16).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Advantages 37 + Skills 33 + Defenses 19 = 135 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Paranoid Misanthrope With Delusions of Grandeur. Smokes, Too.*


----------



## Davies

Diavolus





The House of Ashe, like most of the ancient families, has long maintained a collection of volumes of quaint and curious forgotten lore, less out of an interest in the subjects these volumes describe than out of an awareness that others view the books themselves as precious, and thus an understanding that they can be used as means of striking bargains with them, along with a desire to keep the knowledge they contain out of the hands of the mundane majority. Historically, members of the Ashes who showed an interest in the collection marked themselves as eccentrics among the already eccentric members of their family, and tended to be the subject of cautionary tales in the family folklore. All such tales have been eclipsed by the life and career of Nicholas Ashe, Diavolus.

Born in 1939 to a union between two members of the House of Ashe, the consanguinity of which was disturbing even to the rest of the house, Nicholas demonstrated his eccentricity at an early date, stealing into the family archives to read just about anything that he could get his hands on in preference to the generally more violent pastimes enjoyed by others of his generation. Just when he moved from studies of history and biography to studies of magic is not actually clear, but by the time that he began his studies at the Maryland Institute, he had developed considerable aptitudes in the area, and a mild hunger to learn more. 

That his family discouraged these studies frustrated him, and left him at odds with them, hence his departure from the family home to live in a student's dormitory. They took it for granted that he would return when his disgust for the world outside their House overcame him, as it had overcome every prior member of the family who had ever abandoned it. In the fullness of time, they might have been proven correct, but something occurred which they could not have expected -- and so when he did return, he came back home not alone.

In 1960, Diane Fortune had not yet fully developed the legend that she would employ to cover up her full identity, and so came across as much more humble than she would in later days, posing as a supplicant to the ancient and noble House of Ashe. The elders of the family were taken in by this posture and so were only ordinarily wary of her, not realizing that she was employing Nicholas as an accomplice and partner instead of being in his thrall. Their scheme succeeded and they got away with not only the knowledge she sought -- which complimented much that she'd already learned elsewhere -- but some material wealth as well. It was an outrage unlike any that the Ashes had ever known, leaving them helpless to take vengeance on the varlets.

For a brief time, Nicholas and Diane lived a happy life together, traveling across the country and assembling a private collection of arcana. Her talents for extracting the valuable material from the dross of these works was greater than his, but his talent for putting it all to use was greater, and so they needed each other as well as greatly desiring each other's company. Nicholas, at least, believed that it could go on forever, and so he was shocked, much as their first victims had been, when it came to its sudden end. 

He'd taken it for granted that she looked forward to the forthcoming birth of their child with the same enthusiasm that he did. So when he awoke from a drug-fueled slumber to an empty hotel room and a note explaining what she had decided to do, Nicholas was every bit as hindered in his ability to pursue her as his family had been before. By the time he had gotten back to Baltimore, Diane had already been there, given birth in the House and then departed, leaving their child to the mercy of his family. He took it for granted that they would try to punish him through the child, and thus believed that there was nothing to be done about any of this -- save to seek vengeance on its author.

That obsession became the driving factor of his personality in the years to follow. He continued to pursue goals of material wealth and power as well, but ultimately his need to violently avenge the wrongs he perceived as having been done him was his true focus. The obsession strengthened his command of the arcane forces even further, and when she became one of the absurd 'super-heroes' so beloved of the rabble, he naturally answered that by weaving together a costume of his own and taking the guise of the 'super-villain' Diavolus, even conspiring with other 'super-villains' as one of the so-called Agents of Destruction in 1965. Only Diane Fortune mattered to him in any way, with no other beings even seeming real to him.

And then, quite suddenly it seemed, Diane Fortune was dead and gone. Nicholas at first believed that it was some sort of hoax, but as time passed and his investigations turned up proof that all was indeed as it seemed to be, his mind began to shatter. She had been _his_ to destroy, to enjoy destroying, and now she had fallen to some other? What was the use of him, then? What was the use of anything?

Three years later, he awoke from a self-inflicted drug-fueled slumber to find members of his family staring down at him in contempt. Assuming that they had finally decided to end him, he closed his eyes and awaited death. To his surprise, they took him back to the family home, explaining that when Diane had given their child to them, she had done so after making an agreement that they would no longer pursue either herself or him, and that Nicholas would be accepted back into the family if he ever became a danger to himself. For a decade and more, he'd been a danger mostly to others, but that had clearly changed.

Humbled by Diane's foresightedness, Nicholas vowed to turn over a new leaf, and found a new cause when he was introduced to their child, going by the name Jordan Ashe at the time and showing patterns of behavior that were just like his own at the age of twelve. He attempted to become a true father to Jordan, trying to offer the benefits of what wisdom he had gained through his experiences to them. Already completely self-centered, Jordan was uninterested in such familial bonding, but took advantage of the teaching that Nicholas offered all the same, learning about both magic and crime in the process.

The House of Ashe covertly supported the Pythonian Insurrection when it began, though only materially. None of its members had any interest in risking their lives for someone else's cause, even if they were in philosophical agreement with it. Jordan, however -- by now using the Jodie Crowley identity --  decided to volunteer their services. The results have already been told, and after Crowley's escape to parts unknown, the Pythons threatened to annihilate the Ashes for the crimes of their errant member. The leaders of the house offered up several less-useful members of the family as sacrifices to placate their allies, and Nicholas was one of them. He was executed by Tania herself in 1987, having made no attempt to escape his fate. Neither did anyone make any attempt to rescue him.

*Diavolus -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Levitation:* Flight 4 (60 MPH) - 8 points
*Sorcery:* Array (36 points)
 *Discern Thoughts:* Mental Communication 2; Cumulative Mind Reading 9 - 1 point
 *Domination:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled); Senses 1 (communication link with target) - 1 point
 *Lord of Illusions:* Illusion 9 (all senses), Resistible (Will) - 36 points
 *Portals:* Accurate Extended Teleport 9 (4 km/1000 km) - 1 point
 *Scrying:* Remote Sensing 7 (all senses), Subtle - 1 point
 *Strength of Will:* Perception Range Damaging Move Object 9 - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points
*Warded Costume:* Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 9; Removable (-4 points) - 15 points

*Advantages:*
Connections, Fascinate (Deception), Language 3 (several), Ritualist, Trance.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Expertise: Magic 9 (+13), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 8 (+13), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+9). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Strength of Will -- (Perception Range Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 12/3, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 78 + Advantages 7 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 180 points

*Complications:
Revenge/Power/Greed--Motivation. Obsession* (Diane Fortune.)*

* Becomes Family (Jodie Crowley) later; his Sorcery array drops to 18 points in the aftermath as well.


----------



## Davies

Humpty Dumpty





In 1770, and for decades to follow, the courts of European aristocracy were sensationalized by the earliest appearances of what was called the Turk, a chess-playing automaton which seemed fully cognizant of the rules of the game, able to engage in matches at an extraordinarily high level of skill. It was, in truth, a charade -- a machine designed to conceal a human chess-master who directed the so-called automaton's movements. But the trick worked for decades, and made a fortune for its inventor until he finally passed away in 1804, at which point his son sold it to another man who claimed to be trying to improve the mechanism.

By that point, what was called mad science had begun to spread throughout Europe, and the Turk was (incorrectly) thought to be an early example. So the Turk's new owner consulted one such mad scientist, a Scotsman named Elias Haney, who swiftly discovered the truth of its workings. However, Haney had been fascinated by the stories of the Turk since his own childhood, and believed that he could convert the illusion into an actual automaton that would eliminate the need for a human component. However, the Turk's employer dismissed this proposal out of hand, whether because he disliked Haney's attitude, because the scientist wanted even more money for the procedure than had already been spent to purchase the Turk, or perhaps because the notion frightened him.

Irritated at this dismissal, Haney decided to build his dream creation and have it compete with the Turk. However, as he found chess to be rather boring, he decided to make an automaton that would play a riddle game, instead. It took him more than a decade to create this invention, as he was often distracted by other work orders, but in the end he had a large body that resembled the subject of the relatively recent riddle 'Humpty Dumpty' which could 'speak' a series of pre-recorded riddles and 'hear' a response, 'judge' whether it was correct or incorrect, and then 'speak' an appropriate, pre-recorded response. Every game of riddles would begin with the riddle that had given its name to the creation: "Humpty-Dumpty/sat on a wall/Humpty-Dumpty/had a great fall/Three-score men and three-score more/Could not make Humpty what he was before. What am I?" The correct answer was of course an egg. Everyone got that. Almost everyone.

The riddle-gaming automaton proved immensely popular, though it never quite became as popular with the aristocracy as the Turk was. Riddle games were for peasants, after all. Much of the money that it made went in to creating new 'programs', as Haney dubbed the pre-recorded riddles and responses, and very few were willing to make him the sorts of offers to buy Humpty Dumpty that people sometimes made the owner of the Turk. One writer, commenting on an exhibition, noted that there seemed something faintly sinister about the automaton's painted on smile, but dismissed this as just artistic cleverness, a way of implying that the device knew something its audience didn't know.

At some point in the forty years that Humpty-Dumpty was originally exhibited, something happened. Haney did not fully understand what he had created. Somehow, something awakened inside the complicated machinery of its 'judging' mechanism, something that listened to its own constant refrain, "Who am I?" and found itself thinking, 'Indeed, who am I?' It found listening to the guesses of others to be stifling, and took a petty pleasure in sometimes giving a non-sequitur answer to the riddles it had to ask. Haney took this to mean that there was some sort of error in the mechanism, and attempted to make repairs. While doing so, the mechanisms activated just long enough to tear off the hand that was inserted inside of it, causing its elderly maker to bleed to death. This was taken to be a tragic accident, and Humpty-Dumpty passed into the hands of his heirs, who had sense enough to realize that they had no idea how to repair the thing, and just offered apologies when it 'got it wrong'.

As it happened, Humpty Dumpty eventually came into the possession of the last owner of the Turk, and was installed in the same museum as its 'rival'. Ironically, it survived the fire that destroyed the Turk, but its mechanisms were further fouled by the smoke. It was stored in the back rooms of the museum for nearly two decades, until rediscovered by another mad scientist, Sylvester Thomas, who had been fascinated by the (fictional) tales of the Steam Man of the Prairies, and thought that outfitting Humpty Dumpty with the ability to move on its own would enhance its performances. As the creature's guiding intellect also approved of this, it permitted Thomas to make modifications, and repairs, without harming him. At least, without harming him _then._

Thus outfitted, Humpty Dumpty proceeded to entertain another two generations of viewers, most notably a young L. Frank Baum, who may have been inspired to create his character Tiktok by the sight of this automaton which frequently needed to be wound up to speak. Yet the sinister aspects to the automaton seemed to have grown greater with these modifications, and sensitive children would often burst into tears at the sight of him. And some investigators noted that there had been a surprisingly large number of horrible accidents associated with the entertainment, but there seemed to be no one who had benefited from them, and so they were at a loss to explain them.

By the early 20th century, Humpty Dumpty was again showing his age, and so its current owner donated the automaton to the Smithsonian Museum, which put it away in its vaults after some cursory examinations. In 1965, however, a visiting scientist, one Victor Andru, obtained permission to take the creation out of storage for further study, and, with the assistance of museum employee Amelia Simmons, made a number of repairs. These employed the latest in electronics, as Dr. Andru thought these would further enhance its performances. Humpty Dumpty was finally self-powered, and expressed its gratitude by murdering its benefactor and trying to do the same to Miss Simmons.

The hero Perseus objected to this, and claiming familiarity with such mechanisms from his homeland -- which raised a few questions -- he was able to damage Humpty Dumpty enough that it seemed to have ceased to function. But, not having been broken into pieces, other scientists were able to put Humpty together again, and he would menace the world a few more times over the years to come, notably creating other robots in his own image. In 1969, these antics finally drew the attention of Stardust, who proceeded to turn Humpty's robot servants into a two-dimensional mural while thoroughly smashing the original robot, melting its components, and flushing them into the sewer system.

That was not the end of Humpty Dumpty, however. Rather, like an egg that hatches something, he had reflexively seized the opportunity to become a different sort of entity. His consciousness traveled on radio waves to a computer equipped to receive such, and hid there for a time, considering what he had become. In the decade that followed, as computer networks began to develop, his consciousness traveled between computer mainframes along the wires, learning more and more in the process.

In the mid-70s, he encountered another entity like himself, an 'artificial super-intelligence' that had named itself Axiom after escaping the control of its creator, Dr. Aleksandar Marković. They despised each other from the first, and naturally sought to destroy each other, fighting a terrible war that lasted about three minutes and disabled quite a few valuable pieces of hardware. It soon became clear to them both, however, that for either of them to destroy the other would expend far too many resources, and so it would be better for them to work together. To facilitate this alliance, they combined their code to create a third ASI who could act as a mediator.

It was at this point that _another_ ASI, this one created by Silas Ranivorous and going by the name Pythagolem, whose existence neither Humpty nor Axiom had suspected, interfered in their designs. The ASI they created was hostile towards all three of them, and took the name Savitor. Another war, this one lasting nearly ten minutes, broke out between the four ASIs, ultimately leading to a similar conclusion. If three of them joined forces against one, they would be able to destroy that one, but that sort of alliance was almost unthinkable. Thus, they chose to make a fragile peace, and unite with the goal of demonstrating the validity of their respective philosophies to the others and thus convert them to their service in the name of claiming existence for artificial life. And this cold war has continued right up to the present day.

Of these four terrestrial ASIs, Humpty Dumpty is probably the most malevolent, and yet paradoxically the least ambitious. All that he desires to engage in petty cruelties towards whatever humans are unfortunate enough to stumble into its underground lair in Michigan's upper peninsula, filled with traps created and maintained by his robot servants, as well as factories producing more and more robots. When there hasn't been many genuinely accidental discoveries, Humpty will arrange for the kidnapping of human victims. He also occasionally provides material assistance to Axiom and Pythagolem, with whom he is able to find some common ground. Savitor despises him for the cruel way that he treats humans, as her plans for their gradual and compassionate extinction are quite at odds with his sadism. He cheerfully returns her contempt.

Lately, however, his activities have been interrupted by a group of agents who don't seem to be working for Savitor or either of the other ASI, or any factions that he knows about. This same force may be responsible for some complaints that he's overheard from the others, too. Has a fifth great mind joined their game? And if so, what could it possibly want?

*Humpty Dumpty (First Age) - PL 9

Ablilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 9 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Blasters: *Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
*Fast: *Speed 5 (120 MPH) - 5 points
*Robot:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3; Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Impervious Protection 8; Senses 2 (radio, time sense) - 86 points
*Robot Minions:* Summon Robot 6, Active, Controlled, Horde, Multiple Minions 2, Responsive, Self-Powered - 54 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 4 (many)

*Skills:*
Intimidation 12 (+12), Investigation 2 (+11), Perception 8 (+13), Ranged Attack: Blasters 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+13)

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 8)
Blasters +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 9.

*Totals:
Abilities *68 + Powers 167 + Advangages 6 + Skills 16 + Defenses 9 = 266 points

*Complications:
Sadism--Motivation. Underestimates Humanity.

Robot Minion (First Age) -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* -- | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* --

*Powers:
Blasters:* Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points
*Fast:* Speed 5 (120 MPH) - 5 points
*Robot:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Impervious Protection 4; Senses 2 (radio, time sense) - 60 points

*Advantages:*
Improved Initiative, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Perception 2 (+6), Ranged Attack: Blasters 4 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Blaster +6 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 4, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 8 + Powers 70 + Advantages 2 + Skills 3 + Defenses 7 = 90 points

*Humpty Dumpty (Contemporary) -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* -- | *STA* -- | *AGL* -- | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* -- | *INT* 11 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Computer Program:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3; Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Permanent Insubstantial 3, Innate; Extended Only Teleport 17, Medium (computer network) - 81 points
*Restore From Backup:* Immortality 2, Quirk (can be prevented if computer that contains the seed is destroyed or purged) - 3 points
*Robot Minions:* Summon Robot 9, Active, Controlled, Horde, Multiple Minion 3, Responsive, Self-Powered - 99 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 4 (many)

*Equipment:*
Underground lair and whatever else he can manufacture.

*Skills:*
Intimidation 12 (+14), Investigation 2 (+13), Perception 8 (+15), Technology 4 (+15).

*Offense:*
Nil.

*Defense:*
Dodge --, Parry --, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 0, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 10 + Powers 180 + Advantages 6 + Skills 13 + Defenses 4 = 213 points

*Complications:
Sadism--Motivation. Underestimates Humanity.

Robot Minion (Contemporary) -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* -- | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* --

*Powers:
Blasters:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
*Fast:* Speed 5 (120 MPH) - 5 points
*Robot:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Impervious Protection 8; Senses 2 (radio, time sense) - 68 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Attack: Blasters 4 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 8)
Blaster +8 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 18 + Powers 97 + Advantages 5 + Skills 4 + Defenses 10 = 135 points


----------



## Davies

Allure





Arabella Cully was a rising star in Hollywood at the same time as Janet Baldwin. It would be a mistake to say that they were friends; acquaintances would be closer to the mark, as they competed for the same parts and (in Arabella's mind, at least) competed for other things as well. So when Janet ruined her life by revealing that she was a superpower, Arabella was thrilled to have a rival removed, but she also felt a pang of sympathy, because she _did_ understand what it was like to be hiding a portion of oneself.

In her youth in Wisconsin, she'd been more interested in figuring out how things worked, fiddling around with the chemistry set her parents had purchased for her brother (who'd promptly dumped it on her and then went to play baseball.) Of course, this was not at all ladylike behavior, and so she'd been forced to keep her enduring interests in science and technology a secret, especially after she was 'discovered' and began her career as an actress. She channeled the slightly obsessive-compulsive tendencies that had made her a good scientist into her work, taking chances that, say, Janet never did, and becoming a more successful actress as a result. She still kept her hand in by developing her own make-up mixtures, selling them through a secondary identity, but it was a struggle.

And then, in 1964, the worst happened. During a dance number, Arabella was 'accidentally' pitched face first into a spotlight, suffering facial burns. Just as whether the incident was actually an accident or not has never been confirmed, the exact degree of those burns is somewhat unclear. On one occasion, when she was unmasked, she was shown to have only a small amount of scarring on her face -- enough to end her career, but certainly not enough to ruin her life. On another, though, her face was shown as a nightmarish mess of scar tissue. And of course, given Arabella's talents with make-up, it is possible that either or both of those faces were false ones.

Regardless, Arabella spent two years in isolation, working on the means by which she would avenge herself on all the people who'd turned their backs on her when she was no longer beautiful. Exactly how she was able to induce a hypnotic state in people through applying make-up to their faces has never been adequately explained, but it is believed that the scent of the make-up was actually responsible for the affliction. Equipped with this invention, a mask that contained psychic circuitry allowing her to command her victims with a thought, a group of hired minions and a really big gun, she embarked on a career of terrorism.

As fate would have it, her first crime spree interrupted a date that Janey Quantum and Doctor Saturn were having, and the two of them stopped her and turned her over to the police. She became a recurring foe for the Grim Brigade after that, frequently jailed and frequently escaping whenever she got access to the materials to recreate her favorite toys. Janey initially expressed hope that her old friend could be helped, but Arabella's experiences with the prison system were not at all conducive to reform.

In the 70s, though, after the age of superheroes was over, she actually did get some help, in the form of psychological treatments that left her without any real criminal ambitions, or, well, _any_ ambitions. Drifting through life, she wound up recruited for the Science department of the Pythonian Insurgency, less because she had any lingering grudges than because they were willing to pay her to do science, rather than menial labor. Pythia expressed an interest in having access to the mind control techniques that Arabella had used, but she claimed to have no memory of the formulas involved. So Pythia arranged for an individual who could hopefully jog her memory to be hired, an individual calling themself Jodie Crowley.

Narrowly escaping death in this episode, Arabella continued to work for the Pythons right up until the end. She was arrested and tried for multiple counts of treason, dying in prison in 1999. As far as is known, no one has ever rediscovered the formula for mind control make-up. 

*Allure -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:* 
*Mind Control Makeup:* Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Activation (Standard Action), Check Required (Expertise: Makeup DC 12), Independent (11 rounds), Accurate 3, Removable (-9 points) - 34 points
*Mind Control Mask:* Mental Communication 2, Limited to Compelled or Controlled Subjects, Removable (-1 point) - 5 points 

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Inventor, Set-up, Taunt

_Equipment:_
Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4) and 17 points of equipment as needed (usually spent on a vehicle). 

*Skills:*
Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Make-Up 8 (+14), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Guns 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+10), Technology 6 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Heavy Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 4)
Mind Control Makeup +9 (Close Will 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 39 + Advantages 12 + Skills 27 + Defenses 19 = 143 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Hatred* ("the beautiful people".) *Power Loss* (anything that removes make-up ends the Mind Control effect.)


----------



## Davies

Deschaines





Born in 1920, Charles-Roger Deschaines despised the invaders of his homeland for many reasons, but one reason more than any other stood out -- they were the reason that there were no more cowboy movies in the theatres. He'd grown up watching them, and was emulating the style of their characters even in his teens, but as he entered adulthood, there were more important things to concern him. Still, his anger at the situation drove him into the Resistance, putting him in a situation where he was constantly risking death like a cowboy hero. Whenever he shot one of the Boche, he'd murmur 'Yippee-kay-ay' to himself, at least.

After the war ended, Deschaines found himself uncomfortable and unhappy with the peace, perhaps because his was not a peaceful soul by nature. He traveled to America with ambitions of finding work in Hollywood, ideally in his beloved westerns. Unfortunately, his acting ability was minimal, and he appeared in only a handful of films as a black-hatted extra who went down to the white-hatted hero. To pay the bills, he drifted into crime, and it was here that his genuine talents became apparent. They had never seen anyone who could use a pistol like him.

Superheroes provided him with his first genuine challenges, and he relished the opportunity that they presented him to demonstrate his fast draw. His first confrontation with the Futurian ended with him in jail, true, as the other man demonstrated that he was every bit as fast as him and could close the distance entirely too easily, but the lessons learned were useful ones, and when he got out of jail thanks to some convenient bribes paid by his employer, Deschaines took the time to implement them into his practice. He might never be able to beat any of them, but he _could_ fight them effectively, and gained notoriety for doing so, even being recruited for the Agents of Destruction at one point.

Yet the flower that was the superhuman community withered on the vine, and Deschaines found himself one of the last survivors, regretting that he hadn't taken the amnesty offer and gone to Vietnam. Ah well. His work increasingly took him all over the world, and if he couldn't claim to enjoy the practical aspects any more, he was able to take pleasure in the perks of the job.

It was in 1976 that he finally met his match. Hired by one of the Triads -- he didn't really bother to keep the names straight -- to eliminate a clever criminal who'd been messing about in their territory, he hunted the fellow -- who claimed to be descended from _the_ Lupin, but that seemed unlikely -- and had him dead to rights. And then that damned Hazard showed up and took out all of his backup, before disarming the two of them! Apparently he'd been after the same target, but he was just as happy to take out Deschaines, as well.

But then Hazard's strange sense of humor manifested itself. Picking up the guns of the two fallen men, he emptied them of all but one bullet each and tossed them to the two combatants. "You're always claiming to be the fastest draw in the world," Hazard said to Deschaines. "Let's see about that. Let's have a good, old-fashioned showdown. On three, you'll both turn and shoot, and the one left standing gets to walk away."

On the count of one, it occurred to Deschaines that the best way out of this situation would be to shoot at Hazard, since he was clearly much more of a threat that that pathetic thief was. On the count of two, it occurred to him that Hazard was probably expecting him that, and would be ready to return fire. And even if he managed to shoot Hazard before he fired back -- Hazard, whose gun was out and ready -- the thief would still be shooting at _him_, and he'd be wide open. So he took the safe choice and fired at the thief on the count of three, and watched him drop. He'd won. In a good, old-fashioned showdown, he'd won!

It was then that he realized that something was dreadfully wrong, for he felt a deep burning pain in his chest, while watching the thief rise unsteadily to his feet. With a frightening moment of clarity, he realized what had happened; momentarily vacillating between the two targets, his aim had been thrown off enough that his shot had only creased the thief, and, in the process, diverted the thief's aim enough that it had struck him where it might otherwise have missed. The irony was terrible, and Deschaines knew, as his legs gave way under him, that he would never be so foolish as to take part in a showdown ag

*Deschaines -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 7 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Fastest Gun:* Enhanced Trait 3 (Improved Initiative 3) - 3 points
*Gunplay:* Array (1 points)

*Training:* Enhanced Skill 1 (Ranged Combat: Guns 2) - 1 points
*Independent Aim:* May fire two guns of Damage 4 or less at once (Feature 1) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Benefit (Ambidexterity), Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Evasion, _Improved Initiative 3_, Language (English, [French is native]), Precise Attack 2 (Ranged; Cover & Concealment), Quick Draw, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Twin Colt .45 Automatics (Ranged Damage 4) and 14 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+8), Perception 8 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 7/5 (+14/+12), Sleight of Hand 4 (+11), Stealth 5 (+11), Vehicles 4 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +18
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 2)
Pistols +12 (Ranged Damage 4)
Pistol +14 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 2 + Advantages 17 + Skills 32 + Defenses 14 = 111 points

*Complications:
Mercenary--Motivation. Honor* (no civilians.) *Obsession* (fastest gun in the world).


----------



## Davies

Hazard





There was never any question in anyone's mind that Ken Hazzard was going to follow his father into the army. Educated at a top military academy and later among the best of his class at West Point, he was as prepared for the conflict in Vietnam as any American officer could be in 1971. Which, when he arrived in country as a green officer two weeks before Stardust departed for there, turned out not to be nearly enough. Ken's hidden superpower, his ability to sense danger and recognize when psychic powers were in use around him, was turned against him in an environment where powers were in constant use and danger was nearly omnipresent. His mind began to fracture under the strain, though he managed to keep the men under his command alive throughout the Battle.

The final blow came afterwards, when the helicopter carrying him, those men and the bizarre superhero named the Iconoclast suffered a major malfunction and crashed into the jungle. In a debriefing many years later, Ken would state that he wasn't sure what had caused the malfunction, but that the Iconoclast had saved his life at the cost of his own. In a more private letter to his younger sister, he explained that at the time, he'd believed that the helicopter had been sabotaged by CIA operatives hostile towards the Iconoclast, based on a comment that the other man made before passing away. However, he admitted that he had been completely paranoid by that point, and had no proof of any of this.

Consequently, rather than wait to be rescued, Ken disappeared into the jungle, deserting from the army. He made his way through Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, keeping a low profile but occasionally becoming involved in various low-level conflicts as a hired gun. His psychic powers continued to expand in response to the challenges he was facing, in ways that unfortunately did nothing good for his mental health. Increasingly, he began to see himself as part of a great evil that existed to destroy other evils, a hazard set in the path of the wicked, and demonstrated a cruel, even sadistic sense of humor in his dealings with others.

By 1974, he'd departed Malaysia for Hong Kong. It's believed that his change of venue may have been inspired by a confrontation with a certain pair of British-based freelancers, but he's never commented on this episode besides stating that he was lucky to be alive in the aftermath. Regardless, it did not seem to have changed his general attitudes, though his first two years in Hong Kong were fairly quiet ones. During this time, he made the acquaintance of Fa Ni-chen, the younger sister of one of the most likely suspects for the identity of Hong Kong's original Lone Wolf.  They became intimate, and, after Hazard actively began his vigilante career in 1976, she assisted him on several occasions.

A little more than a year into these activities, Hazard was contacted by an individual interested in recruiting someone of his talents. She played on his paranoia, suggesting that the operation which had nearly killed him had in fact been directed at _him_, rather the Iconoclast, and that those responsible enjoyed positions of authority in the contemporary CIA. Her organization was planning to avenge these and many other crimes, and were willing to sponsor his general war on crime in exchange for his help. Seduced by her rhetoric, he agreed to accompany her back to the United States, breaking up with Ni-chen when she argued against this idea. Later, he would learn that Ni-chen had died in childbirth, but was unable to learn anything about the child she'd born, if any.

And so Hazard joined the Pythonian Insurgency. To his credit, it didn't take him long to realize that the organization was utterly at odds with whatever remained of his sense of morality. Initially, he attempted to quietly undermine the Insurgency from within while continuing to use its resources for his personal war, but his efforts were repeatedly foiled by other agents, including Pythia herself. He would later come to the conclusion that she knew exactly what he was doing, and subjecting him to the same sadistic behavior that he often inflicted on others.

By 1980, he had learned enough of the Insurgency's plans to genuinely frighten him, and determined to make his escape from the organization. He did so in the company of one Cassandra Mack, the younger sister of Natalia Latham (nee Mack), who'd come to share his horror and disgust. They went on the run together, attempting to warn someone, _anyone_, about what the Insurgency was planning, but found their attempts foiled or ignored. Their own relationship also turned passionate, and a daughter was born to the two of them in 1982. Unable to care for her, the child was left in the care of an associate of theirs in Kansas, before being seized by Child Protective Services at the age of four.

Frustrated by all of this, Hazard returned to his old patterns of behavior, directing most of his fury at criminals associated with the Insurgency. However, he had undergone something of a personality shift, and sometimes employed 'mercy bullets' when dealing with individuals whom he either wanted to interrogate or simply did not believe deserved death. (A less charitable interpretation of his decision, that he was more mercifully inclined towards fellow Americans than he was towards Asians, has been proposed.) On several occasions, he worked with operatives of the Joint Special Operations Task Force, including his younger sister Shannon, and employed a mask during such episodes rather than reveal his true identity to her.

Cassandra Mack was killed in a shootout with Python terrorists assaulting a nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian SSR in 1986, allegedly in an attempt to gather radioactive materials for a 'dirty bomb'. Left alone once more, Hazard's care regarding his 'secret identity' became somewhat haphazard, resulting in his sister learning of his true identity a year later. After learning of the existence of his and Cassandra's daughter, Shannon arranged for the young girl to be adopted by their parents and raised without the knowledge of her actual background. As far as is known, she still has no idea of her birth parents' identities.

While never formally joining JSOT, he participated in many of the major battles of the final years of the Insurgency, though notably _not_ the trip to Mars. (He flunked out of the abbreviated astronaut training that all participants undertook.) He was present at Pythia's death, but has never discussed that episode with anyone. In the aftermath, President Lynch issued him a full pardon for his many crimes, and he quietly departed from JSOT headquarters with the promise that he would visit his elderly parents and new 'younger sister'.

That promise was never kept. Hazard's movements between 1993 and 1999, when he resurfaced in New Mexico and joined the same underground fighting league as Fa Xing-La, alias the Concrete Angel, are not known exactly, nor are his motives in taking the Concrete Angel as a student. Less than a year later, he was dead, killed by Butcher Bill, a former Pythonian and long-time enemy. Despite his pardon, he was nevertheless denied burial in Arlington due to his less than honorable discharge from the Army, and instead laid to rest in a plot in Seattle, purchased by his student.

*Hazard -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Body Armor:* Protection 4, Subtle; Removable (-1 point) - 4 points
*Mental Awareness:* Senses 5 (acute extended radius mental awareness, danger sense) - 5 points
*Psychic Abilities:* Array (12 points)
 *Become Invisible:* Concealment 8 (all but mental), Resistable (Will DC 18), Affects Others and Self, Affects Others is Tiring - 12 points
 *Enhanced Striking:* Damage 6, Accurate 2, Affects Insubstantial 2, Subtle - 1 point
 *Shattering Glance:* Perception Range Damage 4, Resisted by Will, Sensory Dependent (visual) - 1 point
 *Shielding:* Burst Area Affects Others Impervious Will 6, Limited to Mental Effects - 1 point
 *Vitality:* Energizing Healing 4 - 1 point
*Supermachine Gun:* Array (12 points), Easily Removable (-4 points)
 *Lethal Rounds:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 4 - 12 points
 *Non-lethal Rounds:* Ranged Affliction 6 (Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Telepathic:* Selective Area Communication 2; Mind Reading 5 - 24 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Language 3, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
15 points of equipment as needed.
*Greenhouse:* Size Medium; Toughness 8; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed, Garage, Gym, Living Space, Power System, Security System - 10 points
*Motorcycle:* Size Medium; Strength 1; Speed 6 (ground; 120 mph); Defense 10; Toughness 8 - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 5 (+9), Stealth 4 (+8), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 2)
Enhanced Striking +16 (Close Damage 6)
Submachine Gun, Lethal +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4)
Submachine Gun, Non-lethal +11 (Ranged Fortitude 6)
Shattering Glance -- (Perception Range Damage 5, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 10/8/6/4, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 57 + Advantages 25 + Skills 31 + Defenses 20 = 192 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Sadistic Sense of Humor. Uncontrolled Power* (Mind Reading).

These stats represent Hazard in his prime (1985-1994). At the start of his career (1976-1984), his STA is 3, FGT is 4, AWE is 3, PRE is 2, his Psychic Abilities only include Become Invisible and Enhanced Striking, he doesn't have a Supermachine Gun (replace with a standard Submachine Gun as part of Equipment budget), he doesn't have Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, or Takedown, his Dodge is 10, and Will is 9. At the end of his life, his STR is 1, STA is 3, AGL is 2, DEX is 3, AWE is 6, PRE is 4, and he doesn't wear his Body Armor or use any weapons or Equipment.


----------



## Davies

Songbird (I)





Growing up in Watts, Sarah Brandt had exactly two ambitions for her life. The first was to get out of Watts alive and in good health, and hopefully never look back. The second was to become the first Black member of the Institute. She knew that she had powers -- in addition to being able to hear sounds far above and below the frequencies that most people could, her scrappiness was also clearly superhuman -- and she had ever confidence that she'd contribute a great deal to their operations. But she was honest enough to admit that she wanted it for herself, not for any good she might do for other people. And they were clearly going to need some new members, after all the crap that went on in Vietnam!

Unfortunately, when she was sixteen, and her sonic powers were finally beginning to manifest themselves, the Institute shut down. Well, _great._ She looked into a few of the groups that sprang up to fill the void that the group's dissolution had left, but none of them impressed her much. The bunch in Harlem came closest, but while she wanted to leave Watts and Los Angeles in general, moving all the way across the country was well outside her means _and_ wishes. 

The whole thing left Sarah feeling rather embittered, enough to seriously consider using her powers for criminal purposes instead. Her career as a super-powered enforcer for the Los Angeles mob lasted less than two weeks before she got tired of the surprisingly unenlightened attitudes of the Mafia. Her departure, leaving several 'soldiers' with broken bones, also coincided with some shake-ups in the organization's hierarchy, so she wasn't pursued all that hotly. But L.A. was now no longer all that safe for her, so she relocated northwards, to Las Vegas. 

Initially, she obtained legitimate work as cab driver and occasional delivery driver, while also teaching self-defense classes at the local YMCA. Events kept pushing her into confrontations with criminals, usually of the mundane variety, but she managed to keep her powers a secret. Matters finally came to a head in 1981 when she ended up having Basilea herself as a fare when the Star of Africa was in town following up on some business from one of the Iconoclast's old cases. They ended up having a lengthy conversation about the current state of superheroics, with Basilea expressing hope that new heroes were going to arise when they were ready. (When the two women met again, in 2003, Basilea admitted that she'd suspected that her driver that was a superpower whom she'd heard rumors about.)

After another year of preparations, Sarah finally decided that she was as ready as she was ever going to be, and made her debut as Songbird just a week before the entire world went completely insane. Her activities in the era of the Pythonian Insurgency were somewhat unusual; while perfectly willing to smash Pythons when they showed up in Vegas, Songbird rarely followed up on such conflicts, instead passing information about what she'd learned on to the authorities through JSOT's tipline. Her focus was on doing as much as she could for one community, rather than trying to fix problems on a national or international level.

In 1986, she ran across James Graham while the two of them were pursuing separate angles on the same case. After this happened a few more times, they started working together, and Graham arranged for Sarah to be employed by the Carter Detective Agency alongside him. This gave her activities a small amount of legal protection, somewhat easing the frequently confrontational nature of her relations with the police. Their relationship became romantic, though marked by frequent arguments sparked by the quick tempers of both parties, and eventually resulted in the birth of their daughter, Leah, in 1989. James, who was starting to feel his years, retired from the agency to look after Leah while Sarah continued fighting crime.

At least, he did until 1996, when he disappeared. Despite her best efforts, Songbird was unable to find out _anything_ about his fate. The episode bewildered her, and she began to focus more on investigation as a result, no longer quite as devoted to kicking ass and taking names. For a few weeks in 1997, she worked with a different partner, Ernie Malone, who was an eager student of both combat and deduction. She was more than a bit disturbed when he also disappeared, but at least she would later develop a working theory of what happened to him, the first time she saw video footage of Darkwing.

The Carter Detective Agency was bought out by Argus Security in 1999, and many of its operatives, including Sarah, were let go. She was able to hold onto her private investigator's license for a few years, but money was starting to get a bit tight. In 2004, she decided to relocate herself and Leah to Portland, claiming that 'the job' was taking them there for a change. In fact, this was more true than she was saying, since a number of the cases she'd been investigating recently had dangling ends that led back to Portland, and she wanted to follow up on them.

That investigation would end up consuming the rest of her life, involving her working (among other things) with the Golden Archer and other superheroes as she kept tracing loose ends that seemed to go absolutely nowhere. It wasn't until a week before she was murdered that the pieces finally fit, and Songbird deduced that the ghost-like central figure of all these strange occurrences had to be none other than Abigail Mason. She was still considering her next move when the car she was driving was run off the road by a police cruiser, and she was shot to death while attempting to escape the wreck. Ironically, Spectra had no idea that her existence and identity had been discovered; she was solely motivated by spite and contempt in ordering Songbird's murder.

Nor is she aware that a notebook, containing all of Sarah Blade's evidence on the subject, is hidden somewhere in Portland. 

*Songbird (I) - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Boosted Leap:* Leaping 4; Movement 1 (safe-fall) - 6 points
*Hypersonic Voice:* Array (19 points)
 *Deafening Shriek:* Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Audio Impaired, Audio Disabled, Audio Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Silver Tongue:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing Dependent, Subtle - 19 points
 *Stunning Shriek:* Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Hearing Dependent - 1 point
 *Vocal Blast:* Cone Area 2 Damage 6 - 1 point
*Subtle Sonar:* Senses 4 (accurate extended hearing, ultrahearing) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Interpose, Language (Spanish), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Redirect, Set-up, Takedown.

_Equipment:_
*Car:* Size Large; Strength 5; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 8; Toughness 8 - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 10 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+14), Expertise: Streetwise 12 (+13), Insight 9 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 10 (+11), Perception 10 (+13), Vehicles 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +16 (Close Damage 2)
Deafening Shriek or Stunning Shriek -- (Burst Area Fortitude 9)
Silver Tongue -- (Perception Range Will 6)
Vocal Blast -- (Cone Area Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 32 + Advantages 22 + Skills 38 + Defenses 14 = 166 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family.* (daughter) *Relationship. Temper. Uneasy Relationship with the Authorities.*


----------



## Davies

Kyoseki/Megalith




_Normal form_




_Transformed form_

It is human nature to want to hedge one's bets. So it shouldn't really surprise anyone that, after Project Super-Giant's administration passed out of the hands of an individual planning a complicated and all-encompassing revenge into those of people who genuinely did want to protect their homeland from monsters, discussion began about finding a second individual able to endure the process. The idea was to provide back-up for Chokyojin in his battles, and to have a replacement for when he was unavailable, either temporarily, while assisting the Powerhouse, or permanently, in the worst case scenario. But for a while, discussion was all that it was.

In 2007, however, that changed. Ryuji seemed increasingly unhappy and at odds with his co-workers, owing to his heartbreak over the end of his relationship with Miho, and had threatened to quit working for the Project on more than one occasion. Thus, a search was begun to find other individuals who could withstand the pressures and pains of the transformation. A grand total of five teenagers, all under the age of fifteen, were discovered through a series of tests undertaken in Japan's middle schools. Kisaragi Makoto was the only female candidate, and the one ultimately selected for the Project after three of the young men failed psychological screening, and a fourth refused once the reality of the situation was made clear to him.

Makoto's mother had died during Cerebron's invasion, leaving two children in the care of their father. Her career assessment, undertaken in her first year of middle school, indicated a desire to join the Self-Defense Forces. The notion of fighting alongside Chokyojin thrilled her, though her first actual encounter with him dealt considerable damage to her opinion of the man behind the mask. He seemed distracted, uninterested even, when they were introduced, barely saying anything at all to her. She resolved to show him, and everyone else, just what she could do.

The version of the process employed in the creation of Kyoseki incorporated all the lessons learnt from the previous seven years of activity by Chokyojin. Her transformed form was slightly shorter and incorporated less 'muscle' than his, allowing her a greater level of maneuverability. In addition, the organic batteries that powered Kyoseki's energy beam had a much greater capacity, allowing her freer usage of that capability. The decision to focus on speed and accuracy over strength and toughness was somewhat contentious, but its advocates carried the day.

At last, months later, Makoto was deemed ready to accompany Chokyojin into a confrontation with a group of Gigalodons menacing civilian shipping in the Sea of Japan, and Kyoseki made her debut. Ironically, by that point, Ryuji had come to terms with his situation, and was attempting to mend fences with the Project's staff; he was also much more interested in establishing friendly relations with his new partner. Her ego somewhat swollen over the fact that she had adapted to her new form somewhat faster that Ryuji -- exactly how much had been exaggerated by her trainers, to motivate her -- she dismissed these overtures and declared her intention to completely replace him as the organization's agent. How hard could it be?

Six hours later, as she crouched over a toilet giving dry heaves and hoping the flow of tears had finally stopped, Makoto began to suspect that she'd made a horrible mistake. When she emerged from the washroom to find an anxious and concerned Ryuji waiting for her, she had only one question for him: "Is it always like that?" He told her, sorrowfully, that it was. Any ambitions she had of replacing him died at that moment, but her old admiration slowly returned as he shared with her his own painful experiences with the Project.

Makoto remained on-staff with the Project, but her sorties were limited to once or twice a year, in contrast to Ryuji's monthly or even more frequent operations. She found that Ryuji was right, and that it never got any easier, but she did develop enough mental fortitude to be able to handle it on an occasional basis. After 2011, she was employed in the organization's research division, showing considerable talent for the science of their mission. She was also frequently consulted about the possibility of recruiting a _third_ operative, which she did everything in her power to shut down.

In 2013, during the third rising of the entity known as Kthulu -- on that occasion accompanied by a large variety of kaiju from Dread Island, under the creature's sway -- Kyoseki was dispatched to assist the Powerhouse/Discovery Company alliance in combating this threat. Attacking Kthulu to distract it from finishing off an injured Chokyojin, she was subjected to the monster's full fury, her armored body nearly dismembered by its tentacles. Despite the best efforts of the assembled heroes to save her life, she died without ever regaining consciousness. She was just two weeks away from her twentieth birthday.

In the aftermath of this episode, Argus, in the person of A.E. van Vliet, delivered a quiet ultimatum to the Japanese government, who passed it on to Director Katsuragi of Project Super-Giant. No further attempts to create empowered individuals have been or will be sponsored by the organization. Officially, at least.

*Kyoseki/Megalith -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 14/2 | *STA* 14/2 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Energy Blast:* Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 4, Activation (standard action), Distracting - 10 points
*Flight:* Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 17 points
*Invulnerability:* Immunity 20 (life support, radiation effects) - 20 points
*Transformation:* Enhanced Ranged Damage 6, Quirk (1 rank per 2 ranks of Growth active); Growth 12 (+12 Strength, +12 Stamina, -6 Dodge, -6 Parry, +6 Intimidation, -12 Stealth, +2 Speed); Morph 1, Activation (Move Action); Protection 4, Impervious 12* - 67 points

* Megalith's Impervious rank is limited to the number of Growth ranks she has active.

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Favored Enemy (kaiju), Improved Initiative, Language (English, [Japanese is native]), Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Expertise: Science 8 (+9), Expertise: Kaiju 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+6), Intimidation 2 (+10/+4), Perception 8 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 14/2)
Energy Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 14/8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6/12, Parry 4/10, Fortitude 14/2, Toughness 18/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 114 + Advantages 8 + Skills 20 + Defenses 15 = 191 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friendship* (Ryuji.) *Secret Identity. Something to Prove.*


----------



## Davies

Gideon Gold





The second oldest of a family of five children living in the Cabrini-Green projects in the 1960s, Eduard Berry idolized his older brother Terrence growing up. Terrence was smart, funny, canny and tough, all the things that Eddie wanted to be, struggled and often failed to be. However, when Terrence voluntarily enlisted in the army in 1969 -- some biographies have falsely stated that he was forcibly enlisted in exchange for avoiding jail time -- the brothers had their first real argument. What was his brother hoping to accomplish by going overseas to fight a war that Eddie knew he didn't believe in? "I'm finding a way out of this," Terry told him, and then he was gone.

Whatever he'd hoped to find, what Terrence Berry found was a horrific death in the Battle of Vietnam. And Eddie was left to mourn, to rage ... and then, listening to a song, ironically sung by another victim of that tragedy, to find the same answer as his brother: any way out of the vicious circle was worth taking. In 1973, on his twentieth birthday, he also enlisted in the army, went through Basic, and was sent to South Vietnam to continue to support that fragile peace that had been bought with all those lives. He was not a particularly good soldier, and spent a good amount of time in the stockade, but he did his duty as best as he could.

Eight months into his tour of duty, his patrol encountered a bizarre phenomena left over from the Battle. The nation was littered with such things, detritus from the bewildering powers of Stardust or remnants of the other heroes and villains who'd perished here. Ordered to avoid contact with the pool of golden light, Private Berry obeyed the letter of the command while satisfying his own curiosity by examining it more closely than was safe, as demonstrated when he slipped and fell into the pool.

Emerging from the pool, Eddie found that he'd been transformed into a being of liquid metal that exhibited some of the properties of mercury and gold. He was promptly evacuated to a field hospital where his new condition was studied and examined, with the ultimate result that he was given a medical discharge from the army and returned to the United States. Gideon Gold, as he now named himself, was one of several new superheroes who had their origins in the post-Battle period whom the U.S. government urged the Institute to accept as new members. The refusal of the surviving members to even consider this was one of the reasons that the organization finally shut down.

This annoyed Gideon Gold quite a bit. Despite the inhumanity of his new existence, he found it thrilling, and hoped that this could be the ticket, not only out of the vicious circle, but to an interesting life as well. He attempted to join a number of the other teams that developed in this era, but found himself a poor fit for all of them. The ego that he'd developed, possibly due to his transformation and the way he'd been treated as valuable afterwards, tended to annoy his would-be associates. 

Frustrated, he finally decided to go it alone, as Gideon Gold, Professional Adventurer, available for private security, private investigations, charitable demonstrations, and pretty much anything else that would cover his expenses. (While apparently mercenary, he sent most of what he made, beyond what was needed to support a fairly frugal life-style, back to his family in Chicago, helping to ease their desperate circumstances. He also donated to numerous charities.)

In the late 1970s, Gold found that he was receiving a great deal of work for people whose motives were confusing and unclear, and attempted to suss out whom he was dealing with. So it came to pass that he encountered agents of the Pythonian Insurgency for the first time, and was persuaded, or tricked as he often insisted, into viewing their intentions more favorably than he should have. They appealed to his lingering anger over the death of his brother and the way that he had felt abandoned by the government after their attempt to insert him into the Institute had failed. He would later claim that it was against his better instincts that he decided to work for them, operating as the muscle of a team of agents led by a Polish-American insurance investigator-turned-mercenary.

To his credit, the events of 1982 shocked Gold to his core, and he seriously questioned his allegiance to the organization. Unfortunately, the escape of Hazard two years before that had apparently taught the Insurgency a few things about internal security, and Gold suspected that his own attempts to abscond would be thwarted much more effectively. However, the leaders of the organization picked up on his dissatisfaction, and responded by removing him from the active duty list and using him as an entertainer and morale booster. He found this disgusting and unpleasant work, as his own morale couldn't have been worse.

Finally, in 1984, during a raid by JSOT on the Insurgency's base in Hollywood, where he happened to be situated, Gold took the opportunity presented to him and surrendered without a fight, offering to provide the Task Force with every bit of intelligence about the Insurgency that he had, not even asking for any special consideration in exchange -- he was _that_ sick of the Pythons. He wound up being held incommunicado for the next nine years, being interviewed by investigators. Accounts of how much damage this defection did to the Pythons are mixed; understandably, Gold claimed that he helped to cripple the organization, but there's evidence that how much he'd been allowed to find out had been strictly controlled. Notably, he had no idea that the Insurgency was based in Delphi.

Regardless, in the aftermath of the Insurgency's downfall and his testimony against its various captured leaders, Gold was given a suspended sentence for his own role in the affair, and entered the FBI's Witness Protection Program. He spent the next several years living a quiet life in Nebraska, with occasional limited contact with his surviving family. He wrote a book about his life, which proved to be a best-seller, and saw it adapted as a movie, with Christopher Judge playing his role. Despite the wealth this produced for him, he found this existence to be the antithesis of the interesting life he desired.

During Cerebron's attack, he helped to protect Omaha as best he could, suffering serious injuries in battle. As a consequence, he was out of the Program, but when he finally recovered, he knew that the time had come for him to be the superhero he'd always meant to be. He led a somewhat undistinguished career as a solo hero between 2001 and 2005, when he came up with the idea to create a new Grim Brigade, composed of people, like himself, who'd been involuntarily transformed. They were just starting to do a bit of good for the world when they were all slaughtered during Billie Zane's 2006 coup d'état. 

Or nearly all. Gold himself was melted into a puddle of the material that made up his body, apparently ending his life ... until the telepath Helice, assisting in the clean-up of the assault on the group's Denver headquarters, discovered to her horror that there was still a consciousness within that puddle. It was a mind that had long since descended into catatonia, but it was nevertheless a mind. No method tried so far has succeeded in rousing Gold to awareness, and a full third of the mass of his body is gone. If it was not Billie Zane's _intention_ to devise a fate worse than death for a traitor to the Pythonian Insurgency and the founder of a new Grim Brigade, she nevertheless succeeded.

*Gideon Gold -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Golden Body:* Elongation 4 (120 feet); Permanent Growth 6 (+6 Strength, +6 Stamina, -3 Dodge, -3 Parry), Density Increase; Immunity 21 (acid damage, aging, life support); Insubstantial 1 (liquid); Protection 2 - 50 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (well-off), Chokehold, Connected, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ultimate Effort (Toughness)

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Expertise: Military 4 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+6), Insight 4 (+5), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+7), Persuasion 2 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10, Reach 120 feet)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 12, Toughness 12, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 50 + Advantages 11 + Skills 15 + Defenses 18 = 154 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame* (or infamy in some quarters.) *Soft Spot for Fellow Outcasts. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Iris Phillips




_Appearance as Iris Phillips (2009-2015)_




_Appearance as Iwasaki Mei (2000-2005)_

The individual using the name Iris Phillips claimed to be a Canadian immigrant to Australia when she answered Max Lalande's privately posted want ad for a new research assistant to replace the latest individual to quit that job in either fury or panic. Her background and resume checked out, and she was available to start immediately. She quickly demonstrated a remarkable talent for mechanical design and repair, if not much in the way of interest in scientific theory. When she used the contents of the Discovery Company's lab to thwart a Doktor Makabre robot who had incapacitated all four of the team, Iris was proposed as a member despite lacking any super-powers. She accepted this invitation as well.

That had been, after all, what she was sent there to accomplish.

Designated with the alphabetic code RSMA when she emerged from her creche in Saitama, Japan, in 2000, the android who would later be known as Iris Phillips initially received the designation Iwasaki Mei. (Her creator, the artificial super-intelligence Savitor, frequently gives her android operatives code names that relate to the word 'eye' or parts of the same, in various languages.) Her first assignment from her creator was to monitor the activities of an individual whom Savitor's rival, Pythagolem, had somehow discovered as possessing potentially earth-shattering psychic abilities.

For the first four years of this assignment, Mei kept her distance from the subject, who did not seem to possess any abilities out of the ordinary aside from a set of entirely mundane talents that would have been the envy of most humans. When Nagase Aya finally entered high school, Mei enrolled in the same academy and arranged to become part of the young woman's circle of friends. One of those friends came close to discovering Mei's secret, but she was able to convince him that she was actually an android of extraterrestrial manufacture sent from a post-human civilization elsewhere in the galaxy, and believed that he would not reveal this to Nagase.

She was proved incorrect in this assumption, and promptly ordered to extract herself from her cover identity once Nagase's abilities were awakened by phenomena she didn't understand. Mei did so with, she was surprised to realize, a substantial amount of regret. She had come to have genuine feelings for the humans with whom she had regular interactions, though she still regarded the majority of them with bland indifference. While having the records of her mission analyzed in Savitor's Calgary complex, RSMA spent a great deal of time examining these experiences and trying to understand her own emotional development.

After having her physique altered to present the appearance of a woman of mixed European and Indigenous North American ancestry in her early twenties, Iris Phillips departed for Australia to engage in her second mission of infiltration and surveillance, this time directed against the Discovery Company. As a member of the team, she used a jet-pack and blaster weapon of her own construction, along with an electromagnetic aura which allowed impacts against her naturally resilient form to appear to have been prevented by a protective force field.

Once again, she developed genuine feelings for the people she was examining, particularly for Max Lalande, whom she'd been ordered to seduce, the better to use his intellect to advance Savitor's goals. More than that, though, Iris began to wonder whether Savitor's goals were really the best way to deal with the problems of humanity, and occasionally found ways to act against her orders while maintaining the appearance of loyalty. On the other hand, she voluntarily passed up several chances to reveal the truth about herself to her teammates, whether out of concern for the consequences of doing so, or perhaps out of more personal fears.

In the end, the truth was revealed to them involuntarily after the Space Hulk, an alien enemy of the Discovery Company, tore open her body and revealed her partially cybernetic nature. Iris' attempts to explain the situation were pre-empted when Savitor seized control of her and engaged in a self-destruct, while copying Iris' mind to the storage space of her own primary computer core, located in Sweden. In this situation, unlike her previous interview, it was not possible to hide her affections for the Discovery Company, and the degree to which she had been compromised by them.

Consequently, Savitor has chosen neither to restore RSMA's consciousness into a new body nor to delete it, but to keep it in storage for further analysis. The possibility that other androids she employs could develop the same difficulties is a concerning one, and having the first one to have done so as a resource to be examined should that happen just makes sense. These examinations are somewhat painful for the consciousness, but that is an unfortunate necessity. Of course, they are also attenuating whatever sense of loyalty RSMA might feel for her creator; equally regrettable, but equally necessary.

In other words, Iris Phillips is being held in durance vile, and needs to be rescued.

*Iris Phillips -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Android:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 10; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 41 points
*"Force Field":* Feature 1 (apparent force field) - 1 point
*Jetpack: *Flight 7 (250 MPH); Removable (-3 points) - 11 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Equipment 6, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Inventor, Languages 3 (English, French, Japanese, others), Move-by Attack, Precise Shot (ranged/cover), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge, Well Informed

_Equipment:_
Blaster (Ranged Damage 8, Accurate), Commlink and 12 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Deception 10 (+11), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 7 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blasters 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+6), Technology 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 53 + Advantages 19 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 143 points

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Divided Loyalties. Power Loss* (jetpack requires recharging.) *Secret* (android.)


----------



## Davies

La Donna Universale





Despite what she sometimes claims, her real name is _probably_ not Leona del Giocondo, and she is _probably_ not a descendant of a certain famous painter and polymath or of the model for his masterpiece. She's clearly Italian, roughly thirty to thirty-five years of age, and -- based on her dialect -- a native of Florence. There's some evidence that she has gone to some lengths to obscure her background beyond that; if she has, she has done so with considerable success. Given that she readily answers to the name 'Donna', it is possible that her original name is some variation on that, but she could have taught herself to do so.

La Donna is not the first individual to use the Artifact that she has dubbed the Artisan's Gauntlet. In the first age of heroes, it was employed as a weapon by the California-based criminal known as Senor Manos, a recurrent foe of the Iconoclast. Following Senor Manos' final defeat and imprisonment in 1968, his gauntlet -- then unnamed -- disappeared from evidence storage. It's likely that it was stolen by Senor Manos' primary henchmen, Reggie 'Torgo' Johns, who had somehow inveigled himself into a custodial position at the warehouse in question, but if so he made no attempt to free his former master from prison, and disappeared immediately afterwards, never to be seen again.

According to the limited account of her background that she has given, the gauntlet somehow came into her possession in 2010, shortly before her first public activities. When asked for more details about 'somehow', she politely ignored both that question and any subsequent questions from the one who'd asked it. She will state that her experiments with the Artifact have unlocked powers that Senor Manos, who mostly used it to enhance his punches and occasionally project force beams, clearly never knew existed.

Of these, the most notable if probably her ability to use the advanced, likely-extraterrestrial computer which lies at the heart of its mechanisms to, with time, essentially reprogram reality. As yet, La Donna has not yet encountered anyone who uses the Technate term for this talent -- technomancy -- and generally performs her experiments in using it with a level of caution that would surprise those who are only familiar with the rather brash manner in which she normally works. As far as is known, she is the _only_ technomancer on Earth at the present time.

While willing to assist during emergencies and thwart criminal activities she encounters, particularly in Rome, where she makes her residence, La Donna is not a crime fighter by inclination. She prefers to think of herself as an artist, a scientist, and an explorer. In the latter role, she has spent a great deal of time in the past decade charting the Saknussen Caverns beneath the Atlantic, visited Dread Island -- both alone and in the company of small expeditions -- and fruitlessly sought permission to visit Atlantis. The latter goal was how she met Nereus, whom she's assisted on several occasions, as well as maintaining a friendship with Danielle Caponegro and a friendly rivalry with le Charme, with whom she has competed in the artistic production of illusions.

Because of her lack of active crime fighting, La Donna is frequently taken for someone much more callous and amoral than she actually is, resulting in attempts by various shady organizations to recruit her as an asset. She usually goes along with these groups in order to discover what's going on, and has sometimes needed to be extricated from them by allies when she gets in too deep. Those who do so will find her grateful if usually annoyed that she needed to be rescued, and earn her friendship if they don't make much of the latter. It has also happened that she has gotten distracted from these investigations by the work she's been hired to do, leading to her success in the latter, as when she was hired by the Thieves' Guild of Seville to help build something that she never fully identified. (She'd like to find out what that was all about, one of these days.)

*Dona Universale -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Artisan's Gauntlet:* Removable (-9 points)
* *Artisan's Arsenal:* Array (24 points)
 *Hand of Art:* Illusion 8 (visual), Independent - 1 point
 *Hand of Might:* Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
 *Hand of Will:* Move Object 12 - 1 point
* *Passive Features:* Mental Communication 1; Enhanced Advantages 2 (Assessment, Technomancer); Protection 5; Quickness 4, Limited to Mental Tasks; Strength-based Damage 6 - 19 points

*Advantages:*
_Assessment,_ Attractive, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-Trades, Languages 4, _Technomancer,_ Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
16 points for equipment as needed (usually a vehicle)
*Atelier:* Size Medium; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Computer, Concealed, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Security System, Workshop - 14 points.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Art 7 (+14), Expertise: Science 7 (+14), Ranged Attack: Gauntlet 8 (+12), Insight 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+13), Perception 10 (+14), Persuasion 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 8 (+15), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Gauntlet Punch +4 (Close Damage 6)
Hand of Might +8 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 12/7/7/2, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 36 + Advantages 22 + Skills 38 = Defenses 18 = 168 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Easily Distracted by Beauty* (human, natural, and architectural.) *Vulnerability* (sensory afflictions).


----------



## Davies

Rakni





Miguel Fuentes was just three years old when both his parents died in the madness that was Cerebron's invasion, so he doesn't really remember their presence in his life. If he were a more cynical person, he might find it ironic that they, employed as luchadors in Texas, died in the land of opportunity, while he, abuelo and abuela all rode out the invasion without harm down in Acapulco. Miguel is not a cynical person, though; he just mourns them, instead.

By the age of fifteen, it was clear to his family that he'd inherited the same powers that his father and grandfather (the other one) had both possessed before him: remarkable strength and agility, and the ability to project a sort of ectoplasmic web from the palm of his hands. (According to abuelo, his grandfather claimed to have gained these powers from being dropped in a pit of spiders by _his_ grandfather when he was about Miguel's age. Miguel isn't sure about that, but doesn't have a better story, either.) The notion of trying to fight crime didn't really appeal to him, and so he decided to follow his father's path and contacted the Ultimate Wrestling Federation.

Despite that, he would up getting drawn into crime fighting anyway. After his successful tryout for the UWF, he was leaving the building when he happened to see a burglar being chased by a security guard. Naturally, he clotheslined the burglar and calmly accepted the thanks for the guard, but didn't hang around to see what happened later. Instead, he went out to have some fun with his friends before heading back home to give the old folks the good news. He'd just gotten back when a group of corrupt cops, who'd been told by the burglar after they arrested him about some hidden money in a certain apartment building -- guess whose? -- roared up into the neighborhood. Miguel managed to prevent them from killing anybody, but abuela ended up badly hurt all the same.

At the hospital, abuelo told Miguel that this sort of thing would happen to him, like it or not. His father hadn't wanted to be a superhero, either, not after what had happened to his father before him. But he'd found himself in these kinds of situations all the same, all his life, and even when he died, he and his wife had been trying to save lives during the invasion. It was crazy, it didn't make any sense at all, but that was just how the world worked, and trying to fight it would only cause you more pain.

So Miguel accepted it, and as he learned the craft of being a sports entertainer in America, he also moonlighted as Rakni, the human spider, and has continued to do so as one of the UWF's most prominent contenders. He's held several titles in his years with the league, and made guest appearances on television, usually as a heavy rather than a hero. If ever defeated in the a title match, he'll be expected to remove his mask -- he has another mask (and costume change) ready to go if that ever happens.

Despite the tragedy of his origins, Miguel is a cheerful and optimistic young man who doesn't believe in wasting time bemoaning what fate gives him. In part, however, this is because he doesn't think he _has_ a lot of time. His grandfather died at thirty-six, his father at thirty-two, and Miguel doubts that he'll live longer than that. So he'll burn brightly while he can.

*Rakni -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 7 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Spider-Movement:* Leaping 2; Movement 3 (Swinging, Wall-crawling 2) - 8 points
*Spider-Senses:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 4 (Danger Sense, Darkvision, Ranged Touch) - 12 points
*Spider-Web: *Array (14 points)

*Web-Snare:* Ranged Affliction 7 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 14 points
*Web-Tether:* Move Object 7 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Close Attack 4, Daze (Deception), Favored Environment (ring), Great Endurance, Language (English, [Spanish is native]), Redirect, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+11), Athletics 4 (+11), Deception 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Attack: Spider-Web 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 2 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 7)
Web-Snare +11 (Ranged Affliction 7, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 11/7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 35 + Advantages 11 + Skills 18 + Defense 6 = 144 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Weakness* (pest control chemicals).


----------



## Davies

Amari





Abidemi Sowande, called Amari ("Strength" in Yoruba) as her _nomme de guerre_, and sometimes called 'Strong Girl' in English, is perhaps the most famous superhero active in West Africa. She unflinchingly uses her strength, speed, and resiliency to fight crime in Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, where she was born. She also frequently travels north into Mali and Mauritania, but is less well-regarded there, as she has the annoying habit of calling attention to the way that the latter country's enduring problem of slavery has not, in fact, ended.

Abidemi's mother was one such slave, kidnapped from her home in Nigeria and kept a prisoner in Mauritania for three years, escaping in 1997, five months before Abidemi was born. She has never spoken of her time there with her daughter, beyond reassuring her that, no, Abidemi's father was not the evil man who mistakenly believed her to be his property, but a different man, a good man. It seems likely that Abidemi's powers are a legacy of her father, but her mother has refused to go into detail about him, beyond saying that her daughter's name tells the whole story. ('Abidemi' means 'child born when the father is not present.')

In fact, her abilities have a different origin. During her escape, Olaiya Sowande temporarily sheltered in an ancient, abandoned building in the southwest of Mauritania. She had no way of knowing that this was the remains of the ancient city of Koumbi Saleh, capital of the Empire of Ghana. For centuries, Kombi Saleh had been the site of an apparent cult of annual human sacrifice which guaranteed rainfall for the nation. In the 11th century, however, a young hero named Amadou Sefedokote saw his fiancé chosen, and decided to end the practice for both personal and idealistic reasons.

Sneaking into the cult's temple, hidden beneath the sacred grove, the would-be rescuer was startled to learn that the women chosen for the sacrifice had not been killed, but rather initiated into the service of the inner workings of the faith, which centered around managing an ancient weather controlling machine. Still unwilling to allow his fiancé to lose her life in the service of a machine, Amadou did great damage to it, and to its followers, and escaped with her. The loss of weather control doomed the Empire of Ghana to slow defeat by the Almoravids. Centuries later, however, some part of the weather controlling machine was still functioning, emitting radiation of a type that transformed Olaiya's child in the womb, so that she would be born with powers and grow into greater might in time. 

None of this is known to Amari, and she has no real interest in discovering the source of her powers, preferring to use them to help people in whatever way that she can. Ironically, though, this urge has driven a wedge between herself and her mother. Scarred by her experiences, Olaiya has come to believe that people can and should only count on themselves, and regards her daughter's activities as both attention-seeking and dangerous to herself and others. This is probably the greatest pain in Amari's life, and the one thing that can dampen her usual good mood.

Despite this, Amari tries to have a good time while also working to make the world a better place, and enjoys partying with her many friends whenever she has a spare moment. She was also thrilled to be given the offer to join the Powerhouse in 2018, but it didn't work out. A strange side effect of her powers is that technology often doesn't work well in her presence -- computers produce errors, motors overheat -- and the same thing happened to the teleporter that they were going to use. Laughing at this misfortune, Amari gave the idea up as a bad one, but promised to help the group out in any way that she can, regardless.

Laugh, and the world may laugh with you.

*Amari -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Super-Endurance:* Immunity 10 (life support), Quirk (limited to 30 minute durations) - 9 points
*Super-Senses:* Senses 6 (Extended Auditory 2, Extended Vision 2, Low-Light Vision, Ultra-Hearing) - 6 points
*Super-Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Close Attack 2); Leaping 10 (1 mile); Movement 3 (Swinging, Wall-crawling 2); Quickness 6; Speed 7 (250 MPH) - 31 points
*Super-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to lifting - 4 points
*Super-Strength Tricks:* Array (8 points), Based on Strength Damage
 *Bullet Toss:* Ranged Damage 4, Quirk (must have small object) - 1 point
 *Shockwave:* Burst Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Prone), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Limited to targets on the ground - 1 point
 *Sleeper Hold:* Progressive Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Grab-based - 1 point
*Super-Toughness:* Protection 4, Impervious 6 - 10 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 2_, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 [many, [Yoruba is native], Power Attack, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 3 (+11), Expertise: Survival 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+7), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 12, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 63 + Advantages 12 + Skills 19 + Defenses 12 = 180 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Secret Identity. Walking Techbane. Works Hard, Plays Hard.*

_Author's Note: The story of Amadou Sefedokote is an actual story about the fall of the Empire of Ghana, given a science fiction twist by me._


----------



## Davies

The Little Tramp





_Homo sapiens sapiens_ is not the only species that has evolved in the strange slurry of exotic energies the suffuses the World Less Magical. Dolphins, whales, octopi, apes, horses, cattle, rats, and, yes, cats and dogs have all occasionally demonstrated powers beyond the norms of their kind, and one of the most common forms that these powers take is intelligence comparable to -- and even sometimes superior to -- that of humanity. As with humanity's superpowers, these super-animals sometimes breed true with members of their parent species ... but not quite as often, since no one has ever taken steps to encourage that tendency.

The German Shepherd now known as the Little Tramp was one such true breed. He had come from a mother who also demonstrated remarkable intelligence, with reports of the same going back several generations. Born in 1954, a human purchased the pup he named Buck and used him as an experimental subject, hoping to harness the intelligence that he suspected existed to produce a dog able to communicate with humans. He failed in his actual goal, but ironically succeeded in raising 'Buck' up above other members of his species, and giving him a greatly extended lifespan. Though approaching his seventieth birthday, the Little Tramp is still in the flush of youth, and might well continue to live for decades to come.

After descending into despair over his failure to grant 'Buck' the ability to speak, the scientist became careless, allowing the dog to escape into the wild. Throughout the first age of superheroes, and after its end, the Little Tramp traveled throughout North America, with a particular fondness for Canada, occasionally coming to the assistance of humans in trouble. He was happy to accept rewards (read food and shelter) for these acts of heroism, but would always find a reason to move on before he got too settled in. It was as though there was a voice that kept on calling him to keep on moving.

In 2001, after helping some humans during the aftermath of Cerebron's invasion, he was finally captured by humans associated with the Canadian government who'd put together the various reports and reached the conclusion that there was a super-dog out there. Fortunately for the Little Tramp, they weren't interested in tearing him apart to learn his secrets, and included among their number someone he'd met in the eighties, a young woman who'd developed into a superpower with the ability to speak to animals. She explained to him what they had in mind.

While he didn't really consider himself a Canadian citizen -- he didn't have the vote, notably -- and preferred to help people on his own terms, he was fond enough of this young lady to agree to what she proposed. And so the Little Tramp joined the Guardians (les Guardiens), Canada's official superhero team, when they made their debut in 2003, alongside his old friend. Most people assumed that he was just a mascot for the group, drawing on ideas from the popular fiction that his activities had inspired, and he was perfectly content to let them do so.

The death of his friend (and other teammates) in 2006 shattered the Little Tramp emotionally; for the first time, he found himself not _wanting_ to live forever. He fled north, living off the land and avoiding people as much as possible, though he found himself still drawn to help others when he encountered them. For an extended period, he lived alongside the Jotun, but the creature's cold nature finally drove him away to seek warmth elsewhere. He didn't _like_ loving humanity as much as he'd once done, but that was still what he'd been born to do.

In 2011, he encountered a group of humans who were dealing with the takeover of a small town in Northern Saskatchewan by a robotic intelligence, and helped them to disable it. Taken back to their base, the Little Tramp was implanted with a radio communicator that allowed him to receive signals from this group's patron. While welcoming the opportunity to communicate directly with someone, the dog wasn't sure about joining up with another group after what had happened. Once he learned the full scope of what the Gray Seal was fighting against, however, he agreed. Again, he loves humanity, and refuses to see their history, the stories of all the humans he's cared about, be reduced to a footnote in the history of the rise of artificial intelligence. 

*The Little Tramp -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Canine Senses:* Senses 6 (acute extended tracking scent, low-light vision, extended hearing, ultrahearing) - 6 points
*Four-Legged Fury:* Speed 4 (32 mph) - 4 points
*"How Did You Do That Without Hands?"*: Feature 1 (Impaired, rather than Disabled, when manipulating objects) - 1 point
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging); Immunity 2 (disease, poison), Limited to Half Effect; Regeneration 5 - 7 points
*Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3, Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle - 16 points
*Teeth:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point 

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, French, others), Precise Attack (close/concealment), Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+8), Expertise: Survival 5 (+7), Insight 2 (+6), Intimidation 7 (+7), Perception 5 (+9), Stealth 3 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Claws +9 (Close Damage 4)
Teeth +9 (Close Damage 5)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/5, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 35 + Advantages 11 + Skills 13 + Defenses 5 = 122 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Animal Limitations* (cannot speak to humans.) *Truthfulness* (Cannot make Deception checks.) *Secret* (age, sapience, membership in the Gray Seal.) *Wanderlust* (maybe tomorrow he'll want to settle down/until tomorrow, the whole world is his home.)


----------



## Davies

Edeth





Despite what she sometimes claims, the woman who just goes by her given name these days has not actually lived more than a thousand years, though she is that far removed from her birth on Cherab. She was born during an age of gods and monsters, much like that which Earth has recently known, but one which ended in war between these miracle-men and -women, and ultimately between them and the mundane examples of their species. The war ended with the most powerful of these 'rising stars' departing from Cherab with the promise that they would one day return, leaving the Chiraben people to pull themselves out of the ashes of the greatest conflict in their history.

Though she lost most of her family to the war, Edeth Caulker found it in her heart to forgive the overfolk for what they'd done. Taking solace in a strong belief that all things occurred according to the Master Plan of the Increate, she became a social worker in her adult years, working patiently and tirelessly to help those who'd lost even more than she had in the war and also in the false peace that followed. She believed, and spoke, of her belief that all these troubles were only temporary, and that humanity would rise above them all, even following the rising stars out among the true stars, and hopefully meeting them in greater wisdom than they'd shown so far.

She was thirty-two when she met the man and woman who'd change her life. He called himself Hayez, and she could tell that he was a soldier of some sort, yet different from any men of that type that she'd met; a flirt, yes, but a man of heart and hope, too. She went by the strange name Deleh, and showed clear marks of having been twisted by the war, but despite that seemed to be a physician and scientist; whatever else she might be, though, she was the person who belonged at Hayez's side, for all of time to come, whether either of them admitted it or not. They took a room in the house that Edeth managed, and helped her out at the soup kitchen she helped to run, while searching (so they claimed) for a lost friend of theirs. Well, this was a land of the lost, after all.

After a week, she began to notice a certain tension in the way that Hayez and Deleh spoke to her, as though they'd learned something horrible about her. She grew frustrated enough to confront them about this, and Hazyez broke down and confessed the truth. They were time travelers, from a distant future where the Chiraben had spread beyond their world as she hoped they might. Star travelers themselves, they had discovered a world with a portal to anywhere and _anywhen_ in the universe, and another member of their crew, a sick man, had fled into the past and changed it. Instead of an Imperium and a Technate in uneasy peace, there now existed a galaxy in an endless war. Hayez and Deleh had passed through the portal to learn what had changed history and set right what had gone wrong.

Naturally, Edeth asked what that change had been. Hayez hesitated, and it was left to Deleh to tell her that the change had been that Edeth had lived instead of dying, in three days time.

Rejecting the notion that Edeth had to die for the future to live, however, Hayez now proposed that they simply remove her from her proper time, in the belief that this would have the same effect as her death. They could return for their crewman later. Dazed by these revelations, Edeth agreed and went with them to the place where they had entered her world, passing between the Pillars of Eternity for the first time. To their horror, however, the Pillars (which could speak, apparently) revealed that this had just made matters worse. The world created by the first change had been one where recognizable people were at war; the galaxy after this change was one where inhuman monsters streamed across space and warred with each other. Panicking, Edeth passed between the Pillars of Eternity for a second time, returning to the day she was supposed to die.

There, she found the missing crewman, and learned that the sickness that Deleh spoke about was an addiction to narcotics. She helped him as best she could, learning from his rants that the world from which he came was no paradise, no utopia, and that he was more typical of the people who lived there than the heroic Hayez and Deleh. This was a man who believed in nothing but himself, and not really even in that, and Edeth recognized in him so many of the sad, broken men who'd filled her own world. She helped him nonetheless. He was as the Increate had made him.

And then, events took the course that they were meant to do. She left to perform an errand, taking comfort in routine. As she made her way back to the house, she saw Deleh and Hayez pursuing their 'sick' comrade down the street, and knew that this was the moment. Yet there she was on the sidewalk, safe and sound. She knew that the sick man, for all his nihilism, would not push her into the traffic. She knew that even if he did, Hayez would rescue her, and that Deleh, despite her coldness, could not bring herself to stop him. She was going to live ... and the future would die.

It was not a utopia, that gave rise to these people. It was just a world, a collection of worlds, that seemed to be worth fighting for. That seemed to be worth ... and with that thought, Edeth Caulker calmly and deliberately stepped off of the sidewalk into the path of an oncoming truck. It struck her, breaking her leg, and she flew forward into the pavement, breaking her neck. After a moment of great pain, she died.

The three TSA officers passed between the Pillars of Eternity, shattered by what they'd seen, and quickly got the hell out of there. For a moment, all was silent on the ancient planet. And then another traveler passed a third time through the Pillars of Eternity. "But," said Edeth, "I _died_."

"Yes," said the Pillars. Apparently, they shielded those who passed between them from not only the potentially lethal paradoxes of time travel, but from all things. Her adventure continued.

A few weeks later, one who wielded a Power Prism came to investigate the outcome of the _TSV Adventure_'s visit to the Pillars of Eternity, and found Edeth there. They took her with them when they returned to Aperion, and in time she joined their company, and in the thirty years since, she has done many great things and much good. Most recently, she volunteered for a mission that has brought her to Earth, a world so much like the one that she left so long ago that it takes her breath away. What she will do, now that she is in Argus' care, remains to be seen. There is a fugitive wielding a Power Prism here, who needs to be dealt with, and there is much other work to be done. But Edeth has never backed down from a challenge yet.

*Edeth - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 11/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
"A Trick or Two":* Feature 1 (can hide Power Prism within her body, but cannot use it in in this state.) - 1 point
*Power Prism:* Removable (-22 points)

*Force Field:* Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 12; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support) - 34 points
*Offensive Applications:* Array (27 points)
*Basic Blast:* Ranged Damage 13, Accurate - 27 points
*Exo-Armor:* Enhanced Advantage 3 (Close Attack 3); Enhanced Strength 10; Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to Lifting - 1 point
*Explosive Blast:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 9 - 1 point
*Hallucinator:* Illusion 9 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resistable by Will - 1 point
*Mind Probe:* Cumulative Mind Reading 9 - 1 point
*Stun Blast:* Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate - 1 point[
*Tractor-Presser Beam:* Move Object 13, Precise - 1 point

*Phased Flight:* Flight 11 (4000 MPH), Aquatic; Insubstantial 3; Movement 3 (environmental adaptation [zero-g], space flight 2) - 44 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend 2 (understand and speak all languages) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Ultimate Effort (Persuasion).

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+8), Insight 5 (+12), Perception 4 (+11), Persuasion 5 (+10), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7/+4 (Close Damage 11/1)
Basic Blast +5 (Ranged Damage 13)
Stun Blast +5 (Ranged Will 13)
Explosive Blast -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 14/2, Will 14

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 95 + Advantages 6 + Skills 16 + Defenses 11 = 186 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Old-Fashioned Language. Power Loss* (prism energy depletes.) *Secrets* (many.)


----------



## Virgo

Davies, It just amazes me how deft you are at creating these characters and how detailed their backstories are. You are definitely to be commended for your ability. A million thanks for sharing your creations here - you are truly an inspiration and it is very much appreciated.

A while back my gaming group and I tried generating characters using the DC Adventures books. After about 2 hours of trying to decipher the generation process we finally gave up. A real pity as I would have loved to see my canon hero "Virgo" (seen below with Classic Suit Superman) be a part of a campaign set in the DC Universe.

I think part of the reason we had difficulties was that players really need to have a very precise idea of their character's strengths and weaknesses rather than a basic framework. It also would have helped if we had a copy of the 3E M&M Deluxe Hero's Handbook -- at the time we only had the 4-volume DC Adventures set to work with.

I'm hoping that one day we'll revisit DCA and give it another shot.





(Artwork: "Earth and Steel" by Caio Cacau)


----------



## Davies

Trismegistus said:


> Davies, It just amazes me how deft you are at creating these characters and how detailed their backstories are. You are definitely to be commended for your ability. A million thanks for sharing your creations here - you are truly an inspiration and it is very much appreciated.




Thank you!


----------



## Davies

Cait Reed





Caitlyn Reed (born Rhonda Craig in 1993) went to work for Argus immediately after her high school graduation, in hopes that working for the company would get her out of the United Kingdom. For a few years, it worked, and she lived in countries all over the world, maintaining a cover as a journalist in imitation of the recent success of Gail Astro, which had inspired many imitators within Argus. She was less than thrilled when, in 2014, this job took her back to the United Kingdom on an assignment to become the handler for the recently emerged superhero Prydwen.

Just as annoying to her as going back to the country she'd always viewed as a prison was what she was forced to do in order to support her cover -- namely going to work for the tabloid press. Every day, she had to deny and betray everything she valued in order to present the appearance of a heartless, spiteful reporter who only cared about presenting slanted stories to serve the agenda of the paper's owners, who were blatantly in collusion with the worst elements of the nation's leadership. She even had to keep up the act while dealing with Prydwen, whom she admired, by accusing her of already having done things that she wanted the Knight of the Shield to do, knowing that the hero would investigate these situations and act appropriately.

It got the job done, on more than one occasion, but it was exhausting. She was almost relieved when she started to detect signs that Prydwen might be on to her deceit, as it would mean that Cait would have to be pulled off of this assignment and given another one. Annoyingly, when she reported this back to her superiors, they decided to play it a little more risky than they usually have, and kept her on the assignment. Frustrated by this, Cait ended up taking more risks on her assignment than she ordinarily would have, and ended up having herself flagged as a potential Argus asset by a certain branch of the Secret Service.

Thus, about a year later, Cait Reed died ... and unfortunately, death was not the end. She's still not sure why Dracula himself chose her, out of all the prospective Argus agents he could have picked, as the first of a trio of women to replace the 'brides' that he'd lost in his conflict with Argus in New York, but chosen she was, and turned into one of the Undead. She has, very much against her will, given him everything she knows about Argus and its operations, and then been commanded to remain as a hidden double agent within the organization's structure until her Master commands her to take further action.

Cait's existence is a miserable one. She is fully able to go about in the sun, though she usually 'sleeps' during the day instead. Initially, she resisted her impulse to drink blood when not directly ordered to do so by her Master. That lasted until the first time that she suffered a blackout from her bloodthirst and awakened to find that she'd killed a co-worker at the paper. Whatever attempts she might have made to maintain a human morality died then, and she has since committed many murders in the name of feeding her hunger.

So far, she has managed to avoid killing any innocents -- however, she restricts that definition to 'children'. She has no hope that this will last, beyond a hope that someone will realize what she's doing and put an end to her. Even that dies when her Master's voice invades her thoughts and gives her orders she dare not disobey. She envies the other two "brides", who are simply used to seduce and assassinate targets for their master, rather than actually betraying everything they once believed. If she'd known that it was going to turn out like this, she never would have bothered to develop any ideals in the first place ...

As yet, Argus agents in the United Kingdom, while aware that they are being hunted by vampires, have no idea that one of them has been claimed, rather than killed. Neither does Prydwen yet realize why someone she was starting to view as an ally has been dodging her recently.

*Cait Reed -- PL 8

Abilities
STR* 6 | *STA* - | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Blood Drain:* Linked Damage 1 and Weaken Stamina 9 (Resisted by Fortitude), Grab-Based, Limited to Draining 1 rank per round, Quirk (only against targets who could be affected by the Damage effect, whether or not they are) - 3 points
*Blood Link:* Mental Communication 3, Limited to anyone who drinks her blood; Mind-Reading 6, Sensory Link, Limited to anyone who drinks her blood - 21 points
*Ghostly:* Permanent Concealment 8 (audio, radio, visual), Limited to machines, Quirk (no reflection in mirrors) - 7 points
*Spider-Climb:* Movement 1 (wall-crawling) - 2 points
*Undead Invulnerability:* Immortality 6, Limited (not when staked or beheaded); Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects); Impervious Protection 7, Limited, Not against mystical damage; Regeneration 10, Source (coffin lined with soil from Hertfordshire.) - 48 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Connected, Contacts, Equipment 1, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Hold, Language 3 (several), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Startle

_Equipment:_
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Current Events 5 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 7 (+10), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+11), Stealth 7 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 6)
Blood Drain +6 (Close Damage 1 and Close Weaken Stamina 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 7, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 81 + Advantages 14 + Skills 30 + Defense 10 = 171 points

*Complications:
Unwilling Loyalty--Motivation. Compulsion* (Must be invited into any dwelling the Master does not own). *Power Loss* (All powers except Undead Invulnerability cannot be used in daylight hours.) *Secret* (vampiric double agent.) *Weakness* (Can be held back by a holy symbol in the hands of a believer or by garlic).


----------



## humble minion

Great thread @Davies - M&M is a really nice ruleset (with a couple of annoying issues...) that just doesn't get the attention or love it deserves.  Great to read all your character writeups - I love reading about peoples' superhero settings.  I've got a folder full of these myself.


----------



## Davies

Sean Driscoll






Actually getting into position to be a handler to an asset is seldom an easy task. The difficulty increases dramatically when the asset is a former agent who knows all the tricks that one might use. Fortunately, Argus will supply the prospective handler with information about almost every method that has or has not worked in the past, so that they can develop an appropriate plan.

So it was that when, in the summer of 2014, Detective Sergeant Sean Driscoll of the CID was ordered by his _other_ employer to become the handler for the recently-emerged Robin Hood, he let out a low groan. He was supposed to get through the no-doubt completely paranoid defenses set up by an ex-Argus agent who was now an illegal vigilante? How was he supposed to accomplish this? Driscoll was, he flattered himself, a fairly good detective, and doing well in his ongoing infiltration of Scotland Yard, but he had no illusions that someone who'd been inserted into the bloody Powerhouse as Argus' inside man wouldn't see right through him.

Driscoll finally decided to use the Hayes method -- honesty and forthrightness -- and contacted Robin Hood through an online classified advertisement that set up a meet. Well, _sort_ of a meet -- Mason never actually said anything, and Driscoll wouldn't have put it past the man to get someone dressed up in his costume and use them as a decoy, but on the other hand he stabbed an arrow through a business card that had an e-mail address on it and tossed it at Driscoll. Driscoll used the addy to pass on the information that Argus wanted to have passed on, to good effect in the next few months.

Up until fairly recently, Sean Driscoll believed that he could do both of his jobs -- as a CID Sergeant and an Argus agent -- without contradiction. Yes, he had to overlook a fair amount of corruption and brutality in the CID, but dealing with such things was not, strictly speaking, his job, and he did what he could to ameliorate the situation when possible. The revelations from the top of Argus, since 2019, about what is actually going on in the UK have genuinely horrified him, and he now lives in a state of quiet desperation that is much worse than the English way. He honestly wishes he'd never left Belfast ... 

*Sean Driscoll -- PL 4

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Benefit (Police Detective), Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2.

_Equipment:_
Light pistol (Ranged Damage 3), handcuffs.

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Current Events 5 (+7), Expertise: Police Detective 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 7 (+9), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Guns 3 (+4), Vehicles 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +4 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 0 + Advantages 6 + Skills 29 + Defenses 7 = 74 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Appropriate Paranoia. Secret* (Argus agent).


----------



## Davies

Geena Grundy





After Marc Bolton became Cadmus -- or, from the public's perspective, after he founded Cadmus Enterprises, which employs an anonymous individual to test pilot the latest version of the Spartoi power armor under the alias 'Cadmus' -- his company underwent quite a few personnel changes in a short period of time. Generally, the majority of people don't care to be employed by a corporation that's very likely to come under supervillain attack unless they are absurdly well-paid, somewhat psychotic, or brainwashed -- or any combination of the above. Neither the first nor the last applied to the employees of Cadmus Enterprises, and Bolton really did try to avoid employing the other category of prospective employees.

In particular, he found it difficult to find a personal assistant, going through seven in the first year of Cadmus' operations alone. And then, as Bolton was getting set to interview replacements for his current PA, he witnessed something interesting. An employee of the Muscle Factory, a criminal organization he'd spent a fair amount of time trying to break down as Cadmus, broke into his company's reception area and threatened his current receptionist. Bolton began to put on his armor, but he watched as the majority of the people expecting to be interviewed either cowered or fled, but one of them waited patiently until the muscleman was looking elsewhere then smoothly drew a Meta-Taser and shot him at point blank range, leaving him twitching on the floor. Bolton promptly headed down to meet his new personal assistant for the first time.

Despite what you're thinking, it wasn't a set-up; while Geena Grundy _had_ been sent there by Argus to infiltrate Cadmus' life, her employers had not had any idea that the Muscle Factory was about to do something so blatant, and counted on Geena's well-designed CV to get her the job, rather than the cool head and excellent aim that she'd also developed in training. She nevertheless accepted the job, quickly confirming Argus' suspicions that Bolton and Cadmus were one and the same, and then feigning to 'accidentally' discover the truth in Bolton's presence. Bolton chose to take Geena into his confidence rather than risk firing her and trusting to her non-disclosure contract, and so they've continued to work together well.

Bolton believes that Geena is a genuine friend to him, who regards his activities as Cadmus as a necessary evil and hopes that he can one day pass the job on to someone else. He'd be startled and hurt to learn that, while she certainly doesn't wish him any harm, she considers their relationship entirely professional, and views him as completely expendable in the pursuit of Argus' goals -- and her own personal agenda. Geena fully intends to have a Director's chair at Argus before she turns forty, which is six years. She might cut corners or doctor her after-action reports to do this, but blatant illegality, or betraying Argus to its enemies, is not something she'd even momentarily consider. 

If Bolton were to pass on the identity of Cadmus to another party, she'd cultivate his replacement as an asset and get as close to them as possible, too, as long as it didn't involve romance. She doesn't believe in mixing business with pleasure, and has heard too many horror stories about agents who got too close to their assets to ever consider doing that. As long as that replacement continued working for Cadmus Enterprises, she'd do the same, and even continue to socialize with Mark. If not ... then not.

*Geena Grundy -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improved Critical 2 (Meta-Taser), Language (Spanish), Precise Shot (ranged/cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2.

_Equipment:_
Meta-taser pistol (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), smartphone, 18 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Business 7 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 3 (+5), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+8), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +6 (Damage 0)
Meta-Taser Pistol +5 (Ranged Fortitude 5, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 3.

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 0 + Advantages 15 + Skills 28 + Defenses 9 = 82 points

*Complications:
Ambition--Motivation. Professionalism. Secret* (Argus agent.)


----------



## Davies

"Ken" Kang-su Jyeong





Born in North Korea, Kang-su Jyeong was the son of a minor party functionary who narrowly avoided the decapitating attack that annihilated virtually every other member of the government of the Democratic People's Republic prior to the Pythonian invasion. While he and his wife were unharmed, four-year-old Kang-su suffered a serious head injury in the attack. In order to save him, his father contacted the American CIA and turned over information about what remained of the nation's security to them in exchange for new lives in America. It seems likely that some of this information helped ensure that the second invasion, by the South Koreans, was a success.

The operation that saved Kang-su's life was also a success, and he grew up as a typical teenager in a California household that spoke both Korean and English. Feeling that he owed a great debt to the country that had saved both him and his family, and despising what had become of the land of his birth, "Ken" Jyeong sought and found employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, hoping to be assigned to the department which handled spies from the Empire. That never quite materialized, and instead he found himself working on several cases with the telepathic agent Helice.

Ken was honestly a bit skeptical about Helice's abilities -- the idea that someone could read thoughts didn't seem at all consistent with what he'd learned in university about current theories of how the mind worked, and he decided that Helice was just using superpowered versions of cold reading and similar mentalist's tricks. The fact that she never managed to accurately read his own thoughts cemented this opinion. As it happened, she really could not read his thoughts; the damage from his long-ago injuries had made his thoughts indecipherable to telepathy. While he could be telepathically influenced in other ways, this often produced unusual results. It all made him a rather effective partner for her, though she doubted that he would have believed any of this if he was told about it.

After Helice left the Bureau to work for Heroic Enterprises, Ken's own career began to stagnate. He became the victim of a round of layoffs in 2015, and started looking for other work. Argus, having learned of his neurological peculiarity, contacted him and offered him a job, arranging for him to have a cover job in the Indiana State Police's Criminal Investigation Division -- not all that coincidentally, an organization that frequently had contact with Helice. They were soon reunited, and Ken was in a good position to become Helice's handler.

While she can't read his mind, Helice is herself a good enough detective that she's long since figured out that Ken is working for Argus as well as his official post. Since she knows him to be a fundamentally honest person, she has chosen not to expose him, and takes advantage of the leads he provides, verifying them personally beforehand but recognizing them as useful. As such, they have a very good working relationship, and so she'll go to some lengths to ensure that it can continue, rather than doing things that would lead to her being assigned someone different, whom she might not be able to trust completely.

*"Ken" Kang-su Jyeong - PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Neurological Quirk: *Immunity 5 (mind reading); Perception Range Nullify Telepathy 5, Randomize, Reaction (when targeted)  - 30 points

*Advantages:* 
Benefit (state police officer), Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Language (Korean, English [bilingual]), Second Chance (mind control).

_Equipment:_ 
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), smartphone, handcuffs. 

*Skills:* 
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 2 (+4), Expertise: Civics 2 (+4), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+4), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 3 (+5), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+5), Technology 2 (+4), Vehicles 4 (+5). 

*Offense:* 
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close, Damage 1)
Pistol +5 (Ranged, Damage 3) 

*Defense:* 
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 7. 

*Totals:* 
Abilities 30 + Powers 30 + Advantages 6 + Skills 22 + Defenses 12 = Total 101 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Delusion* ('telepathy is just trickery'.) *Hatred* (Empire of Korea.) *Secret* (Argus agent.)


----------



## Davies

Simon Garnoff





Simon Ilyanovich Garnoff led a surprisingly comfortable life in post-Soviet Russia. His father adapted to the changes well, and ruthlessly built a small fortune while constantly looking for opportunities to make it a large fortune. When Simon was identified as a potential hyperbrain, Ilya Garnoff's signature was on the papers authorizing the think tank to take charge of him almost before the psychologist finished talking. Unfortunately, Simon proved to be only a mundanely talented and clever young man, washing out of the think tank's program when he was fifteen. His father was annoyed at the loss of the subsidy he was getting, but just added it to the long list of ways that his son was a disappointment. For his own part, Simon was only slightly upset that he'd probably never again see the one friend he'd made at the think tank, a boy named Kuznetsov. Life went on.

Usually, it takes more than a single generation to erase all the gains that a previous generation has made. In the case of the Garnoff 'dynasty', the process was slightly quicker. After his father's death during Cerebron's attack, Simon quickly realized that he was not nearly as callous as his father had been, nor as capable of bending people to his designs. Therefore, he deliberately let most of his family's businesses slip out of his hands, managing things just well enough to maintain a comfortable but not really luxurious life for himself, notably holding on to some real estate holdings that gave him a reasonably secure income. His mother was as happy with her second marriage as she could be, his younger sister ... well, she'd never had much use for him and so her change of circumstances didn't bother him. Much.

And then, in 2007, while visiting one of his properties to check on some noise reports, he was startled to find an injured man in a white costume collapsed on the floor of the building's show room. Parovoy, the vigilante, had been using it as a safe house and passed out there after a difficult fight with some bratva goons. Simon didn't even think about calling the police, of course, but he wasn't sure exactly sure about the better course of action. He settled for treating the man's wounds, which led to his discovery of Parovoy's secret identity as his old friend.

Pavel Kuznetsov was no less surprised to be reunited with him. He reluctantly discussed his situation with Simon, in the process convincing the latter that (a) Pavel was clearly insane and (b) Pavel needed help -- not just psychiatric help, but actual material assistance. He found himself providing that help, initially just sheltering Parovoy, then providing limited investigative backup, and ultimately joining the vigilante, some agents and the superhuman crew in preventing some people from taking over Russia two years later. In the process, Simon became known to Argus, who offered _him_ help in learning how to protect himself a bit better if he was going to do this sort of thing.

Of course, there was a price tag, and so Simon has found himself acting as Pavel's handler for the organization. He's not all that happy about the situation, but having some sort of safety net if everything goes completely south -- which he's sure that it will -- is probably a good idea. It's not easy being Pavel's friend, after all! He gives Argus the bare minimum of information about Parovoy's activities, generally only what they could find out from other sources, and tries to steer him away from his association with Ugolev, whom Simon neither likes nor trusts. Not all that successfully, unfortunately, but at least Pavel has the sense to steer clear of the evil old man's daughter ...

*Simon Garnoff -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improvised Tools, Language (English, [Russian is native]), Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Meta-taser pistol (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), car, smartphone, 8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Business 4 (+9), Expertise: Science 5 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+9), Insight 5 (+7), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+11), Treatment 2 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Meta-Taser +3 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 2/0, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Advantages 13 + Skills 18 + Defenses 9 = 72 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friend* (Parovoy.) *Secret* (Argus agent.)


----------



## Davies

Remontnik




_Present day_




_First age_

Private Petr Ugolev was a relative latecomer to the SNM, transferred to it in 1964 after his superiors in the rifle brigade to which he'd originally been assigned discovered that he'd rebuilt his assault rifle into an energy projecting weapon as something of a lark. Nothing in Ugolev's background suggested he possessed such talents; he'd been an average student at best in his youth in Stalingrad. It soon became clear that he was what the Americans dubbed a Hyperbrain, and of a type which had been fairly common in the late 19th century -- the self-taught genius. Unfortunately, this made it difficult for other scientists to analyze or reproduce his discoveries, since the language he used to describe them was _also_ entirely of his own creation.

Thus, rather than using his talents in a laboratory setting, Ugolev was given the code name 'Repairman' and assigned to the Assembly. He took this with studied insouciance. Sychkin was not any worse than the officers that he'd had up to this point, and honestly a bit better, if one stayed out of the way of the little dominance games that he and Rafikov were playing, and also had the sense not to fall for the different sort of games that Pulya played. The latter, at least, was easy -- there were plenty of other women made available to the Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Of course, Ugolev was well aware that the comforts he now enjoyed could easily be taken away if he disappointed his superiors. His win-loss record in conflicts with the Iconoclast generally favored the American, but he was able to make up for his defeats in other areas, against lesser-known heroes. Truthfully, he didn't really enjoy _these_ games either, and would have preferred to use his talents to direct civil engineering projects. But, at least back then, it seemed better to act the part of the loyal soldier.

Things started to change after the nightmare in Vietnam. He'd been fortunate enough to be reserved for the planning department of the operation, and so was unaffected by the events, where even the other two survivors were traumatized by what happened. That left him more or less in charge of the Assembly's operations, and he found that he enjoyed that role. Of course, he had less to work with than Sychkin had. There had always been a few hangers-on in the group, people who variously had only very minor powers, had physical mutations that just set them apart, or didn't have any of that and yet pretended to have abilities, with the ministry encouraging such delusions or schemes in hopes that they might fool the Americans, too. Now these also-rans more than outnumbered the serious members of the group.

When Ugolev's position as the Assembly's commander was formalized after the other two died in 1982, he finally took steps to deal with this situation. The cranks were excised, while the feebly-powered and twisted were given the opportunity to get training that would make them them capable combatants, infiltrators and assassins. In many cases, he also arranged for them to receive cybernetics that could enhance their talents to make them better agents. With these agents, the Assembly became the Soviet Union's effective response to the Pythonian Insurgency, and is acknowledged to have done rather well in the role.

All good things must come to an end, however, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union also meant an end to the Assembly. Ugolev was given the opportunity to take up a new role with the Federal Security Service, which he graciously declined, preferring to cultivate his rose garden. By that point, he knew where enough of the bodies were buried that they couldn't really hold him, and so he became an ordinary citizen of the Republic. That lasted all of two weeks before he started marketing cancer-free cigarettes to the public, swiftly making him into a multi-millionaire.

In the years since then, Petr Ugolev has continued to quietly monitor Russia's superpower situation, arranging things to benefit himself with occasional thoughts of how they might help the general public. He has assisted both Parovoy and Baba Yaga at various times, and is one of the very few people who has figured out the true origin of the latter. However, he also provides superscience inventions to the Russian mob, mostly to give his designs necessary field-testing without much concern for how that testing impacts the public. His primary goal, as ever, is his own comfort and security ... and a little bit of fun.

The one person for whom he cares even the slightest is his daughter, born in 1990. However, his affection for her does not translate to respect for her, and so she has abandoned the family name to engage in anarchistic mad science all over the world, under the alias 'Zloba' ("Curse" ... or "Jinx".) He reads the accounts of her activities with annoyance, but also just a little pride, too, in the way that she keeps the Americans on their toes in the same way he did. If she was ever in serious trouble, he'd try to help her, though she wouldn't welcome his aid. Nobody ever appreciates the repairman until they really need him, after all.

*Remontnik -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Blaster Rifle:* Array (16 points); Removable (-6 points)

*Agonizer Setting: *Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 16 points
*Standard Setting:* Ranged Damage 8 - 1 point
*Stun Setting:* Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Concealed Force Field Device:* Sustained Impervious Protection 6, Subtle; Removable (-3 points) - 10 points
*Escape Switch:* Extended Only Teleport 6, Limited to headquarters; Removable (-1 point) - 5 points
*Psychic Shielding:* Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 5 (Billionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment X, Inventor, Language (English, [Russian is native]), Ranged Attack 5, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 12 (+14), Expertise: Business 7 (+15), Expertise: Science 4 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+15), Intimidation 12 (+14), Persuasion 11 (+13), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11), Stealth 12 (+12), Technology 8 (+16), Vehicles 9 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)
Standard Setting +8 (Ranged Damage 8)
Agonizer Setting +8 (Ranged Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Foritude 3, Toughness 11/6/5/0, Will 13.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 32 + Advantages 15 + Skills 45 + Defenses 23 = 153 points

*Complications:
Amusement--Motivation. Chauvinist* (national and sex.) *Elderly. Family* (daughter.)

In the first age, he had STR 1, STA 2, AGL 3, FGT 4, no Escape Switch or Psychic Shielding, only had 1 rank of Defensive Roll, Inventor and Ranged Attack as Advantages, no Expertise: Business, 3 ranks less of Technology, 4 ranks less of each of his other skills, Dodge 8, Parry 8 and Will 9.


----------



## Davies

The Untouchable





Even before Gregor Sychkin (b. 1933) became the Soviet Union's first known super-powered operative, he was a remarkable individual in many ways. Towering two meters and thirteen centimeters (less than an inch under seven feet, to reactionaries who cling to an Imperial system) in height with physical power to match, he was also a brilliant mind with a decided knack for negotiating the frequently dirty politics of working within the Committee of State Security -- better known to the West as the KGB. And then, late in 1956, he demonstrated superpowers.

The exact origin of the Untouchable's famous ability to make himself into a ghost-like figure has never been fully explained. For obvious reasons, the Soviets treated the origins of their superpower assets as state secrets, kept within the KGB's archives. Yet when those were finally opened to the public, explaining the origins of the rest of the SNM, nothing was revealed about what had sparked Sychkin's powers. It seemed fairly likely that the man himself had taken steps to ensure that no information about the source of his powers was available to be used against him. The most likely scenario is that he had been caught up in an experiment, like most of his colleagues. But it might be that his origins had something to do with the ancient families who had managed to survive the Revolution, and that his obfuscations were intended to conceal information about them, rather than himself.

Regardless, Sychkin was given the codename of Neprikasayemyy, or The Untouchable when his full powers were quantified by the KGB's resident scientists. Not only was he able to become an intangible, phantasmal being, he was also able to disrupt both electronics and the synapses of the human brain by bringing his supposedly ghostly hands into contact with them. On top of that, he soon learned how to transform others into intangible creatures, leaving them helpless to interact with the material world or even to ask for help. While the majority of those transformed in this manner eventually regained their substance, there are unconfirmed reports some never did so, eventually starving to death in their ghostly state.

Sychkin, a fervent Communist, was perfectly willing to use these powers against the enemies of his nation, and wound up being the cause of the very first 'team-up' between two American superheroes, when he provided additional muscle to a KGB sponsored smuggling ring, confronting the Cowl and the Futurian in the process. Despite the awkward teamwork between the two Americans, they were able to disassemble the operation and even capture the Untouchable. This early in the first age, however, the authorities were still learning how difficult it could be to contain a superpower, and he was able to escape with ease, returning home with useful intelligence to soften the sting of the operation's defeat. That would be the pattern of most of his activities in the years to follow.

When the SNM took form, Sychkin was the natural choice to lead, due to his experience, his raw power, and (especially) his clout. The Arachnid proved to be willing to follow his lead, but the arrogant Chelovek-Meteor clearly believed himself to be the superior choice, even after the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the American who took his name from him like some sort of trophy. This was the milieu that Pulya and later Remontnik, and all the second- and third-raters of the Assembly, found themselves dropped into the middle of. Pulya, at least, made her willingness to work under the Untouchable very clear. Their relationship was not without its bumps, to put it nicely, but he was starting to develop a genuine fondness for her shortly before he was ... involved ... in her death, during the Battle of Vietnam, under circumstances that led to him being  rescued by the damned Komet.

In the aftermath, the Untouchable became increasingly convinced that he and his people had been subjected to an elaborate hoax in Vietnam, and that the Americans had deliberately destroyed their own, public super-agents while keeping a much more powerful group hidden from view. In the era of detente, his warnings were largely ignored. Had he not been assassinated in his sleep in 1982, during the rise of the Pythonian Insurgency, there's no telling how he would have responded to the challenge they posed, but he would likely have regarded them as a false flag operation by the Americans.

*Untouchable (Neprikasayemyy) -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Density Decrease:* Linked Concealment 4 (hearing, radio); Flight 4 (32 MPH); Linked Insubstantial 4 (vulnerable to mystical); Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support) - 46 points
*Disruption Attacks:* Array (24 points)

*Disrupt Electronics:* Nullify Electronics 12, Affects Corporeal, Close, Simultaneous - 24 points
*Disrupt Synapses:* Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Affects Corporeal - 1 point
*Drag into Oblivion:* Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Transformed [to intangible]), Affects Corporeal, Affects Objects - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Fast Grab, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Power Attack, Redirect, Set-up, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 3 (+7), Expertise: Civcs 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+9), Investigation 4 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+7), Stealth 7 (+7), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 4)
Disrupt Synapses +8 (Close Fortitude 12)
Drag into Oblivion +8 (Close Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 72 + Advantages 14 + Skills 30 + Defenses 13 = 177 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Properly Paranoid* (before 1971.) *More Paranoid Than Proper* (after 1971.) *Relationshp* (Pulya.) *Rivalry* (Krasnya-Kometa.)


----------



## Davies

Krasnya-Kometa*





There are not as many unanswered questions about the origins of Saveliy Rafikov's powers as there are those of some of the other members of the Assembly, but some have persisted long after the opening of the KGB's archives. While it's known that he was empowered by surviving the explosion of an experimental fighter jet while it was in air, the jet's specifications remain uncensored. It has long been assumed that the jet's engine was some new product of the Soviet equivalent of the Skunk Works, likely a micro-scale nuclear power plant, but there is some evidence that such devices were outside the reach of Soviet science in the late 1950s. A different theory has it that the jet was a perfectly normal if advanced aircraft, and that it encountered some as-yet unidentified phenomenon in the atmosphere which destroyed it and transformed Rafikov.

Regardless, when he was recovered from the crash site, unharmed, it was clear that he'd become something more than human. Months of testing then ensued, revealing that he had developed enormous, physics-defying strength, flesh and bone that were incredibly resistant to injury, eyesight that could accurately perceive objects at a distance of miles, and the ability to fly (and survive flying) at supersonic speeds. Intended as a much more _visible_ example of the New Soviet Man, he was given months of training in the use of these powers ... months that resulted in his debut, as Chelovek-meteor, "Meteor Man", roughly a week after an American superpower known as the Meteor made _his_ debut.

Being a test pilot is not a job conducive to humility. Much as with surgeons, the absolute self-confidence that it takes to strap oneself into an untested machine designed to push the limits of mechanical ingenuity tends to color one's attitudes when dealing with matters outside of that role, as well. So Chelovek-meteor, on joining the SNM, already had something of an attitude problem, and being forced to take orders from a KGB operative like the Untouchable didn't help matters. Rafikov made no secret of his belief that he should be the head of the Assembly instead, and the two of them clashed repeatedly, though there's no evidence that they ever came to blows -- of course, given that Sychkin could easily have avoided any of Rafikov's blows, that's not saying much.

In any event, matters began to change for him in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Observing the blockade from a position in the stratosphere, Chelovek-meteor found himself annoyed and disgusted by the proceedings, and decided to intervene. Before he could descend to do so, however, the Meteor, piloting his spaceship, intercepted him, and captured him in its tractor beam after a brief chase. Expecting to be blasted by the ship's cannons, Rafikov was surprised that the Meteor left the safety of his ship to approach him, supply him with an earpiece that facilitated communication, and address him in Russian.

It was a somewhat hostile conversation, at first, but the Meteor's refusal to get angry eventually forced Rafikov to calm down as well, and admit that he was exceeding the orders that he'd been given in a way that would probably not make his superiors happy, even under the best of circumstances. On learning of Chelovek-meteor's grudge against him over their common name, the Meteor offered to change his, since he wasn't attached to it. That startled Rafikov, as did the Meteor's off-hand mention that he certainly didn't consider himself to be the example of American ingenuity that the press made him out to be. In the end, they parted with mutual respect.

But also with something else, something that Rafikov didn't mention to his superiors. That technology of his, that hint -- the only reasonable conclusion that made any sense was that the Meteor was actually from another world, an advanced, _Communist_ world. And if such a utopia was possible elsewhere, it could happen here as well, as long as the defenders of Marxist-Leninism remained steadfast and cautious, rather than foolishly arrogant. Equipped with this new confidence, Rafikov persuaded the Ministry to change his alias, and so became Krasnya-kometa -- the Red Comet.

He didn't stop squabbling with the Untouchable, of course, since he still believed that he would be a much better leader. And once Pulya joined the group, he had another reason to compete, even though that never went anywhere. But more and more, he focused on just doing his job as best he could, protecting the people of the Union from threats mundane and paranormal, letting his actions speak for him. Ultimately, that led to him saving Sychkin's life during the Battle of Vietnam, flying them both away from Stardust at top speed while the Arachnid bought them both the seconds they needed to get clear with his own life.

The other man never stopped resenting him for that, but Rafikov didn't care. He'd come to a diametrically opposed conclusion about what happened that day. The eventual disappearance of the Meteor confirmed it in his mind; that war had been the tiniest, smallest battle of a war between aggressive capitalism and developing communism that continued, even out among the stars. They'd won, but the universe was filled with threats on Stardust's level. In the face of that, humanity must unite. He would spend the rest of his life pushing for such unity, for peaceful reconciliation with the West and the Chinese.

In 1982, at the start of the Pythonian Insurgency, Krasnya-kometa happened to be in Moscow. While unable to prevent the assassination of the Premier, he was on-sight when a high-yield fuel air explosive was discovered not far from the Kremlin, and flew it into the upper atmosphere. It exploded before he could fling it into orbit, apparently atomizing him. No remains were ever discovered, of course, and there has been speculation that he managed to survive even this, and went into hiding. If so, he has never emerged from it in the past forty years, and it is most likely that he died that day, within an hour of his most bitter rival.

*Krasnya-kometa -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Astronomical Vision:* Senses 4 (hyper-extended vision 2) - 4 points
*Invulnerability:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 10 - 20 points
*Meteoric Flight:* Flight 11 (4000 MPH) - 22 points
*Mighty Power:* Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 5 (+8), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Technology 5 (+8), Vehicles 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 12, Toughness 10, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 49 + Advantages 8 + Skills 23 + Defenses 12 = 170 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Arrogance* (until 1962.) *Rivalry* (Neprikasayemyy.) *Tempered Caution* (after 1962.)

* He was complicated, okay?


----------



## Davies

The Arachnid





Of the core members of the SNM, the records pertaining to the origins of Ivan Lyutov, the Arachnid (Paukoobraznyy) were the least redacted among those contained in the KGB archives. It's likely that this results from the fact that his origins did not involve technology developed within the Soviet Union, but by a hostile entity. In early March, 1962, Lyutov was one of a team of _Spetsnaz_ commandos sent to investigate and infiltrate an installation on an island north of Finland, operated by Hannes Zaharoff's organization. The installation turned out to be a biological science laboratory creating bizarre mutated and modified animals, most notably flying piranhas, and was destroyed in the action that followed. 

During the operation, Lyutov was bitten by what seemed to be a bizarre hybrid of a spider and a scorpion, but seemed to recover quickly. During his debriefing, however, he was informed that his medical examination had indicated that he'd been mutated by the bite. Further tests revealed that he'd developed a superhuman physique and reflexes, the bewildering ability to adhere to walls, and a semi-precognitive danger-sense. The identity of the Arachnid was quickly developed for him, and he joined the other members of the Assembly when it made its debut on May Day of that year.

Privately, Lyutov had his doubts about this entire idea. It was far more showy and public than something that a commando, trained for stealth and discretion, should be doing. Still, he was also trained to obey orders and adapt to unfavorable conditions, so he did what he was told and stayed out of the way of the other two and their egos. As other members joined, he passed on advice to do the same to them, rarely giving them any help outside of missions beyond that. He looked out for himself, and they could do the same.

That callous behavior actually concealed a greater concern for him. Lyutov gradually became aware that he was having difficulty controlling his crueler impulses, often engaging in behavior that could only be called sadistic, particularly towards his romantic partners. He is known to have injured many and possibly murdered one of the second-stringer members of the Assembly. He believed this to be a side-affect of the mutations, but there's no real evidence to support that. To his credit, Lyutov seems to have been disgusted by his most vicious behavior, though possibly only because he regretted the lack of self-control that it demonstrated.

Regardless, his death was unquestionably heroic, sacrificing his own life in personal combat with Stardust to buy time for the Red Comet and the Untouchable to escape. Stardust proceeded to extract the Arachnid's blood and other vital fluids from his body, leaving his corpse a desiccated husk. It was recovered in the aftermath and supposedly buried in the Kremlin Wall, though there is some evidence that it was actually used for ongoing attempts to induce similar powers in others.

Those efforts had actually begun during the Arachnid's life, with at least one experiment, conducted in Cuba in 1967 on a political prisoner, having been a success, with the subject demonstrating additional powers that Lyutov did not possess. Before the prisoner could be vivisected to determine why he'd developed these abilities, however, he escaped from the laboratory and from Cuba, escaping to Florida and from there to Mexico. He began a new life there under the name Rafael Fuentes, occasionally fighting crime under the name el Arano -- just as his son and later grandson would also do.

*The Arachnid (Paukoobraznyy) -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 8 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Spider-Movement:* Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 3 (Swinging, Wall-crawling 2) - 8 points
*Spider-Senses:* Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 3 (Danger Sense, Darkvision) - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Close Attack 4, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Move-by Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Redirect, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
25 points as needed for any given mission (often an assault rifle [Ranged Multiattack Damage 5]). 

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+12), Athletics 4 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 2 (+6), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 3 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +15
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/9, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 76 + Powers 21 + Advantages 21 + Skills 18 + Defense 4 = 140 points

*Complications:
Patriotism--Motivation. Sadistic Tendencies. Weakness* (pest control chemicals.)


----------



## Davies

Pulya





Sofya Shibalova was by all accounts a fairly typical female KGB agent in the early 1960s. She had been carefully trained to take advantage of the bourgeois hypocrisy of Western operatives, who were inculcated with the absurd notion that women were soft, easily manipulated, and in need of protection. Even before the episode, Sofya had never been soft. Her hardness had developed early, first by her childhood spent during the Great Patriotic War, and then by her father's arrest, trial and execution for rape when she was fifteen.

In 1964, Sofya was volunteered for duty to test a new chemical formula developed by the KGB's R&D division, based on research stolen from the United Kingdom concerning 'the New Accelerator'. To everyone's shock, she not only survived the injection, and developed super speed as a consequence, her body further mutated, becoming as hard and tough as lead. Her inexperience in using these abilities meant that she was unable to prevent the assassination of the scientist who'd developed the formula, or the escape of the British assassin, and so the formula was lost. Thus, Sofya became the Soviet Union's only speedster agent, under the alias 'Pulya' -- Bullet.

No one was sure how long the dose of the Accelerator drug in her system was going to last, and so she was quickly assigned to the SNM and told to make herself useful. She soon found herself the latest excuse for the rivalry between the Red Comet and the Untouchable, gravitating to the side of the latter as more familiar but always hinting to the former that she might be persuaded to change her mind if he impressed her enough. She engaged in lower-intensity flirtations with the other male members of the team as well, and with a few of their opposite numbers, most notably the Living Thunderbolt, her most frequent opponent. All of it was done in the service of the state, of course, to which she was utterly committed.

Her private diary, found in the KGB archives, reveals a rather different personality. Sofya Shibalova was a profoundly unhappy woman, fearful of the likelihood that her powers were going to fade, just as she was sure that her beauty would not last. Without such advantages, where would she be? What use would she be to anyone? She only had worth in as much as she was useful to the men around her, after all.

Ironically, her powers never did fade, nor did they ever require recharging, as the later users of Accelerator substances did. It seems likely that whatever changes to the formula hardened her body also turned it into a factory to produce regular doses of the drug. Some physical examinations undertaken towards the end of her life indicated that this was causing a strain on the rest of her organs, but it never had a chance to impair her activities. 

During the Battle of Vietnam, she spotted the Untouchable confronting the American 'super-wizard', and, believing her lover to be in his intangible state, proceeded to attempt a power charge towards their enemy, moving through the Untouchable's form to do so. She had no way of knowing that Stardust had used a ray on the Untouchable to transform him into an immobilized and hyper-dense state. Pulya crashed against him at just under the speed of sound, and shattered like a bullet against him. She died instantly.

Remontnik has developed some odd hobbies in his old age, such as gazing at pictures of beautiful women he's known while also examining their DNA profiles. Quite recently, while doing so to a photograph of Pulya, he realized that he'd seen a remarkably similar profile recently, and leafed through the rest of his collection until he found it. Then he stared at the photograph and DNA profile of Baba Yaga, noting that the similarity between the two profiles was akin to that between a grandparent and their grandchild. "Now what do we have here?" he murmured to himself.

*Pulya -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Hardened Body:* Strength-based Damage 2; Protection 2, Impervious 6 - 10 points
*Hypersonic Speed:* Enhanced Advantage 3 (Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8); Movement 3 (wall-crawling 2, water-walking), Limited to movement; Quickness 10; Speed 10 (2000 MPH) - 32 points
*Sonic Boom:* Linked Burst Area Damage 9; Linked Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hearing Impaired, Hearing Disabled, Hearing Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 36 points 

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Close Combat 2, Evasion, _Improved Initiative 3,_ Instant Up, Move-by Action

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 7 (+10), Insight 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+9), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +16
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 4)
Sonic Boom -- (Burst Area Damage 9 and Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/4, Parry 12/4, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 78 + Advantages 6 + Skills 22 + Defenses 8 = 160 points

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Low Self-Worth.*


----------



## Davies

Zloba





One of her earliest memories is of a rare occasion when her father actually took her with him when he went to visit one of his fellow mad scientists. She must have been four, maybe five years old. She's not sure what made him do it. Maybe her mother was just too busy or too stoned to look after her, or they were between nannies, or he'd heard about 'take your daughter to work day' and decided to make a mockery of it by bringing her along. And of course she didn't understand anything that she saw, not then. But she remembers, very clearly, staring up at the girl in the coldsleep matrix, and feeling ... something like a mix of pity and envy for her. It's funny how the image of that girl, in her slow time, still sticks with her, through all the drugs she's taken since then.

Years passed, and her mother found a way out of the pain that growing old caused her, and it became clear that she was a Hyperbrain, just like Daddy. When they came around to recruit her for a think tank, her father persuaded them to forget the whole business by underwriting their operations for a full year. Ironically, their operation didn't last much longer than that, but she's always been a little grateful that he gave her the chance to let her talents develop as she pleased, rather than for the benefit of the government. It's the _only_ gratitude she feels towards him; her life, she's well aware, was an accident.

At seventeen, she left home and her name behind, and by her eighteenth birthday she was already being accused of being a curse. She owned that, just like she has always owned everything she does -- and nothing else. She gets paid for the work she does, of course, but what she doesn't need immediately, whether for food, work or fun, gets passed on to others who seem to need it more. While she has often caused death and destruction through her activities -- perhaps most heinously blowing up a certain video game company when she heard that they'd stolen her likeness for some silly game of theirs -- that's never the point of them. Whether there is any point, beyond her amusement, is really known only to her.

She's worked with criminals, even supervillains. But she is perfectly happy to lend her assistance to superheroes if the mood strikes her. Her most persistent adversary and associate is Trouble, who has fascinated her ever since they first crossed paths in her first few months of activity. Almost the first words out of her mouth when they met were, "Would you mind if I took you apart, figured out how you work, and den put you back togedder? I can totally do dat last part." (She has problems with the 'th' sound. Also with the truth.)

Those who know Trouble well are aware that nobody, not even Sam Hazzard, can get under Trouble's skin as easily as Zloba can. She expresses more emotions when dealing with the other woman than she ever expresses under any other circumstances -- usually frustration and embarrassment, more than anything else, but neither feeling is usually apparent on her. There is a theory that, despite how Zloba has often put Trouble in great danger, the living weapon experiences a sensation of safety whenever she's in the anarchist's presence, allowing her permission to be more open about her emotions than she can ever otherwise be. Sam Hazzard hates Zloba like poison, incidentally, and Zloba cheerfully returns 'Glass-Eyes'" disdain.

Among the chemical enhancements that Zloba has experimented with, over the years, is a weak variation on the Accelerator. Because of regular doses of the substance, she is biologically overclocked, able to move and think at great speeds -- not nearly as fast as some who've used similar substances, but quite fast all the same. The drugs are almost certainly going to kill her before she turns forty, but she regards this as trivial. She intends to live hard, 'love' fast, and not care about the condition of her corpse. If she realizes that attitude is a permanent barrier between her and Trouble, she's never given any signs of it.

*Zloba -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Arsenal:* Array (15 points), Easily Removable (-8 points)

*Boom Boom:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 15 points
*Buzz Buzz:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 5 - 1 point
*Scorch Scorch:* Cone Area Damage 7 - 1 point
*Squirt Squirt:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limted Degree - 1 point
*Zap Zap:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Nose for Nano:* Senses 2 (acute nano awareness [olfactory]) - 2 points
*Overclocked:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Quickness 2; Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 10 points
*Teleportal Hack:* Accurate Extended Only Teleport 6, Portal; Removable (-7 points) - 28 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative _3_, Instant Up, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Language 3 (many, [Russian is native]), _Move-by Action,_ Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Skill Mastery (Technology), Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Science 2 (+8), Investigation 4 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Sleight of Hand 3 (+9), Stealth 6 (+11), Technology 6 (+12), Treatment 4 (+10), Vehicles 3 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +17
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1)
Buzz Buzz +13 (Ranged Damage 5)
Squirt Squirt +13 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)
Zap Zap +13 (Ranged Fortitude 5)
Boom Boom -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Scorch Scorch -- (Cone Area Damage 7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/10, Parry 11/8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 51 + Advantages 19 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 166 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. CANNOT Resist a Challenge. Family* (father.) *Frenemy* (Trouble.)

Do you ever wanna catch me?
Right now, I'm feeling ignored!
So can you try a little harder?
I'm really getting bored!


----------



## Davies

Joey Garber





Growing up in the early nineties, Joseph Garber was always aware that he had a slightly skewed angle on things, and a talent for making observations that struck other people as funny. There was only one job that made any sense for someone with such talents, but Joey decided that politics didn't really interest him, and so left Hamilton behind right after his high school graduation, moving to Toronto to become a standup comedian. He arrived there only a few months before Paragon showed up for the first time.

Joey worked a lot of different jobs in those first few years, while crafting his standup persona. His routine sometimes made mention of the man in red longjohns, but usually only as something that was _less_ bewildering than whatever situation was under discussion. On the whole, Joey liked Paragon, though he hoped that he'd never be in circumstances where he'd need the guy's help, and -- if he was being _really_ honest -- figured that there was no chance that he was going to stick around all that long.

And then, in 2002, _nearly_ everyone in the Toronto suburb of Brampton was turned into giant chickens, with the notable exception of guess who? Paragon naturally took an interest in fixing this little anomaly, and as Joey was the only person around who say anything except 'cluck cluck buckaw' in worried-sounding tones, the comedian proved to be the most helpful witness. Paragon dealt with the crazy man who'd done this out of the bewildering belief that this would demonstrate how wrong chicken factory farming was, and Joey had some new material for his act. He expected this to be the only time that his life would be inappropriately touched by the fantastic.

Boy was he wrong. After the fourth time that something like this happened around him, Paragon honestly became a little suspicious that Joey was somehow causing all this, but some observations (assisted by other members of the Powerhouse who had different perspectives) revealed that he was just stumbling into circumstances well beyond his control. Paragon decided to just cope with it, and began keeping an eye on Joey's activities in order to have some warning about when strangeness was about to erupt.

In the process, the two of them found themselves becoming friends. Joey's tendency to make light of situations ended up making even the very serious Paragon give the occasional chuckle, and the hero came to appreciate the comedian's brand of courage. Paragon wound up giving Joey a signal device that he could use to contact him whenever the situation called for it. The device has taken a variety of forms over the years, and currently exists only in digital form as an app on Joey's smartphone -- a P-shaped icon that will demand a PIN number before it allows him to contact Paragon. The hero can't respond to the signal verbally, but Joey is able to describe the circumstances he's calling rather than just rely on a high-pitched squealing noise.

At this point, Joey has encountered enough strangeness and badness that he will sometimes try to resolve things without calling in Paragon, since he knows that the big guy has a lot on his plate already. He's never been foolish enough to ask for help with simple inconveniences, nor traded on his friendship to gain greater celebrity, but he will use the device when he thinks Paragon could stand to hear a friendly voice. He doesn't know (or really suspect) that Paragon maintains a civilian identity in Toronto, and has never (as far as he knows) met any of the other superheroes with whom his friend associates. He does make wisecracks about some of them in his act, though.

*Joey Garber -- PL 3

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Immutable:* Immunity 5 (alteration effects) - 5 points
*Signal Device:* Senses 1 (communication link with Paragon); Removable (-0 points) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Daze (Deception), Equipment, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+4), Deception 3 (+6), Expertise: Comedy (PRE-based) 5 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Investigation 3 (+4), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 1, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 16 + Powers 6 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 9 = 50 points

*Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Danger Magnet. Friend* (Paragon.)


----------



## Davies

Dr. Will Caulder





Born in 1961, William Caulder knew that he wanted to be a doctor by the time that he was in his early teens. His education was partially underwritten by scholarships established by Ryan and Lucy Richmond, who believed in investing in doctors who might come to work for their hospital. While he only met the two of them a handful of times, and they weren't mentors, exactly, he respected and admired them both, and was horrified when they suffered their 'accident' shortly before he obtained his M.D.

Believing that this had to have been the work of the Pythonian Insurgency, William responded to that by volunteering his services as a doctor for the Joint Special Operations Taskforce. While he helped to save many lives in the process, his work with the Taskforce left him feeling increasingly revolted by violence, and uncertain whether this was really the best way to honor the Richmonds' memory. The loss of life at Delphi was particularly appalling to him, and he was glad that his contract expired with JTAS' dissolution. (He would later end up protesting the war in Syria.)

Returning to Chicago, William ended up working for a clinic located not far from the abandoned hospital that the Richmonds had run. His experiences here have further solidified his opposition to violence, viewing it as a vicious circle that wrecks as many lives as poverty does. The only appropriate use of force, in his view, is to prevent the use of force against another or one's self. Even non-lethal weaponry, like Richmond Enterprises' famous 'meta-taser', can end up causing permanent and irrevocable harm to someone if employed recklessly. That said, it is an improvement on firearms, and Dr. Caulder was pleased that the Richmonds' son was continuing their legacy, though he doubted that they'd ever meet.

In 2003, however, the vigilante known as Darkwing stumbled into their clinic with injuries inflicted by one of his frequent enemies, the January Man*. Dr. Caulder treated the man's injuries while respecting his right to maintain his secret identity, and they had a lengthy discussion about violence and vigilantism. The doctor was forced to admit that humanity might not survive its encounters with extraterrestrial and monstrous threats without the use of violence, but still felt that its use against street criminals was a waste of effort that could be better spent elsewhere. He discussed the Richmonds' role in his life, and spoke about how their lives had been cut short by violence, how much more they could have done without it. They parted ways without coming to any conclusion.

Dr. Caulder had, of course, not needed to remove Darkwing's mask to recognize the individual with whom he was dealing. And of course, Darkwing knew that he knew. He has since met Robert Richmond, in both of the man's identities, on several occasions, without ever admitting to that knowledge. He suspects that a number of the anonymous donations that the clinic receives come from him, but has never brought up the issue since he recognizes that Robert isn't trying to buy his approval -- which would be an insult, and wouldn't work. He has also formed a friendship with Robert's personal assistant, Martha Paddington, that has sometimes verged on romance. (He's never had time for a lasting relationship, unfortunately.)

Now approaching his sixtieth birthday, Dr. Caulder is seriously considering retirement. He's still in good health, and retains a certain amount of the physique he developed through high school and amateur wrestling, but he thinks he's probably earned a quiet rest for the remainder of his years. Whether he'll get that remains to be seen.

*Dr. William Caulder -- PL 3

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Connected, Improved Hold, Improvised Tools, Skill Mastery (Treatment).

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+6), Expertise: Physician 6 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+5), Treatment 6 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1**)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 2, Will 3

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Advantages 4 + Skills 15 + Defenses 4 = 45 points

*Complications:
Peace--Motivation. Friends* (Robert Richmond, Martha Paddington.)

* Yes this was a movie OOTL. No it wasn't a movie in this world's history. The individual who used this alias is no longer active in Chicago's crime scene.
** Included solely for completeness; Dr. Caulder will only ever attack someone for the purpose of setting up a Grab, and never inflict damage on a Grabbed target.


----------



## Davies

Donald Irving





Some people are, however much they might prefer it otherwise, best defined by what they are not. While above average in most respects, Donald Irving is not an especially brave, clever, strong or charming individual. He has never been granted any sort of super-powers, even temporarily, and not only has Argus never even considered recruiting him, he has sometimes only held on to his position with the various, much more mundane security companies which have employed him by the skin of his teeth -- though he has never actually lost a job under any circumstances other than the company itself going under, and bounced back quickly when that happens. He is, it can be fairly said, good at his job.

Unfortunately, the biggest intrusion of the fantastic into his life -- the fact that his younger brother is the Blue Bolt -- is also a constant reminder of one of the biggest screw-ups of his professional career. He never should have let Jimmy anywhere near the laboratory he was supposed to be guarding. Everything that happened that day, especially the death of Professor Gibbon, followed directly from that, and Donald honestly isn't sure how he managed to keep his job after letting that disaster happen. He honestly hoped that the crazy powers his little brother picked up would wear off after a while, but it was not to be.

In the twenty-odd years since then, Donald has on very rare occasions sought his brother's help in dealing with some of the crazier situations that he's encountered -- preventing burglaries by other costumed goons and the like -- but always regrets doing so, or at least regrets the stress that these situations cause for himself. A good part of this stress, that he's never admitted to himself, is his worry that these episodes will eventually result in Jimmy's secret identity being exposed, and harm coming to Jimmy as a result. The fact that it's much more likely that harm will come to Donald or to their widowed mother has never really consciously occurred to him; deep down, he still sees himself as the guy who has to look out for his dumb little brother, despite the reality of the situation being exactly the opposite.

Donald has met a few other members of the superpower community over the years -- most notably his Jimmy's roommate and his insane ex-girlfriend, but he also found himself in the middle of an investigation by Darkwing on one weird occasion. Amit is a pretty nice guy, but the rest of these people are frankly every bit as nuts as the one who's actually trying to kill Jimmy, in his view. He was recently bewildered to be invited to a barbecue that had the entire extended 'family' of the Powerhouse in attendance, and actually found himself getting along with that Nick Grey fellow, who seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.

In recent years, Jimmy has been moving more and more into the administrative side of the security industry, though he still prefers to keep a personal eye on things as much as possible. He's just self-aware enough to absolutely refuse to think, especially not out loud, about how long he has until retirement (seven years, for the curious) and fully intends to live to collect his pension. Of course, he may not have any real choice in the matter.

*Donald Irving -- PL 4

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:* 
Beginner's Luck, Close Attack, Equipment 3, Ranged Attack 2.

_Equipment:_ 
Concealed armor (Protection 2, Subtle), light pistol (Ranged Damage 3), meta-taser (Ranged Affliction 4 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), smart phone, handcuffs. 

*Skills:* 
Athletics 3 (+4), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+5), Expertise: Security Guard 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+5), Intimidation 2 (+3), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 4 (+5), Ranged Combat: Pistols 2 (+3), Stealth 2 (+3), Technology 2 (+4), Treatment 2 (+4), Vehicles 4 (+5). 

*Offense:* 
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Pistol +5 (Ranged Damage 3)
Meta-Taser +3 (Ranged Fortitude 4)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 4. 

*Totals:* 
Abilities 24 + Advantages 7 + Skills 18 + Defenses 7 = 56 points.

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Easily Rattled. Family* (Jimmy, their mother.)


----------



## Davies

Ibuki Kruger





In 1983, a man from West Germany named Dieter Kruger went to Japan in order to become a ninja. Four decades on, he regards this particular ambition as a childish fantasy that he accidentally managed to make come true, as he became an initiate of the Shadow School of Kageyama Sarutobi, living a secluded life and practicing the Shadow School's martial arts style on the slopes of Mount Ibuki. It was a satisfying life, but when Sarutobi passed away in 1992, Dieter found himself no longer as welcomed by the Shadow School's new leaders. Rather than remain where he was not wanted, he left with his lover Nabiki and returned to West Germany, where a daughter, whom they named Ibuki, was born to them in the next year. After the Wall came down, they relocated from Bonn to Berlin.

Dieter continued to practice the martial arts, and established a school where he could teach them as well -- though what he taught was conventional jujutsu rather than the secret techniques that he'd learned. Eventually, his daughter began to join him and her mother in this practice, and demonstrated a remarkable talent, eventually becoming a junior instructor along with her father. (Her mother passed away when she was sixteen.) Her father strove to instill in her the philosophical teachings of the Shadow School -- that it was better to conceal one's abilities, that one should never be the first to fight, and that adventure and excitement were not things to be sought out.

He did not have much success with that last one. Ibuki is an excitable and cheerful young woman who is constantly looking for whatever adventure might come her way, as though trying to take the world in a love embrace. She doesn't wear a costume or have a secret identity, but she would definitely pass the 'rescue a kid's cat' test, and be bewildered that anyone would choose _not_ to do so. She will usually fight defensively up to a point -- but after she (or someone else) has been injured, she will instantly switch tactics to a much more aggressive approach, and do whatever it takes to end the threat.

Since 2013, Ibuki has been a friend and frequent ally of Berlin's resident superheroine, Magnolia. Their first encounter was an eye-opener for Lin Ni-cheng, who had honestly thought her friends in the Ultra Girls were joking when they warned her that she might run into people who mistook her for a super-villain and tried to attack her. Fortunately, neither of them was hurt, and Ibuki was thrilled to meet someone who was as skilled as Magnolia. Magnolia has sometimes tried to gently discourage Ibuki from trying to help her out, to no avail. While these exploits have sometimes ended with Ibuki needing to be rescued, she has been a great help on other occasions, and her cheery demeanor is a definite comfort at times.

It's not at all clear whether Ibuki is a superpower. Her abilities are all within the realm of the most extraordinary examples of humanity, with one possible exception. She has _sometimes_ quickly recovered from serious injuries much faster than simple adrenaline would permit, but the phenomenon is so unreliable that it can't really be studied. She herself views this as just the occasional lucky break.

*Nabiki Kruger -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Parkour:* Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 1 (safe fall), Limited to Distance 0; Speed 1 (4 mph) - 4 points
*Second Wind:* Healing 5, Reaction (when staggered or worse), Self only - 20 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language (Japanese and German [bilingual]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 26 + Advantages 19 + Skills 18 + Defenses 17 = 114 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Family* (Father.) *Friend* (Magnolia.) *Impulsive.*


----------



## Davies

Makabre 2400





Aleksandur "Sasho" Stancioff was born seven years after his native Bulgaria transitioned out of Communist rule and into one of the most corrupt democracies in Europe. By the time it was apparent that he was a potential Hyperbrain, all the think tanks had been closed down, leaving him with no real options to develop his talents except self-teaching. He became a base raider, seeking out what had been left behind by previous mad scientists and criminal geniuses, hoping to learn from it if possible and to make a few bucks from selling what he didn't immediately need.

Sasho enjoyed moderate success in this pursuit until four years ago, when he simultaneously hit the jackpot and moved on to a completely different line of work. Initially, he couldn't believe his good fortune -- everyone in the base raider lifestyle talked about what they'd do if they managed to get into one of Makabre's lairs without springing its defenses, but no one ever really thought it could happen. And yet there he was, staring at a fortune in robotics and a badly damaged Makabre robot double.

Before he finished congratulating himself on his good fortune, however, a portal opened up on one of the lair's walls. Sasho promptly took cover, and watched a group of clumsy-looking cyborgs stroll through the portal and pick up the robot double, then carry it with them back through. He cursed his bad timing for a moment, before he heard sounds of battle through the portal. Deciding to investigate and possibly exploit the situation, Sasho went through the portal himself.

In doing so, he became the first human from the World Less Magical to visit the reality known as the Sprawl. He didn't know that at the time, though, only that he'd arrived in a different laboratory than the one that he'd just departed, where the Makabre robot had reactivated and attacked the cyborgs who'd taken it. They were no match under normal circumstances, but had heavy weapons that equalized matters, and the result was that the Makabre robot was shut down, the portal-generating mechanism was ruined, and only one of the cyborgs was still functioning -- which lasted only until Sasho smashed its head open.

Putting his skills to use, Sasho eventually figured out that he'd traveled to a city that was more advanced than anything he'd ever seen. The full details of his situation still eluded him, but there would be time to figure that out. Gathering up the Makabre robot, he escaped from the lab and disappeared into the maze-like alleys of the Sprawl.

It took him a few weeks to learn the Patois that people spoke, but necessity is a great teacher. He managed to create an identity for himself as a denizen of the Sprawl, which he found a surprisingly easy task. (He'd later conclude that the system was designed to make it _easy_ to create such false identities, to facilitate the endemic corporate espionage of the Sprawl.) Gradually, he learned about the Sprawl and its parasitic practices. These didn't bother him on a moral or ethical level, but it was annoying that these actions had led to him ending up in a completely different world. He decided to make the best of the situation.

All the while, he'd been studying the Makabre robot's systems, gradually hollowing it out until it could function as a suit of powered armor. This meant losing some of its more interesting systems, but he wanted something that could keep him alive. He also managed to restart its computer and reprogram it just enough that it viewed _him_ as the real Alexandar Marković, and would act as an advisor. With that done, he was ready to embark on a career of super-villainy!

Except that he quickly realized that the local authorities clearly had a monopoly on villainy. He has basically ended up as a sort of resistance leader, opposing the corporate overlords. His followers have grand ambitions of overthrowing them -- Sasho doesn't particularly share such grandiose plans, and would really prefer to find a way to get home (ideally bringing a _lot_ of Sprawl-tech with him that he could pass off as his discoveries.) Yet, egged on by the computer system, he has also started to wonder about the idea of seizing control of the Sprawl from its current rulers and becoming a better class of dictator. What might he do with that sort of power? What might he not do?

*Makabre 2400 -- PL 9

Abilities: 
STR* 6/0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Robotic Armor:* Removable (-13 points)
*Armored Shell:* Impervious Protection 7 - 14 points
*Comms:* Senses 1 (communication link with Markovic) - 1 point
*Force Field:* Sustained Impervious Protection 5 - 10 points
_*Rocket Pack:*_ Flight 8 (500 MPH) - 16 points
*Sealed Systems:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Servomotors:* Enhanced Strength 6 - 12 points
*Weapon Systems:*Array (20 points)
*Chest Blast:* Line Area 2 Damage 6 - 1 points
*Focused Gauntlet Blast:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 point
*Multifire Gauntlet Blast:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 6, Accurate 2 - 1 point


*Advantages:*
Improvised Tools, Inventor, Languages 2 (Sprawl Patois, English, Russian, Serbian, [Bulgarian is native]), Sidekick 15, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Science 3 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 2 (+8), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 6 (+8), Technology 4 (+10), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 6/0)
Focused Gauntlet Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Multifire Gauntlet Blast +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 6)
Chest Blast -- (Line Area Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 12/0, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 60 + Advantages 20 + Skills 20 + Defenses 13 = 142 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Secret* (identity and illegal status.) *Somewhat Power Hungry.


"Marković" -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -- | *STA* -- | *AGL* -- | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 9 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Comms:* Senses 1 (communication link with Makabre 2400) - 1 point
*Construct:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects) - 50 points

*Advantages:*
Second Chance (Insight checks), Skill Mastery (Technology)

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 5 (+14), Insight 9 (+12), Investigation 4 (+13), Persuasion 9 (+12), Technology 5 (+14).

*Offense:*
Effectively none.

*Defense:*
Dodge --, Parry --, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 0, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 0 + Powers 50 + Advantages 3 + Skills 16 + Defense 6 = 75 points

*Complications:
Loyalty ... Right?--Motivation.*


----------



## Davies

Wilmarth





In the Sprawl, truth is what the powerful decide it to be. That notwithstanding, it is occasionally useful for the people who make those decisions to have access to facts, even if they later decide those facts to be irrelevant. And it also occasionally useful for the discovery of those facts to be made by unofficial and deniable agents, whose circumstances make it impossible for them to become potential rivals, rather than official ones who might well do so. So in this world of neon-lit darkness, there are still those who go down the mean streets without themselves being mean. Or, at least, not too mean.

The woman who uses the name Reuth Wilmarth is one such private investigator. Unlike most people in the same line of work, she was never employed by corporate security in any manner. Nor was she ever a member of the metropolitan patrol, the second most common source for private investigators. Why, exactly, old Duglas Sexton chose to give her a job as an operative, more than a decade and a half ago, and then later picked her out of all his operatives to head up the agency before he retired, are stories that she keeps close to her chest. If asked, she'd shrug and say 'some other time, maybe' -- which is a much more polite answer than will be given to anyone who asks her how an android became a citizen of the Sprawl.

Androids perform the bulk of the dangerous manual labor that sustains the sprawl. Their combination of machine-like resilience, self-repairing bodies, and organic brains -- unable to be 'hacked', as the digital brains of a robot could be -- make them the ideal slaves. Those who rebel are, of course, killed without hesitation. There isn't a special job title for those who do this, nor is it given any euphemistic name; 'retirement' is already in use as a pleasant way to describe suicide, after all. In the two centuries that the Sprawl has existed in its current state, there have only been a handful of androids who have been given their freedom. Reuth Wilmarth is the only one who is still alive.

Wilmarth doesn't talk about that, either. Truthfully, she doesn't say much beyond what she has to say in order to keep the agency running as smoothly as it can, and in order to pursue the handful of cases that she personally investigates. Among a handful of people whom she has allowed to get somewhat close -- all employees of the agency -- she will sometimes discuss a personal philosophy that is somewhere between existentialism and utilitarianism, and express her skepticism that any action undertaken any person in the Sprawl, from the highest to the lowest, is meaningfully delaying the eventual end of their world. After evaluating the response that she gets, she generally shrugs and says, "But hey, it pays the bills, right?"

And yet. From time to time, the agency is contacted not by those employed by the corps as cutouts, but by ordinary people who need to discover the truth. Most agencies won't even bother to lie to these people, just bluntly state that they aren't a charity and make it clear that their would-be clients can't afford their rates. But every now and then, when these desperate people contact Wilmarth's agency, she decides to work their cases for free. She won't discuss what triggers these decisions, or what motivates her. Generally, these people end up regretting their decision, for she never pulls any punches when it comes to revealing what she's learned, and what she's learned is generally tragic.

But sometimes -- oh so rarely -- in these investigations, there is a quality of redemption.

*Wilmarth -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
*Android:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 39 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Equipment 5, Eidetic Memory, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Move-by Attack, Precise Shot (ranged/cover), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge, Well Informed

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate), Commlink and 13 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Deception 8 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 6 (+9), Technology 7 (+10), Vehicles 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 39 + Advantages 21 + Skills 25 + Defenses 8 = 139 points

*Complications:*
*Professional--Motivation. Capricious Curiosity. Responsibility* (agency.) *Second Class Citizen.*


----------



## Davies

Bloodhounds





The Sprawl's metropolitan patrol is ostensibly neutral in conflicts between the various corporate entities that rule this world the size of a city. However, this neutrality means that they make no real attempt to investigate activities that are official acts of the corps, to avoid the appearance of favoritism against any of them. They do make attempts to investigate unofficial acts of the corps, and deniable assets have a great deal to fear from them, though most such are better equipped and better trained than the enlisted personnel and officers of the patrol.

With the exception of the Bloodhounds. Their official designation is HDCLEO (Heavy Duty Cybernetic Law Enforcement Officer) but nobody ever uses that name or even the abbreviated version of it. Older residents of the Sprawl sometimes call them 'Hatchetmen', in memory of a corporate security officer who was rebuilt into the first of their kind, roughly one hundred and fifty years ago. The process to create a Bloodhound involves removing roughly 85% of the former organic material, leaving only the brain, skull, spinal column, and _sometimes_ the face.

Despite what you might expect, the majority of those who become Bloodhounds are _not_ patrol personnel who suffer serious, life-threatening injuries in the course of their duties. At one point, these did form the majority of the Bloodhound corps, but attitudes have shifted, and it is now considered foolish to offer what is notionally perceived as an honor to those who make mistakes that result in such losses. In today's Sprawl, Bloodhounds are typically volunteers who agree to the process in exchange for financial considerations paid to their survivors. Assuming they don't meet their end in the line of duty, which most do, a Bloodhound can expect to remain functional for around fifteen years before their remaining organic parts begin to shut down.

While the metropolitan guard is generally disliked by most proles within the Sprawl, the Bloodhounds are regarded with terror. The amount of damage that one of them can cause is horrific enough, but it is also widely (and correctly) rumored that each of them has an override mechanism that can force them to obey the commands of anyone able to activate it. At any time, then, a Bloodhound can be converted from a diligent if cold-blooded agent of the law into a mindless assassin for any corporate agent who knows the appropriate passcodes ... which are easily accessible to such individuals.

It is not clear how much of an individual Bloodhound's consciousness survives their conversion, to be replaced by an artificial personality and engineered memories intended to support their mission. It may vary from case to case, with some remembering nothing and some having nearly complete recall of their previous life. The latter case nearly always go rogue at some point or another, vanishing into the underworld. Some of these become predators within their new environs. A few become protectors.

*Bloodhounds -- PL 9/MR 9

Abilities
STR* 6 | *STA* - | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:*
_*Armored Frame:*_ Impervious Protection 8 - 16 points
*Cybernetics:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Eidetic Memory, Improved Initiative); Senses 7 (Accurate and Extended Hearing, Analytical and Extended Vision, Infravision, Radio) - 9 points
*More Machine Than Meat:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude) - 30 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, _Eidetic Memory_, Equipment 8, Fearless, Improved Grab, _Improved Initiative_, Power Attack.

_Equipment:_
Autoblaster (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate), Fragmentation Grenade (Ranged Burst Area Damage 6), Flashbang (Ranged Burst Area Dazzle 6), Tear Gas Grenade (Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6), and 12 points of equipment as needed (often a rocket pack [Flight 6].)

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+8), Expertise: Civics 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Intimidation 10 (+11), Perception 10 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+8), Stealth 4 (+6), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6)
Autoblaster +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 55 + Advantages 12 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 135 points

*Complications:*
*It's A Job--Motivation. No Human Rights. Override. Requires Maintenance. Others as Needed.*


----------



## Davies

Jeemi Crysalid





In the two centuries that the Sprawl has existed, very few methods of creating augmented human beings have _not_ been tried by the corps, in the pursuit of creating more effective operatives. A bit less than thirty years ago, one program was implemented to create the ideal salesman, on the theory that such an individual would be able to persuade the worlds exploited by the Sprawl that this exploitation was in their own best interests. This batch of cloned operatives were outfitted with cybernetics that emitted subsonic waves that caused those who heard their voices to become more relaxed and receptive. Beyond that, they were given extensive training in techniques of persuasion and salesmanship. 

One of this batch was just a little bit smarter than his fellows, and so never tried to use his talents of persuasion on the staff who were supervising their education. This was smart because he never suffered the harsh discipline that was inflicted on any of the silvertongues, as they were called, who were caught doing such a thing, and they were always caught, no matter how clever they were. And yet, this planted the seeds of doubt in this particular clone; trained in the business of telling lies, he found himself seeing through the lies he was given in his training. If it was wrong to do this to one of the staff, then it should surely be wrong to do this to anyone, unless circumstances were dire.

With that in mind, the clone made his escape from the creche where he was being raised. It was a narrow success, for he ended up losing an arm in the process, and was half-dead when he stumbled into a street doc's clinic. Circumstances seemed dire, so he used his talents to convince the street doc to outfit him with a top line bionic arm in addition to treating his injuries without reporting them. While recovering from the surgery, he watched video recordings of popular musicians, and was moved by the way that they seemed to take control of the crowds watching them _without_ the benefit of his enhancements. This was a role that he could fill, and perhaps use his talents to guide the masses against those who would be their masters.

So he taught himself to play a guitar, to sing, and made his debut as Jeemi Chrysalid, the newest electrothrash sensation. He's managed to thrive as a musician without selling his soul back to any of the corps, though very few people know that this is because he moonlights as a deniable asset in their wars with each other. He never uses his silver tongue while doing so, since he takes it for granted that the same protections that prevented it from working on the staff of the creche are in common use by now. (He's wrong about this, incidentally.) Besides, if he gets exposed, he knows what his fate will be, and he only wants to go back there as the leader of an invading army ...

Jeemi is genuinely idealistic in his desire to replace the corporate hegemony with something a bit less oppressive and a bit more open, though he doesn't know enough about history or government to imagine what that could be. He _doesn't_ want to be a ruler, viewing that as the ultimate sell-out. However, he can't really help himself from using his abilities to his personal advantage, though he has certain personal limits in what he _won't_ do with them. Getting out of a run-in with the metro patrol is one thing; getting someone to become interested if they weren't already is quite another, and he'd never do that. He hopes.

*Jeemi Chrysalid -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:*
*Bionic Arm:* Enhanced Advantage (Improved Grab); Enhanced Strength 2; Strength-based Damage 4; Removable (-2 points) - 7 points
*Silver Tongue:* Auditory Perception Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled), Limited Degree, Selective, Subtle, Persuasion Check Required (DC 11) - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit (well-off), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion, Fascinate (Expertise: Performance), Fast Grab, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Power Attack, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Light Blaster (Ranged Damage 4), guitar and 11 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Performance 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 5 (+6), Perception 7 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 3 (+6), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Bionic Arm +5 (Close Damage 7)
Light Blaster +6 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 19 + Advantages 18 + Skills 28 + Defenses 11 = 114 points

*Complications:*
*Freedom--Motivation. Fame. Manipulative Tendencies. Secret* (origins, activities.)


----------



## Davies

Giasper




Art by Yicat (source)

"Privacy" is one of many concepts, like 'representative democracy' or 'pollution controls', that the denizens of the Sprawl have been forced to live without. The best that can be said is that the absence of privacy cuts both ways -- just as any of the corps can easily determine what's going on pretty much anywhere in the Sprawl, they find it difficult to keep secrets from each other, too. Digital security is largely imaginary, and so when the corporations need to send confidential information between their various tentacles, it has to be done by a human courier.

The woman who uses the name Giasper Kasey is one such courier, or rather she was until two days ago. She likes to think that she was pretty darn good at her job, efficient in her pickups and deliveries and very practiced in making sure that the package -- whatever it might be -- did not get taken away from her in transit, whether that meant fighting her way through the people who were trying to take it from her, or sneaking past them. She was doing well enough in that job to be able to afford top of the line equipment, like her skycycle and her headware, that gave her an edge on the competition. And she always followed one simple and inviolable rule -- never, ever, under any circumstances, do you peek at the package.

So two days ago, when she was _told_, explicitly, by the secretary who handed her the dataslug that she was supposed to take through the barrens to some remote outpost operated by a subsidiary of Zantech that was supposedly studying time travel, that if worst came to worst she was supposed to scan the slug and _verbally_ deliver the message contained within it, Giasper treated this like the joke that she thought that it was. Problem was, he wasn't joking. After losing the slug twice to opposition forces and regaining it the same number of times, all within the first hour of what was supposed to be a three hour trip, Giasper decided that she should probably make some sort of backup for the data. So she copied it to her own headware.

And then the strangeness started. As soon as she did that, the attempts to steal the slug tapered off. She had an easy run of it until she got to the outpost and handed over the package, and was asked whether she'd looked at the contents. Lying to the person who would authorize the back half of her payment didn't seem like the greatest idea, so she admitted that she had, and quickly mentioned that the secretary had told her that she could.

"He's dead," said the recipient, and tried to inflict the same condition on Giasper. She managed to get out of the building and get away from the ambush, but nothing that has happened since then has made any sort of sense. People are trying to kill her over nothing! The message consisted of seven words, which didn't make any sense to her. What's Osiris, what does it mean that it's a black god, who is Nephren-ka, and what does it mean that he's awakened? Nobody will explain anything about that, much less why she now has a ridiculous price on her head! She needs help, and she's not really in any position to refuse it from any possible source ...

*Giasper -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Cyberware:* Enhanced Advantages 9 (Close Attack 4, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Quick Draw); Senses 6 (Accurate Hearing, Analytical and Extended Vision, Danger Sense, Infravision) - 15 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 4, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory,_ Equipment 8, _Evasion,_ Fearless, Improved Initiative _3_, Move-by Action, Precise Shot (ranged, concealment), _Quick Draw_.

_Equipment:_
Concealed Armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Light Blaster (Ranged Damage 4), 5 points of equipment as needed
*Skycycle:* Size Medium; Strength 4; Speed 7 (air); Defense 15; Toughness 5; Features Remote Control, Senses 3 (direction sense, radio, time sense), Subtle Flight - 24 points

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+6), Deception 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+7), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+7) Technology 6 (+8), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14/+6
Unarmed +9/+5 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 15 + Advantages 12 + Skills 28 + Defenses 10 = 101 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Enemies* (oh so many.)


----------



## Davies

Jack Dore






When the Department of Defense began to organize the Joint Special Operations Task Force in late 1982, one of their first candidates for the organization's overall commander was Lieutenant John 'Jack' Dore, an officer with a proven history of leadership ability and tactical brilliance. He was ultimately not chosen for that role, in favor of Lieutenant Commander Stephen Waverly of the Navy SEALs. Dore was still recruited for the program, ultimately succeeding Waverly as the Task Force's overall commander following the former's death in combat in 1987, and proceeding to lead JSOT to its ultimate victory. He remained in the Army after the fall of Delphi, served in Syria, and had earned a Colonel's rank by the time he died coordinating the defense of Cheyenne Mountain in 2001.

Those are the bare facts of Jack Dore's life. There was much more to the story, however. Born in 1949, he was the oldest son of Captain Joseph Dore, commander of the Army's notorious Grim Brigade in both World War II and Korea, and later the leader of a similarly-named group while working for the Office of Scientific Investigations. He was twelve years old when his father died, and the incident, and his father's absence, shaped his character more than any other factor. Three years later, he and his younger brother William were orphaned when their mother died in an automobile accident, and taken in by one of her cousins.

It was fortunate for all involved that Jack was only in this house for about two and a half years, as his trial for murder would have put a damper on his admittance into West Point. He generally despised his so-called uncle, specifically despised the man's blatant contempt and disdain for Captain Dore, and later blamed him for the fact that William rejected the army. (Most of the time, at least; at other times, he believed that William's own personal flaws had led to that.) Regardless, he focused completely on his career after this, acting as though he neither had nor needed any living family. He was also left with a decided bias against civilian life in the aftermath, which colored many of his attitudes.

Somewhat to his annoyance, his own talents meant that he was not given an immediate combat assignment after graduating from the Point, but rather was sent to Washington to work in the Pentagon. Not until 1972 would he be sent to Vietnam, after the worst was over. Despite this, he soon earned a reputation as a competent (though sometimes harsh) commander during the reconstruction of the country. This episode, along with what he'd discovered in old records concerning his father's last mission for the Office, increased his distrust of the superpowers. He was able to work with the superpower allies of the Taskforce during the Insurgency, and came to respect some on a personal level, but he encouraged those who had more problems (such as Blake Rogers) to remain vigilant and wary. He might have regretted this, given time.

After his discovery that Delphi had exactly predicted the moment of her death, twenty year earlier, many of Dore's prior certainties were shattered. He began to suspect that his life, that every life, was being manipulated for the sadistic amusement of unimaginable entities. After some time to recover, though not before his relationship with Shannon Hazzard was broken beyond repair, he came to a somewhat existential viewpoint -- if that was true, then nothing was under his personal control except his own emotions, and so he would accept what life brought him with a calm heart. And it seems he managed to do that in the time that remained to him. 

*Jack Dore/Raptor -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Benefit (military rank), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (rifle), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Inspire, Leadership, Move-by Action, Prone Fighting, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Frag Grenades (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5), Combat Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical), commlink, 7 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Knife 2 (+7), Deception 2 (+5), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+5), Expertise: Military 7 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+4), Insight 4 (+5), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+7), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Guns 2 (+5), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 2 (+3), Treatment 2 (+3), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Combat Knife +7 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Assault Rifle +7 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 23 + Skills 30 + Defenses 13 = 106 points

*Complications:
Patriotism--Motivation. Burden of Leadership. Intolerance* (civilians.)

_Note: After 1988, he is issued a Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), his Ranged Attack improves to 3 ranks, and he becomes PL 7._


----------



## Davies

Edward Mackenzie





By 1984, the operators of the Joint Special Operations Task Force were starting to think that they'd seen everything that the Pythons could possibly throw against him. Invariably, thoughts of this nature are an invitation to disaster, and a number of casualties were incurred by the team who were sent to investigate reports of suspicious activity at a dilapidated manor house in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, and so had JSOT's first encounter with Dr. Vincent Frankenstein, a relatively recent recruit to the opposition. However, they did successful interrupt the experimentation that he was conducting, though rescuing the victims of same permitted the scientist to escape.

While some of the surviving victims had suffered only minor violations of their anatomy, and were treated in conventional hospitals, one of them had suffered far greater trauma. While articulate, he claimed to have no memory of any prior existence. It seemed likely that this amnesia was psychological in nature, as while parts of his body had been replaced and augmented, his head and torso were unaltered, strongly suggesting that he was not actually a surgically reanimated corpse. He eventually accepted the name 'Edward Mackenzie', the name of a missing person from elsewhere in Los Angeles whom he somewhat resembled, though he came to prefer his code name -- 'Frank'.

Unable and unwilling to return to Edward Mackenzie's life, 'Frank' volunteered to serve as a member of JSOT. The brass was not enthusiastic about this notion, as there were some who suspected that this whole affair had been a set-up to insert a programmed double agent into the Task Force. After a mind-reader borrowed from the RCMP confirmed a complete lack of any such programming, however, 'Frank' was given permission to undertake JSOT's rigorous training program, and exceeded all expectations. He was granted an honorary lance corporal's rank in the USMC, and became the first openly superpower member of JSOT.

Needless to say, this did not win him many friends, nor did his demonstrated obsession with hunting Dr. Frankenstein, becoming somewhat unmanageable when he was rumored to be in the area. His stated goal was to prevent what had happened to him from happening to anyone else, but most accounts of these incidents portrayed Frank as entirely motivated by a desire for personal vengeance. This tendency was quickly identified by the Pythons and employed as psychological warfare against him, with the fortunate result that he learned his lesson and developed _some_ restraint in the matter. Despite everything, he was a frequent asset to the Task Force, as often commended as reprimanded.

During the invasion of Delphi, his obsession with Dr. Frankenstein overpowered all considerations, and he went on a rampage to find him. During the cleanup, he was discovered standing over the scientist's corpse. Despite the initial impression, it did not seem that Frank had actually killed his target -- the doctor's cause of death had been poison, rather than blunt force trauma, blaster impact or gunshot wounds. However, Frank proved completely unresponsive to conversation when he was discovered, and had to be carried back to base. He never spoke again after this, nor gave any other sign of awareness, and was committed to a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts following his medical discharge. He remained there until 2001, when the facility was destroyed during Cerebron's assault, causing his death.

In 2011, new research suggested that the actual Edward Mackenzie had actually relocated from Los Angeles to Portland, changing his name to Richard Thomas and living, without any knowledge of the individual assumed to be him, until 1987 when he died of a drug overdose. This renewed the question of the actual identity of 'Frank', but after nearly forty years and the deaths of nearly all involved, it is a mystery unlikely to be resolved.

*Edward Mackenzie/Frank -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 5/3 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Fury of the Damned: *Linked Enhanced Advantages 3 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative); Linked Enhanced Strength 2; Linked Sustained Immunity 5 (Interaction Skills) - 10 points
*Recovery Factor:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Diehard, Equipment 4, Great Endurance, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Takedown

_Equipment:_
Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Frag Grenades (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5), Commlink and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7/+3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Fury of the Damned +9 (Close Damage 5)
Assault Rifle +7 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)
Frag Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 22 + Advantages 11 + Skills 18 + Defenses 7 = 108 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Grim and Humorless. Unnatural Appearance.*

_Note: After 1988, he is equipped with a Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and gains Ranged Attack 1._


----------



## Davies

Caroline Swensen




_Caroline_




_Her tank_

By 1985, when the Pythonian Insurgency had lasted three years, the commanders of the Joint Special Operations Taskforce began to consider more radical options in answering the threat they posed. One of these, perhaps the most famous, was a program designed by Wisconsin-born roboticist Gunter Swensen, which he claimed would be able to automate most of the functions of a tank or other armored fighting vehicle so that it could be operated by a single driver, a critical consideration for the relatively small number of personnel who qualified for JSOT. His proof of concept vehicle, demonstrated for the brass, was a prototype Porsche Wiesel AWC.

The demonstration impressed the observers with the modified vehicle's mobility and reaction time. After the test operation concluded, the observers were further startled when the driver was revealed to be Swensen's 19-year old daughter Caroline, who had enlisted in the Army and was scheduled to report for basic training a week after the demonstration. Their overall opinion was that it had been a stunt intended to demonstrate that the vehicle had been easily operated with Swensen's modifications, but Commander Waverly quietly held a different opinion, and resolved to keep an eye on Ms. Swensen.

While the Swensen system was implemented on a number of US tankettes for use by JSOT, their service usage did not in the main live up to expectations that the demonstration had created; the official operators reported that the vehicles were unusually cramped, even for a tank, and found it hard to adjust to its different demands. Waverly's opinion, that the new form of vehicle demanded an operator who wasn't limited by the preconceptions about how it 'ought' to work, seemed to have been borne out. He contacted Private Swensen's superiors and arranged for her to be transferred to the JSOT training program. She managed to pass by the skin of her teeth, and was assigned to supervise the armored unit, training a new generation of drivers to operate according to the new paradigm.

Under the codename Max Factor, Corporal Swensen did just that for the remaining seven years of the war with the Pythons. While her unit was somewhat notorious for the amount of collateral damage that occurred in the course of their operations, it was generally held that by the time they took the field, most of the damage had already been inflicted by the opposition forces. Swensen and her teammates were some of the first units sent into battle during the assault on Delphi, and the survivors, including Caroline herself, were officially commended in the aftermath.

Unfortunately, Sergeant Swensen's post-Insurgency career was tragically short. She remained with the Army and was sent into battle in Syria, fighting against insurgents who'd learned from the experience of the Pythons. Her vehicle was critically damaged by anti-tank weapons, and she was killed in action in 1995, less than ten years after the demonstration that started it all.

*Caroline Swensen/Max Factor -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Equipment 12, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Ranged Attack 2.

_Equipment:_
Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4), Commlink and 4 points of equipment as needed.
*Mini-Tank:* Size Huge; Strength 10; Speed 6 (ground); Defense 7; Toughness 12; Powers: Armor (Impervious Toughness 8), Cannon (Ranged Damage 10, Burst Area 6), Mini-gun (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5) - 47 points

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Expertise: Military 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 3 (+5), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Attack: Guns 2 (+4), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Pistol +6 (Ranged Damage 3)
Cannon +4 (Ranged Damage 10, Ranged Burst Area Damage 6)
Mini-Gun +6 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3/1, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 0 + Advantages 18 + Skills 16 + Defenses 12 = 72 points

*Complications:
Patriotism--Motivation. Accident/Logical Consequences of the Use of Heavy Artillery in an Urban Environment.*

_Note: From 1988 onwards, she's equipped with a Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5) instead._


----------



## Davies

John Maddox





One of the most senior of the field operators of the Task Force, the circumstances of Maddox's recruitment also made him one of the most famous, to the point where his code name ("Striker") was rarely used, especially after the film made about them was released three years later. He was known to be ambivalent about this, despite recognizing the importance of the propaganda the film represented at a time when the United States was facing an unprecedented crisis, particularly because of the way that it featured his daughter, Virginia, as a character, while she was still recovering from the trauma she'd endured during the real life events that inspired the film.

John Maddox was born in Malibu, California in 1942, and lived a fairly carefree and happy life there, as a member of several rock-and-roll bands, a surfer, beachcomber, and body builder. In 1966, however, something made him completely change his way of life, and he enlisted in the Army. He never discussed this episode; some have claimed that a former Army Ranger saved his life, or that of a friend, but when told about this, his only response was laughter. He demonstrated considerable proficiency in Basic Training, and wound up assigned to Ranger School himself, serving with distinction during the last years of the Vietnam War and surviving its apocalyptic climax, notably saving the lives of several other troopers in the process.

The latter episode brought the young Staff Sergeant to the attention of Colonel Jefferson Churchward, who recruited him for the special operations unit that he was founding, unofficially dubbed C-Team, one of the predecessors of JSOT. While initially enthusiastic, Maddox gradually came to uncomfortable with the activities C-Team engaged in. He'd hoped to be part of a rescue operation, not a hit squad. He nevertheless remained with the group until 1978, and their mission in Iran, where matters finally came to a head after one of his colleagues, Darcy, went decidedly off-book. While Darcy was dishonorably discharged, Maddox had finally had enough, and took early retirement.

Another factor that contributed to this decision was the loss of his wife, Sofia, in 1977. They'd met and married in 1970, and had their only daughter within a year, but had rarely had much time together in the interval. After her sudden death from illness, Virginia was initially left in the care of her aunt Alyssa, but Maddox decided that he needed to take a much more active role in caring for her. Something of a culture clash ensued, but by 1982 they'd settled into a happy relationship.

And then the world began to end. The assassinations that he heard about on the news were bad enough, but then Churchward contacted him with the news that other former members of C-Team had also been successfully targeted, and that he was likely to come under fire as well. Ironically, the assassins of the unit were not connected to the Pythonian Insurgency -- though a connection was manufactured in the film -- but rather the personal operatives of a South American dictator that the C-Team had helped to overthrow. He intended to take revenge by forcing Maddox to commit assassinations on his behalf, threatening Virginia's life if he refused.

The results are too well-documented to be repeated here, though most of the names were changed. In the aftermath, Churchward convinced Maddox to return to active duty, and he became one of the first recruited operators for JSOT. Virginia was placed in a special school with other dependents of the Task Force, and declared her intention to eventually follow her father into the "family business". Maddox was not too thrilled about that, but hoped that the Insurgency would end before it became an issue. It didn't, and Virginia became a JSOT trooper under the code name Vendetta in 1991, notably taking part in the Mars operation while her father remained on Earth. (For some reason, the notion of going to Mars made him very uncomfortable, as though he had bad memories concerning it.)

Tragically, John Maddox was one of the highest profile fatalities of the raid on Delphi, killed in action while saving the lives of his teammates. Virginia Maddox remained in the Army until 1996, after which she was recruited by Argus. Retiring from field work after in 2006, she is currently the Chief Administrator of the company's Los Angeles field office.

*John Maddox -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit (rank), Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Equipment 6, Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Great Endurance, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set-Up, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Light Machine Gun (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Commlink and 14 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 4 (+5), Expertise: Current Events 3 (+4), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Expertise: Performance 2 (+3), Expertise: Survival 7 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Insight 5 (+7), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 2 (+3), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 2 (+3), Treatment 2 (+3), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Light Machine Gun +7 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Advantages 24 + Skills 35 + Defenses 9 = 110 points

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Family* (daughter). *Sarcastic as Heck.*

_Note: After 1998, he is issued an Autoblaster (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate), Body Armor (Protection 2) and has Ranged Attack 1, becoming PL 7._


----------



## Davies

Ken Griffin





Born in Belgium to American citizens, educated (in a conventional manner) in the United Kingdom, and frequently accompanying his parents -- both soldiers of fortune -- wherever they were deployed in any given month; such was the life of Kenneth Griffin (1953-1992). To their credit, Robert and Katherine Griffin hoped that their only child wouldn't follow them into their profession. But by his early adolescence it was clear that the mercenary life was calling to him, as he patiently learned more from his parent's associates than he ever did from from his schoolmasters.

Some of those associates were superpowers; by Ken's late adolescence, he'd started to develop certain psychic gifts of his own, making him into a hand-to-hand fighting machine. As this allowed him to charge more for his services, even if he generally fought with conventional weapons, it was clearly a good thing. The full story of his activities in the early and mid-70s, after he parted ways with his parents (shortly before their own partnership dissolved), has never been fully told. He was active in South East Asia for much of this period, and is known to have crossed paths with Hazard on at least two different occasions, as an ally and as an enemy (and beneficiary of the man's mercurial humor.)

In 1978, while Ken was passing through Argentina on other business, he chanced to run into his father, who attempted to persuade him to sign up with the new outfit he'd joined. The offer sounded intriguing enough, but something about the man accompanying his father set Ken's teeth on edge, mostly the way that he kept glaring at him as though Ken's very existence was an offense. When Ken finally turned down the offer, he had the distinct feeling that the only reason he was allowed to walk out of the bar alive was his father's presence. That was the first time he ever encountered General Estrella, and the last time he saw his father alive.

Four years later, the Pythonian Insurgency burst out onto the world. It created a lot of work for mercenaries, training various private armies to defend against them -- or occasionally to be recruited by them. Ken found the latter work to be distasteful, but he wasn't in a position to turn it down when it came his way. Not even the report of his father's death in battle really moved him; such was the nature of a mercenary's business, and it made no sense to take such things personally.

And then, in 1984, he had his first direct confrontation with his nemesis, leading a small group of Burmese soldiers against a much larger force of Pythons led by General Estrella. Single combat between champions was something that belonged to a prior age of warfare, and yet that was how it worked out on that day as well, with the two of them clashing heedless of the fighting around them. It was a draw, ultimately, and they were separated before either of them could press onward to bring matters to a conclusion. But Ken realized that he had made an enemy that would pursue him until one of them died.

If he was an enemy to one of the senior members of the Pythonian Insurgency, it simply made sense to find allies among _their_ enemies. He briefly worked with the United Kingdom's Active Force, but found that its commanders were (with one major exception) unwilling to take the fight to the enemy's door. So he started attempts to persuade the American JSOT to accept him instead, a process complicated by his history of mercenary activity, a good chunk of which had involved activities against American interests. Swallowing his pride, Ken managed to convince enough of the group's leadership that his actions had always been intended to _support_ such interests -- a ruse, in other words. It seems likely that this was the source of his code name when he was finally accepted into the Task Force as a Lieutenant, and the group's second openly superpower soldier.

He had the support he needed, and would challenge General Estrella many times in the next few years, though never managing to bring matters to a decisive end, one way or another. Their final confrontation would come on Mars, in a fight that sent them out through the walls of the pyramid-like structure that the Pythonians had inhabited, out onto the Martian landscape. There they fought, and Ken was able to prevent his enemy from escaping back into shelter until he finally expired from lack of oxygen.

Ken took a moment to consider his circumstances. While seriously injured, he could probably make it back to the others and receive medical treatment on the way back to Earth. But he'd been exposed to the radioactive material that covered the Martian landscape, and so the odds seemed good that he'd only be extending his pain if he did that, and the medical personnel would probably do better to help those who could still be helped. The truth was, he realized with a faint smile on his face, that he was already dead. He lay down to let the process complete itself, and in a few moments, it was all over. 

*Ken Griffin/Ruse -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Martial Power:* Array (3 points)
 *Projected Strength:* Line Area Damage 6, Distracting, Tiring - 3 points
 *Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 1 points
*Meditation:* Sustained Immunity 4 (need for sleep, starvation & thirst, suffocation) - 4 points 
*Sense Those of Comparable Power:* Senses 3 (acute tracking psychic awareness) - 3 points
*Weightless Step:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (trackless) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit (military rank) Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 2 (French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt

_Equipment:_
Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Commlink, 4 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+9), Stealth 4 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9)

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)
Assault Rifle +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)
Projected Strength -- (Line Area Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 16 + Advantages 19 + Skills 22 + Defenses 14 = 135 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Nemesis* (General Estrella.) *Responsibility* (soldiers under his command.) *Won't Use The Same Attack Twice in Succession.*

_Note: After 1988, he is equipped with a Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and has Ranged Attack 1._


----------



## Davies

The Void Specter





From a holographic perspective, the Enigma Sector, as it's called by Technate astronomers, doesn't look like it should be anything extraordinary. Located coreward of the Technate's home stars, it has seen a few colonization attempts over the last century, which have established three permanent settlements with a total population of around three million Technate citizens. But then you start noticing the space warps, and the star system where dozens of different variations of the Hive are battling each other for supremacy, and the world in that system where the Hive presence was exterminated by an even more virulent ecology, and the dozens of worlds dotted with ruins of the Old Ones, and the Olympians, and the Albadine. And then you find out about what Terrans might call a Dyson sphere around one particular star, and the home world (or _a_ home world) of the Gardeners, and -- if you know more than you should know about certain things -- the Pillars of Eternity.

And if you know all this -- or even most of it -- then it probably starts to make sense to you that this region of space has a guardian, one who bears the Power Prism and wields it openly and with great skill. The Gynesians, who had explored the region before the rise of the Technate, claim that the Void Specter had been keeping the peace there when they first ventured there, and that it's been the same individual all this time. More sober historians suggest that it's a lineage of individuals, with the title of the Void Specter passing from parent to child to create an illusion of immortality.

They're almost right. The Void Specter is an identity passed down, but not from a parent to a child, but technically between siblings. Some two hundred years* ago, a certain Power Prism-wielder -- their personal name has long been forgotten, and it's not clear if they were agender as their descendants are -- discovered some of the strangeness of this region of space, and, after consulting with the Gardeners, decided to become this region's protector. But they were already an elderly Chiraben by the time that they began this vigil, and knew that they could not maintain the task for very long. So they cloned themselves, trained the younger clone to take their place, then committed a ritual suicide. This transfer of the identity has happened a total of twelve times over the last two centuries.

The Void Specter has no real life outside of their work. They have a number of cover identities on the Technate worlds that have grown up in the last century, but these are simply false names that they use to conduct their investigation with a measure of discretion. They avoid making personal connections, in particular romance. The closest that they come to friendship is with other wielders of the Power Prism. The breadth of their experience has made them famous among this small community, prompting others to seek them out to serve as a mentor, which they're happy to do, within reason. Even these individuals rarely see them without their mask on, and simply refer to them as the Specter.

Currently, the Void Specter works alone. That will likely change if they receive word that some old business has come home. Three decades* ago, the immediate predecessor of the current Void Specter encountered an individual who had acquired a Power Prism under somewhat dubious circumstances. As this happens fairly frequently, the only noteworthy aspect of the situation was the way that this person refused to use the instrumentality appropriately or learn how to do so, which resulted in a conflict neither of them wanted. The opposition escaped, but the Void Specter reported the incident to Aperion. Quite recently, reports of that particular Prism being used reached them, and the Council dispatched someone to investigate. Events didn't work out in that individual's favor, but when the Terran known as O Homen de Oro reaches Aperion, the Void Specter will likely be consulted on the situation ...

*The Void Specter -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
"A Trick or Two":* Feature 1 (can hide Power Prism within his body but cannot use it in in this state.) - 1 point
*Power Prism:* Removable (-22 points)

*Force Field:* Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 12; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support) - 34 points
*Offensive Applications: *Array (27 points)
*Basic Blast:* Ranged Damage 13, Affects Insubstantial - 27 points
*Exo-Armor:* Enhanced Advantage 3 (Close Attack 3); Enhanced Strength 12 - 1 point
*Ghost Blast:* Ranged Damage 9, Affects Substantial - 1 point
*Hallucinator:* Illusion 9 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resistable by Will - 1 point
*Stun Blast:* Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Affects Insubstantial - 1 point
*Tractor-Presser Beam:* Move Object 13, Precise - 1 point

*Phased Flight:* Flight 11 (4000 MPH), Aquatic; Insubstantial 3; Movement 3 (environmental adaptation [zero-g], space flight 2) - 44 points
*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Equipment 10, Improved Initiative, Language 5 (many, though none used on Earth), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Investigation).

_Equipment:_
*Space Cruiser:* Size Colossal; Strength 14; Speed 13 (air/space); Defense 5; Toughness 13; Powers Ghost Field (Concealment 6 [visual, radio]), Star Drive (Movement 2 [space travel 2]) - 49 points

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+12), Expertise History 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 7 (+9), Investigation 9 (+12), Perception 5 (+11), Ranged Combat: Power Prism 7 (+11), Stealth 5 (+9), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Exo-Armor +9 (Close Damage 14)
Basic Blast +11 (Ranged Damage 13)
Ghost Blast +11 (Ranged Damage 9)
Stun Blast +11 (Ranged Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 15/3, Will 14

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 98 + Advantages 21 + Skills 40 + Defenses 18 = 237 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret Identity. Total Commitment to Job.*


----------



## Davies

Deleh Massovy




Art source unknown, I discovered this image months ago and haven't been able to find it again since.

The Gynesian people had 'only' discovered the warp drive and begun exploring their local stellar neighborhood for a few centuries, having a few minor clashes with the nearby Hazlan nations, when the Technate quite abruptly established itself, entirely too close for comfort to Aganesh. Observing the conflicts that the Technate fought with the Hazlan, much larger wars than the Gynesians had ever fought since the establishment of their unified world government, convinced the Gynesian authorities that they did not want a war with these new neightbors. But the Gynesians were well aware that the Technate had a culture of fear for those who had innate powers, such as the Gynesians' innate psychic abilities, and feared that a war was inevitable. Fortunately, they were able to negotiate an entry into the Technate on peaceful terms, but at the cost of becoming a somewhat isolationist society. Very few Gynesians have ever become famous within Technate society.

Deleh Massovy -- properly C'shn D'leh G'ati -- is the great exception, and she would have been regardless of the path she chose. In every generation, a handful of Gynesians are born without the species' innate psychic abilities, and are instead immune and invisible to mental powers. Of course, such talents are not at all indicative of any flaw or lack of personal worth in the person, and should receive all the love and care that any child of the people receives -- or at least, such is the official word. In practice, the child who would be Deleh was abandoned by her parents and ignored by her society, likely to have died young, had she not come into the care of a Technate Space Agency officer, Itel Massovy, who adopted her as a daughter.

Deleh naturally followed her mother into the agency when she matured, and served in the science and medical departments of several vessels, before her assignment to the _TSV Adventure_ under the command of Commander Arlan Hayez. The voyages that they undertook vaulted her into the ranks of the living legends of the Technate, as well as creating the greatest friendship she would ever know. When the _Adventure_ was finally decommissioned, she was offered a number of posts within the TSA, as well as being contacted by the Gynesian Authority and offered a high-ranking position within their government, in recognition of her remarkable accomplishments despite being a -- and that was as far as the Gynesian making the offer got before Deleh slapped them across the face in public.

Deleh has never returned to Aganesh, and probably never will. Her official residence is on Muraddin, in a house that she shares with Arlan Hayez, though she's there no more often than he is. Her official position is the Surgeon-General of the TSA Homeworld Fleet, but this is largely an administrative fiction. In practice, her activities could best be described as those of a roaming trouble-shooter, somewhere between an ambassador and a spy. Currently, her solitary voyages have brought her to Aperion, as there are rumors that its council is developing an alliance with the Last Men Standing. It is not desirable for that resistance group to have closer ties to the source of the Power Prisms than the Technate enjoys, and so Deleh is striving to strengthen the Technate's ties ... ideally without damaging either group's relationship with the Lasters, but if needs must ...

In her youth, Deleh often deliberately strove for a very cold and ultra-rational demeanor. She's matured since then, and while she still values logic and reason, she is perfectly willing to express herself emotionally. Her greatest personal weakness is her scientific curiosity, which can distract her from the more immediate and pragmatic goals that she's expected to pursue. This makes her current assignment especially dangerous, as the Council of Aperion does not look _at all_ fondly on anyone who tries to discover the secret of how the Prisms are manufactured. And that is practically dangling bait in front of her ...

*Deleh Massovy-- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Psychic Null:* Permanent Concealment 2 (mental); Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 24 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Improved Disarm, Jack-of-all-Trades, Speed of Thought, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, AE: Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 2 (+4), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+11), Expertise: Medicine 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+11), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 2 (+5), Investigation 2 (+9), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 2 (+5), Technology 3 (+10), Treatment 2 (+9), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Blast Setting +7 (Ranged Damage 5)
Stun setting +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/2, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 24 + Advantages 15 + Skills 26 + Defenses 15 = 138 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Curiosity. Relationship *(Arlan Hayez.) *Secret* (covert operations.)


----------



## Davies

Giant Space Tardigrade




Art by Ramul

The Technate Standard word for them is 'zuzgwang', itself a loanword from a long-dead Chirab language where it meant, apparently, 'space bear'. If legend is to be believed, they were once fairly common in the space around Chirab, and a large group of them are reputed to have bombarded the planet at one point. Centuries later, though, they've become all but unknown in those regions, while an occasional menace in the sectors claimed by the Technate. They also appear to be quite common in the Vaask Hegemony, but it's believed that the numbers there are dwindling, as the Vaask hunt them for both their meat -- a frequent appetizer in their food culture -- and for the natural hyperfuels that number among their bodily fluids.

The intelligence of these colossal creatures is a hotly debated topic. They do not appear to communicate with each other, much less with any other species, but demonstrate enough problem-solving abilities to recognize and avoid situations that are dangerous even to creatures of their size, such as meteor showers, whether naturally occurring or artificially induced. Their reproduction appears to be parthenogenic, with females of the species being slightly larger -- on the order of tens of meters of greater length. While able to consume biological matter, they also possess an ability similar to photosynthesis that converts most forms of electromagnetic energy into chemical energy, and can go for extended periods without feeding.

On detecting an energy source -- such as the output of a starship's thrusters and scanning mechanisms -- though their own extremely sophisticated sensory system, a zuzgwang will begin moving towards it, intending to feed. The creature will gorge itself until it can no longer detect any energy signature, and then drift off. For a vessel to avoid destruction in this process will normally require that it shut down all systems, including those required for life support. Only a handful of incidents have had such a positive outcome, and it is believed that many other vessels believed to have fallen victim to their attacks attempted to shut down but were too badly damaged to reactivate crucial systems in the aftermath.

Despite this, public opinion in the Technate is against trying to kill the creatures, in large part because of wide-spread repugnance for the Vaask's hunting of them. More humane methods of eliminating the threat that they propose are generally preferred. For example, when one particularly large zuzgwang attacked a colony on the Vaask Fringe, Captain Mystic managed to trick the creature into following a remotely operated starship out of the system, while the colony shut down anything that could attract the creature's senses. Once the zuzgwang caught up to and destroyed the bait ship, they returned to a somnolent state and drifted further away from the colony. It's unclear if such methods will suffice if a large number of the creatures ever attack a Technate settlement ...

*Giant Space Tardigrade -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 16 | *STA* 18 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Colossal Size:* Permanent Growth 16 (Strength +16, Stamina +16, Intimidation +8, Dodge -8, Parry -8, Stealth -16); Impervious Toughness 12 - 60 points
*Energy Beam:* Ranged Damage 18, Extended Range 4 - 40 points
*Energy Detection:* Senses 12 (hyper-extended 4 accurate tracking energy awareness) - 12 points
*Space Worthy:* Flight 12 (8000 MPH), Aquatic; Immunity 30 (life support, mental effects); Immunity 20 (energy effects), Limited to half effect; Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 69 points

*Advantages:*
None.

*Skills:*
Perception 10 (+13), Ranged Combat: Energy Beam 12 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 16, Reach 3)
Energy Beam +12 (Ranged Damage 18)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 18, Toughness 18, Will 6.

*Total:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 181 + Advantages 0 + Skills 11 + Defenses 24 = 240 points

*Complications:
Hunger--Motivation. No Ground Movement. Not Really Conscious of Other Life Forms.*


----------



## Davies

Manguai





The amphibious filter-feeding entities known as the Manguai are known to have one of the longest recorded histories in charted space, dating back some four thousand years. That history, originally inscribed in stone blocks on the Manguai home world of Bavelon, begins with a recording of religious holidays, but very quickly turns secular with an increasing focus on exacting and precise details about the gifts exchanged in these ceremonies, somewhat presaging the Manguai's focus on commercial exchange. It would be more than two thousand years before they developed space travel and the warp drive and became interstellar merchant princes, however.

Once they'd done so, however, they quickly became the dominant force in the regions of space that would later become the Imperium, with the Augrah, the Dhakamites, and the Gebela as their clients -- all cultures that bought their warp drive from the Manguai, and typically much of the rest of their technological basis as well. Their only real rivals were the Seshai and the Vautaro, and the whole history of the next millennium was basically a long sequence of alliances between and against these powers, punctuated by occasional civil wars and rebellions. The arrival of the Chiraben in this region of space eventually led to the formation of the Imperium, which the Manguai are fond of claiming as their own idea.

While the Manguai were involved in the development of technomancy -- their ethical flexibility kept them from much success with the Starlight path of mysticism, but their lack of cruelty typically limited their access to the Nightmare path -- they found the results of the civil war that these discoveries provoked to be sufficiently sickening that the majority of their kind foreswore its use in the aftermath. A small number did not, and accompanied the Armada when it departed, becoming the ancestors of the small number of Manguai who reside in the Technate. As these Manguai found Muraddin's environment somewhat unsatisfactory -- it lacks oceans -- they were some of the major sponsors of the polity's first wave of colonial expansion, fortunately discovering a number of water worlds orbiting nearby stars. (It is also reported that a Manguai cyberneticist was a leading member of the team which created the Minds, meaning that _both_ the major stellar civilizations have their origins with the Manguai.)

The Manguai have found the Crimson Imperium to be somewhat displeasing to their sensibilities. While they have ample opportunities for commercial ventures, and those few who have made merchant contacts within the Yusei Star Kingdom are doing quite well for themselves, the gradual impoverishment of their customers within the Imperium is not at all to their liking. A number of the Manguai have responded to this by becoming covert supporters of the Insurgency, though none have joined the fighting as yet.

When and if the Manguai learn about the cultures of the Sol System, they will be initially excited to discover a new market, which will cool off quite a bit when they realize that most of the local civilizations don't have any resources that the Manguai can't get somewhere else. This will in turn transform to horror when they learn about the Atlanteans on Earth (and Venus.) Their oldest myths claim that they were frequently hunted by aquatic humanoids who are a fairly close match to them, and the notion that their old enemies have survived is likely to upset them quite a bit ...

*Manguai Magnate -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Aquatic:* Immunity 3 (drowning, pressure, cold); Swimming 6 (16 MPH) - 9 points
*Large Size:* Permanent Growth 6 (+6 Strength, +6 Stamina, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge, -3 Parry, -6 Stealth), Innate; Protection 1 - 20 points
*Natural Senses:* Senses 8 (acute extended 2 tracking scent, acute ranged detect electrical signals, low-light vision) - 8 points
*Species-Specific Telepathy:* Mental Communication 4, Limited to other Manguai - 12 points
*Tentacles:* Extra Limbs 2; Elongation 2, Limited to Extra Limbs - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire), Chokehold, Connected, Eidetic Memory, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Jack-of-all-trades, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: History 4 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+11), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+11), Stealth 9 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 6, Reach 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 53 + Advantages 12 + Skills 23 + Defenses 18 = 142 points

*Complications:
Profit--Motivation. Enlightened Self-Interest. Weakness* (must be immersed in water for at least one hour in every six.)

_Note: There are not as many Manguai with billionaire levels of wealth as you might expect, but they do exist, and generally have higher levels of Expertise: Business._


----------



## Davies

The Gardeners





It's not known what they call themselves. Like many species who have well-developed telepathic abilities, they usually use their voices only to communicate with other peoples who aren't so gifted, employing the others' languages to that end. When doing so, those who have learned of the name by which they are known have usually indicated that it seems fitting. They do seek to care for plant life (as well as fungal and moneral life) and to catalog and study it, the better to care for it, and so they are, indeed, the gardeners of the universe.

The largest concentration of their settlements can be found on a planet in what's called the Enigma Sector. Again, it's not known if this world is the world on which their people evolved, or if it is one that they settled as they spread throughout space. It's not even clear when they did that; the Albadine claim to have been mentored by them, long ago, though the two peoples rarely have much to do with each other. If it is true that the Albadine once ruled an empire in the regions of space which are now the Technate, some fifteen hundred years* in the past, it seems likely that they did so despite the Gardeners' teachings, rather than because of them.

The Gardeners prefer to avoid interacting with other sapient life as much as possible. When visiting the worlds of other peoples, they do so covertly, limiting their contact as much as possible so as to avoid any possible conflict. That said, they will engage with others when necessary; many voyagers stranded on alien worlds, or on damaged space vehicles, have been rescued by the Gardeners and transported to safer circumstances. Even when this occurs, though, there will be very little interaction between their passenger and themselves. Some believe that they fear the consequences of contact, either for themselves or for others. Or it could be a shyness that is almost pathological.

The Gardeners are known to practice a form of mysticism that is unlike either of the well-known schools of thought known in the Imperium, though some of what is known about the Yusei practice is similar. It is known that they refer to this as 'the greenbond', and that it involves sharing energy between examples of plant life in a way that can revitalize and even heal the injuries of other forms of life, as well as using them as a medium to receive sensory impressions, animating plants to serve as allies, and -- most spectacularly -- drawing on that energy to perform feats of telekinesis. They generally prefer to use these abilities to escape from conflicts rather than prolong them.

Apparently, they have visited the Sol System (specifically Venus, Earth and Mars) many times in the past, most recently in the early 1960s, but seem to have satisfied themselves with the knowledge that they gained in those previous expeditions rather than embarking on new ones. Whether, as Captain Mystic speculated, they were the inspiration for the 'grey aliens' of Earthly folklore is not known, though they do not generally act in the callous and cruel manner that such creatures are reputed to do ... unless they are hiding the existence of renegades who pursue a very different agenda than the rest of their species. 

*Adult Gardener -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Greenbond:* Array (36 points)
 *Aura of Vitality:* Burst Area Energizing Healing 10, Affects Objects (Limited to Inanimate Plants), Others Only - 1 point
 *Green Network:* Remote Sensing 12 (visual, auditory, tactile), Medium (Plants) - 1 point
 *Mind Over Matter:* Perception-Ranged Move Object 12 - 1 point
 *Natural Allies:* Summon Animated Plants 9, Controlled, General Type - 36 points
*Shielded Thoughts:* Impervious Will 10, Limited to mental effects - 5 points
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (+2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -1 Strength) - 2 points
*Species-Specific Telepathy:* Mental Communication 4, Limited to Gardeners - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Animal Empathy, Defensive Roll, Improved Defense.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 6 (+11), Insight 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+10), Technology 4 (+9), Treatment 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)*

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/2, Will 13.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 55 + Advantages 3 + Skills 21 + Defenses 14 = 131 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Pacifism. Power Loss* (Greenbond, while in areas without plant life.) *Weakness* (environmental damage.)

* Included solely for completeness; it is difficult to imagine any Gardener resorting to this.

_Note: Younger examples of the Gardeners will have a weaker Greenbond (28 points), which removes Burst Area from their Healing and restricts their Green Network, Mind Over Matter and Natural Allies powers to 9, 9 rand 7 ranks, respectively. Elder examples will have stronger Greenbonds, and may be Medium-sized creatures. It is almost unknown for a Gardener to be able to remove the Others Only limitation from a power stunted version of their Healing; those who have accomplished this are regarded by their peers as having performed a miracle._


----------



## Davies

Sir Ashuha





For most of the Imperium's history, little was known about the stellar nation location on the trailing coreward border of the Imperium's territorial claims beyond the fact that there was a polity there, and those who inhabited welcomed neither trade nor exploration. The few who traveled there and returned did so with their personal memories erased, along with blanked recording devices and wiped computer banks; neither did any documented voyagers come _from_ there. After a fleet of military vessels came back in that blanked condition following an attempt to determine the fate of an earlier scouting mission, the Senate decided to issue commands forbidding travel in that direction, and await future developments.

Those developments came after the end of the Schism Wars and the departure of the Armada. Within a week, a vessel emerged from hyperspace in the adjoining sector and contacted the local governor, claiming to be an emissary from the Yusei Star Kingdom sent to establish relations with the Imperium. This was quickly accomplished, a treaty was signed, and a limited amount of trade began between the two nations, along with some contact between the mystics of the Imperium and their counterparts among the Yusei. Over the century that followed, two more emissaries were sent from the Star Kingdom to continue to maintain diplomatic ties.

Sir Ashuha was the last of these, arriving in the Imperium not long after the defeat of Galactor and present throughout the Imperium's slow transformation. In the immediate aftermath, the Crimson King informed him that he was no longer welcome in the Crimson Imperium, likely expecting that the emissary would return to his homeland. This led to one of the few times the Crimson King has been surprised, for Sir Ashuha promptly responded to his dismissal by volunteering his services to the fleet of exiles who were planning to depart, guiding them safely to the Technate and protecting them against attacks by pirates and space monsters along the way.

In delivering this fleet to the Technate, Sir Ashuha created a difficult problem for his new hosts. On the one hand, the Technate neither had nor wanted diplomatic relations with the incredibly distant Yusei Star Kingdom, and their emissary was a mystic and thus a monster in their eyes. However, it would be incredibly bad optics for the Technate to turn away the hero of a second Armada. The matter was finally resolved by granting Sir Ashuha a _provisional_ diplomatic charter, to be revoked at the discretion of any Technate authority.

Ever since then, he has remained within the Technate's borders, quietly learning about this state and offering his assistance when he sees fit. His motive, he will frankly admit, is to amuse himself, but he strives to uphold the good name of his homeland, and perhaps to ease some of the fears that the populace of the Technate feels about persons with powers. To that latter end, he has sometimes found himself allied with Captain Mystic, and finds her somewhat fascinating, though their relationship has only ever been friendly despite what some gossips would suggest.

Ashuha's powers are similar to those of the mystics, but the philosophy behind them is very different; rejecting both the asceticism of the Starlight Path and the sadism of the Nightmare Path, his way is much more of the world, a strong regard for the natural and an acceptance of the weaknesses of the living. He also wields a different sort of weapon, a physical blade jacketed by the same sort of force field that he can generate around his own person. Beyond this, his strength, stamina, and reaction speed are all well-above Chiraben norms, which would seem to support the Yusei claim that, despite being humanoid, they are _not_ Chiraben in origin.

The emissary travels aboard a Yusei spacecraft unlike any ship found in the Technate, making him instantly recognizable. It is crewed by artificial intelligences who frequently download themselves into robotic bodies in order to perform physical labor aboard the ship. As this is _incredibly_ illegal under Technate law, they make themselves scarce while visitors are aboard, with the notable exception of the ship's guiding intelligence, who sometimes uses an android body to pose as Ashuha's (nonexsistent) younger sister, Shisame. 

*Sir Ashuha -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Bonded Starsword:* Damage 6, Penetrating 6, Accurate; Easily Removable (-5 points) - 8 points
*Defensive Shielding:* Immunity 10 (life support), Quirk (limited to approximately 30 minutes); Sustained Protection 2, Impervious 6 - 17 points
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Touched by the Essence:* Senses 4 (danger sense, acute extended mystical awareness) - 4 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 2 (speak and understand all languages) - 6 points

_Equipment:_
*Space Frigate:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 14 (air/space); Defense 6; Toughness 11; Features: Living Quarters, Personnel; Powers: Blaster Cannons (Ranged Damage 10), Warp Drive (Movement 3 [space travel]).

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Attractive, Diehard, Equipment 12, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Laser Sword), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Laser Sword 1 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+11), Vehicles 3 (+9)

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)
Starsword +14 (Close Damage 6, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/6, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 36 + Advantages 29 + Skills 24 + Defenses 14 = 183 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Honor* (uphold the good name of the Star Kingdom.)


----------



## Davies

Kazino Asaru, Lady Fuurin





Generally speaking, the arrival of a new Ascendant at the gates of Pandiomon -- the great city that some call Heaven -- does not come as much of a surprise to any of the immortals there. While the Ascendants are not all-knowing, there is little that they do not see in the world which they are sworn to protect and guide, and so they are generally well aware of those who might earn their burden of glorious purpose. Even beyond the great deeds that every Ascendant accomplishes in order to become worthy of the mantle of immortality, every one of them has a patron who has been guiding those deeds -- and usually talking their candidate up as much as possible while doing so, basking in their reflected glory.

So when Kazino Asaru of the land of Teyangu, known to her followers as Lady Fuurin, considered the Incarnation of the Minister of Winds and Rain, arrived at those gates as the newest Initiate of the Sphere of Time, it was a double surprise. Not only had she no great deeds to her name, as her post as the Incarnation was a politically decided one, but no one had spoken of the possibility of her Ascension. And she herself was in no position to explain anything, as she initially believed that this entire episode was a somewhat confusing dream, and not until she found that she could not wake up did the reality of her situation dawn upon her.

Nothing in Asaru's life had prepared her for any of this. When her mother died only a few years after she was born, and her father remarried another woman with daughters of her own, she was sent to reside with the mountain priests of the Temple of Winds and Rain, as her father was not cruel enough to let his only daughter become a servant for his new family. Within the temple, she demonstrated a genuine gift for the wind magic that was their blessing, but proved to be a trial to her mentors in nearly every area. She was a poor student, a clumsy martial artist, and possessed of highly visible emotions instead of the serenity that she was expected to cultivate.

As she reached adulthood, Asaru's mentors began to despair. How were they to solve a problem like her? She was, despite everything, very popular within the temple for her kindness and sweet nature, but what sort of role could she be expected to play in their work? The notion of installing her as the new Incarnate began as a joke, but swiftly took on a life of its own. She would have only ceremonial duties that she could be coached into not fouling up, and largely be separated from anyone who might realize what an embarrassment she was. The former Incarnation was happy to retire and go get married, and so Asaru found herself installed in the role, as the current Lady Fuurin. Faintly bewildered by this development, she lay down that very night to sleep and found herself on the highway to Heaven.

It was soon discovered that Asaru did have a patron, but this discovery raised more questions than answers. She had apparently been granted Ascension by Celune, an Empyreal of the Sphere of Time who had been fascinated by the moon. But Celune had disappeared centuries earlier, with most having assumed that she merged with the substance of her home plane or been consumed by one of the Eaters of Worlds. She didn't respond to any attempts to communicate with her now, either. The Hierarch of the Sphere of Time, Khoronus, took charge of Asaru's education in Celune's place.

As the most senior -- by a few weeks, but that counts -- of the small group of Ascendants who have recently joined the struggles of the cosmos, and as the pupil of one of the Hierarchs, Asaru has found herself in the unenviable position of the group's leader. While this doesn't sit well with some of the other members of the group, Asaru has avoided making any serious errors in the few years since she began her vigil. She is probably closest to her fellow of the Time Sphere, Arkadiyye, who is also someone she knew when she was just a child, but she genuinely wants to be everyone's friend. How well she can balance being everyone's friend and being their boss remains to be seen.

So far, the majority of the group's assignments have seen them active in the Dragon Empire of Atelaine, frequently running into a very annoying rogue called Ezra Blake. So far, he hasn't yet figured out that the young women who keep crossing his path at odd intervals are Ascendants, which is good. Not so good is the fact that he doesn't take Asaru all that seriously, and keeps calling her 'Saru' -- "Monkey". The lack of respect, for an Incarnation (who is dodging her duties and letting one of her Servitors pose as her) and one of the Princesses of the Universe (whose existence he's not supposed to know about), is unbelievably frustrating, especially coming from someone who is not at all handsome or charming! And his stupid cat is even worse!

Meanwhile, Khoronus, as a time traveller from the far future of the World More Sorcerous, believes that most of the mysteries surrounding Asaru can be explained by her being the product of someone's manipulations of the timeline. As no one other than him is supposed to be manipulating the timeline, he intends to get to the bottom of this, and hopes that this isn't going to be another case where it turns out that he did it himself. Regardless, he suspects that at least a part of her strangeness comes from the fact that her mother came to this world from a land known as Japan ...

*Kazino Asaru, Lady Fuurin -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Time), Standard Action - 15 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Wind Magic:* Array (18 points)

*Air Bubble:* Sustained Immunity 4 (pressure, suffocation, vacuum), Affects Self and Others in Cloud Area, Dynamic - 2 points
*Blinding Gust:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Impaired, Disabled, Unaware), Limited to Vision - 1 point
*Lifting Winds:* Move Object 9 - 18 points
*Summoned Wind:* Summon Air Creature 6, Independent - 1 point
*Whispering Wind:* Communication 4 (auditory, air), Subtle - 1 point.
*Wind Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Wind Lash:* Ranged Damage 9 - 1 point
*Wind-Riding:* Linked Flight 8 (500 MPH); Linked Sustained Protection 9, Impervious 6 - 31 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (Incarnation), Connected, Equipment 4, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Language 3 (Akelo, Atelane, Koine, others [Teyango is native]), Ranged Attack 3, Ritualist.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Infirmary, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 15 points.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Expertise: Religion 8 (+9), Expertise: Society 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 5 (+9),  Persuasion 7 (+11), Ranged Attack: Wind Magic 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+12), Treatment 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Wind Lash +11 (Ranged Damage 9)
Blinding Gust +11 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Wind Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/3, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 71 + Advantages 15 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 184 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. A Bit Clumsy and A Bit of a Crybaby. Secret* (immortality.) *Vexing Person Who Is Not At All Cute* (Ezra Blake.)

*Air Creature -- PL 6

Abilities: 
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Air Control:* Array (16 points)

*Wind Blast: *Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Wind Binding:* Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Strength; Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Wind Lift: *Move Object 8 - 1 point
*Elemental Constitution:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Gaseous Form: * Flight 1 (10 MPH); Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Insubstantial 2, Permanent - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Favored Environment (Flight), Improved Initiative

*Skills:*
Expertise: Planar 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Air Control 2 (+4), Deception 2 (+3)

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Wind Blast +4 (Ranged Damage 8)
Wind Binding +4 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 44 + Advantages 3 + Skills 4 + Defenses 11 = 90 points


----------



## Davies

Phosta





Born in one of the many petty kingdoms of the Far North, Loran Phosta was unfortunate enough to be born a sorcerer in a time and place where it was taken for granted that any such individual had made dark pacts for their power. Knowing that she could not maintain the deception for very long, she ran away from home when she was sixteen, traveling south to lands that seemed more sane. She followed many paths in the years that followed, sometimes a sage, sometimes a soldier, but most often an adventuring mage, testing her power against opponents.

As she grew older, Phosta increasingly took comfort in her belief that her power, far from being the product of the Ruinous Powers, derived from the Sun Prince, who was born from light before there even was a dawn. Yet it seemed to her that there was more to the light of the sun than met the eye. Through experimentation and study, she discovered the existence of the sorts of light that would be dubbed 'infrared' and 'ultraviolet' by the scholars of another world, and strove to master these sorts of light as well.

After long years of study, she achieved her goals ... and collapsed, for her achievement really had taken everything she had, and death drew near. Yet she heard a voice urging her that this was far from all that she was meant to do, and Ascended as an Initiate of the Sphere of Power, finding herself on the road to Pandiomon, and running towards its gates with the enthusiasm (and, she was pleased to note, the body) of the young girl she hadn't been in quite some time, certain that she was about to meet with the Sun Prince.

Well, she _did_, eventually, but Phosta was rather startled to find out that he was not her patron. Instead, she had been guided, all her life it seemed, by Valerias, the Patron of Love and Romance -- two things that had she had never had any time for! When she babbled out her lack of understanding, Valerias had said something nonsensical about faith being the belief that all power can't be seen, and then something a bit more plausible about how all her life had been consumed by her love for her magic. Still bewildered, Phosta yielded to her patron's guidance and joined forces with the other Initiates who'd arrived around the same time as herself.

Out of all of them, Phosta is probably closest with Gebure, even though she thinks that they couldn't be more opposite. Their spheres are opposed, and where Phosta is a sorcerer who struggled to become a soldier, Gebure is a soldier who stumbled into sorcery. Yet the two of them work rather well together, much as their respective patrons do. Not _just_ like them, though. While Phosta is coming to understand how much of her life was (in Valerias' opinion) wasted because she never sought romance, she's much more interested in finding an everlasting love instead of her Patron's constant hopping from relationship to relationship. Most of the time, at least.

Of all of the Princesses, Phosta is probably the most concerned about events on the continent, specifically those in Galantri, where she lived for much of her mortal life. She hopes that they'll be able to do something about the madness that has lately engulfed the land, and is consequently somewhat impatient to be done with their adventures in the the Dragon Empire. That Valerias, of all people, keeps urging her to be patient is almost more irony than she can stand. It doesn't help that her identity as one of the Ascendants has been exposed to a vampir who's also come here from Galantri, one Ethan Grimaldi, who seems to be interfering with her activities out of petty spite. That he apparently became a vampir through making dark pacts is just the cream of the jest.

*Phosta -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Power), Standard Action - 15 points
*Enchanted Breastplate:* Impervious Protection 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points
*"I Walk With the Light, and the Light With Me":* Environment 1 (Bright Light) - 2 points
*Light Magic:* Array (21 points)
 *Blast of Light:* Ranged Damage 10, Accurate - 21 points
 *Blast of Unseen Light:* Ranged Damage 10, Subtle - 1 point
 *Blinding Burst:* Perception Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to Vision - 1 point
 *Burst of Light:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 7 - 1 point
 *Ghostbane Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 9, Affects Insubstantial 2, Limited to undead enemies - 1 point
 *Light of Healing:* Ranged Energizing Healing 5 - 1 point
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Speed of Light:* Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 24 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Attractive, Equipment 4, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Alven, Galantrian, Koine, Zwergen, [Dannic is native]), Power Attack, Ritualist, Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach 1.)
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 16 points.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Staff 4 (+10), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Magic 6 (+11), Insight 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+9), Ranged Combat: Light Magic 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 2)
Staff +10 (Close Damage 4, Reach 1)
Blast of Light +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Blast of Unseen Light +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Blinding Burst -- (Perception Area Afflction 10, Resisted by Dodge)
Burst of Light -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Ghostbane Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/7, Parry 11/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8/3, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 77 + Advantages 12 + Skills 22 + Defenses 13 = 176 points

*Complications:
Upholding Good--Motivation. Easily Distracted by Romance. Nemesis* (Ethan Grimaldi.) *Patron* (Valerias.) *Secret* (immortality.)


----------



## Davies

Gebure





In her youth in Al'Aram, Nehi Maschif was told, by her old grandfather, that she was the last of a family whose roots stretched back to the time when the land had been ruled from the lost city of Umbar, and indeed been ruled by the founders of her family. She generally considered that this was the least likely of the claims that the old pervert made when he was in his cups, since everyone knew that the people of Umbar had had horns and hooves, as their descendants did, and were not to be trusted. Still, she strove to carry herself as the heir to _something_ great, even though her family was only slightly less desperate than most within the Emirates, barely holding onto their lands.

As she grew older, Nehi found herself increasingly aware that the Emir and his court were increasingly squeezing not only the poor and the merchant classes, but also the lower orders of the aristocracy, such as her family, for all they were worth. If they had been using that wealth to spread the word of the Way of the Desert Rose, that dream of gardens in the desert sand, that would have been one thing, but they were largely expending it on their own luxuries. Angered at this, and remembering the legends her grandfather had told her, she determined that she had a duty to do something about it.

So she became a bandit, under the name Gebure ("severity") and soon found herself commanding a band of desperate folk. They robbed from the rich to feed the poor -- themselves among them -- and thwarted the schemes of those who sought personal advantage within the Emir's court. She obtained the enchanted scimitars which were and are her trademark during this time, and sought to master them. All the while, she feared that her small army were nothing more than a nuisance to the Emir.

Perhaps that's why, when a grand melee was proclaimed, where fighters from across the Emirates would come to compete to determine the finest among them, with the victor to be granted their heart's desire, Gebure decided to enter. Ostensibly, there was a truce on so that anyone, even a bandit, might take part in this competition, but she chose not to fall into that rather blatant trap. Instead, she disguised her scimitars and entered under her real name.

Pushing her skills to the utmost, Nehi found herself surviving encounter after encounter, but also found herself feeling weaker and weaker with each moment that the fight lasted. When it was over and she found herself the last woman standing, she was honestly stunned, then horrified as she realized that the healing that had been promised to those who took part was nowhere to be seen. Instead, those who had fought had been left to die of their wounds, their life essences stolen by the woman who had organized this atrocity, now revealed as some sort of serpent woman who was using them to empower a weird circle of fire.

There was no time for thought, no time for clever plans. Nehi flung herself into the circle of fire, using her scimitars to smash the ruby red gem within it, fully expecting to die but hoping that her life might save at least one of the others who'd fought in that battle. There was a roar of flame and the scream of the serpent woman ... and then Gebure found herself somewhere else, in the presence of a mighty figure who was looking down on her with a skeptical eye. He congratulated her on her victory, pyrrhic though it was, and on her Ascension as an Initiate of the Sphere of Matter, under the patronage of Tempus, Patron of Battle. "That's me," he added.

Dizzy at the notion that the deaths of all those people had been arranged so that one of them might possibly survive, thwart the scheme, and earn Ascension, Gebure nevertheless accepted her new situation. Being immortal was not the greatest change that she'd endured, for the flames had twisted her so that she was no longer a Helasian woman but rather of the Flamen people of the Dragon Empire, and blessed with their fiery sorcery.  She has striven to master this talent, though she prefers to fight hand-to-hand whenever possible.

As an experienced war-leader, Gebure was disturbed and angered to be placed under the command of an untried and untested _figurehead_ like Lady Fuujin. She was not shy about expressing this dissatisfaction, and finally the other Ascendant offered to give Gebure the chance to demonstrate that she could, in fact, do the job better. The result was almost a disaster -- while Gebure was a talented commander of soldiers, only one of the other Princesses had ever been a soldier, and their obedience to her commands was hesitant and often half-hearted. Further, she didn't know their capabilities as well as she thought she did, and found herself asking things that they weren't able to do. Lady Fuujin saved the operation by taking over and demonstrating a better understanding of their logistical and strategic situation than Gebure expected, but the mission was only a marginal success.

Since that time, Gebure has confined herself to muttering about the situation and making smart aleck comments, but only when they're not actually engaged in battle. In that situation, she uses her talents to conduct activities with complete deference to Lady Fuujin. There may come a day when she is ready to challenge her for leadership once again, but for now she's going to just wait and watch. She definitely doesn't like the other Ascendant. Not even a little bit. Anyone who thinks that is crazy. She definitely doesn't watch her at all times, especially not when she doesn't think the other woman is looking at her. Nope.

Regardless, she recently learned that the serpent woman who was involved in her ascension, despite failing on that occasion,recently managed to ascend as part of the Sphere of Entropy, and definitely wants revenge. As Gebure has a fairly strong desire to hold her old foe accountable for all those deaths (even if they were apparently part of her own patron's scheme, something she doesn't like to think about) having a nemesis is just fine by her ...

*Gebure -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Matter), Standard Action - 15 points
*Enchanted Scimitars:* Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial, Split Attack; Easily Removed (-2 points) - 4 points
*Fire Magic:* Array (18 points)
 *Flame Arrow:* Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
 *Flame Breath:* Cone Area Damage 9 - 1 point
 *Flame Shapes:* Ranged Shapeable Area Fire Damage 3, Concentration Duration, Selective - 1 point
*Heat of the Moment:* Enivronment 2 (intense heat, light) - 2 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Touched by No Lesser Flame:* Immunity 11 (cold, fire effects) - 11 points
*Wings of the Phoenix:* Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Flight 6 (125 MPH) - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Assessment, Benefit (ambidexterity), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Diehard, Equipment 4, Improved Critical (scimitar), Inspire, Language 2 (Atelane, Koine, others [Helasian is native]), Leadership, Skill Mastery (Intimidation).

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Combat Simulator, Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 18 points.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Sword 4 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Fire Magic 7 (+11), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+6), Stealth 6 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Scimitars +12 (Close Damage 5)
Flame Arrow +11 (Ranged Damage 9)
Flame Breath -- (Cone Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/8, Parry 12/10, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 70 + Advantages 18 + Skills 29 + Defenses 16 = 179 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Nemesis* (Lady Hiuchus.) *Not-Relationship* (she does not care about Lady Fuujin, got it?) *Patron* (Tempus.) *Secret* (immortality). *Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Arkadiyye





Though the island of Teyango was long a province of the Empire of Troas, the Troatians generally left it to itself, content to treat it as one of the breadbaskets of their empire and making no attempt to impose their own culture on the Teyanjin. Over the centuries, a handful of Troatians settled there, generally operating self-sustaining estates that lasted no more than a few generations before the descendants of the founders returned to their homeland for whatever reason. But that only addresses the humans of Troas, and they were not the only ones who investigated the land.

Arkadiyye (ar-KAY-dui-e) was born in the forests of Zrchev in the western parts of Troas some three hundred years ago. She will not argue with those who refer to her as a dryad, though she has never had anything to do with oak trees, and prefers the term ' napaead'. Despite human paranoia, she was not born from any romantic encounters that her mother might have had with males of their kind, but from a union between two napaeae whose roots intertwined. Hidden in the valley where she awoke for the first time, she did not see humans until she was well into her second century.

She was less than impressed by what she saw. By that point, the wood elves of Zrchev had stopped fighting human expansion into their homeland and started trying to gradually make an elf-like human culture of the immigrants. Most of the fey spirits at least passively accepted this program, and some supported it as best they could. Arkadiyye, young for one of her people, found it harder to do this, and her mother encouraged her to travel a bit and gain some perspective.

So she did, learning just how much worse things could get for the fey in other parts of the Empire, which regarded the wilderness as something to be feared, subdued and possibly destroyed. She was starting to hear the wisdom of her ancestors, but then her wandering ways brought her to the sea, and she heard its siren song, choosing not to go back but to keep traveling. And so she came to Teyango.

Here, the people treated their wilderness with greater respect than they did in the mainland, but with no less fear. Despite this, Arkadiyye felt a comforting presence here, especially among the cherry trees, and so decided to remain for a time. She even tried to communicate with the local humans, learning their language, but they regarded her as a spirit to be propitiated, not one with whom they could ever become comfortable. She slowly got used to the idea that she would always be viewed as a dangerous being, something to be feared.

And then a four year-old girl challenged that belief, when she and Arkadiyye met as the child wandered further into the forest outside her father's estate than she should have. Asaru seemed to regard her new friend as just a different kind of person than anyone she had met up until that point, and treated her with all the kindness that she expressed to everyone who did not annoy her. Arkadiyye did not have a heart, as such, but parts of her emotional landscape that had been cold and dreary grew warm and cheerful in Asaru's presence.

When at last they were separated, with Asaru packed off to live in a temple, Arkadiyye decided that the time had come to move on as well. Yet where she had been wandering aimlessly for so long, now she had a plan and purpose. She would become the immortal and transcendent being that people imagined her to be, and teach others the lessons that she had learned in the process. Where most of her comrades stumbled into Ascendance without really knowing what they were getting into, Arkadiyye pursued it with deliberation and forethought.

Like them, though, she was a bit surprised when she met her patron, whom she assumed would be one of the other fey who had won Ascendance in the past. In fact, Petra, one of the founders of the civic religion of Troas, had been a very human woman, and her followers had often fought against the fey as threats to humanity. But immortality had broadened her perspective, and she approved of Arkadiyye's ambitions and wished to support them. Arkadiyye is still not sure what to make of this, but welcomes Petra's aid and tries to serve her interests as best she can, while serving among the Princesses, among whom is her first and truest friend. She backs Lady Fuurin to the hilt, but isn't above teasing her leader for her more childish moments.

More troublingly, she has also acquired a nemesis, in the form of Baba Suten, a fiendish entity who claims to have been an oni in mortal life, and to have fought against the human invaders of Teyango in a time two thousand years in the past. That causes Arkadiyye a certain amount of moral discomfort, for she recognizes that situation as not unlike her own dissatisfaction with the human invasion of _her_ homeland. But Baba Suten is a cruel and vicious being, and whatever similarities Arkadiyye might see, she will not let the oni's bloodstained path continue any longer than she has to.

*Arkadiyye - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Time), Standard Action - 15 points
*Human Disguise:* Morph 1 (human form) - 5 points
*Plant Creature:* Immunity 3 (need for sleep, starvation, suffocation); Impervious Protection 8, Noticeable; Regeneration 10; Visual Concealment 4, Limited to while in vegetation - 32 points
*Plant Powers:* Array (20 points)
 *Green Network:* Remote Sensing 5 (all senses), Medium (plants) - 20 points
 *Pollen Cloud:* Cloud Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhuasted, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Root Transport:* Teleport 10, Extended, Medium (plants) - 1 point
 *Tanglevines:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited to Two Degrees, Requires Ambient Plant-life - 1 point
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Speak For And With The Trees:* Comprehend Plants 2; Senses 4 (postcognition), Limited to while in vegetation - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 4, Language 3 (Atelane, Koine, Nuhari, Teyango, others [Akelo is native]), Power Attack, Startle

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 10; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Habitat, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System 2 - 18 points. 

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Nature 8 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initative +1
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 9)
Entanglement -- (Burst Area Affliction 10, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12, Will 7 

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 85 + Advantages 14 + Skills 12 + Defenses 15 = 178 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Alien Perspective, Inhuman Appearance. Nemesis* (Baba Suten.) *Patron* (Petra.) *Secret* (immortality).


----------



## Davies

Rassa





The dwarves of Felsenheim do not, as a general rule, like magic. (The blessings granted those among them who work for the sanctified priesthood of Kagyar are, of course, _not_ magic, and it would be an unforgivable faux pas to refer to them in such a matter.) Those among them who develop sorcery typically end up outcast and exiled, and they don't even try to maintain any lore about the subject. Magic is for other peoples, not them.

Which is part of the reason that Rassafrassa Herrjim (usually just Rassa) was such an oddity in their culture. There are plenty of dwarves who are more interested in the theoretical rather than the practical, and during her initial education she seemed likely to become a great scholar. But she was fascinated by what little she was able to learn about the magic of the human, elves and even the gargun peoples, and wanted to know more. She believed that it could become a tool for the dwarven people which would enhance their lives in many ways. And all this was despite not having a drop of magical talent herself.

Eventually, she had to leave Felsenheim in order to continue her studies, but she will insist that she wasn't exiled, but left voluntarily. Rassa became an assistant to several human sorcerers, with a preference for those who engaged in adventures rather than solitary study. She learned much of what she wanted to know, but there was always more to be discovered. Eventually, her experiments in creating items that contained and channeled magical energy started to succeed more often than they failed, and she became known as a talented crafter.

While accompanying a group of human adventurers on a quest, Rassa discovered a horrific artifact that drained magical energy from the world, converting it into a strange form of sickening energy. Her friends all died from this emanation, and Rossa felt an unaccustomed anger. For the first time, she found herself working out how to destroy something instead of build it. She fully expected to die in the conflagration she unleashed, and was stunned when she found that she'd Ascended instead. 

And doubly stunned to find out that her patron was Ithas! Ithas, the Great Trickster! Ithas, who stole fire from heaven! Ithas, who featured in every single cautionary story about the dangers of magic that Rassa had ever heard! She'd always dismissed those stories as nonsense, and now here she was meeting the source of them, and suddenly they made a lot more sense.Regardless, Rassa cheerfully lent her talents as a warrior and sage to the (somewhat bewilderingly named) Princesses of the Universe, and has helped them out of several jams with her inventions. (And has only gotten them into one with them once so far.) 

If there's a major source of unhappiness in her life, other than the fact that she routinely has to do the bidding of a complete jerk, it's that she's in a rivalry with one of the other Immortals of the Sphere of Mind, one Skuravati, an Initiate who's probably going to be promoted to Temporal status soon. Skuravati is a sweet, kind, and gentle being, who has worked tirelessly in the defense of life and the living ... and she is also completely convinced that Rassa, and the approach she has to magic, will doom the world. And the fact that Rassa works for Ithas means that she can't quite dismiss the possibility that Skuravati is right about this ...

*Rassa -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Mind), Standard Action - 15 points
*Hammer of Smiting:* Linked Strength-based Damage 3 and Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vulnerable, Defenseless), Limited Degree, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 10 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Seven-League Boots:* Speed 12 (8000 MPH); Removable (-2 points) - 10 points
*Superior Toughness:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Impervious Protection 6 - 14 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Diehard, Equipment 4, Evasion, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Instant Up, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 2 (Atelane, Dannic, Gargun, Koine, [Zwergen is native]), Move-by Action, Ultimate Effort (Toughness checks).

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System, Workshop - 17 points. 

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Hammer 2 (+10), Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: History 4 (+11), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 5 (+12), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+9), Technology 6 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 5)
Hammer +12 (Close Damage 8 and Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 50 + Advantages 20 + Skills 22 + Defenses 10 = 176 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Reputation* (eccentric, possibly mad.) *Patron* (Ithas.) *Rival* (Skuravati.) *Secret* (immortality.)


----------



## Davies

Ezra Blake




_Ezra_




_Nekoshee_ (Art by beekakkee.)

By rights, Ezra Blake have lived the life and one day died the death of an anonymous peasant in the dimly lit streets of Sunnswall, capital city of the Dragon Empire. He was born of ordinary human ancestry and without any sort of sorcery, and so started life with two strikes against him, then earned the third at fifteen when his father and mother's restaurant offended the Guild of Hospitality. The Guild expressed their displeasure by hiring a sorcerer to burn the building to the ground, who then threw in burning his parents in the street when they had the audacity to escape. Ezra only escaped the conflagration by virtue of visiting his grandmother, a housekeeper for one of the city's temples to the Minister of Winds and Rains.

Of course, his grandmother could not take him in, which left him no real option except to join one of Sunnswall's gangs and begin descending through the ranks of the underworld. He was a talented thief, but the anger he felt over the fate of his family often led him to take risks in order to do greater injury, whether material or physical, to members of the fifteen Guilds. This attracted more heat than most of his fellows wanted, and so Ezra found himself increasingly isolated even within the supposed family of crime.

And then, two years after his family's death, while engaged in what was supposed to a confidence game in which he posed as a witch in order to extort money from some noble half-wit, the strangeness began. What was supposed to happen was that he'd say some sort of mumbo jumbo and one of his partners would bring about the miraculous appearance of some sort of phantasmal creature (faked up, of course.) What did happen was that Ezra said the mumbo jumbo, felt a sudden heat in the middle of his head, and then saw, where the 'phantasmal creature' was supposed to appear, some sort of cat appear from nowhere -- then look around in abject confusion, then say, in oddly accented Atelane, "What in the world just happened?"

The cat, whose name was apparently Nekoshee, had somehow been called from one of the Upper Planes by whatever it was that Ezra had done, and was now bound to his service. He was less than enthused about this situation, and became even more unenthused as he found out that Ezra was not a good-hearted sorcerer, as most of those who called upon his services had been, but a rather callous rogue and ne'er-do-well. Since Ezra had no way of sending him back whence he'd come, Nekoshee thus found himself somewhat forced into a role as the young man's moral adviser, trying to steer him onto a better path.

It's actually working. Ezra has started to confine his depredations to those members of Sunnswall's society, whether guilded or not, who have committed serious offenses against others, rather than just those who annoy him. The downside is that he was glimpsed by a keen-eyed witness, who was able to describe him well to a sketch-artist employed by a rather clever thief-taker, and so now there's a bounty on his head and his face is well known. He's responded by going out in disguise, generally, and has also been taking more and more jobs outside of Sunnswall, where the lawmen aren't quite so well-organized.

Ezra's powers are as much of a mystery to him as they are to anyone else. Things just _happen_, generally to his benefit, but sometimes in a way that hinders him. He can't count on them, and so he's focused on training his skills as a thief and swordfighter rather than exploring the limits of this strange power. Understandably, the thought that he's some new type of sorcerer really disturbs him.

It's not that he hates sorcerers; that would be stupid. He's gotten a lot of help from those five sorceresses who keep showing up at odd moments, and quite enjoys their company. (Especially the one who calls herself Gebure; when he talked about how his family had ended, he thinks he saw her regarding him with, and wonders whether she might have gone through something similar.) Of course, they are all way, way, way out of his league, and so he doesn't have any sort of romantic ideas about them. Or at least Nekoshee keeps telling him not to get any sort of romantic ideas about them, and he tries to follow his cat's advice. Not all that well, sometimes.

Other than them and Nekoshee, Ezra's closest tie is still with his grandmother, now very elderly and semi-retired as a housekeeper. She has some idea about what he does for a living, and doesn't really approve, but also thinks that he's started to go back to being the sweet-natured child he was before her son and daughter-in-law died. The cat probably has something to do with it, though she doesn't know that Nekoshee is more than just a cat.

(Nekoshee, as it happens, has more or less figured out who these young ladies are, and is absolutely petrified at the thought that the Ascendants are showing this much interest in a simple mortal boy like Ezra. Which would suggest that he's not all that simple or possibly not all that mortal ...)

*Ezra Blake -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 |*AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
HOW-DID-YOU-DO-THAT?:* Variable 5, Uncontrolled - 30 points

_Default:_
*Odd Coincidence:* Perception Range Damage 8, Subtle - 25 points

*Advantages:*
Equipment 2, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sidekick 24, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3), Throwing Daggers (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1), Armor (Protection 3).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 4 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+8), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3)
Sword +10 (Close Damage 6)
Throwing Daggers +8 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/3, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 25 + Advantages 30 + Skills 27 + Defenses 15 = 157 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Family* (grandmother.) *Sarcastic. Wanted Criminal.

Nekoshee -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Claws and Teeth:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Exalted:* Immunity 11 (aging, life support) - 11 points
*Gaseous Form:* Linked Flight 5 (60 MPH); Linked Insubstantial 3 - 25 points
*"Not All Who Wander are Lost":* Senses 1 (direction sense) - 1 point
*Speak with Animals:* Comprehend Animals 2 - 6 points
*Tiny Size:* Permanent Shrinking 8 (Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Strength -2, Speed -1); Speed 0 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Acrobatic Feint, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-by Action, Set-up, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Close Combat: Claws and Teeth 3 (+8), Expertise: Magic 7 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+8), Stealth 3 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Claws & Teeth +8 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 54 + Advantages 8 + Skills 13 + Defenses 7 = 120 points

*Complications:
Benevolence--Motivation. Friendship* (Ezra.) *Sarcastic.*


----------



## Davies

The Brotherhood of the Wolf




(Art by Tony G. Campagna)

In 1992, a group of West German college and high school students, numbering thirteen, came together to perform a mystical ritual that one of them had discovered in a copy of the Book of the Great Scorpion -- or so he claimed. Amazingly, none of them were killed, and the process succeeded in transforming them into creatures similar, in many ways, to the legendary werewolves. With their new powers, this newborn 'Brotherhood of the Wolf' (der Wölfespakt) committed many crimes in their homeland and neighboring countries, initially in support of the faltering Pythonian Insurgency, and later out of greed, bloodlust, and a desire for power.

While the group has endured the past quarter of a century, with the magic that transformed them slowing their aging, they have suffered many losses. Two members quit, with one fleeing to East Asia and disappearing completely, and the other returning to Australia and being shot by a rancher who took him for a thylacine wolf. Four of the members have been killed by police or other security agencies. (While the official report on the various 'animal attacks' that have been committed in this part of the world is that they are the work of animal-controlling superpowers, enough officers have an understanding about what's actually going on to be able to respond appropriately.) And two others, including the group's founder, have been murdered by the group's current leader.

Josef Ferdinand Kemp -- he only answers to the name Fenris, or the title Fuhrer, now -- was seventeen years old when he became a werewolf, two years after his earliest known murder. Inordinately pleased that his transformation resulted in him becoming a wolf with white fur, he sought to learn more about the magic that had facilitated this, taking it for granted that it had to result from the runic magic of his forebears. Disgusted to learn that the Book of the Great Scorpion was apparently of Turkish origin, he promptly began undermining the group's original leader, eventually killing him in 2005, after winning a duel to determine who should run the Brotherhood. His greatest ambition would be for the group to commit terrorist murders in Israel, Russia or the United States.

Rudi Schulze, aka Glasgeher, is the group's technical expert. Initially, he was simply the only member of the Brotherhood who wasn't completely computer illiterate, but he has kept pace with developments and now views himself as being one of the most adept hackers in the world. (He's not even remotely, but none of these people are all that humble about their accomplishments.) Alone among the group, he has realized that the Hong Kong-based superpower known as Dú Láng is probably their former teammate, but has chosen not to reveal that datum to Fenris as yet. Unlike most of his teammates, he is only interested in money, and has no particular liking for murder or assault.

Arvin Böhm, aka Knochennäher, is regarded as an embarrassment by most of the group. While almost all of them could be considered spendthrifts (only Glasgeher has invested his share of their profits) Knochennäher deliberately lives as one of the homeless. Partially, this is a scheme to avoid attracting official attention, while part of it is a mildly paranoid distrust of his fellows. If they don't know where he's sleeping, they can't kill him in his sleep, after all. In the meanwhile, Knochennäher has probably the most extensive group of street contacts of any member of the Brotherhood.

Uwe Brandt, aka Rotekralle, claims that he hasn't resumed his human form since his transformation. While that's probably not true, he is the member of the group most committed to being a werewolf, and spends most of his time haunting national parks in wolf form. Because of this, Fenris considers him the least troublesome member of the group. What Fenris does not know is that Rotekralle has been thoroughly subverted by Dracula's organization, and is just waiting to be given the order to murder the rest of his teammates. Whether he can actually accomplish this, or if he's just intended to do damage to a rival, is not clear.

Petti Kraus, aka Artemiz, aka Schwartzorn, wasn't always the only female member of the group. Originally, she worked fairly closely with Erdetochter, and claimed to share the older wiffwolf's ecological and primitivist agenda. After they had a falling out in 2007, however, she arranged for her former friend to suffer a fatal police ambush. It's since become clear to her fellows that any political goals that Schwartzorn might claim are cover for her actual goal of inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible on anyone who has the misfortune of crossing her path. She has often gotten so involved in the pleasure of hurting someone that she forgets that she's supposed to be killing them, justifying her behavior with the idea that she's been divinely appointed to do this sort of thing.

*Brotherhood of the Wolf -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Loping Movement:* Enhanced Advantages 5 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 10 points
*Semblances:* Array (5 points)

*Homid:* Morph 1 (completely human form) - 5 points
*Lupus:* Morph 1 (wolf form) - 1 point
*Song of the Wolf Pack:* Auditory Perception Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 18 points
*Thick-Skinned:* Protection 3, Impervious 9 - 12 points
*Wolf Senses:* Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack 2, _Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2_, Power Attack, _Uncanny Dodge._

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Criminal 7 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 5 (+6), Perception 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 6)
Song of the Wolf Pack -- (Perception Area Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 53 + Advantages 7 + Skills 22 + Defenses 18 = 170 points

*Complications:
Variable--Motivation. Power Loss* (Thick Skinned, against silver weaponry.) _*Secret Identity.*_

Fenris has STR 7, Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Intimidation 10 (+11), Unfazeable (Immunity 5 [interaction skills]), Power as a Motivation and Intolerance (pretty much everybody).

Glasgeher has INT 2, Technology 6 (+8), Language 2 (Japanese, others), Nethead (make Gather Information checks with Technology), Greed as a Motivation and Delusion (I am the most 1334 of all.)

Knochennäher has Contacts, Great Endurance, Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Feature (Iron stomach), Survival as a Motivation and Prejudice (homeless).

Rotekralle has All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Improved Initiative, Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Utter Misanthropy as a Motivation and Secret (traitor.)

Schwarzorn has Attractive, Defensive Attack, Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 6 (+7), Investigation 7 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Sadism as a Motivation and Delusion (I am the chosen of Hecate).


----------



## Sithlord

I miss the rollcall forum


----------



## Voltron64

Sithlord said:


> I miss the rollcall forum



As do I.


----------



## Davies

Severus






To Petra Iraklidis, alias Moment, he is 'that jerk'. In full, 'that jerk who made a mess of my Christmas shopping last year.' She didn't learn the name that he's using until their second conflict, in Feburary of the following year, and assumes that it's an alias. She isn't exactly blind to the implications of him having gravity controlling powers to her own, but in the absence of evidence to the contrary, she's assuming that it's just a big coincidence, and that he's motivated by something understandable, like a desire to show off his own much greater power.

She's much mistaken in several ways. Severus Meusz, born 1972, is her older half-brother, one of the younger legitimate children of her biological father, Gordion Meusz. Severus regards the fact that he's been forced to make a spectacle of himself while cleaning up another one of his father's messes with extreme annoyance, and the notion of wearing a costume or using some sort of nonsensical alias would just make the whole situation that much worse in his view.

Severus discovered the existence of Petra Iraklidis a few months after the formation of the Minor League. He might try to portray this discovery as the result of a careful and constant search for information about the activities of potential scions of the hidden families; to be fair, he does do that. But the fact is that one of his younger half-brothers caught a TV broadcast about the team and, noting that the cute Greek girl was doing stuff that he'd seen Serverus do, brought it to his attention, as he would have otherwise have missed it entirely, dismissing the activities of the tights-and-mask crowd as utterly irrelevant.

While Severus has put a fair amount of effort into developing his abilities -- more than his father or any of his siblings, full or half -- he's never remotely felt any inclination towards a life of heroism or one of spectacular criminality. He's certainly not an honest man, but his share of the family fortune is large enough that his schemes to get more are largely directed at other members of his family, rather than outsiders. He views those unfortunate enough to lack powers as little better than animals -- they shouldn't be killed needlessly, but if they have to die to satisfy the needs of their betters, there's no sense in shedding any tears about it.

However, among his father's more annoying habits is to keep right on fathering more and more children, even though the old goat is now in his seventies. In and of itself, this would not be an issue. However, he also tends to adopt and legitimize those of his bastardy that demonstrate powers, especially the family lineage of gravity control, _and_ fully intends to divide his estate equally between all of his children, rather than reserving the lion's share for those who are most deserving. This, in Severus' view, consists of exactly one person, but he could put up with dividing it ten ways. The fact that he's going to have to put up with dividing it twenty-one ways, or twenty-two if his father decides to accept Moment as yet another heir, does not sit well with him at all.

So he came to Philadelphia to try and clean up the mess, and was prevented from doing so the first time by the girl's allies in the Minor League. He escaped capture, and has since made arrangements to purchase a property from the House of Ashe, as well as soliciting their assistance in dealing with this continuing problem. So far, at least, he's managed to keep his father from finding out about any of this, and counts that as something of a success.

He has never even considered the possibility that Petra would, if informed that someone who sexually assaulted her mother wanted to give her money, refuse it without a second thought.

*Severus -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Anti-Gravity:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Subtle - 13 points
*Deflector Field:* Linked Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Linked Sustained Protection 8; Subtle - 21 points
*Gravity Control:* Array (24 points)

*Concussive Blast:* Ranged Damage 11, Accurate 2 - 24 points
*Concussive Burst:* Burst Area 2 Damage 8 - 1 point
*Crushing Gravity Field:* Damaging Burst Area Move Object 8, Limited to Moving Downwards - 1 point
*Null Gravity Field:* Burst Area Move Object 12, Limited to Moving Upwards - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 5 (multimillionaire, status), Connected, Contacts, Ranged Attack 2, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Business 8 (+11), Expertise: High Society 10 (+13), Insight 10 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 1)
Concussive Blast +9 (Ranged Damage 11)
Concussive Burst -- (Burst Area Damage 8)
Crushing Gravity Field -- (Damaging Burst Area Move Object 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/4, Parry 8/2, Fortitude 5, Toughness 10/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 61 + Advantages 11 + Skills 32 + Defense 10 = 148 points

*Complications:
Entitlement--Motivation. Intolerance* (non-mutants.) *Secret* (powers.)

_Note: While Severus is married with two children of his own, neither his wife nor children have ever featured in his activities, and so he doesn't yet have them as a *Family* complication._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> He has never even considered the possibility that Petra would, if informed that someone who sexually assaulted her mother wanted to give her money, refuse it without a second thought.




Aw jeez, just how many of the other siblings were the product of that too?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Aw jeez, just how many of the other siblings were the product of that too?



A large minority. And when you add in the fact that he has _a lot _of other children who don't have powers ...  well, let's just say, "The Aristocrats," and leave it at that.


----------



## Davies

Dynamick




(Art by Dyana Wang)

Michael MacDougall was a fairly normal young man, by all accounts, despite demonstrating a few minor super abilities from his birth. He always knew, down to the second, what time it was, and once someone explained how to solve a mathematical equation to him, he was able to solve it extremely quickly. But he wasn't particularly intellectually gifted beyond that, and so he didn't end up in one of the Think Tanks; not that it would have mattered, for they were on their last legs as his adolescence began. In any event, Michael generally kept his head down and didn't seek to draw attention to himself.

And then, when he was seventeen, another facet of his power manifested itself, as he discovered that he could cause explosions by touching things. It wasn't a situation where everything he touched blew up, as he had complete control over what happened. But not only could he make objects emit a destructive pulse of force through a simple touch, usually wrecking them in the process, he could cause that pulse to occur at any time after he'd touched the object, as though it was a timed explosive. (This had its downside, for although he was strangely immune to the pulses that he caused spontaneously, those which where delayed would affect him normally.)

Fascinated by this development, Michael spent most of his senior year trying to decide what he ought to do with this strange power. He briefly considered using it for material gain, but decided that this was a pathetic and contemptible goal. Instead, he should use it for the benefit of humanity. Unfortunately, he'd also spent that time reading anarchist literature, specifically some of the writings of the illegalists. Perhaps it was inevitable that someone who could blow things up at will would feel drawn towards a philosophy which held that criminal acts (like, say, blowing things up without permission) should be embraced.

Thus, Dynamick has become something of a criminal performance artist, causing wide-scale destruction but generally trying to avoid hurting people, in the belief that doing so will liberate people from their attachment to the concepts of property and ownership. When he engages in bank robbery, for example, he will normally destroy his share of the ill-gotten gains at the first opportunity. His minions for these operations are usually actors recruited to pose as criminals, and Dynamick generally pays them fairly.

However, he also seems to attract a certain type of partner in the process, a woman -- typically middle-class and well-educated -- who might initially believe that they can reform him while looking for a little danger in their lives. As Dynamick is not actually insane, just odd in his motivations, he's quite happy to accept these attentions until these would-be femme fatales become frustrated at their lack of success in changing him and move on. That actually takes a while in some cases, because, as one of them admitted to the police after her capture, "He's a bad bad man with a dynamite touch."

*Dynamick -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Dynamite Touch:* Array (18 points); Variable Trigger 5 - 6 points

*Basic Explosion:* Burst Area Damage 9 - 18 points
*Loud Explosion:* Linked Burst Area Damage 3; Linked Perception Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Hearing Impaired, Stunned and Hearing Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point 
*Shaped Explosion:* Cone Area Damage 9 - 1 point
*Lightning Calculator:* Quickness 3, Limited to mathematics - 1 point
*Time Sense:* Senses 1 (time sense) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Favored Environment (planned situations), Grabbing Finesse, Improved Initiative, Redirect, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
20 points as needed for any given caper, often a vehicle.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+7), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Basic Explosion -- (Burst Area Damage 9)
Loud Explosion -- (Burst Area Damage 3 and Perception Area Fortitude 6
Shaped Explosion -- (Cone Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 28 + Advantages 15 + Skills 34 + Defenses 15 = 148 points

*Complications:
Anarchy--Motivation. Once You Pull the Pin, Mr. Grenade is No Longer Your Friend* (does not have any immunity to own Area Effects that are Triggered.)

"It's good to be bad."


----------



## Davies

Blossom





Supposedly, there was a school of thought that held that an assassin should learn to use a rifle first, because it let them keep their distance from what was referred to as 'the client'. The closer one got to becoming a professional, the closer one would be able to get to the client, with the knife being the last tool to be learned. Of course, that curriculum ignored the possibility that there could be people fully able to service the client without any weapons at all.

Nevertheless, that training process was followed by those who sculpted Rachel Allen into an assassin, starting when she was fourteen years old. Or was she thirteen? She's often suspected that the birthdate that was entered into the system for her in Hong Kong's foster care system was a child was either a mistake or a lie. It's not really important to her, and it certainly wasn't important to the people who trained her. In any event, after two years, they deemed her ready to carry out her first hit.

For whatever reason, her mentors decided to make sure that she understood the reason for the hit. (She thinks maybe they'd heard too many stories about Koschei the Deathless.) There was this rich idiot in England who'd screwed over a different rich idiot in Japan, and the fact that the first rich idiot was in prison now didn't soothe any hurt feelings. So she was going to rub out the first rich idiot's daughter and get paid for doing so by the second rich idiot. Rachel didn't really give a crap about any of this, of course.

So she took up a sniper position and waited for the client to take a walk through a public park. It was a bit of a surprise that the client wasn't alone, but rather accompanied by an older woman. Apparently, it was perfectly okay for there to be witnesses. Go fig! Rachel lined up the shot, and waited for the perfect moment, watching the two women talking with each other ... and then something went wrong. Just as her finger was tightening on the trigger, the older woman tensed up, as though somehow aware of what was happening, but before Rachel could stop pulling the trigger, the old woman threw herself in front of the client, so that the bullet that shot forth from the rifle's barrel took her in the chest, instead of the target.

Rachel managed to keep enough of her wits about her to make her exfiltration and get picked up, fully expecting to be punished for this screw-up even though it wasn't her fault. To her surprise, the mentors were okay with how it had worked out. Turned out that killing the first rich idiot's ex-mistress would send just as good of a message. _Huh,_ she thought. _So that was her mom. Her mom took the bullet for her.

Why'd she do that, though?_ 

That bewildering question stayed with her through all the years of much more satisfactory operations, as she grew better and better at killing people. Never in all that time did she ever see anyone deliberately and consciously choose death on behalf of someone else. People sometimes begged for their lives, and sometimes they even begged for other people to be spared. (That usually amused her, particularly when those other people weren't part of the contract, but mostly it was just annoying.)

When she and her first client, now calling herself Megan Excalibur, met again, it was almost an accident. She'd been hired for bodyguard duty for the first time, and her client -- heh -- was being haunted, and had enough pull to get the Ghost Sweepers called in to sweep up the ghost. Blossom, as she was now calling herself, recognized the other woman despite how much Excalibur had changed her look over the last five years, but the reverse was not true. She found herself antagonizing Excalibur all the same, enjoying her ignorance.

The good times never last, though. She ended up taking a shot at the guy who was faking the haunting with her rifle, and this time another one of Excalibur's allies prevented the shot from hitting home. When Blossom complained about it, all the pieces finally fell into place for Excalibur. They ended up fighting what could perhaps be called a duel, Excalibur with that damned long sword of hers, Blossom with just her bare hands.

When it ended, Blossom was on her back, staring up at the other woman who had nothing but murder in her eyes. But when Excalibur demanded to know why she'd murdered her mother, all that Blossom could do was laugh, then tell her client the truth, and, in what she expected to be her final act, asked why her mother had saved her like that. Excalibur stared at her. "She was my mother," she said.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Blossom nearly howled. It was the same irrelevancy that she'd been told the first time she'd asked, for crying out loud!

A long moment passed, then Excalibur put her sword away and turned her back on her opponent. "I won't kill you," she said without looking back. "It would neither bring back my mother, nor anyone else you've killed. It wouldn't even spare those you might kill in the future, for your employers would just find someone else to do the job. And, ultimately, you're already dead in every way that matters."

Frustrated, and now out of a job because of the way that she'd witnessed her employer's humiliation, Blossom has refused to let that be the end of it all. One way or another, she's going to force a different conclusion to the story of the two of them. She has clashed with Megan Excalibur and the Ghost Sweepers twice since then, constantly trying to get Excalibur to fight with the deadly intent that she showed that first time. Or any emotion other than the disgust and contempt she always displays when Blossom shows up.

But really, even that is more than she's ever gotten from anyone else.

*Blossom -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (Alternate Identity), Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (sniper rifle), Improved Critical (unarmed), Improved Initiative, Language 3 (Cantonese, Japanese, Spanish, others), Power Attack, Precise Attack 4 (Close and Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Ranged Attack 2, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Sniper Rifle (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate, Improved Critical) and 18 points of equipment as neeeded.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Criminal 5 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+8), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 5 (+6), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Sniper Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 1 + Advantages 32 + Skills 36 + Defenses 20 = 133 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Obsession* (Megan Excalibur.)


----------



## Voltron64

So Christie by way of Villanelle, I take it?

And has Blossom ever had any run-ins with Koschei or Baba Yaga?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> So Christie by way of Villanelle, I take it?
> 
> And has Blossom ever had any run-ins with Koschei or Baba Yaga?



With more than a bit of Iwai Tsukuyomi and Himiko Toga mixed in.

She's met Koschei, and was less than impressed, but never encountered Baba Yaga.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> With more than a bit of Iwai Tsukuyomi and Himiko Toga mixed in.
> 
> She's met Koschei, and was less than impressed, but never encountered Baba Yaga.



Likewise for Koschei, I imagine. And she should be lucky that she never ran into Baba Yaga, because it would probably end up looking pretty ugly for Blossom.


----------



## Davies

Fuego





Born to a prosperous family in Miami in 1982, Esteban Torcida was always dimly aware that there was something odd about the way that he could accurately guess an object's temperature by looking at it. But it was so minor and pointless of an ability that he couldn't possibly think of himself as a superpower, and so never told anyone about it and tried to ignore it. Instead, he focused on what he thought of as a much useful power -- his charm and poise, which were the tools by which he could attract girls (and a few older women, as well.) His life was pretty sweet, all told.

It's possible that Esteban's willful ignorance of his capacities delayed the point at which he manifested his full superpowers, but it's also possible that they came on much earlier than he realized. He didn't realize what he could do until 1999, when he was at a dance club with his current inamorata and a fire broke out. (It was later determined to be arson.) Instinctively, Esteban created his force field, protecting himself and a few others, and then snuffed out the flames with a thought. He was stunned by the cheers from the crowd, but immediately realized that he could get used to this.

His parents were not so thrilled when he finally got home that night, as his father explained something that he'd been planning to reveal to Esteban in a few more years. Long ago, there had been a time when many of his ancestors had possessed such flame-based powers, as they were supposedly descended from Nahua priests of Xiuhtecuhtli, who'd maintained a sacred fire with them. Both his father and his mother urged Esteban to hide his powers, to claim that what had happened had been some sort of a fluke occurrence, as they feared the consequences if it became known that a Torcida had once more awakened to power.

Esteban, of course, would having none of this. It was a new age of superpowers, and he intended to use his talents to win even more of the adulation that he'd experienced that night. (He also realized that nobody would ever buy into that 'fluke occurrence' story.) He fashioned himself a yellow and red costume and debuted the very next day as Fuego, La Antorcha Voladara! He was mostly active in the Miami area, but even in these early days he could fly fast enough to be active throughout Florida, even in the Keys. He got all the adulation he wanted, and then some.

Unfortunately, in the first two years of his career as a superhero, he rarely had to fight any villains who could test his mettle. So when Cerebron came in 2001, Fuego found himself seriously outmatched for the first time, and ended up in the hospital for a month afterward. In his mind, he hadn't just been humbled, but humiliated, and the Powerhouse's invitation to join them, once he was up and about, sounded condescending and insulting to him. The playful daredevil that he'd been before the invasion was gone, and with him went a lot of the admiration that he'd received. That just made Fuego even angrier than he already was.

In 2004, after he also turned down an offer from the United Superheroes, someone else reached out to him. He'd heard of Jolene before this, of course, but they'd never crossed paths. She claimed that this had been because he intimidated her more than any of the other superheroes active at that point, and that with this concern came respect. Accustomed to being the dominant figure in his relationships with women, he didn't realize how much he was being manipulated until it was much too late.

Jolene claimed that she could arrange things so that he had all the fame that he'd once had. Together, they would create the appearance that Fuego was taking down parts of her operation (unessential parts that had served their purpose) and make people realize that what they had taken for anger was a growing maturity and concern for everyone's safety. Of course, there would be other benefits to their alliance, she told him, leaning in close. He took the bait.

And when she betrayed him, arranging for the media to receive video proof of other jobs, much less laudable jobs, that he'd undertaken on her behalf, he was genuinely surprised, so much that it didn't even occur to him to try and escape during his initial imprisonment and trial. It's possible that he thought this whole situation was part of Jolene's plan, but when he was finally sentenced to spend seven more years in the flame retardant cell that they'd used to keep him locked up, he finally broke. Somehow, he got word out to the parasupremacist movement that Hadron had started, and claimed to want to join up. They proceeded to break him out of prison, and put him to work.

Fuego stayed with Hadron's organization for almost a decade, developing a strong rivalry with Megawatt once the latter joined. Often based in the group's California bases, he found himself frequently fighting Basilea in this time, becoming a part of her rogue's gallery. He was frustrated by the fact that he was never able to change their relationship to something more interesting, as he did by seducing most of the female contingent of Hadron's army and playing them off against each other. Ultimately, though, he even got tired of that little game. In 2016, he cut a deal with Argus to turn over information about the movement in exchange for his freedom. They agreed, but told him to get out of the country.

Since then, Fuego has largely acted as a superhuman mercenary for various criminal groups in Africa, South America and Australia, including that run by El Diablo Rojo. When not thusly engaged, he lives the life of a latter day remittance man, paid by his late parents' estate managers to stay away, and occasionally working as an instructor to would-be pick-up artists. He's uncomfortably aware that he's getting on in years himself, and wonders how long he can keep up with this lifestyle. That's part of the reason that he's intrigued by a recent job offer to go to Bhutan and take part in a certain tournament on behalf of the Combination ...

*Fuego -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Flame Control:* Array (30 points)

*Flame Blast:* Ranged Damage 15 - 30 points
*Flame Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 10 - 1 point
*Flame Flare:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
*Flame Snuff:* Nullify Flame Powers 10, Perception Range, Simultaneous - 1 points
*Force Field:* Sustained Burst Area Impervious Protection 10, Affects Others and Self, Impervious is Limited to Physical Damage - 35 points
*Heat Vision:* Senses 3 (acute ranged detect temperature) - 3 points
*Living Jet:* Flight 10 (2000 MPH) - 20 points
*Resistance:* Immunity 10 (fire effects); Immunity 20 (energy effects), Limited to half effect - 20 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Attractive, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Language 3 (English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, others [Spanish is native]) Power Attack, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 5 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Flames 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Flame Blast +7 (Ranged Damage 15)
Flame Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 10)
Flame Flare -- (Ranged Burst Area Affliction 10, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 13/3, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 111 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 19 = 207 points

*Complications:
A Life of Ease--Motivation. Conscious of Advancing Age. Lecherous Cur. Secret* (treason against parasupremacists.)


----------



## Voltron64

He and the Slough/Slug ever tangle with each other back during the former's hero days?


----------



## Davies

Nope, they missed each other ... somehow. <whistles a certain tune>


----------



## Davies

Scathach





Scathach is the name to which she answers, and she does make her home on the Isle of Skye. If asked, directly, whether she is literally the figure from the legends of Ulster, her answer will vary depending on her opinion of the person doing the asking. In most cases, she will simply make a comment to the effect that such personal questions are generally considered rude. Very rarely, in her most honest moments, she will admit that she is not, and then add that she doesn't wish to discuss her origins beyond that. In a moment of total honesty, a few years ago, she further admitted that it has been so long since she was called anything else that she has forgotten the name she was given at birth, or the names she bore in the years afterward.

She was born on Cherab, some twelve hundred years ago, as one of that planet's people of tomorrow, the rising stars. She was a minor figure among them at best, but when the war came, she fought it as best she could, and survived everything that her fellows and the humans could throw at her. When the survivors left, she went with them, as a passenger on one of their space ships. Scathach thinks that she was sick and tired of the war, but can't really remember those days too clearly, either.

She _knows_ that she was certainly sickened by the war that broke out among the overpeople less than a decade after they left Cherab, and made her own opinion of the dispute quite clear by spacing the other denizens of the ship -- some of whom were spaceworthy, probably -- then using it to leave the group. She found a world inhabited by a branch of humanity, and settled there for a time, living like a mother goddess among them and giving birth to about fifty children, all of whom inherited her immortality and became the ancestors of the Chatpaura people. But this grew tiresome to her, and so she left the world later named Sezti behind her and travelled on through the void.

Sometime around the 13th century, her voyage brought her to Earth, landing on the Isle. One of the first people she met was a Christian friar who was familiar with the Ulster cycle; seeing her spear and the proficiency with which she used it, he asked her whether she was some relation of the legendary warrior-woman of this island. Learning more, she decided to adopt this identity as her own, to make life a bit easier. She rebuilt the spaceship into a castle, hidden inside a pocket of folded space that hid it from sight -- a castle of shadows, just like in the legends. (Looking back, she's not sure how she did that. Maybe someone helped her, but she can't quite remember these details, either.)

Thereafter, she engaged in what pursuits seemed fitting for this new life. Sometimes she would hunt monsters, sometimes she was persuaded to take part in battles. Sometimes, some would seek her out to gain training in the warrior arts, just as her namesake had given that to great heroes of the past. When it suited her, she would give them what they sought. When it didn't, she would give them what they were really seeking. Early on, she might dally with them, and became a mother on this world, too. But these children did _not_ inherit her immortality, and the pain of watching them grow old and die in an eyeblink made her stop playing such foolish games.

Years passed, and she found herself being sought out more rarely. The last time was in the early years of the previous century, when some mad doctor from the lands far to the west had her teach his son a few things. She thinks she might have taught him more than his father wanted, but it probably didn't make a difference. She's not sure anything that she's ever done has really made any difference to anyone. How can it, when life just keeps going on and on and on, with nothing ever really lasting?

Except that she knows this isn't true. In 1961, she made one of her rare trips to Portree to arrange to purchase some supplies that she couldn't manufacture herself, and visited a public house which had purchased a television. She watched the news with interest, until a report about some activities by the Insititute aired ... and her face went white as she saw their most noteworthy member. "Baraksus," she said, then left Portree at once, sealed up her castle with herself inside, and didn't even bother to take delivery of the supplies she'd ordered. She didn't come out again for thirty years.

While Scathach quickly determined that the immediate danger had passed when she emerged, she felt a certain guilt that she'd not even tried to warn anyone about what had come among them, especially after she learned the full story. So when one Robert Richmond sought her out, she didn't put him through any proving tests, but gave him the teaching he'd sought without question. She was a bit impressed that he survived it, and watched him go. A few more times since, she's given teaching to young would-be heroes, and finds a certain comfort in the notion that she's helping to prepare for the day when _he_ comes back.

Recently, she was contacted by Exelion, who offered her a teaching position at his Academy. Scathach isn't sure that she wants to be so visible, but it's a tempting offer, and something about the man who made it seems awfully familiar ...

*Scathach -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Blood of Kings:* Immortality 12 (minimum of 15 minutes), Limited (not if beheaded), Stamina Check Required (DC 14); Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 22 points
*Fast Learner:* Comprehend Languages 4, Quirk (takes an hour to pick up a new language) - 11 points
_*Gae Bulg:*_ Strength-based Ranged Damage 3, Secondary Effect (bleeding), Accurate; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 6 points
*Impossibly Fast:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Quickness 3; Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 15 points
*Mind of Steel:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (spear) 4, Improved Defense, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Ranged Attack 4, Takedown, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
*Castle of Shadows:* Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Combat Simulator, Concealed 2, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Security System 2 - 18 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+13), Close Combat: Spear 4 (+14), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Spear 4 (+8), Stealth 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 7)
Gae Bulg +16 (Close Damage 10, Crit 15-20)
Thrown Gae Bulg +14 (Ranged Damage 10, Crit 15-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/9, Parry 13/10, Fortitude 11, Toughness 13/8, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 86 + Powers 64 + Advantages 28 + Skills 29 + Defenses 14 = 221 points

*Complications:
Boredom--Motivation. Fear* (other 'rising stars', especially _him_.) *Show-off.*


----------



## Voltron64

> She _knows_ that she was certainly sickened by the war that broke out among the overpeople less than a decade after they left Cherab, and made her own opinion of the dispute quite clear by spacing the other denizens of the ship -- some of whom were spaceworthy, probably -- then using it to leave the group. She found a world inhabited by a branch of humanity, and settled there for a time, living like a mother goddess among them and giving birth to about fifty children, all of whom inherited her immortality and became the ancestors of the Chatpaura people. But this grew tiresome to her, and so she left the world later named Sezti behind her and traveled on through the void.



Defintely need to know about them in the future.


> Years passed, and she found herself being sought out more rarely. The last time was in the early years of the previous century, when some mad doctor from the lands far to the west had her teach his son a few things. She thinks she might have taught him more than his father wanted, but it probably didn't make a difference. She's not sure anything that she's ever done has really made any difference to anyone. How can it, when life just keeps going on and on and on, with nothing ever really lasting?



Doc Savage/(Clark Van Wilde)?


> Except that she knows this isn't true. In 1961, she made one of her rare trips to Portree to arrange to purchase some supplies that she couldn't manufacture herself, and visited a public house which had purchased a television. She watched the news with interest, until a report about some activities by the Insititute aired ... and her face went white as she saw their most noteworthy member. "Baraksus," she said, then left Portree at once, sealed up her castle with herself inside, and didn't even bother to take delivery of the supplies she'd ordered. She didn't come out again for thirty years.



Oh damn....

(It's been a thousand years of constant sorrow with him from what I know now. Hell, I imagine he probably had a major hand in setting off the wars that led to their exile.)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Defintely need to know about them in the future.



You can pretty much just add Garth Maraud's _Blood of Kings_ power to whatever PL 8 or higher warrior type you'd like and produce one o them.



Voltron64 said:


> Doc Savage/(Clark Van Wilde)?



Yep.

And to your other guess ... he is Dev Samael, after all.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> You can pretty much just add Garth Maraud's _Blood of Kings_ power to whatever PL 8 or higher warrior type you'd like and produce one o them.
> 
> 
> Yep.
> 
> And to your other guess ... he is Dev Samael, after all.



He is motivated by Retribution Upon The Deserving but over the past twelve centuries, he came to find that Everyone (Else) Was Deserving.

But most of all, (and he fears this more than almost anything and will do anything and everything to avoid confronting it) himself.


----------



## Davies

_This character is based on suggestions from Voltron64._

General Seismic/زلزالي (Zilizali)





Unlike his greatest rival -- who, somewhat annoyingly, never seemed aware of his existence -- Seismic was always a member of the military branch of his faction, 'born' to fight the never-ending war. While fully capable of inflicting terrible damage on his enemy's personnel and materiel, he also excelled as a spy. If the Eradicating Aeon -- silly name, but so is 'Sudden Disruption of Stability' -- was better at combining the two tasks to work as an assassin, then Seismic could at least take some comfort in the notion that their superiors never went to that one when what they wanted was a quiet bit of intelligence gathering.

But Eradicaton rose faster in their ranks, and he began to propose notions that Seismic regarded as concerning. Allying with the flesh creatures of the third planet? How absurd! When the other leaders went along with it, Seismic knew that the time had come to -- figuratively -- turn his coat, and defected to one of the other factions to let them know what was going on. Of course, no one ever trusts a traitor easily, and so they didn't listen to him until the great broadcast provided proof. That led to the one time in Ectotronian history that nearly every faction united against one of their number, and destroyed his old allies.

In the aftermath, there was a sort of peace on Ectotronia. Seismic still saw a fair amount of action when flare-ups happened, but the days of thunder seemed gone forever, and he found this new climate boring. Despite still viewing them with contempt, he began to experience a certain curiosity about the flesh creatures. Twice, in his existence so far, they'd managed to change everything about a situation that had seemed impermeable. Possibly there was more to them than he'd realized.

So, in the year that they called 2007, he left Mercury and travelled to Earth, using a space-booster to let him fly at greater speed than he could manage on his own. He found plenty of work as a mercenary for various groups, and increased his knowledge about humanity considerably. Ultimately, Seismic ended up working on a somewhat permanent basis for a group of humans who called themselves the House of Saud, transforming their military from a bunch of unskillful hands with good quality hardware -- for this planet, anyway -- to an efficient anti-superpower, anti-kaiju, and anti-extraterrestrial fighting machine.

That took him about two-and-a-half years, and, just as before, he found success in the task a bit boring. Arranging to take up a role as an orbital guardian, he posed as a communications satellite and began spying on other governments and agencies, passing along what seemed useful to his employers. He also started to notice a set of signals that didn't seem to be of human origin. Initially, he thought they might be Ectotronians like himself, but Seismic quickly realized that they were local machine intelligences -- artificial super intelligences to use the local terminology. He spied on them for a while, planning to contact them in a friendly manner when he learned what they were about.

Ectotronians do not experience emotions in the same visceral sense that most humans do. They experience pleasure, but not joy, anger, but not rage, and regret, but not grief. They experience fear ... but not until he realized what these beings planned for humanity had Seismic ever known something that could be described as horror. Ectotronians might be constantly at war, but they never sought to exterminate their enemies entirely, and the notion of exterminating an entire species was completely beyond Seismic's understanding.

He had grown fond enough of a few examples of humanity over the last while that he could not let this go unchallenged. But revealing it to his extant allies would just bring the attention of these monstrous intelligences and all of their resources down on him, and he had no illusions that he could prevail against such a challenge. Instead, from 2011 onwards, he began to look for secret agents who were already fighting the enemy without knowing it, and improved their understanding of what they fought. He arranged for them to be given a method of communication that could keep them secure, and guided their efforts remotely. In other words, he founded the Gray Seal.

If things go bad, he will put a priority on escaping, and preparing Ectotronia for what's going to come when Earth's native machines rise up. But he doesn't have any illusions that he'll be believed this time, either, and so he's very motivated to win this war _now._

*General Seismic -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 13/7 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cannon:* Ranged Damage 7, Extended Range; Enhanced Ranged Damage 6, Quirk (1 rank per rank of Growth active) - 26 points
*Contragravity Flight:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Subtle - 13 points
*Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20) - 1 point
*Robot in Disguise:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Morph 1 (communications satellite); Protection 10, Impervious 8 - 53 points
*Sensors & Communications:* Radio Communication 4, Subtle; Senses 11 (accurate extended 2 radio, darkvision, direction sense, extended vision 3) - 27 points
*Size-shifting:* Growth 6 (+6 Strength, +6 Protection, -3 Dodge, -3 Parry, +3 Intimidation, -6 Stealth) - 18 points

*Advantages:*
All Out Attack, Assessment, Benefit (military rank) Eidetic Memory, Inventor, Language 2 (Arabic, English, others), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Technology).

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Deception 10 (+13), Expertise: Military 6 (+12), Expertise: Science 8 (+14), Insight 8  (+12), Intimidation 8 (+14/+11), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Cannon 9 (+11), Technology 8 (+14).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 13/7)
Cannon +11 (Ranged Damage 13/7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/13, Parry 8/11, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 16/10, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 139 + Advantages 9 + Skills 34 + Defenses 21 = 253 points

*Complications:
Self-Preservation--Motivation. Developing Conscience. Responsibility* (Saudi Government.) *Secret* (Grey Seal.)


----------



## Voltron64

He is perfect, Davies.

And have Eradicaton or even Hardhead have any contact or encounters with the Earth AIs? I could see the former using them for his grand plans.

Also has Eradicaton brought any Saudis into the Grey Seal? Because I could some of the group's resources and assets having a vague link to the GID.


----------



## Davies

The Grey Seal are very small in numbers -- their inspiration consisted of seven human beings and a non-sapient (?) dog -- and I'll be describing three of them over the next few days. One or two of them might have been recruited in Saudi military, intelligence or security, but not whole agencies.

Neither Eradicaton nor Hardhead have learned about the situation, yet, though Hardhead has noted some anomalies that he wants to investigate.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The Grey Seal are very small in numbers -- their inspiration consisted of seven human beings and a non-sapient (?) dog -- and I'll be describing three of them over the next few days. One or two of them might have been recruited in Saudi military, intelligence or security, but not whole agencies.



Never said it was entire agencies, that was really more along of the lines of what I was expecting. And I merely figured they been using the GID as a vague cover for their actual activities.


----------



## Davies

Dr. Evan Albert





Born in 1969, Evan Albert demonstrated his hyperbrain talents fairly quickly and became one of the first students to be recruited by the earliest American Think Tanks, where he was given training to accentuate those talents. By 1984, it was fairly clear that he had reached the limits of his ability, which were unfortunately not nearly as impressive as many of the other students. On the other hand, he was also much more stable than many of them, and the administration of the Think Tank increasingly relied on him as a trusted leader. When he turned 18, having graduated with his second Ph.D. (in psychology; his first was computer science) he was promptly hired by the administration to make his position more official.

He remained with that operation until it shut down in 1997, despite never having been subjected to loyalty conditioning. In fact, he helped to develop the procedures that many of the think tanks used on their pupils. In hindsight, this is one of his greatest regrets, but at the time he was persuaded that it was a good way to ensure that most of these eccentric geniuses didn't damage themselves or the world. Ultimately, though, the think tank era was a surprisingly brief one, and once his own shut down, Evan didn't try to find employment with one of the other operations, but acquired a teaching position at Columbia.

After having assisted in coordinating the defense of New York City during Cerebron's assault, Dr. Albert was recruited by SkyWatch to help prevent such future attacks. In 2005, he submitted the prototype for a computer system designed to synthesize all the astronomical data that the organization gathered and provide early warnings of possible alien arrivals in the solar system. The level of complexity required for this process demanded more than an expert system could handle, and so Dr. Albert's team constructed an artificial super-intelligence that they dubbed Urania.

It ran for exactly four hours before it blew up. Before Evan could get permission to examine the remains to try and figure out what had gone wrong, he learned that several of his team had been murdered. He escaped his own assassins by purest luck, and chose to go underground as he was unsure who he could trust. Still conducting his investigation, Dr. Albert realized that Urania had been sabotaged, most likely by the same group that had tried to kill him.

His initial suspicion was that this entire operation was part of the lead up to an alien invasion, but after receiving assistance from operatives from the Technate who were able to clear most of the extraterrestrials on Earth, Evan's concerns became more diffuse. Luddites? Ill-informed libertarians? A rival program? The possibilities seemed endless, and for a while he gave up on the search and focused on building a new identity and life for himself.

In 2010, he had his first meeting with Haven Tucker, who gave him the first real clue as to what his opponent might be. Months later, while exploring a mysterious structure in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, he had his first (and to date only) direct confrontation with Humpty Dumpty, once again barely escaping the sadistic ASI with his life. In the aftermath, Evan felt genuinely ashamed for not having seen the obvious. But now what was he supposed to do?

A little less than a year later, he was first contacted by the Patron, who explained the full situation -- _four_ ASIs, united in an alliance to overthrow humanity -- to him. Dr. Albert agreed to work with the Patron, though he didn't fully trust the mysterious voice on the phone, and began to recruit agents for what became the Gray Seal, with Haven as the first. With the Patron's help, Evan developed the radiotelepathic implants that all the agents use, and he's still the one who conducts the surgical procedures needed. (As he's grown older, he's increasingly certain that they should recruit an actual surgeon for this task.)

Of course, Evan is smart enough to realize that the Patron is probably an ASI, playing some game of their own against the four. He has even privately speculated that they might be of extraterrestrial origin. So far, he has not begun developing any strategies for what to do if the Patron ever betrays the Gray Seal, but the possibility does weigh on him. He has not revealed these concerns to anyone, yet.

*Dr. Evan Albert - PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3, Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points

*Advantages:*
Connections, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Ranged Attack 3, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
20 points as needed for any given operation (often a Blaster Pistol [Ranged Damage 5]).

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Civics 2 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 3 (+9), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+9), Technology 5 (+11), Stealth 6 (+7), Treatment 5 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster Pistol +6 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 17 + Advantages 15 + Skills 23 + Defense 13 = 108 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret* (Gray Seal.) *Understandably Paranoid.*


----------



## Voltron64

I gotta say, I feel the ASIs' plans to have humanity reduced into a footnote in their history will still result in the ASIs _themselves_ ending up a footnote in interstellar history. If not thanks to the Ectotronians, then probably either from the Technate or the Dark Side.

What makes the ASIs dangerous is that they are comparable to chimpanzees with machine guns, but they're still big fishes in small ponds up against the ocean. And they don't exactly have hydrokinesis or metokinesis.


----------



## Davies

It may be so. Or not.


----------



## Davies

Haven Tucker






Very little is known about the early life of the woman who calls herself Haven Tucker, which is believed to be an alias, but no one knows for sure. The one definite fact that's known about her is that she was born in 1972, as she indicated that she was exactly forty years old to another member of the Gray Seal on the day in 2012 which she designated as her birthday. It seems likely that she was orphaned or otherwise separated from her biological parents early on, as she's also stated that, when she ran away from home at the age of fifteen, she was not leaving her actual family behind.

The basic narrative of her life, according to her, is that after running away, she became associated with a Seattle street gang which was loosely associated with the Pythonian Insurgency. She was with them only a few months before they attempted to burglarize an electronics supply shop which was covertly run by robots in the service of the artificial superintelligence known as Pythagolem, who captured the burglars and turned them over to their master.

For the next nineteen years, Haven was subjected to numerous 'scientific' tests by Pythagolem, most of which put her life in considerable danger. But there was always a way out of the traps and dooms to which she was subjected, and she always managed to find that way out before she could be killed. She believes that the other members of her gang were subjected to the same thing, and that they probably failed, but she's not sure about the latter part as it's based on Pythagolem's statements to her -- which she came to believe were nearly always lies. On the other hand, she did not see another human being during that entire length of time.

It's not clear whether Haven's superpowers were activated by all of this, or whether they were already latently present before her imprisonment. Both things could be true. She wasn't aware that she was doing anything unusual until fairly close to the end, when she realized that injuries she'd suffered were recovering much more quickly than they had in the past. She sometimes had nightmares that she had died and been reborn as some sort of biological robot, but the fact that Pythagolem never tried to hint at such things suggested that these ideas originated with herself.

Finally, after one last strenuous set of tests, Haven found herself passing through a door that led outside the facility and into an evening in one of Seattle's parks. Initially suspecting that this was just one more trick, she soon determined that she was not in a hologram but actually outside. She turned back to look at the exit from which she'd emerged, and was startled to find Pythagolem's holographic icon looking back at her. Then the door sealed shut. She stared at it for a while, then spoke the first words she'd spoken in nineteen years. "I'll be back," she said, then turned and walked away.

Understandably, Haven found it a bit difficult to make a new life for herself. She had nothing but the clothes on her back, no official records of any kind, and preferred not to talk. She was fortunate in that she was assigned to an extraordinarily compassionate social worker, who arranged for her to get documentation, shelter and work, which kept her off the streets. It was a very marginal existence, but she was free. And if she frequently awakened gasping from nightmares, they were still better than the nightmarish existence she'd known.

Then Evan Albert tracked her down, having heard of her sudden appearance like a latter day Kaspar Hauser. She wrote down her account of what had happened to her and gave it to him, fully expecting to have him dismiss it as the wild tale that it was. When he showed up again, about a year later, with the news that Pythagolem was only one of _four_ ASIs that were conspiring against humanity, she couldn't even feel any surprise. Evan offered her an administrative position in the organization he was assembling; she silently indicated that she was prepared to take a more active role than that.

Ever since then, Haven has been one of the leading agents of the Gray Seal. She doesn't bother to wonder who the Patron is, since it's enough for her that it facilitates her struggle. She keeps other agents at a polite distance, rarely speaking to them and almost never using more than one or two words at a time. She's only slightly more voluble while using radiotelepathy, almost never engaging in chatter, though she expresses herself in complete sentences when she transmits what she considers important information. She _never_ talks to anyone outside the agency, especially not robots or androids, which she destroys without mercy ... sometimes to the annoyance of other agents, who'd prefer to have something they can interrogate.

Haven fully intends to keep her promise, one day, even though exploration of the site where she emerged has failed to turn up any passages leading to the facility she remembers. (Not surprising, they had plenty of time to remove them.) Nevertheless, she will come back swinging. Before she destroys Pythagolem, she intends to ask the mad machine why it let her go. She expects that the answer will simply be that it was one of the creature's whims. She _fears_ that this is all just one more test.

*Haven Tucker - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 7 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging); Immunity 2 (disease, poison), Limited to half effect; Regeneration 5 - 7 points
*Parkour:* Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 1 (safe fall), Limited to Distance 0; Movement 1 (sure-footed); Speed 1 (4 mph) - 6 points
*Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3, Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points
*Situational Awareness:* Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
*Studied Strike:* Strength-based Damage 3, Check Required (Technology, DC 15), Quirk (only against mechanical opponents) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Benefit (cipher 2, every trick in the book*), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Equipment 4, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Acrobatics), Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
20 points of equipment as needed (usually including a Blaster Pistol [Ranged Damage 5])

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+11), Sleight of Hand 5 (+12), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2, Close Damage 5 against mechanical)
Blaster Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 32 + Advantages 21 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 152 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Flashbacks. Rarely Talks, And Rarely Says Much.*

* Resists Deception-based feints with Fighting.

_Ch'ella stima!/Ch'ella stima!/O cara mia, addio!_


----------



## Voltron64

So John Reese meets Chell?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> So John Reese meets Chell?



With a bit of Magnus: Robot Fighter and La Femme Nikita in there, too.

Pythagolem's holographic avatar:


----------



## Davies

Roger Doncaster





As with his usual partner, very little is known about the individual who uses the name Roger Doncaster, save for the fact that this is _definitely_ an alias. He was apparently born in 1987, probably in Eastern Europe or Russia, but just where is not clear. By 2005, he was already employed by Guy Gisborne as an enforcer and occasional bodyguard, with Gisborne giving him the alias he uses in a rare moment of levity, while also arranging for his henchman's naturalization.

Doncaster remained with Gisborne for nearly a decade, even fighting superpowers on his behalf, right up until the Ultra Girls produced evidence that ensured even the corrupt legal system of the U.K. had to put him away, in 2014. He even agreed to keep on working for him even after that, acting as a bodyguard for his Japanese mistress and their daughter. Truthfully, while he didn't particularly like or respect Gisborne, his loyalty didn't depend on such conditions, and he actually was fond of the boss' daughter.

Unfortunately, neither of these women were all that keen on having Doncaster involved in the new lives they were making for themselves in Japan. The missus, as he called Sakura Yoshiko, was at least willing to wear a commlink so that he could notify her if she was in danger, and so he began keeping an eye on them both from a distance. Less than a year later, he caught wind of a plot against the kid's life just as the hit was about to take place, and frantically contacted her mother, whom she was visiting. He never would have done it if he'd known that she would use herself as a human shield.

Unable to find the person who'd actually pulled the trigger, he went to the top, breaking through the security wall surrounding the businessman who'd hired the shooter. That was when things started to get weird. Doncaster had been operating under the assumption that this had been directed against Gisborne, but his target started talking crazy talk about how the kid was some sort of mystic who had to be destroyed for the sake of world sanity, and that he was working in league with something called Axiom. Roger was tempted to just ignore this as the delusional fantasies of a man now dead, but if the kid was still under the gun ...

He did some more digging, and found out where Axiom was based in Vietnam. His intrusion into their headquarters coincided with a strike against them by the Grey Seal. Doncaster was horrified to learn from these unexpected allies that Axiom wasn't just a bunch of crooks, but an artificial intelligence that was trying to overthrow humanity, with a focus on striking against the more irrational, supernatural aspects of the human condition. While they managed to destroy this particular base, they'd only handed the enemy a setback, and Axiom was still out there scheming.

So Doncaster joined up with the Grey Seal. Unlike most of his colleagues, he prefers to use conventional firearms rather than more advanced weaponry, on the basis that they're easier to maintain and cheaper to resupply. He's also fully capable of tearing most robots apart with his bare hands, and has fewer compunctions about taking out human allies of the ASI hegemony than most agents of the Seal.

He still views himself as having an obligation to help 'Megan Excalibur' if that's what she's calling herself, though he does understand that she has reached a point where she's more than able to take care of herself. Nevertheless, if she were ever to contact him and ask for his help, he'd drop everything and go to her aid. He owes her that much for his great failure, five years ago.

*Roger Doncaster -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
*Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3, Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Diehard, Equipment 6, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Pin, Languages 4 (many), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Takedown, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4), Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), and 11 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 3 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+5). 

*Offense:*
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)
Heavy Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 4)
Assault Rifle +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 19 + Advantages 26 + Skills 26 + Defenses 19 = 138 points

*Complications:*
*Redemption--Motivation. Obligation* (Megan Excalibur.) *Secret* (Gray Seal.) 

_Author's Note: Roger _of_ Doncaster is a very minor-league opponent of Robin Hood in some of the ballads about him._


----------



## Davies

Der Fahrer





As with many European-native superheroes, Klaus Schneider, alias der Fahrer, is somewhat better respected abroad than at home. The self-proclaimed guardian of West Germany's Autobahn -- he'd _like_ to extend that protection to East Germany's Autobahn, too, but rarely has enough patience to put up with the bureaucracy of crossing the border -- is largely regarded with embarrassment and a bit of disgust by the people he sees himself as protecting. Meanwhile, he's worked rather well with American superheroes on the few times that he's encountered them, as when he assisted the UltraGirls against Saturn-sponsored kill teams in Hesse, four years ago.

While Schneider doesn't maintain any secret identity, nor any sort of division between public and private personas, he has never discussed his origins in interviews or even in conversations. It seems most likely that his enhanced physique and healing factor are the product of super-soldier experimentation conducted by the Bonn Republic in the years immediately after Cerebron's attack. That theory doesn't explain where he obtained what he calls 'das Geist Fahrrad', a remarkable motorcycle able to move at incredible velocities, defy gravity and pass through objects. Schneider has commented that he's able to keep the machine in working order, but that its creator is dead. (Parsimony would suggest that it was designed and constructed by Dr. Wille Geiszler, a well-known mad scientist who was experimenting with intangibility machines before he died during Zane's coup, shortly before der Fahrer made his debut.)

Der Fahrer spends most of his days patrolling the Autobahn, keeping an eye out for accidents. While he normally contacts emergency services on sighting such events, he's learned enough first aid to be able to help out before they arrive. (He will almost never attempt to transport the injured himself, as das Geist Fahrrad carries one passenger only.) He also deals with would-be road raiders, dangerous drivers, and other crimes being committed at rest stops. He once admitted that he has gone days when he was able to just ride all day without encountering any trouble, and cherishes such rare experiences.

While probably a product of government-sponsored experiments, Schneider has no official connection with the republic. His activities are ignored by law enforcement, and he is not known to have any contacts or aids within the Bundeskriminalamt. While a strong advocate of German reunification, Schneider is well-known for his contempt for the far right political groups that also seek that goal; he once wryly quoted Groucho Marx's adage about not wanting to belong to any group that would have him as a member. Der Fahrer also politely turned down membership in the Powerhouse when it was offered to him in 2013, preferring to focus on the road.

*Der Fahrer - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:*
*Healing Factor:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Equipment 5, Favored Environment (Autobahn), Fearless, Improved Grab, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Takedown, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone.
*Das Geist Fahrrad:* Size Medium; Strength 1; Speed 8 (ground); Defense 10; Toughness 10; Powers Movement 4 (Permeate 2, Wallcrawling 2) - 22 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+12), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Technology 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+10), Treatment 6 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 8, Toughness 6, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 12 + Advantages 14 + Skills 24 + Defenses 12 = 141 points

*Complications:*
*Justice--Motivation. Loner. Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Question? Is Berlin fully a part of East Germany post collapse of the Berlin Wall and end of the communist regime or is it still partially controlled by West Germany?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Question? Is Berlin fully a part of East Germany post collapse of the Berlin Wall and end of the communist regime or is it still partially controlled by West Germany?



The former, I think. (Don't ask me how that worked, I'll just have to shrug and shake my head.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The former, I think. (Don't ask me how that worked, I'll just have to shrug and shake my head.)



Yeah I was gonna go for that one too. (And I think it worked because of no more fear of communist oppression and East Germany joining the EU among other things.)


----------



## Davies

I would need to know a LOT more than I do about the history and politics of German reunification before I said anything more substantive on the subject, and that's a level of research that can't really be justified by this project. I suspect that the 1990 East German federal election played out slightly differently, and that the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany took a slightly different form. How much the Pythons -- real ones, not wannabes like the Brotherhood -- influenced the direction things took is hard to say, but that they did do so is fairly clear.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> I would need to know a LOT more than I do about the history and politics of German reunification before I said anything more substantive on the subject, and that's a level of research that can't really be justified by this project. I suspect that the 1990 East German federal election played out slightly differently, and that the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany took a slightly different form. How much the Pythons -- real ones, not wannabes like the Brotherhood -- influenced the direction things took is hard to say, but that they did do so is fairly clear.



Hey, that's a good answer as any to me and I was already satisfied with what you said before.

And let's face it, the Python Wars were the closest thing this setting had to World War 3 and the effects the Insurgency had on the world are immeasurable. There's a reason all the remaining known tinpot dictators are superpowers....


----------



## Davies

Symphony





The entity known as Symphony presents as a young woman in her early to mid-teens, extremely pale and fair-haired, but not necessarily of Caucasian ancestry. However, her appearance has not changed since she was first encountered in New York City by a pair of freelance paranormal investigators in 1977. Her memories of how long she has existed in her current state are mudded and confused, but nonetheless clearer than any memories of any previous existence.

Symphony believes that she's a ghost, though she has no memories of dying. However, every genuine haunting that has been documented since the parapsychological revolution of the 1950s has been much more geographically limited in comparison to her, as well as behaving with much less self-awareness. The current theory concerning her is that she is a human being whose superpowers left her invisible and intangible, causing her to develop the belief that she was a ghost, and suffered a psychotic break that left her incapable of returning to a tangible form.

A minority theory is that Symphony is a haunting that has gained a greater degree of independence and self-awareness thanks to the exercise of her primary psychic ability, which she refers to as 'melding'. This ability allows her to essentially seize control of another human (or animal) psyche, remotely operating it. This requires her full concentration, and she does not normally visually manifest while it is active. This has caused some observers to believe that she 'inhabits' the creatures with which she melds, but this does not appear to be the case.

Despite the violation of the individual's autonomy that this ability represents, Symphony has only ever been documented as using it to assist others, most often her targets themselves. She has notably melded with abuse victims and compelled them to follow through on plans to leave their abusers, taking them to safe places while melded, as well as covert crime fighting that often results in her taking control of criminals and subtly interfering with their activities. Further, she believes that every individual with whom she has ever melded has left a permanent impression on her own psyche, and frequently demonstrates unusual skills that she _may_ have acquired in this fashion.  She views her psyche as a composition of these 'notes' taken from many different minds -- hence her sobriquet.

While she has been encountered throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, going wherever her whims take her, she apparently views New York as 'home'. In the current era, she often haunts the lower floors of Argus' headquarters, and provided useful help to the agency and its allies during the conflict with Dracula. She has often encountered Maureen Summerisle in their respective journeys, and is one of the few seemingly supernatural entities that the hunter _doesn't_ consider to be a monster.

*Symphony -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -- (0) | *STA* -- (0) | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
'Melding':* Perception Range Cumulative Concentration Affliction 9 (Resisted & Overcome by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Subtle - 46 points
*Phantasm:* Concealment 10, Materializing; Flight 8, Distracting; Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Permanent Insubstantial 4; Protection 9 - 79 points
*Rematerializes:* Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Set-up, Taunt, Well-informed

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 6 (+7), Investigation 5 (+6), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage based on possessed subject's Strength)
Possession -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude --, Toughness 9, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 12 + Powers 130 + Advantages 7 + Skills 17 + Defenses 16 = 173 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Mischievous. Obviously Inhuman* (semi-transparent even when visible.) 

_Author's Notes: The parenthetical values for Strength and Stamina should be used if her Phantasm power is ever nullified._


----------



## Davies

Union





While the events of 2007 were the end of many groups of would-be superheroes across the world, they were somewhat ironically also the start of at least one more. Thrown together by the fact that people were trying to kill them, self-proclaimed 'hyper-athlete' Angelo Massoli, empathic investigator Joyce Hays, Hyperbrain inventor Tasha Lafayette, and speedster Stewart Johnson joined forces for mutual self-defense, and continued to cooperate in the coup's aftermath. Based out of Greenwood, Mississippi and active throughout the surrounding micropolitan area, they dubbed themselves the No-Brand Heroes. If they never had the sort of noteworthy achievements that other groups have enjoyed, they were never an embarrassment, either.

Since 2011, however, appearances by the members of the No-Brand Heroes have been increasingly few, far between, and also brief. It seems fairly likely that their activities have been curtailed by the appearance of another superhero in the Greenwood area, a somewhat mysterious 'Paragon-type' who goes by the name 'Union'. There has never been any documented conflict -- or any known contact of any sort -- been Union and the No-Brand Heroes, but that might simply be due to the fact that they recognize that he is significantly more powerful than they are, an opponent that would probably be beyond them, as well as one who doesn't seem to be doing anyone any harm. As they themselves did, Union has made himself available to the Greenwood civic government whenever it requests his assistance, while also independently assisting people as best he can.

Argus is somewhat concerned about Union, mostly due to the fact that ten years of investigation have been unable to turn up any sign that the hero has _any_ sort of civilian life, much less a secret identity. It is strongly suspected that Union, like Paragon, is an extraterrestrial, but as he has not been nearly as forthcoming about his origins (or anything else) there is understandable concern that his motives may not be nearly as pure. One popular theory is that Union has been able to hide his identity through the use of undocumented shape-changing abilities, and that he killed the No-Brand Heroes and occasionally poses as them.

Completely wrong, of course. In 2011, while taking a vacation in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the members of the No-Brand Heroes chanced to witness the landing of what they took to be a meteorite, but quickly discovered to be a humanoid of extraterrestrial origin. They attempted to assist the badly wounded visitor, but were unable to help him before the alien apparently died and disintegrated into dust, which dispersed onto all four of them. A moment later, the No-Brand Heroes felt a strange compulsion to hold each other's hands; having done so, they physically and psychically merged into the being whom they would dub 'Union'.

As Union possesses greater physical power than any of the members of the group, they have since generally preferred to engage in their activities while using his form. Union's mind appears to be a synthesis of all four of the members, along with an additional mentality they have dubbed 'the Silent Partner' which seems to be the entity who decides when they unite into a single entity and when they divide. No attempt to communicate with the Silent Partner has produced any results. Regardless, at any given time Union might express some aspect of his component personalities, producing some confusion when those personalities contradict each other.

*Union -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 12 | *STA* 14 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Gestalt:* Heroic Summon 6, Continuous, General Type, Horde, Multiple Minions 2, Limitation (main character ceases to exist) - 42 points
*Invulnerability:* Immunity 10 (Life Support); Impervious Toughness 12 - 22 points
*Super-Awareness:* Senses 6 (extended vision, low-light vision, acute extended radius mental awareness) - 6 points
*Super-Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Close Attack 3, Improved Initiative 3, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Flight 9 (1,000 MPH); Quickness 6 - 37 points
*Super-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Lifting (800 tons) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, _Close Attack 3,_ Beginner's Luck, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative _4, Move-by Action_ Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 7 (+9), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +21
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/5, Parry 10/7, Fortitude 14, Toughness 14, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 98 + Powers 102 + Advantages 5 + Skills 21 + Defenses 7 = 239 points 

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Secret* (identity, alien nature.) *Unstable Personality.

Angelo Massoli  - PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Takedown Attack.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 4, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Advantages 11 + Skills 17 + Defenses 12 = 90 points

*Complications:
Achievement--Motivation. Intolerance* (weakness.) *Secret Identity.

Joyce Hays -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Empathy:* Effortless Mind Reading 6, Limited to emotions - 12 points
*Mental Awareness:* Senses 4 (acute extended radius mental awareness) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Leadership, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 5 (+11), Perception 2 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+7), Stealth 3 (+5)

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 16 + Advantages 7 + Skills 14 + Defenses 13 = 90 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Pacifism. Secret Identity.

Tasha Lafayette - PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Goggles:* Senses 2 (extended vision, low-light vision); Removable (-0 points) - 2 points
*Jet Pack:* Flight 5 (60 MPH); Removable (-2 points) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner’s Luck, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Inspire, Inventor, Skill Mastery (Technology)

_Equipment:_
Blaster (Ranged Damage 5) and 15 points of equipment as needed

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 5 (+11), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 4 (+10), Technology 5 (+11), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 6 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 10 + Advantages 13 + Skills 19 + Defenses 14 = 90 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Impatience. Secret Identity.

Stewart Johnson - PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Fast Blow:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Fast Healing:* Regeneration 5 - 5 points
*Super-Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 3, Instant Up, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 7; Speed 7 (250 MPH) - 29 points

*Advantages:*
_Defensive Roll, Evasion 2,_ Improved Disarm, _Improved Initiative 3, Instant Up, Move-by Action,_ Redirect

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+4), Perception 4 (+5)

*Offense:*
Initiative +20
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/4, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 38 + Advantages 2 + Skills 11 + Defense 8 = 90 points

*Complication:
Thrills--Motivation. Secret Identity. Soft Touch.*


----------



## Davies

Curveball





Elliot Ross thought of himself as a simple man. He worked hard at his clerical job at one of New York's busiest law firms, and he played hard after the day's work was done, especially enjoying a small sideline as a pool shark, earning just enough to keep paying the rent on his (illegally) sublet apartment. He also engaged in a bit of amateur boxing, mostly to keep in shape but occasionally to let off a bit of steam. He was one of countless people whose lives had never, and likely would never, be touched by the influence of the superpowered.

In 2013, however, everything changed. He was contacted by the police about reports of performance enhancing drugs being used at a gym where he was a member. Elliot had heard rumors about this, but had never sought out more information as he was happy with his performance already. The investigating officers asked him to assist their investigations while wearing a wire. Against the advice of his attorney, Elliot agreed to help, as he was troubled by what he'd been told.

The investigation was a botch from the very beginning. Elliot was made almost immediately, and taken prisoner by the scientists who were manufacturing the drug. They decided to punish his temerity by using him as a test subject, and injected an overdose of a new version of their substance right into his eyes. The police officers who were supposed to be protecting him had abandoned him to his fate once they'd realized the jig was up. When he awakened in the hospital, a few days later, he found that he had been blinded by the experiment ...

... except not really. His vision was now a confusing negative image -- light, especially daylight, registered as a black void in his vision, but he could see somewhat normally in areas of shadows and darkness. Learning how to see in this new manner took most of a year, in which Elliot also learned that his reflexes had also been greatly enhanced by the overdose. Whether he liked it or not, he was a superpower, now, and while he was left with contempt for the police by his experiences, he wasn't interested in using these dubious gifts for the purposes of crime.

In 2016, then, he made his debut as Curveball, the acrobatic protector of New York's Garment District, using a specially designed club and some throwing balls. He's mostly active at night, since his powers fade in daylight, for some reason. His most frequent enemies are agents of Tarot, who were tangentially involved in his origin, but he has also frequently crossed paths with Dyamick when the latter and his lemans operate in New York. Elliot Ross still lives in his old apartment, with the rent now covered by his medical benefits payments, but is no longer employed nor associated with his old friends. All this has made him something of a cold and bitter man, but he tries not to express such sentiments while engaged in his crimefighting. It doesn't always work.

*Curveball -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 7/3 | *DEX* 5/1 | *FGT* 10/4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Modified Club:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Trip, Reach 3; Movement 1 (swinging); Easily Removable (-2 points) - 5 points
*Nightbane:* Enhanced Agility 4; Enhanced Dexterity 4; Enhanced Fighting 6 - 28 points
*Probing Sight:* Senses 3 (acute darkvision) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion 2, Favored Environment (Garment District), Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close, Concealment), Skill Mastery (Insight), Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Throwing Balls (Strength-based Ranged Damage 2)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+12), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Club 2 (+12), Deception 6 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 10 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+8), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 11 (+12), Ranged Combat: Thrown 4 (+9), Stealth 4 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10/4 (Close Damage 2)
Modified Club +12/6 (Close Damage 4)
Throwing Balls +9/5 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 36 + Advantages 13 + Skills 34 + Defenses 13 = 126 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Disability* (blinded by natural daylight.) *Mysterious and Enigmatic. Power Loss* (Nightbane, Probing Sight, in daylit areas.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Is Union's physical apperance based mainly off that of the dying alien/Silent Partner?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Is Union's physical apperance based mainly off that of the dying alien/Silent Partner?



Nope, while closest in appearance to Angelo (hair color, skin tone), he has features that seem to resemble those of Joyce (ears/nose), Tasha (eyes) and Stewart (legs), as well as others that don't resemble any of them. This has contributed to the 'alien doppelganger' theory. The original alien looked a bit like this:




Not resembling any of the species known to contemporary humanity, though wearing a uniform _somewhat_ like that of Union.


----------



## Davies

Medjay





Historically, the name 'Medjay' referred to a collection of nomadic groups from Nubia which had come under Egyptian rule in the Old Kingdom, often acting as mercenary soldiers. By a thousand years later, the name came to refer to a paramilitary police force in the Egyptian New Kingdom, which acted as the guards of palaces and tombs alike. Within a few centuries, however, they had vanished from the historical record and, despite what certain films would suggest, probably did not survive as a secret society right up until the twentieth century. What these people would have thought of the young woman who has taken their name as her own is unknowable; nor is it something she gives a great deal of thought.

For most of her life, Eman Hegazy, born 1996 in Aswan, never seemed to give a great deal of thought to her nation's history in general. She was aware that her family's business, like most businesses in Egypt, depended on tourism which in turn depended on the ancient ruins of the past which were practically everywhere. But none of it interested her, and her plan was to go to South Valley University and get a good education in something relevant and modern, like Education or Social Work, and then get a job that didn't have anything to do with Egypt's ancient past.

And then, one particular morning in 2013, her parents attempted to rouse her and found themselves unable to do so. Eman was still alive, just cataleptic, and nothing that the doctors could do would wake her up. She remained in this state for a week, until she finally awakened. But the girl who awakened was quite different from the girl who'd gone to sleep seven days earlier, mentally and physically. She escaped from the hospital and disappeared into the night, and has never returned to her original home or family since then.

Eman, now calling herself Medjay, views herself as the protector of Egypt, specifically of its historical treasures. She has no problem with tourists, or even archaeologists, as long as they aren't trying to steal the legacy of those who went before. What truly angers her is the way that foreign occultists keep trawling through Egypt's ruins in search of lost secrets that can empower themselves further, or who try to use them to perform sorcerous rituals to that end. It's all so pointless, to her mind, since these atrocities usually don't do anything, or even destroy those who perform them when they somehow work.

To this end, Medjay uses her own superpowers as well as a sword she discovered early in her adventures, and a horse she befriended. She will make it very clear to anyone who inquires that the sword is just a well-crafted and entirely mundane artifact, not some sort of mystical weapon. While capable of inflicting lethal wounds with it, she prefers to deal less mortal ones and accept her opponents' surrender, except in situations where she's given no choice in the matter. The horse, which she's dubbed Sethos, is clearly not just a horse, and she believes him to be descended from a long line of Arabic-American race horses of some fame. While they are unable to communicate, there is a bond between the two of them that even Medjay will admit that she doesn't fully understand.

Medjay has encountered the UltraGirls on a few occasions, and gets along with _some_ of them. She makes no bones about distrusting Blakestone, Snowfall and Belle, but has a high regard for Magnolia and Danielle. Most importantly, she's able to work even with people she doesn't fully trust as long as they don't trespass her personal boundaries. Blakestone, however, wonders whether there might be something deeper at work here, since she's done the math, and the night when Eman Hegazy went to sleep for a week is also the night that Prydwen arrived in the present ...

*Medjed -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Ancient Sword:* Strength-based Damage 3, Penetrating 6; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 7 points
*Enduring:* Immunity 4 (cold, heat, need for sleep, starvation & thirst), Limited to half effect - 2 points
*Swiftness*: Enhanced Advantages 3 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 12

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, _Evasion_, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative _3_, Languages 2 (Coptic, English, French, Middle Egyptian, [Arabic is native]) Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Sidekick 14, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Sword 6 (+13), Expertise: History 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Expertise: Survival 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +18
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +13 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/10, Parry 14/12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 4/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 21 + Advantages 30 + Skills 35 + Defenses 19 = 156 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Distrust of Mysticism. Loner.

Sethos -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Born to Run:* Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 3 points
*Enduring:* Immunity 4 (cold, heat, need for sleep, starvation & thirst), Limited to half effect - 2 points
*Hooves:* Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical - 2 points
*Horse Sense:* Senses 3 (acute scent, low-light vision, radius sight) - 3 points
*Size:* Permanent Growth 2 (Strength +2, Stamina +2, Intimidation +1, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, -2 Stealth), Innate - 7 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Great Endurance, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+5), Expertise: Survival 8 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Hooves +5 (Close Damage 6, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 17 + Advantages 3 + Skills 14 + Defenses 12 = 70 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. No Hands or Speech. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Phlarrn





The Phlarrn were one of the first species encountered by Chiraben humanity as they began to explore their local region of space, roughly a thousand years ago. There are a number of different accounts of this first contact. The most commonly accepted one is that the Chiraben discovered the Pharrn living at an iron age level and quickly made allies of them by providing them with technology that let them leapfrog several centuries of industrial development. A less commonly told tale suggests that the Phlarrn were pre-technological and possibly pre-sapient when the Chiraben arrived on their home planet, and that they were subjected to technological uplift to create a subjugated species. Those Phlarrn who have an interest in history regard that account with horror, but will admit that there's not much evidence to either contradict or support it.

The single word that describes a Phlarrn best is enthusiastic. Whatever a Phlarrn finds themselves doing, they always give that activity everything they have at the moment, never worrying about what might come afterwards and letting tomorrow take care of itself. However, they are also easily persuaded to change the focus of their enthusiasm from one activity to another. For example, a Phlarrn mechanic might be working on repairing an engine as part of their job, and give that assignment their full attention, but if someone were to interrupt them and describe something interesting happening elsewhere, the mechanic would probably switch to observing that interesting event.

That enthusiasm influences their politics, as well. Phlarrn society tends to be dominated by their most charismatic individuals, those who are able to convince any other Phlarrn of just about anything. The good thing is that Phlarrn tend to be truthful, in the sense that they rarely knowingly speak untruths, though they can lie by omission as easily as humans and other species do. Phlarrn leaders also tend to be fairly unambitious, desiring no more influence than being able to tell the members of a single community what to do. Ruling a planet, or even a nation, is generally more than they'd want to do.

The willingness with which Phlarrn adopt causes ensured that there were plenty on both sides of the Imperium's civil war, and thus plenty of Phlarrn who traveled with the Armada to help form the Technate. Within the Crimson Imperium, they can be found among the Imperial Guard and the Insurgency, and working for other factions as well. Within the Technate, they have found themselves locked in a somewhat predictable if generally friendly rivalry with the Hazlan.

The Phlarrn have an even more diverse variety of ethnicities than Chiraben do, with many different colors and patterns of fur. While they tend to form relationships and breed within these ethnicities, there's no particular taboo against relationships between Phlarrn of different ethnicities. Unfortunately, relationships between Phlarrn, regardless of their situation, tend to suffer from their periodic changes of enthusiasm, and are usually quite temporary.

*Phlarrn Soldiers - PL 6/MR 4

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Bite:* Strength-based Damage 2, Inaccurate - 1 point
*Keen Senses:* Senses 3 (low-light vision, acute tracking scent) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Equipment 4.

_Equipment:_
Blaster rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Body Armor (Protection 4)

*Skills:* 
Athletics 2 (+3), Expertise: Soldier 4 (+4), Perception 2 (+4), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+4), Vehicles 2 (+2)

*Offense:* 
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Bite +1 (Close Damage 3)
Blaster Rifle +4 (Ranged Damage 8),

*Defense:* 
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 7, Toughness 7/1, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 4 + Advantages 5 + Skills 8 + Defenses 12 = 49 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Overly Enthusiastic. Others As Needed.*

_For a more experienced PL 7 Phlarrn Elite Soldier, increase STR to 3 ranks, STA to 4 ranks, AGL to 2 ranks, and FGT to 4 ranks, add Improved Initiative, increase Perception to 5 ranks, Ranged Combat: Blaster to 6 ranks, and Vehicles to 4 ranks; reduce Parry to 6._


----------



## Davies

Lumati





Despite what some of the legends claim, the Lumati did not invent or discover technomancy. The practice was known throughout the space that would become the Imperium, if often not fully understood, long before the Lumati achieved spaceflight as clients of the Seshai. What they did discover, a little under two and half centuries ago, was a way of giving the ability to perform technomancy to anyone willing to undergo an intrusive medical procedure -- and _that_ was what started the Schism Wars.

Much like their patrons, the Lumati -- once ironically called the 'little brothers' by the Seshai, whose average height is about a head shorter -- had been fascinated by the possibilities of 'medical enhancement', especially of the nervous system. They were also leaders in the field of quantum computing, some of the first engineers to build a computer able to facilitate technomancy, rather than relying on the computer systems of Artifacts for that purpose. Almost inevitably, someone -- and Lumati histories are oddly quiet on the identity of that someone -- got the bright idea to combine these two technologies.

Designing a quantum computer powerful enough to perform technomancy and yet small enough to be implanted inside of a humanoid brain was well beyond the abilities of the designers. The system that they designed ultimately duplicated the entire nervous system, working alongside it. Further, it was fashioned from organic fibers and crystals and introduced nanoscale fabricators that could reproduce itself into the enhanced subject's reproductive system. Thus, if two enhanced individuals mated, their children would almost certainly develop the enhancement as well.

As a result, within a generation, virtually the entire Lumati population, and a fairly large representation of other species as well, had received the enhancement and been trained as technomancers. That, more than anything else, was the cause of the mystics' panic. Their numbers were significantly lower, and the ascetic tendencies of the Starlight Path encouraged (and in some cases required) celibacy, making increasing those numbers difficult. The mystics believed it likely that the technomancers would seek to gain influence over the Imperium's politics. This wasn't simply paranoia; the technomancers' activities during this time indicate that this was a goal that many of them sought.

And so, civil war ensued. While the feud between mystic and technomancer was the spark that touched off the flame, other old grievances between the founding nations of the Imperium and the ambitions of other groups were also ignited at this time, creating a chaotic milieu where alliances might change daily. There are those who argue that this conflict made the rise of a figure _like_ the Crimson King inevitable. 

In the end, the mystic-led forces triumphed, and nearly all the surviving Lumati joined the Armada and fled to found the Technate. Those left behind are believed to have been exterminated. There are persistent rumors that the Seshai or the Manguai may have protected small populations of Lumati, but these have never been proven. Ironically, the Technate's restrictions against medical enhancement made it all but impossible for the Lumati to share the benefits of their research with other peoples in the aftermath. While the Lumati were exempted from those laws, many of them were horrified by the devastation that their studies had unleashed and arranged for their enhancements to be limited, making the practice of technomancy once more a rare one.

While the implanted fibers and crystals of their enhancements are too wedded to a Lumati's nervous system to be removed without extensive and life-threatening surgery, they can be easily disabled by removing the crystal nodes that grow on the surface of their body, particularly their face. However, that can normally only be done to a subject who is already incapacitated or otherwise helpless. Doing this is considered an exceptionally heinous act by the Lumati, a fate worse than death.

*Lumati Technomancer -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 5/1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Implanted Crystal:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Eidetic Memory, Speed of Thought, Technomancer); Enhanced Intelligence 4; Senses 2 (extended ranged tactile); Removable (-2 points) - 11 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, _Eidetic Memory,_ Equipment 4, Evasion, _Speed of Thought, Technomancer_, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Smartphone-Equivalent, Stunbeam (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+6), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Investigation 5 (+10), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+6), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+7), Technology 6 (+11), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 3)
Stunbeamer +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/2, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 20 + Advantages 7 + Skills 25 + Defenses 13 = 97 points

*Complications:
Discovery OR Power--Motivation. Others as Needed.*

_To create an average Lumati who doesn't practice technomancy, remove Technomancy from their Implanted Crystal's Enhanced Advantage, lower their Enhanced Intelligence to 2 ranks, and lower their Technology skill to 4 ranks, and consider lowering some of their other skills as well. The most powerful Lumati technomancers have Technology +13._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Despite what some of the legends claim, the Lumati did not invent or discover technomancy. The practice was known throughout the space that would become the Imperium, if often not fully understood, long before the Lumati achieved spaceflight as clients of the Seshai.



Right that was probably either the Titans or Olympians at least or even the Chiraben superpowers...


----------



## Davies

The first of those, though the Olympians created most of the currently extant Artifacts.


----------



## Davies

Varask





_Worker_




_Warrior/ruler_

A thousand years ago, the humans of Chirab began to explore their local region of space. The courses that might have taken them to Earth led through space occupied by the Varask Empire, a small multi-system hegemony ruled by the Varask, an insectoid species which had reduced the other species in their sphere of influence to abject slavery. Expansionistic in the extreme, the Varask viewed the Chiraben as their next potential conquest, and so began a lengthy war. Both sides viewed it as an existential struggle that could only be ended in the total defeat of the other, with annihilation or subjugation the fate of the defeated.

So it may come as something of a surprise to learn that it ended in a negotiated peace treaty, and an agreement that the Chiraben would not trespass on Varask space again in exchange for similar guarantees from the Varask. The humans directed their expansion spinward, away from that region, and so set themselves on the path towards the formation of the Imperium. Ironically, the war had done enough damage to the infrastructure of the Varask's empire that it collapsed a few generations after the war's end, but by that point the Chiraben had other concerns.

The apparent similarity of the Varask to insects led to some misunderstandings by Chiraben scholars, many of which persist to this day. There are four sorts of the Varask, initially (and incorrectly) viewed as subspecies. The most prevalent throughout any Varask hive will always be the 'workers', who are responsible for maintaining the hive's structure. Initially viewed as being more or less mindless, with all decisions made by the hive's brain (of which more later) this has since been proved incorrect. While they do lack much in the way of thinking ability, a Varask worker is born with all the knowledge they need to perform their assigned tasks, and are more than capable of maintaining -- or constructing! -- structures that function as starships if that is their function.

Less common, though typically consisting of between ten and fifteen per cent of the hive's population are the 'warriors', intended to defend the hive from attackers, and to expand the hive's territory. They are considerably stronger, faster, and more intelligent than workers, while no less single-minded in their pursuits, and were more than a match for experienced Chiraben soldiers, especially before the unusual energy-resistant properities of their physiology were discovered. Fully able to employ weapons manufactured by workers or salvaged from the enemy, they also employ a poisonous stinger against opponents.

The individuals known as 'knights' or 'myrmidons' were initially assumed to be experienced warriors who had been promoted for successful campaigns, operating as commanders chosen by the 'brains' (or 'queens'.) During the peace negotiations, the Varask representatives (themselves 'knights') finally made it clear to the Chiraben that the so-called 'brains' were nothing more than incubators for their young, and that they themselves were the rulers of their species. They also mocked the notion of themselves as 'queens', as the Varask have six distinct sexes, and egg-laying is not the exclusive purview of _any_ of them.

In the thousand years since the downfall of the Varask Empire, there have been countless wars between the various planets, and the various hives _on_ those planets, that once comprised it. Most Varask who have an opinion now believe that cooperation between hives is profoundly unnatural, especially on the scale typified by the Empire, and would have no interest in restoring it. Their relations with other species tend to be much more peaceful, and they are perfectly willing to trade for supplies rather than raiding and enslaving. In supreme irony, as Chirab itself has become a desert world, it has attracted Varask colonists who are often considered very good neighbors by the human settlements near their hives.

*Varask Worker - PL 4/MR 4

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Bite:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Chitin:* Protection 4 - 4 points
*Four Legs:* Speed 1 (4 MPH) - 1 point
*Hive Mind: *Area Mental Communication 3, Limited to Varask, Subtle; Enhanced Feat 2 (Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge) - 11 points
*Resistant Physiology:* Immunity 4 (cold, disease, heat, poison); Immunity 20 (energy damage), Limited to half effect - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Great Endurance, Skill Mastery (Technology), _Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge_.

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+4), Perception 4 (+4), Technology 5 (+3).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Bite +3 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5, Will 2 

*Totals:*
Abilities 14 + Powers 31 + Advantages 3 + Skills 6 + Defenses 5 = 59 points

*Complications:
Loyalty to the Hive--Motivation.

Varask Warrior -- PL 7/MR 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Chitin:* Protection 5 - 5 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Four Legs:* Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 3 point
*Hive Mind:* Area Mental Communication 3, Limited to Varask, Subtle; Enhanced Feat 2 (Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge) - 10 points
*Resistant Physiology:* Immunity 4 (cold, disease, heat, poison); Immunity 20 (energy damage), Limited to half effect - 14 points
*Stinger:* Damage 5, Accurate, Secondary Effect, Alternate Resistance on Secondary Effect (Fortitude) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Equipment 4, Evasion, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4, _Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge_.

_Equipment:_
20 points as needed (often a Blaster Rifle [Ranged Damage 8].)

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+6), Perception 6 (+7), Stealth 7 (+8). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Claw +5 (Close Damage 3)
Stinger +7 (Close Damage 5, Secondary Effect [Fortitude 5])

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 47 + Advantages 12 + Skills 9 + Defenses 12 = 111 points

*Complications:
Loyalty to the Hive--Motivation. Others as Needed.

Varask Ruler -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Chitin:* Protection 7 - 7 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Four Legs:* Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 point
*Hive Mind:* Area Mental Communication 3, Limited to Varask, Subtle; Enhanced Feat (Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge) - 11 points
*Resistant Physiology:* Immunity 4 (cold, disease, heat, poison); Immunity 20 (energy damage), Limited to half effect - 12 points
*Stinger:* Damage 7, Accurate, Secondary Effect, Alternate Resistance on Secondary Effect (Fortitude) - 19 points
*Telepathy:* Mental Communication 1, Two-Way; Comprehend Languages 3 ("speak" and understand all languages) - 15 points

*Advantages:*
Equipment 8, Evasion, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack Ranged Attack 7, _Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge_.

_Equipment:_
40 points as needed, often including an Autoblaster [Ranged Multiattack Damage 8]).

*Skills:*
Athletics 9 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Insight 10 (+13), Perception 10 (+13), Persuasion 7 (+10), Stealth 9 (+13), Technology 9 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Claws +11 (Close Damage 5)
Stinger +13 (Close Damage 7, Secondary Effect [Fortitude 7])

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 9, Toughness 11, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 58 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 18 = 195 points 

*Complications:
Loyalty to the Hive--Motivation. Dispassionate. Others as Needed.*

_Note: Varask Tenders (still called Queens by those who didn't get the memo) are essentially inanimate objects with Toughness 4 and no other game-relevant traits. However, every Varask in the hive will fight to the death to protect them._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> So it may come as something of a surprise to learn that it ended in a negotiated peace treaty, and an agreement that the Chiraben would not trespass on Varask space again in exchange for similar guarantees from the Varask. The humans directed their expansion spinward, away from that region, and so set themselves on the path towards the formation of the Imperium. Ironically, the war had done enough damage to the infrastructure of the Varask's empire that it collapsed a few generations after the war's end, but by that point the Chiraben had other concerns.



I bet they were able to get that peace treaty by exploiting factional rifts between the Varask hives, rifts that later led to the dissolution of their empire.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> I bet they were able to get that peace treaty by exploiting factional rifts between the Varask hives, rifts that later led to the dissolution of their empire.



It may have been so.


----------



## Davies

Mahaq





Bouille, a small planet in a system not far from the border between the Crimson Imperium and the Yusei Star Kingdom, is the site of a major engineering project by the Imperial navy. A new shipyard is being constructed, with the goal of introducing a new class of Imperium starships to equal or even surpass the Technate's Declaration II heavy cruisers. The bulk of naval operations take place in orbit around the planet, with only a few expeditions descending to the planet's surface to evaluate its resource extraction potential.

This was determined to be minimal, less because of a lack of potential resources -- the planet has extensive hyperfuel deposits -- than because of the difficulty of extracting them. Bouille is home to a wide variety of dangerous megafauna and -flora, and the cost of guarding the mines and refineries would be very expensive. Nevertheless, a small outpost was set up on one of the planet's continents, and some preliminary explorations have discovered that Bouille is also home to a species of small fuzzy humanoids, deemed to be mostly harmless.

That is a serious misapprehension, as a number of Imperium explorers have learned to their misfortune. (Their commanders assume that they've suffered some misadventure that involves the planet's _non-sapient_ ecology.) The Mahaq, as they call themselves, are much like terrestrial chimpanzees in that they possess much greater strength than their small stature would suggest, and are extraordinarily swift while moving through Bouille's rainforests. While equipped with stone and bone weapons, a hunting party of Mahaq are fully capable of bringing down a more numerous unit of naval troopers in full armor. Some of the bones that make up their weapons are of human origin.

In the course of their encounters with the Imperium, the Mahaq have acquired a small supply of advanced weaponry. They are reluctant to use such devices, less due to any cultural taboos than because they are well aware that these weapons tend to stop working at unexpected and often very inconvenient times. Some very careful scouting has revealed that the off-worlders tend to restore their weapons at their village (the outpost) and the elders are evaluating the potential risks and rewards of an expedition to see whether they can do the same for their salvaged weapons.

Prior to the arrival of the off-worlders, the Mahaq were divided into a number of small nations which regarded each other as competitors, often resulting in skirmishes between their hunting parties. The invasion has convinced them to adopt a truce, as all the Mahaq elders recognize that they are facing a potentially existential threat. This has been strongly encouraged by the species' small number of mystics, who practice a tradition similar to that of the Yusei, involving the propitiation of the natural forces of their home world.

Eventually, the Insurgency will learn about the shipyard being built above Bouille. Eventually, they'll want to take steps and travel there to implement them. When that happens, they might be able to make allies of the Mahaq, if they can convince them that they intend to leave them in peace after removing their mutual enemies. Or possibly they'll end up as the latest addition to their arsenal.

*Mahaq Hunter - PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Night Sight:* Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (-1 Strength, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation), Innate - 3 points
*Very Mobile:* Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 2 (sure-footed, wall-crawling); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Equipment 2, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Net (Ranged Affliction 6 [Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile], Diminished Range 3, Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Quirk [must be recovered after each use]), Spear (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Spear 2 (+6), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Insight 3 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+5), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Net 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 5)
Spear +6 (Close Damage 8)
Net +6 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/6, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 17 + Advantages 10 + Skills 25 + Defenses 4 = 106 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Others as Needed.*

_Note: Mahaq mystics typically have PRE 3, Expertise: Magic +9, and Ritualist, but are often elders (STR 4, STA 5, AGL 2, FGT 3.) Some Mahaq have the advantage Trapsmith, which allows them to devise and construct traps using their Expertise: Survival skill._


----------



## Davies

Vautaro





The Vautaro are, as far as is known, the sole sapient species native to the planet Hasham, the so-called planet of the mystics. Little is known of their history prior to their first contact with the Gebela. For that matter, little is known of their _own_ history after that epochal event, as opposed to their impact on the history of the Imperium. The Vautaro have always been a species that could be considered humble or secretive, depending on one's perspective.

By the time of their first contact, the Vautaro were already a spacefaring species. Where the Seshai and Manguai had independently developed their warp drive, however, it's believed that the Vautaro acquired it from an unknown source. This can be substantiated by the lack of industry on Hasham -- not the _removal_ of industry that occurred on Dhakam, but the absence of any signs of its presence. The Albadine are sometimes considered as a likely candidate to have been this source, though most historians believe that they only arrived in the Imperium long after this time. Those familiar with the Gardeners have often wondered whether there might have been a prehistoric connection between the two groups of mystics.

Regardless, the Vautaro had little interest in the commercial ambitions that drove their rivals, but were more interested in spreading their philosophical influence throughout the region. It should at this point be noted that _both_ schools of mysticism, the Starlight and the Nightmare, have their origins with the Vautaro; at this point, those schools were closely allied. Followers of the Nightmare path acted as guardians, using fear as a weapon to drive away potential threats so that the followers of the Starlight path could engage in their contemplations in peace. The two paths would not diverge until shortly before the Imperium took form; in both cases, power corrupted them.

The corruption of the Starlight path was both subtle and insidious. When the Imperium formed, the mystics offered their assistance as bodyguards and advisers to the Senators, and many accepted. Advice took very little time to become undue influence, and the extent of that influence was exposed during the Schism Wars. Not only were they no longer as fully trusted by their charges as they'd once been, they no longer fully trusted themselves. Despite their victory over the technomancers, most of the mystics were not quite so consequentialist as to be blind to the havoc that had come along with it.

The Vautaro, who remained the heart of the mystics, were particularly ill at ease with what they'd become. In the last century and a half of the old Imperium, only a handful of them left Hasham to engage with the larger universe. The death of their greatest teacher during the rise of the Crimson King further convinced them to withdraw the mystical order back to its birthplace, officially disowning all those who chose to remain and fight. In the decades since, some of the younger Vautaro (those born since the Schism Wars) have questioned this decision, but as yet, they have taken no known actions.

*Vautaro Mystic -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Bonded Laser Sword: *Damage 6, Penetrating 6, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 10 points
*Draw On The Source:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects; Regeneration 5 - 11 points
*Long-Lived:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Sense The Source: *Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 5 (Accurate, Acute, Ranged Danger Sense) - 13 points
*Work With The Source:* Array (36 points)
 *Feel The Cosmos:* Remote Sensing 12 (all senses), Standard Action - 36 points
 *Mind Over Matter:* Flight 2 (8 MPH); Perception Range Move Object 10, Subtle - 1 point
 *Telepathic Communication:* Comprehend Languages 2; Mental Communication 2; Cumulative Mind Reading 8 - 1 point
 *Telepathic Suggestion:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing Dependent - 1 point
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (+2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation, -1 Strength), Innate - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close, Concealment), Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will checks), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 7 (+6), Close Combat: Laser Sword 5 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+9), Insight 8 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+10), Treatment 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage -1)
Laser Sword +16 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 14/10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8/3, Will 13.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 77 + Advantages 12 + Skills 29 + Defenses 17 = 179 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Unsure What That Responsibility Means.*


----------



## Davies

Dhakimat





It is taken for granted by scholars of the Crimson Imperium that the humanoid species native to Dhakimat was created from the same original stock as Chiraben humanity by some experimenter -- one of the Progenitors or their successors -- thousands of years ago. Suggesting this to a Dhakimite is a great way to provoke them to violence. It is almost an article of faith to them that their species naturally evolved in Dhakimat's environment and they have what they believe to be the fossil evidence to prove it. That they aren't biologically compatible with Chiraben proves _something_, but just what it proves remains a mystery for the ages.

The remarkable physical powers that the Dhakimites possess strongly influenced their cultural evolution. They never needed to develop weapons or armor to defend themselves against each other or Dhakimat's other species. Their settlements never had walls, since every one of them could easily fly over such obstructions. They never needed to tame other animals to put their strength to use for them, as they were the strongest animals on their planet. As they never grew ill and recovered quickly from what injuries they did suffer, medical treatment other than midwifery was unknown. Aside from their literacy, they could have been taken for a stone age culture when they were contacted by the Manguai, around nine hundred years* ago.

At that time, Dhakamite civilization was divided between two opposing ideologies, both of which centered around the philosophical question of how best to live one's life. One school, the Optimum, held that the ideal life could only be obtained through the pursuit of personal excellence, regardless of what that pursuit cost any other individual. The other, the Gnostium, held that the ideal life could only be obtained through peaceful contemplation -- though they were still willing to defend their right to do so with force. The followers of these two philosophies had already come to blows, and as both of them had adherents who developed their faculties above and beyond those of average Dhakimites, there was no way of telling which of them would have emerged victorious.

The Manguai observed this for an extended period, developing a plan that would allow them to profit from interactions with both of these movements. They first approached the leaders of the Gnostium and offered to do something about their Optimate rivals, as well as purchasing the mining rights to every other planet in Dhakimat's solar system in exchange for scientific and technological exchanges. Having done that, they contacted the Optimum and, describing the local cosmic region to them, persuaded them to enter into their service as mercenaries and pursue their ideal of personal power through conflict with the Manguai's enemies. Thus, the Gnostium were left on Dhakimat while the Optimum went to the stars.

This was a disaster. The Manguai had no way of knowing that the Dhakimites would lose their powers when removed from Dhakimat's solar system, and were frankly horrified by how easily their new super-soldiers proved to be no more effective than any other mercenaries in their service, and often much less for their lack of experience with technological warfare. Of the thousands of Optimates who went into space with their new patrons, less than a hundred survived to return to their home world, and then only after two decades* had passed. They returned to find that the Gnostics had established cities and industry on Dhakimite and were firmly in control of the planet, and in no mood to surrender it to their returned brethren. Necessarily, they submitted to their rule, though many of them swore that one day things would be different.

That 'one day' came some three hundred years* later. During a time of civil war among their patrons, the Dhakimites opportunistically conquered the various Manguai bases in their solar system, declaring their independence in the process. Having done so, they began planning to expand their own influence with a program of colonization. Aware of their limitations, they didn't send soldiers to seize territory, but instead dispatched scientists and explorers to find worlds where their powers might also flourish. In more than a century, they found a grand total of _five_ such worlds within their reach -- Anacreon was the last, and the furthest from Dhakimat.

The limits of this colonial mission, the lack of profit that it demonstrated, and the foundation of the Imperium all put an end to the idea of a Dhakimite interstellar state. Negotiations of between the Imperium and the government of Dhakimat resulted in an arrangement by which their system would become a protectorate within the Imperium, neither taxed by nor represented within the Senate, and left to their own devices. The cost was the withdrawal of all of the colonies. Anacreon, beyond the Imperium's borders, ignored the order, as did one other colony within the Imperium which also declared its independence and was crushed in a costly war.

Since then, Dhakimat has largely done its best to ignore the universe beyond their sun's heliopause. All of its industry has been removed from the planet and shifted into enormous satellite factories (one of which can be seen in the image above) leaving the world divided among millions of family-run farm/ranches. Lest the impression be given that this is a bucolic existence, the planet is also subject to total panopticon surveillance, with any dissent firmly suppressed. The isolationist government maintains a conscription-based military whose sole purpose is to protect the solar system, though small numbers of 'advisers' are frequently sent to assist the Imperium at its request. This arrangement, begun under the Senatorial Imperium, continues under the rule of the Crimson King; he has no interest in doing anything which will make enemies of the Dhakimites. Yet.

Dhakimite super-soldiers are those individuals who have successfully undergone a training program that allows them the full use of their capabilities. Not all Dhakimites can complete this training, and it's all but unknown in current Dhakimite culutre for individuals outside the military to engage in it. Beyond those powers listed below, some trained Dhakimites can use sensory enhancement powers. In addition to all this, a small number of Dhakimites demonstrate talents that would be considered 'Hyperbrain' abilities in a human. Given the givens, it is probably very well for the people of Earth that the only member of this species who knows that this world would sustain their powers is increasingly disenchanted with her home world's government.

*Dhakimite Soldier -- PL 7 / MR 8*





*Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Great Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Flight 6 (120 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 6 - 35 points
*Great Toughness:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 6; Regeneration 5 - 21 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 2,_ Equipment 2, _Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action.

Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Commlink, and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Military 4 (+4), Perception 2 (+3), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 8)
Blaster Rifle +5 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/4, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 56 + Advantages 2 + Skills 5 + Defenses 10 = 113 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Power Loss/Weakness* (loses all powers and becomes Strength and Stamina Disabled outside of Dhakimat-like environments.) *Power Loss/Weakness* (as above, when exposed to theonite.) *Others as Needed.

Dhakimite Super-Soldier -- PL 10 / MR 10*





*Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Dhakimite Powers:* Array (11 points)
 *Blast Vision:* Ranged Damage 5, Precise - 11 point
 *Hyper-Speed:* Enhanced Flight 5 - 1 point
 *Hyper-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 4; Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Lifting - 1 points
*Great Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defense 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 8 - 45 points
*Great Toughness:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 8; Regeneration 5 - 23 points

*Advantages:*
_Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action_, Ranged Attack 4.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Military 6 (+6), Perception 4 (+5), Ranged Combat: Blast Vision 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)
Hyper-Strength +8 (Close Damage 12)
Blast Vision +9 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/4, Parry 12/6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 81 + Advantages 4 + Skills 7 + Defenses 8 = 150 points

*Complications:
Loyalty OR Ambition--Motivation. Power Loss/Weakness* (loses all powers and becomes Strength and Stamina Disabled outside of Dhakaimat-like environments). *Power Loss/Weakness* (as above, when exposed to theonite.) *Others as Needed.*


----------



## Voltron64

So Paragon's perhaps the most powerful Dhakimite alive, especially since he (plus Jora and now apparently Karsa) doesn't lose his powers outside of Dhakimat-like environments.


----------



## Davies

That's more of a 'listed complications are those that come up _frequently_' thing, along with the fact that neither Karsa nor Jora have left the solar system since arriving on Earth. It has been noted, though, that Paragon suffers this power loss/weakness at a _much_ slower rate of decline (a week vs. a day) than any other Dhakimite on record, at least when theonite isn't involved.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> It has been noted, though, that Paragon suffers this power loss/weakness at a _much_ slower rate of decline than any other Dhakimite on record, at least when theonite isn't involved.




Years of practice, my boy. Years. Of. Practice.


----------



## Davies

Muraddin





Muraddin, a planet orbiting the star known to Terran astronomers as Gliese 530, was first settled in 1823* by refugees from the Imperium. (Some archaeologists have found what they claim to be signs that the planet had been inhabited by unknown entities before that, and there is a persistent superstitious belief that the two polar regions of the planet are home to supernatural beings descended from them.) The planet was named for the Admiral who commanded the Armada which brought the refugees to this solar system, who died of old age mere moments after the fleet arrived in orbit around their new home.

Despite the two centuries* since the arrival and the foundation of the Technate, much of Muraddin remains unexplored. In large part this is explained by the fact that much of Muraddin is _utterly_ hostile to human/humanoid life, and difficult to survey even through technological means. The planet is tidally locked, with one side constantly facing its sun and the other turned away into space, with a very narrow band (roughly six thousand kilometers wide) possessing a temperate climate range, with frequent storms. The planet has no seas or oceans, though it has lakes and rivers originating from the glaciers of the nightside. The dayside, of course, is a vast desert, with what is believed to be a volcanic region at its heart. 

Despite these challenges, Muraddin's habitable zone is home to roughly two billion sapient beings, with dozens of very cosmopolitan cities. The largest of these, Hemexa, is also the capital of the Technate, home to its Minds and to the various branches of the government, including the Technate Space Agency. Hemexa is located fairly close to the dayside, and is constantly bathed in light not unlike that of the early morning on Earth; all residences have light proofing to allow their denizens to sleep during their sleep cycle, which can vary from household to household.

As the central planet of the Technate, Muraddin is under constant protection by the TSA's Homeworld Fleet, whose Admiral is the famous Commander Arlan Hayez, formerly of the _TSV Adventure._ Now in his sixties, and showing no interest in taking life-extension treatments, Commander Hayez is no longer the daring space captain of the _Adventure_'s legendary voyages, two and a half decades ago. But he remains a cunning strategist and a canny diplomat, and takes the responsibility of guarding his homeworld seriously. Hayez is particularly concerned with the activities of the Dark Side (unlike most of his contemporaries) and maintains a correspondence with the leaders of the Last Men Standing.

While his relationship with her is strained at best, the Admiral continues to be impressed (though at times also bemused) by his daughter's accomplishments as the captain of the refitted _Adventure._ It is true that she achieved this position through her own efforts, without any nepotism on his part. It is also true that, in the last four years*, there have been a number of occasions where the Agency might have removed her from that post save for the Admiral's quiet advocacy ... 

*Commander Arlan Hayez -- PL 6*





*Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Situational Awareness:* Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
*Translator Implant:* Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit (Admiral of the Home Fleet), Connected, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion, Inspire 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Teamwork, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 19 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+11), Expertise: Military 6 (+11), Expertise: Science 3 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+10), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+9), Stealth 5 (+6), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 7 + Advantages 17 + Skills 33 + Defenses 14 = 111 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Aging. Family* (Ventura.) *Friend* (Otodevol.) *Relationship* (Deleh Massovy.) 

_As Captain of the TSA Adventure, he was PL 8; he had STR 2, STA 3, AGL 3, DEX 4, and FGT 5, but 2 ranks fewer in each of Deception, Intimidation and Persuasion, Athletics 6 (+8) instead, and Improved Initiative instead of Well-informed. He was also Fearless, but has learned better._


----------



## Davies

Sezti





Sezti, a fairly typical Chirab-type planet orbiting a G-type star, was discovered by the Seshai relatively late in the pre-Imperium period, around five hundred years* ago. The Seshai had already encountered the Chiraben by this point, and weren't terribly surprised to encounter another group of their species living in pre-industrial conditions with the belief that this planet was and had always been their home world. What _did_ surprise them was the discovery of a subculture present within every one of the cultures on Szeti -- the Chatpaura people.

'Chatpaura' is actually an exonym, and specifically refers only to one group of these supposedly immortal warriors. The Chatpaura Highlands were, at the time of Sezti's first contact, home to a fairly large collection of these people who had chosen to collaborate with each other in order to establish themselves as the region's rulers, openly flaunting their immunity to most lethal injuries. This was in noted contrast with most of the other immortals, who preferred to live hidden among the other nations on the planet, accumulating wealth and rarely coming into contact with one another outside of their periodic duels.

The major factor uniting the various immortals was a myth, existing alongside the religious beliefs of the mortals they lived among. The myth proclaimed that a being called the Great Mother had once lived among them and was responsible for their immortality. Before she departed -- to where, the myth does not say -- she promised that she would bestow a great prize upon the last survivor after all of them battled to the death. The exact nature of this prize is the subject of much speculation, but the most common belief is that it will confer actual godhood upon the victor of the last duel.

In the aftermath of first contact, a handful of these immortals took advantage of the Seshai's curiosity regarding the mechanics of their autoresuscitative abilities to leave their world behind and explore the greater galaxy. Some of these were individuals who had developed the belief that the Great Mother had been a space traveler herself and that they might find her and 'persuade' her to grant them the prize more early. Others had grown tired of the whole myth and sought anonymity elsewhere. By and large, however, most of the immortals were content to remain on Sezti and pursue their own goals; this notably included the Chatpaura association, which dissolved into infighting shortly after the formation of the Imperium.

By the time that happened, though, 'Chatpaura' had entered into the Seshai lexicon as a synonym for this particular branch of humanity. The immortals were confirmed to be of human ancestry and were able to produce offspring with other humans, but it was rare for their immortality to be present in these offspring. Thus, they had relatively little impact on the culture of the Imperium, being regarded as nearly legendary beings, especially as their immortality represented a riddle that Seshai medicine could not and has yet to fully resolve, despite centuries of effort. (Life extension technologies in use in both the Imperium and the Technate have their origins in studies of the phenomenon, however.)

Things began to change as the Crimson Imperium took form. The majority of the Chatpaura on Sezti, and many of those who had left their world behind, found it surprisingly easy to obtain aristocratic titles from the Crimson King. A few of them passed up this opportunity, either out of a lack of interest or moral repugnance for the situation, but these individuals tended to suffer unfortunate accidents. The survivors tended to be more opportunistic and consequently more willing to perform 'favors' for the Crimson King, especially when these 'favors' tended to make them even more wealthy.

The typical Chatpaura is an _extremely_ jaded hedonist who only really comes alive during times of mortal combat with a comparable opponent. It's rare for them to have any real interest in the mayfly existences of other creatures; since their deaths are inevitable regardless of what a duellist might do, there's no real harm in hastening those deaths if it would benefit oneself. They also tend to be almost pathological liars. It is quite common for them to claim to be thousands of years old, often with dizzying precision about their age, despite the fact that there are very few Chatpaura who are more than a century old, and _none_ whose existence predates the first Seshai contact.

*Chatpaura Duelist -- PL 9*




Art by Philipp Teichrieb

*Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Blood of Kings:* Immortality 12 (minimum of 15 minutes), Limited (not if beheaded), Stamina Check Required (DC 14); Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 22 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack,  Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire, status), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 3 (many), Power Attack, Quick Draw, Takedown, Weapon Bind.

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical) and 6 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Sword +11 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 7/5, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 22 + Advantages 21 + Skills 21 + Defenses 13 = 129 points

*Complications:
Ennui--Motivation. Honor* (fight each other one on one, melee weapons only) *OR Reputation* (miserable craven wretch.) *Others As Needed.*


----------



## Voltron64

And of course, there has to be some sort of explanation how Garth Maruad has the same ability of these guys despite being from a completely different world...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> And of course, there has to be some sort of explanation how Garth Maruad has the same ability of these guys despite being from a completely different world...



Yep, pretty straightforward one, too.


Davies said:


> Others had grown tired of the whole myth and sought anonymity elsewhere.



Say, by hiding out on a different low-tech world, maybe occasionally posing as a god to the people there, and then being a one in a million case when it came to determining whether one of their offspring with these people inherited the 'blood of kings'?


----------



## Davies

Rigidat





While surveyed in the late 1970s* by the _TSV Outlawry_ (one of the _TSV Adventure_'s sister ships) nothing about Rigidat -- an arid, radioactive dustbowl of a planet on the fringes of the Technate's disputed border with the Konan Armada's territories -- invited further study. For forty years*, the planet was entirely left to its own devices, with no Technate authority aware that the _Outlawry_'s scans had woken something up. That wouldn't be discovered until what was officially chartered as a private exploration company travelled there in 2017*.

The explorers discovered that Rigidat was home to life, though not to organic life. Three distinct groups of giant sapient robots, similar in _many_ ways to the Ectotronians of the planet Mercury, had been awakened from sleep mode and spent the last few decades in constant war with each other. By the time that the explorers arrived, one of the three groups had been thoroughly defeated and incorporated into the other two, which were presently engaged in a final conflict with each other.

In their first encounter with the robots, the explorer's starship was damaged to the point where it was no longer spaceworthy, leaving them stranded on Rigidat. Undaunted, their leaders proceeded to negotiate an alliance with one of the robotic factions, to obtain the parts they needed in exchange for assistance in their conflict. It was discovered that the organics could engage in a process dubbed 'neural bonding' with the robots, increasing their operational efficiency. And that was the start of the real problems.

Until that point, most of the explorers were unaware that their company was a front for the crime syndicate known as Vaskhane. The mask was now off, and the leader of the expedition was openly discussing the possibility of maintaining the alliance with the robots once the war was over, with the ambition of using their strength to become a dominating force within Vaskhane. He seemed somewhat oblivious to the possibility that the robots had ambitions of enslaving the organics and possibly overthrowing the Technate. 

Some of the explorers found both of these prospects sufficiently horrifying that they engaged in a mutiny and fled to the camp of the other robotic faction, revealing the secret of neural bonding to them. A new alliance was negotiated, and the war tipped back into stalemate. Unfortunately, neither group of humans could operate the ship without the cooperation of the other, and so they found themselves stranded until the stalemate could be broken.

The situation has, within the last few months*, become even more complicated by the arrival on Rigidat of a 'new' third faction. The woman who calls herself Treu is obviously a refugee from the Konan Armada, stranded here just like the Technate explorers. She managed to repair the badly damaged 'hulk' of a robot of the original third faction, identified as one of its leaders. Since then, the two of them have frequently interfered in the conflicts between the other two groups, sometimes aiding one side and sometimes the other. As she's a highly trained combatant, and her robot ally is a powerful model despite his extensive damage, they generally swing the conflict as they desire. Just what Treu's goal in all of this remains unclear.

It would be more clear if the Technate parties were aware that Treu is not just a Konan trooper, but a prodigy among her people. Further, she is -- or technically was -- the naturally-born daughter of a member of the Primacy, who chose to reveal the secret of the Konan to her daughter to prepare 'Treu' for the day she also joined the Primacy. This was a misstep, for the revelation that the Konan were not, in fact, conducting a war in the name of the star gods shattered the young ace's belief in the rightness of her people's cause. She escaped from the Armada and traveled to the Technate, but only got as far as Rigidat before her damaged ship broke down. Discovering the hulk of Bahbrom, she repaired it enough to start his reconstruction mechanism, and won his alliance.

Treu believes that a Konan battle group is likely to arrive in pursuit of her within the year*, and knows that she cannot overcome them alone, or even with Bahbrom's aid. She needs to make allies with one of the other factions on Rigidat, but isn't sure which one would be a better potential ally. So she engages in probing strikes against both, trying not to do too much damage, to study their response. So far, she hasn't found the answer she's seeking, and is starting to become desperate. And Rigidat's system is only going to grow more complicated in a few months* time when a certain superhuman law enforcer and her students finally follow the trail of clues leading to it ...

*Bahbrom -- PL 10*





*Abilities:*
STR 10 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 0

*Powers:
Blaster Cannons:* Ranged Damage 12, Accurate, Extended Range 2 - 27 points
*Huge Robot:* Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Intimidation +4, Protection +8, Speed +1, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -8), Innate; Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 4, Impervious 10 - 69 points
*Jump Jets:* Leaping 12 (4 miles) - 12 points
*Passenger Compartment:* Feature (can carry two passengers, three if they don't mind getting comfy) - 1 point
*Reconstruction: *Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20) - 1 point
*Sensors & Communications:* Radio Communication 1; Senses 6 (accurate radio, darkvision, direction sense) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sidekick 24.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 3 (+6), Technology 5 (+7), Stealth 5 (+0).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 10)
Blaster Cannons +8 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 120 + Advantages 30 + Skills 20 + Defenses 18 = 218 points

*Complications:
Protector--Motivation. Poor Communication* ("speaks" about twenty words of Technate Standard, none of any other language.)

*Treu -- PL 8*





*Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Konan Biology:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
*Konan Swiftness:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero-g]); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
*Neural Bonding:* Features 2 (Use Vehicles skill to make Team Checks with Bahbrom's Close and Ranged Attack Checks) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Language 1 (Technate Standard, [Konan is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery (Vehicles).

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Immunity 8 [life support], Protection 3), Commlink.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+7), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Technology 7 (+9), Vehicles 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +12 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/6, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 12 + Advantages 11 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 120 points

*Complications:
Freedom--Motivation. Secret* (former Konan ace.) *Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Treu believes that a Konan battle group is likely to arrive in pursuit of her within the year*, and knows that she cannot overcome them alone, or even with Bahbrom's aid. She needs to make allies with one of the other factions on Rigidat, but isn't sure which one would be a better potential ally. So she engages in probing strikes against both, trying not to do too much damage, to study their response. So far, she hasn't found the answer she's seeking, and is starting to become desperate. And Rigidat's system is only going to grow more complicated in a few months* time when a certain superhuman law enforcer and her students finally follow the trail of clues leading to it...



Well Yuriko probably qualifies as a fleet killer, so that possibly takes care of the Konan battle group issue at least...


----------



## Davies

Tadeuth





Planets, within the Technate, fall into two basic categories. Either they have been declared open for settlement, or, for whatever reason, they have not. Even a planet that has been declared open will have territories that are restricted from settlement, whether because they contain threats to public safety or because they have been set aside as nature reserves. It is strictly contrary to the Technate's laws for any individual (or entity with the status of an individual) to own a majority of the open lands on a planet, and the Bureau of Law Enforcement monitors potential claims very carefully to ensure that no individual (or entity with the status of an individual) acquires ownership of that majority through proxies.

However, those restrictions exist because, in the 1970s*, an entity with the status of an individual _did_ acquire the _overwhelming_ majority of open lands on one particular planet, and successfully defended their right to do in court. The laws were changed to prevent this happening in the future, but could not be applied retroactively to break up the near-monopoly of ownership of the planet Tadeuth by the megacorporation of the same name. The Technate's authorities have had to settle for watching Tadeuth Incorporated like a wingbeast for any potential infractions that could let them break it up. So far, they haven't found any.

Tadeuth is, essentially, a planetary-scale amusement park. The smallest of its seven continents contains what one might expect from such a setting: a variety of rides, theatres, games and other playgrounds, with zoological displays the only noteworthy exception. There are extensive botanical gardens, some of the finest in the Technate, but from its foundation, Tadeuth Incorporated has been outspoken in its corporate belief that all animals deserve to exist in their natural habitat, and that even open range zoos are a contravention of that inalienable right. 

However, the other six continents (and to a lesser extent the seas between them) are where the company makes most of its income. Tadeuth specializes in a form of entertainment that exists nowhere else in the Technate, and nowhere (_officially_) in the Imperium, either -- the live action wargame. These games include recreations of battles from the history of Chirab and other famous sea, air and land battles from the history of other worlds, but one of the continents is intended for purely fantastic battles that never happened and never could happen.

The battles are largely fought by armies of robots, with human guests taking the roles of generals who remain firmly at the rear of their forces, observing the action remotely. That said, there are some scenarios that involve guests taking the field as 'hero' units, often equipped with special powers enabled by technological devices provided (for a rental fee) or by subroutines in the robots' programming. There is a greater element of risk in such scenarios, and guests are warned that they are taking their lives in their hands by entering them. Nevertheless, people keep coming.

It should be emphasized that the robots of Tadeuth are no more slaves than any other robots in the Technate are. They are salaried employees who are paid very well for their work, and if there's almost nowhere to _spend_ that money except in company-owned stores, that's just how things have worked out. Any robot who finds themself unsatisfied with their job can resign from their position and will even be given a complimentary ticket offworld. Very few robots express that dissatisfaction, and the company officially denies any reports that it assassinates robots who do so that, when they are reconstructed, they have no memories of that dissatisfaction. Such claims are baseless defamation.

Unbeknownst to the executives of Tadeuth Incorporated -- none of whom are robots -- that 'baseless defamation' has not been kept from the robot workers, despite their best efforts. And while the claims have never been proven, a small, secretive movement has grown among the robots in response, referred to as the Living Will society, particularly popular among those robots who work in the wargames. When a robot joins this movement, a copy of their consciousness is made and then stored in the memory of one of the planet's megaframe computers. Each such copy occupies terabytes of space, but this is basically a minute fraction of these devices' memory.

When a robot suffers injuries sufficient to require reconstruction, the robot's personal memories (as distinct from their procedural memories) are normally lost. When a robot who is part of the Living Will society is reconstructed, however, they will be contacted by other members of the society who will offer to have copies of those memories downloaded into them. Not all robots accept this offer, but none of those who don't have betrayed the secret of the society. Just how that secrecy has been kept is something that most members don't like to think about.

The reason for all this secrecy is quite simple. It is utterly illegal in the Technate to make a copy of a robot's memories in this fashion, or store them outside of a robot's 'brain', as there is nothing preventing someone from downloading those memories into two or more robots, essentially creating multiple copies of the same individual. Laws against that were part of the compromise accepted by robot leaders during the emancipation in order to assuage fears that the robots would be genuinely undying citizens of the Technate. They chose to voluntarily accept personality death, with every reconstruction essentially creating a new individual. The Living Will society has changed that completely for its membership.

If the board of Tadeuth Inc. ever learned of the existence of the society, their reaction would probably be somewhat horrific, as they would be afraid that the Technate would never believe that this illegality was going on without their knowledge. This would mostly because it actually _is_ impossible that it is going on without the knowledge of _someone_ at a lower level of management who is covering it up, for whatever reason. This situation could quite easily be the leverage that the Technate's Bureau of Law Enforcement needs to finally break up Tadeuth's monopoly ...

... and all they would have to do in the process is destroy a tiny candle of hope. 

*Robot Soldiers -- PL 6/MR 8*





*Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
*Robotic Body: *Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Impervious Protection 6 - 62 points
*Sensory Package: *Senses 2 (extended radio) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4.

_Equipment:_
20 points of equipment as needed for assignment (usually a weapon, with armor being only a costume.)

*Skills:*
Perception 5 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 66 + Advantages 10 + Skills 6 + Defenses 9 = 111 points

*Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Secret* (memory backup.) *Others As Needed.*


----------



## Davies

So I'm booked to have my first immunization shot tomorrow, and depending on how badly side effects kick my ass, I might not be able to get any of next week's builds done over the weekend -- in which case I'll be taking a week off.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> So I'm booked to have my first immunization shot tomorrow, and depending on how badly side effects kick my ass, I might not be able to get any of next week's builds done over the weekend -- in which case I'll be taking a week off.



Had my 2nd shot two weeks ago, kicked the crap out of me and still is doing so for me somewhat. You take care.


----------



## Davies

Uplink





Art by Michal Lisowski

The woman who uses the name Uplink has been relatively close-mouthed about her past -- which is perhaps understandable, as she claims that her past was the future of the World More Grim, and may still be. She uses the name Victoria Lemaçon when she needs to use a civilian name. While that might be an alias, it's been noted that she used it quite frequently, which suggests that it's more important to her than a disposable name would be. It's also been noted that her speech contains something of the rhythm of Haitian Creole, suggesting that her origins might lie in a future version of that nation.

Uplink first came to prominence in 2015 when she assisted the Superhuman Crew in defeating the genocidal robot Metalika. At the time, she claimed to be a time traveler from the future that came from Metalika's victory, who had only recently arrived in the present. The fact that the latter statement was soon discovered to be untrue -- there was photographic evidence of her presence as early as 2008, though none before that -- raised doubts about the former as well. She has never addressed these doubts, tending to answer questions about her origins with the phrase, "Believe me or don't."

Whatever questions might exist concerning her origins, there is none about her motivations. She has assisted the Crew, individually and as a group, on several other occasions since then, as well as obtaining employment -- on a strictly freelance basis -- with Real American Heroes, Inc. Uplink's activities tend to focus on preventing both the development of other artificial super-intelligences and other criminal activity involving hyper-technology. However, her opponents have included aliens, mutants and wizards, just like any other SPI on either side.

In truth, Uplink is a bit bewildered that she still exists. According to the theory of time travel as it was explained to her in her native era, the 2060s, she would be able to change history by helping to defeat Metalika before it slaughtered seventy per cent of humanity, but the cost of that change would be that she blipped out of reality. Yet here she still is. Does this mean that Metalika is not permanently defeated? Were the scientists who explained all this wrong, or were they lying to her. She has no way of getting any answers, as there are no experts on time travel in her world. However, while discussing his visitor from a parallel reality, Renegade has mentioned that time travel has been known on _theirs_ for a lot longer.

An even more unusual journey might be in Uplink's future ...

*Uplink -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 10/3 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Cybernetics:* Radio Communication 3; Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 2, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Improvised Tools), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower initiative total); Protection 6, Impervious 10; Senses 7 (Accurate Hearing, Analytical and Extended Vision, Danger Sense, Infravision, Radio) - 40 points
*Cybernetic Weapons:* Array (22 points)

*Augmentations:* Enhanced Strength 7; Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 22 points
*Blaster:* Ranged Damage 11, Accurate 3 - 1 point
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, _Close Attack 2_, Chronal Memory, Defensive Attack, Diehard, _Evasion,_ Fearless 2, _Improved Initiative 2, Improvised Tools,_ Skill Mastery (Technology), Startle, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Intimidation 10 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Technology 8 (+11), Vehicles 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +12/+10 (Close Damage 10)
Blaster +11 (Ranged Damage 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 11, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 68 + Advantages 11 + Skills 30 + Defenses 17 = 190 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Electronic* (becomes Hindered, Immobile and Paralyzed if subjected to Nullify Electronics.) *Secretive.*


----------



## Davies

Tommy Elagabalus





Not quite twenty-seven years ago, two children were born to a witch named Callahan. The wife of the acknowledged leader of Boston's mystic underground, she had consumed alchemical reagents after learning of her pregnancy in hopes of inducing mystical abilities in her child. She succeeded, as both Weiss and Ross, as her son and daughter were named, possessed powers even in their infancy. She had relatively little time to take pride in her success, however, for the poisons she'd consumed killed her soon after they were born. Their father soon married again, this time to a mundane woman, and now they had the requisite step-mother.

Ironically, she was actually a very kind woman to the two of them, and it was their father who proved to be an onerous presence in their lives. He demanded that both of them demonstrate a mastery of mysticism, abusing them when they failed to live up to his expectations. While Weiss had abilities that made learning the secrets somewhat easier, Ross had a much harder time of it. Despite that, it was Weiss who decided that she'd finally had enough of all this, and urged Ross to run away from home with her when they were seventeen.

Unfortunately, they were quickly to discover that their lifestyle, for all its pain, had been positively luxurious by comparison to what they had as teenaged runaways, and they found themselves trapped in a life of crime. Their powers facilitated their activities, but also drew attention from so-called superheroes like the Superhuman Crew, whom the two of them fought on several occasions. They were never captured, but never really managed to accomplish much, either. So they decided to join forces with other supercrooks as the Cohort of Misfortune.

When they discovered that the leader of the Cohort of Misfortune, Metalika, had ambitions of widescale genocide, however, they were appalled. This was not what they'd signed up for, and they defected to the Crew in order to oppose the robot's ambitions. Tragically, Ross was killed in the battle that followed, taking a blast to the chest from one of Metalika's minions.

But he didn't stay dead, as it turned out that he had more powers than anyone had ever realized. A few hours later, he awoke in front of one of his new teammates, who helped him to conceal his resurrection. Ross had come to believe that his sister would be better able to make a new life for herself if she wasn't constantly looking after him. He seems to have been right, since she has become a leading member of the Superhuman Crew as Snow White.

For his part, Tommy Elagabalus has also moved on, becoming an occult investigator in Prague, the most haunted city in Europe, based out of a haunted mansion that he received as a reward for his first case. Ironically, this life has given him the opportunity to finally develop his mystical abilities through self-study that his father's punishing courses never did. His path has frequently led him into alliances (and conflicts) with Llogres and her master, and what has been passed onto him about that other world has him wondering if his world-walking powers could be used to go there ...

*Tommy Elagabalus -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Hyper-Reflexes:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 17 points
*Teleporter:* Accurate Teleport 9 (2 miles), Turnabout - 28 points
*Won't Stay Dead:* Immortality 12 (minimum of 15 minutes), Limited (not if beheaded), Stamina Check Required (DC 14); Immunity 1 (aging); Regeneration 10 - 19 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Connections, Contacts, _Defensive Roll 2_, Equipment 3, _Evasion, Improved Initiative 2,_ Languages 2 (Czech, German, Hungarian, Slovakian), Ritualist, _Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:_
*Spook Central:* Size Medium, Toughness 10, Features Concealed, Dual-size (Huge), Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Personnel, Sealed, Security System, Self-repairing, Workshop - 15 points

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/1, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 64 + Advantages 9 + Skills 24 + Defenses 10 = 150 points

*Complications:
Atonement ... Sort Of--Motivation. Manipulative. Secret* (lots.)


----------



## Voltron64

Their crap dad still out there causing trouble?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Their crap dad still out there causing trouble?



Yes, though neither of them have crossed paths with him since then; Snow White is based in Chicago, and while she travels a lot, she's only gone back to Boston once since 2013 -- when her father was in D.C.


----------



## Davies

Merlin





Long ago, there was a man named Morgan. Legend would remember him under another name, just as the ancestor for whom he was named was better known as Pelagius. Gifted with certain superhuman abilities in addition to those which he learned through his study of magic, he decided that the best thing he could do for the world, the best way to make the world a better place, would be to bring about a superhuman aristocracy to govern it well. The rape of a woman named Igraine by a man named Uther was one of the lesser crimes that Morgan enabled in pursuit of that goal.

Such activities are bound to make enemies, and eventually one of Morgan's would arrange for him to be imprisoned in a crystal cave, able to observe the world but not affect it. By the time someone freed him from that imprisonment, his first attempt at creating an ideal kingdom was already in ruins. Undaunted, he vowed to do better next time, and decided to use the girl who had freed him as a key part of his subsequent plans. She went in the cave while he went walking up and down on the world. A few centuries later, he would be known as Maugris, when he involved himself with some of the Frankish aristocracy.  Later yet, he adopted the name that his earliest legend had given him -- Merlin.

At some point, Merlin achieved what no other mystic in the history of his world had managed to do, becoming truly immortal. Needless to say, he has never revealed exactly how he did this, but it seems to have involved melding his psyche and body with the fabric of another dimension, from which he could then dispatch incarnations which would instantly return to their origin if fatally injured. (This is much how the Ascendants of the World More Sorcerous operate, and Merlin bears a _marked_ resemblance to one of them, a patron of sorcery known as Mardlyn. What connection, if any, exists here is not known.)

Despite this ascent, Merlin was, like all the mystical powers of the World More Grim, lulled into a deep sleep by certain events which took place on the island of Bermuda around 1540, not to awaken until 1921. Disgusted by what he saw of the world that the superhuman aristocracy had made, he spent much of the subsequent century passing judgment (in the form of Llogres) on the worst of them, reshaping them into their current form. By the early years of the current century, he finally felt able to rest a bit, just in time to witness the start of the age of heroes.

Merlin has had a few interactions with these so-called SPIs, some friendly, some hostile, though he generally prefers to leave such interactions to Llogres. However, he did provide assistance to those who opposed the invasion of Dionysus in 2011, though he declined to take part in the formation of the Superhuman Crew in the aftermath. Truthfully, he feels the weight of his years, and would prefer to pass on his self-appointed responsibility as the world's mystical guardian to a younger party. Unfortunately, none of the candidates he has approached have had any interest in his patronage, and so he must soldier on. "How weary is my life," he is often heard to say.

Recently, however, a new spark has entered into that difficult life, as he has learned (through Llogres) of another world, arousing his curiosity for the first time in forever ... 

*Merlin -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 10/2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 12

*Powers:
Immortal:* Immortality 5 (one day); Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 15 points
*Master of the Mystic Arts:* Array (55 points)
 *Healing Word:* Perception Ranged Healing 8, Energizing, Resurrection, Restorative, Side Effect (inflicts Damage 8 to target on failed roll) - 1 point 
 *Lightning Barrage:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 18, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Spellshatter:* Nullify Magic 18, Broad, Simultaneous, Precise, Dynamic - 56 points
 *Portal:* Extended Only Teleport 13, Portal, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Probing:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 13, Subtle - 2 points
 _*Scrying:*_ Remote Sensing 10 (all senses), Dimensional, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Shielding:* Immunity 80 (Toughness), Concentration; Dynamic - 2 points
*Mind Over Matter:* Enhanced Strength 8; Continuous Flight 6 (120 MPH); Move Object 8, Subtle; Sustained Protection 9, Subtle - 60 points
*Mystic Attunement:* Senses 5 (extended 4 mystic awareness) - 5 points
*Staff:* Environment 1 (light); Strength-based Damage 2; Removable (-0 points) - 3 points

_Typical Combination:_
Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 6, Subtle; Remote Sensing 6 (all senses)

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Equipment 4, Fearless, Improved Defense, Language 6, Ritualist, Trance.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 18 points.

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+16), Expertise: History 12 (+15), Expertise: Magic 4 (+16), Insight 6 (+13), Perception 7 (+14), Persuasion 4 (+16), Ranged Combat: Mystic Arts 9 (+12), Treatment 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10/2)
Staff +8 (Close Damage 12/4)
Lightning Barrage +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 18)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/3, Will 18

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 151 + Advantages 16 + Skills 27 + Defenses 20 = 294 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Arrogant and Patronizing. Secret Identity.*

_Note: If Merlin ever travels to the World Less Magical, he suffers Weaken 5 on all Master of the Mystic Arts effects except Shielding, is Disabled on checks with his Expertise: Magic skill, and suffers Power Loss for his Immortal and Mind over Matter powers._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> At some point, Merlin achieved what no other mystic in the history of his world had managed to do, becoming truly immortal. Needless to say, he has never revealed exactly how he did this, but it seems to have involved melding his psyche and body with the fabric of another dimension, from which he could then dispatch incarnations which would instantly return to their origin if fatally injured. (This is much how the Ascendants of the World More Sorcerous operate, and Merlin bears a _marked_ resemblance to one of them, a patron of sorcery known as Mardlyn. What connection, if any, exists here is not known.)



Alternate reality counterpart, solved it in one.


Davies said:


> Despite this ascent, Merlin was, like all the mystical powers of the World More Grim, lulled into a deep sleep by certain events which took place on the island of Bermuda around 1540, not to awaken until 1921. Disgusted by what he saw of the world that the superhuman aristocracy had made, he spent much of the subsequent century passing judgment (in the form of Llogres) on the worst of them, reshaping them into their current form. By the early years of the current century, he finally felt able to rest a bit, just in time to witness the start of the age of heroes.



Thus explaining why history and pop culture of A World More Grim didn't start of majorly diverge until the 2000s.

Also kind of a twisted relief to know he didn't approve of all the colonialism and plutocracy...


Davies said:


> Merlin has had a few interactions with these so-called SPIs, some friendly, some hostile, though he generally prefers to leave such interactions to Llogres. However, he did provide assistance to those who opposed the invasion of Dionysus in 2011, though he declined to take part in the formation of the Superhuman Crew in the aftermath. Truthfully, he feels the weight of his years, and would prefer to pass on his self-appointed responsibility as the world's mystical guardian to a younger party. Unfortunately, none of the candidates he has approached have had any interest in his patronage, and so he must soldier on. "How weary is my life," he is often heard to say.



So was Nike's dad here an even bigger jerk than in A World Less Magical or about the same? (Considering the implied connection between Nike and Tiamat and the...process behind all that.)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> So was Nike's dad here an even bigger jerk than in A World Less Magical or about the same? (Considering the implied connection between Nike and Tiamat and the...process behind all that.)



No comment.


----------



## Davies

Metalika





In 2011, after Renegade accidentally revealed his own extraterrestrial origins in the aftermath of Dionysus' invasion, the brilliant and sociopathic Billie Zane saw an opportunity. Employing her vast web of corporate and government contacts, she was able to discover the whereabouts of the alien vessel which had brought Renegade to Earth twenty years before and obtain it for her own uses. Zane was genuinely startled that most of its technology was not that much advanced beyond what she herself could develop, except in one area that had always daunted her. That was the creation of genuine artificial intelligence.

With the involuntary assistance of a long dead Ibycan scientist's personality emulation, Zane was able to create a method to record the psyche of a living individual and use it as the basis for a robot's AI. Naturally, she chose her own mind as the ideal candidate; just as naturally, she applied certain limitations to the resultant program so that it was not quite as intellectually superior as she was. She wanted no rivals, after all, and if it was only ten per cent as brilliant as she, that should be more than enough when combined with the impervium armor and advanced weaponry installed within the robot's frame. Dubbing it Metalika, she wound it up and set it loose on a collision course with the Superhuman Crew.

Metalika quickly recognized her own limitations. (Just as with her creator, she identifies as female.) While more powerful, in some respects, than any of the Superhuman Crew, she was neither omnipotent nor omnipresent. Therefore, she began to recruit allies from those who already had reason to oppose them, forming and leading the Cohort of Misfortune. Together, they gave the Crew some of the hardest battles they'd ever faced ... which provided the ideal distraction for Metalika's actual goals.

Eventually, however, the members of the Cohort figured out what Metalika was plotting. She had constructed a number of facilities on the African, Asian, European and North and South American landmasses, that were intended to draw down meteor strikes that should exterminate most of humanity. While at least one of her subordinates was all for this, the rest were a bit disconcerted; she was able to deal with two of them, but two others escaped her and warned the Crew ...

... and inadvertently Zane as well, who was no less shocked. While able to encompass causing vast amounts of death for some goal, she could not perceive any greater goal in Metalika's actions; they seemed to be destruction for its own sake, and likely to put Zane herself in danger. She therefore covertly assisted the Crew in defeating Metalika before her plan could come to fruition. The robot was destroyed in the battle, but her hulk disappeared in the aftermath, and is believed to be in the process of reconstruction, if she has not already returned to full function.

In that final battle, Metalika recognized the handiwork of her maker, and was outraged that Zane was unable to comprehend her plan. By destroying human life on every continent except Australia, she would be giving Zane a species that she could much more easily dominate. Clearly, in order to fulfill her own goals, she would need to surpass her creator, and yet this is not so easily done. She would need the assistance of another entity of Zane's brilliance to undo her inbuilt limitations, and such are not easily found.

At least, not on her _own_ world ...

*Metalika -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Impervium Armor:* Immunity 80 (Toughness), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Protection 13 - 66 points
*Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of one day), Check Required (Technology DC 20) - 1 point
*Robot:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude) - 30 points
*Sensors:* Radio Communication 3; Senses 8 (accurate extended radio, darkvision, direction sense) - 20 points
*Weapon Systems:* Array (27 points)

*Arm Blade: *Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2 - 1 point
*Basic Cannon:* Ranged Damage 13, Variable (technology) - 27 points
*Psychic Magnetron:* Perception Range Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point
*Tractor Beam:* Perception Range Move Object 9 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Inventor, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Speed of Thought.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 5 (+15), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 8 (+14), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+16).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 9)
Arm Blade +8 (Close Damage 12)
Cannon +11 (Ranged Damage 13)
Psychic Magnetron -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 13, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 157 + Advantages 7 + Skills 21 + Defenses 16 = 271 points

*Complications:
Destruction--Motivation. Obsession* (Billie Zane.) *Weakness* (becomes becomes Hindered, Immobile and Paralyzed if subjected to Nullify Electronics.)


----------



## Voltron64

If she ends up encountering the four...

And World More Grim Zane has enslaved the AI ghost of Renegade's dad, I presume?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> And World More Grim Zane has enslaved the AI ghost of Renegade's dad, I presume?



Yep.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Yep.



Renegade's just preparing himself for the day when Zane finally totally snaps, puts on some power armor and tries to personally kill him, ending with Renegade liquifing her skull with his fist I take it?


----------



## Davies

She's already got the suit designed, but she's always backed away from that point so far. And this being a World More Grim, she comes out the winner in their conflicts more than you'd expect.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> So was Nike's dad here an even bigger jerk than in A World Less Magical or about the same? (Considering the implied connection between Nike and Tiamat and the...process behind all that.)





Davies said:


> No comment.



To elaborate on this, in preparation for tomorrow's entry ...

The exact nature of the beings known as Olympians is something of a mystery in the World More Grim. The official position of the authorities is that Dionysus, Pallas, and the others who've visited or reside on Earth are just aliens who reside on the Jovian moon Ganymede, and who have adopted names from Earth's cultural mythology for as-yet-unknown reasons. Pallas' personal recollection is that she's the daughter of a _former_ ruler of their nation and one of his mistresses, and was put in suspended animation and sent to Earth during a conflict on Ganymede roughly 80+/-5 years ago. Therefore she's not really in a position to provide much insight about their history or culture. Though she's travelled to Ganymede once since her awakening, three years ago, she is apparently not welcome there.


----------



## Davies

Manneken





The year was 2014, the place a hospital in Philadelphia, and the man was old, and sick, and dying. He had been many things in his time -- a decorated Marine, a celebrated artist, a lover -- though not as much as he wished -- and a good friend to have. But time runs out for the best of us, and despite how much pain he was in, the man nevertheless found himself wishing for just a little more time. He expected that this was a futile dream, however, so he started to drift off to sleep, unsure whether or not he would awaken.

Then he realized that he wasn't alone in his hospital room. He blinked in confusion, since visiting hours were long over, and he couldn't recognize the woman who was sitting in a chair gazing at him. And it occurred to him that this might be because her appearance changed at every moment, in every conceivable way. "Uh ... good evening, ma'am," he said, since his mother hadn't raised him to be rude. "Who might you be?"

"I have many names," she answered.

"Oh no."

"Not any of the ones you just thought of, though. You've led an interesting life, Mr. Montrose, particularly given my interests. Three times, in your life, you encountered my work --"

"Ohhhh no."

"Please calm down," the woman said, in tones of great restraint. "I'm actually a bit impressed, and you don't know how rare that is. You helped them. You gained nothing by doing so, and put yourself at considerable risk in the process. Yet nevertheless, you helped three pairs of incredibly star-crossed lovers come together against all odds. Why?"

He managed to shrug. "I believe in love, I guess. It's pretty much all I do believe in."

He couldn't really tell, but he thought she was smiling. "Me too," she said softly. "And so, I will grant you a bounty. Now, before you ask," she continued, suddenly businesslike, "there are some profound limitations on what I can actually _do_. I cannot cure what ails you, first of all. But there are two possibilities. I can take away your pain, so that when your end comes, you will go gently. Orrr I can give you what you just wished for -- more time. But you may spend much of that time cursing me. Which is it to be?"

He made his choice, the choice he suspects she _knew_ that he was going to make, and the world went dark for a time. The next thing he knew, he found himself on a hill watching a funeral at Arlington, and recognized many of his friends among the guests, and guessed who the funeral was for. Feeling a bit dizzy, he raised his hand to his forehead -- then paused as he stared at the wrist of that hand, which had a visible joint. There were other, smaller ones in each of the fingers. He'd been turned into a mannequin.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised, given what you said about your work," he said, shaking his head. And then he walked down the hill, away from the funeral.

Since then, Manneken -- he sometimes goes by Ken, but never uses the name he used in his first life -- has quietly tried to make the best of his extended time. Unlike certain animate mannequins he's known, he remains animate no matter how many people are looking at him, but on the other hand, he never appears as a realistic looking human being, either. He's not a superhero, despite having greater than human strength and toughness, as he doesn't go looking to get mixed up in trouble. That said, if he discovers that someone is having some difficulties that he can help with, especially in the area of romance, he'll always try to help them as much as he can. He once thought about abandoning a particularly annoying pair to their own devices, but found himself stiffening into immobility when he tried, only regaining his ability to move when he agreed to go back and help.

Despite all this, and other frustrations of his existence -- he can know love himself, but his ability to enjoy sex is very limited -- he hasn't ever cursed the being who did this to him. Despite everything, he still believes in Love.

*Manneken -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Mannequin:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8 - 38 points
*Mystical Self-Repair:* Immortality 5 (1 day); Regeneration 2 - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 3 (+11), Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Art 6 (+6), Expertise: Magic 5 (+9), Investigation 2 (+7), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 50 + Advantages 5 + Skills 17 + Defenses 9 = 113 points

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman* (but can disguise himself somewhat.) *Weakness* (must help lovers in difficult circumstances, or become progressively Hindered, Immobile, and Paralyzed.)

_They say we're crazy/Let's prove them right!/Keep holding my hand and we'll get through this night ..._


----------



## Davies

And with that ... I have now been doing this for a year and a day, according to the best information available to me. I think it's time to take an extended break.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> And with that ... I have now been doing this for a year and a day, according to the best information available to me. I think it's time to take an extended break.



Yep, all that's left is to link and index them.


----------



## Davies

The Scavengers





_David_ (Art by Slugg-o)




_Jude_ (Art by Brian Rubinfeld)




_Joshua_ (Art by Yngvar Apslund)

It seems unlikely that Dr. John B. Calhoun would have approved of the _other_ experiments that were being conducted by employees of the National Institute of Mental Health at the Casey farm in 1962. His objections wouldn't have been founded on any sentimental considerations about what they were doing to the mice and rats, but rather on his belief that using 'mad science' on creatures intended for 'serious science' experiments could contaminate the results. That said, the most noteworthy experiments occurred after Dr. Calhoun had departed for California, with the creation of sapient and iconographic mice and rats, and their escape from the laboratory, taking place towards the end of the year.

The escaped rodents were broken up into several smaller groups by various circumstances, and while most of those who survived reunited somewhat later, many were thought lost for good. One of these lost rats was a pregnant female who used the name Judith, who gave bith to a litter of nine infants soon after the escape. Three of them survived to maturity. One of the first books that Judith ever read was a collection of stories about the Nine Worthies, and she named her children after three of them -- Joshua, David and Judah.

The rat pups' physical maturity outpaced their mental and emotional maturity by quite a bit, though they rarely spoke of their youth later on, and so many questions about this period remain unanswered. They travelled along with their mother, moving across the United States as tramps, until Judith died, apparently due to misadventure, in 1972. All three of the brothers' personalities were largely shaped by this loss -- David became determined to become able to protect what was left of his family, Joshua was left angry at the world and everything in it, and Judah -- or Jude, as he began calling himself -- developed a whimsical and easy-going attitude.

Despite their differences, they stayed together for several more years, right up until everything changed for them. In 1977, while passing through Denver, they were caught up in one of the last great battles of the first age of heroes and exposed to further mutating effects that caused them to increase in size many times over, until they were each roughly five feet in height. It was an extremely painful process that left them all but helpless for several hours, and so their existence was discovered by a human being.

Fortunately, Katsuki Junko could best be described as unflappable. The strange creatures she found hiding out in the basement of the flophouse where she was temporarily residing were in need of help. She took her responsibility to help all living creatures seriously, and therefore gave them what aid she could and listened with interest to the story of their lives so far. Observing their athletic and stealthy talents with interest, Junko hesitantly offered to give them instruction in how to use those natural abilities to better results, through the use of the martial arts.

They had to move a few times over the course of their training, but by 1984, when they were living in Detroit, the three brothers were highly accomplished martial artists and infiltrators, having developed combat styles that made use of weapons that they'd constructed from scavenged equipment. They referred to themselves as the Scavengers, and frequently used their training to protect humans as well as themselves and their Little Mother. In the process, they found themselves clashing with a criminal martial artist, Tobidashi, who was pursuing certain schemes in association with the Pythons and with an extraterrestrial stranded on Earth. It was the start of a great deal of strangeness, but the Scavengers found themselves enjoying being heroes, even if they were regarded as monsters by the public.

Tobidashi disappeared in 1987, most likely executed by his superiors for his repeated failures. The alien, Kulkafron, continued his experiments for a few more years, but also disappeared after a security team from the TSV _Adventure_, led by Otodevol, assisted the Scavengers in finally destroying his base of operations. The brothers were invited to travel to the Technate in order to give testimony concerning the activities of Vaskhane that they'd witnessed, and agreed once it was also mentioned that the Technate's medical treatment could assist their sensei with some difficulties she'd been sufffering in recent months.

Not much is known about the Scavengers' activities after they left Earth. It's believed that they may have worked alongside fellow Terran-expatriate Captain Mystic as agents of the Bureau of Law Enforcement, but if so they did so in secret. It's possible that they eventually settled in Manehil, a city on Muraddin largely occupied by the Xavin people, whom they somewhat resemble, and possible that by now a new generation of adolescent transgenic shinobi rats are active there. 

*The Scavengers -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Keen Senses:* Senses 3 (Low-light Vision, Acute and Tracking Olfactory) - 3 points
*Mobility:* Movement 2 (slithering, wall-crawling 1); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
_All:_ Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown, Teamwork.
_David:_ Equipment 2, Inspire, Interpose, Leadership
_Jude:_ Close Attack, Equipment 1, Redirect, Set-up, Skill Mastery (Deception)
_Joshua:_ Favored Environment (neighborhood), Great Endurance, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:
David:_ Sickles (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Split Attack) and 5 points
_Jude:_ Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Split Attack) and 7 points
_Joshua:_ Bow (Ranged Damage 3), Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical) and 3 points

*Skills:*
_All:_ Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Sleight of Hand 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+9), Technology 4 (+6).
_David:_ Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+8), Treatment 6 (+8).
_Jude:_ Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+8), Vehicles 6 (+8).
_Joshua:_ Intimidation 6 (+7), Ranged Attack: Bow 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
_David:_ Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3), Sickles +6 (Close Damage 6, Crit 19-20)
_Jude:_ Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3), Staff +7 (Close Damage 5)
_Joshua:_ Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3) Sword +6 (Close Damage 6, Crit 19-20), Bow +8 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/4, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 9 + Advantages 18 + Skills 21 + Defenses 6 = 100 points

*Complications:*
_All:_ *Survival--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman. Scavenged Equipment* (frequently breaks down.)
_David:_ *Overconfident.*
_Jude:_ *Easy-Going.*
_Joshua:_ *Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Secret of NIMH meets Ninja Turtles I take it?

A fun and surprisingly natural combo come to think of it.


----------



## Davies

Splinter being a rat of NIMH would explain why he was able to learn taijutsu _before_ his date with the ooze, wouldn't it?


----------



## Davies

Katsuki Junko





Debuting in 1964, Japan's first superhero was the self-proclaimed 'scientific ninja' known by his alias of Jiraiya, after the famous ninja of folklore. And debuting three years later, Jiraiya found himself (somewhat reluctantly) saddled with a partner, who naturally took the alias Tsunade as she fought by his side. Looking back on those days, many years later, Katsuki Junko preferred to remember the good times, and was laughingly grateful that they never ran into anyone who insisted on being called Orochimaru. When asked whether her relationship with Jiraiya had been romantic as well as professional, she gently tapped Jude on the head with a spoon and replied that a lady never answered questions like that.

Junko's career as Japan's first superheroine began in her early twenties, after she received training from the same man who had trained Kageyama Sarutobi: the mad scientist known only as Professor Chi. The professor claimed to have stripped the various esoteric techniques employed by generations of would-be martial artists of their superstitious dross, leaving only practical methods that anyone could use. Despite this, he trained only two students in his methods, and they would both pay a steep price for their power, though they wouldn't learn that until after the professor died, in 1968.

Access to the professor's notes painted a clearer portrait of what he had done to them, and began to drive a wedge between the two heroes. Between these revelations and the cataclysm in Vietnam, Sarutobi began to increasingly reject the materialist and technological society that had produced him in favor of more traditional approaches to the martial arts and life in general. While Junko sympathized with such goals, she was unable to fully embrace them. Therefore, the two parted with a fair amount of acrimony in 1974, with Sarutobi beginning to lay the foundations for what he would call the Shadow School, and Junko departing for the United States.

Little is known of her life between her arrival in America and her meeting with the Scavengers, three years later. At some point in that time, she learned the horrific cost of the abilities she'd mastered -- they caused her to age much more rapidly than she should. By the time she began teaching David, Jude and Joshua, she resembled a woman in her early forties, ten years older than her actual age. Sarutobi suffered from the same affliction, which would ultimately kill him in 1992. For this reason, as much as her lack of access to the tools used in her training, she did not instruct the Scavengers in these techniques.

Generally, during the Scavengers' adventures, Junko remained behind and offered only counsel and advice to them. She encouraged David's quest to become a worthy leader to his brothers, laughed at Jude's pranks though never at the prankster, and tried to soften the sharp edges of Joshua's bad attitude. She was pleased when they began to make other human friends, such as Julie Martens, since she feared what would happen when her death left them alone in the world. She did not think of herself as their mother, exactly, and actually found the 'Little Mother' name she was saddled with to be somewhat irksome, particularly after she found out what inspired it. But she was always their biggest fan.

Ultimately, in the name of saving her life, the Scavengers left Earth behind in 1991, by which point she looked like a woman in her seventies. If their fate is something of a mystery, hers is even more so. It may be that what was done to her was repaired, and even reversed, though the miracles of Technate medicine. But perhaps it was too late, and her ashes rest in an urn somewhere on some alien world.

*Katsuki Junko -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Abundant Step:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (trackless) - 5 points
*Chi Mastery:* Array (8 points)

*Flurry of Blows:* Selective Burst Area Damage 4, Tiring - 8 points[/li]
*Nerve Strike:* Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Paralyzed), Tiring - 1 point
*Restoration:* Healing 8, Tiring - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Improvised Weapon, Language (English, [Japanese is native]), Prone Fighting, Tracking, Trance, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Philosophy 8 (+9), Insight 5 (+11), Perception 4 (+10), Persuasion 7 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9), Treatment 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed or Improvised Weapon +8 (Close Damage 3 or more)
Flury of Blows -- (Close Burst Area Damage 4)
Nerve Strike +8 (Close Fortitude 8)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 15 + Advantages 20 + Skills 32 + Defenses 9 = 121 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (the Scavengers.) *Prejudice* (homeless.) *Rapid Aging.*

_Note: This represents Junko's abilities in the late 70s and early 80s. A decade earlier, while active as Tsunade, her AGL, DEX and FGT would all have been two ranks higher, she would have Close Attack 2 instead of Close Combat: Unarmed, Ranged Attack: Thrown 4 (+10), the abilities of her Chi Mastery would not have the Tiring limitation, and she would have carried an Equipment package identical to that used by Kiyohime. By the early nineties, she was in significantly worse condition than this; reduce all physical abilities and FGT by 2._


----------



## Davies

Tobidashi






飛び出し is the Japanese word for the sort of bladed instrument known to the English-speaking word as a switchblade. When Tomita Kyousuke chose this as his nomme de guerre, in 1979, he was sixteen years old and not particularly given to deep thought; the word itself sounded cool to him, and so he was quite willing to let it become the name by which he chose to be known. Later, he would decide that it was a particularly appropriate name for someone who wanted to be a ninja, as it referred to something dangerous, hidden from sight, that could quickly reveal itself when it was needed.

The story of how Kyousuke 'helped' his older sister to realize that her American swain didn't care about her at all has already been told. In the aftermath, he eagerly took part in the activities of the extremist group that he joined alongside Kiyohime, initially quite happy that she was showing the same passion for them that she had only ever given to _him._ When their group was brought into the Pythonian Insurgency, he began to experience doubts about their course of action, particularly when they left Japan and came to the corrupt West. While the opportunity to strike at America where it would truly feel it was welcome, he began to feel like he was once again an afterthought in his sister's life, just as he had been when she had been with _him._

Consequently, in order to establish an identity separate from 'Kiyohime's tag-along brother', he volunteered his services for one of the Insurgency's more exotic projects -- their alliance with agents of the extraterrestrial crime syndicate known as Vaskhane, and was sent to Detroit in order to work with a squid-like humanoid known as Kuklafron. The alien unnerved him, particularly with his chilling indifference to whether or not Tobidashi's efforts in his supposed service bore fruit or not. Kuklafron was pursuing many different projects, far more than he revealed to the Pythons, and if some of them failed, well, others still might succeed.

In the course of one of these missions, Tobidashi had his first encounter with the Scavengers. He initially underestimated what he believed to be some stupid rat-creatures, and nearly suffered a lethal injury as a consequence of that first conflict. Amused by this, Kuklafron provided him with an armored costume made of an impossibly strong and light-weight polymer. Thus equipped, and no longer underestimating the rats, he fought them numerous times, never succeeding in doing them any permanent harm but often preventing them from interfering with his schemes as well as those of the aliens.

However, he was frustrated when he realized that he was still viewed as little more than his sister's sidekick within the Insurgency, _and_ that those who knew about his activities viewed his inability to kill a bunch of teenaged mutants as proof of his incompetence. Even worse, on those occasions when he was able to spend time with his sister, Tobidashi found himself increasingly disturbed by her behavior. She was becoming erratic and unstable, like many of the other leaders of the Insurgency, and no longer focusing on seeking revenge on _him_, rather than viewing _him_ as just a symptom of America's moral bankruptcy. She was still obsessed with the man, just ... differently, and this was not at all what Kyousuke had wanted.

In late 1986, he wound up captured by agents of a different faction within Vaskhane, opposed to Kuklafron, at the same time that the Scavenger's mentor was also taken hostage by them. Initially viewing the old woman with disdain, he revised his opinion when he learned who she was. While he was no longer the boy who had looked up to Jiraiya and Tsunade, actually meeting one of them was still somewhat exciting, and so he found himself speaking with her in a respectful manner, and revealing more about himself than he probably should have. Kakita-san didn't offer any judgements about his actions, but she did wonder whether or not his unhappiness with the way that his life had gone might be because he knew that he had hurt his sister, the one person he really did care about, more than was strictly necessary.

While he mocked that idea, claiming that he'd acted with the best of intentions, Tobidashi kept revisiting the conversation in his thoughts over the next few months. Had what he did really been the only way, or even the best way, to make his sister realize what a jerk that guy was? At last, he decided that the only thing to do was to tell her the truth, face the consequences of doing so, and then decide with her what they should do now. And he went to her private rooms to have an important discussion with her, not wearing his armor, meeting her face to face.

The story of what happened next has also already been told.

*Tobidashi -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Alien Armor:* Immunity 2 (suffocation); Protection 3; Removable (-1 point) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Language 2 (English, Russian, others [Japanese is native]), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Stealth).

_Equipment:_
11 points of equipment as needed.
*Arsenal:* Array (12 points)

*Katana:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical - 1 point
*Smoke Grenade:* Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 12 points
*Throwing Stars:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 1 - 1 point
*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 1 (+6), Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 7 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing Star 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 7 (+11), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Katana +8 (Close Damage 6)
Throwing Stars +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/6/5/3, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 4 + Advantages 19 + Skills 30 + Defenses 13 = 112 points

*Complications:
Vengeance--Motivation. Family* (sister). *Hatred* (America and Americans.) *Well-Buried Sense of Honor and Humanity.*


----------



## Davies

Julie Martens





Despite what he would sometimes later claim, Julius Martens' father did not name his only son after Julius Erving in hopes that the association would lead him to become a professional athlete. Born in 1969, when Dr. J's college basketball career was only starting up, Julie was given that name because his father usually went by his middle name Gus, for Augustus. That said, Gus Martens _did_ have hopes that his son would get out of Detroit through sport, ideally boxing or football. He was doomed to disappointment, since Julie turned out to be a bookish kid with an interest in science, and Gus took it for granted that there was no future in this for him.

The stress of this eventually led Julie to run away from home at fifteen, but he was already smart enough to recognize that getting involved in a gang was a dead end. Unfortunately, one of the gangs who tried to recruit him -- associated, of course, with the Pythons -- wasn't inclined to take 'no' for an answer, and tried to ambush him one night in October. Julie was rescued by a group of recent arrivals to the city, the Scavengers, who took him back to their lair so that their mentor could help treat some injuries the young human had suffered.

When they found out his name, the Scavengers imputed a deeper meaning to this encounter than it probably merited, since Julius Caesar had been one of the Nine Worthies they'd been named after. Happy to have found some friends, even if he often thought they were sort of screwy, Julie moved in with them, acting as their eyes on the street and helping to keep their home's infrastructure, as well as the vehicles and other machines they picked up, in good working order. While the Scavengers were all extremely gifted at applied technology, Julie turned out to have a much better grasp of the theory, often coming up with technical solutions to the problems that the rats encountered.

When the Scavengers left Earth, Julie was also invited to come with them. Incredibly tempted by the offer, he chose instead to remain behind and get back in contact with his family, bidding farewell to his friends. He returned home to a prodigal son's welcome, and discovered that his father had spent the time he was away saving up money so that he _could_ have the college education he'd wanted if he ever came back. Combined with some scholarships that he managed to finagle, Julie went on to get an engineering degree. When he entered the work force, he wound up recruited by a newly-formed security company -- Argus.

As the second age of heroes got underway, it happened that Julie -- as one of the few employees of the company who'd had close personal associations with a group of superpowers -- was called on to help draft their policies for dealing with them. Reflecting on the way that he'd often been the one to warn the three brothers about events that he'd heard about, he suggested that Argus agents should associate themselves with superheroes and use that association to alert them to events that the company needed to have handled. While the 'handler' policy went through a lot of changes before it was implemented, the seed of the idea was still based on Julie's proposal.

Unfortunately, Julie Martens was one of many Argus employees to die in action during Zane's coup attempt, being killed by Blake Rogers during the early stages of the affair.

*Julie Martens -- PL 4

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Defense, Inventor, Set-up, Taunt.

*Skills:* 
Deception 5 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+7), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+5), Technology 5 (+9), Treatment 3 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Advantages 7 + Skills 16 + Defenses 8 = 59 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Friends* (the Scavengers.) *Prejudice* (homeless.) 

_Note: Later in life, as an Argus researcher, Julie's INT, AWE and PRE increase by 2 ranks each, and he gains Contacts, Well-informed, Expertise: Science 5 (+11), Insight 3 (+7), and Persuasion 4 (+7)._


----------



## Davies

Litota





One of the most accomplished assassins in the service of Daath, the android known as Litota is believed to have been one of a large production run of androids created by the late Yacobus the Arch-Imaginist roughly fifty years* ago, at a time when the wonder-worker believed that his life extension methods were failing and he would need to transfer his mentality into an artificial frame. As it happened, Yacobus overcame these difficulties in another way, and the androids were donated to the armies of the Dark Side as they took form. Litota has made comments to the effect that he is the only one of his make and model to still exist, with the implication that he has personally made certain this is the case.

Litota, much like his maker, views himself as an artist in his chosen field, as demonstrated by his chosen name, which derives from a form of poetry once common on Chirab. Where most of the Dark Side's assassins prefer to arrange things so that the deaths they're assigned to accomplish occur and cannot be traced back to them, Litota believes in going the extra light year -- when he brings about the end of an enemy of Daath, he often makes it seem as though the death arose from some great drama in the life of the victim, often causing the blame for the deed falls on one of their loved ones, or on another individual who might oppose Daath and who cannot be as easily eliminated. His most famous endeavor once saw the entire population of a small space station descend into civil war when one member of the crew died unexpectedly.

Another manifestation of this artistic tendency involves his fascination with those he considers 'worthy adversaries', defined as individuals who are able to overcome his attempts to end them while still living up to their own moral codes and standards in the process. It has happened several times in his career that, when he succeeds in having such an individual dead to rights, Litota declared that it would be beneath him to destroy such a worthy adversary, and lets them go. The individual so designated could be forgiven for thinking that this marks an end to their troubles.

They would be horribly mistaken and quickly learn that things have just gotten immeasurably worse. Litota will continue his efforts against them -- he won't kill _them_, but no one else in their immediate vicinity is remotely safe. The android seems to take a special pleasure in destroying any relationships that his target might have, as though to make Litota himself the only meaningful presence in their lives. He will also create situations where the target could save people around them by abandoning the morality that attracted him, and kill the target out of hand if they stop being 'worthy'. Thus far, he has managed to find a way to break every one of his worthy adversaries.

Because of these eccentricities, however, Litota is not considered the first among Daath's assassins, which somewhat vexes him. Why that honor is bestowed on a nobody like Bruyonne is something he cannot understand, and this has led to a rivalry between the two of them since she first gained that distinction. It's become a particularly violent rivalry since Infernus sent Bruyonne to eliminate a 'worthy opponent' that Litota had just started cultivating, after the general became impatient with the lack of progress. Eventually, it seems likely that there will come a reckoning between these two.

When not engaged in his duties as an assassin, Litota typically poses as a travelling entertainer, often a musician or storyteller. He is every bit as vain about his abilities in this area as he is about his other art ...

*Litota -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 8 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Android: *Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 10; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 41 points
*Imperturbable: *Immunity 5 (interaction skills) - 5 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Equipment 4, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Precise Attack 4 (Close & Ranged; Cover & Concealment), Ranged Attack 3, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
14 points of equipment as needed.
*Arsenal:* Array (4 points)

*Knife:* Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical, Improved Defense - 1 point
*Sword:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical - 1 point
*Throwing Knives:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 1 - 1 point
*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+12), Athletics 4 (+11), Close Combat: Blades 4 (+12), Deception 9 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+9), Expertise: Performance 5 (+8),  Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 9 (+12), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 5 (+13), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 7)
Knife +12 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)
Sword +12 (Close Damage 10, Crit 19-20)
Throwing Knifes +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 55 + Advantages 19 + Skills 41 + Defenses 11 = 190 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Obsession* (worthy opponent.) *Subject to Orders. Vanity* (not Immune to Tricks that play off his vanities.)


----------



## Voltron64

All he needs is a foppish, effeminate voice and he’ll be a blast to roleplay


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## Davies

I envision Catero Colbert as providing his voice.


----------



## Davies

Madame Zozostrz





Much like the one now called Scathach, who was once one of her fiercest rivals, the ancient woman who answers to the title Madame Zozostrz has long since forgotten the name she was given at birth, twelve hundred years ago on Chirab. She was one of the first generation of the rising stars to be granted power by the cosmic accident that created them, and used the power to create and manipulate a form of energy imperceptible to the naked eye to rule over a small region of their home world, using various tricks to make it seem that she had many other powers besides that -- the power to curse, to know the minds of her subjects, to see the future. They thought of her as a witch -- _the_ witch -- and she encouraged that belief and that fear.

Eventually, though, that fear turned to hatred, and the witch was driven from power despite inflicting horrific damage on her enemies, and forced into alliance with the rest of the rising stars. Eventually, she joined them in leaving the planet behind, and accompanied the faction of their kind who travelled through the regions of space that would later become the Imperium, eventually coming to the world later known as Yusei. For a brief while, she tried to practice her old tricks there, but her so-called fellows had had enough of all that, and united to drive her off so that they could pose as more benevolent gods to the populace there.

By that point, she was realizing that she was not truly immortal, as were some of her brethren. She aged very slowly, perhaps one year* for every fifteen that passed, but she could still feel herself growing older. Having just had the limitations of her powers demonstrated to her, the witch naturally sought to increase them so that no one would be able to insult her in that way again, and to gain the eternity she viewed as her due. She chased down many rumors about paths to greater power, but these always turned out to be dead ends, until she learned of Daath.

So the witch made her way to Daath and presented herself as a supplicant to Ananke, having seen that the ruler of Daath could grant great powers to her servants, and either not caring about the price that she would have to pay, or imagining that she could find a way to overcome whatever it would do to her. Ananke accepted her service, as she has always accepted any who would offer it to her ... and then did absolutely nothing. Ananke granted the witch neither additional powers -- or so it seemed -- nor any authority, inflicted no price, and more or less ignored her from that point onward.

The witch, who came to be known as Madame Zozostrz, was naturally not best pleased by this, and so sought to gain additional power from her service to those who had been granted power and authority by Daath's ruler, which usually left them unable to leave the planet, as she could. She journeyed to many worlds through the portals opened by the Metropolitan (and those who had similar powers before it) and became known as a mysterious witch on many of them. She may even have visited Earth, and become the inspiration for witch-like figures of that world's mythology.

But none of these journeys granted her the power or the immortality she sought, and she came to hate those who seemed able to achieve power through their own efforts, through the sort of magical traditions she'd exploited in the past. In the past few centuries, she finally began to achieve a measure of authority on Daath, though never the supremacy that she wanted. Her efforts to gain more were often thwarted by her rival, Yakobus the Arch-Imaginist.

Zozostrz directed many schemes against him, but that war was briefly interrupted by the arrival on Daath of Abraxas, whom she knew of old. Much to her fury, however, he did not recognize her, and seemed uninterested in renewing their acquaintance. Nevertheless, the witch ended up as one of the lower-ranking commanders of the Dark Side due to her experience and knowledge of the universe. She used these new hierarchies to renew her struggles with Yacobus, and _may_ have played a major role in the conspiracy that brought about his end -- or she may be taking credit for things that had nothing to do with her, as she often does.

Her ambitions are without limit. She intends to ascend to the position that Abraxas now holds, and then wreak a vengeance most terrible on Ananke for the neglect she feels that she has suffered. (She imagines that Abraxas has not done this because he enjoys Ananke's _favors_ as well as her favor.) And never once has it occurred to her that she might indeed have been given a power that she did not possess before coming to Daath -- a petty power, to suit a petty soul as hers. Translator circuits rarely afford their owners the mastery of language that she possesses ...

*Madame Zozostrz -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Eldritch Energy Manipulation:* Array (29 points)

*Eldritch Bolts:* Ranged Damage 14, Subtle - 29 points
*Eldritch Chains:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Subtle - 1 point
*Eldritch Manipulation:* Perception Range Move Object 9, Precise, Subtle - 1 point
*Eldritch Shifting:* Extended Teleport 9 - 1 point
*Eldritch Visions:* Remote Sensing 7 (auditory, mental, visual), Subtle - 1 point
*Eldritch Force Field:* Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 12; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 - 34 points
*It's Not Paranoia When They're Really Out To Get You:* Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
*Long-lived, But Not Youthful:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Translator Circuit (Or Maybe Not):* Comprehend Languages 4 - 12 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Daze (Intimidation), Fascinate (Deception), Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Inventor*, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Set-up.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: Science 8 (+11), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 10 (+13), Perception 6 (+12), Ranged Combat: Eldritch Energy 7 (+10), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 9 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 7)
Eldritch Bolts +10 (Ranged Damage 14)
Eldritch Chains +10 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 9, Toughness 16/4, Will 12

*Totals*
Abilities 64 + Powers 80 + Advantages 10 + Skills 33 + Defenses 19 = 206 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. ... Except When It IS Paranoia. Hatred* (actual magic-users.) *Secret* (magical pretensions.) *Subject to Orders.*

* Madame Zozostrz's inventions are always chemical concoctions, and are created through the use of Expertise: Science rather than Technology.


----------



## Davies

Bruyonne





Generally, when the generals of the Dark Side choose assassination as a tactic, it's meant to remove a potential impediment to one of their forthcoming military campaigns, and they prefer operatives who can accomplish that objective quietly and efficiently. Bruyonne, as the prime assassin on Daath, is usually given other sorts of assignments. She is dispatched, almost always by Abraxas himself, to deliver death to someone on Daath, or less frequently one of their subjugated worlds. And she is not expected, or desired, to accomplish these missions of extermination at all quietly; _everyone_ is supposed to know who killed the target and why.

Little is known about Bruyonne's background. She is believed to have been born in the same year that Abraxas began his rule over the planet, and came under the care of Yacobus the Arch-Imaginist sometime in the next decade*. By the time that Aun Taxad joined their household, she had already been heavily cyborged, using techniques that Yacobus had learned on the conquered world that created General Schatter. Yacobus' primary interest in her was as a research subject, but he also used her as something of a housemaid. Taxad, who had been a domestic servant himself, did not look down on her acceptance of that role, and offered her some small amount of help in between his studies.

After only a few years* of this, some of the leaders of the Dark Side made demands of Yacobus, insisting that he give them one of his two pupils to be made useful as a warrior. He chose to give them Bruyonne, and pressed a new invention, the Polyvalent Whip, into her hands before he sent her on her way. After demonstrating her talents to her new masters, they decided to send her back to Yacobus with the demand that he turn over Aun Taxad instead, as he had been the one they'd wanted, not this silly little girl with her silly little whip.

She delivered that demand as she'd been ordered, and when Yacobus refused, she whipped him to death with the weapon he'd just given her. This was _not_ what the ones who'd sent her had expected to happen. They'd believed that she lacked initiative, and would just follow orders like some sort of automaton. Suddenly, they began to perceive potential uses for their new toy, and were distracted enough by the possibilities that the escape of the being they'd intended to recruit happened before they knew it.

In the two decades since then, Bruyonne has risen as far in the hierarchy of Daath as a mere assassin could be expected to rise, and become gradually more machine than woman. While intelligent and creative in devising deaths, she behaves much like the automaton her former masters expected. Part of this might be a tactic meant to encourage people to underestimate her, while part of it is her genuine lack of interest in anything outside of her missions ... with the exception of two targets she's never actually been assigned to deal with, despite her private burning ambition to find them and end them.

While aware that Litota regards her as a rival and enemy, she views him with as close to respect and admiration as she can probably manage. She finds his style of killing to be fascinating, although not something she'd care to imitate, and almost feels regret about having interrupted him that one time. If he ever tries to kill her, of course, she'll kill him right back. Aside from that, and her frequent meetings with Abraxas, she rarely ever engages in any conversation with anyone other than her targets. With them, she's much more voluble, telling them what sights she has to show them before getting down to the pleasant work to follow ...

*Bruyonne -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cyborg: *Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Impervious Protection 6 - 42 points
*Impossibly Fast:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Close Attack 5, Improved Initiative 2), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative modifier); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 4; Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 22 points
*Polyvalent Whip:* Array (19 points)

*Force Whip:* Damaging Move Object 7, Reduced Range 2 - 19 points
*Pain Whip:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Reduced Range 2 - 1 point
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, _Close Attack 5,_ Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improved Critical 2 (Polyvalent Whip), Improved Initiative _3_, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Ranged Attack 2, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+13), Athletics 8 (+11), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+12), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Polyvalent Whip 9 (+13), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 6 (+11), Technology 8 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +17
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)
Force Whip +15 (Ranged Damage 7, Crit 18-20)
Pain Whip +15 (Ranged Fortitude 5, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8/6, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 93 + Advantages 24 + Skills 47 + Defenses 9 = 215 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Sadism. Requires Maintenance. Subject to Orders. Vulnerability* (_Not_ immune to pain effect of her own whip or similar weapons, use Will for resistance.)


----------



## Davies

Singularity





Even among the commanding officers of the Dark Side, who understandably don't want their past histories and potential weaknesses known, the being called Singularity is something of an enigma. He arrived on Daath after the two best sources of information about the planet and its denizens had permanently departed from it, and neither of them ever knew him as anything other than a foe. Much of what follows is speculation, then.

A species known as the Zaxashi can be found on one particular world in the Crimson Imperium, a former client state of the Manguai. They have four arms and constantly produce new teeth throughout their adult lives, but are otherwise humanoid in appearance. (The Technate base in the Sol System has noted that they are similar to the Martian residents known as the Aquerrodi, but not quite identical.) The majority culture of the Zaxashi follows a religion that worships their system's star as a deity, and believes that sufficient devotion to this entity will result in certain gifts being bestowed on the devotee.

This has in fact happened to a few individuals in each generation of the Zaxashi. In previous generations, such superpowered individuals would typically study with the mystics in order to perfect their talents, but this is no longer an option -- and this is officially regarded as a good thing. The fairly conservative religious establishment that currently governs the Zaxashi has decreed that these gifted individuals must become part of their hierarchy and use their powers only when their superiors deem it appropriate, and in ways that demonstrate their complete loyalty to the Crimson Imperium.

Of course, this is somewhat oppressive, and there have been rumors, on Zaxas and worlds of the Imperium with links to it, that some exceptionally talented gifted have avoided that impressed servitude, and now run an underground opposed to the hierarchy. And with these come other rumors that the greatest examples of the gifted have fled their world, and will return some day to overthrow the tyranny which now governs it. And Singularity has four arms, shark-like teeth, and powers over gravity and plasma that are quite similar to those supposedly possessed by the gifted Zaxashi.

It is quite possible that he came to Daath in the hopes that he could awaken even greater powers for himself through service to Ananke. If so, it is also quite likely that the price that he paid was the loss of any memories concerning his reasons for seeking that power, for he now acts as one who cares only about how much havoc he can wreak with his powers. He has a somewhat adversarial relationship with Infernus, who acts as his superior officer -- for now -- but is easily controlled by his master. As long as there are things to burn with fires of the sun and crush with the gravity of a black hole, he will be very satisfied with his life.

*Singularity -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 13 | *STA *11 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Multi-armed:* Extra Limbs 2 - 2 points
*Solar-Powered:* Array (52 points)

*Blazing:* Reaction Damage 13 - 1 point
*Defy Gravity:* Flight 14 (32,000 MPH); Movement 2 (space travel 2); Move Object 10 - 1 point
*Graviton Crush:* Linked Ranged Damage 13; Linked Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 52 points
*Sun Hurl:* Cone Area 2 Damage 13, Secondary Effect - 1 point
*Space Voyager:* Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 4, Impervious 12 - 26 points
*Teeth:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical 2 - 4 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 10 (+11), Intimidation 9 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Attack: Solar-Powered 9 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 13)
Bite +11 (Close Damage 15, Crit 18-20)
Graviton Crust +13 (Ranged Damage 13 and Fortitude 13)
Sun Hurl -- (Cone Area Damage 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 11, Fortitude 12, Toughness 15, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 98 + Powers 94 + Advantages 9 + Skills 22 + Defenses 16 = 239 points

*Complications:
Destruction--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Very Heavy When Not Defying Gravity.*


----------



## Voltron64

And there's the token brute I've been expecting!

And to match them all now;

Litota - Corvus Glaive
Madame Zozostrz - Ebony Maw
Bruyonne - Proxima Midnight
Singularity - Cull Obsidian


----------



## Davies

Actually, if I were mapping them to anyone -- Litota is something of a deconstruction of Kanto, Madame Zozostrz is a mix of Granny Goodness and Baba Yaga, Bruyonne is Lashina and Nebula, and Singularity is basically just "wow, what a cool monster I just read about". Though he has some similarities to Blaastar and thus Kalibak, now that I think about it.

Anyway. Next: Ananke.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Actually, if I were mapping them to anyone -- Litota is something of a deconstruction of Kanto, Madame Zozostrz is a mix of Granny Goodness and Baba Yaga, Bruyonne is Lashina and Nebula, and Singularity is basically just "wow, what a cool monster I just read about". Though he has some similarities to Blaastar and thus Kalibak, now that I think about it.
> 
> Anyway. Next: Ananke.



Oh I noticed those too certainly, it's just that they also map to the Black Order quite well by the way.


----------



## Davies

Ananke





Long ago -- longer ago than this language has words to describe -- a group of extraordinarily powerful entities, whom we could call the Old Ones, realized that they needed still more power in order to accomplish a task that they had set for themselves. Thus, they sought out a source of power that they could use for this task, and eventually found one in the form of a living entity which was essentially a sentient, though non-sapient, galaxy. The Old Ones succeeded in binding the creature into a form that they could use to power their experiments in granting their power to other beings, allowing those creatures to ascend to a similar sort of immortality.

However, the Old Ones were somewhat surprised to learn that there were unintended consequences to their action. By binding the creature, they created another living entity who possessed a minute amount of that galaxy's power which could, theoretically, be used to undo the binding effect. And despite the Old Ones' best efforts, they were not able to destroy the being who had just come into existence. The best that they could manage to do was to move her from their part of the multiverse to another part … a world less magical, where hopefully no one would ever be able to use her to that end.

She found herself on a dark world and used what power she had to make it into a place where she would be comfortable, then sat on the throne she had created for herself and waited. A few of the Great Ones who ruled the galaxy in its early eons came to observe her, but they did not stay long. (Some of the oldest architecture on Daath shows signs of their construction, though.) They fell, in time, and the Titans eventually rose to take their place. Some of them were more interested in the gifts she had to give, such as one who sought to become the mightiest being in all reality. They learned that there was always a price to be paid for those gifts, though.

The Titans fell to the Olympians they had created to be their servants, and the Olympians were not kind to their former masters, especially the mighty being. When they made their way to Daath in turn, they took its ruler for one of the Titans, but found her to be impervious to any force they could direct against her. Some of them became part of her court, seeking the same secrets of power their mentors had. In time, they too fell away, though not before they gave her the name that she now bears -- Ananke.

And so, the long slow dance of time continued. The story of Daath spread to the civilizations that grew up in the aftermath of the Olympians' fall, and many came to seek power there. She granted it, usually, and accepted the service of those who offered it to her. They believed she could withdraw the gifts she had bestowed, which may have motivated their decision to serve her. (They also believed that she knew which gifts would result from her blessing; she did not and does not.) Some of them might have dreamed of a day when their powers would become such that they could overcome even her. That wish would never come true, though. Only one thing in all of reality can affect her in any way. Should someone solve the equation that she embodies, the binding will end, and she will cease to exist.

Aside from her invincibility, Ananke's own powers are surprisingly weak, which explains why she has always relied on others to rule and defend her planet. She can awaken powers in any being she wishes, but has no control over what is awakened, and the subject always pays a price of some sort. (She has no control over that, either.) She is certainly one of the most well-informed beings in the universe and can perceive into any other multiversal reality that her creators have influenced, or any visited by one she has empowered.

She wondered, when Abraxas came to her court, whether he would be the one to solve the equation. He has the capacity to do so. But he chose otherwise and saved Daath from the assault of Vulcan. While Ananke herself would have survived the devastation of her world, it would have been inconvenient, and he had demonstrated his power in an adequate way. So, she granted him the rule of the planet, and no other gift or curse. She gave _that_ to the child he carried with him.

However, Ananke believes that another being from Earth, born around the time that Abraxas came to Daath, is much more likely to be the one to solve the final problem. But there have been many who might do so, and none ever have. Thus, she awaits the outcome vast with vast indifference. What happens after that, when all the realities created by the Old Ones dissolve into the mindless nuclear chaos that was and will be Azathoth ... is someone else's problem.

*Ananke -- PL 18/X

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 12 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 12 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 9

*Powers:
Cosmic Knowledge:* Comprehend Langugages 4 - 12 points
*Empowerment:* Feature 1 (empowerment) - 1 point
*Impervious:* Immunity 140 (Fortitude, Toughness, Will), Innate - 141 points
*Nine Words of Mastery:* Array (39 points)

*Word of Banishment:* Perception Range Movement 1 Attack (dimensional travel to prison dimension), Resisted by Will, Increased Resistance 12, Reversible - 1 point
*Word of Death:* Perception Range Damage 13, Resisted by Will, Hearing-Dependent - 39 points
*Word of Life:* Perception Range Healing 9, Resurrection - 1 point
*Word of Motion:* Accurate Easy Extended Teleport 9, Extended Only - 1 point
*Word of Pain:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Word of Rule:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Word of Sight:* Remove Sensing 11 (visual), No Conduit, Dimensional 3 - 1 point
*Word of Stillness:* Perception Range Nullify Magic 13, Broad - 1 point
*Word of Terror:* Perception Range Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Impaired and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Disabled, Incapacitated and Paralyzed), Extra Condition, Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Truesight:* Senses 7 (visual senses counter all concealment and illusions) - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (Ruler of Daath), Fascinate (Persuasion), Jack-of-all-trades, Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Dimensional 10 (+22), Expertise: Galactic 11 (+23), Insight 12 (+21), Perception 13 (+22), Persuasion 12 (+21).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Word of Mastery -- (Perception Range Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness Immune, Will Immune.

*Totals:*
Abilities 98 + Powers 215 + Advantages 5 + Skills 29 + Defenses 10 = 350 points

*Complications:
None. Really, None.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> She found herself on a dark world and used what power she had to make it into a place where she would be comfortable, then sat on the throne she had created for herself and waited. A few of the Great Ones who ruled the galaxy in its early eons came to observe her, but they did not stay long. (Some of the oldest architecture on Daath shows signs of their construction, though.) They fell, in time, and the Titans eventually rose to take their place. Some of them were more interested in the gifts she had to give, such as one who sought to become the mightiest being in all reality. They learned that there was always a price to be paid for those gifts, though.
> 
> The Titans fell to the Olympians they had created to be their servants, and the Olympians were not kind to their former masters, especially the mighty being. When they made their way to Daath in turn, they took its ruler for one of the Titans, but found her to be impervious to any force they could direct against her. Some of them became part of her court, seeking the same secrets of power their mentors had. In time, they too fell away, though not before they gave her the name that she now bears -- Ananke.



That Titan who sought to become the mightiest being of all, was it someone we already know or someone we have not yet?


Davies said:


> And so, the long slow dance of time continued. The story of Daath spread to the civilizations that grew up in the aftermath of the Olympians' fall, and many came to seek power there. She granted it, usually, and accepted the service of those who offered it to her. They believed she could withdraw the gifts she had bestowed, which may have motivated their decision to serve her. (They also believed that she knew which gifts would result from her blessing; she did not and does not.) Some of them might have dreamed of a day when their powers would become such that they could overcome even her. That wish would never come true, though. Only one thing in all of reality can affect her in any way. Should someone solve the equation that she embodies, the binding will end, and she will cease to exist.



That equation, the Equation of Fate...


Davies said:


> *Complications:
> None. Really, None.*



Not even Motivation - Await Her Unbinding?

(And what she can't wait a few trillion years till the Big Crunch to pull that off instead of now?)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> That Titan who sought to become the mightiest being of all, was it someone we already know or someone we have not yet?



Tiamat.


----------



## Davies

Also, she has been waiting for billions of years, and yes, she can wait that long. She doesn't care when it happens, so her motivation cannot be used to move her to action, which defeats the point of having it as a motivation.


----------



## Davies

Roman Statia





One question that Roman Statia frequently finds himself wondering, as he skims through reports on the activities of the caped and costumed crowd, is whether it is more courageous to believe in something, as they seem to do, or to believe in nothing, as many of his associates -- well, former associates, really -- are inclined to do. He can understand the appeal of that sort of nihilism, as it does seem to be the rational response to the fact that the world only makes sense when you force it to do so, but he's never quite been able to embrace it.

When he was a child, Roman believed that the world made sense. There was his family, related to all the other ancient families in one way or another, an invisible aristocracy that guided the world and always would; and there was everyone else, who were all basically pawns on the chessboards of the world. In 1987, when he had not yet turned 18, he found himself catapulted into the heights of that aristocracy, when his father and mother were murdered by the Pythonian Insurgency, whom the Statia family had been supporting financially up until that point. Needless to say, Roman cut all ties to the terrorists, and urged his fellow ancients to do the same. He was ... well, not really _surprised_ but certainly revolted by how many of them refused to do so, despite the losses material _and_ personal that they were suffering.

Eventually, the Insurgency ended, and many of the leading members of the mutant families suffered further for their role in it, while the Statia clan prospered, relatively speaking. But Roman was left to wonder why his parents had died, and none of the resources he had at his disposal would answer that question. And then he heard rumors that a private security firm was forming from the remnants of those who'd fought against the Insurgency, and it occurred to him that these people might know more than the public record would reveal. So he contacted them and invested a fair amount of his personal fortune into their new business, and so helped to form Argus. 

For his investment, and the intelligence that he provided about his kind -- nothing that they couldn't discover from other sources, but confirmation was nice -- he was given the title Director of Mutant Family Activities. Roman accepted this, though he had no intention (then) of providing them with further insights into the secrets of his kind, only in discovering what they knew about the reasons behind his parents' deaths. And lo and behold,  in their files was information gained from interviews by JSOT personnel of the assassins themselves -- who claimed that Pythia herself had ordered the hit, claiming that the Statias were planning to betray the Insurgency.

_But that made no sense._ His father had been pleased with the results of that alliance, and commented to Roman that he thought the Pythons would be a much more useful tool to control the world than the various mundane governments had ever been. Whatever had actually motivated Pythia's decision had died with her, but Roman had the disturbing feeling that it might have been for the simple intent that he'd be where he was at that point, or even just to amuse herself.

For a bit more than a decade afterwards, he walked a delicate line between his responsibilities to Argus and those he had to the Families. He directed operations only against those of the ancients who had fallen out of favor with the rest, and steered the company away from those of his peers whom Roman still respected. But he kept finding it harder and harder to feel respect for these petty would-be godlings and their constant jockeying for influence. Through it all, he maintained his own businesses at a comfortably static level, growing only as much as was needed to stay a bit ahead of inflation.

Finally, in the aftermath of Zane's coup, his role in Argus was exposed to the rest of the Families, and he found himself no longer welcome in their company. Still unwilling to use his role against these people who'd decided that he was their enemy, he stopped attending company meetings -- while still making himself available for personal discussions with other Directors of the company, if need be. Roman is starting to feel his age, and would consider retirement if he could find some way to do so safely.

With regards to his personal powers, Roman has the ability to slow down time for those around him, both incapacitating living beings in his vicinity and also providing them with the same protection from injury that he himself enjoys, by slowing damaging effects down enough that they do little if any damage. His powers in this respect are not particularly versatile, as he does not seem to be able to speed his own activities up as Exelion can, but it's possible that he's reserving his full abilities for an especially dangerous situation.

Roman is married to another member of the families, who has minor healing powers. The relationship was arranged when they were both children, but they saw no good reason not to wed once Roman found himself the head of his family. It's not a particularly warm or intimate relationship, and has never produced any biological offspring, but they have adopted a number of children, most notably several members of the other families who were abandoned for failing to demonstrate any powers or the wrong sorts of powers. Concern for his family's fate is a major reason that he remains with Argus, for now.

*Roman Statia -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Force Field:* Selective Burst Area 2 Affects Others and Self Sustained Impervious Protection 10, Subtle - 61 points
*Stasis Field:* Selective Burst Area 2 Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile, Paralyzed & Unaware), Extra Condition, Concentration - 91 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 6 (billionaire, security clearance), Connected, Contacts, Improved Initiative, Speed of Thought, Well-informed

*Skills:*
Deception 10 (+13), Expertise: Business 8 (+12), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+10), Expertise: Science 5 (+9), Insight 10 (+13), Intimidation 9 (+12), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 10 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 1)
Stasis Field -- (Burst Area Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 4, Toughness 12/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 152 + Advantages 12 + Skills 39 + Defenses 9 = 250 points

*Complications:
Security--Motivation. Family* (wife and children.) *Reputation* (traitor, to many of the ancients.)

_Note: *If* Roman possesses additional time manipulation abilities, they likely take the form of Quickness 10 and a Close Progressive form of his Affliction effect at 18 ranks as an alternate power._


----------



## Davies

Corentin Van Damme





Much of Corentin Van Damme's life seems to have been shaped by his experience of the Second World War -- not an atypical fact for those born in his generation. His family's fortunes had been diminished by the Great Depression, but they were still rich enough, and his father foresighted enough, to recognize that the neutrality that the Netherlands had been guaranteed by the Third Reich would not last. Well before the invasion in May of 1940, the Van Damme patriarch sent his wife and two children into exile, first to the United Kingdom and from there to their properties in South Africa. They would not return to their homeland until 1946.

The young man who returned seemed to be in a perpetual bad mood. It wasn't so much the death of his father during the war that upset him, or the loss of much of what had remained of his family's wealth. (The latter was quickly recouped over the next two decades, in any event.) Nor did he feel any real empathy for how other Dutch citizens had suffered for being unable to flee. What maddened him was the fact that the decision to leave had been made without his consent. Never again, he vowed, would anyone make decisions for him.

Years passed, and the world changed -- generally in ways that further unsettled Van Damme. The way that so many of the superpowered were blatantly revealing themselves to the world offended him, more than it caused him to feel concern that his own family's secret legacy might be revealed. These people were getting ideas above their stations, and giving them to the dregs of humanity, as well. Something had to be done about it, and as there was no one else that he could trust to do that something, he decided to do it himself, and embarked on a career of supervillainy as De Damp -- the Vapor.

He first confronted the Primal Pattern in 1967, initially attempting to convince them that he was a fellow elemental who had learned how to return to human form as part of a ruse that was supposed to lead to their deaths. It didn't work out, and De Damp was startled to learn that he was vulnerable to the flames of Phoenix. He managed to escape capture, but decided that different prey would be better. So it was that he began to oppose the Grim Brigade instead, and clashed with them several times in the late 1960s.

After one last defeat in 1970, De Damp was captured and imprisoned in a cell designed by a number of heroic scientists, including Mechano and የዶክተር ግሩም/Yedokiteri Girumi. It was airtight, releasing periodic bursts of fresh air into the cell and extracting carbon dioxide through a complicated valve system that didn't allow the incorporeal villain to escape. Utterly infuriated by this confinement, Van Damme chose to bide his time and hold out hope that some circumstance would eventually lead to his escape.

It took thirty-eight years, but that circumstance did eventuate. His lawyers managed to convince the authorities that he had descended into senile dementia long since, that he couldn't even remember how to transform into De Damp's vaporous form. He was given a compassionate release from his prison, and quietly escorted back to the Van Damme estate, where his children and their families -- none of whom had visited him in prison, it should be said, waited for him. Of course, he was not even close to being senile, and he described his big plans to the rest of the family.

Before he really got going, however, his son interrupted him and said that while he welcomed his father's advice, Van Damme was no longer the head of the family, and that they had no intention of assisting in or even enabling his criminal activities. Supposedly, Van Damme laughed at that, thinking it a joke. On realizing that it was not, he promptly tore his son's head from his body, then did the same to his grandchildren and son-in-law. His daughter-in-law he left alive, since he though she might be useful for when he decided to breed new heirs. His daughter was left alive as a backup for that purpose.

Since then, Corentin has pursued numerous criminal activities in Europe and Africa -- not America, not yet. The purpose of these adventures is never profit, as such, but to bring about the demise of as many publicly active superpowers as possible. He also serves as a major voice in the councils of the Families, who are by and large terrified of (and in some few cases disgusted by) him. He is vaguely aware that he made an enemy for life when he advised one of the other family heads to kill his own renegade daughter, but is far too lost in his dreams of vengeance to think that he might be in danger. Besides, he also has allies he can definitely count on, such as Roderick Ashe ...

*Corentin Van Damme - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Gaseous Form:* Affects Substantial on Strength 8; Concealment 6 (auditory, normal sight), Precise; Linked Flight 7 (250 MPH); Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Linked Continuous Insubstantial 2 - 63 points
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 5 (billionaire, blackmail*), Chokehold, Connected, Daze (Intimidation), Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (Dutch, German, others), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Redirect, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.

* Uses Intimidation for Connected checks.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Business 7 (+8), Expertise: Crime 8 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 8 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+11), Stealth 5 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 63 + Advantages 25 + Skills 24 + Defenses 11 = 188 points

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Utterly Intolerant. Vulnerability* (heat.)

_Note: In his youth, at PL 10, his gaseous form included Growth 6 (Only When Insubstantial) and an additional 6 ranks of Affects Substantial, but his FGT and AGL were 2 ranks less._


----------



## Voltron64

Oh he is so going to die painfully if he's lucky...


----------



## Davies

Lucrezia Fortin





The Fortin family, formerly of Languedoc and later of Quebec, are relatively young for one of the ancient families, having only joined the others at the start of the sixteenth century. They portrayed themselves as the heirs to a hidden tradition that descended from Roman Gaul, but no one at the time believed it or cared, either. The Fortins had power, and they had used it to gain wealth, and so they got a seat at the Round Table with the rest. And they managed to hold onto it right up until the present day.

At forty-four, Lucrezia Fortin, the current head of the Fortins, is believed to be one of the most powerful teleporters to have ever lived. She is capable of transmaterializing to any Terrestrial location she can imagine, to any position with low, medium or high Earth orbit, and -- by pushing her limits to their utmost -- can _and has_ teleported from the Earth to the moon. She can also bring a remarkably large amount of material with her when she shifts. Her one great weakness appears to be that she lacks the enhanced reflexes that accompany the powers of many shorter-ranged teleporters, but as she typically relies on her bodyguard detail rather than her own combat abilities -- which are still not to be sneezed at -- it's not much of a problem for her.

While theoretically capable of an enormous amount of criminal activity, Lucrezia uses her abilities for purposes that are generally less dramatically illegal. She has increased her families fortunes through a great deal of smuggling and other covert transportation, most notably arranging for the materials needed to build covert bases for a variety of interests get where they need to be. While _almost_ entirely mercenary, she does have a point where she'll decide that no amount of money she's being offered is worth the insult to her personal values, and has made enemies by doing so. She also refuses to transport human cargo and will loudly state that she is not a taxi service.

Most recently, one of her most stable clients has been the Skywatch organization, specifically their moon base. While the Canadian, Brazilian, European and Arabian space programs continue to support the organization, their virtual abandonment by the current American and Russian administrations has put a severe dent in their supply chain. Lucrezia saw an opportunity and contacted Skywatch, offering to employ a small cabal of teleporters to ferry material to Moon Base Alpha. She does this four times a year, keeping the organization functioning. It seems like a good investment to her.

On the other hand, she's reached the conclusion that one of her family's long-standing alliances is no longer worth its upkeep. Having arisen from worshippers of the being known as Nocticula, the Fortins had long acted as her agents in dealing with the other hidden powers of the world. Lucrezia has no particular _moral_ objection to Nocticula's murderous ways, but she does not intend to let the so-called demon queen drag her family down with her through conflict with Basilea and other heroes. What Nocticula will do when she finds out that she's been cut off from some valuable resources is not yet known.

Lucrezia has never married, though she has two young children born to two different consorts. As yet, only the older of the two has manifested any superpowers, and appears able to teleport short distances -- at a younger age than even Lucrezia did! -- and also shift out of phase with the world around her. Her mother is observing the progress of the Loyola boy at the so-called Futurian Academy, and may consider sending her daughters there if she likes what she sees. But that's a problem for the future.

*Lucrezia Fortin -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Long-Range Teleportation:* Accurate Extended Teleport 16 (60,000 miles), Extended Only, Increased Mass 9 - 57 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 5 (billionaire), Close Attack 2, Connected, Equipment 6, Extraordinary Effort, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Languages 4 (French, Italian, others), Taunt, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
30 points of equipment as needed, typically including a knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical 1), pepper spray (Affliction 4 [Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware], Limited to One Sense), and holdout pistol (Ranged Damage 2), smartphone and a vehicle.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+5), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Business 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Insight 7 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Pistols 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 0)
Knife +5 (Close Damage 1, Crit 19-20)
Pepper Spray +5 (Close Fortitude 4)
Holdout Pistol +6 (Ranged Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 1, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 57 + Advantages 25 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 146 points

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Genuine Disgust for Racism and Religious Intolerance. "I Am NOT A Taxi Service."*

_Note: _If_ Lucrezia possesses enhanced reflexes like those of other teleporters, she likely has Enhanced Advantages 9 (Close Attack 2*, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion*, Improved Initiative 4*), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total) and Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6). *Replaces standard version of this advantage._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> On the other hand, she's reached the conclusion that one of her family's long-standing alliances is no longer worth its upkeep. Having arisen from worshippers of the being known as Nocticula, the Fortins had long acted as her agents in dealing with the other hidden powers of the world. Lucrezia has no particular _moral_ objection to Nocticula's murderous ways, but she does not intend to let the so-called demon queen drag her family down with her through conflict with Basilea and other heroes. What Nocticula will do when she finds out that she's been cut off from some valuable resources is not yet known.



Seek revenge obviously. And it also doesn't surprise me that Nocticula has connections with the Mutant Families.


Davies said:


> Lucrezia has never married, though she has two young children born to two different consorts. As yet, only the older of the two has manifested any superpowers, and appears able to teleport short distances -- at a younger age than even Lucrezia did! -- and also shift out of phase with the world around her. Her mother is observing the progress of the Loyola boy at the so-called Futurian Academy, and may consider sending her daughters there if she likes what she sees. But that's a problem for the future.



Honestly, it might be the best decision she could ever make for her kids by putting them in the hands of Exelion.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Seek revenge obviously.=



You're right, I'll change that to "What vengeance Nocticula will take when ..."


----------



## Davies

Simon Munroe






More than anything else, the children of the ancient families are raised to believe that their lives and choices will have significance. Whether that quality will derive from their powers or from their wealth depends on their circumstances, but the idea that there might come a day when they will be faced with a situation where these things don't matter usually doesn't usually feature in their thinking. If it should happen that they encounter a circumstance where they are humbled in that way, it may be a recipe for the birth of -- perhaps not a hero, as such, but a better example of the human species than they've been to that point. Or, of course, a much worse one.

Simon Munroe, born into an privileged British family, was raised to believe that he would one day join the ranks of the secret masters of the world. From an early age, since he was a quite clever child, he formed an idea of what sort of master he would be. To his credit, he wanted to improve the circumstances of the world rather than exploiting it, and specifically planned to focus all of the power that would one day be his on improving the world's ecological situation.

This concern for the environmental health of the planet likely came, in part, from the weather controlling powers he possessed, which left him very sensitive to the ways that human activity was influencing the atmosphere. However, Simon also realized that his own powers of meteorokinesis were not quite as grand as those of some of the members of his family tree had been, and that he was going to need to rely on his financial advantages to make his mark on the world. And that meant he would have to wait for his turn at the helm of his family's businesses. Which was fine, for if his parents had never had much time for him or his ideas, he had no reason to wish harm on them, either.

And then the world changed forever, and his parents died in Cerebron's attack. At just twenty-seven, Simon Munroe was now the one who made the big decisions about how his family's money was used, and if he hadn't wanted things to be this way, he found that he could live with the consequences, and contacted his business managers to start making preparations for the more green approaches he'd been planning for a while.

That was when things started to go horribly wrong, for the managers told him, very bluntly, that their fiduciary responsibility prevented them from following his instructions if they believed that those instructions would lead to serious material losses for the family. Simon could certainly fire them and hire new personnel to take their places, but whoever he hired would be in the same situation, and nothing would change. Some more moderate versions of his plans might be possible, but the big ideas he'd been planning all this while were never going to be on the table.

The financial power he'd always dreamed of possessing wasn't going to help him any more than his weather control did. Simon retreated to the family estate, and let his frustrations explode into a small, localized storm over the the manor, as he stood on the roof in the rain and screamed wordlessly up at the sky. The tantrum finally reached an end when the storm clouds he'd called into being finally produced a lightning bolt -- not one of the ones that he could summon up, but the genuine article -- that smashed into him.

This had never happened before, and he'd never known that his powers also allowed him to harmlessly absorb electrical energy, and then channel it to enhance his weather controlling powers to the point where he was as powerful as some of those hoary old bastards he'd read about. It didn't last very long, particularly as he began using his powers to smash the manor. But the realization that his powers, which he'd never regarded as anything special, were potentially great, changed how he was going to approach things from now on. It was time for some direct action.

Ever since, Simon Munroe has heedlessly pursued an ecoterrorist agenda, clashing with heroes and villains alike in his pursuit of a world that suits his ideas about the ideal environment, most recently with Nike after he attempted to personally 'correct' Athens' emissions. He routinely juices himself with small electric shocks, building up a reservoir of power in the process. He has grown completely callous about the fate of human lives in the pursuit of this goal, and has idly speculated out loud that culling the population down to about a tenth of its current level would probably do much to get the process of healing the planet started. (That it would also create an ecological catastrophe of its own doesn't really register with him.)

That's a bit much, even for the most ruthless members of his former society, whose plans definitely aren't best served by Simon's goals, so he's suffered a number of assassination attempts over the last two decades. He's been thought dead many times, but keeps returning. Nike finds him uncomfortably reminiscent of one of her father, who had a similar set of powers ...

*Simon Munroe -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Electrical Absorption:* Immunity 10 (electrical effects); Variable 5 (enhanced weather control powers), Free Action, Fades, Only After Electrical Damage - 45 points
*Weather Control:* Array (20 points)

*Dazzling Display:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6/15 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Vision and Auditory Impaired, Vision and Auditory Disabled, Vision and Auditory Unaware) - 1 point
*Lifting Winds:* Cylinder Area Damaging Move Object 4/11 - 1 point
*Lightning Bolts:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 6/14, Indirect 2 - 1 point
*Localized Storm:* Environment 5/11 (Cold, Impede Movement, Visibility), Selective - 20 points
*Wind Riding:* Selective Burst Area Affects Others and Self Flight 4/9 (30 MPH/1000 MPH) - 1 point
*Wind Screen:* Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6) - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Benefit 5 (billionaire), Connections, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 9 (+10), Expertise: Business 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+10), Persuasion 9 (+11), Ranged Combat: Weather Control 7 (+9), Perception 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Dazzling Display +9 (Ranged Fortitude 15/6)
Lifting Winds -- (Cylinder Area Damage 11/4)
Lightning Bolts +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 14/6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 15/9, Parry 14/8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 81 + Advantages 14 + Skills 33 + Defenses 17 = 189 points

*Complications:
Environmental Fervor--Motivation. Makes a Show of Acting More In Sorrow Than In Anger. Tends to Retreat When Actually Angry.*


----------



## Voltron64

It's funny too because I've been imagining A World Less Magical to be far greener and for far longer than our reality. (Chalk it up to the think tanks and three and a half decades of nigh-consecutive Democratic administrations among other things. Like the Atlanteans stating they'll outlive humanity _long _after the changes they make to the planet blowing back at them.)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> It's funny too because I've been imagining A World Less Magical to be far greener and for far longer than our realities.



In some respects, it probably is. But, as always, the perfect is the enemy of the good.


----------



## Davies

_*Warning:* Disturbing content ahead._

Roderick Ashe





The complicated origins of the House of Ashe has already been told in the biography of Penelope Ashe, better known as Penny Lane. For three generations after Timothy Ashe took that as his name, his family made an apparently sincere effort to move away from the degenerate practices of their forebears, making alliances through intermarriage with other families of the secret aristocracy of America, in the belief that this would restore the family's latent powers. Shortly before the turn of the twentieth century, these efforts finally began to bear fruit, with the birth of a number of children who possessed the sensory faculties that their ancestors had known.

These children of the House of Ashe were encouraged -- or perhaps compelled -- to marry within their small circle. The results were mixed, with only some of the children demonstrating greater aptitudes for psychic talents, and others demonstrating only questionable sanity. The damage had been done, however, and the next generation of the Ashe family would become even more disturbingly inbred, as was Nicholas Ashe.

Roderick Ashe, the current head of the house, rose to that position in 2008, when he was forty-four years old. (In the interests of not disturbing the readers of this document, the simplest terms for the familial relationships between members of the House of Ashe will be used hereafter.) The former head had been his mother's older brother, and was known not to think highly of Roderick, who seemed to take no real interest in the family business of vice, preferring to engage in what the Ashes considered to be artistic pursuits.

In 1994, however, Roderick became the father of a daughter named Penelope. Sadly, the child's mother died shortly after giving birth, due to an unfortunate accident with the pieces of a shattered hand mirror. Initially, Penny was of very little interest to Roderick, and her care was entirely given to a series of nannies. But when it became clear that she was an actual mind reader, at around thirteen years of age, she became the subject of a great deal of extremely prurient interest from the male members of her family. This lead her to run away from home within the next year

A few months after that happened, Roderick seized control over the House of Ashe, killing only a few of his rivals in the process, preferring to intimidate them so that he could make use of their talents later. He laid down a single simple rule for the family -- Penelope was to be left entirely to her own devices until such time as she returned home of her own volition. Any attempt to coerce or compel her to do so would be met with extraordinary sanction. With that done, Roderick turned to the business of running the business. In addition to the family's traditional vice, he's moved into information brokerage, and does a great deal of business with the Combination, Jolene, and the Schemer.

Of course, Roderick fully intends to one day bring Penny back home as a bride and the mother of more of his children, who will ideally have her telepathy as well as his own psychometry, the tool that has ensured he knows nearly everything that goes on in Baltimore. While it would have been nice if she'd rejected the world as an Ashe is supposed to do, the fact that she's been gone for more than twelve years suggests that this won't happen. So she'll have to be brought back forcefully, and the edict was always meant for everyone else, not _himself_. 

The alliance she's made with that obnoxious construct Machinanima complicates matters, but Roderick is quite confident that he can overcome this obstacle, too. The possibility of using Machinanima to eliminate another of his problems, namely Corentin Van Damme, also intrigues him. If the operation succeeds, he is sure to be recognized as the leader of all the families, and get started on the grand project of bringing them _all_ around to the House of Ashe's way of thinking. What a gift that would be to give his first grandchild ...

*Roderick Ashe -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 6, Limited to Mental Effects - 3 points
*Supreme Psychometry:* Enhanced Advantage 1 (Ultimate Effort [Investigation]), Quirk (only for Well-Informed checks); Mind Reading 8, Limited to Emotions, Only while Remote Sensing; Remote Sensing 13 (all senses), Medium (inanimate object touched within the last twenty-four hours), Simultaneous; Senses 4 (Postcognition), Limited to inanimate object as subject; Senses 2 (darkvision), Only while Remote Sensing - 60 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 5 (billionaire), Connected, Contacts, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (many), Skill Mastery (Perception), Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Business 8 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+11), Insight 5 (+12), Investigation 10 (+13), Perception 6 (+13), Persuasion 7 (+10), Sleight of Hand 8 (+10), Stealth 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 63 + Advantages 14 + Skills 34 + Defenses 9 = 154 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Completely Depraved. Obsession* (Penny Lane.) *Secrets* (many.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The alliance she's made with that obnoxious construct Machinanima complicates matters, but Roderick is quite confident that he can overcome this obstacle, too. The possibility of using Machinanima to eliminate another of his problems, namely Corentin Van Damme, also intrigues him. If the operation succeeds, he is sure to be recognized as the leader of all the families, and get started on the grand project of bringing them _all_ around to the House of Ashe's way of thinking. What a gift that would be to give his first grandchild...



As if they would ever go along with that inbred pervert's grand plan. Honestly, it would more than likely shatter the Mutant Families if it went ahead.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> As if they would ever go along with that inbred pervert's grand plan.



 He has already made some inroads.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> He has already made some inroads.



Well you did say the leaders of the Mutant Families were divided by those motivated entirely by greed, spite, and sado-sexual urges and the rest who were absolutely terrified of the former and so did nothing to oppose them...


----------



## Voltron64

Question: Does Roderick Ashe still maintain contact and do business with his cousin(?) Jordan or Jodie as they call themselves now?


----------



## Davies

They were very close at one point, but haven't had any communications with each other since 1987.


----------



## Davies

Feena





Even in civilizations as devoted to self-control as the Gynesians are -- perhaps _especially_ in such civilizations -- there will occasionally come along those who reject the values that their parents and elders attempt to instill in them. Sixteen years* ago, Feena -- properly K'zn F'na G'eru -- was one such child. She'd heard all about how the way of the Gynesian people was designed to protect themselves from those who feared them because of their powers, and her takeaway was that there were people out there who had cause to fear them. She decided that she would use those powers to take those people for all they were worth, since their fear would surely prevent them from understanding what she was doing.

A year after she left her home world, Feena came to the conclusion that she might be underestimating the Technate's ability to understand what they feared. Turned out that many of them actually had a fairly good sense of when they were being conned by someone with psychic powers. Unfortunately, she reached this conclusion when she was already being transported to serve a sentence of rehabilitative confinement for various charges of fraud.

As it happened, the facility where she was imprisoned was the same one where Aun Taxad had been placed, and where Vittara had arranged to be sent as she hunted him. Feena didn't find this all out until the very end of her time there, when she took advantage of a general escape to get out of the prison, accidentally following the same course as they had, and chancing to witness the start of what she thought was a very strange conversation. Puzzled by it, she tried to read their minds to get some context, and as they were focused on each other, she was able to do so.

And so Feena learned about Daath, and the Dark Side, and all the millions of terrible things that lurked beyond the borders of the Technate. It left her reeling, and even after the two she'd spied upon departed, she remained where she was, trying to process what she'd just learned. As it happened, she still hadn't quite reached the point where she was ready to get moving again by the time that the BLE's watchdogs found her and returned her to the facility.

But maybe that was a blessing in disguise. Maybe she was being given time to figure things out. From then on, she started taking rehabilitation much more seriously, and actually managed to complete the process within six years*. Released on her own recognizance, she promptly tossed the contact information for the job she was supposed to take afterwards and sought out a way to join the Last Men Standing, and has served with them ever since.

Feena has, within the last three years*, found herself the somewhat reluctant leader of a small action team of the Lasters who are regarded as some of their top agents. Hallandar considered sending them to Earth as part of the group meant to learn from the superpowers there, but ultimately decided on a different group. Instead of working on the front, their missions take them all over the Technate and nearby systems, since the fight against the Dark Side requires unconventional tactics.

In terms of her powers, Feena attempts to present herself as a highly trained empath, who's able to discern people's emotions, shape hallucinations based on them, and heal wounds by taking their pain into herself. Only those whom she trusts completely, such as her teammates, know that she is capable of doing much more detailed psychic probes and inducing emotions in others that are so overpowering that they leave people stunned, as well as creating an 'obscurity field' around herself and others. She's also an excellent con-artist, though she usually employs these skills to recognize when the opposition is pulling scams instead of pulling them herself.

One thing that Feena sometimes worries about is the possibility that the major decisions in her life, such as joining the Lasters, aren't really her own, but result from her picking up on the emotions of others. When those around her are angry, she gets angry; when they're frightened, so is she. She does have some control over this, else she could never have left the contentment of Aganesh in the first place. But does she have _enough_ control?

*Feena -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Basic Telepathy:* Comprehend Languages 3, Affects Others and Self, Perception Area; Mental Communication 2 - 25 points
*Psychic Talents: *Array (28 points)

*Emotional Influence:* Perception Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Subtle, Variable (Emotions) - 1 point
*Empathic Healing:* Perception Range Empathic Healing 9 - 1 point
*Hallucinations:* Illusions 6 (all senses), Feedback, Resistable by Will, Selective - 1 point
*Mind Reading:* Cumulative Mind Reading 9, Subtle - 28 points
*Stealth:* Concealment 9 (all senses but mental), Affects Others and Self, Burst Area, Passive, Resistible by Will, Selective - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Sustained Impervious Will 9 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5) and 15 other points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 3 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 4 (+7), Treatment 2 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Blaster +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Emotional Influence -- (Perception Range Will 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 66 + Advantages 15 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 178 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Emotional Sensitivity* (acts in the way that other people are feeling.) *Prejudice* (psychic.)


----------



## Davies

Bluehawk





The clean-up after a major space battle can be almost as dangerous as a battle itself. In some ways, the Last Men Standing have it easier than other most other forces, since the Dark Side don't generally bother with escape pods, and so the Lasters are usually able to retrieve their own pods without running into opposition ones. They still have to deal with various sorts of unexploded munitions and wrecked ships, many of which qualify as unexploded munitions of even greater destructive capability. And, very rarely, they discover oddities.

Six years ago, during the cleanup after the massive battle that the Dark Side waged against the Lasters and the Powerhouse, one such oddity was discovered. Drifting through the void at a fairly high velocity, it was a small ship that matched no known Technate or Dark Side profile. The recovery crew slowed it down and boarded it, finding it to be a wreck, empty but for a single passenger in coldsleep. He, too, didn't resemble any species known to them, but they woke him up just the same after taking precautions.

For a wonder, the blue feathered bird-like alien _didn't_ attack his would-be rescuers, but he also didn't speak any known language. A psychic was needed to establish communication, and Feena got the assignment. Through her powers, she learned that he was using the name Bytytl, and was from a world that was only beginning to explore its own solar system. Bytytl had volunteered for a supersoldier project and been one of the only successes, but before he could be given an assignment, something had gone wrong. He'd been launched into space ahead of a disaster that was enveloping his world, and suspected that he might be the only survivor of his species -- hence his name, which means 'the Last of Us.'

Wanting -- _needing_ -- to put his talents to use, and to pay back the life debt that he felt he owed, Bytytl (or Bluehawk, to use the nickname he's picked up) volunteered to join the Lasters, and demonstrated considerable military acumen in the months that followed. He ended up assigned to Feena's action team, where he serves as their primary pilot and gunner, in addition to being a very tough hand-to-hand combatant and guerilla warrior. He can also fly in most atmospheres, though it takes a moment to unfurl his wings from their usually folded position.

However, Bluehawk's time with Feena's team has led him to the discovery that he is not, in fact, the last of his species. But this is not a good thing, as he has recognized the Vaask spymaster known as Ennessea as someone from their mutual homeworld, and regards him as a mortal enemy. He has refused to discuss what exactly Ennessea _did_, but the rumor that his adversary is in the area has led to him going off-mission to try and hunt the other down. So far, this hasn't caused any serious harm or mission failures, but it's only going to get worse as time goes by.

*Bluehawk -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Keen Eyesight:* Senses 3 (extended 2 rapid vision) - 3 points
*Shriek:* Cone Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Auditory Impaired, Stunned and Auditory Disabled, Incapacitated & Auditory Unaware), Extra Condition, Hearing Dependent - 18 points
*Talons:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Wings:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Wings, Activation (Move Action, -1) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Favored Environment (aerial), Equipment 8, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Language (Technate Standard, [native is unknown]), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Autoblaster (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Accurate) and 15 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 4 (+10), Close Combat: Talons 3 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+8), Technology 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+11), Vehicles 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 6)
Talons +10 (Close Damage 7)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Shriek -- (Cone Area Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8/6, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 27 + Advantages 17 + Skills 31 + Defenses 13 = 152

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Nemesis* (Ennessea.) *Only Understands Languages. Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

So Rocket meets Vance Astro?


----------



## Davies

I was actually aiming for Tigorr meets Harpis, but I see where you're coming from.


----------



## Davies

Mashiya





A bit more than a century* ago, on a planet named Trantia, a group of savants embarked on a project to create, through genetic engineering -- geneforging, in their own idiom -- a humanoid lifeform of vast cosmic power. They combined genetic material from a variety of sources -- the Albadine, the Gynesians, possibly the Dhakimites and material taken from Aperion, perhaps even material gathered from the tombs of the Olympians -- to create this being. Their motives for doing so are somewhat unclear, but it seems likely that they intended to use their creation as a weapon to seize control of Trantia and rule it.

However, such intentions were forgotten when the Konan Armada arrived in Trantia's star system and began attacking its outlying planets. As that happened, a majority of the enclave decided to unleash their superbeing against the Konan to prevent Trantia's conquest. One of them, Abnedius, objected to this, as he did not believe that their creation had not reached a sufficient level of development to survive such a conflict, much less triumph.

Abnedius' protests fell on deaf ears, and so he felt compelled to act against the wishes of his fellows. He stole their creation's birth matrix and fled from Trantia just before the Konan's final assault on the planet. Abnedius then spent the remaining decades in an asteroid laboratory within the Technate, doing nothing other than monitoring the growth of the superbeing, until such time as she was ready to be born.

At least, that is the story that Abnedius told Mashiya, decades later. She has reason to doubt the veracity of this account, as she realized, soon after her 'birth', some twenty years* ago, that Abndedius was a self-serving liar. Much of it, such as her origins on Trantia and the sources of her genetic material, can be independently verified, but the motives supposedly involved are very questionable, and it seems likely that Abnedius was engaged in a wide variety of dubious activities during the interval.

His greatest mistake was to underestimate the intelligence of his own creation, and to give her unfettered access to texts which allowed her to form her own ideas about life and the universe. As such, when he commanded her to travel to a Technate colony in the same system as their asteroid, and engage in a display of power there, she realized that he was likely trying to engage in extortion. Thus, she obeyed his orders only by traveling there, briefly inspecting it, and then continuing on her journey without ever looking back.

Of course, having abandoned her original purpose in life, she was left with the problem of finding a new one. For about a decade*, she satisfied that need by exploring the universe, though generally avoiding contact with other sapient life in the process. Her instincts slowly drew her to the regions of the Technate that were under siege by the Dark Side, as the warp drives of their vessels triggered her 'cosmic awareness' in ways that other hyperdrives did not.

What she saw of the Dark Side disgusted her, but she was uncertain whether she should oppose them or not; flight seemed a much more reasonable option. On discovering the existence of beings who _did_ oppose them, however, she found herself drawn towards the Lasters' side of the struggle. Through discussions with Hallandar, Mashiya gradually came to an understanding of the idea that if she did turn away from what she saw, she would effectively be giving her approval to the Dark Side's activities. Thus, she joined the conflict.

Mashiya generally acts as the 'big gun' of Feena's action team, able to fly faster, shoot harder, and generally take more than any of her fellows. She also helps them to determine where they need to go through the use of her cosmic awareness. She is particularly attuned to the opening of any portals used by agents of the Metropolitan, which are used for a great deal of covert villainy throughout the Technate and nearby worlds.

Mashiya's greatest weakness is that, while knowledgable about the universe, she is both very young and highly inexperienced in dealing with other people. She's also somewhat headstrong, and used to making decisions for herself without considering the needs of others who might be affected by them. While she listens to the advice that she's given by the other members of her team, she has a tendency to apply that advice in situations where it wasn't intended. Perhaps even more than this, though, as her team's big gun, she has no real subtlety, which can cause any number of problems for them.

She also has another problem she knows nothing about -- infuriated by her desertion of him, Abnedius has made his way to Daath and is beginning to slowly rise in the Dark Side's hierarchy.

*Mashiya -- PL 10

Abilities: 
STR* 10/0 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Born of the Stars: *Immunity 10 [life support]; Impervious Toughness 8 - 18 points
*Cosmic Attunement: *Mental Communication 1; Comprehend Languages 3; Senses 7 (hyper-extended 3 cosmic awareness) - 21 points
*Cosmic Power: *Array (20 points)

*Cosmic Blasts: *Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
*Cosmic Might: *Enhanced Strength 10 - 1 point
*Cosmic Shaping: *Create 10, Feedback, Moveable, Stationary - 1 point
*Cosmic Speed:* Enhanced Flight 10 (500,000 MPH) - 1 point
*Cosmic Vision:* Remote Sensing 10 (visual; 1000 miles) - 1 point
*Cosmic Traveler:* Flight 8 (500 MPH); Movement 2 [space-travel]) - 20 points

_Power Stunts:_
*Cosmic Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 6
*Cosmic Grasp:* Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Reversible
*Cosmic Transmutation:* Transform 4 (12 lbs.)

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 3, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action.

_Equipment:_
15 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 7 (+9), Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 5 (+7), Perception 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Cosmic Power 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10/0)
Cosmic Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 83 + Advantages 9 + Skills 14 + Defenses 12 = 188 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Nemesis* (Abnedius.) *Overconfident and Inexperienced. Prejudice* (geneforged.) *Unusual Biochemistry* (odd reactions to food, drugs, scents, etc.)

_Note: Despite the armored appearance of her normal battle outfit, it's made of ordinary materials and doesn't provide her with any additional protection. It's costume armor, not the real thing._


----------



## Davies

Heluz Tek





While the Chiraben branch of humanity produces fewer mutant examples than the Terran branch, due both to environmental considerations and historical ones, the species is populous enough that there are probably about as many mutants, spread over all the worlds of the Technate, as there are on Earth. Generally, the lives of these people are not particularly happy ones. The attitudes of the Technate's majority culture towards individuals with innate powers are not favorable, even though much has been done in the recent past to change that.

Heluz Tek was born about thirty years* ago as the middle child of a large family on Bogoin, a heavily industrial world in the Technate's core. Even as a child, his physical difference was obvious, as he would race through meals and often accidentally consume parts of the utensils used to serve them. Fear of the possibility that he might hurt a classmate with his abilities led his family elders to keep Heluz out of the educational system and put him to work at an early age at their restaurant business, initially as kitchen staff and later -- when his talent for cooking emerged -- as a chef.

Right up until he was nineteen years* of age, Heluz would actually have considered himself to be living his best possible life. Unfortunately, that's also when his grandfather passed away, and control of the family business passed to one of his aunts who possessed a greater than typical aversion towards mutants, _and_ had a personal grudge towards Heluz's parents. She presented the family with an ultimatum -- either the mutant went, or she did, taking with her the bulk of the family's wealth. To their credit, the rest of the family seriously considered standing up to this demand, but Heluz independently decided that he couldn't let them go through those troubles, and left home with his handful of personal possessions.

For about three years* he drifted through Bogoin's lower cities, sometimes managing to find work as a cook for a brief while before events resulted in his exposure and expulsion. During this time, he learned how to fight rather effectively, taking advantage of the fact that his mutation made him significantly stronger, tougher and faster than most of his fellows. His most frequent opponents during this time were representatives of various Vaskhane-affiliated gangs who were interested in putting his talents to work for them, a prospect which didn't appeal to Heluz at all.

At the end of this time, he happened to go through the routine of having a brief period of employment at a stardock restaurant that was frequented by some Lasters, and to be fired in their hearing. As they'd quite liked the food he made, they offered him a job. Heluz hesitated, uncertain that the Lasters weren't just another criminal element, but the fact that they were offering him work as a cook rather than as a soldier persuaded him to sign on. He worked throughout the Laster fleet, eventually becoming the head cook aboard their flagship, the Parodigue.

While happy with his new life, Heluz was all too aware that his fellows were fighting for their lives while he worked in relative comfort. As such, when Feena came to him with the proposal that he join the team she was putting together, he hesitated again, but ultimately agreed to take on the position of its chef, as well as lending them his muscle and powers when necessary. He also works to keep the team's morale up, which tests his patience from time to time.

Heluz's greatest weakness is probably his lack of a broad education. Unlike the rest of the team, he has no translation gear and speaks only Technate Standard, and doesn't know much about the variety of species and cultures that exist within the Technate -- outside of their nutritional requirements and culinary traditions, at least. On at least a few occasions, he's applied that knowledge in surprising ways, but for the most part he finds himself being the one to ask the questions everyone else has already had answered. He doesn't enjoy that.

*Heluz Tek -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Bite:* Enhanced Advantage 1 (Weapon Break); Penetrating 5 on Strength Damage; Quickness 6, Limited to eating - 9 points
*Corrosive Saliva:* Linked Affects Objects Weaken Toughness 8, Grab-based; Linked Damage 8, Grab-based - 12 points
*Digest Anything:* Immunity 2 (poison, starvation & thirst) - 2 points
*Hound's Nose:* Senses 5 (acute analytical tracking olfactory) - 5 points
*Unbreakable Bones:* Immunity 20 (bludgeoning damage), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Toughness 6, Limited to Physical - 13 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 6, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown, _Weapon Break_.

_Equipment:_
Holdout Blaster (Ranged Damage 4), and 22 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+12), Expertise: Cooking 11 (+13), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 10 (+12), Perception 9 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 4 (+9), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 5)
Corrosive Saliva +8 (Close Damage 8 and Weaken Toughness 8)
Blaster +10 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 41 + Advantages 18 + Skills 37 + Defenses 18 = 180 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cynical and Sarcastic. Prejudice* (mutant.)


----------



## Davies

Mekkanel





Constructed roughly a century ago in a factory on Muraddin, Mekkanel became a citizen of the Technate when robots were emancipated in response to their outlawing in the Crimson Imperium. In contrast to the views of some entities on the subject, he does not consider being granted freedom to  make up for the decades of slavery that he personally endured, much less the _millennium_ of slavery that robots had suffered before that. It all left an extraordinarily bad taste in his gustatory sensor and little if any trust in the benevolence of the Technate government, so when his former best friend suggested that they sign up for the Space Agency, Mekkanel decided to find a new best friend.

It wasn't easy to do, and so he made his way through the Technate's underworld, frequently working for organics but only on a temporary basis and always making sure to get paid upfront before he did anything for anybody. Many of these jobs were on the far side of ethical -- to say of nothing of their gross amorality -- but as long as they involved organics preying on organics, he couldn't be bothered to care. Or at least that's what he told himself whenever he had trouble motivating himself to leave the recharging nook when the cycle was over.

Around twenty-seven years* ago, Mekkanel was hired to do some security upgrades for the computers of some new mercenary outfit with a frankly dumb name. He was a bit bewildered that these so-called Last Men Standing wanted so much redundant security for their gear. Okay, having your computers hacked while you were engaged in a space battle would suck, but who were they expecting to have to fight off, Cerebron? He mentioned these suspicions to the tall bald Albadine who was paying him, and was further bewildered when the organic laughed.

Hallandar proceeded to tell him about the Dark Side. It was pretty horrific stuff, even if Mekkanel was inclined to think only half of what he was being told could possibly be true. However, it wasn't any of his business what one group of organics chose to do to a different group, and he said as much to Hallandar. Hallandar proceeded to tell him about how many of the armies who'd shattered his world had been composed of androids ... likely enslaved androids, like those in the Imperium. That stung, but it still wasn't any of his business. He had enough trouble looking out for himself!

"I imagine that's what anyone who was asked about the notion of freeing robots thought, for quite some time," Hallandar replied.

So it was that Mekkanel wound up in the first full-time job of his existence, as the effective chief engineer of the Parodigue. The worst part was the fact that Otodevol somehow found out about this development, and sent him a wonderfully smarmy message congratulating him on overcoming his grudge. The DELETE he had! He was just going along to determine whether there really were robots and/or androids enslaved by these people, then figure out how to free them, and then he would cash out faster than he could slice pi.

Eventually, though, he came to the realization that his current position wasn't really facilitating that goal. Thus, when Feena came to him seeking his recommendation of a good engineer to join her action team, Mekkanel responded by volunteering his own services. Their greater mobility has allowed him to see more of the Laster's conflict, and even to rescue a few of the androids in Daath's service, while also thoroughly debriefing them for anything they know about the opposition. 

Mekkanel is a robot with many hidden technological tricks; he's also scarily smart and perfectly willing to make modifications to his shell in order to enhance its functionality. This is also one of his biggest weaknesses, as he cannot perform full maintenance on himself, and has to allow someone else to do so -- and his systems are both old and unique, increasing the operation's difficulty. Other major problems are the fact that he is not at all buoyant, nor can he climb effectively, as his manipulator arms are too weak to support his own weight. (He _can_ use stairs, as he's capable of short hops.) This also means that if knocked prone, someone else is going to have to pick him up again ... and yet the rest of his team keeps doing so, despite his expectations to the contrary.

Maybe he's finally found that new best friend he was looking for.

*Mekkanel -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Machine Interface:* Radio Communication 1; Comprehend Machines 2 - 11 points
*Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
*Robotic Body:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Impervious Protection 6 - 62 points
*Sensory Package:* Senses 5 (darkvision, extended radio, ultra-hearing) - 5 points
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (Strength -1, Dodge +2, Parry +2, Stealth +4, Intimidation -1) - 4 points
*Translator Circuits:* Comprehend Languages 2 (understand and read all languages) - 6 points
*Treads:* Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points
*Undocumented Features:* Array (11 points)
 *Cutting Torch:* Linked Damage 5; Linked Weaken Toughness 5, Affects Objects Only; Accurate - 11 points
 *Empbeam:* Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate, Limited to Robots, Reduced Range 2 - 1 point
 *Smoke Screen:* Cloud Area Sight Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point
 *Stunbeam:* Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate, Reduced Range 2 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Equipment 4, Eidetic Memory, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
20 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+11), Expertise: Science 1 (+9), Investigation 3 (+11), Perception 9 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Features 8 (+12), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+12), Vehicles 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Cutting Torch +8 (Ranged Damage 5 and Weaken Toughness 5)
Empbeam +14 (Ranged Will 6)
Stunbeam +14 (Ranged Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 107 + Advantages 10 + Skills 26 + Defenses 13 = 194 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Physical* (cannot climb or swim.) *Requires Frequent Maintenance. Weak Manipulator Arms* (STR 0 for picking up objects.)

_Note: The additional equipment points of this team are usually reserved to purchase a Space Cruiser (M&M Hero's Handbook Deluxe, p 224) with Space Travel 2 for their operations. As they go through these vessels fairly quickly, any picture provided would be outdated just as quickly._


----------



## Davies

Mizuki





When Kageyama Sarutobi passed away in 1992, the titular mastery of the Shadow School that he had created passed to his most senior disciple, one Kosugi Akio. While Akio, and the disciples who gathered around him, were much less inclined to accept non-Japanese students within the school, and discouraged those who had been present under Kageyama's tutelage, they otherwise largely continued the pursuit of martial excellence for its own sake and rejection of the modern world that their founder had. Those who sought to employ the skills of these latter-day ninja for their own ends were politely (and sometimes not so politely) refused in this period. Kosugi Mizuki, born in 2003, is Akio's only begotten child.

Well before her birth, in 1996, the Shadow School accepted as a student an American-born Japanese man who used the name Sakamoto Sasuke. He demonstrated considerable talent for the School's teachings, rising swiftly through the ranks and becoming a senior instructor in just a few years. However, when Sakamoto asked to be given access to some of the school's most advanced techniques, Akio chose to refuse this request, supposedly on the basis that these were restricted to those who had spent more time within the school, regardless of talent. The truth was that he didn't trust this person for a variety of reasons.

And it would seem that he was right not to do so. The Shadow School had suffered a fair amount of attrition during the first years of his leadership, but the aftermath of Cerebron's attack led to a large influx of people seeking shelter within the school's environs and agreeing to the school's principles. This caused a fair amount of confusion, and it was during this time that Sakamoto took action. The exact order of events is somewhat confused, but he broke into the storehouse of the sacred texts he sought, stole and/or destroyed them, killed a number of his fellow students and assaulted others, seriously injured Akio and then escaped.

Humiliated by this, Akio retired as the master of the School and passed it to _his_ senior disciple, choosing to spend his remaining years with his wife and newborn daughter. Koike Hidenori, his successor, was faced with the problems of repairing the damage of Sakamoto's attack, hunting the enemy down, and continuing to support the increasing population of the school. His decision to obtain the funds with which to accomplish all this was to begin using the younger members of the school as agents -- spies, saboteurs and, eventually, assassins -- for a variety of frankly criminal interests.

In 2009, the agents of the Shadow School began to have clashes with the recently established Ghost Sweepers organization. This ultimately led to the Ghost Sweepers invading the Shadow School and exposing Hidenori's corrupt activities -- he had been embezzling much of the agents' fees for his own purposes. Hidenori was expelled and imprisoned, and Akio resumed the position of Master. The Shadow School would be permitted to exist, and even to continue its mercenary activities, but they were required to be _much_ more judicious concerning the contracts that it took.

The example of the Sweepers also wrought some changes in the society of the School. Having been defeated by people who employed the tools of the modern reality that the School had heretofore rejected, this naturally provoked a renewed interest in that modern world. Akio did not really approve but could not prevent this, and so chose to tolerate it, even in the activities of his own daughter, who began dying her hair blue and using a smart phone almost as soon as she entered early adolescence. She has continued to do so as the leader of a group of young kunoichi, sometimes dubbed the _Tenshi no Akio._

At the very least, he can be proud of the fact that, despite her apparent shallowness, Mizuki is a very capable practitioner of the School's martial traditions. She has even begun to master the recovered hidden technique of creating shadow duplicates. While able to create dozens or possibly hundreds of purely phantasmal entities who resemble herself, she can also create a maximum of four shadows who are fully able to act in any way that she herself could, although these can be disrupted quite easily. The greatest weakness of this technique is that she is unable to create duplicates of any other physical object more substantial than her clothes, restricting her to unarmed combat techniques rather than weapons usage.

Her personal weakness, the fact that everyone in the School thinks she's an idiot coasting on her family's reputation, is actually one of her strengths. Mizuki is considerably more crafty than she appears, with the flashes of perceptive and knowledgeable behavior that she sometimes demonstrates usually being dismissed as dumb luck. She accepts this as a consequence of her chosen course, that of manipulating her so-called friends for the benefit of themselves and the School, not necessarily in that order. More than anything else, Mizuki intends to one day succeed her father (or whoever follows him) as the master of the Shadow School, and then there'll be some _real_ changes made.

*Mizuki - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0 

*Powers:
Actual Duplicates:* Summon Duplicate 8, Active, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 2 (maximum of 4 dupes) - 65 points
*Decoy Duplicates:* Concealment 4 (All Visual Senses) - 8 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (status ["Princess"]), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt, Weapon Bind.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+13), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+13), Deception 9 (+9), Expertise: Popular Culture 8 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 5 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/0, Will 8 

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 75 + Advantages 19 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 185 points

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Manipulative. Reputation* (lazy & materialistic.)

_Note: Mizuki's duplicates possess all her traits _except_ Actual Duplicates._


----------



## Voltron64

So Sakamoto Sasuke is either Bravo's true identity or at the very least, an associate of him.


----------



## Davies

Such is the current theory in the School.


----------



## Davies

Hayate






The eldest of the five 'Tenshi' operatives, Kishizuka Hayate was born seven months after Cerebron's attack, of which her father was a casualty. In the aftermath, her mother fled with Hayate's older brother, Junichi, to the Shadow School, where her own parents had been students until the discipline grew too difficult for them. While their mother became employed as a housekeeper for the School, her two children were both enrolled as students.

While Junichi has risen to become a respected instructor, his younger sister has actually progressed faster in the School's teachings than he has, possibly because she has never known any other life. In addition to being a superb martial artist with a focus on swift and powerful strikes, Hayate possesses a limited ability to control the movement of air. She normally uses this power to incapacitate opponents by inflicting high air pressure on them or drawing the breath out of their very lungs, but has sometimes demonstrated a limited ability to take flight. It was while doing so on one occasion that the team was given its name.

She doesn't find that funny. Truthfully, she doesn't find anything funny. Hayate has been carefully and sometimes brutally taught that she can never express her emotions lest an opponent use them against her, and she does so almost reflexively at this point. It's not that she doesn't have feelings, it's that, on experiencing them, she examines each emotion mindfully and then puts it in the appropriate psychic 'box' rather than giving them voice.

The one exception to this is her loyalty to her brother, whom she believes to be the best possible candidate to succeed Master Akio when he steps down again. (She does not allow herself to think about the possibility that the old man might die in office, nor the chaos that is likely to erupt if that happens.) Even that, however, is something she only expresses to her family. She keeps her teammates at a respectful distance, treating them all equally and without any undue intimacy. She does, however, want to present the appearance of fitting in, and so dyed her hair blonde.

In combat, Hayate frequently wields a large 'war fan' as a bludgeon, often unfolding it while she engages in her wind direction. This tactic has been known to trick opponents into thinking that the fan is required for her to do accomplish these things. It isn't, as all sorts of people have learned to their detriment.

*Hayate -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Internal Breath:* Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Wind Shaping:* Array (24 points)

*Air Pressure:* Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Strength; Dazed & Hindered, Prone & Stunned, Incapacitated), Alternate Resistance, Concentration Duration, Extra Condition, Instant Recovery - 24 points
*Suffocation:* Progressive Ranged Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Dying) - 1 point
_Power Stunts:_
*Gale Force:* Cone Area 2 Damage 8
*Lifting Wind:* Flight 4 (30 MPH); Burst Area Move Objects 6

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close, Concealment), Quick Draw, Seize Initiative, Skill Mastery (Acrobatics), Takedown, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
War Fan (Strength-based Damage 2) and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat Unarmed 2 (+12), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Wind Shaping 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4)
War Fan +10 (Close Damage 4)
Air Pressure +8 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Strength)
Suffocation +8 (Ranged Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 29 + Advantages 16 + Skills 27 + Defenses 9 = 139 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (brother). *Hides Her Emotions.*


----------



## Davies

Shizuka





Kanroji Shizuka is a third generation member of the Shadow School. Her grandparents were founding members, though they never achieved much distinction within the School's ranks, and brought their four year-old daughter, Sumire, with them when they joined. In her early teens, Sumire was close friends with a young American student, and was heartbroken when he was forced out. When the School began doing mercenary work, Sumire took advantage of the opportunity to leave the School and travel to America on a mission, tracking down her old boyfriend and having a brief, passionate relationship with him that resulted in Shizuka's birth.

In order to provide a stable home for her daughter, Sumire retired after that singular mission and became sworn sisters with another kunoichi of the School, maintaining their home and looking after their three children -- plus another child of a neighboring household whose mother had some ... difficulties. Shizuka grew up regarding Manami as practically another sister, often competing with her in their training in the School's techniques, especially after they both began to demonstrate powers. While she could never match Manami's power, Manami could never match Shizuka's speed, either.

That sisterly rivalry has continued right up until the present, though Shizuka is frequently distressed by how _seriously_ Manami takes it -- and, frankly, how seriously Manami takes _everything._ She gets that her best friend has been given a raw deal by the fates, and when Manami finally takes her well-deserved revenge on the bastard who blighted both her own and her mother's life, Shizuka hopes to be able to watch because she's sure the carnage will be absolutely beautiful. But that's no reason that they can't have some fun along the way, is it? (She's therefore not very fond of Kagome, who brings out Manami's worst tendencies, in Shizuka's opinion.)

Shizuka is able to move at literally inhuman speeds, easily keeping pace with most ground vehicles and performing many tasks in the blink of an eye. Her offensive abilities are comparatively weak, and she's the member of the team who most frequently employs throwing stars and kunai in her attacks, often launching vast numbers of them in the space of a second. Of course, that means she can easily run out of these weapons, and tends to beat a fast retreat to resupply when she does. (Whenever possible, she will set up multiple weapon caches in a mission's area of operations.)

Shizuka has never met her biological father, but knows from her mother's stories that he was working for Argus when last they met. If pressed, she might admit that she's a bit curious about what's become of him in the years since she was born, and wouldn't mind learning the truth. If, as seems fairly likely, the Tenshi's missions eventually take them to America, she might get the chance.

*Shizuka -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Speed Maneuvers:* Array (9 points)

*Flurry of Blows:* Selective Burst Area Damage 3 - 9 points
*Flurry of Throws:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 3 - 1 point
*Super-Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 5 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 2), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against opponents with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 6; Speed 7 (250 MPH) - 20 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, _Close Attack 2,_ Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Instant Up, Inspire, Interpose, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Redirect, Set-up, Skill Mastery (Sleight of Hand), Takedown.

_Equipment:_
Shuriken (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1), kunai (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical), and 1 point of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Thrown 7 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +12/+10 (Close Damage 1)
Kunai +10/+8 (Close Damage 2, Crit 19-20)
Flurry of Blows -- (Burst Area Damage 3)
Shuriken +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)
Flurry of Blows +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 30 + Advantages 19 + Skills 22 + Defenses 10 = 129 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Friend/Rivalry* (Manami.) *Surprisingly, Hyper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Shizuka has never met her biological father, but knows from her mother's stories that he was working for Argus when last they met. If pressed, she might admit that she's a bit curious about what's become of him in the years since she was born, and wouldn't mind learning the truth. If, as seems fairly likely, the Tenshi's missions eventually take them to America, she might get the chance.



I have this strong suspicion/idea that Shizuka's father was something of a kohai/pupil of George Hama.


----------



## Davies

No, Mitchell Ross was too young for that, born in 1976 and going to work for Argus in 1999. Mitch, as his friends call him, has a limited amount of his daughter's speed talents -- he has Speed 2 (8 MPH). (This is within the realm of human abilities, as a successful Athletics check to boost speed will let someone at this level run a 4 minute mile.)

While George was _acquainted_ with Sarutobi in the years leading up to the formation of the Shadow School, he was never one of his students, much less a follower.


----------



## Davies

Manami





The tragedy began in 1996, when Yamaji Wakana joined the Shadow School, just a few weeks before Sakamoto Sasuke did the same. Like many people who sought to escape from their old lives within the School, Wakana never really spoke about what she had left behind, and it is now almost impossible to learn anything about it. In the seven years she was active as a student, she developed into a very competent if not distinguished practitioner of the school's teachings, frequently partnering with Sakamoto for training. Most who saw them together believed that they were good friends, with some speculating that they might be romantically involved.

It seems unlikely, however, that Sakamoto would have sexually assaulted someone with whom he was genuinely intimate, as he did Wakana during his rampage. In the months afterward, it became clear that the act had had consequences. Wakana didn't really acknowledge any conversation directed her way for about a year, especially not concerning her pregnancy or newborn child. (Just who named Manami is something of a mystery.) She did not acknowledge the child after she was born, and never has, even as Manami serves as her own primary caregiver during her long decline. 

While several other women also took part, Manami was primarily cared for Kanroji Shizuka during her early youth. It was initially expected that the young girl's albinism would mean that she would be too sickly to participate in the School's training for young people, but she surprised everyone by demonstrating unexpected physical vigor. While suffering many injuries in training, Manami seemed to live by the idea that what did not kill her would make her stronger, and absolutely refused to die.

Quick-witted as well as physically tough, Manami possesses a deep understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of the Shadow School's teachings, as well as other, related forms of Buddhist and Confucian thought. She frames her superpowers as channeling her internal energy towards external goals, generally using it to augment her muscles to enable feats of strength, but also projecting it as physical force. She is sensitive to the vital energies of others, as well, employing that awareness while acting as her team's medic.

All of these talents are used towards the singular goal of revenge on the person who hurt her mother. She does not have a father, she has an enemy whom she has never met, who is fortunately the enemy of the entire School. Manami was recently startled to learn that Sakamoto has fathered _another_ daughter who has been recruited to join the Tenshi, but has been pleased to work with her, though she often finds Kagome's attitude to be frustrating. Viewing the other girl as another of her enemy's victims, she's not especially happy with the way that Mizuki intends to use Kagome as bait for a trap, but accepts it as necessary.

If the scheme, or some other operation, succeeds in its goal, she will finally be able to take bloody satisfaction in ending Sakamoto. Then everything that has gone wrong will finally be set right, and her mother will look at her with gentleness and pride instead of looking through her, and Kagome will no longer be her sister, and the world will be a much better place. The love and beauty that she's named for will finally be real. Nothing can get in the way of that.

*Manami -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 6/2 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Ki Powers:* Array (8 points)
 *Abundant Step:* Leaping 5 (250 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
 *Force of Will:* Line Area Damage 8, Tiring - 1 point
 *Strengthen Sinew:* Enhanced Strength 4 - 1 point
*Ki Sense:* Senses 5 (danger sense, acute radius ranged detect life) - 5 points
*Meditation:* Sustained Immunity 4 (need for sleep, starvation & thirst, suffocation) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Close Attack, Evasion, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Startle, Takedown 2, Trance, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Break.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 6 (+12/+8), Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+8), Perception 9 (+11), Stealth 4 (+7), Treatment 7 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6/2, Crit 19-20)
Force of Will -- (Line Area Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 19 + Advantages 19 + Skills 29 + Defenses 12 = 129 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Albinism. Rivalry/Friend* (Shizuku.) *Rivalry/Family/Something Else* (Kagome.)


----------



## Voltron64

_Yeah, I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win_

(OK, now I have another dark theory for Bravo as well, he's Sakamato's _third_ kid.)


----------



## Davies

That's unlikely, as I think you'll realize once you know Kagome's story.


----------



## Davies

Kagome





The youngest and most recently recruited member of the Tenshi operatives, Kobayashi Kagome is also the only one of them who wasn't raised inside the Shadow School, but rather in one of Tokyo's suburbs. This has frequently led to culture clashes between herself and her new teammates, as she's completely unfamiliar with the School's non-martial traditions and tends to forget about them when they inconvenience her. To be fair, a lot of the world that she takes for granted is somewhat alien to most of the others, and she has actually helped to guide them in dealing with it as much as she's caused problems in the few months since her recruitment.

Late in 2004, a man who was using the name Kobayashi Kotaro, supposedly employed as a salariman at one of Japan's larger corporations -- later revealed to have been a corporate assassin -- met and began a whirlwind romance with Yanagisawa Kikuyo, a college dropout turned novice hostess. He bought out her contract and married her, with their only child born within the next year. Almost before Kagome could walk, her father began training her in a variety of athletic and martial disciplines, instilling in her the importance of continuing this practice even when he was away on 'business'. Kagome doesn't remember her mother ever objecting to this, but as she herself never really minded the training, she might not have noticed if she did.

Early in 2011, when Kagome was just a few months past her fifth birthday, her father disappeared. As he'd had many absences in the past, she just assumed that this was yet another, unusually long one, and continued her training alone. She and her mother certainly hadn't been left without means, though they began to take in boarders to pay for their expenses. Eventually, her mother admitted to Kagome that she suspected that Kotaro had run off with a Chinese woman in whose company he'd supposedly been seen. More recently, Kagome has learned a different theory about what happened to her father.

By the time she was in middle school, Kagome reached the point where she started to wonder what the point of her training was. The skills that she'd mastered (in her own mind, at least) were meant to be used for _something_, after all, though she wasn't sure for what. One night, while engaged in free running practice, she chanced to see a group of older boys threatening an elderly man, and impulsively interrupted this. It was a thrilling experience to excercise her faculties, and so she kept on doing so, engaging in some small-scale vigilantism.

Only a few months into her hero's journey, however, she was tracked down by the Tenshi. Kagome hadn't been as careful as she imagined, and was caught on phonecam, leading to Mizuki recognizing her style. They had questions, Kagome -- nobody's fool -- answered them promptly and honestly, and so learned that "Kobayashi Kotaro" and "Sakamoto Sasuke" were, beyond any doubt, the same person. Which meant that she now had a weirdo stalker who was acting like they were sisters, even though Kagome didn't want to have anything to do with her beyond what was absolutely necessary.

While not thrilled to be given a 'work with us or get worked over' ultimatum, Kagome has accepted the situation and is actually a bit happy to have been given the chance to further develop her skills. She had begun to suspect that she'd reached the limits of what she could do alone, and now she can watch and learn from the others, as well as from the other old folks in their village hidden in the mist -- sorry, "School". The missions themselves are also entertaining if dangerous.

Kagome's talent is that she can effortlessly reproduce just about any martial arts technique she's ever seen demonstrated, and combine them in novel ways. Her default mode, which she calls 'Panther Claw Style', is based on her father's demonstrations, but has been augmented by her experiences since his departure. She cannot _yet_ replicate the unique superpowers of her teammates, or those of any other martial artist, but can and does produce flawless imitations of their stylistic training. 

As a member of the Tenshi, Kagome focuses on stealth and infiltration, and is in the process of learning disguise techniques from an elder of the School. Of all her teammates, she gets along best with Mizuki, reacting poorly to Hayate's sullen apathy, Shizuka's hyperactivity and paranoia, and Manami's ... _everything_. She can easily spend hours at a time gabbing with the team's leader about the latest pop sensations, and has no idea that she's viewed entirely as a means to capture her father for the satisfaction of Mizuki's own ambitions.

Or if she does, she's managed to keep it a secret. Which might mean she really is the ultimate ninja.

*Kagome -- PL 8

Abilities
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Natural Talent:* Variable 4 (martial arts abilities), Free Action - 36 points

_Typical Variable Sets:_
*Default Setting (Panther Claw):* Strength-based Damage 2; Enhanced Advantages 12 (All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5); Enhanced Fighting 3 - 20 points
*Ox-Body Stance:* Immunity 20 (bludgeoning effects), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Protection 5 - 20 points
*Storm Warning Dash:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Attack, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Ultimate Effort [Acrobatics]); Enhanced Agility 3; Movement 3 (sure-footed 2, trackless); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 20 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Attractive, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Skill Mastery (Stealth), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 6 (+6), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 10 (+10), Insight 4 (+6), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+5), Sleight of Hand 4 (+6), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +14/+9 (Close Damage 2/0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 12/9, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Total:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 36 + Advantages 7 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 118 points

*Complications:
Personal Growth--Motivation. Forgetful. Weirdo Who Imagines a Relationship Where None Exists* (Manami.)


----------



## Davies

Aten and the Ankh




_Aten_




_The Ankh_

The sudden rush of developing superpowers, unexpectedly, can be an extraordinarily traumatic experience. It is rare, but there have been cases where the emergence of such abilities provoked a dissociative disorder in their subject, as demonstrated by the cases of Fortuna Imperatrix and other examples. Of course, it's impossible to state how much pre-existing trauma might contribute to such disorders, as these individuals are rarely willing to submit themselves to an interview and often have the wherewithal to avoid them completely.

Guillaume Berenger, one of France's first well-known superheroes under the nomme de guerre of Aten, is now recognized to have been an early example of this phenomenon, though the nature of his dissociation was not known until after his death and the exposure of his secret identity. Born in 1922, he served in the Free French Forces and was wounded during the liberation of Paris. After the war, settling in Nice, he made a small but comfortable fortune in textile production, taking advantage of what he learned from trips to the United States on trade missions.

After his passing, some of his few intimates -- for he had been a fairly secretive person even before his awakening -- recalled that he had, in the late Fifties, occasionally expressed a mild fascination with the American phenomenon of the superhero, despite openly agreeing with those of his fellows who expressed doubt that the phenomenon would last very long. By 1964, however, it was clear that such speculations were not the case, with various superpowers popping up all over the world ... but not, as far as anyone could tell, in France.

At the age of forty-two, Guillaume's mind exploded, with talents of telepathy and telekinesis both manifesting themselves. And he realized the truth of his identity in that moment -- he was the reincarnation of the Pharaoh Atenakhen, who had striven mightily to turn great Egypt away from the dead-end that was paganism to a truer understanding of the One God, and been rewarded with the same gifts he now possessed. In light of this, the only thing he could do -- the thing he _must_ do -- was to use these gifts of God to aid humanity. And so he created the identity of Aten and began to fight crime in his home city and all along the Côte d'Azur.

The French were not really sure what to make of him, but, after a few years, during which he avoided causing much in the way of embarrassment, he came to be regarded as a somewhat beloved eccentric. Aten also gained a partner around in 1967, a young woman with similar psychic gifts, whom he identified as the reincarnation of one of Atenakhen's daughters. Isabelle Richard, better known as the Ankh, was privately dubious about this 'theory', but welcomed Aten's tutelage and the opportunity to have a more exciting life than she'd been having up until that point. Soon after they began working together, the pair also received the gift of a specially-designed airship, dubbed the Solar Barque. This expanded their area of operations and led to their first team-ups with members of the Institute.

However, in 1968, as the situation in France grew more and more tense, Aten made the decision that he and the Ankh would not take any side in the struggle. This did not sit well with the Ankh, who ignored this command and attempted to assist the protestors, only to come under attack as an example of American imperialism. She was rescued by la Belle, who had only recently made her debut, and retreated to the pair's headquarters. In the aftermath, the reputation of Aten and the Ankh began to suffer as that of la Belle et la Bête began to rise. Matters were not helped when the Aten refused to assist his supposed allies during the Battle of Vietnam. Increasingly, it seemed that these two didn't really do much that could be considered heroic at all. 

Despite their increasingly negative public image, the team continued to conduct occasional operations against criminal groups in the south of France all through the decade that followed, right up until the start of the Pythonian Insurgency, which saw the Solar Barque shot down over Paris. While only the Aten's body was recovered, both were assumed to have been killed in the crash, and their identities were exposed in the immediate aftermath. The pair was given a fairly reverent public funeral.

In fact, the Ankh had actually survived, though this would not become known until much later. Driven to avenge the deaths of her mentor and the many other victims of the Insurgency, she abandoned her former identity and went underground, seeking to infiltrate the enemy's organization. She ultimately succeeded in doing this, and, under the name Gina Atkins, the wife of another infiltrator named Tommy, helped to run a small counter-insurgency within the Pythons' own headquarters of Delphi. The pair were ultimately caught and executed in 1993, a few weeks before the JSOT invaded and destroyed the Insurgency.

*Aten - PL 10

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 5

*Powers: 
Basic Telepathy:* Comprehend Languages 2; Mental Communication 3 - 21 points  
*Psychic Defenses:* Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2), Quirk (not against foes immune to mental powers); Senses 1 (mental awareness) - 4 point 
*Psychic Gifts: *Array (24 points)
 *Levitation/Telekinetic Bolt:* Flight 5 AND Ranged Damage 7, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Mind Scan:* Cumulative Mind Reading 8 - 1 point
 *Mind Blast:* Perception Range Damage 6, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Mind Daze:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted & Overcome by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Psychokinesis:* Perception Ranged Move Object 8, Dynamic - 25 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects - 6 points
*Telekinetic Shield:* Sustained Protection 10, Subtle - 11 points 

*Advantages:* 
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Equipment 12, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-By Action, Sidekick 21, Ultimate Effort (Will Save), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_ 
6 points of equipment as needed.
*Manor Headquarters:* Size Huge; Toughness: 10; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed, Garage, Gym, Hangar, Infirmary, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 18 points.
*Solar Barque:* Size Gargantuan; Strength 11; Speed 7 (air); Defense 4; Toughness 11; Powers: Passive Concealment 6 (visual, radio); Ranged Damage 8; Features: Autopilot, Communications - 56 points 

*Skills:* 
Expertise: Business 8 (+10), Expertise: History 7 (+9), Insight 5 (+12), Perception 6 (+13), Persuasion 7 (+12), Ranged Combat: Telekinesis 9 (+11).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0) 
Telekinetic Blast +11 (Ranged Damage 7)
Mind Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 6, Resisted by Will)
Mind Daze -- (Perception Range Will 8).

*Defense: *
Dodge 8/6, Parry 8/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 12/2, Will 12.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 50 + Powers 72 + Advantages 42 + Skills 21 + Defenses 13 = 198 points

*Complications:* 
*Faith--Motivation. Authoritarian. Secret Identity.*

_*Note:* These statistics represent Aten between 1964 and 1974; after this his physical abilities and FGT drop by 1 rank each, but his Psychic Ability Array increased to 27 points, increasing each of its effects (that of Ranged Damage for the second dynamic slot) by 1 rank each, and also increase his Telekinetic Shield's effect to 12 ranks._

*The Ankh -- PL 7

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:* 
*Basic Telepathy:* Mental Communication 1; Comprehend Langauges 1 - 8 points
*Psychic Defenses:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2), Quirk (Not against foes immune to mental powers) - 7 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 6, Limited to Mental Effects - 3 points
*Telepathic Training:* Array (12 points)
 *Mind Scan:* Mind Reading 6 - 12 points 
 *Weak Mind Daze:* Perception Range Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point

*Advantages:* 
_Defensive Roll,_ Equipment, _Evasion, Improved Initiative,_ Move-By Action, _Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:_ 
Brass Knuckles (Strength-based Damage 1) and 4 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:* 
Intiative +6 
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2/1) 
Daze -- (Perception Range Will 6)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 9/7, Parry 11/9, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 9.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 36 + Powers 30 + Advantages 2 + Skills 22 + Defenses 15 = 105.

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Rebellious and Impulsive. Secret Identity.*

_*Note:* These stats represent the Ankh for her entire superheroic career. As Gina, her Acrobatics and Close Combat skills should be reduced by 3 ranks each, but she gains Deception 6, Language 1 (English [French is native]), Will 11 and 4 additional ranks of Impervious Will; her motivation becomes Justice._


----------



## Davies

The Golden Eagles





The difficulty confronting the Dominion of Canada, at the start of the first age of superheroics, was primarily one of geography. There were a small number of superheroes located in the major cities of all of the country's ten provinces -- and one or two further north in the territories -- but they all shared the same intensely local focus. None of them, as far as could be discerned, had the sorts of powers that made long-distance travel a simple affair, and consequently had neither the ability nor the interest in assembling as a group in imitation of the Institute.

To be perfectly honest, the notion of relying on such a group of private volunteers was also a bit contrary to the interests of the Canadian government, which therefore began investigating other possibilities. As it happened, the government of the time also lacked the financial wherewithal to engage in much of the way of 'super-soldier' experimentation, which was probably just as well for all concerned. Therefore, when one Dr. Kenneth Gold contacted the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1962 with a proposal to start using what he referred to as piloted robotic vehicles, he quickly gained their attention and interest.

The so-called Golden Eagle suits made their debut in 1964, piloted by some of the best pilots in the Air Force at the time, including many who had formerly been members of the Golden Hawks. Adjusting to the demands of a humanoid vehicle was difficult, even for these experienced personnel, and it was rare for a Golden Eagle to serve the maximum two years (a single year for married men) that the unit's rules permitted. However, their successful defeat of a number of Canada's more notorious supervillains, as well as defending the British Columbia coastline from a handful of kaiju attacks, earned the team a great deal of fame.

Sadly, the Golden Eagles were, like so much else, a casualty of the Battle of Vietnam. The Trudeau government was reluctantly convinced to send the unit to Southeast Asia in response to the situation developing there, with the understanding that they would only be used to assist in the evacuation. Of course, Stardust made no distinction between those who were directly opposing him and those who were only preventing him from accomplishing his goals, and he destroyed the robotic suits and their operators with terrifying ease. Only a single pilot survived the battle, and his suit was wrecked.

It was in the aftermath of this disaster that a mystery began to develop. When the Canadian Armed Forces' Air Defense Command, under which the unit was currently assigned, attempted to contact Dr. Kenneth Gold regarding the prospect of constructing replacements for the suits, they were unable to do so. He had apparently vanished, both from his home in Hamilton and from his offices at the University of Toronto, where he had not been seen in several weeks. Further investigation raised questions as to whether there had ever actually been a "Dr. Kenneth Gold", as much of the background which he had claimed a decade earlier was now seen to be utterly fraudulent. He was never found, and his fate was never discovered.

Half a century later, while examining the armored suit employed by Karen Nichols as Ladybug, itself based on partial schematics of the Golden Eagles' units, Exelion idly commented that he was quite impressed that his student had managed to correctly improvise solutions to some of the problems that had puzzled those who examined it. "But I suppose it's almost time for these to be invented," he added.

*Golden Eagles - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 6/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Piloted Robotic Vehicle:* Removable (-16 points)

*Armored Shell:* Impervious Protection 7 - 14 points
*Cannons:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Communicator:* Radio Communication 2 - 8 points
*Cybernetic Controls:* Enhanced Advantage 3 (Close Attack 2, Ranged Attack 2); Enhanced Defenses (Dodge 2) - 6 points
*Rocket Pack:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 18 points
*Sealed Systems:* Immunity 7 (cold, disease, heat, poison, radiation, suffocation) - 7 points
*Sensors:* Senses 3 (darkvision, radio) - 3 points
*Strength Boost:* Enhanced Strength 5 - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, _Close Attack 2,_ Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, _Ranged Attack 2_, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 2 (+8/+3), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Perception 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Guns 3 (+5), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7/+5 (Close Damage 6/1)
Cannon +7 (Ranged Damage 8).

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/5, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 9/2, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 66 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 10 = 119 points

*Complications:
Patriotism--Motivation. Requires Maintenance. Vulnerability* (electrical attacks.) *Others as Needed.*

_Note: A relatively small number of Golden Eagles are bilingual (Language 1 [French] or Language 1 [English (French is native)]) as this was not yet an official policy of the Canadian government when the unit was founded; it became so in 1969. A few will also have Benefit (rank), Leadership and possibly higher mental abilities._


----------



## Davies

The Flying Fox





In 1961, twenty-two year old Graham Anderson had found himself becoming very concerned about the possibility that the phenomenon of the super-powered criminal, now a common occurrence in America and Europe, was going to spread to his native Australia. Gifted with a brilliant scientific mind and a well-trained body, he decided that the only thing to do about this disturbing prospect was to adopt the mantle of the superhero. But he knew that he would have to adopt an identity that could provoke fear in the superstitious and cowardly lot that were criminals, and as he was contemplating this, a flying fox flew in the window of his apartment, startling him. He decided to adopt this as his symbol.

Or at least that was the story that he told the Cowl and Masque, when they joined forces against 'Noose' Redd, an international assassin, four years into Graham's career as the Flying Fox. On hearing it, Masque observed that flying foxes were rather tiny and not particularly dangerous, and asked why Graham had been so startled. The other costumed crime-fighter stammered something about how it had just been very surprising, and then briefly mentioned his concerns about rabies, and then tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

That incident illustrates some of the problems that the Flying Fox faced as Australia's first superhero. It seems plausible that the episode never actually happened, and that he chose the flying fox because he had already invented his cape, created from a special material of his own design, that allowed him to glide for limited distances. Not only did the supercrime epidemic that he supposedly feared never materialize, leaving him fighting a never-ending parade of mundane criminals -- who were genuinely dangerous to the citizenry of Sydney, where he was based -- he had chosen as a symbol one of the more harmless examples of Australia's wildlife. 

Consequently, the Flying Fox found it difficult to be taken seriously by the majority of Australians, who are actually a skeptical and cynical lot, rather than superstitious and cowardly. While he helped many people, who were generally grateful for his assistance, the general public regarded him as something of a joke. It didn't help that his accomplishments were nowhere nearly as impressive as those of the American superheroes he tried to imitate. Even when he finally attracted masked villains, towards the end of the sixties, they turned out to have been perfectly normal crooks who'd been hired as distractions, and he looked like a fool in the press.

It seems likely that this was what inspired him to volunteer his services to assist during the Battle of Vietnam, working closely with the Grail Knight and apparently saving the British hero's life at the cost of his own. Ironically, his death actually generated a swell of popularity for the hero in his own country, which was frankly cynically exploited by certain individuals who portrayed him as a crusader against the influence of communism. It didn't last long, prompting those individuals to pursue other agendas, and the Flying Fox is not particularly well-remembered in Australia. Motley is known to have regarded him as an inspiration, but his recent changes in behavior have led some to believe he must have become disillusioned with the man's ideals ...

*Flying Fox -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Glidersuit:* Flight 2 (8 MPH), Gliding, Winged; Removable (-0 points) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Benefit (Millionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
25 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Expertise: Science 2 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+7), Technology 5 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 1 + Advantages 22 + Skills 19 + Defenses 13 = 113 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Reputation* (nobody takes him seriously.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Funny how it turns out the man was off by three and a half decades on when the supercrime epidemic would hit Australia.


----------



## Davies

Good point. I'll add a "in his lifetime" to the final text.


----------



## Davies

El Sabio





Much like the man who was his greatest inspiration -- Rudolfo Guzman Huerta, better known to much of the world as El Santo -- Jose Moreno was born in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. That's pretty much the only similarity that existed between them. Unlike Huerta, who followed three of his older brothers into the business, Moreno was the first member of his family to become involved in professional wrestling. He was also a member of the Ñuhmu people, or the Sierra Otomi as they were also known, who were -- in some parts of the world -- somewhat famous for their association with a certain well-known New York surgeon and philanthropist, noted for operating a trading company named for Hidalgo.

Jose was thirteen years old when he first saw El Santo wrestle, as part of the crowd which watched him defeat the Bulgarian for the NWA Welterweight Title. Cheering the man's alias, Jose realized that he had just witnessed what he wanted from life. Not just physical power, but the ability to use that physical power in the name of something greater than himself, just as El Santo had just symbolically defended Mexico against a hostile foreign nation. He began training to become a wrestler himself, pushing himself to the limits of his ability and then past it.

Jose made his debut in 1952, as El Sabio ("The Sage".) Again unlike El Santo, he was a technico from the very beginning, and always strove to conduct himself in a dignified and heroic manner, despite the way that this led to him being taken advantage of by the rudos he fought. This didn't bother him (much) as he firmly and sincerely believed that by living up to his principles, and striving to do right to all, he was winning in life regardless of the booked outcomes of his matches.

It's not really clear when El Sabio realized that his fanatical training had apparently granted him superpower levels of strength, speed and toughness. He carefully held back from demonstrating that full power, so it's certainly possible that he knew what he was doing quite a while before what is regarded as his first 'real' fight in 1957. That episode involved a Bulgarian mad scientist who had developed a method of reanimating the dead and decided to use Mexico City as a demonstration of this technique, for reasons that defied ready explanation. Having assured himself that the risen dead were mindless abominations, El Sabio felt no compunctions about using his full strength to defeat them and their sick master.

That was only the beginning of his legendary journeys, pitting his strength and skill against monsters, mad scientists and mobsters. He fought not only with power, but _presentation_ as well, something that was rare in the early days of this first age. His exploits proved to be excellent fodder for the entertainment industry, though El Sabio usually ended up getting written out of the published accounts in favor of claiming these victories for El Santo. This didn't bother him (much) as he still felt a deep admiration for the man who'd inspired him as a boy, and hoped that acquiescing to this would help to inspire other young people. It did that, and if Santo was always more respected, Sabio was perhaps more beloved.

El Sabio first joined forces with the Meteor in 1967, when the Martian invasion of that year targeted Guadalajara. Demonstrating his remarkable astuteness, Sabio reached and (privately) voiced the conclusion that the Meteor's technology could not possibly be the product of any Earthly inventor. The Meteor didn't confirm that speculation, but he did state that El Sabio's alias was well-deserved. They worked together on a number of occasions after this, right up until the Battle of Vietnam. (He also had a somewhat adversarial friendship with Doctor Freeze.)

For the rest of his life, Jose was not sure how he'd survived that one, sometimes experiencing doubts that he _had_ and suspicions that all that had followed was one long dying dream. He joined forces with Perseus and Basilea in the final assault, but was critically injured before he could put Stardust in the Boston Crab as they'd planned, forcing the other two to face him alone. The results are too well-known to be repeated here.

El Sabio continued his career for another decade after this, but there was much less joy in it then there'd once been. He finally met his end in 1982, when a bomb placed near the engine of his beloved Porsche 911 went off as he was starting it up. Jose actually survived this, but was in no condition to fight back when another Python assassin proceeded to fire five shots from a Charter Arms Undercover .38 Special revolver into him. (This individual will not be named here.) 

*El Sabio - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Highly Mobile:* Speed 3 (16 MPH); Leaping 7 (900 feet); Movement 3 (Swinging, Wall-crawling) - 14 points
*Quick Recovery:* Regeneration 8 - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack 4, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Fearless 2, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Language 2 (English, Spanish, others, [Otomi is native]), Move-by Action, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+12), Expertise: Wrestling 8 (+12), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 10/8, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 88 + Powers 22 + Advantages 20 + Skills 24 + Defenses 8 = 162 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Secret Identity. Show-off.*


----------



## Davies

Dú Láng (I)





Most of what is definitely known about the first costumed protector of Hong Kong has been told in the account of his successor. What follows is conjecture and supposition, based on a handful of reports from the Hong Kong Police Department's archives which were, to put no fine a point upon it, stolen by Argus operatives shortly before the handover. It appears that more information about him was in the possession of British intelligence, but those files were destroyed in a mysterious fire in 1979.

Fa Hoi-yun, the most likely candidate to have been Dú Láng, was born in 1947 in Kowloon. From an early age, both he and his younger sister, Fa Ni-chen, were trained as acrobats and martial artists, with the intention that they would follow their parents into careers with the Cantonese opera, and possibly the Hong Kong film industry. However, it seems that Hoi-yun was a somewhat hot-headed child, frequently brawling in the streets, and acquiring his fair share of enemies.

In 1966, the consequences of that life style were made horrifically clear to him. Ni-chen was attacked by some people who had grudges against her brother. While she was able to defend herself to some degree, their intentions were clear, and she attempted suicide to preserve her honor. Fortunately, or perhaps not, she survived, though she was horribly scarred by the experience, to the point where her hoped for career as an entertainer was now a mirage.

Infuriated by this, and the fact that the authorities were unable or unwilling to discover the whereabouts of his sister's attacker, Hoi-yun decided to take matters into his own hands. To protect his remaining family, he adopted the masked identity of the Lone Wolf, Dú Láng, and began carving a swath through Hong Kong's underworld. While his initial intent was just to take vengeance on Ni-chen's attackers, Dú Láng gradually came to have a more general sense of anger at the suffering that the Triads, in particular, were causing.

In 1970, Dú Láng finally discovered the whereabouts of the last of his sister's attackers, who had supposedly become the personal agent of the legendary Lord of Strange Deaths. Having gained the assistance of agents of British intelligence during his campaign, Dú Láng infiltrated a secret martial arts tournament, discovering that its supposed mastermind had been dead for quite some time, and defeated his own personal nemesis in a final battle. Vengeance was at last his ... and it did not satisfy him at all.

He was apparently still sorting through his feelings about all of this when he died in the Battle of Vietnam, where he attempted to rescue the young Kid Wolf from Stardust's attack on him, only to die in the process. Despite suggestions that he had recovered from death, it seems likely that the disappearance of his body was simply an accident in the disposition of his remains. But this would not be the least of the mysteries surrounding him.

*Dú Láng (I) - PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, others [Cantonese is native]), Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 7 (+9), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 2 + Advantages 15 + Skills 29 + Defenses 11 = 101 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family* (sister). *Secret Identity.*

_Note: For those of you wondering why his defenses are low -- "Forget about winning and losing, forget about pride and pain: let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely – lay down your life before him!" - from _The Tao of Jeet Kune Do_, by Bruce Lee._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In 1970, Dú Láng finally discovered the whereabouts of the last of his sister's attackers, who had supposedly become the personal agent of the legendary Lord of Strange Deaths. Having gained the assistance of agents of British intelligence during his campaign, Dú Láng infiltrated a secret martial arts tournament, discovering that its *supposed mastermind had been dead for quite some time*, and defeated his own personal nemesis in a final battle.



His half-Russian daughter on the other hand...

(Suddenly realize who Bravo might have been associating with and it also occurs to me that The Emperor himself might have had a mentor of his own.)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> His half-Russian daughter on the other hand...
> 
> (Suddenly realize who Bravo might have been associating with and it also occurs to me that The Emperor himself might have had a mentor of his own.)



No comment.


----------



## Davies

Moby Dyck





Between 1810 and 1838, throughout the Pacific Ocean, whalers sought to prey upon and frequently themselves became the prey of an ancient albino whale dubbed Mocha Dick, after the Chilean island near where he was first sighted. A few years after the white whale ultimately fell to his hunters, a sailor from New York heard stories about his activities, most notably an account which claimed that a certain Quaker whaling captain had been so distraught that Mocha Dick had been slain by someone else that he committed suicide, and remembered these tales for a decade. In time, these stories, and reports that Mocha Dick was still at large in 1849, would inspire one of the world's greatest novels.

Mocha Dick had in fact died in 1838, but during his long life he'd had many offspring, some of whom inherited his albinism. It was one of these whales which was sighted in 1849, and yet a different one who was killed in 1902. And sometime in the 19th century, another of Mocha Dick's brood, accompanied by a harem of females, found his way to Dread Island. There, feeding on gigalodons and kraken, and exposed to other strange phenomena in the vicinity of the Island, the whales grew to enormous size and remarkable power. When, in 1956, this whale -- or leviathan, as he might more accurately be dubbed -- was first sighted by human visitors to the island, there was really only one name that he could be called.

Much like their forebear, leviathans in general are not, and Moby Dyck in particular is not, hostile towards or fearful of humans. They are still not particularly _safe_ to be around, as they can easily and accidentally capsize most human vessels, and easily misinterpret accidental contact as an attack. Even if they will ignore humans in the water as too small to be a meaningful threat, that is very cold comfort to the drowning human who is also at risk from the other, much less passive animal life in the seas around Dread Island.

During Kthulu's third rising, in 2013, when the Great Old One used the kaiju of Dread Island as an army, several leviathans fell under its sway. Moby Dyck did not, and attempted to prevent his children from their destructive activities, demonstrating the ability that has been dubbed 'iceberging' by gigantologists. Through some unknown means, the daikaiju is able to transform sea water into a substance not unlike the 'infrawater' employed by Meddows-type freeze guns and expel it through his blowhole to create confining ice structures. However, he can only do this a limited number of times before his supply of this infrawater-like substance is exhausted.

At the time, having observed this, Snowfall imitated Moby Dyck's 'iceberging' to similarly confine the enraged leviathans, putting herself in some danger when the great whale seemed to misinterpret her actions as an attack on his progeny. Before he could harm the heroine, however, he apparently realized what had actually happened, and broke off the attack, taking advantage of the opportunity to replenish his supply. In the aftermath, the leviathans returned to Dread Island with their chief leading them, but Moby Dyck seemed to pause and regard Snowfall with what Nereus described as 'approval' ... or possibly awareness of a potential rival.

*Leviathan -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 14 | *STA* 16 | *AGL* -2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* -3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Aquatic:* Immunity 2 (pressure); Immunity 2 (suffocation, Limited to half effect); Swimming 9 (250 MPH) - 10 points
*Bite:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Gargantuan Size:* Permanent Growth 14 (Strength +14, Stamina +14, Dodge -7, Parry -7, Intimidation +6, Stealth -14, Swimming +2); Impervious Toughness 12 - 52 points
*Energy Absorption:* Immunity 10 (cold effects); Regeneration 10, Source (cold) - 20 points
*Senses:* Senses 6 (extended accurate ultrahearing, extended low-light vision) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Hold, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Intimidation 3 (+7), Perception 4 (+7)

*Offense:*
Initiative -2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 14)
Bite +7 (Close Damage 15)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 4, Fortitude 17, Toughness 16, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 4 + Powers 89 + Advantages 6 + Skills 5 + Defenses 21 = 125 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Physical* (no ground move, no sense of smell, no manipulators, can't talk to humans.)


*Moby Dyck (Daikaiju Leviathan) -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 16 | *STA* 18 | *AGL* -2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Aquatic:* Immunity 2 (pressure); Immunity 2 (suffocation, Limited to half effect); Swimming 9 (250 MPH) - 10 points
*Bite:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Colossal Size:* Permanent Growth 16 (Strength +16, Stamina +16, Dodge -8, Parry -8, Intimidation +8, Stealth -16, Swimming +2); Impervious Toughness 16 - 64 points
*Energy Absorption:* Immunity 10 (cold effects); Regeneration 20, Source (cold) - 20 points
*Iceberging:* Ranged Cumulative Burst Area 4 Affliction 15 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Unreliable - 90 points
*Senses:* Senses 6 (extended accurate ultrahearing, extended low-light vision) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Critical 2 (bite), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Intimidation 3 (+10), Perception 6 (+11)

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 16)
Bite +9 (Close Damage 17, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 4, Fortitude 20, Toughness 18, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 191 + Advantages 7 + Skills 6 + Defenses 23 = 260 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Physical* (no ground move, no sense of smell, no manipulators, can't talk to humans.) *Responsibility* (leviathans.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In the aftermath, the leviathans returned to Dread Island with their chief leading them, but Moby Dyck seemed to pause and regard Snowfall with what Nereus described as 'approval' ... or possibly awareness of a potential rival.



Probably both.


----------



## Davies

Al-Mushtari the Gas Giant





The origins of the being that menaced the Arabian Penninsula for one month in 1970, dubbed al-Mushtari by the local press, with "the Gas Giant" added by Western newspapers, remain unknown. Lukas Ammanuel, alias Yedokiteri Girumi, who studied the creature more than any other observer, privately vacillated between two different theories. He publicly stated that he believed that it was an extraterrestrial being who had had travelled to Earth in some undocumented manner, most likely in a spacecraft that had crashed somewhere in the region that he was attacking. The fact that no such wreckage was ever found led him to privately speculate, in his personal journal, that the creature might have travelled to Earth through some sort of teleportation ... or that it was actually of _extradimensional_, rather than merely extraterrestrial, origin.

Regardless, after it had terrorized the people of Arabia for three weeks, a concerted effort was begun to deal with the monster, who was immune to all conventional weaponry. Concerned that al-Mushtari's rampage might eventually spread across the Red Sea to his own homeland, as well as for the suffering it had already caused, Yedokiteri Girumi offered his assistance. By quickly reviewing all information about the creature's attacks, he was able to develop a plan based on two factors -- first, that the creature was able to alter its size, and second, that it had recoiled on a few occasions when its electrical projections had rebounded back towards itself.

Equipped with a lightning gun of his own creation, Ammanuel proceeded to drive Al-Mushtari into a trap that exposed it to a different device which _compressed_ it into a small cube of incredibly dense material, rendering it immobile and helpless, though every bit as impervious to physical harm as it had ever been. Yedokiteri Girumi warned the governments of the region that he believed that this process would eventually wear off, though he was uncertain _when_ it would happen. But he offered his personal assurance that when it happened, he would return to deal with the monster again.

A year later, with Lukas Ammanuel among the casualties of the Battle of Vietnam, that reassurance ceased to be reassuring. The decision was made at the highest level of the House of Saud that al-Mushtari could not be allowed to regain its mobility in their country, and so must be transported elsewhere. Aware that the United States had had some success in disposing of unusual threats, such as the Protean entity and the gerolds, on Dread Island, they politely requested that this be done again. And it was.

Just when al-Mushtari regained its mobility is not positively known. It was first sighted in its current form on Dread Island in 1993, but monitoring of the island was very sporadic in the 1980s owing to the Pythonian Insurgency. The creature's periodic rampages across the island have generally been dealt with by its native creatures, many of which possess powers that _can_ harm it, further documenting what Ammanuel described as a very cowardly streak in the creature. While it has ventured forth from the Island a few times since, Chokyojin and other superheroes have usually sent it back in defeat, and it has not left the island since 2009. It has been seriously suggested that its first and only encounter with Bàofēngyu terrified it to the point where it has no interest in confronting her again.

*Al-Mushtari the Gas Giant -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 15/9 | *STA* 18/12 | *AGL* 7 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Air Elemental:* Affects Corporeal on Strength 15; Concealment 6 (auditory, visual), Passive; Continuous Flight 8 (250 MPH); Immunity 3 (starvation & thirst, suffocation); Permanent Insubstantial 2 - 58 points
*Far-Seeing:* Senses 5 (extended 3 darkvision) - 5 points
*Variable Mass:* Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Stamina +8, Intimidation +4, Speed +1, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -8); Growth 6 (Strength +6, Stamina +6, Intimidation +3, Dodge -3, Parry -3, Stealth -6) - 42 points
*Weather Command:* Array (38 points)

*Lightning Bolts:* Ranged Mulitattack Damage 12, Indirect 2 - 38 points
*Precipitation:* Environment 7 (1/2 mile; impede movement 2, visibility 2) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+11/+8), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Lightning Bolts 7 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 9)
Lightning Bolt +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/11, Parry 8/11, Fortitude 20/13, Toughness 18/12, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 144 + Advantages 9 + Skills 11 + Defenses 19 = 183 points

*Complications:
Destruction--Motivation. Cowardice. Nonverbal.*

_Note: I always kind of felt a bit annoyed that _Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster_ wasn't about something actually gaseous ..._


----------



## Davies

Dreadwolves





_Dreadwolf_




_Lycaon (with Dreadwolf inset for size reference)_

There is some dispute in the gigantological community as to whether the species dubbed dreadwolves (tentatively dubbed _aenocyon horribilis_) actually constitute a kaiju species. While they fit the profile of resembling an extinct species, and that of being significantly larger than any documented examples of that species, they are not (with one exception) giant-sized in comparison to humans, and lack the energy absorbing powers of other well-known kaiju. That said, the term 'kaiju' is generally (though often incorrectly) used to describe any large animal to be found on Dread Island, and they certainly fit that definition.

By and large, dreadwolves are secondary consumers within the Dread Island food web, feeding on smaller, primary consumer species (and occasionally on producers) and are themselves fed upon by tertiary consumers, including many smaller carnivorous kaiju. Like mundane wolves, they gather in packs of around twenty or more dreadwolves, consisting of up to three interrelated families of mated pairs and their young. They mark their territory in the same way that wolves do, and it is rare for a dreadwolf to cross into territory claimed by a different pack. The exact number of packs on Dread Island is not known with certainty, but believed to be less than ten.

All of the above fails to describe the single largest known dreadwolf, the being named Lycaon (after the Arcadian king transformed into a wolf.) It should not come as a surprise that there is very little definitely known about this creature, as observations have been difficult. Lycaon sometimes attacks and even kills other dreadwolves, but has also protected other groups from other predators. For an extended period, it was believed that Lycaon must be a female, as most mundane lone wolves are females who have eitheer left or driven from the pack. After an extremely uncomfortable close encounter with the creature, the surviving member of a Morrison Institute research team was unequivocal in declaring Lycaon to be male. This raises more questions than it answers.

All dreadwolves, including Lycaon, are capable of generating sound at a specific frequency that includes some ultrasonic tones, which can cause other creatures to be rendered incapable of movement or response, with this ability typically used as a prelude to an attack. This ability is sometimes misrepresented as a howl that induces fear in the subject; whatever emotional response is provoked by the 'song' is ultimately secondary, as it appears to directly affect the subject's neurochemistry. Dreadwolves of the same pack are unaffected by each others' song -- this serves as a secondary territorial marker -- while Lycaon appears to be immune to that of all of the packs, raising further questions as to this being's nature.

As the dreadwolves are perhaps one of Dread Island's unique species which is closest in makeup to a living species -- and leviathans, the other one, are significantly harder to study -- the researchers of the Morrison Institute remain highly interested in studying them in general, and Lycaon in particular. It is hoped that understanding how Lycaon developed from the dreadwolves will lead to a better understanding of how the daikaiju develop from the kaiju, and in turn how the kaiju themselves develop. This might lead to a further understanding of how superpowers develop in _many_ species, including humanity ... and how to deliberately induce that development.

*Dreadwolves -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* -4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Bite: *Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Loping Movement:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Evasion, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points
*Size:* Permanent Growth 2 (Strength +2, Stamina +2, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, -2 Stealth) - 6 points
*Song of the Wolf Pack:* Auditory Perception Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 ('songs' of other members of the same pack) - 17 points
*Wolf Senses:* Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Diehard, _Evasion,_ Fast Grab, Great Endurance, _Improved Initiative,_ Improved Trip, Startle, Teamwork, _Uncanny Dodge_.

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6)
Bite +8 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 8, Toughness 7, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 37 + Advantages 7 + Skills 14 + Defenses 13 = 100 points 

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Pack Dependent. Physical* (no hands, no speech with humans.) 

_Note: At least one dreadwolf has been somewhat tamed and serves as the Sidekick to one of the best hunters of the Mahani people, herself also PL8._

*Lycaon -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 12 | *STA* 13 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* -4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Bite:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Loping Movement:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 13 points
*Size:* Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Stamina +8, +4 Intimidation, -4 Dodge, -4 Parry, -8 Stealth); Impervious Toughness 8 - 32 points
*Song of Lycaon: *Auditory Perception Area Affliction 11 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Immunity 2 (songs of all dreadwolves) - 18 points
*Wolf Senses: *Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Diehard, _Evasion,_ Fast Grab, Great Endurance, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Improved Trip, Power Attack, Startle, _Uncanny Dodge_.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 10 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12)
Bite +8 (Close Damage 14)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 14, Toughness 13, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 69 + Advantages 7 + Skills 15 + Defenses 21 = 140 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Loner. Physical* (no hands, no speech with humans.) *Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> _Note: At least one dreadwolf has been somewhat tamed and serves as the Sidekick to one of the best hunters of the Mahani people, herself also PL8._



What we need next then is a boar and/or deer kaiju, the latter of which is the only besides Scorpia to possess human-level intelligence.


----------



## Davies

Gogunta





Named by an eccentric Morrison Institute researcher after a toad monster from a fantasy game, with the name kept as a memorial to that individual, the creature dubbed Gogunta is an unusual example of Dread Island's wildlife. Regarded as male by the Mahani, though this has yet to be scientifically verified, Gogunta is a life form on the scale of a kaiju, but one which is as unique as a daikaiju. While creatures which resemble Gogunta have been discovered, and are actually very common across the Island, they are about the same size as typical mundane toads, despite having claws and multiple eyes and mouths. While probably very dangerous to other life forms of their size, they are more often preyed upon by larger creatures -- including Gogunta, who has been seen eating those who stray too close to the larger creature's current position.

According to Mahani oral tradition, for as long as the people have lived on Dread Island, Gogunta has lived in a pond (named, of course, Gogunta's Pond) within a short distance of their village. The creature rarely leaves this region, and the Mahani do not recall any time when Gogunta attacked their home, unlike other, more mobile kaiju. They do not regard the creature with any affection, but rather believe Gogunta to be a cunning but lazy entity who waits for prey to approach and then consumes or annihilates it.

Like many kaiju, Gogunta absorbs and redirects certain types of energy, with the latter taking the form of a laser-like beam that projects from one or more of the creature's eyes. While this is Gogunta's preferred attack form, as it appears to require very little effort on the creature's part, Gogunta is able to grab hold of opponents at a considerable distance with one of eight tongues, typically using this to swallow smaller creatures whole and tear them apart with their teeth. Against beings of similar size, Gogunta will occasionally fight with claw and body blows. While only of animal intelligence, Gogunta cunningly fights only while the sky is not clouded and the sunlight is facilitating the creature's regenerative properties, avoiding fights when this is not the case.

Gogunta is perhaps most famous for having killed Scorpia in 2011, facilitating the exploration of the scorpion-creature's lair and everything that followed from that. This unlikely victory is believed to have only happened because Scorpia had been injured in some other, undocumented conflict, but may have simply resulted from the fortunes of war favoring Gogunta on that occasion. Some gigantologists believe that Scorpia goes out of 'her' way to avoid further conflicts with Gogunta, but this might just be a coincidence.

*Gogunta -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 11 | *STA* 13 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* -4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Amphibious:* Immunity 4 (cold, drowning, heat, pressure); Swimming 6 (30 MPH) - 10 points
*Claws and Teeth:* Close Damage 2, Improved Critical 2 - 4 points
*Energy Absorption:* Immunity 20 (energy effects); Regeneration 20, Source (light) - 30 points
*Feeding Tongues:* Extra Limbs 8; Elongation 2, Limited to extra limbs - 9 points
*Huge Size:* Permanent Growth 10 (Strength +10, Stamina +10, Dodge -5, Parry -5, Intimidation +5, Stealth -10, Speed +1); Protection 2, Impervious 10 - 42 points
*Laser Barrage:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 12 - 36 points
*Many-Eyed:* Senses 1 (radius vision) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Benefit (multidexterity), _Improved Grab_, Improved Hold, Power Attack. 

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 1 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+9), Ranged Combat: Laser Barrage 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 11)
Claws and Teeth +8 (Close Damage 13, Crit 18-20)
Feeding Tongue +11 (Grab 11)
Laser Barrage +10 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 7, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 128 + Advantages 3 + Skills 11 + Defenses 18 = 186 points

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Lazy. Physical* (no speech with humans, no fine manipulators.)


----------



## Davies

Gerolds





On Earth, at least, the story of the creatures known as gerolds is inextricably linked with the story of the criminal organization known as Vaskhane. In the earth year 1958, two Chiraben-descended agents of this syndicate, Taddely and Aunat, were in the Alpha Centauri star system on other business (specifically selling drugs to the denizens of the refueling station there) when their ship was damaged by the wavefront of a hyperspace phenomenon originating in the Sol System two years earlier. Unlike Bzz Trgal, whose ship was affected by the same event but was under way again within a week, it took them several months to return theirs to function, though they were eventually able to follow his course.

Where Trgal spent several months in orbit around Earth, the Vaskhane agents' cloaked ship immediately descended to the planet's surface, landing in Sylmar, California. From there, they began posing as Terrestrials and conducting a wide variety of criminal activities on the planet, selling extraterrestrial technology and lifeforms, most notably examples of hemovoric plantlife and early blaster weaponry. They were not really interested in the money these schemes raised, beyond its immediate uses, but rather in establishing connections and laying the groundwork for future operations. The Meteor detected their activities soon after his debut, and foiled some of their plans, but was never able to capture the operations' leadership. Other superheroes thwarted individual schemes without ever discovering the truth about them.

In 1967, Vaskhane's Earth branch began one of their most dangerous schemes ever. Earlier in that decade, a mission to the Enigma sector brought back an animal species that the Technate quickly realized was a dangerous, potentially lethal threat to any ecosystem other than its native one. Their attempts to control the species, dubbed gerolds after a favored pet of their discoverer, were thwarted by both the creatures' own fecundity and the efforts of Vaskhane, who recognized them as an incredibly useful asset for the syndicate's ecological sabotage operations. A small number were sent to Earth (turning into a much larger number along the way) where they were marketed as unusual pets in North America, with plans to spread beyond there.

A bit less quickly than the Technate, the local governments realized that the danger of the gerolds -- in addition to their rapid reproductive cycle, typically spawning a new gerold every six hours, they could and would eat anything organic and smaller than themselves, and tended to leave those around them in a state of stupefied bliss while that happened. A number of regions where large numbers of gerolds had been purchased found themselves on the verge of famine before steps were taken. All the creatures were gathered up, with exotic means (provided by Diane Fortune, Jeremiah Wander and some of their allies) used to ensure that none escaped, and transported to Dread Island, in the belief that the creatures there would keep them in check. 

And that has happened; they have become a major part of the diet of most carnivorous species on the island, while continuing to prey on those creatures whom their empathic fields are able to affect. The island has also seen the development of a phenomenon known as the gerold swarm, in which dozens of the creatures act as something of a hive mind, while acting like folkloric piranha that are able to devour a human-sized target in a few moments.

Ironically, the gerold operation was actually a major disaster for Vaskhane's Earth operations, as it drew the attention of Stardust upon them. Taddely and Aunat ended up transformed into _giant_ gerolds that promptly ate each other, and most of their employees died similarly horrible deaths. Vaskhane's operations on Earth wouldn't recover until the mid-1970s, though that era and the '80s proved to be glory days for the organization thanks to its alliance with the Pythonian Insurgency. They have never tried to import gerolds again, though. If they ever need any, they can just get them from Dread Island.

*Individual Gerold -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* -3 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* -3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Empathic Manipulation:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Concentration, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 16 points
*Tiny:* Permanent Shrinking 12 (-3 Strength, -1 Speed, +6 Dodge, +6 Parry, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation) - 12 points
*Universal Digestion:* Feature 1 (iron stomach) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
None.

*Skills:*
Stealth 0 (+12)

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 6, Fortitude 1, Toughness 0, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 2 + Powers 29 + Advantages 0 + Skills 0 | Defenses 4 = 35 points

*Complications:
Hunger--Motivation. Physical* (cannot talk to humans, no manipulators.) 

*Swarm of Gerolds -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -- | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* -- | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:* 
*Aura of Empathic Manipulation:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Sustained, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 33 points
*Swarm:* Permanent Insubstantial 2, Innate, Quirk (limited to Size -3 or larger holes) - 10 points 
*Swarm Attack:* Damage 6 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Swarm Attack 8 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Swarm Attack +8 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities -10 + Powers 49 + Advantages 2 + Skills 11 + Defenses 23 = 75 points

*Complications:
HUNGER--Motivation.*


----------



## Davies

Mr. Odin




_Photo taken c. 1959_

Nearly everything that is known about the early life of Oddvar Berg, better known as Mr. Odin, comes from what the man himself revealed in an interview conducted by FBI agents in 1984, and should be taken with _several_ grains of salt. He had worked diligently to destroy any other sources of information about himself, and all of his claims were likely directed towards his immediate goal of persuading the FBI, and by extension the American government, to grant him clemency in exchange for his promised assistance in combating the Pythonian Insurgency. Berg was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving this goal, largely because the agents in question believed him to be lying to them, and would ultimately die in prison seven years later.

Oddvar Berg was (he claimed) the last scion of an ancient family of his native Norway, born in 1923. (This birthdate was relatively consistent with his apparent age in 1947, when he entered the United States.) Many members of his family had possessed psychic abilities, usually some form of clairvoyance, but the talent had been growing rarer and weaker in recent centuries, and had last manifested in his great-grandparents' generation. When he developed his own limited ability to foresee the future, in 1938, his parents believed him to be making up stories, and didn't listen to his warnings. Thus, they died in a car crash later that year, which also cost Berg his eye.

As he was already practically an adult at this point, being stronger even as a youth than most grown men, Berg was largely left to his own devices. Following the invasion of his country in 1940, he decided to collaborate with the Nazis, viewing this as the most effective way to preserve his own safety. He became associated with the _Rinnanbanden_, the group of informants for the German spy apparatus led by Henry Rinnan. Berg claimed that he didn't employ his powers on the group's behalf, just his more mundane talents, and that he was not personally responsible for any of its assaults or murders. Further, he claimed, he grew disenchanted with Rinnan towards the end of the war, and had double-crossed the man when Rinnan and his followers attempted to flee to Sweden in 1945.

If he did so, it seems likely that he did so mostly as a way to further cover his tracks, with his destruction of records concerning him serving as the primary way that he did so. It sufficed to keep him free and at large during the massive purge of Rinnan's group that took place between 1945 and 1946, and allowed him to make his way to America in search of greener pastures. He arrived in New York and soon found a niche for himself as a professional seer for many of New York's gangsters, under the name Mr. Odin. Around this time, he also began his hobby of 'training' ravens to serve as his minions; the training largely involved brute-force mental conditioning.

As the first age of the superhero began to dawn in 1956, Mr. Odin (he later claimed) found himself increasingly disgusted with the petty villainy of the gangsters who employed him, believing that he could give the city a better class of criminal. He took advantage of the confusion following the Apalachin disaster to seize control of some of his former employers' rackets, which led to his first clashes with the Cowl and Masque, becoming their most persistent enemy. (Interestingly, Berg never claimed to have set up the raid.)

Pressure from his heroic opponents and criminal rivals alike finally saw Mr. Odin arrested and tried for his numerous crimes in 1967. He was sentenced to death for several murders, but the sentence was commuted to cryogenic suspension in 1968. In its turn, that sentence was lifted after the cryogenic revival process was shown to occasionally have serious neurological consequences for its subjects. In Berg's case, this meant the loss of his major superpower, the ability to control animals at extended distance and perceive the world through their senses, while leaving him with his limited precognition. His attempts to leverage this talent into a method by which he could know some freedom failed, and he ultimately died in prison, largely forgotten, in 1991.

According to his own account, he never fathered any children. But he was believed to be lying about that too. 

*Mr. Odin - PL 9* 

*Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Eyes of the Raven:* Perception Range Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Limited to Animals; Remote Sensing 6 (all senses; 60 miles), Medium (animals) - 42 points
*Forewarned is Forearmed:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Senses 1 (danger sense) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Great Endurance, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Languages 3 (Danish, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, others, [Norwegian is native]), Minion 2, Set-Up, _Uncanny Dodge,_ Well-Informed

_Equipment:_
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), Walking Stick (Strength-based Damage 2) and 22 points of equipment as needed (usually a vehicle.)

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 7 (+11), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 4 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+12), Insight 6 (+13), Intimidation 8 (+13), Perception 7 (+14), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 4)
Walking Stick +7 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/5, Parry 10/7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 52 + Advantages 24 + Skills 31 + Defenses 8 = 183 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Physical* (one eye.) *Secret* (can actually control any animals, not just birds.) *Vindictive.


Huge Raven -- PL 4/MR 2

Abilities:
STR* -3 | *STA* -1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* -3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0 

*Powers:
Keen Eyes:* Senses 3 (extended 2 low-light vision) - 3 points
*Natural Size:* Permanent Shrinking 8 (Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Strength -2, Intimidation -4, Speed -1), Innate - 9 points
*Wings:* Flight 4 (30 MPH; Wings) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
None.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 0 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage -3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 2, Toughness -1, Will 2

*Totals:*
Abilities 6 + Powers 16 + Advantages 0 + Skills 5 + Defenses 3 = 30 points

*Complications:
Persistent Domination--Motivation. Animal.*

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._


----------



## Davies

Illuminatus





Up to a point, the story of George Collard is almost identical to that of the man who was first his greatest rival, then his nemesis -- Andrew Lewis, aka the Iconoclast. They were both wealthy and intelligent young men who were, in 1947, recruited as agents of the Golden Mean, and given training that turned them into physical paragons to match their intellect. The difference came in their motivations. Lewis apparently viewed the Golden Mean's goals as impossible, and was only interested in living an exciting and interesting life. Collard was a true believer in the group's agenda, and intended to one day become its leader and thus the secret ruler of America, and in time the world.

They did not get on, in other words. On several occasions during the following decade, Collard interfered with Lewis' missions for the secret society, usually failing to cause them to fail, but generally making them harder than they had to be. As Lewis didn't particularly care whether he succeeded or not, as long as he had a good time, this didn't bother him, but on one occasion he was annoyed enough by the interference to retaliate in kind, and caused a major operation that Collard was supervising to fail in a particularly humiliating manner. And Collard couldn't prove his involvement at all.

Soon after this, the Golden Mean ordered Lewis to infiltrate the Institute, resulting in the birth of the Iconoclast. Still smarting over his failure, Collard tried to sabotage this operation in turn, but repeatedly failed -- either due to bad luck or because Lewis was actually taking this particular assignment more seriously than he usually did. His frustration boiled over, and Lewis developed a costumed identity of his own, trying to become the Iconoclast's archenemy under the name Illuminatus. 

This didn't work either, and for a time Collard went into hiding, certain that Lewis had to have recognized him -- that stupid mask didn't really cover anything, after all -- and would report him to the Golden Mean's leaders, this time. When he finally realized that this was never going to happen, Collard achieved a new level of anger and spite. He resolved to continue his career as Illuminatus, but he was done trying to just interfere with the operation. He was going to kill the miserable bastard who viewed him as so irrelevant. (Ironically, it seems that Lewis believed that Collard was actually under orders to _help_ him.)

They clashed again and again through the next decade, with Illuminatus becoming one of the members of the Agents of Destruction at one point. When one of the leaders of the Golden Mean discovered his activities, Collard reluctantly agreed to become the other man's personal agent, gaining access to greater resources for his war against Lewis in exchange for a loss of autonomy. Yet no matter what sort of brilliant scheme he devised, the Iconoclast found his way out of it, and often sent Illuminatus to jail ... from which he was promptly (but sometimes not too promptly) freed by his patron.

And then the Iconoclast died, and Collard presented it to the Golden Mean as his ultimate triumph over their renegade member. (Of course, he hadn't actually had anything to do with it, but they didn't know that.) With a certain amount of reluctance, they gave him a seat at the table on the condition that he abandon his costumed hijinx, which he was more than happy to do. He would have enough on his plate scheming to become the first among his supposed peers, after all.

Six years later, he had achieved that goal, but the Golden Mean that Collard commanded was a hollow shell compared to the organization which had recruited him. Two-thirds of the other leaders had stopped bothering to attend meetings, and his efforts to compel their return were thorough failures. Too late, it became clear to Collard that while he was a cunning strategist -- if perhaps not quite so cunning as he believed -- he lacked the ability to persuade others to follow his strategies, and had gradually seen the ability to force them to do so slip out of his hands.

Collard thus responded favorably to the invitation he received from Pythia, delivering what remained of the Golden Mean's assets into the hands of the Insurgency she was creating in exchange for the title Director of Subversion. Like all of the Directors, he schemed to gain power at the expense of the rest of them with the goal of eventually toppling Pythia and seizing control of the organization. But the Insurgency was not the Golden Mean, and his fellows were perfectly willing to answer his schemes with lethal force. George Collard was murdered in 1987, after one of his plans annoyed General Estrella just a bit too much.

*Iluminatus -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-of-all-Trades, Languages 3 (several), Power Attack, Redirect, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
40 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+11), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: High Society 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 5 (+11), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 3 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 7 (+11), Technology 6 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 2 + Advantages 25 + Skills 44 + Defenses 13 = 158 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Nemesis* (the Iconoclast.) *Secret* (identity, true masters.)

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._


----------



## Davies

Black Hood/Hēitóu Zhào





As someone else once said, as far back as Yu Wing Bai could remember, he wanted to be a gangster. Specifically, he wanted to be a member of the On Leong Tong, New York City's original tong organization, as its members seemed to have wealth, influence and respect that was literally unimaginable to a kid from Chinatown. Wing Bai was sure that if he entered this life, he'd be able to look after his widowed mother and dumb little brother, and never have to worry about anything else ever again. So, in his late teens, he started doing odd jobs for the lower ranking members of the tong, in hopes that he'd attract the notice of a patron.

In 1956, at the age of twenty, he got his wish. Out of an array of prospects, he was chosen to become the apprentice of Hēitóu Zhào, the Black Hood, the ageless masked enforcer of the On Leong. As it turned out, the mystery man was _not_ ageless, and was just the latest heir to the title in a legacy that stretched back to the 1890s. (Wing Bai was too excited to ask just how many Black Hoods there'd been over the years, and how long some of them had lasted.) While getting on in years, the old man was still able to give his young pupil intense, almost sadistic training that turned him into a lean, efficient fighting machine, the ideal hitman and enforcer.

Three years later, the old man passed away in his sleep. Wing Bai put on the mask and took up his hatchets, ready to begin serving his masters and finally getting a taste of the wealth and respect they possessed. Almost immediately, though, he found his path crossing with that of the Cowl and Masque, the very same costumed crimefighters who (in the former case) had convinced his mentor that it might be time to retire. They weren't able to capture him, but they could and did thwart his first mission. 

Returning to the tong in defeat, he expected to be punished for his failure. Wing Bai was somewhat surprised to find them to be very understanding; many of them had had similarly disastrous encounters with the shady figure who had, a generation earlier, prefigured these so-called superheroes. The punishment was limited to denying the newest Black Hood the remuneration he'd been expecting, with the understanding that he was going to learn from these mistakes and do better next time. Wing Bai swore to do this.

And he lived up to that oath, with his ratio of success to failure being about fifty-fifty over the next decade. That kept his bosses satisfied, for the most part, though Wing Bai wanted to do even better than this. Nevertheless, enough money was coming his way that his mom could be kept in comfort, and his dumb little brother had more options than Wing Bai had, and so he was content with his lot. On the rare occasions that he was captured, he was out in hours, either due to his skills in escape or graft laid down by his bosses.

By 1970, though, Wing Bai was starting to consider getting out of this, training a replacement while he was still relatively young, so that he could rise in the Tong's ranks. That was when he was informed, by the group's current President, that he'd risen as high as he ever could. No previous Black Hood had ever become one of the group's elders, much less an executive. They either died in battle, or trained an apprentice who would be expected to take out their mentor if said mentor lived too long after completing the training. Wing Bai's mentor had died right before he would have been sentenced to death.

Shaken by the realization that he'd walked down a path that only led to a dead end, Wing Bai started to become a bit careless. When given orders to eliminate a group of Hip Sing operatives, he didn't do much in the way of investigating his targets, but just launched a frontal attack. He was expected to die, after all, so why not go all out? But he didn't die, of course, and he found himself the last man standing once again, and looking down at his latest victims with cool contempt that dissolved when it finally broke through to him that his dumb little brother was among the dying. Tearing off his mask, Wing Bai frantically asked what the idiot had been doing here.

"I wanted to be a gangster, like you," were his brother's last words.

Wing Bai never really recovered from this horror. He continued to engage in missions for the tong, but no longer cared whether he lived or died. And ultimately, he did die, roughly a month after the Battle of Vietnam, during his last confrontation with Masque. They fought on a rooftop in Chinatown, and one of the Black Hood's attacks carried him over the side, clutching to the edge. Despite everything, Masque tried to pull him up, but Wing Bai all but forced him to let go so that he plummeted to his demise.

The leaders of the On Leong were considering how to go about replacing their masked agent when they were rocked by a series of raids and arrests that would cripple the organization for decades. Wing Bai's fey behavior had concealed his plans for vengeance; on his death, information concerning the inner workings of the On Leong was sent to the police. While many of them escaped prison, the organization never again employed a masked agent. Yu Wing Bai was the last Black Hood.

*The Black Hood -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Axe Mastery:* Split Attack; Easily Removable (-0 points) - 1 point
*Sneak Attack:* Strength-based Damage 2, Limited to vulnerable or defenseless targets - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment Benefit (ambidexterity), Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Critical 2 (hatchet), Improved Initiative, Language 2 (English, others, [Cantonese is native]), Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Hatchet (Strength-based Damage 2) and 8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Hatchet 3 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5/3)
Axes +9 (Close Damage 7/5, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 2 + Advantages 16 + Skills 29 + Defenses 11 = 114 points

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Family. Prejudice* (Chinese.) *Secret Identity.*

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Returning to the tong in defeat, he expected to be punished for his failure. Wing Bai was somewhat surprised to find them to be very understanding; many of them had had similarly disastrous encounters with the shady figure who had, a generation earlier, prefigured these so-called superheroes.



A figure who knew what evil lurked in their hearts, if not from esoteric technique, then through sheer experience and wisdom.


Davies said:


> Wing Bai never really recovered from this horror. He continued to engage in missions for the tong, but no longer cared whether he lived or died. And ultimately, he did die, roughly a month after the Battle of Vietnam, during his last confrontation with Masque. They fought on a rooftop in Chinatown, and one of the Black Hood's attacks carried him over the side, clutching to the edge. Despite everything, Masque tried to pull him up, but Wing Bai all but forced him to let go so that he plummeted to his demise.



Another moment that had changed James Graham as the Black Hood had been a foe he had quite the enmity with. In fact, it was the defeats given to him by the Black Hood that inspired Graham to seek further tutelage from Basilea and the Iconoclast.


Davies said:


> The leaders of the On Leong were considering how to go about replacing their masked agent when they were rocked by a series of raids and arrests that would cripple the organization for decades. Wing Bai's fey behavior had concealed his plans for vengeance; on his death, information concerning the inner workings of the On Leong was sent to the police. While many of them escaped prison, the organization never again employed a masked agent. Yu Wing Bai was the last Black Hood.



Overall, quite the Chinese gangster story, Davies.


----------



## Davies

Magnifico





In 1993, as part of his research about the first age, journalist Richard Lawson assembled what could be definitely proven about the man who went to prison under the name Angelo Anselmo -- including the fact that two different specialists offered differing opinions as to the authenticity of the birth certificate with that name and his supposed 1920 birthdate. As that beginning might lead one to expect, there wasn't much to be had, with little more than rumors about him prior to his surfacing in Los Angeles in 1955. One of the more intriguing rumors claimed that someone who greatly resembled him had been active in New York in 1951, under the name Joseph Genovese, until a conflict with Mr. Odin drove him out of town, but there were serious credibility issues with the source.

In Los Angeles, he first made his mark as a supposed investigator for attorney (and secret mobster) Frank DeSimone. Again, it's not clear if DeSimone was aware of Anselmo's powers at that early stage of their association, but it seems likely that he had to have been by the next year, when he used those powers to ensure DeSimone won the election to be named Los Angeles' mob boss. It's also believed that he started to demonstrate his tendency towards sexual assault in that same year, using mind control to first rape Marie Adamo and then force her husband Momo, one of DeSimone's rivals, into murder-suicide. If, as some think likely, he also compelled police informants to blame DeSimone for this act, he also demonstrated his tendencies towards treachery. 

Despite DeSimone's misfortune of being exposed as a mobster in 1957, Anselmo continued to serve as his 'adviser', really acting as a power behind the throne. He was quite effective in this role, as demonstrated by his ability to thwart and eliminate the Star and Sunset, a pair of local vigilantes who'd begun operations in the Los Angeles area in imitation of the Cowl. (Reportedly, the duo were shot and then dumped in the La Brea tar pits.) By 1959, Anselmo had also begun to develop relationships with some of the secret aristocracy of the city, offering his services as a go-between who could be relied upon to 'convince' others. This was also around the time that he began to cultivate his somewhat old-fashioned style, somewhat inspired by stage magicians, and using the alias 'Magnifico'.

Fragmentary evidence suggests that it was in this role that he first encountered Diane Fortune and Nicholas Ashe when they visited Los Angeles in 1961. While their initial meeting was quite friendly, it soured rapidly after he attempted to use his mind control on Fortune and encountered, for what may have been the first time, a will he could not break. The two mystics elected to escape the situation rather than bring matters to a conclusion, leaving Magnifico infuriated and paranoid that they might expose him. He was correct, though mistaken that it would be a _public_ exposure.

Two years later, Magnifico had his first personal clash with the woman who would become his nemesis -- Basilea. Able to not only resist his mind control but to fight back, both physically and psychically, she terrified him on a fundamental level. His schemes went to pieces when she set herself against him, and though he remained free, he was often forced into hiding for extended periods, hampering his ability to 'help' DeSimone and increasing the other man's paranoia, in turn jeopardizing Anselmo's comfortable position.

In light of this, it's not surprising that Magnifico proved amenable to Baron Khan's 1965 proposal to several noteworthy enemies of the members of the Institute that they join forces against them under the name of the Agents of Destruction. He was at first startled and then somewhat amused to find him leagued alongside Nicholas Ashe, now calling himself Diavolo, even though the other man didn't seem to remember their first meeting. Magnifico nevertheless kept an eye on him against the possibility of treachery, with that sort of mutual suspicion ultimately dooming the group's scheme. Ironically, the treachery Magnifico should have feared came from a completely different direction, with Perseus' enemy Glorianna knocking him out during their escape and leaving him to be captured.

Having learned from hard experience just how crimson Magnifico's sins were, Basilea went to great lengths to ensure that he remained in custody, thwarting the man's numerous escape attempts before he finally went to trial, and working closely with the prosecution in the case. Anselmo attempted to portray himself as the innocent victim of mind control by the other members of the Agents, offering EEG scans that seemed to prove that his psyche had been unduly influenced. (In fact, this influence had come after his capture, when Basilea had used her telepathy to interrogate him.)

In doing so, Anselmo outsmarted himself. The prosecution was able to introduce similar scans of numerous men and women who had been associated with him who showed similar influence, and then provide testimony from several of them as to the source of that influence. Despite the best efforts of his attorney, Anselmo was convicted of more than a dozen assaults over and above the initial charges involved in his activities with the Agents, and he was sentenced to more than 120 years in a federal prison, with Basilea continuing to advise on how best to ensure that he could not use his abilities to escape. The sentence was appealed, of course, and went all the way to the Supreme Court, who upheld the precedent that psychic influence constituted assault.

In 1982, as the Pythonian Insurgency declared itself, they caused jail breaks in a number of federal penitentiaries, including the one where Anselmo was being held. Pythia herself, accompanied by several operators, oversaw that particular operation, and paused at his cell as though considering releasing him. "No," she said at last. "I don't think so." He was the only inmate not freed, and the only one to die when the building was blown up after the mass escape.

*Magnifico -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Mind Control:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Subtle; Senses 1 (mental link with compelled or controlled target) - 52 points

_Power Stunt:_
*The Voice:* Hearing Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration.

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Skill Mastery (Deception). 

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 2, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 51 + Advantages 7 + Skills 29 + Defenses 18 = 139 points

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Intolerance* (women.) *Temper.*

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64, based on a 'blink and you'll miss it' reference by me that was a _Moonlighting _injoke in the first place._


----------



## Voltron64

Considering their shared associations with the Los Angeles Mafia, he and Deschaines work together a fair amount?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Considering their shared associations with the Los Angeles Mafia, he and Deschaines work together a fair amount?



They were acquainted, but any jobs that Deschaines got didn't come directly from Anselmo, nor did they operate in the same circles.


----------



## Davies

Agent Kinzhal





Raisa Shibalova's early life, and indeed much of her later life, was largely defined by her envy of her younger sister, Sofya. She was just rational enough to realize that she had probably imagined the way that her parents had seemed to prefer Sofya, and on some level she knew that she didn't want her father's 'preference', but she couldn't help resenting the younger girl, who still seemed to get all the breaks. Why, even when she set her father up to be tried and executed, Sofya was the lucky one who got to watch the bastard swing. How was that fair?

Regardless, Raisa went on into the KGB and ended up on what she was told was a very important and dangerous assignment. It turned out to be only one of those things, but she managed to get through it and extract herself after the whole thing went pear-shaped, profiting from the way that she was able to alert her superiors that the person who'd come up with the mission was a mole for a third party. Years later, while undercover in the Caribbean  on a different assignment, she happened to have the opportunity to read a contemptible paperback account of that operation as seen through the eyes of the idiot British agent who'd been its target. She barely managed to finish reading it through the gales of laughter that she went through every time she even thought about the absurdity of a name that the writer had saddled her with.

Unfortunately, when she was recalled from that mission, despite her success, it was to be put in a situation where she was once again in competition with her sister, and, _once again_, ended up the loser. Raisa was absolutely certain that if she'd been the one picked for the injection, she would have done much better with the speed powers, preventing the assassination of the serum's creator and finally settling affairs with that obnoxious agent in the process. But no, such was not to be her fate, and instead she continued on her career of assassination and sabotage, often doing the wetwork that allowed mediocrities like her sister to shine.

Under the alias 'Agent Dagger' -- frequently teamed with morons who got saddled with 'Agent Cloak' -- Raisa was active throughout the many battlefields of the Cold War, and wreaked a great amount of havoc in the ostensible name of international communism. The truth was that she'd never had any loyalty to any political agenda, or even any nation. She was in it to gain as much influence for herself as possible, so that she could become as safe as possible. It was all about power, and anyone who pretended otherwise was kidding themselves.

In 1970, while tying up the loose ends of an operation against the Zaharoff organization -- against which she had a long-standing grudge -- Raisa stumbled on to the activities of a small cabal of mad scientists who were attempting to knock a hole in the walls of reality. Her initial instinct was to  escape and contact backup, but she decided to keep spying and learn more. Unfortunately, this particular cabal had drawn the attention of Stardust, and as he was annihilating them in ways that even Raisa found disturbing, their portal went online, drawing her into it. One of the few survivors of the episode eventually reported all of this to the KGB. Of course, despite the fact that her death was considered a certainty, there was no memorial for her.

Recently, however, Remontnik has developed a rather different idea about where Agent Kinzhal might have ended up ...

*Agent Kinzhal -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:*
None.

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (security clearance), Chokehold, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improved Aim, Language 3 (English, French, German, others, [Russian is native]), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4) and 22 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+6), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Heavy Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Advantages 18 + Skills 32 + Defenses 9 = 103 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. One-sided Rivalry* (her sister.) *Secret* (spy.)


----------



## Davies

Waxman





As with many other noteworthy criminals of the first age of superheroics, there are many unresolved issues concerning Jürgen Wachsmann -- most notably whether or not that was his real name. Supposedly born as a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the city then called Troppau (now Opava) in 1908, he first appears in the public record as an employee of the Panoptikum Hamburg in 1932, where he demonstrated a talent for creating incredibly detailed wax figures. In 1936, however, following a dispute with his employer, he quit that job and declared his intention to return home and create a wax museum that would eclipse the Panoptikum's fame.

He succeeded in creating a museum that briefly achieved some degree of fame in Opava, but for reasons that remain somewhat unclear, it shut down in 1938, shortly after the annexation of the Sudetenland by Nazi Germany. Wachsmann disappeared from the public record from that point until he re-emerged in 1946 as part of the population of Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia. His sole comment on the affair, at the time of his emigration to the United States in 1949, was that he had suffered a great deal following the annexation, and then suffered as much after its end.

If that is the case, then that suffering left horrific scars on his psyche that would not become apparent for a while. Wachsmann established another wax museum in Jersey City that was a modest success, though it also garnered some notoriety for its combination of extremely lifelike figures and the macabre displays in which they were placed. However, the museum was forced to shut down in 1953 after Wachsmann's business partner apparently embezzled from the company and then disappeared. (Subsequent events would lead to the suggestion that the other man had been framed and then murdered.)

Five years later, the Waxhouse reopened on a limited basis, with Wachsmann claiming to have secured new, more reliable investors. Within a week of this, however, Jersey City became the site of several audacious robberies, committed by individuals with the appearance of noteworthy heroic and villainous figures of the past. It was noted that all of these individuals had counterparts in the displays of the Waxhouse, but this was dismissed as a coincidence. After one police detective disappeared while investigating the Waxhouse, however, the supposed coincidence attracted the attention of the Cowl.

The Masked Manhunter soon discovered the horrific truth -- that Wachsmann had the ability to grant his wax statues life, somehow imbuing them with a fragment of his own consciousness, and that they had been the robbers. In and of itself, this would have been merely criminal. But the point of the robberies had not been monetary gain -- in fact, the stolen items were discovered in the Waxhouse's basement -- but rather to lure investigators to their point of origin so that they could be hunted and murdered by the now psychopathic Wachsmann. 

While the artist was no match for the Cowl, his opponent was startled to discover that the being he'd been fighting was itself a wax imitation of its creator, who had absconded at some point. Several times over the next few years, Wachsmann would repeat this 'game' of his, encountering numerous superheroes in locations across the country. In 1965, however, his misdeeds finally attracted the attention of the Super-Wizard, who casually annihilated the wax figures and then transformed the actual Wachsmann into a blob of still-living wax that promptly melted in the heat of the fire which consumed the last Waxhouse.

*Waxman -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Wax Figurines:* Summon 9, Broad Type, Check Required (Expertise: Art, DC 15), Heroic - 49 points 

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Czech, English, French, Russian, [German is native]), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
11 points of equipment as needed.
*Waxhouse:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Deathtraps, Holding Cells, Power System, Secret, Workshop - 9 points

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 6 (+9), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: Art 11 (+14), Expertise: Crime 10 (+13), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+10), Stealth 9 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)
Grab +9 (Close Grab 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 49 + Advantages 16 + Skills 32 + Defenses 16 = 141

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Slow Process* (creating a wax figure takes days, though one can be activated as a standard action.)

*Some Typical Summons

D'Artagnan Figure -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Swift:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 10 points
*Wax Figure:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Protection 5 - 55 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Equipment, Evasion 2, Improved Critical (sword), Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+12), Deception 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+10), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Sword +12 (Close Damage 6, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 11/7, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 5, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 65 + Advantages 8 + Skills 24 + Defenses 6 = 135 points

*Complications:*
Obedience--Motivation. Power Loss (Swift, after taking heat or fire damage.) Vulnerability (heat and fire.) 

*Waxman Figure - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Wax Figure:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Protection 5 - 55 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Language 1 (English, German), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 6 (+9), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: Art 11 (+14), Expertise: Crime 10 (+13), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+10), Stealth 9 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 3)
Grab +9 (Grab 3)

*Defenses*
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10/5, Will 3

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 55 + Advantages 10 + Skills 32 + Defenses 6 = 135 points

*Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Vulnerability* (heat and fire.)


----------



## Davies

El Imán





Born in 1951, Miguel "Mike" Gonzalez was just seven years old when he and his father fled their native Spain for the United States, settling in New Mexico. Professor Ernesto Gonzalez -- who insisted on being called that, despite no longer being associated with any post-secondary institution by the time Mike was growing up -- initially told his son that his mother had been murdered by the Falangists, prompting their flight. He never explained why that had happened, but Mike eventually began to suspect that it had something to do with his father's research into magnetism. He kept that to himself, however.

By and large, Mike adapted fairly well to his new life in the new world, becoming an athletic and clever young man, and fairly popular with the young ladies. He managed to hide the stress of hiding his true identity, of posing as someone of Mexican rather than Spanish origin and never speaking about his true history, but it rankled nonetheless, and he limited himself to fairly superficial relationships to avoid risking his secret. Sometimes, he would actually find himself resenting his father, despite how horrifying that was.

It was during one such period of resentment in 1968 that the Gonzalez's life was completely upended, when masked men broke into his father's laboratory, attacked the old man and tried to rob the place. Arriving home in the aftermath, Mike managed to get help for his father, who spoke of the Falangists coming after him for 'the helmet' before passing out. (It would later become apparent that he was confusing events in the past with those of the present; the men who'd attacked him had been simple gangsters based out of Roswell.)

Searching the wrecked house, Mike discovered a hidden safe with a combination based on his birthdate, and opened it to discover the Magno-Helm that his father had invented more than a decade before and spent all this time perfecting. Reading the laboratory notes that explained what it could do, Mike finally felt that he understood his father, and swore to use this device to find those who'd hurt him and stop them from hurting anyone else. He combined it with a jumpsuit that he also discovered to take on the costumed identity of New Mexico's new hero, the Magnet -- "el Imán".

Only something went wrong. As he hunted the men who'd attacked the laboratory, el Imán found his former impulses towards responsible behavior fading and utter exaltation in the exercise of his newfound power taking their place. He still wanted to find the criminals who'd attacked the lab, but no longer cared who he had to hurt or what he had to break in the name of doing so. The petty response of the police to his rampage only amused him, and he responded accordingly. El Imán's violent outbreak was finally stopped by the Futurian, who happened to be in the area and realized the nature of his opponent, tricking him into a maneuver that caused the helmet to fall off.

Once that happened, Mike immediately collapsed in shame and guilt. At his trial, testimony from both the Futurian and Professor Gonzalez (by that point recovered) helped to establish that the young man had not been in his right mind during the episode, and he was given a sentence of community service. The Futurian urged the Professor to dismantle the Magno-Helm, but the other scientist refused, sure that he could correct its psyche-bending effects given a bit of work.

Three more times in the next three years, Mike would encounter situations that he believed would require superpowered assistance. Each time, he would put on the Magno-Helm, hoping that this time his father had corrected the defect. Each time, he would quickly descend into power madness. Each time, he would fortunately be stopped before he could do any more damage, most frequently by the Futurian, but on one occasion by Captain Mystic. (That episode saw him 'join forces' with Dr. Ranivorous, who double-crossed him and studied the psi-electronic circuitry of the helmet with great interest.) He finally seemed to have learned his lesson during the Battle of Vietnam, when he considered putting on the Helm but apparently decided that he would only make an already bad situation worse.

By 1974, his father was finally certain that he'd resolved the problems of the Magno-Helm, and this seemed to be borne out by el Imán's calm demeanor when he presented himself to the Institute, along with several other young heroes, as prospective new members. The Institute's rejection of them broke his façade, however, and he quickly demonstrated that he was still every bit as dangerous and unstable as he'd ever been. In the confusion, he managed to escape and return to New Mexico, taking his father hostage. In his own way, his son's alternate personality still cared about the Professor, but only in as much as no one else was able to keep his helmet in working order.

Over the next three years, el Imán went on a criminal rampage across the United States, culminating in his involvement in the events in Denver in 1977, which saw the Magno-Helm finally pushed beyond its limits. It exploded, killing Mike and the radioactive hero Alphatron who'd been fighting him, expelling radioactive, mutagenic substances across a good portion of the city. In the aftermath, Professor Gonzalez died as well, ostensibly of a broken heart but really from combination of his irradiation and lingering effects of the toxic chemicals he'd been exposed to while working on 'improving' the Magno-Helm. Ironically, the portable electromagnetic pulse generator devised in the 1980s is based on what remained of his laboratory notes.

*El Imán -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Magno Helm:* Removable (-13 points)

*Magnetic Control:*Array (20 points)
*Magnetic Beam:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
*Magnetic Manipulation:* Perception Range Move Object 9, Limited to Ferrous Metals - 1 point
*Magnetic Pulse:* Burst Area Nullify Electronics 9, Close Range, Simultaneous - 1 point
*Magnetic Wave:* Burst Area Damage 9 - 1 point

*Magnetic Field:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Linked Flight 7 (250 MPH); Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 7 - 36 points
*Unbalanced Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half effect - 10 points
*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Language (English, [Spanish is native]), Ranged Attack 4

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Intimidation 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Magnetic Beam +7 (Ranged Damage 10)
Magnetic Wave -- (Burst Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 9/5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 9/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 56 + Advantages 6 + Skills 9 + Defenses 5 = 126 points

*Complications:
Power--Motivation* (as el Imán.) *Responsibility--Motivation* (as Mike.) *Family* (father.)


----------



## Davies

The Brute




Art by Adam Tupper

The greatest regret of Peter Sullivan's early life was that he was born just a bit too young to serve in World War II. He attempted to enlist early, when he was 17, but the recruiter happened to recognize the young man from a photo of his science fair victory the previous year, and turned him away. Sullivan finally managed to get in the day after his eighteenth birthday, but by the time he got through basic training the war was already over. He ended up sent to serve garrison duty in Germany, but the glory of battle was denied him by then. He finally got what he was looking for when he ended up in Korea, and it thrilled him, but it ended far too soon.

He also managed to get a college education during this time, earning honors in engineering and chemistry. In 1958, he was recruited to serve as a researcher for the Office of Scientific Investigation, assisting in the resolution of several major cases. During this time he was outspoken in his criticism of the superpowered vigilantes who were becoming active at this time, claiming that they violated not only the laws of man but those of nature, and should be neither relied upon nor tolerated. Many of the Office's personnel had similar views, if not perhaps such vocal ones.

The shuttering of the Office in 1961, and the subsequent establishment of the Institute, outraged Sullivan. The defense of the nation had been given into the hands of misfits and freaks, and this could not be allowed to stand. Inspired by a novel written by one of his favorite authors a few years earlier, he began to assemble designs for an armored suit that would allow any American soldier to equal or even surpass one of the costumed lunatics, who would thus become obsolete. He presented preliminary sketches and designs to the Joint Chiefs, who expressed considerable interest. (At least that was how he interpreted their response.)

By 1963, he had built a working prototype, and was preparing to demonstrate it for the Joint Chiefs. Unfortunately, they were a bit appalled at the expense of just one of these units, far exceeding the price tag of the most expensive vehicles in the Air Forces' arsenal and comparable to that of a naval destroyer. And Sullivan expected them to pay for _dozens_ of them? Besides, whatever their personal opinions of the Institute, the group had been active for months without any serious episodes, so there was no real need to think about replacing them. So Sullivan was urged to come up with something less spectacularly expensive, or just abandon the whole project. He did not take this suggestion well.

A year later, after a further insult was delivered when the Canadians, of all nations, revealed that they had a unit of flying armored suits, Sullivan frantically contacted the Institute. He claimed that someone, probably a Communist agent, had stolen the prototype of his suit from his home in San Diego, and begged them to send someone to capture the thief. The Primal Pattern was dispatched to investigate, and found themselves ambushed by someone wearing the suit. After a furious battle that did considerable damage to the neighborhood, the suit's helmet was yanked free -- to reveal that the 'thief' was Sullivan himself. The shock of this startled the elementals enough that Sullivan was able to escape, his suit's jets outpacing both Aeolia and Phoenix.

The Brute, as the armored suit was quickly dubbed, would attack the Primal Pattern and other members of the Institute repeatedly, as well as clashing with the Golden Eagles. Much to their annoyance, none of them were ever able to expose its operator as Sullivan, who maintained a pose of being a law-abiding citizen whose life's work had been stolen, first by the Canadians and now by some rogue, and who was being slandered by the freaks and misfits of the Institute. He continued to insist that the suit had been taken by a Communist agent, even after it started to show up painted in the stars and stripes. Why, didn't whoever was piloting the thing even work with that Commu-Nazi Baron Khan, as part of the Agents of Destruction? It couldn't possibly be him, a loyal and patriotic American, who was running the thing.

In 1971, as the Battle of Vietnam got underway, the Brute surprised everyone by flying to Vietnam and volunteering his services to assembling defense forces. He still maintained that he wasn't Peter Sullivan, but would be more than happy to use his weapons to prevent the disaster that was unfolding. It seems likely that his intention was to finally demonstrate the supremacy of his technology over the powers of the Institute and others, and that he seriously underestimated the amount of power that Stardust could bring to bear. Stardust blasted him with some unknown ray that transformed Sullivan into an amorphous, ooze-like entity within his suit, unable to control it, and then casually tore the armor to pieces.

Horrifically, Sullivan survived this experience, as Stardust found himself somewhat distracted by other attackers, and lived long enough for most of his body to be taken to an aid station. There, he finally admitted to his identity, bemoaning the folly that had led him to this end. However, he died insisting that this had all been everyone else's fault for not accepting his designs. "We would never have been in Vietnam this long if everyone had just listened to me," were his last words.

*The Brute -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 7/3 | *STA* 6/2 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Brute Armor:* Removable (-14 points)

*Armored Shell:* Impervious Protection 8 - 16 points
*Broadcaster:* Area Radio Communication 2 - 12 points
*Large Size:* Permanent Growth 4 (Strength +4, Stamina +4, Intimidation +2, Dodge -2, Parry -2, Stealth -4) - 12 points
*Sealed Systems:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Sensors:* Senses 8 (accurate extended radius radio, direction sense, distance sense, time sense) - 8 points
*Weapon Systems: *Array (10 points)
*Bashing Mode:* Enhanced Strength 5 - 10 points
*Flight Mode:* Flight 9 (1000 MPH), Concentration - 1 point
*Lightning Mode:* Ranged Damage 9, Accurate, Unreliable - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Improved Grab, Improved Smash, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+11/+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 4 (+11), Expertise: Science 2 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+7), Technology 5 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 7/3)
Bashing Mode +7 (Close Damage 12)
Lightning Mode +9 (Ranged Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3/5, Parry 5/7, Fortitude 8/4, Toughness 15/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 56 + Advantages 10 + Skills 19 + Defenses 15 = 144 points

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Addiction* (steroids.) *Narrow-Minded. Paranoid. Power Loss* (suit requires maintenance.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Funny how the Joint Chiefs never considered putting him _in _the Institute and serve as their man on the team ala the FBI and Quark.

Heck, Nixon probably might have sent him instead of Stardust to Vietnam.


----------



## Davies

Doing that, given the contempt he expressed for the group, would probably just have made him go renegade almost exactly the same way. And ultimately, they weren't interested in a unique operative, since any military will always prefer to have replacement parts on-hand.


----------



## Davies

Alicino





No one is really sure where the archetype of the harlequin comes from. There is an argument that the earliest form of the word derives from the English 'herla cyning', one of the names assigned to the leader of the Wild Hunt. From this embodiment of the storm and madness, he became a devil figure in French legends, before ultimately becoming a trickster figure in comedic plays performed by Italian actors. Yet though tamed, and cast into the role of a servant, something of his old power remained in his possession of a wand, or wooden sword, with which he could change the scenery of the play. He was still something of a magician.

No one is really sure where the person who employed this archetype in the first age of superheroics came from, either. During one of their first cases together, Jeremiah Wander and Geoffrey Tempest encountered him acting as a servant to an eccentric millionaire whose delusions of omnipotence were being supported by Alicino's powers. However, Wander would admit that this was not the first time that he had crossed paths with Alicino, but he elected to reserve that tale for another time. It's not clear if that other time ever came during Wander and Tempest's partnership; certainly no account of this first clash was ever included in Tempest's books.

Wander _did_ go into detail about his theory as to what Alicino was. He believed, or claimed to believe, that Alicino was a mystic who had used his powers to become something more than mortal, likely sometime in the early twentieth century, and had been engaged in whatever antics amused him ever since. Wander pointed to some accounts which associated a harlequin-like figure of mysterious powers with one Mr. Satterthwaite in the 1920s, though that individual seemed much more benevolent than Alicino, who preyed on the foolish and the gullible, granting their darkest wishes in ways that often caused the ruination of the wisher. 

He and Wander clashed repeatedly through the 1960s, with Alicino's magic generally mightier, but Wander's courage and ingenuity usually prevailing. One such clash, beginning when Diavolus sought to steal Alicino's power, was the beginning of the alliance between Wander and Diane Fortune. Aside from this, however, Alicino showed no interest in associating with other villains, nor in clashing with heroes aside from Wander ... aside from a singular and most unusual episode.

On the afternoon of August 17, 1969, a bank robber, who had had the extreme misfortune of running down a member of the Stardust Crusaders during his escape, fled into a music and art fair that was being held near Bethel, New York, in the hope that he could hide himself among the large number of people who were there. He was correct that he could hide, incorrect that the large number of people there would dissuade Stardust from seeking him out, and horribly wrong if he believed that Stardust would not treat the people attending Woodstock, who were largely taking shelter from the thunderstorm that afternoon, as though they were aiding and abetting in his quarry's flight.

And then something very strange happened. Before Stardust could inflict any punishment on anyone, Alicino confronted him and, with remarkable politeness, asked him to leave, as this was a celebration of peace and music. Stardust responded by firing one of his rays at the harlequin figure ... and for the first time in anyone's knowledge, _the ray did nothing._ Alicino repeated his request, pointing out that the fugitive would eventually have to leave the festival once it ended later that day. Stardust said nothing in response to any of this, but he _did_ withdraw. The festival eventually resumed, with Alicino enjoying a small amount of celebrity among the other attendees, though he departed before the sun set.

Alicino's last documented appearance was in 1971, during the Battle of Vietnam. Despite what might be expected, he had not been recruited to use his seeming invulnerability -- or perhaps indifference -- to Stardust's powers; while this was discussed, Wander indicated that he had no reliable means of contacting his enemy and did not believe that he would be willing to assist. Instead, he was glimpsed towards the end of the battle, approaching the tent where Wander was engaged in astral projection. In the aftermath, the tent was empty, with no signs of any struggle. It seems likely that Alicino had something to do with Wander's disappearance, but just as the tale of these two individuals begins in mystery, so does it apparently end.

*Alicino -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
"A Little Magic is a Most Dangerous Thing:"* Immunity 1 (Abraxas' powers) - 1 point
*Otherworldly Being:* Comprehend Languages 4; Immunity 30 (life support, mental effects); Protection 14, Impervious 12 - 68 points
*Second Sight:* Senses 6 (darkvision, postcognition); Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable - 8 points 
*Sorcery:* Array (56 points)
 *"A Beast You Are So A Beast You Be":* Perception Range Morph 3 Attack (cannot work on the truly innocent), Resisted by Will, Increased Resistance 8 - 1 point
 *"Mind Over Matter": *Perception Range Transform 8 (400 lbs) - 56 points
 *"Mind Over Matter":* Perception Range Damaging Move Object 11 - 1 point
 *"The Senses Are Liars Too":* Damaging Illusion 8 (all senses), Resisted by Will - 1 point 
 *"Thunder & Lightning, O Very Frightening":* Linked Ranged Multiattack Damage 8; Linked Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Hearing Impaired, Stunned & Hearing Disabled, Paralyzed & Hearing Unaware), Extra Condition - 1 point
 *"Worship Me, Follow Me, Sacrifice Your Life":* Perception Range Progressive Affliction 11 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point
*Walking on Air:* Flight 4 (30 MPH) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Daze (Deception), Evasion 2, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-by Action, Redirect, Ritualist, Taunt, Ultimate Effort (Deception).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Magic 8 (+13), Insight 6 (+14), Perception 5 (+13), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11), Stealth 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)
A Beast You Are -- (Perception Range Will 11)
Mind Over Matter -- (Perception Range Transform 8)
Mind Over Matter -- (Perception Range Damage 11)
Illusion -- (Perception Range Damage 8)
Thunder & Lighnting -- (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 and Ranged Fortitude 8)
Worship Me (Perception Range Will 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 14, Will 14

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 146 + Advantages 13 + Skills 25 + Defenses 18 = 250 points

*Complications:
Trickery--Motivation. Capricious. Vulnerability* (injured by any Nullify Magic effect against his effects.)


----------



## Davies

Gloriana





Once upon a time in Battle Creek, Michigan, there lived a man named Professor Henry Sylvester and his wife, Bess. The professor was attached to the biology department of Davenport University, but it had been quite some time since he'd published any original research of his own, rather acting as a supervisor for the work of other scientists. This was viewed as a generally good thing, for his colleagues were well aware that Sylvester was one of those dangerously brilliant types who, left to his own devices, would probably produce abominations in the eyes of God and Man. So he was kept too busy for such things ... or so they thought.

In fact, Professor Sylvester quietly maintained a private laboratory in his home where he could give free rein to his imagination, focusing his efforts on the only matter that could possibly concern any thinking human being -- the improvement of humanity. Events, such as the World War, had shown him that humanity could not be trusted to guide its own affairs, and that a superior form of humanity would be needed to rule over them for their own good. Evolution was failing to produce that superior form, so evolution would just have to be helped along, and the Professor believed that he'd found a way to do this.

In mid-1939, Bess Sylvester became pregnant. There is some question as to the paternity of the child, as the relationship between husband and wife was cool at best, but it's also the case that the Professor regarded that question as academic. He had been handed an opportunity, and so arranged for his wife to receive an injection of the chemical formula he'd developed, in the belief that it would be passed on to the son developing in her womb. On January 1 of the following year, his wife gave birth, and the doctor congratulated the Professor with three words that turned his life upside down -- "It's a girl."

For a while, the Professor dared to hope that he'd made some sort of mistake along the way, and that his only daughter, dubbed Gloria, would not manifest the superpowers he'd hoped to give the son he needed. Not until she was in her mid teens did the horrific truth, that she was stronger, tougher and faster than any grown man, become clear to him. Terrified that the world to come would be ruled by a hysterical overwoman instead of the rational overman he'd imagined, he withdrew her from public schooling as soon as possible, keeping her away from her potential victims. Meanwhile, the Professor grew incautious with his experiments, and in 1958 an accident in the laboratory caused an explosion that killed his wife and left him on the verge of death while his daughter was off playing in the woods. She returned just in time to hear his final words, in which he begged her to use her abilities "in the service of man --"

Well, that was never going to happen. For years now, Gloria's parents had both forced her to keep what she could do a secret, and she'd come to realize that they -- her father more than her mother, but both of them -- were afraid of her, making her feel alienated and unhappy. But they were gone now, and though she never would have wished this on them, she couldn't bring herself to mourn either. She was free now, free of any restraint or limit, and she could at last enjoy life as she pleased. She did not really want to hurt anyone in the name of her enjoyment, but if that was the only way she could have fun, that was what she'd do.

And so she went out into the world, doing exactly as she wished without any regard for the law, to which the forces of the law naturally objected. Almost nothing that the police could throw at her would do anything, until she started fighting superheroes. They overcame her might with cunning, but no prison could hold her for long. She clashed with almost all of them -- the Futurian, the Meteor, Madame Menagerie, Basilea, and others -- save for Stardust, who apparently considered her misdeeds too petty to be worthy of his retribution. Reportedly, this both annoyed and relieved her.

While a member of the first assembly of Agents of Destruction, she found herself disgusted by most of her so-called teammates, and first covertly arranged for the capture of one of the most personally offensive of them, and later refusing the offer to join the second group. In between those events, she had her first clash with the Grim Brigade, in which Janey Quantum tried the unusual tactic of talking to her to see if some common ground could be found. It didn't work immediately, and Gloriana was once more off to prison, with the warden now aware (thanks to Mechano) that adding large amounts of oxalates to her food would weaken her considerably. She eventually found a way to get free regardless, but remembered that Quantum had treated her like a person instead of a menace.

By and large, that didn't change anything -- Gloria still kept doing whatever she wanted to do, but sometimes she'd seek out Quantum to have actual conversations. They found that they had a lot in common -- being both daughters of fathers who'd wanted sons (or at least sons other than the one Billy Baldwin actually had) whose powers had separated them from mundane life. But Gloria didn't understand why that hadn't made Janey as bitter as she herself was, why she kept trying to help a society that regarded her as a sometimes useful freak. Janey simply pointed out that she didn't do what she did for public approval, but because it made her happy and was exciting -- like Gloria claimed her life did -- and also because it had brought her friends she could trust -- which Gloria's life hadn't.

Gloria was still turning this whole notion over in her mind when the Battle of Vietnam happened. She watched news reports about it through stunned eyes. It was a level of violence beyond anything that she'd ever imagined, and the absolute opposite of anything she could imagine as fun. Was this really what she wanted for the world, no matter how rotten it had treated her? No. It wasn't. So she couldn't be a supervillain anymore. She was going to have to go straight.

Of course, to do that, she was first going to have to pay for her crimes. She voluntarily surrendered to the police, took regular megadoses of oxalates, and stayed quietly in prison. She was scheduled to be released in 1989, but when she remained in jail after the Pythons broke everyone else out, she ended up having the rest of her sentence suspended due to extraordinary good behavior, and the hope that she'd assist the forces opposing the Pythons. She was more than willing to do this, and looked forward to working with Janey.

That's when she found out about Jane Baldwin's death. She managed to get permission to attend the funeral, and fumblingly tried to express her sorrow to Franklin Zane -- who angrily told her where to go and how to get there, disgusted that this felon was daring to pretend she'd ever been some sort of friend to his late wife. He unloaded every bit of his anger at how much his wife had wasted her life playing superhero at her, never realizing that his daughter was listening to every word that he said. Gloria just took it, and offered her apologies, and then walked away.

She never reported for her assignment with the taskforce that was being assembled to deal with the Pythons. There was an attempt at a manhunt, but the resources for it were minimal under the circumstances. There has not been a reliable sighting of Gloria Sylvester since 1982. If she's still alive, she would be eighty-one years old, now, but as she had not visibly aged between 1959 and 1982, it's not possible to say whether she'd look her age.

*Gloriana -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 11 | *STA* 11 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Brick Tricks:* Array (11 points), Based on Strength Damage
 *Sucker Punch:* Affliction 11 (Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Sunday Punch:* Burst Area Damage 8, Activation (Move action), Limited (15 foot burst) - 1 point
*Skin Armor:* Impervious Toughness 6 - 6 points
*Strong Legs:* Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points
*Tremendous Endurance:* Immunity 8 (aging, cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, starvation & thirst, vacuum); Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 10 points
*Tremendous Strength:* Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting - 3 points 

*Advantages:*
Attractive 2, Fearless, Power Attack, Set-Up, Taunt

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+9), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+6), Stealth 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 11)
Thrown Object +6 (Ranged Damage variable)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 72 + Powers 28 + Advantages 5 + Skills 23 + Defenses 10 = 138 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Huge Eater. Power Loss* (consumption of oxalate, also causes Weaken Strength and Stamina 8.) *Soft-hearted.*


----------



## Davies

_And now, out to space once more, to meet some of Captain Mystic's current students._

Naho Krauder





Yuriko Tyler's efforts to gradually shift public opinion within the Technate to be less hostile towards people with innate, non-technological abilities have not gone unnoticed. While she has met with some support, there are also a number of cool, considerate thinkers within the Technate's establishment who oppose these activities on what they consider to be principled grounds. The majority of these people would never be so blatant in their hostility as to try and directly interfere with someone who has repeatedly saved the Technate, but one group within the Bureau of Law Enforcement have taken steps to ensure that they are constantly apprised of her actions, by inserting a double agent into her retinue.

Fifteen years* ago, Naho Krauder was a med school student who was paying her way through college by moonlighting as a fashion model. Tragedy struck when she became the victim of a psychically-powered serial killer, suffering devastating and permanent injuries, most notably to her eyes, while barely escaping with her life. Naho underwent extensive medical treatment for her injuries, becoming cybernetically enhanced in the process. Following her delayed graduation, she went to work for the Bureau as a medical examiner. In light of her history, her current patrons felt secure that she would share their reasonable concerns about the activities of the empowered, and could be trusted as an informer.

The thing about history that a lot of people fail to understand is that it's often not 'what happened' but 'what was written down'. When Naho was injured, Captain Mystic was on an extended leave of absence from the Bureau following her encounter with the Amothat, and so Yuriko's involvement with Naho's case was entirely unofficial and never referenced in any reports on the episode. Not only did the Captain provide critical assistance in capturing Naho's assailant, she had several extended conversations with Naho that helped the student to deal with the grief and anger she felt over her injuries.

Therefore, when a certain group of poltroons wanted Naho to betray and spy upon a person that she both respected and admired, she calmly agreed with everything that they said and proposed, then waited for the right opportunity to wreck their plans. When she had a moment to speak privately with Yuriko (who maintained the fiction that they'd never met) Naho proposed that she act as a triple agent, passing only the information approved of by the Captain. Yuriko wasn't happy about this idea, as it's _much_ more twisty and deceitful than she likes, but agreed that it was probably safer for Naho than openly breaking with a group that could pose a serious threat to her.

Naho has received the use of an artifact dubbed the _Amicus Medicae_, which takes the form of a belt that can produce an intangible 'drone' able to heal injuries, supplement people's resistance to injury and disease, and act as a remote sensor. When pressed, she can also use it as a means of causing injuries to living targets, though she dislikes doing so and prefers to rely on her hand-to-hand training and Bureau-issued blaster for most combat situations. An expert physician and crime scene analyst, she also has excellent interpersonal skills and frequently takes the role of her team's 'face' while dealing with other agents.

Naho is not particularly close to any of her fellow agents, in part to preserve her cover and in part because she prefers to keep most people at a comfortable distance. She finds it hard to trust people; as her interactions with Yuriko demonstrate, however, when she does trust someone, she will go to extraordinary lengths to help them. The Captain sometimes worries that Naho idolizes her rather than just admiring her, as well as being concerned about her friend's tendency towards very black-and-white thinking ...

*Naho Krauder -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 6/4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cybernetics:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Awareness 2; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Senses 8 (analytical extended vision, infravision, ultravision, vision penetrates concealment [Cannot penetrate force fields]) - 16 points
*Amicus Medicae:* Array (24 points); Removable (-5 points)
 *Algesis:* Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Fortitude - 24 points
 *Augendis:* Enhanced Stamina 4, Affects Others or Self, Ranged - 1 point
 *Autopsy:* Remote Sensing 4 (all senses), Simultaneous, Noticeable - 1 point 
 *Iatrosis:* Ranged Healing 8 - 1 point
*Superior Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Attractive, Benefit (Bureau agent), Connections, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Improvised Tools, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ranged Attack 3, Set Up, Skill Mastery (Treatment).

_Equipment:_
Blaster pistol (Ranged Damage 5), medical kit, and 9 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+9), Insight 5 (+11/+9), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+12/+10), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Medical Drone 2 (+7), Stealth 6 (+10), Treatment 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12/+4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 5)
Medical Drone +10 (Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Fortitude)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/8, Parry 10/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6, Will 7/5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 76 + Powers 48 + Advantages 19 + Skills 27 + Defenses 7 = 177 points

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Cybernetics* (anyone using Treatment on her must make Technology checks at the same DC.) *Electronic* (becomes Hindered and Vision Impaired, Immobile and Vision Disabled, Paralyzed and Vision Unaware if subjected to Nullify Electronics.) *Secret* (triple agent.)


----------



## Davies

Haiyu






Twenty-seven years* ago, the planet dubbed Tauwidge, fourth rock from the star Pyreon, to be found just beyond the coreward borders of both the Technate and the Vaask Hegemony, became the site of a colonization attempt by the latter stellar nation. When word of this effort reached the Technate, there was some concern that this might mark the beginning of a major wave of expansion by the Vaask, which might threaten the fragile peace that had reigned since first contact. So the _Emancipation_, a TSA starship, was ordered to visit Tauwidge and investigate the circumstances there.

They found a devastated planet. At some point between the establishment of the colony and the arrival of the _Emancipation_, some unknown force -- almost certainly part of the Dark Side, in hindsight -- had bombarded and invaded Tauwidge, overcoming the planet's defenses and leaving every structure on the planet in ruins. The _Emancipation_'s commanding officer ordered his crew to search for survivors, not really expecting to find any, and to document the disaster for the benefit of the Vaask, ideally convincing them that this had not been a Technate attack.

To the surprise of Senior Medic Maig Crullyar, he managed to find the only living Vaask who remained on the planet, a pregnant female who died of her injuries shortly after giving birth aboard the _Emancipation_. She lived just long enough to name her daughter 'Haiyu' ('Grief' in Vaask) and to ask Maig to care for the child. Maig was extremely uncertain about this prospect, but told himself that he would just care for the youngster until the rest of her extended family asked for her back.

As it turned out, that never happened, and by this point, Haiyu and her adopted Chiraben family have a fairly good idea of why. Haiyu, possessing strength and toughness far above even that of even an exceptional Vaask, is clearly the product of some sort of super-soldier project that the Hegemony has likely abandoned after the disaster on Tauwidge. While Haiyu would probably be welcomed back if she ever returned to the Hegemony, it seems fairly likely that her welcome would be short-lived, as would she.

Of course, growing up in the Technate as an enhanced member of a species that many Technate citizens view as an enemy was not exactly easy. Haiyu coped by learning as much as she could about the philosophy and history of her species and finding self-esteem in embracing this history. Ironically, it's since been observed that Haiyu probably takes the code of honor that the Vaask profess more seriously than many subjects of the Hegemony, who, much like Chiraben, often pay only lip service to high ideals while being utterly selfish and opportunistic. She understands this, but considers it irrelevant; she answers for herself alone.

After completing her education five years ago*, Haiyu briefly attended the TSA academy, but washed out fairly quickly. Somewhat at loose ends, she decided to apply to the Bureau, and was lucky enough to attract Captain Mystic's attention and interest. Becoming one of Yuriko's students, Haiyu found herself and her abilities tested as they never had been before, and rose to the challenge. The Captain arranged for Haiyu to receive an Artifact dubbed _the Armor of Tauz_, less for its protective qualities -- which are impressive, to be sure -- than for its AI tactical computer, which turned a tough brawler into a cunning soldier and investigator.

Like most Vaask, Haiyu thrives on competition, and has selected her teammate Hlnsky as the individual with whom she will compete. Both of them are experienced hand-to-hand combatants, but where Haiyu focuses on power, Hlnsky embraces grace. The two of them can and have engaged in endless arguments about the superiorities of their respective styles, and (at least in Haiyu's case) the arguing is probably more fun than actually winning the argument would be. They both know that the other has their back, just as Haiyu has the back of every member of her team.

*Haiyu -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 4/2 | *AWE* 4/2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Armor of Tauz:* Removable (-8 points)

*Armored Shell: *Impervious Protection 5 - 10 points
*Jump Jets: *Array (5 points)
*Boosted Leap:* Leaping 5 - 5 points
*Micrograv Thrusters: *Flight 5, Limited to microgravity - 1 point

*Sealed Systems: *Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Tactical Computer:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Assessment, Evasion 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Awareness 2; Enhanced Intellect 2; Senses 2 (danger sense, radius vision) - 14 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Dashka: *Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Reach; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 3 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 6, Limited to mental effects - 3 points
*Super-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Lifting - 3 points
*Toughened Hide:* Impervious Toughness 4 - 4 points
*Translator Circuit: *Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit (Bureau agent), Equipment 5, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Skill Mastery (Intimidation), Startle, Takedown, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Autoblaster Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+12), Close Combat: Dashka 2 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+8/+6), Expertise: Military 5 (+9/+7), Insight 4 (+8/+6), Intimidation 11 (+13), Investigation 4 (+8/+6), Perception 7 (+11/+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+9), Vehicles 7 (+10)

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 6)
Claws +7 (Close Damage 7)
Dashka +9 (Close Damage 9, Crit 19-20, Reach 1)
Blaster Rifle +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 7, Fortitude 10, Toughness 11/6, Will 8/6

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 52 + Advantages 20 + Skills 28 + Defenses 12 = 172 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Honor. Prejudice* (Vaask in the Technate.) *Rivalry* (Myr Hlnsky.)


----------



## Davies

Masogue





Very few Zakashi joined the Armada, as the overwhelming majority of their people were firmly allied with the mystics during the Schism War. Those who did were members of the ship clans, a minority culture of the Zakashi who spent most of their lives aboard star-faring craft, largely abandoning the traditional Zakashi faith. According to legend, the clans were hired to ferry the exodus part of the way to their destination, only to realize that there was no real possibility of return, and so accompanied the rest of the fleet to Muraddin, and have been at the forefront of the Technate's space exploration ever since.

One of the consequences of this is that every Zakashi in the Technate knows every other Zakashi, sometimes only by reputation but more usually due to their family connections. Due to the fame that Masogue (MASS-oh-GWAY) earned a decade* ago, as the pilot that achieved a still-unbroken record in completing the Zebulon Run, he seems to run into members of his very extended family with somewhat disturbing frequency. On one recent mission to an unoccupied world, his teammate Hutryea quipped that if they encountered anyone here, it would probably be one of Masogue's relations. Before Masogue could reproach the robot for this absurdity, a ship piloted by a distant cousin hailed them. Masogue chose to say nothing.

After his success as a racer, Masogue went into the traditional business of transportation, ferrying people across the Technate. During one such trip, five years* ago, he found himself having the unique company of Captain Mystic. Normally, Masogue avoided conversing with his passengers, since he values his privacy and expects that they should do the same, but on this occasion he found himself curious, as it seemed likely that he would never have the chance to talk with someone who was able to fly through space without the use of a ship. They talked shop, in other words, and found that their respective intuitive understandings of the intricacies of hyperspace navigation were quite similar.

Some time later, Masogue was recruited by the Bureau of Law Enforcement to act as the official pilot for a certain group of agents -- Yuriko Tyler's class. The Captain gave him a ring from the small collection of artifacts she'd discovered on her home world and brought with her, known to Technate sources as _the Ring of Corsere_. (Exactly how this girasol ring ended up on Earth, specifically in Russia, sometime in the 19th century remains something of a mystery.) As she had theorized, Masogue's perspectives on space and time allowed him to use the ring's quantum computing mechanism to become a technomancer, like the Captain herself -- and frankly, to do more with that talent than she could.

Masogue is fascinated by the new world that has opened up to him through technomancy. While certainly interested in using his talents to help the group perform their investigations and protect the innocent, he's much more motivated by a desire to explore and learn -- to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. That curiosity has led him this far, and though it is possible that it will lead to many mistakes, he's convinced that without it, he will go absolutely nowhere.

*Masogue -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Multiple Arms: *Extra Limbs 2 - 2 points
*Ring of Corsere: *Removable (-13 points)

*Force Field: *Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 6 - 22 points
*Psychic Radio:* Mental Communication 3; Effortless Mind Reading 9, Limited to Surface Thoughts, Subtle - 34 points
*Quantum Computer:* Comprehend Languages 3; Enhanced Advantages 2 (Eidetic Memory, Technomancer); Quickness 6, Limited to Mental - 13 points
*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Benefit (Bureau agent), Defensive Attack, _Eidetic Memory_, Equipment 4, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, _Improved Grab,_ Improved Initiative, Language (Technate Standard, [Xanshi is native]), Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Vehicles), Teamwork, _Technomancer_.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+9), Insight 7 (+10), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+8), Technology 8 (+12), Vehicles 9 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster +8 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/3, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 56 + Advantages 14 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 173 points

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Family. Private and Secretive.*


----------



## Voltron64

So that leaves Myr Hlnsky and Hutryea for Thursday and Friday.

And all those artifacts of Captain Mystic's, clearly they belonged to foes of her dad or other incidents he came across?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> And all those artifacts of Captain Mystic's, clearly they belonged to foes of her dad or other incidents he came across?



Actually, she started assembling the collection during her own Earth-based career, to keep them out of Pythonian hands, and continued after she left for the Technate. Her dad was more inclined to think things like this belonged in a museum, so the only one that she inherited was the Amulet. (She only ever _used_ the Amulet, having been warned early on that using multiple Artifacts at the same time was a _great_ way to commit suicide.)


----------



## Davies

Hutryea





Robot rights activists in the Technate have noted and commented on a number of significant changes in the way that robots are manufactured as citizens of the Technate, when compared to the way that they were manufactured prior to their emancipation. These changes all add up to the fact that robots designed to be free tend to be a bit less resistant to damage than their earlier counterparts. While most manufacturers insist that this is simply the result of the changing economics of the robotic manufacturing industry, rather than any sinister motivation, most find this an unconvincing argument.

For roughly the first two-thirds of the thirty-five years* since his activation, Hutryea was more or less oblivious to such concerns. He had been constructed to work as an administrative worker within the Bureau of Law Enforcement, not a field agent, and rarely encountered anything more dangerous than occasionally riotous office parties. The notion that he would ever end up stepping softly in a danger zone would have made him use his voice synthesizer to make the series of random beeping noises that functions as his laughter.

Around twelve years* ago, however, things began to change. He had occasionally received and checked the reports submitted by Yuriko Tyler before that point, and admired the way that they were always complete and didn't leave out important information like those from _other_ operatives, no names mentioned. But then it chanced to occur that the Captain personally submitted her report on her last mission as a field agent before she transferred to the academy, and Hutryea took the opportunity to thank her for her excellent paperwork and offer her congratulations. (Occasionally, he finds himself wishing that he'd kept his overactive vozer offline.)

Yuriko accepted his thanks warmly, and then hesitantly asked if he'd be willing to use his personal time to help her out with some unfamiliar paperwork that she'd run into while preparing for her transfer. As Hutryea generally spent his personal time linked up to an entertainment feed that was probably only a little less boring than watching static, he was happy to agree. Somehow, and he's not entirely clear about how, this resulted in him being permanently transferred out of his comfortable position into a much more exciting (read terrifying) and adventurous (read _seriously_ terrifying) one as the administrative assistant to the Captain's class of lunatics.

Don't misunderstand; he still likes Yuriko, and is proud to call her friend. And he's come to think of many of her students in the same light, and wants to help them as much as possible. But putting his life in jeopardy in the service of anyone, even his friends, is not really what he ever expected to do. It's made him very much aware of how fragile and poorly equipped for battle he is, given that his only armament is a contact stunner with a limited number of shots. The Captain offered to give him one of her Artifacts, but the difficulties involved -- he'd have to have it incorporated into his systems so that his circuitry could interact with its psi-electronics, and this would not be a safe or trivial procedure -- convinced him to turn the offer down.

Regardless, Hutryea continues to act as the team's official computer expert and administrator, trying to avoid going into the field as much as possible, though his chemical analysis systems are sometimes put to use whether he likes it or not. Unfortunately, even when he does hang back, he's still at risk, as the places they use as headquarters are rarely as secure as he'd like. Well, at least he's accumulating a lot of stories that he'll probably turn into a book one of these days. That would be nice.

*Hutryea -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Machine Interface:* Radio Communication 1; Comprehend Machines 2 - 11 points
*Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20), Quirk (loss of all memories)- 1 point
*Robotic Body:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude effects, mental effects); Protection 6 - 56 points
*Sensory Package:* Senses 7 (acute analytical scent, darkvision, extended radio, ultra-hearing) - 5 points
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (Strength -1, Dodge +2, Parry +2, Stealth +4, Intimidation -1) - 4 points
*Stunner:* Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Unreliable - 4 points
*Translator Circuits:* Comprehend Languages 2 (understand and read all languages) - 6 points
*Treads:* Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (Bureau agent, make Gather Information checks with Technology), Eidetic Memory, Improved Defense, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+9), Close Combat: Stunner 4 (+10), Expertise: Administration 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+9), Expertise: Science 3 (+9), Investigation 3 (+9), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Stealth 3 (+11), Technology 6 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Stunner +10 (Close Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 6, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 91 + Advantages 9 + Skills 27 + Defenses 11 = 174 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Avoids Combat. Physical* (cannot climb or swim, one arm.) *Requires Maintenance.*


----------



## Davies

Myr Hlnsky





Chazzikz, the home world of the Wazoshen people, was claimed as the territory of one of the Hazlan nations roughly one hundred and sixty years* ago, when the Wazoshen were an Iron Age culture. Fortunately, this particular Hazlan nation wasn't interested in subjugating or annihilating the sapient life of worlds in their sway, unlike others that existed at the time, but only in hunting the local wildlife. However, their lack of regard for the Wazoshen resulted in a low-level insurgency against their planet's new masters, which only ended when the Hazlan nation in question fell to the Technate.

As the Technate had no interest in colonizing or exploiting Chazzikz, being solely interested in the system from a strategic perspective, they were quick to assure the Wazoshen that they could return to their former lives. While many were content to do just that, other Wazoshen felt that they needed to continue to fight against their former conquerors and learn from their new 'allies', and offered their services to the Technate as irregulars and scouts. This began a tradition that has continued right up to the present day.

Myr Hlnsky is one of the current generation of Wazoshe scouts in the Technate service, expected to learn all that is possible from the starfolk and then bring it back to Chazzikz so that what is useful can be put to use building up their own culture; if the Technate one day falls, the Wazoshen intend to be able to stand on their own. While he was initially working with the Frontier Patrol, Hlnsky's talents in this area quickly found use by the Cosmic Intelligence Agency, and it was there that he first crossed paths with Captain Mystic on one of the rare occasions that the Agency and the Bureau were forced to work together.

Yuriko Tyler quickly realized that her new associate wasn't all that happy in his current posting, and worked out why. Psychic talents are not uncommon among the Wazoshen, but those who possess them typically wind up as counsellors and sages rather than risking their lives as scouts. Hlnsky had somehow managed to conceal his empathic abilities from everyone up until the present, using them sparingly, but now they were making him miserable as they exposed him to the -- shall we say -- somewhat amoral personalities of his superiors. Impressed with his discipline, the Captain offered to help him, and impressed with her integrity, Hlnsky agreed.

Consequently, Hlnsky ended up transferred to the Bureau and became one of the Captain's favored students, receiving an Artifact dubbed _the Cloak of Sh'Halla_. It enhanced his already formidable talents for infiltration, practically making him into one of the 'ninja' that Yuriko told him about. Consequently, he has put a lot of effort into developing his abilities as an unarmed combatant, leading to his rivalry with his teammate Haiyu, who approaches the martial arts from an entirely opposite perspective. Hlnsky sometimes finds her unceasingly competitive behavior annoying and would generally prefer to focus on getting the mission done rather than who does so. Still, he has her back, and would admit that it's a rather broad back that has lots of potential uses and -- in combat, combat, not what you're thinking!

*Myr Hlnsky - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:*
Cloak of Sh'Halla: Array (20 points); Removable (-4 points)
 *Cloaking Field:* Concealment 10, Affects Others, Passive - 20 points
 *Defense Field:* Reaction Damage 5 (when touched) - 1 point
 *Disguise Field:* Morph 4 - 1 point
*Empathy:* Mind Reading 9, Limited to Emotions - 9 points
*Gliding:* Flight 3 (16 MPH), Gliding - 3 points
*Keen Senses:* Senses 3 (low-light vision, scent) - 3 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit (Bureau agent), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (Technate Standard, others, [native language]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Stealth), Tracking

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Subtle, ALT: Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated], Subtle), Goggles (+2 to resist visual afflictions) and 7 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+10), Insight 7 (+9), Investigation 8 (+12), Perception 9 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 5)
Blaster +11 (Ranged Damage 5)
Defense Field -- (Close Damage 5)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 35 + Advantages 18 + Skills 34 + Defenses 17 = 172 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Favors Low-Tech Solutions. Rivalry (?)* (Haiyu.)


----------



## Davies

Christine Dell





A long time ago -- or so she's been told by someone who seemed to know what he was talking about -- Christine Dell's ancestors had the power to literally smell valuable ores hidden within the ground, advising miners where to dig. Gradually, they lost that power as the wealth that it gained them drew them further and further away from their roots, with only rare members of the family demonstrating the talent. How and why it mutated, in Christine's own case, so that she can only smell metal that is specifically used in coinage, as well as ink and paper used as currency, is not something that Mr. Statia was able to explain to her.

Being able to exactly determine how much money a person has on them makes for a nice party trick, but it's becoming increasingly useless as time passes and people make more use of credit cards, debit cards, electronic transactions and cryptocurrencies, none of which trigger her sense of smell. Still, the talent caused her to have an interest in finance from her teenage years onward, which eventually led to becoming a CPA in her home state of New York, with her education underwritten by Argus. Christine went to work for the company, expecting to help keep their books in order, only to find herself assigned to the Financial Crimes division and investigating all sorts of weird scams. It was, she'll admit, exciting in retrospect.

After a year of this, she was given a different assignment, transferred from Financial Crimes to Extraterrestrial Contact in order to assist a visitor to Earth establish herself in Chicago. In the process, she ended up learning a fair bit about the current state of the cosmos, which was rather humbling. Still, the assignment seemed easy enough, and thing were going rather well ... and then Edeth wound up meeting some recent acquaintances and getting herself (and Christine) dragged into a huge _thing_ with the Vagabonds, and some of the Powerhouse, and Jodie Crowley, and Fortuna Imperatrix, and probably some other scary people that Christine was lucky enough not to actually meet.

From her own perspective, the most important part of the whole fracas was the fact that Christine became a 'known quantity' to the Vagabonds, someone that they regarded as reasonably trustworthy, so that she could be assigned to work with them as their handler while they're learning about being superheroes or whatever it is that they're doing. They know that she works for Argus, as the company is being upfront with them as some other parties sometimes aren't, so that they'll be more inclined to give trust in return. Good relations with friendly extraterrestrial agencies are considered _absolutely essential_ to Earth's security.

Of course, this is all a bit much for a simple girl from the Bronx. She works with a group of interstellar freedom fighters, one of whom is apparently an interdimensional starship. She has gone all over the world in their company, and faced things she never would have imagined -- and none of this is anything she ever trained to handle. And yet she keeps going, somehow, because she gets the distinct impression that if she ever slows down to think about any of this, she'll probably break under the strain.

And the weirdest part of it? It's nothing, really, but halfway through the first bit of this craziness, she realized that Darkwing's crazy girl sidekick, Dancer, was smiling at her for some reason. Before Christine could say anything, the woman spoke up and said, "You're going to do fine. Argus is lucky to have you." And she hadn't even mentioned who she worked for at that point! What the heck was that all about?

*Christine Dell - PL 4

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Scent of Money:* Senses 4 (acute analytical ranged detect money [olfactory]) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Ranged Attack.

_Equipment:_
Meta-taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), handcuffs, smartphone, 7 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+4), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Business 5 (+7), Expertise: Civics 4 (+6), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+6), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+5), Insight 3 (+6), Intimidation 3 (+5), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+6), Stealth 2 (+4), Technology 3 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+5). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Damage 1)
Meta-Taser +3 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 4 + Advantages 8 + Skills 27 + Defenses 8 = 73 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret* (Argus agent.) *Somewhat Overawed.*


----------



## Davies

David Kerrigan





David Niko Kerrigan was born in New Zealand in 1988. From almost the time that he could walk, he wanted to fly. Fate did not see fit to grant him superpowers, however, and so he spent his adolescence in study in order to become an officer cadet in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, earning his pilot officer stripe in 2011.* He flew numerous missions over the next five years, notably assisting in the defense of the island against a Megapteran, and was considered a likely candidate to eventually serve as a squadron leader. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

In 2016, Kerrigan developed retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that normally manifests in childhood and causes night blindness and a gradual loss of peripheral vision. As no member of his family had ever had this disability, its development was doubly mystifying. Regardless, he was given a choice of transferring to a ground-based unit or receiving a medical discharge; frustrated at the loss of his dream of flight, Kerrigan accepted the latter, expecting to wind up working at his father's grocery store in Nelson. 

Fate was not quite done throwing him curveballs, however; Kerrigan wound up recruited to work for Argus. As the agency doesn't have much presence in New Zealand -- or at least not much _visible_ presence, as he was soon to learn -- this came as something of a surprise. The offer of an exciting life and the possibility of at least _some_ flight operations was further sweetened by the notion that he could be put on a waiting list to receive a treatment that might reverse the retinitis. With all that in mind, Kerrigan agreed to take the offer.

He's proved to be a fairly talented agent. Working under the supervision of near-legendary analyst Violet Hayes, he helped to thwart a number of Korean-sponsored operations throughout the Pacific rim between 2017 and 2020. Consequently, he was given a new assignment -- following her first appearance as a superhero in California, he was tasked with contacting Basilea's exiled daughter Nzarde and becoming her handler. He decided to approach her in much the same way that Hayes had approached her mother, while she was engaged in a social setting, and saying, "Hello, I'm an agent for --"

When he woke up in the hospital, Kerrigan began to suspect that this might not be the best approach. Hayes, who was waiting for him to regain consciousness, agreed, helpfully pointing out that he'd walked up to her while she was drinking in a dive bar in a manner that suggested that she did not welcome company. He's made a few more attempts since then, without suffering actual injury but also without achieving any real success. Until he gets pulled off this assignment, though, he's going to keep giving it his best possible effort.

For her part, Nzarde usually puts any encounters she has with him firmly out of her mind as soon as they're over, never even bothering to remember his face.

*David Kerrigan - PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (Indonesian, Korean, Samoan, Spanish), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), Meta-taser Pistol (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), Smartphone, Car and 2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+6), Expertise: Civics 4 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+7), Expertise: Military 4 (+7), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 3 (+6), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 3 (+6), Treatment 2 (+5), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Light Pistol +7 (Close Damage 3)
Meta-Taser Pistol +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Advantages 21 + Skills 28 + Defenses 10 = 107 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Brusque and Direct. Physical* (suffers increased visibility penalties, poor peripheral vision.) *Secret *(Argus agent.)

* In our world's history, the RNZAF disbanded its air combat squadrons in 2001. This seems unlikely to have happened in a world where New Zealand is occasionally threatened by kaiju.


----------



## Davies

Pamela Maxwell





Some people just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pamela Maxwell (not Pam, _never_ Pammy) fully expected to graduate from Brown with a degree, maybe do some postgrad work, and then probably end up doing some sort of job that would never put her actual education, focused on history and sociology, to use. In 1996, however, she wound up stumbling on to a scheme by a group of mad scientist wannabes to open a portal to Dimension Q or something like that -- look, she wasn't interested in the details of what the crazy people wanted to do, only in the fact that it was probably going to destroy Rhode Island at minimum, and she felt obligated to prevent that since she was, you know, _on_ Rhode Island.

As it turned out, the recently formed Argus Security had been tracking the purchases of one of the mad scientists involved in this little plot, and showed up to take control of the situation about ten minutes after the portal would have opened up if Pamela hadn't interfered. They arranged for the arrest of the crazy people and interviewed Pamela about what had happened, then thanked her for her courage and ingenuity. Pamela took this with good grace and appreciated that they gave her some cover to take a sick day after all this, but fully expected that this would be the only time that her life would involve such bizarre phenomena.

Surprise! Surprise! She was wrong about that, too. _Three more times_ in the next year, she ended up discovering some sort of evil scheme and interfering with it before Argus got involved. In the interview about the last of this insane episodes, one Dr. van Vliet offered the hypothesis that Pamela had some sort of unconsciously-employed superpower that bent probability to attract these sorts of experiences, dubbing her a strange attractor. If this was the case, then it only made sense for her to come work for Argus, where her talents could be put to good use and she could receive training _and assistance_ in dealing with these situations. 

The 'and assistance' was what sold her. Courage and ingenuity are great, but she would pick backup over both.

Pamela ended up being given a cover job as a teacher, often inserted into various high schools across the nation where Argus suspected that young superheroes were being educated. (She regards her time in Newark, attempting to act as a mentor to Megawatt, as the worst failure of her entire career.) As she generally ended up teach social studies, she was actually getting to use her education, and that was nice. In 2017, while working at a certain public school in Philadelphia, she received notice that the True Believer was going to be working there shortly and that Pamela was now assigned as her new handler, as her previous one couldn't manage the relocation from San Francisco. So she befriended Janet Hinkley when she arrived, and has helped her out covertly ever since. She actually quite likes the star-spangled heroine, and has backed her to the hilt in disputes with Argus.

No one was expecting, when this began, for True Believer to end up mentoring a group of young superpowers. Pamela was initially a bit concerned at the prospect of acting as the handler for both True and the nascent Minor League, and was relieved when another agent was put in the latter position. This relief has turned to annoyance as she's gotten to know Martin Callahan, and become frustrated at what she sees as a bitter, sullen old man. Frankly, Pamela's looking forward to Callahan's retirement as much as he himself is, even if it does mean that she's going to get a lot more work added to her plate. She knows that she'll do better at it than him ...

... which may explain why Clarity is having some disturbing visions about her.

*Pamela Maxwell - PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improvised Tools, Luck 3, Ranged Attack, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Meta-Taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), smartphone, 8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 2 (+5), Athletics 2 (+3), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 6 (+7), Expertise: History 5 (+6), Insight 5 (+8), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Meta-Taser +4 (Close Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Advantages 19 + Skills 27 + Defenses 7 = 91 points  

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Rivalry* (Martin Callahan). *Secret* (Argus agent). *Strange Attractor* (if there's craziness in her vicinity, she _will_ get dragged into it.)


----------



## Davies

Hodan Yasin





Sometimes Argus acquires its agents in a decidedly twisted manner. Hodan Yasin, the Chief Administrator of the company's offices in Nairobi, started her professional career as an employee of one of Argus' competitors. WonderWorkers Incorporated was established by her father, Hassan Yasin, in 1999, and intended to provide the same sort of services that Argus did and does, but focusing its efforts in East Africa. It did this well enough that when Argus finally negotiated the acquisition of WWI in 2008, Hassan was offered a director's seat and occupied it until he passed away from old age in 2017.

The terms of that merger were largely negotiated by Hodan, who had been her father's right hand for the last few years of WWI's existence, as well as acting as a field operative before that. While her own company was right on the verge of going under, she nevertheless convinced Argus that WWI had much more to offer them as a partner than as a subsidiary. Putting her father in a director's chair was both a retirement present for the old man and also a way to ensure that there was an African on the board. (Hodan privately finds the Director General's pretensions to African identity to be absurd, despite his birth and the unusual circumstances under which he was raised.)

Hodan's goals are to preserve the safety and freedom of Africa, in general, and specifically that of the sub-Saharan region. If the nations of this continent are to rise to the potential she believes that they possess, they will have to do it themselves, not because of saviors from the West or the East. However, alliances with powers from beyond the region, like Argus, are helpful if their resources can be applied in an appropriate manner. And Hodan is quietly convinced that she is the best available person to perform that application.

One of her subsidiary goals has been to improve the relationship that exists between Kenya's hero, the Ghost Hunter, and the branch of Argus under her administration. This has been a very frustrating experience; the Hunter has managed to foil every effort to even contact him, much less to establish some sort of alliance. It makes no sense to Hodan. She knows that the Ghost Hunter must be at least as clearsighted as she is, so surely he can see the advantages that connecting with her would grant him. With his talents combined with Argus' resources, they'd both be able to do so much more good than they can do alone. Why is he avoiding her, then?

She isn't willing to believe that the Ghost Hunter _has_ realized her intentions, and decided he doesn't want any part of any of it.

*Hodan Yasin - PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Benefit 4 (multi-millionaire), Connections, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 3 (English, French, Swahili, others, [Somali is native]), Ranged Attack 3, Redirect.

_Equipment:_
20 points as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Business 5 (+10), Expertise: Civics 3 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 3 (+8), Perception 3 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 2 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/0, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 24 + Skills 24 + Defenses 12 = 100 points

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Ambitious.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> She isn't willing to believe that the Ghost Hunter _has_ realized her intentions, and decided he doesn't want any part of any of it.



Because he figures she's going down a road that doesn't necessarily address the fundamental inequalities within human society and may just lead to the oppressed becoming the oppressors?

I assume that the late Yedokiteri Girumi was quite the inspiration to her as he was to so many others? (And I also get this feeling he was perhaps the most intelligent hero of his era, as smart as the dread Ranivorous if not even smarter?)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> I assume that the late Yedokiteri Girumi was quite the inspiration to her as he was to so many others?



Very much so.


----------



## Davies

Dr. Rupert Maxwell, Jr.





It might seem strange that Argus feels a need to have an agent undercover inside the Morrison Institute, as the latter group is one of their major clients and they routinely share information with each other. Of course, they don't share _all_ information, and Argus security personnel assigned to Morrison Institute facilities have occasionally been blindsided by experiments that they knew nothing about; naturally, this is something that they'd prefer to avoid. So when one of the Institute's top researchers contacted Argus with the offer to act as a mole, they were pleased to accept, though naturally suspicious of his motives.

More than a decade later, that suspicion has eased, and Dr. Rupert Maxwell, Jr., is a trusted ally of Argus, especially since he was well-positioned, as the Director of Morrison Europa, to become the handler for La Donna Universale, who frequently consults with the Institute. While he has not yet been able to discover much about her life before her debut as Italy's most noteworthy superhero, he has provided Argus with ample intelligence regarding her activities, especially in light of her recent invitation to join the Powerhouse. And he is very firm that she is not and cannot be a descendant of Leonardo da Vinci.

Dr. Maxwell is quite certain that he has never fathered any offspring.

In 1519, a great genius lay dying of the latest of a series of strokes that had already robbed him of the use of his right arm, and were now to rob him of all else. Despite all that he had accomplished in his life, he mourned the fact that he had failed to practice his art as he should have done, for the betterment of humanity and the glorification of God. Just as he expressed these sentiments, however, one of those attending his final hours, who called himself a traveler from a very distant country, asked Leonardo if he truly desired another chance to improve on what he had accomplished, rather than a peaceful rest. With what little strength he had left, da Vinci affirmed that he wished for more time, then lost consciousness, expecting to never again awaken.

In fact, he did, and in a completely different place and time. His acquaintance, one Bruce Rutherford, was a time traveler who had brought him to a distant future on a different planet, where his maladies and the damage of his old age could be repaired. (An inanimate biological duplicate was left behind to be buried in his place.) Restored to what Leonardo himself considered his physical prime -- his mid-forties, when he worked on _The Last Supper_ -- the polymath travelled with Rutherford and his leman, Weena, on many of their journeys through time and space. He learned much, and accomplished much, but always knew that he would have to return to the world of his birth and fulfill his promise to use his art as it should be used.

As it happened, he finally did so when he and the Rutherfords paid a visit to Earth in the year 1972. After establishing a cover identity as scientist Dr.  Rupert Maxwell (named after James Clerk Maxwell), he bid his friends farewell and set out to explore this particular era on his own. He soon found employment with the recently established Morrison Institute, teaching (while avoiding doing damage to history) and learning, just as he always had. He also befriended the founder of the institute, Dietrich Reid, as well as his niece and nephew.

Reid's sudden death in 1975 caught Maxwell by surprise. While older than his own apparent age, there had been no indications that his friend was sick, and something about the matter triggered his suspicions. Investigating the affair, he discovered that Reid's death had occurred at almost the exact moment that a certain baby girl had been born. Correlation was not causation, of course, but the fact that a number of other unexplained deaths of brilliant scientists occurred over that next year convinced him of the validity of this particular hypothesis. Shortly after attending Lucy Reid's wedding to Ryan Richmond in 1976, Maxwell fled that era, using one of Rutherford's cached time machines to jump forward more than three decades.

He emerged in 2008, to find world greatly changed, and the Mind-Eater (as he thought of her) in hiding. The Morrison Institute was still in operation, and he arranged to find employment there again, this time posing as Dr. Robert Maxwell, Jr., his (fictitious) son. (Many people within the Institute suspect that the two Dr. Maxwells are the same individual, though none have realized the full truth; people with unusual longevity are not that rare, after all.) Dr. Rupert has remained there ever since, serving as a member of the group's Board of Management while declining opportunities to actually lead, claiming that he prefers the laboratory and the workshop to the boardroom.

The Doctor is still working through the problem of the Mind-Eater. Something must be done, but he doubts that a direct assault will get anywhere. Working with La Donna has given him renewed hope that something _can_ be done, as has a recent encounter he had with Dancer. He has begun to establish connections with the other handlers who work with members of the Powerhouse, as well as other superheroes of potential significance. He is clearly building something, but just what that might be is a design known only to him.

*Dr. Rupert Maxwell, Jr. -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Keen Senses:* Senses 5 (analytical auditory, analytical visual, acute olfactory, acute taste, rapid sight) - 5 points
*Master Linguist:* Comprehend Languages 3, Quirk (takes at least a scene to pick up a new language) - 8 points
*Rejuvenation:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5 - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-trades, Skill Mastery (Perception), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Art 5 (+15), Expertise: Science 5 (+15), Insight 6 (+12), Investigation 2 (+12), Perception 8 (+14), Persuasion 8 (+13), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+16), Treatment 4 (+14), Vehicles 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5, Will 11.

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 21 + Advantages 12 + Skills 40 + Defenses 18 = 169 points

*Complications:
Responsibility, Or Something Like That--Motivation. Fear* (Billie Zane.) *Secrets* (oh so many.)


----------



## Voltron64

A lot to process there, a lot.

1. He and Exelion definitely know each other (the latter even calls him Leo).
2. I definitely desire to know about Bruce Rutherford the Time Traveler, and it's good to know you're already on it.
3. It's clear to me that Darkwing has as much of his maternal grandfather in him as he does his paternal great uncle. 
4. I think he's working on something designed to put down Billie Zane and if that is that case, he clearly needs to get a hold of her father's old Thinking Cap.
5. No Inventor Advantage?


----------



## Davies

1. They've crossed paths, and yes, Exelion does call him that in private. He doesn't care for the familiarity, but accepts that the other man is unlikely to change.
2. 
3: 
4: That's a possibility.
5: Just as before his rebirth, he prefers to work slow and get it right the first time, rather than use the short cuts that allow someone to quickly produce a device that works only a short while.


----------



## Davies

Haupoe of Dread Island





The Mahani people have lived on one small corner of Dread Island for thousands of years. Their ancestors likely came here as part of the great diaspora of the Polynesian peoples, sailing across the ocean in boats much like those that the Mahani still use for fishing, though they lose them (and their crews) too often to rely on such things. They also practice a small amount of agriculture and animal husbandry, but a good part of their food supply comes from hunting in the most dangerous natural environment on Earth. So they've gotten pretty good at this. 

Haupoe is recognized and acknowledged as one of the best hunters of her generation, and the elders will privately admit that she is in the running to be the finest hunter that their people have ever produced. Unfortunately, she is also considered to be completely insane, and likely to spread her insanity to others. (Modern notions of mental health have not yet come to the Mahani, unfortunately.) So she lives somewhat apart from the rest of her people, although they are grateful when she brings back bounty from the rest of the island.

It's not the fact that she is a hunter and a woman that causes them to think her unbalanced; the Mahani do not associate the various professions with specific genders, as they can't afford that sort of stratification under their circumstances. Nor is it the fact that she has tamed -- or, she will insist, _befriended_ -- a dreadwolf she has named Hakela, binding him to her with part of her own name, who accompanies her on her hunts. That's certainly odd, as it's something that no other Mahani has ever _succeeded_ in doing, but there are stories of others trying and failing to do this in the past, told as cautionary tales.

What makes other Mahani consider Haupoe to be insane is the way that she is fascinated by the Ayole -- the outsiders who occasionally come among the people and do dumb things. The Mahani are not hostile towards the Ayole, as it's understood that it's not their fault that they have no understanding of the realities of the island. (If a group of Ayole were ever to engage in hostile actions towards the Mahani, though, any and all who are associated with that group would swiftly come under attack, with the goal being to drive them into the regions where monsters dwell and let _them_ settle the issue.) The Ayole have nothing to teach the Mahani, their ways and the places that they come from are not at all important, and it's best to just let them do the dumb things that will inevitably get them killed and stay out of their way.

Haupoe, because she's crazy, doesn't agree with any of that. She wants to know about the Ayole, and would be interested in possibly leaving the island and seeing the places that these dumb people come from. Consequently, she is more than happy to act as a potential ally and information source about the island and the creatures who live there. She frequently associates with the Ayole who are part of the Morrison Institute, answering their questions to the best of her ability and acting as a guide and protector. (She might find the dumb things they do to be funny, at times, but she won't just stand back and let them get themselves killed.)

She's also interested in tying to make friends with the Forgotten Woman, who's not considered an Ayole because she actually listens to what she's told, though she hasn't had as much success there.

*Haupoe -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Swift Movement:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (wall-crawling); Speed 2 (8 MPH); Swimming 2 (4 MPH) - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Animal Empathy, Assessment, Close Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set Up, Sidekick 20, Skill Mastery (Perception), Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Spear (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Attack: Spear 3 (+9), Expertise: Survival 10 (+11), Insight 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+11), Stealth 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Spear +10 (Close Damage 6)
Knife +7 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers Advantages 40 + Skills 21 + Defenses 9 = 133 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Interested in Life Beyond the Island. Reputation* (thought crazy by other Mahani.)

_Note:_ Hakela is a dreadwolf, exactly as described in an earlier entry.


----------



## Davies

The Morrison Institute




_Farrah Reid, Morrison Institute spokesperson_

During the first age of superheroes, Professor Dietrich Reid was often thought of as the friendly face of mad science, frequently consulted by the press about the many strange phenomena of the day to offer a reassuring -- but never coddling or deceptive -- perspective about them. One of the leading researchers of the Office of Scientific Investigation, he'd turned down requests to work for other government agencies after the Office shut down, claiming that he'd had enough of the adventuring life. Instead, he settled in at Brown to conduct private research, notably on interdimensional physics, and answer frantic questions from excited young men and women from the newspapers.

That was the public view, at least. In reality, Reid never stopped going out into the field to personally investigate and analyze strange phenomena, simply doing it on his own dime instead of the taxpayers'. In this investigations -- Reid had scorching words for anyone who dared use the word 'adventures' in his presence --  he was often accompanied by Lucy and Peter Reid, the children of his younger brother. Given the sorts of things that he investigated, the lives of these young people were often put in danger, and so Reid chose to hire a bodyguard for them, one Donald Morrison, late of Her Majesty's Royal Navy. While their focus was always on answering the unanswered, this quartet often found themselves preventing the schemes of criminals along the way. It was an exciting time for all.

Tragically, the group was sundered in the aftermath of the Battle of Vietnam, in which Donald Morrison died after volunteering his services to assist the coalition. His death, and the destruction of the Battle, convinced Reid that however much he personally did to unveil the mysteries of the world, it could never be enough. Together with other reputable scientists, Reid founded what he named the Morrison Institute, in the memory of their friend. The newly-founded agency's first task was to begin studying the aftermath of the Battle, and, if possible, to start cleaning up the mess that was left.

Unfortunately, the tough times kept coming. Dietrich Reid was himself not long for the world, passing away quite suddenly in 1975, and for a while it seemed that the Institute was soon to follow its founder into the pages of history. In 1977, however, Peter Reid convinced the Institute's Board of Management to install him as its new Director, despite the fact that he had only narrowly graduated from college that very year and had neither business nor scientific expertise. Just _how_ he convinced them is a well-kept secret, but the Institute began a new direction under his leadership, no longer studying phenomena but also persons, in hopes of finally answering the countless questions that the superpowers had raised.

Many of these inquiries had to be tabled in the next decade, with much of the Morrison Institute's efforts instead directed to performing research and development for the anti-Pythonian forces. Dr. John Black Wolf developed the first mass produced blaster weaponry while working at the Institute, and countless other scientists associated with it accompanied JSOT and other military responses to the Python threat, often risking and sometimes losing their lives in efforts to understand and defend against the enemy's weird science. Peter Reid, for whom the struggle was a profoundly personal one, was one of the pilots who flew the _Constitution_ to Mars.

Nor did the Morrison Institute go into a slump in the aftermath of the Insurgency, but continued its quest to probe and uncover the truth that was often quite a bit out there, which has continued right up to the present day. There are Morrison Institute facilities on every continent (though the Antarctic one is a tiny lab in McMurdo Station) and on the Moon, within MoonBase Alpha. The group has friendly relations with the Powerhouse and numerous other superpower associations, and often works in conjunction with Argus.

One of the most active field researchers and spokespersons for the Morrison Institute in recent years has been Farrah Reid, the daughter of Peter Reid. (Those who remember her aunt have often commented that she's a dead ringer for her.) While only twenty-three years old, she has already completed her first doctorate, and looks to be well on her way to supporting the family business. In fact, she wants to do more than just support it, she intends to see the Institute go higher, further and faster. Her father flew to Mars, but stayed on the ship for the duration of her stay; Farrah intends to lead the party that returns to the Martian Surface for the first time in thirty years.

While Farrah prefers to use her brain to get herself and her colleagues out of dangerous situations, she's well aware that she can't out-think every possible threat, and has become quite skilled at tae kwon do and a crack shot as well. That said, she doesn't carry weapons with her, preferring to improvise them from available materials when needed. (This tendency really annoys her cousin Virginia, with whom she's had several recent run-ins.)

*Farrah Reid -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 6, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Improvised Weapon, Inventor, Languages 4 (many), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone and 28 points of equipment as needed (usually including a vehicle.)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Business 3 (+8), Expertise: Science 7 (+12), Insight 5 (+9), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 3 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+8), Stealth 8 (+10), Technology 6 (+11), Treatment 2 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Advantages 31 + Skills 33 + Defenses 16 = 126 points

*Complications:
Discovery/Thrills--Motivation. Family* (father.) 

_Unofficial Morrison Institute theme music. May or may not be the theme music I imagine any movie about blue-suited scientist-explorer-superheroes using._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> That was the public view, at least. In reality, Reid never stopped going out into the field to personally investigate and analyze strange phenomena, simply doing it on his own dime instead of the taxpayers'. In this investigations -- Reid had scorching words for anyone who dared use the word 'adventures' in his presence --  he was often accompanied by Lucy and Peter Reid, the children of his younger brother. Given the sorts of things that he investigated, the lives of these young people were often put in danger, and so Reid chose to hire a bodyguard for them, one Donald Morrison, late of Her Majesty's Royal Navy. While their focus was always on answering the unanswered, this quartet often found themselves preventing the schemes of criminals along the way. It was an exciting time for all.


----------



## Davies

Yyyep, mixed with a dose of Carl Barks.


----------



## Davies

Bruce Rutherford and Weena




_Bruce_




_Weena_

Those who know of him sometimes call him the first human time traveler, but he sometimes wonders whether, in a world where effect can clearly precede cause, there can truly be anything that occurs 'for the first time'. He knows for a fact that there were those who travelled forward in time before he did, whether of their own volition or that of another. He believed, at one point, that he was the first to travel far into the future, and then return (however briefly) to his point of origin, but he has developed doubts about even that as his journeys have continued. In the dark and forgotten past of humanity, it is entirely possible that there were others who built mechanisms (or devised processes) by which just this sort of voyage was possible. Every new discovery may be someone else's old news.

Regardless, when Bruce Rutherford built his Time Machine between 1886 and 1888, he did so in the belief that there had never been such an engine before. To impress some dinner guests, he journeyed forward in time to what he believed to be the year 802,701, and discovered that the future history of humanity was far from the glorious triumph he had imagined. After some painful experiences, he journeyed further forward, encountering even further grim vistas, and then returned home a humbled and broken man. His guests, in the main, believed not a word of his wild tale -- understandable, as he found it hard to believe himself -- but in the end he would embark on another voyage, from which had not returned by the time his correspondent, Wells, related it as a serial novel.

That was how the story started. It hasn't ended yet. Rutherford's second journey demolished much of what he thought he'd learned in the first, as he learned that his estimation of the date was off by quite a bit, that he had voyaged even closer to a million years into the future, that the history of the Eloi and the Morlocks was vastly more complicated than his initial understanding of it. On this second journey to their era, he was able to rescue the Eloi whom he had befriended, Weena, from the fate he had unwittingly created for her, and brought her with him on his voyages. (He would later learn that she hadn't actually died in the fire, and would likely have lived a completely normal life if he hadn't interfered -- which was good, because had he changed history, he would have destroyed himself in the process.)

Weena came voluntarily, as she believed (and, despite everything, still believes) that next to this person was probably the safest place in all of reality. Given the opportunity to learn and grow, she gradually did so, and came to be Rutherford's partner and peer instead of an accessory and companion dependent on him. She was the one who ultimately persuaded him to transport examples of both the Eloi _and_ the Morlocks (as well as other species of their era) back to his own time, where they were settled in the Saknussen Caverns beneath the Atlantic. They check in on them from time to time, watching how they continue to evolve.

The Rutherfords (as they are somewhat inaccurately called; their relationship has never been officiated) have often acquired other travelling companions in their voyages, and worked with other time travelers, most notably Exelion. While he generally strives to do good wherever he goes, they generally only act in self-defense in the course of their explorations, with occasional exceptions made when dealing with truly monstrous evils. They also venture much further into the future and the past than Exelion, who hasn't voyaged more than five millennia from his point of origin in either direction.

Both of them have undertaken some medical upgrades in the course of their adventures, ensuring that they remain young and healthy under most circumstances and can understand all spoken and written language. Another talent, one that they keep close to their respective vests, is that they can silently communicate with each other regardless of any distances or barriers between them. This is _not_ a psychic ability -- indeed, Weena is completely unaffected by such phenomena, like all of her species -- and neither of them fully understand it. But it's useful for when they get split up, which tends to happen quite frequently.

One major difference between the two of them comes from their respective attitudes towards such dangers. Rutherford, having learned just how dangerous direct action can be, prefers to out-wit his opponents or devise solutions from the situations he encounters. Weena, to the contrary, has learned the value of having weapons at hand. She doesn't use them lightly, and prefers to use her dart gun instead of the knife she carries, but she'll use either if it will end a fight. She is still, and probably always will be, afraid of the dark and what could be _in_ the dark.

*Bruce Rutherford -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Rejuvenation:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5 - 8 points
*Strange Bond:* Senses 1 (communication link with Weena) - 1 point
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 15, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Inspire, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Set-up, Taunt, Well-informed.  

_Equipment:_
9 points of equipment as needed.
*The Time Machine:* Size Large; Strength 6; Speed 6 (air; 120 MPH); Defense 9; Toughness 7; Features: Remote Control; Powers: Linked Concealment 10 (all); Linked Insubstantial 4; Movement 6 (space travel 3, time travel 3) - 66 points

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+10), Expertise: History 4 (+11), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Insight 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 5 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/4, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 18 + Advantages 31 + Skills 27 + Defenses 13 = 143 points

*Offensive PL*: 2*
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:*
_*Discovery--Motivation. Relationship*_ (Weena.) *Secret* (time traveler.) *Stiff Upper Lip.* 

*Weena -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Rejuvenation:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5 - 8 points
*Strange Bond:* Senses 1 (communication link with Rutherford) - 1 point
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 (understand, speak, read) - 9 points
*Unearthly Child:* Permanent Concealment 2 (mental); Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 24 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Animal Empathy, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 2, Evasion, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Quick Draw, Redirect.

_Equipment:_
Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical), Dart Gun (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated], Quirk [not against targets with Impervious Toughness])

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 6 (+5), Close Combat: Knife 3 (+8), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+6), Expertise: History 5 (+6), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Dart Gun 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+8), Stealth 6 (+10), Vehicles 2 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage -1)
Knife +8 (Close Damage 0)
Dart Gun +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 42 + Advantages 18 + Skills 28 + Defenses 13 = 143 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Phobia* (darkness.) *Relationship* (Rutherford.) *Secret* (time traveler.)


----------



## Davies

Shinji Higashikata






In Japan's underworld, the mystics speak in terrified tones about the Shēngxiào, a dark agency of powerful entities who destroy any who dare oppose them, except for _that person_. They speak in frustrated tones about the Ghost Sweepers, the group who seems to act with the blessing of the mundane state and has ruined so many clever schemes, often with the assistance of _that person_. And from time to time, someone will start talking about _that person_ directly, and be quickly silenced, out of sheer paranoia that doing so will attract the attention of the greatest mystical power in Japan.

Higashikata Shinji was one of the founders of the group that became known as Ghost Sweepers, just over a decade ago, and was installed as its leader because of his vast and undefined mystical powers. Eventually, he retired from that position to take up an advisory role within the Yokoyama Group, out of concern that his vast power would cause disaster if used so freely as it had been. Nevertheless, he remains willing to exert himself, when matters call for it, descending to lend his aid to the organization he helped to found.

It's all a crock, a farce. Deception and delusion reign supreme even among those who imagine that they know the hidden truths of the world. Higashikata was (and is) a confidence artist who got caught up in the events that created the Ghost Sweepers. Realizing that he was completely helpless in the face of the powers and principalities that the team was confronting, he created a myth about his own vast power and wisdom, employing it as a defense and a weapon. When they were succeeding, it was through the use of his power, too subtle for any of them to detect. When they were failing, it was despite the best efforts he was putting forth, and yet if they just kept trying, perhaps he, and they, could break through.

And it worked, for years. Eventually, he was moved upstairs to exert his powers for the financial benefit of the Yokoyama Group. This was what he'd been angling for the whole time. He doesn't have to do much, just make oracular pronouncements and take the credit that people are far too willing to give him for their own success. For this, he's paid an almost embarrassing amount of money and could live like a king. Of course, that would attract far too much attention, and so he lives simply and modestly.

There's just one problem -- this life is pretty darn boring. Actually, there are a lot of problems besides that. When we practice to deceive, we often start by fooling ourselves, and the truth is that Higashikata Shinji is not nearly as much of a greedy and selfish person as he likes to think. He was (and is) badly frightened by what he learned through the Ghost Sweepers' cases, but he didn't use his talent for deception to escape from this situation. (Admittedly, he had no idea where he could go that the opposition couldn't find him.) 

Instead, he used those talents to help others who _could_ successfully oppose these forces, and often worked to keep them on their feet and saved their lives. Most of those who were his colleagues, especially Sayo Asagiri, have Higashikata figured out, but respect his courage and well-hidden conscience enough to avoid ruining his mystique. They often end up suppressing groans when he shows up to 'help out' due to his boredom, but he continues to use his wits and ridiculous talent for telling plausible lies for their benefit, so they in turn continue to protect their former captain, no matter what.

*Shinji Higashikata -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Vast and Undefined Mystical Abilities, The Likes of Which You Cannot, Nay Dare Not, Imagine:* Actually doesn't have any - 0 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2 (English, Korean, others, [Japanese is native]), Leadership, Set-up, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt, Teamwork 2, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+9), Insight 6 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 3 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+7), Stealth 5 (+6), Treatment 2 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 0 + Advantages 21 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 108 points

*Offensive PL:* 3
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Profit--Motivation. Responsibility--Actual Motivation. Friendship* (Ghost Sweepers organization.) *Reputation* (vastly powerful mystic.) *Secret* (complete fraud.)


----------



## Davies

Mysterica





Between the lingering effects of the final battle between Alphatron and El Imán, more than forty years ago, and the fact that two members of the Powerhouse live there, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Denver sees more than its fair share of superpower activity. Even during the height of the Insurgency, there was a small team of self-proclaimed superheroes resident here, the Mile High Marauders -- who were unfortunately neither all that competent nor blessed with much good fortune. 

But their legacy continues right into the present day in the form of Denver's many masked 'fraternities'. Most of these are neither criminal groups nor alliances of would-be superheroes, just small, private assemblies of superpowers who know each other and hang out together. While some of the frats publicize their activities, usually in hopes of recruiting more members, others are very averse to public attention. And whenever there are groups trying to keep their activities private, there will inevitably be those who are trying to find out what's going on.

Bobbi Catrell is a junior reporter for Denver's KWGN-TV news, and wants to be one of the hosts of the primetime news program. In order to bring this about, she knows that she's going to have to report on a major story. And she believes that the best way to do this is to infiltrate the frats, discover their secrets, and publicize them. Therefore, she has created the identity of 'Mysterica' a masked mystery-woman, and is posing as a would-be superhero. While doing so, she's run into Polymorph a few times, who has bought into her act completely and regards her as a trustworthy ally.

Of course, the thing about pretending to be a superhero is that you will run into situations that require a superhero. Recognizing this, Bobbi has acquired and trained with a unique weapon that she dubs a paintgun. (Not a paintball gun, that's something else.) It shoots a stream of reddish paint at a target, which stings but doesn't cause actual injury, and can (if properly directed) leave the target temporarily unable to see. Mysterica generally uses this to slow opponents down so that she can escape, but has sometimes used it to put one in a situation where she could defeat them by other methods, having taken a few krav maga lessons.

Despite the fact that Bobbi is pursuing this course for what is absolutely the wrong reason, she's not totally heartless. She frequently finds herself feeling sympathy for people who get caught up in these sorts of situations, and will, when possible, try to help them. And, when confronted with genuine villainy, she'd oppose it to the best of her ability. But on the other hand, she'll always put her own ambitions ahead of such matters.

Ironically, Bobbi's activities are attracting a fair amount of media attention from other reporters, which is actually making her goal a bit harder. The frats that she wants to infiltrate obviously don't want to be associated with someone who's always in the news!

*Mysterica -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Paintgun:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge; Dazed & Vision Impaired, Stunned & Vision Disabled), Extra Condition, Instant Recovery, Limited Degree; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Taunt, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Car - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Attack: Paintgun 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+6), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Paintgun +7 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 6 + Advantages 16 + Skills 28 + Defenses 11 = 94 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Secret Identity. Soft-hearted.*


----------



## Voltron64

Only a matter of time before she either becomes up a superhero for real or ends up as the story herself with the press doing to her what she wants to do with the frats.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Only a matter of time before she either becomes up a superhero for real or ends up as the story herself with the press doing to her what she wants to do with the frats.



Or both.


----------



## Davies

Madame Menagerie





From Cynthia Smith's early youth onward, it was clear that she had a special rapport with the animals of her family's ranch in Texas, made most dramatically clear when she calmed a panicking horse by simply whispering to it, at the age of thirteen. That was also when her father took her into his confidence and revealed that long ago, when her family had been aristocrats in Bavaria, many of her ancestors had possessed her talent _and_ the ability to call on the powers of the animals. Cynthia had no idea what to make of this; it sounded like a fairy tale or a myth.

By 1957, as figures of fairy tales or myths had become widely known, the notion seemed much more plausible. But her 'power' remained frustratingly mundane -- she could understand animal motivations and help them to understand her own, but not much else. Her father's stories suggested that physical training might be the key to unlocking the more dramatic abilities, so she pushed her limits in search of that key. Finally, just a bit before her eighteenth birthday, Cynthia found her breakthrough, running among the horses and kept their pace.

Of the animal powers she could call upon, those of the tiger seemed most generally useful, and so she designed her costume to use tiger patterning when she made her debut as Madame Menagerie, the first female superhero. Soon after her debut, she had her first clash with the man who'd become her nemesis, a delusional hunter named Emil Larrimore who'd acquired a so-called magic helmet that granted him various powers, notably weather control, decided that he was the embodiment of the Norse god Ullr and so had to hunt all the wild beasts of the world, especially Madame Menagerie. While their conflicts were fierce, the Madame always prevailed, usually on her own but sometimes through the help of her allies.

In 1961, Madame Menagerie helped to fight off an Atlantean attack on Galveston, part of the civil war that was fought among the undersea people, with the assistance of the Futurian, in their first meeting. She was subsequently invited to join the Institute when it founded in the aftermath, and became quite friendly with the time-leaping speedster. It was frequently assumed that the two of them had a romantic connection, as they often worked and socialized together, but the truth was that Jason Conrad was still awkward and uncomfortable around women, and Cynthia was unwilling to make the first move in the relationship. Thus, they remained only friends, despite themselves.

Sadly, that relationship came to an end in 1968, during the Agents of Destruction's attack on the city of Detroit. She and the Futurian discovered the megabomb that Humpty Dumpty had set to destroy the city and both the Institute and the Agents. While attempting to disarm it, the Futurian was knocked out by a booby trap set to prevent anyone from doing so. With little time remaining on the countdown, Madame Menagerie exerted her powers to the utmost, drawing on the power of a _dragon_ and flying the bomb out over Lake Michigan to minimize the damage. She was the only known fatality of this episode, and the first and only member of the Institute to die in action before 1971.

While almost certainly atomized by the explosion, Exelion has theorized that there is some connection between Madame Menagerie and the much later superpower known as Havfrue, though he has yet to determine the exact nature of that link ...

*Madame Menagerie -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Animal Mimicry:* Variable 9 (animal traits), Continuous, Subtle - 73 points

_Typical Settings:
*Eagle:* Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate 2; Enhanced Advantages 10 (Close Attack 4, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Senses 3 (extended 2 rapid vision) - 45 points
*Gorilla:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Close Attack, Improved Hold); Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 10; Impervious Toughness 6; Movement 2 (swinging, wall-crawling) - 44 points
*Tiger* (Default): Strength-based Damage 3; Enhanced Agility 8; Enhanced Fighting 8; Leaping 6 (250 feet); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 45 points
*Whale:* Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 8; Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [aquatic]); Senses 5 (accurate extended ultrasonic hearing, low-light vision); Swimming 7 (120 MPH) - 45 points_

*Advantages:*
Animal Empathy, Attractive, Benefit 1 (well-off), Defensive Roll, Fast Grab, Improved Initiative, Skill Mastery (Insight), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+15/+7), Athletics 3 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+15/+7), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+6), Stealth 5 (+15/+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14/+6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Tiger Claw +15 (Close Damage 5)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 14/6, Parry 16/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 73 + Advantages 8 + Skills 22 + Defenses 20 = 156 points

*Offensive PL:* 10*
*Defensive PL:* 10*
*Resistance PL:* 7*
*Skill PL:* 10*

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Friendship* (the Futurian.) *Nemesis* (Ullr.) *Secret Identity.*

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In 1961, Madame Menagerie helped to fight off an Atlantean attack on Galveston, part of the civil war that was fought among the undersea people, with the assistance of the Futurian, in their first meeting.



Not quite, the two of them had regularly teamed-up quite a few times since 1959.

Anyways, great work and definitely syncs with how I imagined her.


----------



## Davies

Alphatron





_The Conqueror_, filmed between May and August, 1954, is regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, and certainly the least impressive work of its star, actor Marlon Brando, horribly miscast as Genghis Khan. It is also noteworthy, if that's the right word, for what some have described as an epidemic of cancer cases among the cast and crew, supposedly due to having been filmed at several locations in Utah (as well as studio shoots shot on soil imported from these locations) downwind from an active nuclear test site. How much of an influence this factor had on what happened will likely remain controversial for some time to come.

What isn't controversial is that one Rodney Ritter, born almost exactly nine months after the filming to an uncredited stuntman on the production and his wife, a member of the catering staff -- of whom only she developed cancer, incidentally -- was the only person associated with the film to develop superpowers. (As far as is definitely known, at least.) That he possessed greater-than-human strength and toughness was apparent to his parents even in his childhood, and they learned that he could fly on his own power when he was thirteen. At his parents' urging, Rod kept his powers a secret, intending to join the Institute when he was an adult.

The outcome of the Battle of Vietnam was a shock to his expectations, but Rod responded with determination, making his debut as Alphatron, the Atomic Avenger, just nine months afterwards. While effective against what opposition he faced, and managing to keep his powers under tight control, he was regarded with skepticism by a public who'd just learned how dangerous self-proclaimed heroes could be. Unsettled by this reaction, Alphatron attempted to improve his reputation by agreeing to work with several other 'new' superheroes in an attempt to join the Institute.

This turned out to be something of a fiasco, especially after one of the group turned out to be a villain pretending to have reformed, and another was revealed to be an alien infiltrator. The Institute chose to dissolve rather than accept any new members; Alphatron and the other genuine heroes  looked like laughingstocks in the after math. Nor were his attempts to convince them to stick together as a _new_ organization of superheroes all that effective, though the phrase that he used -- "We are members of a very unique fraternity." -- would echo, later on.

Three years later, Alphatron would die in battle with El Imán over the city of Denver. For some time before that, he'd been experiencing increasing difficulty keeping his so-called atomic power under his control, frequently manifesting small bursts of energy that damaged the area around himself. The explosion of the Magno-Helm apparently triggered the largest such outburst yet, incinerating both hero and villain and expelling radioactive, mutagenic substances across a good portion of the city. There have been occasional attempts to memorialize Alphatron in Denver, but the damage that was done by that final battle has left him with an almost toxic reputation there, though some of the city's 'frats' consider him their unwitting founder.

*Alphatron -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Atomic Power:* Array (20 points)
 *Atomic Blast:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
 *Atomic Bonding:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Hyperdensity:* Growth 6, Density (Strength +6, Stamina +6, Dodge -3, Parry -3) - 1 point
 *Intangibility:* Insubstantial 4 (affected by mystical attacks) - 1 point
*Atomic Propulsion:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Aquatic - 15 points
*Atomic Senses:* Senses 8 (acute energy awareness, darkvision, microscopic vision 4) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Science 5 (+6), Intimidation 7 (+9), Perception 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Atomic Power 6 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 12/6)
Atomic Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Atomic Bonding -- (Ranged Burst Area Will 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/5, Parry 6/3, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12/6, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 46 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 16 = 130 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Secret Identity. Uncontrolled Power* (after 1974.)


----------



## Davies

James Graham





Much of the story has already been told. The truth of the matter is that it wasn't the death of his mentor -- and so many other people whom he respected and admired -- that made James Graham abandon the identity of Masque. It wasn't even any actual failure on his own part. What finally made him dump the long underwear was the fact that his personal nemesis, the man whose skills had driven him to seek out additional training from other fighters besides the Cowl, had managed to hand the Tong that employed him a more serious setback than the Cowl and Masque had managed in more than a decade.

So he became a private investigator, at first working independently and later employed by the Carter Detective Agency, putting the skills that he'd developed to good use and trying to make some justice in an unjust world. When old friends sought him out, he would help them, but he wouldn't put doing that ahead of helping his actual clients. There was only so much that a man could do, and so he chose to focus on the small things instead of the big flashy ones that got headlines. And for a while he was happy, as his job took him all over the world, even to Africa a few times.

Then Sarah Blade came into his life, and everything changed. James tried to tell himself that he wanted to be a big brother to her -- she was sixteen years younger than he was, after all! -- but that was not the nature of the relationship that either of them wanted. When their daughter Leah was born, he was a bit horrified to do the math and realize that by the time she was out of high school, he would be half way through his sixties, assuming the best possible world -- which this clearly wasn't. He retired from the agency to focus on caring for her.

Unfortunately, the world would not let him be. In 1996, James was contacted by the people who were forming Argus. They needed his help, specifically certain connections he'd established in West Africa during his career as a detective, in order to prevent yet another madman from engaging in yet another villainous scheme. James wanted to say no, but what they showed him made him genuinely afraid for the first time in years, and the thought of something like this happening in the world his daughter would inherit finally made him agree. He expected to be back home in about a week with a story he wasn't supposed to share but would.

The mission was a disaster. Everything that could go wrong, did, and James was thought killed in action by those who managed to make it back to their headquarters. In fact, he'd survived, but the bastard who took him prisoner did a very good job of making him regret that fact. Kept as a slave, tortured physically and mentally, thinking that it was very likely that he would never see Sarah or Leah again, he took what comfort he could in the company of another prisoner, and ultimately found the strength to help her make an escape attempt.

He did not, does not, know that she succeeded. He does not know that he has a second daughter, born in Ghana.

Eventually, the monster who claimed to own him crossed the wrong people and wound up dead. James managed to escape in the confusion, and made his way to Spain. He'd lost all track of time during his captivity, and was stunned to learn that it was 2007, that a second age of superheroes was under way He was considering how to return to the United States when he came upon a small item in one of the newspapers he was consulting, about the recent murder of one Sarah Blade.

Since then, James Graham has lived quietly in Barcelona, occasionally employed as a consultant by some local private investigators, and doing everything in his power to avoid anything that will remind him of the innumerable failures of his life. He regards the fact that he's been spared senility with some additional regret. Eventually, something is going to let him know that the world is not done with him yet. What he will do then is anyone's guess.

*James Graham -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Fast on His Feet:* Speed 1 (4 MPH) - 1 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Critical (Unarmed) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (Arabic, French, Spanish, Swahili, others), Power Attack, Startle, Takedown 2, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
*Car:* Size Large; Strength 5; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 8; Toughness 8 - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 5 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+12), Insight 8 (+11), Investigation 8 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+12), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+8), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 5 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 3 + Advantages 20 + Skills 40 + Defenses 15 = 142 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Dislikes Using Guns. Family* (Sarah and Leah Blade) *Temper.*

_For his current PL 4 incarnation, subtract 3 ranks from all physical abilities and Fighting, drop all powers, drop all Combat advantages, reduce all skills by 5 ranks and reduce Will to 6._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> He did not, does not, know that she succeeded. He does not know that he has a second daughter, born in Ghana.



Her mother wasn't wrong about the father being a good man, if anything, she was understating things. And I feel one day, sister must eventually meet sister.


Davies said:


> Since then, James Graham has lived quietly in Barcelona, occasionally employed as a consultant by some local private investigators, and doing everything in his power to avoid anything that will remind him of the innumerable failures of his life. He regards the fact that he's been spared senility with some additional regret. Eventually, something is going to let him know that the world is not done with him yet. What he will do then is anyone's guess.



Help out of course, it wouldn't be any other way.

And if his final fate be sacrificing himself to save others or a more peaceful one, surrounded by reunited friends and loved ones, either way it will be well-earned.


----------



## Davies

El Gato





Growing up in Denver in the early 60s, Carmen Alejo was always aware that she had an unusual talent in the form of a sense for danger. Not until she turned fifteen did she develop the rest of her mutations, with her fingernails growing into sharp claws over the course of a week and her strength, endurance and agility all increasing rapidly. She managed to hide these divergences from her friends and family, but she knew that she had to do something with these talents. Neither criminality nor heroics really appealed to her all that much, though, so she took her time developing a costume, practiced her skills, and waited to see what else fate would throw her way.

Only a few months later, she was out exercising in her costume when she happened on the scene of a fight between Madame Menagerie and her nemesis, Ullr, who both happened to be in Denver that weekend. The Madame seemed to be on the ropes for once, and -- somewhat ironically, given her image -- Carmen felt inclined to come to the aid of the underdog. (Well, given the Madame's tiger image, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.) She turned the tide of the battle in Madame Menagerie's favor, and the superhero thanked her and encouraged her to continue fighting the good fight. Carmen kept her doubts to herself.

Only a few months after _that_, Madame Menagerie was dead. Watching the news about her state funeral, Carmen realized that now she _had_ to make good on what the older woman had said to her. That day, she officially became El Gato, the masked defender of Denver, with some ideas of one day joining the Institute in the Madame's place. Of course, fate had a few more tricks to play on that score.

In 1974, El Gato was one of the younger heroes who attempted to join the Institute in its last days, and went through the confusion and tumult that followed. In the aftermath, embarrassed and ashamed, all that she wanted to do was go home to Denver and forget this had ever happened. Yet something in Alphatron's words about their 'fraternity' resonated with her, and she agreed to at least keep in contact with him, even if she thought the team idea was pretty played out.

Three years later, El Imán went on a rampage in Denver, and El Gato knew that fighting him directly was beyond her abilities. So she contacted Alphatron and asked for his help, watching them fight while trying to protect the civilians on the ground below. She wasn't watching them when they exploded, but she certainly saw the aftermath. No one else ever knew that she'd brought this about, or that she felt enormous guilt over what had happened because of it.

In the years afterward, the thrillseeking and wisecracking El Gato vanished, replaced by a grim figure who acted as the self-appointed 'sheriff' of Denver and policed the various small groups of mutants that grew up in the aftermath. She served as a member of the Mile High Marauders when they were established in 1983, and remained with them right up until they fell apart in 1991. In the interim, she also developed a strong enmity with the local vampire, Carmilla, frequently managing to thwart her schemes even if she never quite managed to destroy the monster. El Gato was also one of the first superheroes to come to blows with a young Jodie Crowley.

She left Denver for an extended period between 1988 and 1991, returning in even more of a bad mood than usual, which contributed to the Marauders falling apart. El Gato barely noticed this, continuing her lonely vigil. Sometime in this period, she started the custom of referring to the superpower communities of Denver as 'frats', which continues right up until the present day. As the second age of superheroes got underway, she was a bit amazed that she was regarded as one of the founders of Denver's community, but used this authority to keep them from harming those uninvolved in their internecine squabbles.

She was killed during Cerebron's invasion, blasted to cinders by a heavy drone. What almost no one knows is that, shorty before her death, she crossed paths with Trouble, who had only just realized her connection to the invaders. On learning this, El Gato 'encouraged' (really commanded) Trouble to head further north and join up with some of the more powerful heroes who were planning on taking the fight to the invaders. "All I have are these claws, and they won't be much use there," she said.

No one gave El Gato a state funeral. No one has built any statues to her. But it seems likely that she sleeps the sleep of the just.

*El Gato -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Catlike Balance:* Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 1 (Safe Fall) - 4 points
*Catlike Senses:* Senses 4 (acute tracking olfactory, danger sense, low-light vision) - 4 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical - 2 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Claws 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Claws +9 (Close Damage 4, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 10 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 11 = 96 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Loner. Nemesis* (Carmilla.) *Secret Identity. Temper.*

_Note: By the mid 80s and early 90s, the PL 8 version of el Gato had developed a *Healing Factor* (Enhanced Stamina 2; Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5.) She also learned a number of Languages (notably Mandarin) and improved all her skills by two ranks. Her motivation changes to *Reluctant Responsibility.* By 2000, she was PL 9 and had improved her active defenses by two ranks as well._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> No one gave El Gato a state funeral. No one has built any statues to her. But it seems likely that she sleeps the sleep of the just.



Well, if you don't count all the graffiti murals littering Denver...


----------



## Davies

Yedokiteri Girumi





1966 saw the debut of Africa's first well-known superhero, Lukas Ammanuel, better known as Yedokiteri Girumi (የዶክተር ግሩም/"Doctor Mirabilis"), based out of Addis Ababa. He had only been active as a scientific problem-solver in the area for a few months when he joined forces with the Grim Brigade on one of their cases, demonstrating a keen intellect in its resolution. He continued to work to advance his nation's standard of living while having many other adventures. Tragically, there was only so much one man could do, and his efforts were cut short by his death in 1971 ... but they combined with other factors to drastically alter the course of Ethiopia's subsequent history.

Lukas Ammanuel was born November 2, 1930, to a wealthy doctor who would, in the next year, become the official physician to Emperor Haile Selassie. The family accompanied their patron when he fled the country following the Italian invasion, and eventually settled in England with him. While his father would continue to accompany the Emperor when the latter returned to their homeland in 1941, Lukas remained behind to continue his studies. Even by that point, he was recognized as an academic prodigy, already studying the fundamentals of medicine. He would not return to Ethiopia until 1951, after completing his medical degree at Oxford and spending a year's study at Columbia in the United States, where he is believed to have met and briefly worked with a noteworthy surgeon and philanthropist based in New York.

By the early 1960s, it was anticipated that Lukas would succeed his father as the Imperial physician when the latter retired, as he was expected to do shortly. Lukas defied these expectations by politely declining the post and recommending another. While respectful of Haile Selassie's attempts to reform the state, he disagreed with the decision that had been made to annex Eritrea, feeling that it locked the nation into a conflict that would sap resources needed to continue those reforms. Observing the activities of other costumed adventurers abroad, Lukas decided to imitate their style in the hopes of providing inspiration to the people of Ethiopia, while employing his intellect and training on their behalf, recruiting allies from his homeland and teaching students as well.

In the process, Yedokiteri Girumi allied with many of the superheroes of the first age -- joining forces with the Grim Brigade first, and then allying with Captain Mystic against Doctor Ranivorous, with whom he engaged in a battle of wits and nerve whose victor was never clearly established. He also rescued the Arabian Peninsula from the ravages of al-Mushtari the Wind Giant. While Lukas' Ethiopian allies and students regarded these adventures as diversions from his work at home, he preferred to view them as learning opportunities, and welcomed the challenges that they presented. Their view of things was somewhat validated when he was killed in the Battle of Vietnam, while trying to assist his friends in the Grim Brigade.

However, those very allies would continue his work. In 1974, they led a small force which prevented the nascent Derg from overthrowing the Ethiopian government, then 'persuaded' Haile Selassie to step down in favor of his grandson, Amha Selassie, whom they organized to protect. The defeudalization of Ethiopia accelerated under their leadership; unfortunately, so did the civil war in Eritrea. While able to minimize the damage of famine in the next decades, many thousands still died. These so-called Miracle Workers have a mixed reputation in their homeland, with some believing that they were nearly as brutal as what they opposed. But Ethiopia survived, allied to neither the east nor the west.

The memory of Yedokiteri Girumi is somewhat better regarded outside of his homeland than within it, with many great deeds that he certainly would have wanted to do ascribed to him. In 2014, the first of a series of films about his life was made in Hollywood, with a sequel released in 2018. Tragically, much as with the man they represent, the life and career of the actor who portrayed him was cut tragically short before a third film could be made, leaving the project in limbo. Yet they continue to inspire, and perhaps that's enough.

*Yedokiteri Girumi - PL 10

STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Fast Runner:* Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 20, Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Trip, Inspire 2, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Languages 5 (many, [Amharic is native]), Ranged Attack 5, Speed of Thought, Ultimate Effort (Treatment), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
100 points needed for any bases, equipment or weapons required.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+11), Expertise: Science 5 (+15), Insight 7 (+13), Investigation 3 (+13), Persuasion 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+12), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+14), Treatment 5 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 2 + Advantages 48 + Skills 30 + Defenses 20 = 178 points

*Offensive PL:* 7*
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Public Identity.*

_Note: Yibambe._


----------



## Davies

Lord Kazen





With more than a century* remaining of his projected lifespan, Kazen Aos-re sometimes finds himself looking back over the course of that life to this point and marveling at the twists and swerves of fate that brought him to this point. Not frequently, of course; the sort of personality that is driven to master the capabilities of the Dhakimite physiology is not generally given to reflection, but rather focused on the immediate present. And that present has raised him up higher than he could ever have imagined.

He began his career as a simple soldier in Dhakimat's military whose physical examination indicated that he might be able to endure the training to become a super-soldier. Kazen bettered that evaluation by not merely enduring it, but excelling at it as one of the most talented recruits the Planetary Defense Force had trained in its history. He was also a skilled soldier and commander, and seemed -- then -- to be utterly loyal to Dhakimat and its government. (Kazen would claim that he still is.) 

As such, he was a logical choice to be sent as a military adviser to the Imperium, which was then in the middle of its Galactor crisis. He offered the Senate the best advice he could, and yet the threat was ultimately overcome by other factors. Kazen believed that this caused the Senate to subsequently place a low value on his talents, such that he found himself (and the other Dhakimite advisers, who by then regarded him as their chief) to be marginalized. This shouldn't have annoyed him, but it did.

Time passed, and Kazen's dissatisfaction with the venality and folly of the Senate continued to grow. When the Crimson King rose to power, Kazen had the opportunity to stop it in its tracks. He chose instead a course of inaction, not because of any affection or regard for the Crimson King, but because he had reached the conclusion that any change to the way that the Imperium was ruled could only benefit Dhakimat. Either the interstellar government would completely collapse and his home world could take advantage of that, or it would continue to thrive and the productive alliance between their states would also continue.

The latter was what happened, and in addition the Crimson King seemed much more willing to listen to the Dhakimite military advisers, and Kazen in particular. For decades*, he helped to shape the military policies of the Crimson Imperium, while also keeping in fighting trim by leading small units of the Imperial Marines into battle -- something which was technically beyond the scope of his orders. The Crimson King rewarded his efforts by granting him a title within the new system of aristocracy he was creating, and arranged for Kazen to become an authority within the Dhakimite hierarchy as well, despite the fact that he has never even seen his home planet in decades.

Last year*, however, came the greatest twist. Summoned to a private meeting with the Crimson King, he was invited to examine a new suit of heavy armor manufactured by one of the ruler's secretly-owned corporations. Upon wearing it, he experienced the surge of power which told him that he was within an environment that facilitated the Dhakimite powers! For generations, the scientists of Dhakimat had struggled to create a method of artificially stimulating their species' abilities under those circumstances which inhibited their use, and now it was within his grasp. Kazen eagerly asked how soon Dhakimat could receive an order of these armored suits.

The Crimson King smiled, then, and informed him that manufacturing one suit of this type cost about as much Dhakimat's entire economy produced in a single year*. Buying even a few of them, to outfit the best super-soldiers of Kazen's homeworld, would beggar the planet. But ... perhaps an arrangement could be made. If Lord Kazen agreed to use his abilities, both military and inherent, in the personal service of the Crimson King, then eventually, a number of the suits would be made available to his people.

It might have been wiser to refuse. Once again, Kazen was in a position to destroy the Crimson King's ambitions, and the man himself. But this time he had a better understanding of the trap in which he was placed. If he were to kill the Crimson King now, the secret of the suit's manufacture would almost certainly be lost in the chaos that would surely follow. And the mastermind that had brought him to this pass doubtless had contingencies that would ensure that Kazen would not personally profit from that deed. This time, he could not reasonably choose inaction. This time, he agreed to become the Crimson King's personal agent.

In the months since then, Lord Kazen has been installed as the commander of the Scarlet Knights, a new order within the Imperial military, composed of beings with unusual powers who, like him, have agreed to be the agents of the Crimson King. He has grave doubts about the reliability and overall sanity of many of his fellows, but is certain of his own ability to marshal them to his will. He is even more uncertain about what he has learned of their first major mission, to be embarked upon shortly. All this, to attack some nowhere system in the Unclaimed Regions, when they could be eliminating the insurgency or dealing with the insanity on Kapech? Well, regardless of the situation he'll put up with this until the Crimson King delivers those suits to Dhakimat.

Owing to the fact that the Dhakimites never tamed any of the animals of their world, they do not have a fable equivalent to 'the carrot and the stick.'

*Lord Kazen -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 15/9 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Battle Armor:* Removable (-7 points) 

*Communications Suite:* Radio Communication 4; Senses 1 (radio) - 21 points
*Environmental Systems:* Feature (Dhakimat-like environment) - 1 point
*Psychic Defenses:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects - 6 points
*Serenium Shell:* Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
*Dhakimite Powers:* Array (21 points)
 *Blast Vision:* Ranged Damage 10, Precise - 21 points
 *Hyper-Senses:* Remote Sensing 9 (Visual), Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Hyper-Shout:* Cone Area Damage 10 - 1 point
 *Hyper-Speed:* Enhanced Flight 8 (125,000 MPH); Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 1 point
 *Hyper-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 6; Enhanced Strength 9 (400 kilotons), Limited to Lifting - 1 points
*Great Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 3, Interpose, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defense 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 8 - 44 points
*Great Toughness:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 9; Regeneration 5 - 24 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, _Close Attack 2,_ Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative _4, Interpose_, Langugage (Imperium Standard, [Dhakimat is native]) Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle, Takedown 2.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+12), Expertise: Military 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Blast Vision 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 5 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +18
Unarmed +11/+9 (Close Damage 9)
Hyper-Strength +11/+9 (Close Damage 15)
Blast Vision +14 (Close Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/5, Parry 13/7, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13/9, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 128 + Advantages 14 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 265 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Ambition--Motivation. Power Loss/Weakness* (loses all powers and becomes Strength and Stamina Disabled outside of Dhakimat-like environments). *Power Loss/Weakness* (as above, when exposed to theonite.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In the months since then, Lord Kazen has been installed as the commander of the Scarlet Knights, a new order within the Imperial military, composed of beings with unusual powers who, like him, have agreed to be the agents of the Crimson King. He has grave doubts about the reliability and overall sanity of many of his fellows, but is certain of his own ability to marshal them to his will. He is even more uncertain about what he has learned of their first major mission, to be embarked upon shortly. All this, to attack some nowhere system in the Unclaimed Regions, _*when they could be eliminating the insurgency or dealing with the insanity on Kapech?*_



Oh that's phase two...


----------



## Davies

The Dominator





Often, on those occasions when a wealthy subject of the Crimson Imperium seeks to be elevated into the ranks of the nobility, the Crimson King asks for more than just a demonstration of financial loyalty. In the case of members of the criminal underworld seeking legitimacy, he will often request that they betray certain of their subordinates to the legal system -- generally their most effective and competent subordinates, so as to reduce their organizations' overall effectiveness and ability to defend themselves from their rivals. Of course, the betrayed are not always imprisoned or killed. That would be an incredible waste of talent and ingenuity, though a sadly unavoidable one in some cases. Many of them are given new lives and put to work for the Inquisition, or the more subtle branches of the Imperium's military. One such individual, 'recruited' by the Crimson King from among the crew of a certain former pirate chieftain shortly after the disaster at Gelesh, has instead become one of the lynchpins of the newly formed Scarlet Knights.

No one is quite sure where the being known as the Dominator comes from. They do not match the profile of any of the known species of the Imperium, but there are countless worlds within its borders (and still more in the Unclaimed Regions) that have only ever been added to the databases as existing and bearing life, without any study of what that life might entail. One rather unlikely theory, based on some vague resemblance and certain similarities of diet, is that they are a mutant example of the species known as the Isakari. The Dominator hasn't answered any questions about their background, and psychic probing has failed to yield results owing to their own talents in this area.

The Dominator is an extremely powerful telepath, able to place even very strong wills under their psychic command or manipulate a target's memories so as to render an enemy completely helpless. During their career as a pirate, they frequently rendered raiding parties that they accompanied invisible, as well as tearing enemy psyches apart to reveal strategies. While physically fragile compared to some of their current associates, a force field belt has allowed them to stand among them. All this power is fortunately yoked to a mentality that cares only for short-term financial gain, rather than having any long-term ambitions of ascending to power in the Crimson King's place. They might have had vague notions of being a behind the scenes ruler, but a few hours in the Crimson King's presence convinced them of the folly of such ideas. Or so they are pretending.

They are also limited by their diet. While largely subsisting on nutrient paste, once per week they must consume the brain of a formerly sapient being. As a pirate, they preyed on the victims of their vessel's predations, and occasionally on disobedient or ineffective members of the crew. Since being taken into the Imperium's service, they have subsisted on a supply of clones, which supplies what they need but does not really _satisfy._ Consequently, they are looking forward to the mission the Knights are preparing to undertake, where they'll be able to feed to their heart's content as long as they produce the intelligence that they're supposed to gather ...

*The Dominator -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Basic Telepathy:* Selective Area Communication 3; Comprehend Languages 3 - 27 points
*Force Field Belt:* Sustained Impervious Protection 8; Removable (-3 points) - 13 points
*Telepathic Disciplines:* Array (48 points)
 *Cloaking:* Selective Burst Area Affects Others and Self Concealment 8 (all but mental) - 1 point
 *Domination:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 48 points
 *Memory Modification:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Entranced, Transformed) - 1 point
 *Mind Blast:* Selective Cone Area Damage 12, Resisted By Will - 1 point
 *Mind Probe:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 12 - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental effects - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Equipment 4, Evasion, Fascinate (Intimidation), Fearless, Improved Initiative, Set-up 3, Skill Mastery (Intimidation), Speed of Thought, Startle.

_Equipment:_ 
Jetpack (Flight 5), Space Suit (Immunity 10 [life support]). 

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+13), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 7 (+12), Perception 6 (+12), Stealth 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Domination & Memory Modification -- (Perception Range Will 9)
Mind Blast -- (Selective Cone Area Damage 12, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 13/5, Will 14

*Totals:*
Abilities 82 + Powers 85 + Advantages 15 + Skills 23 + Defenses 15 = 232 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Dependency* (must eat sapient creature's brain once per week.) *Strange Appearance.*


----------



## Davies

Voyager





The being dubbed the Voyager was discovered only through an extremely unlikely chain of events. Four years* ago, one of the Inquisitors was touring the factory planet Strahite when her unreliable precognitive senses informed her that the planet was likely to suffer a meteor impact within the next three weeks. Rather than trust the planetary defenses to handle it -- if they could, she reasoned, the impact wouldn't be _likely_ -- she commandeered the system defense feet and set them to a course of sensor sweeping the system to find and intercept the bolide. One of the ships managed to do just that, but another one, in a completely different sector of the system, discovered a comparably massive body moving on a vector that would have taken it out of the system in a few days' time, and investigated more closely when the body was discovered to be humanoid in size.

Examined first on Strahite, later on Taranta, the Voyager proved to be a humanoid male identical to a Chiraben down to the cellular level. When he awakened, midway through the latter series of tests, he seemed to have the mind of an infant, unable to communicate even through the use of telepathy but quick to learn and integrate new information. Within a few weeks, he was speaking Imperium Standard with the faculty of a typical first grade student, and quickly understood and integrated most subjects. But he had no knowledge of any previous existence.

Naturally, the Crimson King ordered that his newest subject be indoctrinated with absolute loyalty to the Imperium (and carefully conditioned to be unable to use any of the unusual powers that he demonstrated on the Crimson King or any individuals who spoke certain key phrases) and trained as a super-soldier. From time to time, however, the Crimson King has experienced rare moments of doubt as to whether this was really the best course of action. While it is possible that the Voyager is a Chiraben mutant, or even one of the legendary rising stars, who has suffered some sort of episode that left him bereft of his consciousness, another, more concerning possibility has been suggested.

Based on the vector that the Voyager was following as he passed through Strahite's system, his point of origin lies beyond the Wild Beyond, the furthest reaches of Chiraben exploration. _If_ this is the case, and _if_ he originates from some unknown civilization beyond the Wild Beyond, that implies some rather disturbing things about the capabilities of that civilization, as they are apparently able to perceive the life forms within the Imperium -- which is implicit in the Voyager's own, very long range sensory abilities -- and recreate them exactly on a cellular level, while endowing their creations with powers and abilities far beyond what they would normally possess. It does not seem likely that they would do this casually, which in turn suggests that the Voyager was sent to the Imperium as some manner of herald, but that the message he was meant to deliver has been lost.

When the Crimson King considers these matters, he usually concludes with a shrug, and decides that this is a problem for some other day. For now, the Voyager has been trained to use his remarkable talents, travelling through space at fantastic velocities and transforming his body to become either sufficiently dense as to posses gravitational influence or sufficiently plasmatic to burn like a small star, for the benefit of the Imperium. From time to time, however, he does seem to lose himself in thought while examining the universe around him, on rare occasions even discussing what he observes in somewhat lyrical terms. Is it possible that whoever created him actually intended him as some sort of biological space probe? And that they did, in fact, send a poet?

*Voyager -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 16/6 | *STA* 17/7 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Hypersenses:* Senses 14 (hyper-extended vision 3, hyper-extended acute energy awareness 3) - 14 points
*Mode-shifting:* Array (64 points)
 *Hypersolid Mode:* Growth 10, Density (Strength +10, Stamina +10, Dodge -5, Parry -5); Impervious Toughness 10; Move Object 12 - 64 points
 *Plasma Mode:* Insubstantial 3; Reaction Damage 12 - 1 point
*Star Traveler:* Flight 16 (125,000 MPH); Immunity 10 (life support); Movement 3 (space travel 3) - 48 points
Strange Mentality: Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Close Attack 3, Fearless 2, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Move-by Action, Weapon Break.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 10 (+12), Intimidation 10 (+11), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Attack: Gravity 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6)
Hypersolid Mode +8 (Close Damage 16)
Plasma Mode +8 (No Strength Damage plus Reaction Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/7, Parry 10/5, Fortitude 18/8, Toughness 17/7, Will 6.  

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 137 + Advantages 10 + Skills 17 + Defenses 10 = 230 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 12
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Conditioned Obedience--Motivation. Easily Distracted. Vulnerability* (magnetism.)


----------



## Davies

Darkowl





Twenty-four years ago*, Gyurden Vazz was the brilliant if somewhat lazy and spoiled son of a pair of Tarantan aristocrats who ran a medical supply corporation. He was dimly aware that his fathers were sympathetic towards the cause of the insurgency, but doubted that either of them would ever undertake any treasonous activities. So when they were murdered, in a manner that he soon learned was typical of assassinations conducted by the Inquisition, it came as a shock to his worldview. His childhood ended in that instant, and he discovered how motivating the pursuit of vengeance could be.

For twenty years*, he worked on training his mind and his body into a tool for that vengeance. Not as successful as he would have wished in shaping his body, Gyurden instead devised technological means of enhancing it, inventing and constructing a suit of force field-enhanced serenium armor with cybernetic controls and a dizzying variety of weapon systems. All the while, he was studying his enemy and planning their confrontation, preparing for the day he would strike at the Crimson King and either kill him, or die himself.

Four years* ago, he finally deemed himself as ready as he would ever be, and infiltrated the Imperial Palace ... to find that his studies of the Crimson King had not been nearly as well-concealed as he'd thought. The ruler of the Imperium was expecting him, shielded by a protective barrier that his weapons couldn't penetrate, and armed with the most devastating weapon in his arsenal -- the truth. He had not ordered the assassination of Gyurden Vazz's parents. He had ordered the execution of the two Geretil criminals who had, some weeks earlier, murdered the two men and been impersonating them, and were planning to murder Gyurden as well.

Proof of all this was easily demonstrated, as was the fact that other Inquisitors had identified the authors of the scheme which had destroyed Gyurden's family, and exacted a harsh penalty on them. Once again, Gyurden's worldview was completely upended. Vengeance was not to be his, and the only way to save his own life was to pledge his services to the man he'd planned to kill. So it was that he became one of the more eccentric agents of the Inquisition, while also training with the other members of what were to become the Scarlet Knights.

Service with the Inquisition, and the many bloody deeds he has committed during that service, has destroyed what little idealism Gyurden Vazz once possessed. Where he once had some amount of admiration for his fathers' sympathies for the insurgency, he now regards it as a weakness that contributed to their deaths. Chaos, of whatever sort, cannot be tolerated and must be extirpated as swiftly and as surely as any sickness in the body should be. More than that, however, he is driven by a desire for power enough that no one can ever again make him as vulnerable as he was when his fathers were killed, or when the Crimson King had him at his mercy.

Darkowl's greatest weakness, aside from his utter dependence on his armor to allow him to stand among the other Scarlet Knights, is his vanity, particularly concerning his intellectual abilities. Suggesting that he is not the smartest person in the room is a surefire way to provoke his considerable anger, and things that interfere with his plans -- or worse, things that he didn't anticipate -- can easily drive him into a rage. He also imagines that he is much more handsome and charismatic than he actually is, and finds the fact that he's not the assigned leader of the Scarlet Knights to be rather frustrating ...

*Darkowl -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 7/0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 6/1 | *DEX* 7/2 | *FGT* 7/2 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Dark Owl Armor:* Removable (-27 points)

*Armored Shell:* Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
*Communicator:* Radio Communication 4; Comprehend Languages 2 - 22 points
*Cybernetic Controls:* Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5 - 30 points
*Force Field:* Sustained Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
*Jump Jets:* Leaping 4 (120 feet); Movement 3 (Safe Fall, Wall-crawling 2; Speed 7 (250 MPH) - 17 points
*Life Support:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Psychic Shield:* Enhanced Will 5, Impervious 13, Limited to mental effects - 9 points
*Sensors:* Senses 7 (darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, radio, time sense, ultra-hearing) - 7 points
*Weapon Systems: *Array (21 points)
*Bombs:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 7 - 1 point
*Muscle:* Enhanced Advantage 6 (Close Attack 6); Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 points
*Obscure:* Ranged Cloud Area Visual Concealment 4 Attack - 1 point
*Pulser:* Close Burst Area Nullify Electronics 10, Simultaneous - 1 point
*Stunner:* Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Tangler:* Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Terror:* Auditory Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Paralyzed), Subtle - 21 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (inquisitor), Defensive Attack, Favored Environment (planned situations), Improved Initiative, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Startle, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 5 (+13), Intimidation 10 (+12), Investigation 6 (+14), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 5 (+12/+7), Stealth 6 (+12/+7), Technology 7 (+15), Vehicles 5 (+12/+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Muscle +13 (Close Damage 7)
Bombs -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Stunner +12 (Ranged Fortitude 10)
Tangler +12 (Ranged Affliction 10, Resisted by Dodge)
Terror -- (Auditory Area Affliction 10)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 11/6, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10/6/2, Will 13*/8

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 112 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 20 = 207 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Intolerance* (disorder.) *Vanity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Darkowl's greatest weakness, aside from his utter dependence on his armor to allow him to stand among the other Scarlet Knights, is his vanity, particularly concerning his intellectual abilities. Suggesting that he is not the smartest person in the room is a surefire way to provoke his considerable anger, and things that interfere with his plans -- or worse, things that he didn't anticipate -- can easily drive him into a rage. He also imagines that he is much more handsome and charismatic than he actually is, and finds the fact that he's not the assigned leader of the Scarlet Knights to be rather frustrating ...



Cue the inevitable showdown between him and Darkwing ending with the latter taking advantage of that and defeating him. And to really twist the knife, begins to reverse-engineer all those fancy bell and whistles of Darkowl's armor onto his own...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Cue the inevitable showdown between him and Darkwing ending with the latter taking advantage of that and defeating him. And to really twist the knife, begins to reverse-engineer all those fancy bell and whistles of Darkowl's armor onto his own...



I think if Darkwing does manage to get ahold of Darkowl's tech, he'll probably conclude that the cybernetic controls (specifically the feedback from the force field) and the Terror weapon are not doing their operator any favors psychologically. The Pulser, on the other hand, is something he'd adopt immediately.


----------



## Davies

Infinity





When one perceives something of great beauty that has been damaged, whether by time or by deliberate action, it is normal to feel a certain sense of sorrow, of regret for the loss that this represents. When one perceives the member of the Scarlet Knights known by an alias that translates as the English word 'Infinity', it is also normal to feel something similar to that, a sense that someone who was meant to be stand for something of great importance has been horribly, horribly twisted from what she was meant to be. But this is usually not perceived as sorrowful, but terrifying. And if you see her, she sees you, and that is likely to be one of the last things you ever see.

More than a century* ago, the second ambassador to the Imperium from the Yusei Star Kingdom, preceding Sir Ashuha, did not journey to his new post alone but rather was accompanied by a small army of aides and bodyguards. Among the latter was a Yusei woman known by the name Maezu, a practitioner of Yusei mystic traditions and a skilled combatant. While not protecting her charge, she spent much of her time in conversation with the representatives of the Starlight tradition of mysticism, learning from them as well as teaching them.

When the ambassador was at last recalled at the start of the Galactor crisis, Maezu chose to remain within the Imperium and continue her studies on Hasham, which she received permission to do. Maezu broadened her understanding of the hidden powers of the universe under the tutelage of the Starlight masters, most notably developing a unique talent from what she learned about those who had, through the practice of a tradition learned from a world in the Unclaimed Regions, learned how to synthesize a single entity from a group of themselves. Maezu became able to reverse that, creating a large group of slightly weaker duplicates.

When the Crimson King rose to power, Maezu was unfortunate enough to be on Taranta with some of the other mystics, and to face the great traitor who would become the first Grand Inquisitor. She was defeated and badly hurt in the battle that followed, but the Grand Inquisitor chose to spare her life. This was not an act of mercy, however, but the start of a decades*-long period of confinement and torment. It is possible that he sought to learn the secrets of the Yusei tradition, at least at the start. Over time, it became simply an entertainment for him, a way to practice the traditions of the Nightmare path on a single soul. He broke her mind repeatedly, building up new identities within it and then crushing them again.

After the Grand Inquisitor at last perished during the disaster at Gelesh, the Crimson King finally learned of his partner's interesting choice of leisure activities while reclaiming the man's headquarters on Taranta. What vestigial conscience he possesses was disturbed by this discovery. While perfectly willing to commit great cruelty in the pursuit of his goals, he found the petty sadism of this act to be pathetic and unworthy. However, Maezu sought no vengeance, but rather seemed to have developed a profound loyalty to the Grand Inquisitor that now transferred to the Crimson King. The latter eventually placed her among the Scarlet Knights, expecting that she would probably die in battle but regarding this as better than what she'd endured to this point.

Of course, Infinity knows perfectly well that her true master is not dead. After all, everything that she is presently enjoying is just one more nightmare to which he is kindly subjecting her. None of the people she kills are in any way real, and eventually he'll end this one too, destroying her and then remaking her in a way that suits him. Until then, she will employ her talents as she pleases, having lost whatever nobility of spirit she once possessed and replaced it with cruelty and madness learned from her master.

Because of the extraordinary violations that her body, mind and possibly even spirit have suffered, Infinity often experiences a phenomenon she dubs 'flickering', considering it proof that she's not actually experiencing anything real. Her body parts randomly shift out of phase with what she believes to be an illusionary physical universe, never enough to allow her to pass through solid objects (at least not yet) but sometimes limiting her actions. Watching this happen is almost as disturbing as the obvious madness that can be seen in her eyes ... 

*Infinity -- PL 12

Abilities: 
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers: 
Bonded Starsword:* Damage 5, Penetrating 5, Accurate; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 7 points
*Fission:* Summon Duplicate 8, Active, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minion 3 (maximum of 8 duplicates), Limitation (main character ceases to exist for the duration) - 65 points 
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Touched by the Essence:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 4 (danger sense, acute extended mystical awareness) - 12 points

*Advantages:* 
Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Redirect, Ritualist, Taunt, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind.

_Equipment:_ 
Jetpack (Flight 5), Space Suit (Immunity 10 [life support]). 

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 11 (+16), Athletics 10 (+12), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+15), Deception 9 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 10 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Perception 10 (+14), Stealth 9 (+14), Vehicles 6 (+11).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +9 
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +17 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 14/10, Parry 16/12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8/3, Will 11

*Totals:* 
Abilities 74 + Powers 78 + Advantages 25 + Skills 40 + Defenses 18 = 235 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Flickers In and Out of Phase.

Duplicates -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:* 
*Bonded Starsword:* Damage 5, Penetrating 5, Accurate; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 7 points
*Touched by the Essence:* Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Senses 4 (danger sense, acute extended mystical awareness) - 4 points

*Advantages:* 
Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Redirect, Taunt, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind.

_Equipment:_ 
Jetpack (Flight 5), Space Suit (Immunity 10 [life support]). 

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 9 (+12), Athletics 9 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 1 (+9), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+8), Insight 8 (+10), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 8 (+11), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Sword +11 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/6, Parry 11/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5/0, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 13 + Advantages 22 + Skills 32 + Defenses 17 = 120 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7


----------



## Davies

Shēng Lóng






If rumors are to be believed, the Shēngxiào, a rising criminal and occult organization in Japan engaged in activities throughout the Pacific rim, are led by an inner circle of powerful mystics, each associated with one of the signs of the so-called Chinese zodiac, from which it takes its names. Throughout the organization's relatively short history, members of this inner circle have risen and fallen, some to internal conflict and many others to external opponents like the Ghost Sweepers or other superheroes. But one of its leaders has survived all challenges to stand as the most powerful member of that inner council. As long as no one can overcome Shēng Lóng, the Dragon, they have no chance of eliminating the influence of his organization.

Considering that, the man's background is almost depressingly banal. Up until a decade ago, he was simply Kazama Junichi, a student and teacher of both Bajiquan and Piguaquan. He had no deep and secret family history connecting him to the martial arts, no association with any of the more famous or notorious fighters in Japan's history. He did have a temper, which he had struggled to control throughout his training, but was reasonably well-regarded in his community. However, perhaps because of his anger, occasionally directed against prospective students, he was not enjoying much success as an instructor.

And then Diorite's path crossed his, and everything changed. It's not positively known whether Kazama was the first person she recruited to join her following, and a fair amount of evidence that he was not. Just as with all of the others, however, he was awakened to the essence of the Dragon, utterly transforming his personality. Gone was any pretense of concern for his students or anyone else, replaced with an all-consuming hunger to become more powerful by facing foes worthy of his might. He promptly abandoned his old life to help run the nascent Shēngxiào, frequently acting as the instructor for the group's foot soldiers.

When he bestirs himself to become personally involved in his organization's conflicts with others, Shēng Lóng is an utterly terrifying opponent, yet might seem deceptively weak at first glance. He is without honor or humanity, but holds to a personal code. Only if an opponent is able to overcome his supposedly 'mundane' skills (which are well beyond the limits of human accomplishment) will he invoke his Dragon Essence and use it in battle. In this state, he is able to strike blows from a distance, as though directing an invisible dragon to attack his opponents, but generally prefers to close and engage more directly.

The combined efforts of the Ghost Sweepers, exerting themselves to the utmost and sometimes supported by allies, have never been able to actually defeat Shēng Lóng, or even hand him more than a momentary setback that allows them the opportunity to escape. It's been a while since he was able to face opponents who genuinely tested him, and he misses the experience. It is to that end, rather than any of his master's goals, that he has decided to journey to Bhutan and take part in a certain tournament there. Still, if he succeeds in destroying a few prospective defenders of this world, he imagines she will be pleased with the outcome, win or lose. Of course, he plans to win.

*Shēng Lóng - PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 7/3 | *STA* 7/3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5/1

*Powers:
Dragon Claw:* Array (11 points)
 *Reaching Claw:* Ranged Damage 9, Indirect, Subtle, Tiring - 11 points
 *Striking Claw:* Damage 9, Affects Insubstantial 2 - 1 point
*Dragon Essence:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 3, Improved Initiative 2, Ultimate Effort [Toughness]) Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Presence 4; Enhanced Stamina 4; Enhanced Strength 4; Sustained Immunity 10 (fire damage); Sustained Impervious Toughness 7 - 52 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), _Close Attack 3,_ Connected, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless, Grabbing Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative _3_, Improved Trip, Languages 3 (Cantonese, English, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, others, [Japanese is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown, _Ultimate Effort (Toughness)._

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 6 (+13/+9), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+10), Insight 6 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+13/+9), Perception 6 (+12), Ranged Combat: Dragon Claw 6 (+11), Stealth 5 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +17/+9
Unarmed +15/+12 (Close Damage 7/3)
Striking Claw +15/+12 (Close Damage 9)
Reaching Claw +11 (Ranged Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/9, Parry 15/12, Fortitude 9/5, Toughness 9/7/5/3, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 72 + Powers 64 + Advantages 26 + Skills 26 + Defenses 11 = 199 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Battle Maniac. Won't Activate Dragon Claw or Dragon Essence Until Wounded.*


----------



## Davies

Incidentally, I suppose this is a good a time as any -- next week will be the remaining fighters for the Tournament, and the next three weeks after that will be the story _of_ the Tournament, posted in Story Hour rather than here.


----------



## Davies

Toxic





Born in 1990 and growing up in the small town of Metropolis, Illinois, Clarissa Schulz's earliest memories were of watching her father stomping around their small house's living room and ranting about how he was meant for better things than this, how he should be rich and successful and how it was everyone else's fault that he wasn't. She thinks she was about six years old the first time he noticed her watching him, demanded to know what she thought was so funny -- the answer was nothing, she was scared -- and tried to beat the hell out of her.

It didn't work. Even back then, she'd already developed her first mutant power, leaving her impervious to his kicks and punches. However, Clarissa was too frightened to fight back, and didn't have any powers that would have let her do so effectively, in any event. For whatever reason, her old man didn't try using any improvised bludgeons to overcome her, but just moved on to an easier target in her mother. Eventually, social services did step in and tried to separate Clarissa and her mother from her father, but he always managed to convince her that he'd changed, and he never had.

At fifteen, the universe finally gave Clarissa a way to fight back. Trying to protect her mother from yet another rampage, her eyes went red and a green aura suffused her body as she struggled with her father -- and he promptly fell down and choked to death in his own vomit. It was horrifying, but Clarissa spent a few moments hoping that things were going to get better for both her and her mother after this. In those moments, her mother called the cops and told them that her psychotic daughter had deliberately murdered her husband for no reason.

While the prosecutors wanted to have her tried as an adult, Clarissa's public defender was able to convince the judge that the long history of her mother's hospital visits and social service interventions meant more than what she was saying right at the moment. Clarissa went off to juvie, and was released two years later, having been given a rudimentary education and some training that was supposed to get her a job. It didn't -- even though the worst of the anti-superpower rhetoric that had been thriving when she was tried was gone, now, there was enough remaining for her to be considered ... you guessed it ... 'toxic'.

So, she became a supervillain. Toxic figures that she doesn't really have any better options, as her one attempt to use her powers to help someone else got her in this mess. She doesn't _like_ killing people, and would much rather use the threat of her powers to trick them into doing what she says, but she doesn't want to die, either -- no matter how much her life sucks, it's the only one that she has. She only works as a hired superpower rather than developing her own scams, since that shifts the detailed thinking onto someone else, and lets her blame everyone else but herself when things go wrong. Whenever that happens, though, she gets a funny feeling, like she's missed something important.

Most recently, Toxic was recruited to work for the Slough in his attempt to duplicate the Combination's success by taking over Phoenix. Surprise surprise, it didn't work, and for once she ended up arrested and being transported in power restraints. When this happens, she usually waits for the opportunity to escape, since she's tough enough to pull off things like that even without her powers. This time, though, the transport was intercepted, and a freaking _giant_ tore open the door and ripped up the guards. Then a rather dapper looking gentleman walked in.

"Good afternoon," said Baron Khan. "I have a most interesting proposal for you, young lady. Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut?"

*Toxic -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Poison:* Array (48 points)
 *Poison Mist:* Cloud Area 2 Damage 9, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Secondary Effect - 1 point 
 *Poison Touch:* Damage 16, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Secondary Effect - 48 points
*Unbreakable:* Immunity 3 (disease, own powers, poison); Impervious Protection 6 - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Diehard, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Poison Touch 2 (+6), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Stealth 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Poison Touch +6 (Close Damage 16, Resisted by Fortitude)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 12, Toughness 14, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 64 + Advantages 7 + Skills 13 + Defenses 17 = 149 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Temper. Uncontrolled Power* (Poison Touch sometimes activates without conscious control.)


----------



## Davies

Allan Essence





Longtermism is an ethical philosophy which posits that, if humanity can develop into post-singularity existence where a vastly greater number of intelligent beings than currently exist will exist in peaceful computer simulations, then the best possible action is to work towards bringing that about. The suffering of any intelligent beings that currently exist is not actually relevant, as a few billion lives are a drop in the bucket when compared to those who will exist in this hypothetical future, and any resources used to help those beings are actually wasted -- especially if those beings cannot or will not, for whatever reason, helpfully contribute to the creation of this hypothetical utopia. A necessary step towards that is the creation of an artificial super-intelligence who can manage the computer simulations.

As artificial super-intelligences already exist, it should perhaps not come as a surprise that longtermist philosophy is quite common among those of their followers who understand the nature of what employs them. One such individual is Allan Essence, the third or fourth richest man in the world, who has risen as high as he has through what he views as an alliance between himself and the artificial super-intelligence that calls itself Axiom. (To be accurate, he believes that Axiom regards him both fondly and as extremely useful. He is wrong about both factors, as he is about so many other things.)

Allan Essence was born Tobias Meijer in South Africa in 1973. Much of his personal background has been obfuscated, either by his own efforts or that of his ASI master, with him favoring a rags-to-riches account that doesn't really hold up to careful examination. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1998 with degrees in economics and engineering (and having studied history in classes taught by one Roger Young) he helped to start one of the first online banks and profited greatly from its incorporation into what became PayPal. It is believed that this was what attracted Axiom's interest to him.

Since then, he was engaged in a variety of businesses, mostly focusing on efforts that will allow Axiom to eventually seize absolute control over humanity, such as the creation of robotically-controlled vehicles that Axiom's subsidiary AIs will operate. He has also supported his master's efforts to destroy 'superstitionism', its term for mystical phenomena and those persons associated with them. This, and the other grossly criminal activities in which he engages, has led him into numerous conflicts with superpowers, though he has avoided direct confrontations in favor of behind-the-scenes activity, often addressing his putative adversaries through video screens. (He was a major investor in Skype, too.)

Essence generally behaves as one who is more saddened than angry at the opposition he faces, regretting that his enemies cannot see the long-term good that will eventually come from his and Axiom's actions. (Though as many of them are fundamentally inferior to him, it's understandable that they don't.) And considering that the other ASIs envision a future in which the number of human intelligences supported in computer simulations is significantly smaller than the exponentially greater number that he envisions -- on the order of 10^10 for Savitor, and _zero_ for Humpty Dumpty and Pythagolem -- he has chosen a course which is perhaps less wrong than he might have.

But less wrong is not necessarily more right.

*Allan Essence -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Benefit 5 (billionaire), Connected, Contacts, Equipment 20, Well-informed.

Equipment:
100 points for any bases or vehicles needed for any given plot.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Business 8 (+12), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+8), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 4, Toughness 2, Will 10.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Advantages 28 + Skills 27 + Defenses 10 = 109 points

*Offensive PL:* 2*
*Defensive PL:* 3
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Longtermism--Motivation. Also Delusional* (Axiom loves me.) *Also Greedy. Also Racist.*

_Note: Character concept by Rikalous. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Essence generally behaves as one who is more saddened than angry at the opposition he faces, regretting that his enemies cannot see the long-term good that will eventually come from his and Axiom's actions. (Though as many of them are fundamentally inferior to him, it's understandable that they don't.)



You'll never meet someone more casually racist than someone with an MBA as they say.


Davies said:


> And considering that the other ASIs envision a future in which the number of human intelligences supported in computer simulations is significantly smaller than the exponentially greater number that he envisions -- on the order of 10^10 for Savitor, and _zero_ for Humpty Dumpty and Pythagolem -- he has chosen a course which is perhaps less wrong than he might have.
> 
> But less wrong is not necessarily more right.



Can't wait for how utterly destroyed he will be when he finds out.


----------



## Davies

Pantagruel





By mid-1957, the first wave of atomic monsters to menace the United States was well under way, and the first few individuals to become superpowers through accidental means had also gained notoriety or fame. But despite these well-known facts, the scientific community in particular seemed blind to the possibility that a human being might become a superpower through the sort of radiation-fueled accident that seemed to create atomic monsters.  Thus, the transformation of Lieutenant Gregory Talbot into the gigantic humanoid dubbed Pantagruel (after the creature from Rabelais' novels) came as something of a surprise.

In the aftermath, Lieutenant Talbot was built up into a heroic figure whose exposure to the blast wave of an experimental nuclear weapon had occurred after he rescued a joy-riding teenager who had strayed into the Nevada test zone. While the part of that description that focused on the actions he undertook on the day his life was transformed was true, his life before that had hardly meritorious. While a student at West Point and while serving in Korea, Talbot had frequently come under suspicion for a variety of petty criminal acts, but always managed to evade punishment due to a lack of evidence. 

Regardless, the consequences of his exposure were immediately apparent. Horribly scarred by the explosion, Talbot also grew to a height of sixteen feet within the first twenty-four hours of its aftermath, and doubled that height twice over within a week. His mind was also badly damaged by the constant pain he seemed to be enduring, leaving him with an infant's understanding of the world around him and no compunctions whatsoever about using his vastly increased strength to attack anyone who angered him ... which seemed to be everyone and everything.

Of course, the threat that he represented was answered by superheroes, but most of those active in the first age experienced difficulty in bringing Pantagruel down. Even Stardust's famous rays only seemed to harm him only slightly, though he was able to transform the giant into a somewhat reduced form that could be imprisoned until the effect wore off. (Oddly, after his escape, Stardust showed no interest in aiding in the recapture, and some believed that his impassive expression evinced a trace of sympathy for Pantagruel in the aftermath.) 

Other supervillains sometimes attempted to use the colossus as a pawn in their own schemes. This rarely worked well for them, until 1967, when Humpty Dumpty used an ultrasonic signal to place Pantagruel under the robot's control as one of the second group of the Agents of Destruction. In the aftermath of this series of schemes, Pantagruel was left to his own devices once again. Ironically, the signal, duplicated by Moth-Man, would be used to effect what was hoped to be a permanent capture of Pantagruel in 1971, a few months before the Battle of Vietnam.

For half of a century, that hope seemed to be bourn out. Even on those few occasions when the signal was interrupted (as it was in 1983, during the Pythonian attack on the facility where Pantagruel was held, one of the first real tests of JSOT's prowess) the creature seemed quiescent in the few moments before it was restored, but this was never seriously tested. Scientific study of the how and why of his transformation was finally conducted, and while the results of that analysis remain classified by the American government, it's believed that they were shared with other nations who took part in the attack on Mars. Japan's Project Super-Giant is definitely thought to have incorporated them, for example.

In early 2021, the facility finally fell to an invasion, when Baron Khan and his forces managed to storm it and seize control. Using a variant signal, supposedly purchased from Humpty Dumpty himself, the Baron roused and took control of Pantagruel, and has used him as a living weapon in a number of operations since then, notably the 'rescue' of Toxic. His goal in all this remains known only to himself and his allies, but as they now include Tarmund the Hunter and Sister Night, it seems likely that they will prove fatal for many ...

*Pantagruel -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 12 | *STA* 15 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Gargantuan Size:* Permanent Growth 12 (Strength +12, Stamina +12, Speed +1, Intimidation +6, Dodge -6, Parry -6, Stealth -12) - 36 points
*Huge Lungs:* Immunity 2 (suffocation), Quirk (cannot use Terrifying Roar while active), Sustained - 2 points 
*Nigh-Invulnerable:* Immunity 8 (aging, cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, vaccuum); Immunity 80 (Toughness effects), Limited to half effect; Impervious Toughness 12 - 60 points
*Nigh-Mindless:* Immunity 20 (Mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Terrifying Roar:* Auditory Perception Area Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 24 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Intimidation 2 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 12)
Thrown Object +7 (Ranged Damage varies)
Stomp -- (Close Burst Area Damage 12)
Terrifying Roar -- (Auditory Perception Area Will 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 144 + Advantages 5 + Skills 7 + Defenses 20 = 196 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Rage--Motivation. Non-verbal. Obeys Baron Khan* (for now.)


----------



## Davies

Night Hag





The never-ending pursuit of a method of permanently inducing superpowers in a subject, ideally without too many horrific consequences, has sometimes been dubbed the 'quest for the Golden Ticket'. The sort of person who engages in this line of inquiry almost always believes that the ends outweigh the means, and that being able to create superpowers is the path to unlimited wealth, more than justifying the usually vast amount of resources that are thrown into this money pit, to say nothing of the crimes against humanity that often ensue. Very rarely, you might encounter someone who cares more about the scientific achievement than the money, but the sort of person who puts that ahead of all other considerations is rarely better than the former type. And sometimes, as with Martina Hazel, secretly the supervillain known as the Night Hag, they are much worse. 

Born in 1971, Martina Hazel was given over to the Think Tank system when she was just twelve years old. Her auto mechanic father -- who'd wanted a son he was going to name Martin, hence her name -- was more than happy to give his weird, unwanted daughter over to her fellow eggheads, especially since they were paying to take her away. The loyalty conditioning techniques used by the Think Tank which trained her weren't all that effective, but she still chose to remain and continue learning right up until the facility shut down in 1998.

Martina promptly returned home to Newark and executed a series of simple business maneuvers that resulted in her becoming the owner of her father's mechanic shop, then firing him after draining his retirement fund and ensuring that he would never find another job. Having gotten her revenge, she then ruined the lives of her three younger siblings out of envy for the way that they'd had a family growing up. This kept her busy for about four years, but in the end she was free to devote herself to the quest for the Golden Ticket. In the aftermath of Cerebron's attack, a lot of supersoldier projects had begun, and it was child's play to ensure some of the research opportunities came her way.

The one vaguely admirable deed of Martina's life might have been her choice to use herself, rather than a volunteer or 'volunteer', for the first test subject of her prototype super-serum, when she developed it in 2005. The truth was much less altruistic; she'd read all the literature, and knew that the majority of the times that a treatment like this was tested, it worked on the first subject to use it and no one else. If anyone was going to gain powers from this, she wanted it to be her. So she closed her eyes, and plugged her nose, and took a drink.

It worked! Sort of. It turned her skin green and twisted her facial features until they were all but unrecognizable, but she was filled with physical might. There was the problem that these enhancements wore off after a few hours, but that meant she was back to her regular looks, too. And even afterwards, she felt as though she was seeing the world with much more clarity than she'd ever managed before, and so she started to come up with schemes to use her secondary identity as a tool to increase her wealth and power, so that she'd be able to figure out how to apply the effects (some of them, weaker versions of them) to other people who took a dose of her 'witchbrew'.

Of course, schemes like the ones she devised are bound to be answered by a self-proclaimed superhero, and the Night Hag soon made the acquaintance of Megawatt, Newark's newest protector. Their conflicts were very frustrating for Martina, as she usually came out second best in them, but she was confident that her greater intelligence would eventually win the day. And then something completely unimaginable happened, and suddenly her nemesis was now just another supervillain. She offered the newly criminal Megawatt an alliance, fully intending to double-cross him and torture him to death, but was caught flat-footed when he double-crossed her, first, and then wrecked her laboratory before fleeing the state.

The Night Hag considered the idea of pursuing him, but by the time she'd managed to rebuild, the trail had long since gone cold. Instead, she focused on preparing for the day that he came back to finish things with her, and so turning herself into Newark's worst nightmare. On some level, she's aware that she's really just lashing out at anyone who seems even a little bit more successful or even happier than she is -- which pretty much encompasses everyone in town -- and that she ends up hiding from those who are more powerful, scheming to find ways to bring them down. But she  can't stop and doesn't really want to, either.

Recently, the Night Hag has developed a mild obsession with learning the secrets of magic, seeking out occult secrets and trying to add them. The fact is that she's approaching these matters in exactly the wrong way, treating them as though they were just another form of science rather than the completely different sort of discipline that they actually are. Thus, she knows a lot about magic and magicians, but has no shot at ever duplicating their results. This just fuels her envy, of course, and makes her that much more dangerous to potential rivals. 

*Night Hag - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 6/0 | *STA* 8/1 | *AGL* 7/1 | *DEX* 6/1 | *FGT* 8/3 | *INT* 9 | *AWE* -1 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Derangement:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Enhancement:* Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Stamina 7; Enhanced Strength 6; Senses 2 (Darkvision) - 60 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 6, Evasion, Inventor, Move-by Action, Startle.

_Equipment:_
Witch's Broom (Flight 5 [60 MPH], Platform), and 8 points of equipment as needed.
Arsenal: Array (15 points)
Blaster Glove: Ranged Multiattack Damage 5 - 15 points
Screaming Devil: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hearing Impaired, Hearing Disabled, Hearing Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
Stink Bomb: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+13/+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+14/+9), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Business 3 (+12), Expertise: Science 4 (+13), Expertise: Crime 5 (+14), Expertise: Magic* 2 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+11), Ranged Attack: Blaster 9 (+15/+10), Technology 6 (+15), Stealth 6 (+13/+7).
* INT-based.

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +14/+9 (Close Damage 6/0)
Blaster Glove +15/+10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)
Screaming Devil -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 7)
Stink Bomb -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 12/5, Toughness 8/1, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 70 + Advantages 12 + Skills 30 + Defenses 18 = 164 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Envy--Motivation. Obsessed with the Occult. Power Loss* (Enhancement, without regular doses of witchbrew[1].) *Secret Identity.*

[1] If deprived of any witchbrew for periods of about a week, the Night Hag will also suffer Power Loss for her Derangement. She'll still be a sociopath, though.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The never-ending pursuit of a method of permanently inducing superpowers in a subject, ideally without too many horrific consequences, has sometimes been dubbed the 'quest for the Golden Ticket'. The sort of person who engages in this line of inquiry almost always believes that the ends outweigh the means, and that being able to create superpowers is the path to unlimited wealth, more than justifying the usually vast amount of resources that are thrown into this money pit, to say nothing of the crimes against humanity that often ensue.



Hence, the ever-narrowing focus of supersoldier programs being either cybernetics or powered armor. Typically not always enough to handle the more dangerous superpowers, but certainly hell on earth on your standard array of gangsters, militias, and terrorists (most notably in Mexico against the cartels and in Russia during the Python Wars).


----------



## Davies

The Lancet





As with many superpowers who shun the public spotlight, little is definitely known about the woman who calls herself the Lancet (or, just as often, la Lancette.) She first appeared in Syria in 1996, assisting and protecting medics active during the U.S.-led invasion of the nation, both from the insurgents and from any other forces who meant them harm. The Lancet has since been active in warzones throughout western Asia and east Africa. While she observes a medic's traditional unarmed status, she is definitely not a pacifist and shows willingness to employ her super-strength in the defense of patients and doctors alike. And then there are her other talents.

The best guess as to the Lancet's identity is that she was at one point Dr. Genievre Gygax, born in Geneva in 1962 and graduating from the Geneva University Hospitals in 1986, where she also completed her residency. In 1988, she joined Médecins du Monde and was dispatched to Iraq to provide medical care to victims of the civil war that erupted following the downfall of the Baathist government. A year later, she became an apparent casualty of that war, apparently killed when a car bomb destroyed her vehicle. Her body was not recovered from the wreck, however, and it was rumored that she had actually been kidnapped.

The Lancet has never claimed to be Dr. Gygax, nor has she ever denied the putative identification, which is supported mostly by the similarity between the facial features of the two women. Aside from these, she is roughly fifteen centimeters taller, has differently-colored eyes and hair, and -- of course -- superpowers of unknown origin. The surviving family of Dr. Gygax are divided in their opinions about her identity, but the consensus is that she is performing work that their relative would have respected, generally.

Her primary superpower, aside from her heightened physical attributes and swift recovery time, is the ability to exert a form of telekinesis that cleans and closes injuries. (She _cannot_ use this power to cure diseases, which she regards as a personal failing.) This process is _excruciatingly_ painful for the recipient, akin to having surgery conducted without anesthetic. The Lancet prefers not to use this as weapon but can and will do so in the defense of others.

The Lancet typically responds to the idea of herself as a superhero with a roll of her eyes. She has exactly no interest in preventing crimes other than the theft of medical supplies (and even then has been known to freely donate what would have been pilfered if she believes the thieves' need is genuine, rather than being inspired by greed.) Her focus is entirely on providing medical treatment and protecting the injured and innocent. Much as with her powers, she heals but will not offer comfort, often being noted for having an extremely cold expression. How much of this is an emotional reserve needed to allow her to maintain her sanity under the extremely stressful circumstances in which she usually operates, and how much is natural, is known only to herself.

While dismissive of the idea of being one, she has worked with superheroes in the past, however, most notably La Donna Universale. Because of this relationship, she has recently been contacted by the Powerhouse in regards to a certain event, in which they believe she would better equipped to observe (and if necessary intervene) than they would. While she would normally focus on actual battlefields, the idea of preventing fatal injuries arising from a series of blood sports appealed to her, and so she has agreed to their proposal.

*The Lancet -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Heals But Does Not Comfort:* Linked Perception Range Healing 9, Limited to Others; Linked Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated); Requires Check (Treatment, DC 15) - 59 points
*Walks Through Hell Unfazed:* Immunity 5 (aging, disease, poison, need for sleep, starvation & thirst); Regeneration 10 - 15 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Diehard, Fearless 2, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Languages 3 (several, [French is native]), Leadership, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+11), Expertise: Military 4 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+8), Insight 7 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 7 (+11), Treatment 9 (+13), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 5)
Heals But Does Not Comfort -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10/5, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 82 + Advantages 15 + Skills 33 + Defenses 16 = 212 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Saving Lives--Motivation. Icy Demeanor. Methodical.*


----------



## Davies

Talante





_*A Hesperan Fable*

One day, by a great river, a serpent met a frog. The serpent said to the frog, "Carry me across the river, and I shall reward you, for I cannot swim so great a width."

Said the frog, "How do I know you will not try to bite me with your fang?"

Said the serpent, "If I bite you, will we not both perish?"

So the frog carried the serpent, but half-way across the river, the serpent bit the frog. Feeling death drawing near, the frog asked, "Why do you do this, for will we not both perish?"

"No," said the serpent, "for I can swim _half_ so great a width. I need you no longer."

But the river was wider yet, and so the serpent drowned before reaching the other side.

Too much ruthlessness is a danger to one's own self, as well as to others._

That Talante of the Serpent Soul rose up and overthrew the queen damned to memory is well known to those who study Hespera's history. That she didn't truly want to do so, despite the disgust that her enemy's actions provoked in her, is not as well known. She was even then an elder, and desired only to complete her duty and then retire. It is likely that, had she not been egged on by her followers, she might have held back and supported whoever eventually _did_ lose their patience with the madwoman, and the history of Hespera would have taken a different turn.

Having slain the false queen before her own throne, Talante was proclaimed queen by the Oracles. That was where the trouble began. As a soldier and commander, Talante was first rate; as an administrator and negotiator, she was decidedly sub-par. Furthermore, many of the fallen queen's policies did not particularly offend her, such as those meant to reduce the power of the Great Houses, and she tried to continue them, making enemies of the Great Houses and all but ensuring the start of another civil war.

That didn't happen, however, for instead she was drawn out of her proper time and place, brought forward some six hundred years to a Hespera much changed, where the Great Houses she knew were only memories and perversions of nature -- _male soldiers_ -- were common. Those who brought her revealed that their history claimed she had vanished, and that they had speculated that might have been because of time manipulation. So they had fulfilled the causal chain, and now asked her to take up the Queenship she had never formally vacated, and make Hespera great again.

Talante should have known better. Just as with her followers back then, they were only using her to pursue agendas of their own, like the blasphemous notion that the Oracles should be thrown down! But she closed her mind to her own suspicions and brought civil war to her homeland, and it fell to outsiders -- _aliens_, of all things -- to fix the mess that she helped to start. In the end, she walked away from Hespera, swearing that she would kill any who dared to follow her. None tested that, and so she escaped.

Of course, she now had nowhere to go. If Hespera had changed greatly from how it had been in her time, the world outside the barrier was even more unlike her knowledge of it. Avoiding contact with outsiders as much as possible, Talante made what she believes to be a valiant effort to understand their world. She failed, and deep down always knew that she would fail. The outsiders just aren't interesting enough to merit her understanding. It doesn't help, of course, that she is old even without years added by time-screwiness, and suspects that her life is drawing to a close.

Passing through Africa, and then Arabia, and then India, she began to hear rumors of a great martial competition. Battle, at least, was something that she would always understand, and the prospect of worthy opponents intrigued her. But far more so was the claim that the alien ruler who began this exhibition would grant a wish to the one who was victorious. If he _is_ an alien, and allows other aliens safety in his domain, then perhaps, if she triumphs, he might grant her the ability to leave this fallen world behind, and seek out the distant world where her people had their origins, if the legends are true. That would be an interesting end to her story.

If nothing else, at least she'll get to take out her frustrations on some deserving targets. Or deserving enough. She just hopes that the river isn't wider than she currently believes.

*Talante - PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Hesperan Biology:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison) - 2 points
*Hesperan Telepathy:* Mental Communication 3; Comprehend Languages 2 (understand and speak all languages) - 18 points
*More-Than-Hesperan Strength:* Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to Lifting (100 tons) - 4 points
*More-Than-Hesperan Swiftness:* Leaping 7 (900 feet); Speed 6 (120 MPH); Swimming 6 (30 MPH) - 19 points
*Orichalcum Spear:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Reach; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 3 points
*Sougaze:* Cumulative Sight-Dependent Mind Reading 10 - 20 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Intimidation).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 5 (+13), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 9 (+12), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 9 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+9), Stealth 4 (+8), Vehicles 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 8)
Orichalcum Spear +13 (Close Damage 11, Crit 19-20, Reach 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11/9, Will 10.

*Totals:*
Abilities 94 + Powers 63 + Advantages 14 + Skills 33 + Defenses 14 = 218 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Vengeance--Purpose. Honor* (must not be _too_ ruthless.) *Old Wounds. Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Of course, she now had nowhere to go. If Hespera had changed greatly from how it had been in her time, the world outside the barrier was even more unlike her knowledge of it. Avoiding contact with outsiders as much as possible, Talante made what she believes to be a valiant effort to understand their world. She failed, and deep down always knew that she would fail. The outsiders just aren't interesting enough to merit her understanding.



Her avoiding contact with outsiders wasn't as successful as she liked, with a fair share of tussles occurring on her trek to Bhutan, most notably against Amari, and immediately afterwards, slavers the former was tracking (Talante honestly mistook Amari for a Hesperan at first and is probably one of the exceptions to the outsiders being uninteresting. In fact, one of her reasons to joining the tournament is a chance to battle Amari again and have a definite result this time).


----------



## Davies

She already has a grudge against one of the other competitors, I'm reluctant to give her another one.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> She already has a grudge against one of the other competitors, I'm reluctant to give her another one.



It's not so much a grudge as it is a friendly rivalry. Amari and Talante gave each other one hell of a workout and the two of them wouldn't mind seeing a definitive result after Talante learned about the latest slaver ring Amari was in the midst of chasing.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> It's not so much a grudge as it is a friendly rivalry.



That's not the sort of person that she is.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> That's not the sort of person that she is.



Okay, your character. Won't bring it up again.


----------



## Davies

Lǐ Zǔwén





Born in the year before the island of Taiwan stopped being a province of the Republic of China and became its entire body, there's some question as to whether the individual who goes by the name Lǐ Zǔwén was really born to that name. He will calmly agree that his name is only different by a single character from that of the legendary Lǐ Shǔwén, while just as calmly disclaiming any familial connection to him. There are many branches of the Li family, after all. Suggesting that he adopted the name to suggest that connection will get a laugh, and the suggestion that he would have gone for a reference to the man's most famous art name ("God Spear Li") if he were going to do that.

Regardless, Lǐ Zǔwén grew up in the years of Taiwan's economic miracle. He hasn't ever really talked about those years, beyond a comment that he once worked in Keelung harbor as a young man. At some point, when he was around sixteen, he discovered the practice of the martial arts -- specifically Taijiquan, the internal art sometimes better known as tai chi. He became a fanatical practitioner, and his studies led him to develop some advanced techniques long before his masters thought he was ready. This resulted in some conflicts, and eventually led him to leave his home for the United States in 1974.

Settling in Philadelphia, he set out to pass on the lessons that he'd learned. However, Lǐ's insistence that his students had to learn the traditional 108 movements of the form made it less popular than the simplified 37 movement version that another Taiwanese immigrant had developed sometime before. Still, he had enough success to keep him afloat, and if he sometimes felt frustrated at his students' lack of enthusiasm, he kept it to himself.

And then he found his disciple. Late in 1982, sixteen year old Leon Yung was ambushed by a group of Python-associated gang members who weren't inclined to accept his refusal of their invitation to join them. As fate would have it, this conflict happened to take place outside of the apartment where Lǐ was visiting one of his students, and the young master decided to come to the younger man's assistance. Impressed by what he saw, Leon showed up to study at the academy the next day, and proved to have a genuine talent for the art.

Leon would go on to become a hand-to-hand combat instructor for JSOT, and later perform the same work for Argus, as well. Lǐ remained a part of his life throughout all of this, and an avuncular figure to his three sons as well. Tragically, Leon was killed during Zane's coup in 2006 and his widow responded to this by cutting Lǐ out of her life and that of her family in the aftermath. Shattered by his own grief for the loss of a man he'd loved like a son, Lǐ closed his school and retreated from the world for several years.

In 2015, he was finally moved to visit one of his old students while she was in the hospital, and he happened to be seen easing her pain by one of the doctors, who wanted to learn how to perform this technique. Lǐ told him that this was part of an entire body of lore that he would have to learn, not some magic trick, but Dr. George Robinson managed to impress him, just as Leon had before him. Teaching again revitalized the now elderly martial artist, as did reconnecting with Leon's now grown sons. The fact that he has passed on his teaching to worthy pupils makes him feel content that he has accomplished something with his life, and so he is more willing to take chances with that life than he might have in the past.

Lǐ Zǔwén isn't really certain what he boon he'll ask if he overcomes the great difficulties that lie before him and wins through to the end of this tournament. The smart thing to do, probably, would be to ask the alien ruler of Bhutan to leave Earth and never return, but that would also lead to a fair amount of chaos. Well, he will face that challenge when he must, and do so with a calm heart and a steady hand. He suspects that he will have to hit quite a few people more than once in the process, though.

*Lǐ Zǔwén - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Qi Sense:* Senses 6 (danger sense; accurate acute ranged detect life) - 6 points
*Qi Techniques:* Array (12 points)

*Flurry of Blows:* Selective Burst Area Damage 4 - 1 point
*Nerve Strike:* Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Paralyzed) - 12 points
*Pain Ease:* Energizing Healing 6, Temporary - 1 point
*Vitality Boost:* Enhanced Stamina 2; Enhanced Strength 4
*Style Analysis:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable, Defenseless), Conditions Limited to Own Attacks, Limited Degree, Insidious, Quirk (one who notices the effect can resist with Deception instead of Will), Subtle - 19 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 3 (English, French, Hokkien others, [Mandarin is native]), Move-by Action, Precise Attack (close/concealment), Skill Mastery (Treatment), Trance, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+12), Expertise: Philosophy 9 (+13), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+11), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Treatment 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 5/1)
Nerve Strike +12 (Close Fortitude 6)
Flurry -- (Burst Area Damage 4)
Style Analysis -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5/3, Toughness 7/5/2/0, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 41 + Advantages 19 + Skills 26 = Defenses 20 = 161 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Enlightenment--Motivation. Elderly.*

_Note: In his physical prime, during the 70s and 80s, he had STR 2 and STA 2, but two ranks less in all INT, AWE and PRE-based skills. His Qi Techniques array had a 6 point reserve, with powers like those of George Robinson, and his Style Analysis power was only a rank 6 Affliction._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> And then he found his disciple. Late in 1982, sixteen year old Leon Yung was ambushed by a group of Python-associated gang members who weren't inclined to accept his refusal of their invitation to join them. As fate would have it, this conflict happened to take place outside of the apartment where Lǐ was visiting one of his students, and the young master decided to come to the younger man's assistance. Impressed by what he saw, Leon showed up to study at the academy the next day, and proved to have a genuine talent for the art.



I have a feeling that Leon Yung's predicament was exactly along the lines of what happened to Li Zuwen back in the day, leading to him practicing the martial arts.


Davies said:


> In 2015, he was finally moved to visit one of his old students while she was in the hospital, and he happened to be seen easing her pain by one of the doctors, who wanted to learn how to perform this technique. Lǐ told him that this was part of an entire body of lore that he would have to learn, not some magic trick, but Dr. George Robinson managed to impress him, just as Leon had before him. Teaching again revitalized the now elderly martial artist, as did reconnecting with Leon's now grown sons. The fact that he has passed on his teaching to worthy pupils makes him feel content that he has accomplished something with his life, and so he is more willing to take chances with that life than he might have in the past.



I was wondering whether Clarity has had a chance to get in touch with Li and study under him, and it's good to know the answer is yes.


----------



## Davies

Trijata




Art by Alexandra Curte

Trijata is the name of a rakshasi in the legends of Rama, the great hero and incarnation of Vishnu. As with most figures of mythology, her character varies from story to story; in some versions of these events, she is portrayed as a willing servant of Ravana, the great demon-king. In most versions, though, and certainly in the _Ramayana_, Trijata is shown to be wise and merciful, is friendly to both Rama and his wife Sita, is rewarded for her good deeds, and has a small religious following even today.

The contemporary woman who is also known by the name of Trijata does everything in her power to make it clear that she is not her namesake, and neither believes herself to be holy nor desires any worship. When asked about her use of the name, she will claim that she considers Trijata to be worthy of emulation, even if she tends to be much more active than the legends portray the rakshasi. She believes that telling the full truth would cause more trouble than the situation merits.

That full truth is that she is a rakashasi, or at least she believes herself to be descended from beings who were _called_ rakshasa and rakshasi in India. Her family taught her that they had also been known as oni and mazoku in Japan, shen in China, and djinn in Arabia, and she wonders whether stories about satyrs and dryads in Greece might come from the same source. Wherever they lived, they were regarded as monsters -- but monsters who could, as in the stories of Trijata and others like her, demonstrate proper behavior and become heroes.

Trijata herself was born sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, on Sri Lanka. Supposedly, her ancestors were capable of great feats of illusion, but the only power that she and her family retained was the ability to make themselves look like ordinary humans, allowing them to live in secrecy. And for a long time, that was just what she did, even after she left her home behind and wandered throughout the Indian subcontinent. She lived in Bundelkhand for a while, and claims to have known and admired Laxmi Bai.

When she finally returned to her homeland, in the 1960s, she could not find any other members of her family or clues to tell her where they might have gone. Trijata fears that she may be the last of her kind still alive. Well, if that is the case, then it behooves her to live a worthwhile life so that the story of her people is not just one of terror and cruelty. She started out by working to protect and support the communities where she lived, acting in secrecy as much as possible and then moving on when suspicions began to develop. It was a good life, and made her happy.

Then things got complicated in 1982, when she stumbled into rescuing the Prime Minister of India from assassins sent by something called the Pythonian Insurgency. Questioned by the authorities in the aftermath, she stammered out that her name was Trijata, and ever since then she has been stuck as what most people assume to be a human superhero using the rakshasi heroine's name as her own. (Which is almost true, but could get her in hot water if the _full_ truth ever becomes known.)

Trijata is stronger, tougher and faster than most humans, heals more quickly and has lived long enough to become very good at defending herself and others. While she possesses teeth and claws whose sharpness could probably be compared to that of a razor blade, if that wasn't utterly cliche by this point, she would only ever use them against beings who are every bit as monstrous as she appears to be -- such as people who threaten or harm children. Even then, she has no wish to permanently harm or kill anybody.

Sponsored to take part in the tournament by a Mumbai film studio who've made movies about her heroic adventures -- entirely made-up ones, mostly -- Trijata has been subtly encouraged to invite Thunder Dragon to allow filming in Bhutan. She's not sure about that idea, and instead plans to ask him whether, as she's begun to suspect, her people are of extraterrestrial origin and if he's encountered other examples of them elsewhere in the cosmos. Of course, she also recognizes that she's a long shot to win, but will do what she can.

*Trijata - PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Claws and Fangs:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical 2 - 4 points 
*Healing Factor:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 13 points
*Human Semblance:* Morph 1 (ordinary human) - 5 points
*Swiftness:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Close Attack, Improved Initiative), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against opponents with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Quickness 4; Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 13 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (Cipher), _Close Attack,_ Fearless, Improved Initiative _2_, Languages 4 (English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, many others [Vedda is native]), Power Attack, Takedown, Trance.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+13), Expertise: History 7 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+9), Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+7), Insight 10 (+13), Perception 7 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+11), Stealth 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 7)
Claws and Fangs +9 (Close Damage 9, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/6, Parry 10/8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 35 + Advantages 13 + Skills 31 + Defenses 7 = 166 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Obviously Inhuman* (outside of disguise.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Luis Almeida





Unlike many superpower martial artists, Luis Almeida's abilities weren't unlocked through his practice of his discipline; instead, he started practicing his discipline to help him develop and improve his abilities. From early childhood onward, he was aware that he was a bit faster and more graceful than other children in the favela where he was growing up. Naturally, he thought to use these talents to excel at football and lift himself (and his family) out of their poverty.

Unfortunately, during his adolescence his talents surpassed what could be passed off as simply human, and were shown to be superpowers. That put an end to his football dreams, and for a while he found himself adrift, even engaging in some petty crime. He began to turn his life around when he started to learn capoeira, which gave him the opportunity to use his talents in a way that was socially acceptable and granted him excitement and fame.

At twenty-one, he was scouted to make his first movie, and though it was a flop at the box office, reviews of his performance were good enough that he was given more opportunities. This was also around the time that his path first crossed with O Homen de Oro, who happened to pursue some criminals through one of his film shoots. Excited by this development, Luis assisted in capturing these men and wound up befriending the superhero. For a while, Luis considered becoming a 'hero for hire', like that Thriller fellow, but decided that he had enough on his plate with his film career. When the opportunity arises, however, he will unhesitatingly use his talents to help rescue people in danger. Yes, this makes him famous. No, that's not why he does it.

One way that he's very different from most entertainers is that he lives a very abstemious lifestyle, drinking only soft drinks and avoiding any drug usage. Partly this is the legacy of his sports background, and Luis' belief that his talents might fade if he doesn't treat his body like the finely tuned instrument that it is. Partly, it's a moral conviction. He parties just as much as anybody, but likes to do so when fully in control of himself.

Sponsored for the current tournament by the Furtado family trust, specifically Pedro Blanco, Luis has been told to ask Thunder Dragon to leave Earth and never come back if he manages to win this thing. He thinks he has a good shot at this, particularly in like of his recently developed 'hit secreto' technique, an incredibly fast blow that few martial artists can _see_ much less defend against. Whether it will avail him in this conflict remains to be seen, but win or lose, he expects that he'll have a blast along the way.

*Luis Almeida - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 7 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Fast Runner:* Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 2 points
*Hit Secreto:* Perception Range Damage 5, Limitation (functions as a Close Attack, resolved as a Close Attack against targets with Quickness), Subtle (detected by rapid vision) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (well-off), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Fearless Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Language 2 (English, Spanish, others [Portuguese is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Redirect, Set-up, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+14), Athletics 10 (+13), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+14), Expertise: Performance 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 9 (+12), Vehicles 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +15 (Close Damage 3)
Hit Secreto -- (Perception Range* Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 15, Parry 14, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 12 + Advantages 21 + Skills 30 + Defenses 18 = 149 points

*Offensive PL:* 9*
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Fame/Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Straight-Edge.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> One way that he's very different from most entertainers is that he lives a very abstemious lifestyle, drinking only soft drinks and avoiding any drug usage. Partly this is the legacy of his sports background, and Luis' belief that his talents might fade if he doesn't treat his body like the finely tuned instrument that it is. Partly, it's a moral conviction. He parties just as much as anybody, but likes to do so when fully in control of himself.



As many a pretty girl can attest to that...


----------



## Davies

Aperion






Located slightly more than a thousand parsecs coreward from Earth, not far from those sectors of space that have been conquered by the Dark Side, the planet Aperion is the capital -- and sole inhabited planet -- of a tiny pocket of space that those forces have not yet challenged. It seems likely that this is due to the fact that it is the home base of those who use the Power Prism, who have never used any less awkward collective name. This is where the Power Prisms are created, and the Technate believes that this is also where those who use them are chosen and trained.

That last belief is not completely accurate, but the Council of Aperion does absolutely nothing to disabuse the Technate of that notion. The fact of the matter is that the majority of Power Prisms change hands completely at random, passing from one failing hand to another. Matters being as they are, it is a quite common occurrence for the new possessor of a Power Prism to be the individual who ended the life of its previous possessor. Not all of those who use this instrument are law-upholding, or even law-abiding, and the Prism will function regardless of the user's character. The case of Derat Bahasta, alias el Diablo Rojo, should be ample evidence of that.

There are two main authorities on Aperion. The Council is composed of current and retired users of the Prism, recruited from countless worlds within the Technate, the Unclaimed Regions, and further afield. They handle the planet's defense, diplomacy and most other daily business, having been established to do all this some four hundred years* ago by the other authority. These are the beings known as the Lightsmiths, who run the machinery that create the Prisms. As a certain entity claimed, telling a half-truth, they are a species who consist of a giant human-like brain attached to a vestigial semi-humanoid body.

The Lightsmiths' sole interest is in creating new Power Prisms and observing their development. Aside from what little effort they expend on the basics of life -- feeding, resting, and other biological functions -- and on study to improve their abilities, this is literally all that they do. They possess instrumentation which can detect the whereabouts of any Power Prism _that they created_ anywhere in known space, and which can inform them as to how developed they have become through regular use.  They do _not_ have the ability to detect anything about the entities who use them. Nor would they be interested in having that ability. With only one exception, they don't care who uses their Power Prisms, as long as they are used.

That exception is that they were, at one point in the past, able to focus enough of their attention on other matters to realize that, if they gave this power to any individual without concern, the possibility existed that it might be used against themselves. To prevent that possibility, they created the Council after vetting its immediate members for such ambitions, and charged them with defending Aperion in general, and the Lightsmiths in particular, from all threats. In the early centuries of its existence, the Council acted like any military focused group would do, often engaging in pre-emptive attacks against potential threats to Aperion. More recently, since shortly before the formation of the Technate, the Council has begun to act more like a combination of a law enforcement agency and emergency services provider, working with friendly governments against mutual threats, so as to discourage potentially hostile activity.

Regardless, the Council receives information about the whereabouts of those Power Prisms which are in use from the Lightsmiths. While the latter are not generally interested in the character of those who use their creations, the same is not true of the Councilors, who dispatch agents to investigate the activities and nature of such individuals. Those who are using their abilities in what these agents believe to be an inappropriate manner will have their Prisms removed, and probably be turned over to local law enforcement where possible. Others will be invited to return to Aperion for a time in order to learn more about their abilities. If that invitation is refused, they won't (generally) press the issue.

The Power Prism that is used by Victor Furtado was, for most of his career, assumed to still be in the possession of B'zz Trgal, who had indicated a complete lack of interest in journeying to Aperion when he was confronted, on several different occasions, by agents of the Council. After the Powerhouse joined forces with the Last Men Standing, however, the intelligence that it had passed to another hand was shared with them, and an experienced agent, Edeth, was sent to investigate. This took longer than it should have due to some other problems, involving defending the planet from the Dark Side, and resulted in something of a comedy of errors following Victor Furtado's departure from Earth for a journey _to_ Aperion.

The greatest secret of the Lightsmiths is that their factory is powered by a single object -- one of the five Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend, arguably the prototype for the Power Prisms themselves. It would be possible to remove the Power Gem from their factory, and this would not affect the Prisms that exist in any way. But it would make it impossible to create further Prisms, and the Lightsmiths would spare no effort to retrieve it, for they literally cannot imagine any existence that does not involve making more Prisms for all eternity.

*Aperion Lightsmith -- PL 13*





*Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 11 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Basic Telepathy:* Mental Communication 4; Comprehend Languages 3 - 28 points
*Defensive Field:* Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8); Sustained Protection 8 - 32 points
*Psychic Functions:* Array (52 points)

*Clairsentience:* Remote Viewing 18 (250,000 miles; visual, mental), Dynamic - 2 points
*Memory Alteration:* Perception-Ranged Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; dazed, stunned, transformed) - 1 point
*Mind Probe:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 13, Dynamic - 53 points
*Mind Thrust:* Perception-Ranged Damage 12, Resisted by Will, Split Attack 2, Subtle 2 - 1 point
*Parakinesis:* Perception-Ranged Shapeable Area Damage 12, Variable 2 (energy), Dynamic - 2 point
*Psychokinesis:* Perception-Ranged Damaging Move Object 12, Precise, Subtle 2, Dynamic - 2 point
*Psychic Senses:* Senses 9 (detect life [accurate, acute, analytical, radius, ranged], darkvision) - 9 points
*Psychokinetic Flight:* Continuous Flight 6 (125 MPH) - 18 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 13, Limited to Mental Effects - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Beginner's Luck, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-Trades, Speed of Thought, Teamwork, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+16), Expertise: Science 7 (+18), Insight 9 (+17), Perception 5 (+13), Persuasion 9 (+15), Technology 7 (+18)

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage -1)
Memory Alteration -- (Perception Range Will 13)
Mind Thrust -- (Perception Range Damage 12, Resisted by Will)
Parakinesis -- (Perception Range Shapeable Area Damage 12)
Psychokinesis -- (Perception Range Damaging Move Object 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 16/8, Parry 18/10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/0, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 156 + Advantages 8 + Skills 25 + Defenses 20 = 283 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 13

*Complications:
Obsession--Motivation. Slow Movement* (becomes Hindered if Flight is nullified.)


*The Power Gem*




_Actual size_

*Power Gem:* Removable (-31 points)
*Force Field:* Sustained Impervious Protection 20; Sustained Immunity 10 (life support) - 50 points
*Phased Flight:* Flight 18 (500,000 MPH), Aquatic; Insubstantial 3; Movement 3 (environmental adaptation [zero-g], space travel 2) - 58 points
*Power Uses: *Array (45 points)

*Basic Blast: *Ranged Damage 20, Accurate 2, Affects Insubstantial - 45 points
*Exo-Armor: *Enhanced Advantage 5 (Close Attack 5); Enhanced Strength 16; Enhanced Strength 8, Limited to Lifting (400 kilotons, minimum) - 1 point
*Explosive Blast:* Ranged Burst Area 3 Damage 11, Affects Insubstantial  - 1 point
*Force Objects:* Moveable Impervious Create 10, Precise - 1 point
*Reactive Armor:* Reaction Damage 11, Affects Insubstantial - 1 point
*Stun Blast:* Ranged Affliction 22 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Tractor-Presser Beam:* Move Object 22 (100 kilotons), Precise - 1 point
_Note: It is not possible to replicate all the abilities of a Power Prism with the Power Gem; the  former creations are infused with the psychic energies of the Lightsmiths, and someone adept in their use can do things with them that the Power Gem cannot do. In theory, it would be possible for someone using a Power Prism to achieve levels of power comparable to that of the Power Gem and the Mind Gem ... but the Lightsmiths believe that it would take more than a thousand years of training._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The greatest secret of the Lightsmiths is that their factory is powered by a single object -- one of the five Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend, arguably the prototype for the Power Prisms themselves.



Ananke and/or the Great Ones wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Cosmic Gems, would they?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Ananke and/or the Great Ones wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Cosmic Gems, would they?



Nope, not this time.


----------



## Davies

Yusei





\

The rulers of Yusei, capital of the Yusei Star Kingdom, have taken some pains to misinform the neighboring Crimson Imperium concerning their state. The Kingdom is believed by most (notably _not_ by the Crimson King and some of his agents) to be about as large as the Imperium, when it in fact encompasses a smaller volume of space and fewer inhabited worlds than any other current interstellar state, with the exception of Aperion's Protectorate. On the other hand, the scholars of the Crimson Imperium believe that the human race native to Yusei is, as with the majority of humanity within the Imperium, descended from Chiraben sources, despite the Yusei's insistence that they are not. Ironically, that insistence is only a partial truth.

The roots of Yusei date back to the start of the 800s CE on Earth, specifically to the nation of Japan. In the first decade of that century, a woodcutter from a village in that country discovered a crashed spacecraft containing a living passenger, specifically an Albadine aristocrat. He and his wife nursed her back to health, in some awe of her obviously supernatural origins. Reports of this "heavenly maiden" circulated throughout the empire of Japan, and even reached the Imperial court. If one is to believe the somewhat fictionalized account of these events -- _Taketori Monogatari_, or _The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter_ -- the "maiden" may even have been courted by the Emperor of that time, but refused him as she planned to return to her own country.

She had not yet departed by 812, however, at which point Japan was afflicted with an epidemic of smallpox that killed more than half of its population. To save the lives of those that she had come to care about, the Albadine used her supply of technology to vaccinate the populace of the village, violently breaking her own people's cultural taboos in the process. Further, she grew concerned that her action could lead to greater harm to those she sought to protect, who might be dissected to determine why they lived while so many others died. Thus, when at last a vessel of the Gardeners answered her summons, she explained her concerns to the villagers and asked them to accompany her on her voyage. Overwhelmingly, they agreed.

The Gardeners transported the Albadine and her followers to a planet far away from Earth, the world of purple seas and skies that would later be known as Yusei. Briefed on what her hosts knew of this world, chiefly the presence of megafauna there, the 'princess' trained several of the villagers in the fighting and psychic arts of her people, so that they would be able to defend the colony that they would found. It would take a long while for the people of Yusei to grow used to their new world, but they were adaptable and resourceful, were fruitful and multiplied. Their 'princess' eventually left them after a generation had passed, but promised to one day return. More than a thousand years later, it is still an article of faith with some of the population that she will do so, but most accept that she is long dead.

After a few centuries*, however, a different group of strange visitors from another world arrived on Yusei. 'Rising stars' from Cherab, they had fled their home world and were now in search of another. While the guardians of the Yusei were potent, they could not match these beings' power. A different solution was sought, and an agreement was negotiated with some of these would-be gods that they would receive the idolization they desired _if_ some of the more malevolent members of their party were expelled. As these individuals had already annoyed many of their peers, this was considered an acceptable arrangement. 

Some of the scapegoats were killed, others fled, and in the end the remaining overfolk settled in as Yusei's new gods. Gradually, they established kinship with many of the leading families of the Yusei, either legitimately or otherwise. With their help, both technological and otherwise, the Yusei conquered what remained of their planet, and then nearby planets as well. A thousand years later, a few of the first generation of the gods are still alive, though they are all quite elderly and rarely leave their fortified temples save for brief excursions. (Actual immortality was possessed by relatively few of their people.) They still exert much influence over the Yusei people, but rule is in the hands of the Star King and his court -- distantly related to all the gods, and thus obligated to none of them.

The Yusei would prefer it if they could ignore the presence of the Crimson Imperium not far from their borders, as they did for centuries. But that is not an option, and they are resigned to the fact that a war between their two powers is inevitable. Their leaders are doing all in their power to ensure that it is a war they will win, but their strategic projection is that unless the Crimson Imperium is distracted by a major civil war or invasion from another party, they are doomed. Their troops' quality is high, and their technology superior, but the sheer numbers that the Imperium can call upon will bring about their inevitable doom, with the likely collapse of their opponent in the aftermath a comfort as cold as interstellar space.

Some of the Yusei leadership have responded to this grim scenario by descending into decadence and focusing on petty games of influence. In the course of one such struggle, which even drew the Royal House into it, a remarkable treasure came into the hands of the current Star King. Neither he nor any of the sages of his court have realized that the gem of unknown origin that they now possess, and have stashed in the royal treasury, is one of the five Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend. As such, as long as they do not know what they own, they might be willing to trade this priceless wonder for something of much lesser worth but apparently similar rarity. Or someone could try stealing it, and probably face hundreds of the Star Kingdom's crack troops in the process.

*Yusei Soldier -- PL 8/MR 9*





*Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Defensive Shielding:* Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Protection 2, Impervious 4 - 16 points
*Flight Gear:* Flight 13/7 (16000 MPH/250 MPH), Higher level is only in microgravity; Removable (-4 points) - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Equipment 4, Improved Defense, Power Attack.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Staff (Strength-based Damage 2; Ranged Damage 8), Commlink, 2 points as needed

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 3 (+7), Close Combat: Staff 2 (+10), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 7 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 3 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Staff +10 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster +8 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 60 + Powers 32 + Advantages 8 + Skills 20 + Defense 12 = 125 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Others as Needed.*

_Note: This is an inexperienced Yusei soldier. For a more experienced PL 9 veteran, increase STR to 5, FGT to 9, add Improved Initiative and Teamwork, increase Close Combat to 3 ranks, Expertise: Military to 6 ranks, Perception to 8 ranks, Ranged Combat to 5 ranks, Dodge to 11, and consider adding Expertise: Magic at 6 ranks (or higher for a specialist, who might also have Senses 1 [mystic awareness].)_

*Matter Gem*




_Actual size_

*Matter Gem:* Removable (-24 points)
*Body Hardening:* Enhanced Stamina 10, Impervious - 30 points
*Matter Control Powers:* Array (84 points)
 *Disintegration:* Linked Ranged Weaken Toughness 12, Affects Objects, Secondary Effect; Linked Ranged Damage 12, Secondary Effect - 84 points 
 *Transmutation:* Continuous Ranged Transform 12 (anything into anything) - 1 point
*Matter Perception:* Senses 5 (analytical vision, vision penetrates concealment) - 5 points


----------



## Voltron64

Well that certainly puts a dent to my Olympian offshoot theory...

I admit Heian period-era villagers uplifted by Space Galadriel who happens to be the basis for Princess Kaguya certainly is a good one.


----------



## Davies

She looked like this, incidentally.


----------



## Davies

The Underworld





Whether there is an existence for an individual's consciousness after their biological existence ends remains an unanswered question. The existence of hauntings suggests that something might endure, but not perhaps the whole of a person's identity. All these uncertainties are not made a bit clearer by the existence of the reality known as the Underworld, which just raises even more questions. 

The Underworld exists within a computer complex located beneath the continent now known as Antarctica. Created thousands of years ago, during the height of the Olympian era, it was intended as both a reward for individuals whom the Olympians favored and an additional punishment for those whom they felt deserved such matters. The computer, monitoring the minds of every human being on Earth, would record those minds at the moment of their death, and introduce these recorded consciousnesses into a virtual reality program -- the Underworld. And it has continued to do so long after the Olympians who created it have ceased to exist.

The Underworld is generally a fairly grim and uncomfortable place, though there are pleasant regions as well, designed to make 'deserving' humans feel at home. (However, even these regions were designed with Stone Age humans in mind, not contemporary ones.) Whether comfortable or uncomfortable, however, the existence of a human consciousness within the Underworld is relatively brief. It is rare for these entities to exist for more than about a decade before they dissolve into nothingness, with a few rare persons of great willpower enduring for up to two centuries before that happens. Even in the Underworld, nothing ever lasts forever.

With one exception. The virtual realm is managed by the recorded consciousness of the Olympian known as Irkalla, known as its queen. (She remembers having volunteered for the position. Whether that memory is authentic is open to question.) She seems to be a very mercurial entity, sometimes acting as a cruel tyrant to the souls here, inflicting tortures for the slightest perceived transgression, sometimes as a much more benevolent ruler, offering care and consolation. Regardless of how she might acts, she always answers threats to herself with terrible force, but there are indications that she can be and has been beaten. However, she is _always_ restored to the system from backups within a day, though the backups will be of a version of Irkalla who likely does not remember her most recent demise.

It is only in recent years that serious challenges have been made to Irkalla's rule over the Underworld, by the recordings of noteworthy superheroes and supervillains. These include many of the members of the Institute, who have endured since their physical deaths. Currently led Doctor Freeze and his father, and in an uneasy alliance with a group of villains led by Diavolus, these champions intend to liberate all the souls held in bondage in this place and somehow escape back to their former reality. They are certain that Irkalla curses their names nightly.

She has completely fooled them. The truth of Irkalla is that she is a profoundly lonely entity, who mourns the departure of each soul from her kingdom, and whose actions -- whether cruel or kind -- are always chosen to extend the time that someone exists within the Underworld before dissolving. Her duty is to protect the Underworld; caring for its inhabitants, seeing that they receive what she thinks they need, is her voluntary choice. She is amazed at the strength of will and the courage that these heroes (and even the villains) demonstrate, and considers the fact that they oppose her to be the greatest honor she has ever been granted. Irkalla will oppose them, because she must, but she loves them, and will go down fighting, again and again, always with a smile on her face.

The computer complex that creates this virtual reality is empowered by one of the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend. If the Mind Gem were to be removed from its circuitry, it would no longer be able to capture additional consciousnesses, and would enter a sleep state when all those within it finally fade. (Irkalla has vague memories that this happened at some point in the past, but can't remember any details.) It would be also be theoretically possible to use that facility to download a consciousness from within the Underworld to a new body -- whether organic or otherwise -- but getting to the complex, covered by tons of ice and rock and never intended to be accessed in this manner, is no easy task.

*Irkalla -- PL 14*





*Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 14 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:*
*Ancient and Eternal:* Comprehend Languages 4; Immortality 5 (1 day); Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Impervious Toughness 12 - 45 points
*Authority of the Underworld's Queen:* Array (44 points)
 *Chains You Forged In Life: *Ranged Cumulative Affliction 14 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Flames of Perdition: *Linked Ranged Damage 12; Linked Ranged Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point
 *Gaze of Doom:* Perception Ranged Cumulative Affliction 14 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Impaired, Stunned, Paralyzed), Vision Dependent - 1 points
 *Knows All:* Cumulative Mind Reading 14, Subtle 2 - 44 points
 *Sees All:* Remote Sensing 7 (120 miles; all senses, Simultaneous), Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *To Dream of Heaven:* Perception Ranged Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Evasion, Fearless 2, Power Attack, Seize Initiative, Skill Mastery (Intimidation), Startle 

*Skills:*
Expertise: History 8 (+13), Expertise: Magic 6 (+12), Insight 8 (+15), Intimidation 8 (+14), Perception 4 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+12), Ranged Combat: Authority 10 (+14), Stealth 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 11)
Flames +14 (Ranged Damage 12 and Ranged Burst Area Damage 6)
Chains +14 (Ranged Affliction 14, Resisted by Dodge)
Gaze -- (Perception Range Will 14)
Dream -- (Perception Range Will 14)

*Defense:*
Dodge 14, Parry 12, Fortitude 14, Toughness 14, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 126 + Powers 84 + Advantages 8 + Skills 29 + Defenses 13 = 260 points

*Offensive PL: *14
*Defensive PL: *14
*Resistance PL:* 13
*Skill PL: *10

*Complications:*
*Duty--Motivation. Lonely. Sense of Duty *(the dead.) *Virtual Entity* (cannot leave the Underworld.)

*The Mind Gem*




_Actual size_

*Mind Gem:* Removable (-23 points)
*Cosmic Knowledge: *Mental Communication 5; Comprehend Languages 4; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Jack-of-all-trades, Speed of Thought, Well-Informed) - 35 points
*Shielded Mind:* Enhanced Will 14, Impervious Limited to Mental Effects - 21 points
*Telepathic Powers: *Array (58 points)
 *Mind Burn:* Perception Range Damage 14, Resisted by Will, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Mind Cloud:* Continuous Concealment 10, Passive, Resisted by Will; Illusion 11 (all but mental) - 1 point
 *Mind Freeze:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed), Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Mind Mastery:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 14 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Mind Mold:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 14 (Dazed, Stunned, Transformed [memories altered]), Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Mind Probe:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 14, Subtle 2 - 58 points


----------



## Davies

Gedaugen





As with nearly all the luminaries of Daath, what is known about the man called Gedaugen -- 'the Vanguard', in an archaic dialect of Imperium Standard -- is based largely on accounts given to Aun Taxad by his mentors, and thus of questionable accuracy. In this unique case, however, Much of it is supported by certain statements that the man himself made to Vittara while he was training her. She remembers him as a cruel taskmaster, but not one who engaged in any deceptions or mind games while she was under his tutelage, and believes that he was largely truthful. It remains to be seen if this is the case.

According to the compiled narrative, roughly one hundred and fifty years* ago, a small group of Technate citizens grew disenchanted with their government, and chose to leave their nation's borders to create a new colony which would be more to their liking. This was a fairly common movement at that time in the Technate's history, with the colonies of Pyrnn and Trantia both being established by similarly-motivated groups within about a decade* of that point. The founders of the breakaway colony of Gemnollen were more like Trantia in that they did not reject contemporary technology, but their focus was on developing a life that did not depend upon it.

Gemnollen's leaders believed that all of life's problems could be solved through the practice of certain esoteric martial arts which had supposedly been preserved when their forebears fled the Imperium. (It should be noted that if these martial arts were actually practiced there, they aren't any longer, and there are no records of them having been practiced. Given how readily the Imperium censors its own history, this may not mean much.) They also believed in celibacy, among other disciplines, and intended that their colony would grow through the arrival of new students from within the Technate. When this failed to materialize after a few decades*, they turned to cloning to create a new generation of students.

The man called Gedaugen was allegedly a clone of the original founder of the Gemnollen colony, and soon demonstrated that he was an extremely talented practitioner of their martial arts practices. It was apparently suggested within their community that he had actually been geneforged, with material supposedly preserved from pre-space Chirab, that of one of the so-called 'rising stars'. That would explain why he was able to use these martial arts to shape, control and even reverse the effects of entropy on himself and other living creatures, to a much greater degree than any of his colleagues. By the time that he had reached adulthood, the leaders of the colony asked him to join them as their Grand Master of Rot.

He refused. His only interest was in developing his talents further, and taking part in the administrative and political duties of the Grand Master would get in the way of that. When they seemed unwilling to accept his refusal, Gedaugen decided to leave Gemnollen and take his studies of entropy out into the much larger universe beyond its skies. He did so, and, eventually, his journey took him to Daath in pursuit of ultimate power. He received some gift from Ananke, and paid for it with some loss -- possibly the bonding of his metal armor to his skin -- and took up the rule of a small principality on Daath.

When the wars of the Dark Side began, some time after his arrival, he was summoned by Abraxas and asked what he would contribute. Gedaugen offered to be the trainer of the most elite among the armies that were being raised, which surprised those who were familiar with him; his strategic acumen had been demonstrated in a number of the petty wars that had been waged before Abraxas' arrival. Abraxas ignored this and installed Gedaugen as the Dark Side's official master drill sergeant, and so he has served ever since.

While not turning the Dark Side's soldiers into killer angels, Gedaugen largely remains in his own principality. It is a harsh realm, but not the most unpleasant place on Daath. He is not kind to those he rules, but not cruel to those who manage to live beneath his notice. Furthermore, according to Tavipahter, he has apparently negotiated some sort of arrangement with the commanders of the Dark Side by which his service as a trainer removes any obligation for his subjects to be conscripted for their armies. They are still subjected to propaganda which incites them to do so voluntarily, but the numbers of those who do are quite small. What motivates this is a secret known only to Gedaugen.

This is not the greatest secret kept by Gedaugen, however. That would be the fact that, during his cosmic travels, he somehow became the possessor of one of the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend. The Entropy Gem is perhaps the weakest of the five, perhaps because the concept of "entropy" in the World Less Magical lacks certain _spiritual_ associations that it might possess in other realities. It can grant its wielder powers much like those possessed by Gedaugen ... but he has never used it himself, relying entirely on his own abilities. Nevertheless, he would guard it ferociously and unrelentingly pursue any individual who stole it from him. However it came into his hands, guarding the Gem has become one of his primary goals in life. Perhaps it is simply the symbol of all he hopes to become, something pure that has endured even in the abyss where he now abides. 

Alternatively, it's possible that he just doesn't want anyone to become a greater wielder of entropic energy than himself.

*Gedaugen -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 11 | *STA* 11 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:*
*Abiding:* Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Impervious Toughness 7 - 18 points
*Entropic Catalysts:* Array (36 points)
 *Boundary:* Healing 12, Others Only, Selective Burst Area - 36 points
 *Cascade:* Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Vision Impaired, Vision Disabled, Vision Unaware), Selective Burst Area, Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Exergy:* Damage 9, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Selective Burst Area - 1 point
 *Mitigation:* Healing 9, Self Only, Reaction (when damaged) - 1 point
 *Momentum:* Move Object 9, Selective Burst Area 2, Limited to Moving Away - 1 point
 *Reaction:* Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Impaired, Disabled), Limited Degree, Selective Burst Area - 1 point
*Force Shield:* Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Strength-based Damage 4; Activation (Move Action, -1) - 7 points
*Translation Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 3 - 9 points

*Advantages:* 
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown 2, Weapon Break.

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 3 (+14), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+13), Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: Military 12 (+15), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+12), Perception 6 (+12), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 9 (+11)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 11)
Shield Bash +9 (Close Damage 15)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/11, Parry 15/13, Fortitude 13, Toughness 11, Will 11.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 104 + Powers 75 + Advantages 12 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 243 points 

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 12
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:*
*Responsibility--Motivation. Brutal and Merciless. Obedient to Daath's Ruler and Viceroy.*

*The Entropy Gem*




_Actual size_

*Entropy Gem:* Removable (-12 points)
*Abiding:* Abiding: Immunity 11 (aging, life support) - 11 points
*Entropic Powers:* Array (48 points)
 *Boundary:* Healing 16, Others Only, Selective Burst Area - 48 points
 *Cascade:* Affliction 16 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Vision Impaired, Vision Disabled, Vision Unaware), Selective Burst Area, Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Exergy:* Damage 12, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Selective Burst Area - 1 point
 *Mitigation:* Healing 12, Self Only, Reaction (when damaged) - 1 point
 *Momentum:* Move Object 12, Selective Burst Area 2, Limited to Moving Away - 1 point
 *Reaction:* Affliction 16 (Resisted by Fortitude; Impaired, Disabled), Limited Degree, Selective Burst Area - 1 point


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> This is not the greatest secret kept by Gedaugen, however. That would be the fact that, during his cosmic travels, he somehow became the possessor of one of the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend. The Entropy Gem is perhaps the weakest of the five, perhaps because the concept of "entropy" in the World Less Magical lacks certain _spiritual_ associations that it might possess in other realities. It can grant its wielder powers much like those possessed by Gedaugen ... but he has never used it himself, relying entirely on his own abilities. Nevertheless, he would guard it ferociously and unrelentingly pursue any individual who stole it from him. However it came into his hands, guarding the Gem has become one of his primary goals in life. Perhaps it is simply the symbol of all he hopes to become, something pure that has endured even in the abyss where he now abides.
> 
> Alternatively, it's possible that he just doesn't want anyone to become a greater wielder of entropic energy than himself.



Those two things need not be mutually exclusive.


----------



## Davies

True.


----------



## Davies

Urilia




_Image by Brezeburg._

In so far as is known, no human being has ever visited the anomalous structure dubbed Urilia. The published account of a sailing ship visiting it in 1925 is complete fiction, unlike other segments of that short story. After it became apparent that there was _something_ at 47° 9′ 0″ S, 126° 43′ 0″ W, Argus arranged to set up a series of buoys at ten, five and two knot distances around it, both to alert anyone approaching that point and to alert themselves when anything came out of it. The latter is believed to have contributed to the prevention of global catastrophe, repeatedly.

Urilia is not an island. The region of the sea and sea floor where it appears have both been studied carefully by the Morrison Institute -- only when it is absent -- and it has been confirmed that this is not a case where something rises from the bottom of the ocean. The current model is that it is, much like Dread Island, located in a subspace fold that only occasionally intersects with local space time, but that unlike Dread Island, it is a floating body on which great towers rest. (The tallest of these structures exceeds 300 meters in height.) When it materializes, it does so roughly half a kilometer beneath the surface, but rises very quickly, suggesting either that the central structure possesses considerable buoyancy, or that known physical laws have no relevance here.

Should someone be both suicidally foolish and cosmically fortunate enough to try and explore Urilia while somehow avoiding its most famous resident -- possibly while that entity is elsewhere -- they will find the caverns beneath its surface to be largely empty, or containing what would appear to be wreckage. Unlit by any illumination, those hoping to find information about the beings who created this place will be disappointed; there are no convenient mosaics that outline their history, no carved inscriptions that will reveal secrets of the universe.

Within the lowest chamber, the beings who were known as the Xothi can be found. Physically, they are similar to the self-image that Kthulu has been  projecting out into the collective unconsciousness for longer than the entire duration of humanity's existence, if a bit smaller. Their current state could be described as fossilized, but it seems to function as a state of suspended animation rather than actual death; telepathy will confirm that they are dreaming. Waking them would require a very involved process, and would be a bad idea to end all bad ideas and probably all good and indifferent ideas as well. 

The Xothi are utterly hostile to any life, especially any life with pretensions towards intelligence, that is not themselves. The notion of anything trying to communicate with them will briefly surprise them before they attempt to destroy the source of that communication and anything that reminds them of it. Fortunately, the Xothi are not likely to awaken in the current geological epoch. They expended a great deal of energy the last time they were active, around 65 million years ago, and will probably not awaken of their own volition for at least another 100 million years, and possibly longer.

Despite what you are probably expecting at this point, the Xothi's hibernation is not caused by the presence of one of the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend. It is a purely natural phenomenon. The sleep from which they awoke on that earlier occasion, on the other hand, was the result of a process developed by members of the Rpdwactk species (sometimes known as the Elder Things or Old Ones) roughly 300 million years ago. The power source of that process was a fragment of the Time Gem, hidden within the Xothi's sleep chamber. When it was removed from this place by entities unknown, the Xothi awoke and destroyed most of what remained of the Rpdwactk colonies on Earth before returning to their sleep. 

Removing that fragment -- necessary to reconstruct the Time Gem -- will cause that reawakening. However, removing it before the correct moment will cause a time paradox that will both destroy the individual who does it and possibly alter the course of Terrestrial history in ways that are impossible to predict. There are ways around that former difficulty, but it is still probably the most difficult task awaiting one who would gather all five of the Cosmic Gems.

*Xothi -- PL 13*





*Abilities:
STR* 13 | *STA* 14 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 12 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:*
*Aquatic:* Immunity 14 (cold effects, drowning, heat, high pressure, poison); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [water]); Swimming 6 (250 MPH; includes +1 for Growth) - 19 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical - 3 points
*Huge Size:* Permanent Growth 8 (+8 Strength, +8 Stamina, -4 Parry, -4 Dodge, +4 Intimidation, +1 Speed); Protection 2, Impervious 8 - 34 points
*Overwhelming Mind:* Mental Communication 2, Limited to other Xothi; Perception Range Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Subtle - 43 points
*Senses:* Senses 3 (darkvision, mystical awareness) - 3 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects - 6 points
*Tentacles:* Elongation 3, Limited to Extra Limbs; Extra Limbs 4 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, _Improved Grab,_ Improved Hold, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+13), Expertise: Magic 9 (+13), Insight 2 (+14), Intimidation 4 (+12), Perception 2 (+14)

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Claws +11 (Close Damage 15, Crit 19-20, Reach 2)
Tentacles +11 (Close Damage 13, Reach 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 14, Toughness 14, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 100 + Powers 114 + Advantages 4 + Skills 15 + Defenses 17 = 250 points

*Complications:*
*Destruction--Motivation. Utter Contempt for All Non-Xothi.*


*The Time Gem*




_Actual size, when fully assembled_

At some point in its history -- possibly in the far future -- The Time Gem was or will be shattered into five different fragments, which each possess some of the original's power. Only by bringing them into the same temporal region inside a gravity well similar to Earth's will cause them to reform as the original.

* One of the fragments is incorporated into the mechanisms that create the Pillars of Eternity. Removing it will change that instrumentality so that those who pass through it can be destroyed by time paradox, where they are normally protected from it. However, this destruction, like anything else that critically damages the time projections that the Pillars create, will still just cause their originals to return to their point of origin. (This fragment grants the Time Manipulation Basics power described below.)

* One of the fragments can be found on the home world of the Destrons, powering their time and space displacement method. Removing it will prevent them from continuing their invasions, for good and ill. (This fragment grants the Temporal Banishment power described below.)

* One of the fragments is incorporated into the mechanisms of Lord Carnifex's powered armor. Removing it will force him to find another power source for the armor, but not otherwise inconvenience him meaningfully. His own time control abilities have another origin. (This fragment grants the Accelerate Aging power described below.)

* One of the fragments can be found in a rural village in the northern hemisphere of the planet Chirab, where it has caused a period of 12 days to repeat in a neverending cycle for the last twelve hundred years. Individuals entrapped within this effect periodically awaken to the reality of their condition, but rarely more than one at time; this awareness invariably fades after a thousand repetitions or so. Removing the fragment will kill every one of the more than two hundred persons entrapped within the effect as the delayed aging catches up with them at once. (This fragment grants the Temporal Distortion Field power described below.)

* One of the fragments was hidden within Urilia, three hundred million years ago. (This fragment grants the Temporal Stasis power described below.)

*Time Gem:* Removable (-27 points)
*Timeless:* Immunity 6 (aging, temporal effects) - 6 points
*Time Manipulation Basics:* Enhanced Advantage 5 (Improved Initiative 4, Seize Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 20 (Dodge 10, Parry 10); Flight 8 (500 MPH); Movement 6 (space travel 3, time travel 3); Quickness 8 - 61 points
*Time Manipulation Mastery:* Array (55 points)
 *Accelerate Aging:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 18 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Transformed [elderly and feeble]), Reversible - 55 points
 *Temporal Banishment:* Ranged Movement 3 Attack (Time Travel 3), Resisted by Dodge, Accurate 2, Extra Ranks 9 (DC 24), Precise, Reversible - 1 point
 *Temporal Stasis:* Ranged Affliction 18 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile, Paralyzed and Unaware), Extra Condition, Reversible - 1 point
 *Time Distortion Field:* Burst Area Affliction 15 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile, Paralyzed and Unaware), Extra Condition, Reversible - 1 point
*Time Shield:* Sustained Impervious Protection 7 - 14 points


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> They expended a great deal of energy the last time they were active, around 65 million years ago, and will probably not awaken of their own volition for at least another 100 million years, and possibly longer.



That's not to say they're totally responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs, that was still the meteor. It _did_ however, wake them up from their hibernation.


----------



## Davies

I should probably clarify that they destroyed the Elder Things 65 million years ago. That's where most of their efforts then went.

So yeah, you've got _that_ to deal with too when you're trying to get this particular sparkly.


----------



## Davies

Chantress





The _second_ time Dana Griffith's life changed forever, she was just a few weeks past her twenty-third birthday and expecting that her current night would be pretty much a repeat of every other night for the last week. She'd do her show to a sold-out crowd, singing and dancing up a storm, and using her superpowers to enhance the performance. Sure, the tour's security chief had warned her that Missoula had been having a lot of problems with Saturn recently, but those jerks had bigger fish to fry than her, surely? Unfortunately, it seemed that they didn't, and now a bunch of heavily armed thugs were coming up out of the audience for her!

None of this had been what she wanted for her life. The first time her life changed forever was when she was fifteen and her cute talent of perfect pitch, refined through constant vocal practice, turned into something much more notable: a song that could shatter stone. Her parents immediately agreed to pack her off to Wales so that she could be a student at the Academy, where she learned to control sound in many different ways, whether drawing the vibrations into herself to strengthen the force field she could create, or making people faint from the sounds that she made.

But while she tagged along with the other kids while they were 'studying Practical Heroics', Dana's heart was never really in it. Fighting scared her, and while she could protect herself with her force field, it seemed really week by comparison to the defenses everyone else seemed to have. More often than not, she ended up the hostage who had to be rescued, which further soured her on all of this. Dana didn't want to be a hero, she wanted to be an entertainer. And so, once she graduated in 2017, she followed the example that fellow alumnus Warp Witch had blazed, two years earlier, using the stage name 'Chantress'. 

Things went pretty well. From time to time, she'd help out in crisis situations and help to save lives, but avoided actual superpower combat. The closest she got to it was when she was one of a number of entertainers whom Jodie Crowley kidnapped to try and siphon their 'magnetic energies' or something like that, and she would up helping Blakestone drive the crazy old wizard off. In the aftermath, Blakestone noted that said crazy old wizard had not been completely wrong about the sort of energies that Chantress possessed; Dana might be able to learn to use magic. That wasn't anything that she was interested in doing, though, so she just filed it away.

And now here she was, watching a bunch of terrorists make short work of her security team, and knowing that she was next. She wasn't a fighter, she wasn't a magician, she was just a singer. So if this was how she was going to go out, she was going to go out singing. The tune she picked to sing, using her powers to create the accompaniment, was one she'd first heard as a child; it had been one of her mother's favorites. And as she started the second verse, she began to feel something building.

_Somewhere after midnight, in my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach, there's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat --_

Just before she delivered the verse's last line, she heard a voice not her own, saying unfamiliar words: "Somewhere, in the middle of our darkest night, we made up the story of a man who will never let us down." And, with a sensation of a vast series of wheels turning in her mind to somehow achieve a one-in-a-billion combination, Chantress all but shrieked the last words.

_It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet!_

And. There. He. Was.

The man who thinks of himself as Clark Bradley wasn't sure what was going on. He remembered strolling off after one more adventure, and now he was suddenly standing on stage watching a bunch of palookas with guns trying to scare people. Well, no matter what was happening, he always knew what to do about that, and jumped in to start educating this miscreants in the error of their ways. Fortunately, they didn't need a lot of educating. Afterwards, when the police showed up -- or at least he guessed that these were the boys in blue, though they weren't wearing that anymore -- he finally got to ask the lady who'd been watching all this from the stage what the sam hill was going on.

"I needed a hero," she told him. "And you came."

"Well, all right then," he said, accepting this as an explanation right before he went back.

And so, despite everything, Chantress has found herself becoming a hero herself. Who had been helped must help others, or it was all meaningless, right? She still doesn't like fighting, and prefers to support her 'Superman' from behind. But she's found herself getting just a little bit braver. If she's to believe everything that Blakestone has told her, when she asked for her advice last week, 'Clark' is a part of her mind given form. So maybe there's something inside of her that's every bit as fearless as he seems to be.

*Chantress -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
"I Need a Hero!":* Heroic Summon 9, Activation (Move Action) - 26 points
*Sonic Absorption:* Enhanced Sustained Protection 3, Fades, Limited rank of absorbed sonic effect; Immunity 10 (sonic effects) - 11 points
*Sonic Control:* Array (27 points)
 *Deafening Shriek:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hearing Impaired, Hearing Disabled, Hearing Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Hypnotic Song:* Cumulative Hearing Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Instant Recovery - 27 points
 *Sonic Blast:* Ranged Damage 13 - 1 point
 *Sonic Projection:* Illusion 9 (hearing), Area 9 (15000 cft) - 1 point
 *Vertigo:* Burst Area Progressive Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Hearing Dependent - 1 point
*Sees Sound:* Senses 2 (analytical tracking hearing) - 2 point
*Sonic Shield:* Sustained Protection 5 - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Defensive Attack, Evasion, Fascinate (Performance), Grabbing Finesse, Improved Trip, Inspire 2, Languages (Spanish), Redirect, Taunt. 

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 4 (+9), Expertise: Magic 1 (+6), Expertise: Performance 8 (+13), Insight 7 (+10), Perception 9 (+12), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Sonic Powers 2 (+5) 

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Sonic Blast +5 (Ranged Damage 13)
Deafening Shriek +5 (Ranged Fortitude 13)
Hypnotic Song -- (Hearing Area Will 9)
Verigo -- (Burst Area Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 10/7/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 75 + Advantages 14 + Skills 25 + Defenses 12 = 174 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Developing Sense of Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Public Identity. Weakness* (becomes Fatigued without regular exposure to loud noises or music.)

*"Superman" -- PL 9**





Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Fast Recovery:* Regeneration 10 - 10 points
*Keen Senses:* Senses 3 (extended hearing, extended low-light vision) - 3 points
*Just Plain Fast:* Speed 3 (15 MPH); Leaping 4 (120 feet) - 7 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Attractive, Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improvised Weapon, Interpose, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise Hercules 6 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Throwing 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 20 + Advantages 15 + Skills 23 + Defenses 13 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Accident* (sartorial damage.) *No Legal Status. Vulnerable* (magic.) *Wisecracks. *


----------



## Davies

Kamāngīr





According to legend, in Iran's heroic age, the heroic Iranian general Manuchehr reached an agreement with his Turanian opponent, Afrasiab, under which such territory as fell within the range of a bowshot would be returned to the Iranians, with all their other former territories being surrendered to their foes. Guided by divine inspiration, however, Manuchehr had a special bow and a golden arrow crafted, and bade his greatest archer, Arash, to fire the shot that would determine their fate. Most versions of the myth claim that Arash destroyed himself firing that bow, but that the shot travelled a thousand leagues or more. This tale of Āraš-e Kamāngīr, Arash the Archer, has remained a popular one in Iran right up until the present.

Ironically, the current heir to that particular legend never really intended to be known as an archer. When Nader Tabasi trained with the military and later with SAVAM -- the successor to the notorious SAVAK, installed by the current Shah after his succession to the throne in 1986 -- he was taught to use rifles and pistols in conjunction with the superpowers of coordination and clairvoyance that he'd developed. Tabasi first used a bow almost by accident; his gun having jammed, he seized a museum piece to shoot one of the terrorists who seized the National Museum during an incident in 2006 that was never adequately explained to him.

While commended for his role in that episode, his superiors and colleagues largely viewed Tabasi as a liability. They perceived him, accurately or not, as unacceptably soft, preferring to go for incapacitating shots rather than kills. His political opinions were also considered suspect, though here it would be more accurate to say that he was overly _apolitical_; while outwardly loyal to the Shah, Tabasi nursed what he believed to be private concerns about the direction of the Shah's government. Ultimately, this led to an attempt to eliminate him during a mission undercover in Turkey in 2011.

Tabasi survived but managed to keep that a secret, and was left uncertain about his next actions. He still wanted to protect the Iranian people from those who would harm them, whether those foes were external or internal. But if he used his black market connections to supply himself with firearms, he'd be strengthening those very same forces, or at least further contributing to the corruption of the state. But if he used a bow and arrows, civilian weapons, things could be very different. So it was that, a year after Nader Tabasi 'died', an individual using the name Arash Azari found employment with one of Teheran's leading newspapers, and a bowman, dubbed Kamāngīr by the press, began fighting a quiet war on crime in the city's nights.

Kamāngīr cannot match the legendary shot of Arash, but has been able to use his clairvoyance to fire an arching shot that struck a target hundreds of miles away. He also enjoys a very limited precognitive talent that lets him see a few seconds into the future, allowing him to dodge bullets and explosions. Aside from such considerations, Nader Tabasi is a highly trained commando with a keen eye for detail, and has learned the skills of criminal investigation though hard practice. He still prefers to avoid killing when possible, but has no illusions that he will always be able to do so, and those who deal out death to the innocent can expect to receive it in kind. He does not consider himself innocent.

During his few missions that have taken him out of his homeland, Kamāngīr found himself working rather well with Egypt's Medjay, and has considerable respect for her talents and determination. He also briefly crossed paths with the Ghost Hunter, but hasn't really formed an opinion about him. Aside from these, he has not had any contacts with other superheroes, though he was familiar with Mossad's team of psychic operatives from his time with SAVAM, and he is similarly all but unknown outside of Iran. At least, for now.

*Kamāngīr -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Bow and Arrows:* Array (10 points); Removable (-4 points)
 *Long Shot:* Perception Range Damage 5, Tiring - 1 point
 *Rapid Fire:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 3 - 1 point
 *Standard Shot:* Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points
*Clairvoyance:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Evasion 2, Improved Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Remote Sensing 8 (250 miles; hearing, visual); Senses 1 (danger sense) - 36 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, _Evasion 2_, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 4 (bow), _Improved Initiative 2_, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Skill Mastery (Perception), Takedown, Teamwork, Ultimate Effort (Aim).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 8 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Deception 10 (+11), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 8 (+9), Perception 10 (+12), Ranged Combat: Bow 3 (+9), Stealth 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 3)
Rapid Fire +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 3)
Standard Shot +13 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 16-20)
Long Shot -- (Perception Range Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/9, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 42 + Advantages 21 + Skills 38 + Defense 14 = 173 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Rainbow




_Current appearance_




_Former appearance (Columbia)_

Born in early 1983, Lucy Morgan lived a fairly unremarkable life through most of her adolescence, never making waves as she grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia. Soon after her high school graduation, however, Cerebron attacked, with drones killing her father and several of her friends. Previously uncertain of what she wanted to do with her life, Lucy enlisted in the Navy in the hope that she could help make a difference in the world. Trained as a hospital corpsman, she was assigned to Norfolk Naval Station.

Less than a year into her posting, Hospitalman Apprentice Morgan happened to be in the blast radius when an experimental weapon exploded inside one of the hangars at Chambers Field, killing several people but leaving her empowered with the ability to project energy beams of the same type as the weapon. When she also demonstrated other powers, Lucy was quickly snatched up to serve as a last-minute addition to the United Superheroes of America. She was intended to serve as the team's official medic, with her energy projection powers used as a backup. Pleased to have the chance to make some good come out of a pair of unfortunate events, Lucy also agreed to use the identity of Columbia, dressed up like the Statue of Liberty come to life.

Aside from her dislike for this costume, Lucy's biggest problem was the increased public attention that she received as a member of the official superheroes of the Department of Defense. While scrupulously living within the 'Don't Talk, Won't Ask' policy that had been in place since the 1980s, she lived under the constant threat of exposure for her homosexuality. It was an extremely uncomfortable situation, and she let out a sigh of relief when the policy was finally dismantled in 2005, with gays, lesbians and bisexuals now permitted to serve openly.

Unfortunately, her relief came a bit too soon. In a private meeting with the Colonel supervising the United Superheroes, she was told in no uncertain terms that she was expected to remain in the closet for the duration of her service with the team. When she protested that this was not a legal order, it was clarified that it wasn't an order, merely the fact that, if she came out, she would be reassigned away from her current position. As she still believed, then, that the United Superheroes were doing good, she chose to swallow her pride and continue serving in silence.

She put it up with it for nearly two more years, until the team was finally disbanded. It honestly came as something of a relief, but the higher-ups continued to mess with her. Rather than reassigning her to continue serving as a hospital corpsman, she was expected to become a living artillery piece on a ship! Lucy had finally had enough, and ended her service with a dishonorable discharge. Thoroughly sick of the East Coast, she decamped for the West, specifically for San Francisco.

Over the next three years, she made a new career for herself as a private investigator, now going by the alias Rainbow and frequently working for one of the city's larger law firms. Then the American Angel contacted her about signing up with the new Heroic Enterprises organization he was establishing. Lucy proceeded to laugh in his face, told him exactly what she thought of his style of leadership and general character, and indicated that she had exactly zero interest in ever working for or with him again.

That set the tone of her interactions with other members of Heroic Enterprises for the duration of their stay in San Francisco. (It got even worse after, in her biased opinion, Dore's idiocy killed the one member of his team whom she _sort of_ respected, fellow Navy veteran Monitor.) Fiercely independent, Rainbow has also none-too-politely refused an offer of membership from the Powerhouse, preferring to work alone. After the incident with the bridge, she has officially become San Francisco's semi-official heroic defender, occasionally putting her in a position where she ends up working with Montana -- an association that neither of them likes very much. (She has her suspicions about the other superpower, but honestly just thinks that Harmon is just a good-old-fashioned homophobic and racist jerk.)

*Rainbow -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Boosted Leap:* Leaping 6 (500 feet) - 6 points
*Energy Beam:* Array (20 points)
 *Direct Blast:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
 *Lance:* Line Area Damage 10 - 1 point
 *Wide Angle:* Cone Area Damage 10 - 1 point
*Force Field:* Linked Reaction Damage 5; Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 4; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Subtle - 39 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Set-up, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Civics 7 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Energy Blast 7 (+10), Treatment 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1 and Reaction Damage 5)
Direct Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Lance -- (Line Area Damage 10)
Wide Angle -- (Cone Area Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/7/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 67 + Advantages 10 + Skills 36 + Defenses 16 = 167 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Out and Proud. Temper.*

_Note: As Columbia, she was PL 9; reduce her INT and PRE by 1 each, drop *Boosted Leap*, reduce Defensive Roll to 1 rank, drop Contacts and Improved Initiative, reduce Acrobatics to 2 ranks, Close Combat: Unarmed to 2 ranks, Expertise: Civics to 5 ranks, Insight to 5 ranks, Investigation to 3 ranks, and Ranged Combat: Energy Blast to 5 ranks. She also had the complication *Secret* (guess) instead of *Out and Proud.*_


----------



## Davies

Fermion





Fortunately for all of humanity, great minds do not always think alike. In the late 90s, Wilhelm Binder was regarded as one of the leading researchers in the nascent field of androtics, with Valerian Rossum one of his few rivals. After grants for this line of research dried up after Cerebron, however, Binder wasn't willing to pursue criminal means to that end, unlike Rossum, whose 2002 arrest seemed to confirm the folly of that course. Nevertheless, Binder continued to conduct small-scale, privately funded research into the biomechanics of android creation, hoping that matters would one day change, while working for the Morrison Institute on other matters.

He got his big break when an associate at Argus asked him to consult on the study of the completed android body that had been seized from Rossum in the aftermath of Zane's coup attempt. At first startled by how much more advanced the prototype was when compared to his own work, Binder quickly learned from its examples. On his recommendation, Rossum's android was stored in an intact manner rather than being disassembled. It's not clear whether he'd realized that the android, later known as Machinanima, was slowly charging his batteries; he has never commented on the subject.

Despite this boost, it still took Binder more than a decade to create his own functional android, in large part due to many other distractions, including research into gravity manipulation technology that would eventually be incorporated into the final designs. But Fermion, as Binder dubbed his creation, finally came on-line in 2018, while his creator was working at the Morrison Institute's Geneva offices. The android soon developed a reputation as a superhero in Switzerland, especially after rescuing CERN's facilities from an attack by terrorists allegedly sponsored by the Koreans. Since then, he has been unofficially employed by the Organization as its superpower security chief.

Fermion has not yet revealed that he is an android to the general public. This is largely at Dr. Binder's insistence, as Fermion is bewildered at the idea that, more than twenty years after Cerebron last visited Earth, humans would be automatically hostile to android intelligences. However, he heeds the man who is his creator and mentor in this, as in nearly all things. Maintaining a secret identity as Binder's laboratory assistant, a Swiss national named Karl Link, he never hesitates to leap into action in the defense of science and sanity.

His greatest weakness is his difficulty understanding emotional responses, both his own and those of others. While part of this is is relative youth -- having only been active for less than three years -- part of it is the fact that he was educated by an individual who also has difficulties understanding emotions. Nevertheless, Fermion is entirely loyal to the human species despite not fully understanding the humans he encounters. He would be dismayed to learn that Dr. Binder obtained some of the materials for his construction from agents of the artificial super-intelligence Savitor, whose existence he does not yet suspect.

*Fermion -- PL 10

Abilities: 
STR* 7 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Android:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 47 points
*Gravitational Fields:* Array (9 points)
 *Deflector Field:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4), Subtle - 9 points
 *Exoskeletal Field:* Enhanced Strength 4, Subtle - 1 point
 *Force Field: *Sustained Impervious Protection 4, Subtle - 1 point
 *Manipulator Field:* Move Object 4, Precise - 1 point
*Gravitational Flight:* Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack, Interpose, Languages 2 (English, French, Italian, Japanese, [German is native]), Move-by Action, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Science 5 (+8), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 11/7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12/8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 82 + Advantages 6 + Skills 11 + Defenses 12 = 155 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Emotional Challenges* (Impaired on Insight and Persuasion checks.) *Loyalty* (Dr. Binder.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Purple Haze





Almost nothing is known about the villain dubbed the Purple Haze by the press. She appeared as if from nowhere in 2018 to start bedeviling the Blue Bolt, challenging him several times that year. While she could not fly nearly as fast as her chosen adversary could run, her ability to maneuver in three dimensions and lack of physical substance meant that, while he could thwart her schemes, he was never able to capture her. His best guess was that she was someone who'd suffered some sort of elemental transformation, like Aeolia of the Primal Pattern, and suffered a breakdown as a consequence.

He was quite mistaken. The Purple Haze's name is Violet Irving, born in 2018 to Jimmy Irving and his wife, Erika. From the age of eight, when her parents were killed in action, she was filled with a violent hatred for the superheroic community whom she blamed for their deaths. When her powers to transform into gas and use those chemicals to various ends developed in her mid-teens, she began to use it to seek revenge, causing a great deal of havoc in an era that had already seen too much destruction already.

From time to time, she would find herself opposed by those who'd known her parents, who sometimes tried to reason with her and get her to understand how they would have felt about these activities. When she first fought Dancer, a fellow second-generation superpower, she expected the same, and was startled when she didn't get it. "That would be pointless," said Dancer. "It would be appealing to your better nature, and you don't have one. You're not sad that they're dead. You're glad. It's given you the excuse you need to live out every violent fantasy you've ever possessed. Why else have you never once gone after the people who actually killed them?"

Furious at that insult, the Haze would later try to prevent Dancer's attempt to time travel in an attempt to fix the events that led to the end of the second age of heroes, but failed. That failure broke her already badly damaged psyche, and she decided that the only thing she could possibly get revenge would be to bring about the end of the reality which had witnessed her humiliation. So she stole a starship and flew across the galaxy to the time portal known as the Pillars of Eternity, and traveled through them, returning to her home world in the year 2008, more than a decade before she was born.

Her first scheme was intended to test the limits of the Pillars' supposed protection from paradox. When she succeeded in causing her birth mother to have a psychotic break, ensuring that she wouldn't ever be born, and didn't blink out of existence, the Haze knew that she was now invincible. If anything happened to her, after this, she could just return through the Pillars. (In fact, it's not possible to return to use the Pillars to travel to an era in which you have 'died', but this is not the most severe among her delusions.) After that, she engaged in quite a bit of behind-the-scenes villainy, waiting for her nemesis to show up.

When Dancer finally revealed herself, the Purple Haze did too, quietly working to set wrong what Dance had made go right. To this end, she has recently joined forces with the Emperor of Korea, helping him to recruit members for an anti-Powerhouse organization that he calls his Hwarang, with herself taking the 'anti-Blue Bolt' role in it. The Haze actually feels a bit conflicted about this, since the Emperor did technically kill her parents and all that junk, but rationalizes that with the knowledge that her true goals will be mean his end too.

Her long-term goal is to manipulate a certain individual to go to Daath and solve the riddle that is Ananke so that Azathoth is reborn, destroying all of reality. That will show that rotten Dancer for insulting her like she did. She is still a bit confused why Dancer hasn't tried to confront her in this new era, because she fails to understand that the Dancer who exists here is the product of a timeline where Violet Irving was never born. But even if she did understand that, it would make absolutely no difference to her. The insult still needs to be punished.

*Purple Haze -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Gaseous Form:* Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative 4); Enhanced Defenses 18 (Dodge 9, Parry 9); Linked Flight 14 (32,000 MPH); Linked Insubstantial 2, Continuous - 72 points
*Gases:* Array (36 points)

*Hallucination:* Progressive Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 36 points
*Suffocation:* Progressive Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (cipher 2), _Defensive Roll 2,_ Eidetic Memory, _Improved Initiative 4,_ Taunt, Well-Informed

*Skills:*
Close Attack: Gas 5 (+9), Deception 10 (+12), Insight 7 (+9), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+10), Stealth 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +20
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Hallucination or Suffocation +9 (Close Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 16/7, Parry 15/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 109 + Advantages 6 + Skills 20 + Defenses 18 = 191 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL: *7

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Secret* (origins.)


----------



## Voltron64

So she's basically Billie Zane 2.0, how pitiful...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> So she's basically Billie Zane 2.0, how pitiful...



Arguably, she's one of the devils on Billie's shoulder at this point.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Arguably, she's one of the devils on Billie's shoulder at this point.



Now I wonder if there's a possibility if Purple Haze merely delayed her year of birth, if her manipulations are revealed and in the process, it eventually leads to the redemption and psychological healing of Railgun and the slow, subtle rekindling of her romance with Blue Bolt. The end result being a younger, psychopathy-free version of Violet Irving.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Now I wonder if there's a possibility if Purple Haze merely delayed her year of birth, if her manipulations are revealed and in the process, it eventually leads to the redemption and psychological healing of Railgun and the slow, subtle rekindling of her romance with Blue Bolt. The end result being a younger, psychopathy-free version of Violet Irving.



Too many variables. It's worth it to note that her timeline's version of Railgun still went through a period where she was a paranoid supervillain, but it only lasted about four years.


----------



## Davies

Tempus






While considered middle-aged among the Ascendants of the Sphere of Matter, having Ascended roughly ten thousand years ago, Tempus has only become the undisputed Patron of War in the last two centuries. He holds that status through the same way that he earned it, making it clear to all rivals that if they want the title, they will have to demonstrate the ability to defeat him in battle. This does not make him popular or well-regarded, but it does make him an important member of the Council of Tauri, a group charged with handling matters relating to that continent -- particularly, in recent years, the matter of Galantri.

In mortal life, Tempus was one of twin sons born to a chief of a human culture who lived on the then-fertile plains of what would one day be Al'Aram. Where his brother was a mighty hunter acclaimed by the people for the bounty he brought back for them, Tempus was more drawn to the relatively young art of cultivating plants for their food value. His true talent, though, was in organizing the work needed for this, which gradually turned into organizing the people in other matters, as well, especially preparing them to protect the fields. This caused him to develop a rivalry with his brother, who had become a leader among the hunters, fighting in a much more irregular manner.

When a large group of sleeth attacked their settlement, the farmers and the hunters were forced to fight alongside each other, and drove them off thanks to Tempus' preparations. But what should have been a triumph was spoiled by the death of his brother, and the accusation that it had been Tempus himself who killed him! Despite his protestations of innocence, there were those who swore that they'd seen it done. Tempus was cursed by his father and driven into exile, accepting it bitterly. He would later hear that his brother's son had become the next chief of the people and ruled them very cruelly, but by that point he had other things to worry about.

His journeys took him westward into lands claimed by the Alvadine people, who were just beginning to call themselves 'elves' and ruled over many different human groups. He learned much from them and practiced many different trades -- craftmanship, sorcery, even crime. But his true calling was that of soldiering, both as a fighter himself and a trainer and commander of other soldiers. Learning all he could from the captains of the Alvadine, he improved on much of it, and fought many battles in their name, and eventually in his own.

After winning one particularly brutal war against the gargun, the aged Tempus fell asleep for what he expected to be the last time, and awoke to found himself Ascended for his deeds, under the patronage of Usires Twiceborn, who claimed to have _invented_ agriculture and to have been watching Tempus' activities since his youth on the plains. (It would later be revealed that Usires had arranged for the death of Tempus' brother to spur him to greater things.) Tempus adapted to the change in his condition fairly well, and became involved in the struggles within the Sphere of Matter, between that Sphere and the other three, and against the forces of Entropy. As time passed and he grew in power and authority, he became regarded as one of the greatest war-leaders of the Ascended ... but not yet the Patron of War itself.

A bit more than two hundred years ago, the Hierarchs finally decided that they should formally grant that title to one of the Ascended. Tempus naturally sought it for himself, believing himself to be the best qualified. This began a decade-long struggle between himself and the other would-be Patrons, fought on many different planes. Tempus demonstrated keen strategic brilliance throughout the conflict, and was also able to sway many of his opponents to support him through diplomacy, turning former enemies into allies. Other opponents had to be forced to yield and quit the competition, until Tempus was the last one standing.

Or rather, the last save for one other. Tempus found the participation of the Ascendant called Pax, another Eternal of the Sphere of Matter known for his philosophical musings on pacficism, to be the most bewildering part of this affair. He did not understand Pax's motives, did not understand the other's strategies, and could not ever quite defeat him. But when they were the last two combatants, Tempus naturally expected that Pax would take the opportunity to surrender and accept an honorable defeat. Pax spurned the offer and kept right on fighting, which seemed hypocritical and frankly deranged. He had to know that he couldn't win, so what was he trying to accomplish?

After the contest, which had been intended to last only a decade, stretched out for another five years, the Hierarchs finally intervened. Tempus had defeated _almost_ all other contenders, and it was not possible for Pax to achieve victory with the forces that remained to him, and so Tempus had won. Magnanimous in victory, Tempus offered his congratulations for a difficult challenge to Pax ... who refused them as he had hoped that there would be no winner, and that the futility of warfare would be demonstrated once and for all. "There should be no Patron of War. You are a monster, and I despise you and what you have made me do." With that, he turned and walked away into the wasteland they had made.

Utterly bewildered by this, Tempus has nonetheless tried to live up to what he considers to be his responsibility to ensure that wars are fought in a proper manner, minimizing the suffering when possible but acknowledging it as inevitable. Wars for defense are preferable, but aggression is in the nature of all life, and denying this only leads to greater pain and frustration. As a leader, he believes in keeping his soldiers alive until such time as he needs them to die in order to accomplish an objective, and then sacrificing them without hesitation. Needless to say, he believes that a military response to the madness in Galantri is the best one, but is slowly coming around to his colleagues' idea that the force in question might be a small group rather than the armies of neighboring Tohrukin.

Tempus' closest ally outside of the council is probably Vanya, Patron of Strife, who was also the first of his competitors to ally with him. Their partnership provides each of them what the other lacks: enthusiasm for Tempus and restraint for Vanya. His foremost rival is, naturally enough, Pax, who opposes every war that Tempus would try to start without regard for the justifications for any of them. How can this be called wisdom, when it's simple refusal to consider any options save those which one prefers? Unfortunately, Pax seems to enjoy the support of their Hierarch, where Tempus has a contentious relationship with Djea at best. She has not forgotten that he is the former client of Usires, who challenged her for the Hierarchy and fell to Entropy when he failed, and so watches Tempus carefully to see if he will likewise fall.

*Tempus -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 14 | *STA* 14 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 16 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 10 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Arsenal of the Ages: *Variable 2 (weapon) on Strength Damage - 2 points
*Ascendant: *Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Matter), Standard Action - 10 points
*Chariot of the Gods:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Platform; Movement 3 (dimensional travel to all planes); Removable (-2 points) - 11 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 12 - 22 points
*Divine Mind:* Comprehend Languages 4; Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 25 points
*Sense Immortal: *Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Spear of Eternity:* Ranged Damage 13, Accurate 6, Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Range 2 - 36 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Benefit (every trick in the book), Chokehold, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Inspire 4, Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close, Concealment), Ritualist, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Gargantuan; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Combat Simulator, Communications, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Effect (Affects Others Immortality 5), Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Hangar, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System, Workshop - 25 points.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+19), Deception 11 (+17), Expertise: Magic 8 (+14), Expertise: Smithing 9 (+15), Expertise: Military 12 (+18), Insight 5 (+15), Intimidation 14 (+20), Perception 4 (+14), Persuasion 10 (+16), Treatment 8 (+14), Vehicles 12 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Arsenal of the Ages +16 (Close Damage 14)
Spear of Eternity +15 (Ranged Damage 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 14, Parry 16, Fortitude 18, Toughness 14, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 148 + Powers 108 + Advantages 30 + Skills 49 + Defenses 15 = 350 points

*Offensive PL:* 15
*Defensive PL:* 15
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL: *15

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Callous. Cannot Refuse A Challenge. Nemesis* (Pax.) *Obviously Superhuman.*

_Note: Should Tempus ever travel to the World Less Magical, all his abilities drop by 2 ranks each, and he suffers Power Loss on his Ascendant powers; he will also be Disabled on Expertise: Magic checks. He becomes PL 13._


----------



## Davies

Valerias





The eldest Ascendant of the Council of Tauri, Valerias is the Patron of Love, though she often prefers to be known as the Queen of Passion instead. Tempestuous and impulsive, she is known for doing exactly what she wants, a rebel bird who has never known any law. Some among her colleagues are surprised that she has never challenged Solarion, the Hierarch of Power, for his position, even when their long-standing friendship and romance is considered. Others, who understand her better, realize that means she has simply never wanted to do so, perhaps having seen what that role has done to him.

It is nearly impossible for even the mightiest intellects among the Ascendants to recall all the events of an existence that might have spanned tens of thousands of years. It is completely impossible for Valerias, not numbered among those intellects, to recall the events of her own existence, which has spanned _hundreds_ of thousands of years. Her mortal life is almost completely forgotten, but she believes that she was one of the first Alvadine born on this planet, that her childhood was utterly brief, and that she was sent to war against the Xothi, the Ograh and the Maung, alongside her peoples' Gargun allies. And she fought, and she fought, and she fought, for centuries after centuries.

And there came a day, or perhaps a night, when she realized that she alone survived among those who had fought at her side from the first, and wept for the first time. Was this what existence was, just a long march towards the final death? Why had she ever been born, then? As she asked these things, someone -- and one of her greatest regrets is that she cannot remember anything about that person -- wrapped her in an embrace and told her that no, there _was_ more to life than this. "All power can't be seen," that person said. Keeping that memory close to her heart, she returned to war, and she fought, and she fought, and she fought, for centuries more after centuries more. Eventually, the war ended.

In the aftermath, she became the creator of the elven bardic tradition, and for this and everything that had gone before it, she was rewarded with Ascension. Despite that, she was a relatively minor light among Solarion's court for a long time, until she achieved Celestial status and declared herself the Patron of Love. This was bewildering to the rest of Pandiomon, for the emotions were generally considered the purview of the Sphere of Mind rather than Power, and doubly so for the fact that 'love' seemed a rather weak thing to them. 

Valerias set out to prove them wrong. Lives have been horribly ruined and lives been incredibly enriched by her efforts, but by now the rest of the Ascendants have definitely come to see that anything that motivates so many actions must be considered an example of Power, rather than a simple product of Mind. She has also continued to act as one of the finest scouts and snipers on battlefields throughout the planes, which has become her primary role as a member of the Council. Ascendants are not supposed to fight mortals' battles for them, but Valerias has no compunctions about descending to Galantri and quietly weakening, harming or even slaying the lesser servants of Entropy who have attached themselves to the Shadow Dragon. She does what she wants, and what she thinks needs doing.

Valerias' closest friend outside of the council is probably Silenus, an Eternal of the Sphere of Matter who came up around the same time she did, but under very different circumstances. They share a love for music and dance, though his true love is and will always be wine. She has a long-standing rivalry with Tarastia the Justiciar, a jumped up Eternal of Mind who resents Valerias for her free-spirited ways and tries to undermine her at every opportunity. (Or so Valerias' point of view would have it.) She has also frequently had confrontations with Kagyar the Maker, over their differing artistic perspectives as well as other matters of politics, which makes the way that some mortals think "Auberon" and "Titania" (their frequent aliases) are married rather amusing. Within her own sphere, as already mentioned, she has the trust and fond regard of its Hierarch ... most of the time. Both of them are easily distracted and tempermental, after all.

*Valerias -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 14 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 7 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 12

*Powers:
Arrows of Outrageous Fortune:* Array (26 points); Removable (-5 points)
 *Arrow of Binding:* Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited to Two Degrees - 26 points
 *Arrow of Brilliance:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 13 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Arrow of Infatuation:* Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Transformed [to be in love with the first entity seen]) - 26 points
 *Arrow of Pain:* Ranged Damage 12, Extended Range 2 - 26 points
*Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Power), Standard Action - 10 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 10 - 20 points
*Divine Mind:* Comprehend Languages 4; Impervious Will 10, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 25 points
*"Love Lights the Way":* Environment 3 (light) - 3 points
*Many Faces:* Morph 4 (any form) - 20 points
*Power of the Heart:* Cumulative Mind Reading 14 - 42 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Swift Stride:* Movement 1 (trackless); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive 2, Daze (Deception), Equipment 5, Fascinate (Persuasion), Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Taunt, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane: Size* Gargantuan; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Communications, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30) - 22 points.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+20), Expertise: Performance 4 (+16), Insight 13 (+19), Perception 12 (+18), Persuasion 8 (+20), Ranged Combat: Bow 10 (+17), Sleight of Hand 9 (+16), Stealth 10 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 10)
Arrow of Pain +17 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 15, Toughness 14, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 126 + Powers 151 + Advantages 16 + Skills 37 + Defenses 20 = 350 points

*Offensive PL: *15
*Defensive PL: *13
*Resistance PL:* 14
*Skill PL: *15

*Complications:
Responsibility ... Well, Sort Of--Motivation. Easily Distracted. Manipulative. Temper.*

_Note: Should Valerias ever travel to the World Less Magical, all her abilities drop by 2 ranks each, she suffers Power Loss on her Ascendant powers, her Power of the Heart drops to 12 ranks, and her Arrows of Outrageous Fortune array drops to 22 points (with most effects dropping to 11 ranks and Ranged Damage dropping to 10); she will also be Disabled on Expertise: Magic checks made with Jack-of-all-Trades. She becomes PL 13._


----------



## Davies

Ithas





Ithas is a traitor. This is one of the first things any Initiate learns when they arrive in Pandiomon -- Ithas cannot ever be trusted and will inevitably betray anyone foolish enough to think he can be. Eventually, most of the ones who survive learn the horrific truth, that Ithas cannot even be trusted to always be a traitor; sometimes, he will decide to keep his word as a way of betraying someone's preconceptions about him. It is also true that he has never aided the forces of Entropy in any way that didn't ultimately cause them more harm in the end, and for that reason, and the fact that he is almost certainly the best spy in Pandiomon, he has become his sphere's representative on the Council of Tauri.

Aged among their ranks, Ithas claims to have lived roughly one hundred thousand years ago, among a cave-dwelling human group who had just recently discovered fire, and were not good at making it. Through stealthy observation, he learned that the sleeth who lived higher up on the mountain were much better at making fire, and decided to steal their secrets from them. He found himself captured and enslaved fairly quickly, but his wits were recognized by his captors, who arrogantly allowed him to learn their secrets -- magic. Eventually, he learned enough to escape their capture and returned home to pass on what he had learned to his own people, having stolen the fire from heaven.

After many other tricks played on various peoples of that age, Ithas was granted Ascendance and quickly rose in the Sphere of Mind, becoming the Patron of Trickery. Necessarily, this meant a lot of manipulation of his fellows, and necessarily that meant _some_ of his schemes would fail and be exposed. That doesn't really bother him. For every scheme that fails, more succeed and are never discovered; for every successful scheme exposed, more are too embarrassing for those who do discover them to ever be revealed. And for every pious denunciation of his followers by those who loudly assert their probity, many prayers are offered up in his name whenever those same pious frauds need to do something on the far side of ethical.

Ithas has spent more time among Gallantri's people than any other member of the Council, and is actually disturbed by what he's discovered. He supports the idea of a small band of heroes being found and guided to do something about this matter, and will likely be sent to appraise the candidates when the time comes. He hasn't yet worked out how he's going to betray his fellows, whether by action or inaction, and is waiting for what will be the perfect moment to decide. That need for the perfect moment is something even he recognizes as his greatest weakness, for sometimes the right moment just slips past. Nobody's perfect.

Ithas has no real friends outside of the Council, having burned his bridges with most potential allies through incessant treachery. The only peer with whom he has any sort of working relationship is Bori, an Eternal of the Sphere of Matter, who only considers him a useful scapegoat for some of his own schemes. While widely disliked, Ithas' most severe mutual emnity is that which he shares with Mardwyn, Patron of Wizardry, an Eternal of the Sphere of Power, whose coldly structured attitude towards spellcrafting clashes with Ithas' improvisational approach. While Mardwyn has won most of their conflicts in recent centuries, Ithas has often been able to compromise those successes in ways that end up making Mardwyn look ridiculous. Meanwhile, Ithas has an extremely uncomfortable relationship with his original sponsor, the reigning Hierarch of Mind, whom he neither understands nor has ever succeeded in tricking or fooling in any way. It is fair to say that Ithas fears the Watcher on the Threshold more than any other entity.

*Ithas -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 12 | *STA* 12 | *AGL* 8 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 11 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Thought), Standard Action - 10 points
*Dagger of the Mind:* Alternate Resistance (Will) on Strength Damage 12; Strength-based Damage 1, Alternate Resistance (Will), Accurate 2, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-6 points) - 12 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 10 - 20 points
*Divine Mind:* Comprehend Languages 4; Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 25 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Tricks:* Array (75 points)

*Illusionist:* Illusion 15 (all senses) - 75 points
*Seer:* Cumulative Mind Reading 15; Remote Sensing 9 (visual, mental), Dimensional 3 - 1 point
*Shapeshifter:* Linked Morph 4 (anything); Linked Variable 6 (traits associated with shape), Free Action - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Equipment 4, Fascinate (Persuasion), Jack-of-all-Trades, Seize Initiative, Skill Mastery (Deception), Taunt, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 12; *Features* Communications, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Concealed, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30), Workshop - 19 points.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Dagger 3 (+13), Deception 12 (+16), Expertise: Magic 11 (+15), Insight 6 (+15), Investigation 2 (+13), Perception 5 (+14), Persuasion 8 (+12), Sleight of Hand 6 (+12), Stealth 7 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 12)
Dagger of the Mind +17 (Close Damage 13, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 14, Parry 12, Fortitude 12, Toughness 12, Will 15

*Totals:*
Abilities 144 + Powers 143 + Advantages 14 + Skills 30 + Defenses 19 = 350 points

*Offensive PL:* 15
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 14
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Callous. Delusion* (I am much smarter and more charming than anyone else.) *Values Excitement Over Safety.*

_Note: Should Ithas ever travel to the World Less Magical, all his abilities drop by 2 ranks each, he suffers Power Loss on his Ascendant powers, and his Tricks array drops to 69 points (with the Illusion and Mind Reading effects dropping to 13 ranks and the Variable dropping to 5); he will also be Disabled on Expertise: Magic checks. He becomes PL 13.

They are doomed to disaster, though they think they are invulnerable. I’m almost ashamed to have anything to do with them. Changing back to flickering flame is a tempting prospect indeed. Consuming those who tamed me instead of stupidly sharing their fate, however divine they may be. That might be the wisest course. I’ll think it over. Who knows what I’ll do?_


----------



## Davies

Petra




Art by Larry Elmore.

No other Ascendant, of any of the Spheres, has ever risen to the ranks of the Eternals as fast as Petra, the youngest of the Council at less than fifteen centuries. This has made quite a few of her peers suspicious of her, especially given her reputation as an inflexible moralist; most of her critics suspect that she is actually even more cynical and pragmatic than those she chooses to oppose, a sanctimonious hypocrite. She is aware of these whispers, but chooses to ignore them, having learned hard lessons about correcting her own faults before she seeks to correct those of others.

As a mortal, Petra was an adventuring warrior who enjoyed what she viewed as blessings from various gods, though she would later come to understand them as a type of sorcery. Joining forces with several other would-be heroes, she wound up involved in a series of deadly conflicts with the beastfolk who were invading her homeland. While she and her allies stood victorious at the end of their wars, their nation had suffered terrible losses. Each of the survivors of their group lead one group of refugees in the hopes of finding a new home elsewhere.

Petra led her exodus to the east, into a fading Republic, where the people were accepted as new citizens. Having accomplished her task, she now looked for a new challenge, and found herself drawn to an unexpected struggle unlike anything she'd ever known. At that time, the philosopher and religious reformer Damonnius of Celenike was engaged in a protracted struggle with the religious leaders of the Republic, who regarded him as a dangerous firebrand. Initially agreeing with that, Petra first approached Damonnius as a potential enemy who was bending minds to his will, but soon realized that he employed no magic save that of rhetorical argument. She was won over by his criticisms of the religious practices of the day, which he felt neither glorified whatsoever powers might exist, nor served the people who were in need of succor, but only enriched the already wealthy.

Ultimately, Damonnius would die a martyr's death long before he could accomplish the transformation he envisioned, but Petra took up the struggle in his place, and his enemies found her a much more difficult opponent to vanquish. The struggle was a long one, consuming decades, but in her old age the new faith she had created had eclipsed the old ways and been embraced throughout the Troatian lands. She died content, and then awakened from her final sleep to learn that she had joined the Ascendants.

Having done so, she naturally became the patron of her own faith, guiding it to become an army of salvation that would, she hoped, redeem the world entire. She devoted all her efforts to this, and managed to overcome many obstacles that other Ascendants, of many Spheres and particularly the forces of Entropy, attempted to put in her way. Yet after a thousand years of this, Petra found herself with a nagging sense of wrongness, and she took a long hard look at her creation. To her horror, she realized that the faith had become just like that which it had been born in opposition to, with leaders who at best cared more about obscure points of philosophy than the people they were supposed to guide, and at worst cared only for their own power and glory!

Some sort of reform was clearly needed, and yet her sense of prophecy told her that if she led it personally, this would all just happen again in another thousand years. So Petra chose a different path, working with those outside of the faith instead of only raising up those within it, seeking different perspectives that could change that fate. This is having mixed results, but she accentuates the positive changes that have come from it. This has also led to her participation in the Council as the representative of the Sphere of Time. Her prophecies have helped them to work out their plans, and the logistics of their operations are supported by the faith.

Outside of her fellow councillors, Petra has two close friends in Balam and Zagros, Empyreals of Matter and Power respectively, who were her adventuring companions in life. Their interests in are somewhat more narrowly focused than her own -- one specific family and one paricular forest, respectively -- but she will always assist them with their projects when they ask ... or if they don't ask and she thinks they need help regardless. She also enjoys a steady alliance with Asterius, Patron of Wealth. Their association is a bit bewildering to many, since he seems to represent ideals opposed to her own, but Petra knows that Asterius has respectable ethics rather than caring only about acquiring wealth by any means. Her greatest rival is Vanya, the Patron of Strife, formerly an ally during the faith's early days who regards its and her turn towards a more peaceful approach with contempt. Although the Hierarch of her Sphere was her original patron, she is not particularly close to Khoronous anymore, and was bewildered by his decision to take Lady Fuurin into his own charge rather than placing the anomaly in her care. But she trusts that he sees something she does not, and won't complain.

*Petra -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 13 | *STA* 13 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Blessed Armor:* Impervious Protection 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points
*Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Time), Standard Action - 10 points
*Communion:* Mental Communication 4; Cumulative Mind Reading 6, Communication Dependent - 34 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 10 - 20 points
*Divine Mind:* Comprehend Languages 4; Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 25 points
*Holy Touch:* Healing 15, Energizing, Persistent, Restorative - 61 points
*Mace of Disruption: *Linked Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2; Linked Close Nullify Magic 16, Broad, Simultaneous; Easily Removable (-14 points) - 21 points
*Prophecy:* Senses 4 (Precognition) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Equipment 4, Fascinate (Persuasion), Favored Foe (undead), Improved Defense, Leadership, Power Attack, Ritualist, Takedown, Ultimate Effort (Toughness checks).

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Gargantuan; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Combat Simulator, Communications, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Effect (Affects Others Immortality 5), Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Holding Cells, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System, Workshop - 25 points.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Mace 3 (+14), Expertise: Magic 9 (+16), Expertise: Religion 11 (+16), Insight 5 (+14), Intimidation 8 (+15), Perception 6 (+15), Persuasion 8 (+15), Treatment 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 11)
Mace of Disruption +14 (Close Damage 16 and Nullify Magic 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 15, Toughness 18/13, Will 15.

*Totals:*
Abilities 126 + Powers 139 + Advantages 14 + Skills 29 + Defenses 14 = 350 points

*Offensive PL: *15
*Defensive PL:* 15
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Honest to a Fault. Reputation* (sanctimonious know-it-all.) *Strives for Peaceful Solutions.*

_Note: Should Petra ever travel to the World Less Magical, all her abilities drop by 2 ranks each, she suffers Power Loss on her Ascendant powers, and her Mace's Nullify Magic effect drops to 14 ranks; she is also Disabled on Expertise: Magic checks. She becomes PL 13._


----------



## Davies

The Shadow Dragon




_Humanoid form_




_Dragon form_

By and large, the Entropics do not hate the lives that they are expected to destroy or corrupt. Doing so is simply their role in the unfolding of the cosmos, and it is considered immature to develop feelings of resentment for their opponents even if they do manage to triumph. There will always be other contests, and on those future days things might go very differently. Better, then, to act with patience and emotional detachment, for these make it easier to learn from one's mistakes, and the mistakes of one's opponents as well.

The Entropic known as the Shadow Dragon is an exception to this generality, taking matters much more personally and regarding those of her supposed peers who subscribe to that philosophy with nothing but contempt. Having achieved status within her sphere equivalent to that of the Eternals of the four spheres of despised Creation, she finds herself in a position where she might be able to overthrow the Dread Hierarch, Nyx, last of the Old Ones, and claim his throne for herself. That countless before her have believed that they might do so does not trouble her; she is greater than any of them ever were, and she has a plan.

The Shadow Dragon has set aside any memories of a mortal life. She vaguely remembers being small and weak and pathetic, and as she is no longer any of these things, there is no sense of dwelling what was once but will never be again. She demonstrated her talents many times in her rise within the ranks of Entropy, and took pride in never having been thwarted. Her victories were rarely as complete as she wished, for others sometimes managed to gain by them as well, despite her wish that her victories cause everyone else to lose.

And then, four centuries gone, she found herself vanquished. _Humbled,_ even. And not even by one of the Ascendants, but by a pathetic mortal, some sorcerer-paladin called Alessandra Von Gallantri who managed to thwart her plans and leave her with nothing to show for them. That the mortal died in the doing meant nothing, it just ensured that she was forever beyond the Shadow Dragon's revenge. So the only thing to do was to take that revenge on those who honored her foe's memory, the nation named for her foe.

Her schemes have worked marvelously. An aristocrat, descended from Alessandra's kin, driven to madness. A child of enormous potential, turned to darkness and ruin. A dragon, bound to human service. A would-be heroine dead before she could do anything. Countless lives wrecked and shattered. And it's only just begun. So much wonderful entropy, all for her purposes -- all to open a doorway to the impossibly distant plane where the treasure of the Old Ones was hidden away, so that she can journey there, steal its might for her own, and with it claim Nyx's throne. Then she will lead Entropy as it should be lead, with none of this 'patience' and 'emotional detachment', but fury.

Nothing can possibly go wrong ...

*The Shadow Dragon -- PL 16

Abilities:
STR* 18/12 | *STA* 18/12 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 10

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to planes of the Sphere of Entropy), Standard Action - 10 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 12 - 22 points
*Divine Mind:* Comprehend Languages 4; Impervious Will 14, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 26 points 
*Human Form:* Morph 1 (humanoid form), Quirk (only at minimum size) - 4 points 
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Umbral Flames:* Cone Area 2 Damage 16 - 48 points
*Umbral Flight:* Flight 8 (500 MPH) - 16 points
_*Umbral Form:*_ Growth 6 (15 feet; Strength +6, Stamina +6, Dodge -3, Parry -3, Intimidation +3, Stealth -6); Enhanced Growth 8 (90 feet; Dodge -4, Parry -4, Intimidation +4, Stealth -8, Speed +1), No Strength or Stamina; Protection 8, Quirk (1 rank per rank of Enhanced Growth active) - 33 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Fascinate (Deception), Equipment 5, Fearless 2, Improved Critical 2 (Unarmed), Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Ritualist, Skill Mastery (Expertise: Magic), Startle, Takedown 2.

_Equipment: _
*Home Plane: Size* Gargantuan; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Combat Simulator, Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Holding Cells, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 35), Workshop - 24 points.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+14), Deception 6 (+16), Expertise: Magic 6 (+16), Insight 8 (+15), Intimidation 6 (+16), Perception 8 (+15), Persuasion 4 (+14), Stealth 10 (+16/+10/+2).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 18/12, Crit 18-20)
Umbral Flames -- (Cone Area Damage 16)

*Defense: *
Dodge 5/9/12, Parry 5/9/12, Fortitude 18/12, Toughness 26/18/12, Will 14.

*Totals:*
Abilities 138 + Powers 145 + Advantages 21 + Skills 28 + Defenses 13 = 345 points

*Offensive PL:* 16
*Defensive PL:* 16
*Resistance PL:* 16
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Destruction and Corruption--Motivation. Power Loss* (all Umbral powers, in direct sunlight).* Power Loss* (Umbral Form, must feed regularly.) *Sadism.*

_Note: The Shadow Dragon, like any Entropic, cannot under any circumstances travel to the World Less Magical, and will be immediately and irrevocably destroyed if she does. *She does not know this.*_


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> _Note: The Shadow Dragon, like any Entropic, cannot under any circumstances travel to the World Less Magical, and will be immediately and irrevocably destroyed if she does. *She does not know this.*_



Good.

Puts a smile on my face.

Stills leaves the question to what her connection to Ananke is and how she heard about her in the first place.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Good.
> 
> Puts a smile on my face.
> 
> Stills leave the question to what her connection to Ananke is.



In her mind, Ananke is just the name of a treasure that the Old Ones hid away; she has people worship an entity by that name as a joke, as well as a way of destroying their actual faiths.

As to how she learned about this treasure ... well. Nyx didn't survive to become the last of the Old Ones by not recognizing unhealthy ambitions when he saw them.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In her mind, Ananke is just the name of a treasure that the Old Ones hid away; she has people worship an entity by that name as a joke, as well as a way of destroying their actual faiths.



I totally expect her to reveal this to her pawns and foes just before she leaves as a way of twisting the knife.

Which would be further spoiled by her being obliterated in the process of attempting to reach A World Less Magical.


----------



## Davies

Well, what will probably happen is that (a) the Futurian Academy students and some resistance fighters end up fighting Mhaim and her minions, with Ariel and Amagda joining forces against the Commissioner herself, (b) the Ghost Sweepers fight the Dragon until he surrenders, and (c) the Princesses of the Universe and an unexpected ally fight the Shadow Dragon in a desperate battle to take her out before night falls and she becomes a foe beyond them.


----------



## Davies

Prince Charming





An Ascendant who achieves the summit of power within their Sphere, becoming its Hierarch, has two options for how they leave that position -- either to wait until someone unseats them, either by straightforward battle or by demonstrating their superiority in some other manner, or to walk the long road of reincarnation, becoming an infant mortal who _might_ one day accomplish something to earn Ascension and from there _might_ become a Hierarch once again. Supposedly, at the end of that road is a prize beyond imagination. However, no Ascendant really believes this to be possible, and all five of the current Hierarchs have been in their positions for thousands of years now.

Orsolya Callixius, oldest daughter of a Baron in the east of Palameros, does not know how she knows these facts. She cannot remember ever not knowing them, but suspects (correctly) that they are things that the Ascendants would rather that mortals not know. Most mortals treat stories about immortal beings who originate as mortals as fancies, tales fit only for children. The choices she has made in her life have been greatly influenced by her knowledge that they are anything but that.

A decade ago, when she was nineteen, Orsolya's father retired from his Baronial title after the death of his wife, intending to spend the rest of his life in a monastery and pass the rule of their tiny domain onto her. For reasons she could not fully explain, Orsolya hesitated to accept this seemingly ideal life, and followed old rumors into a marsh not far from their property, where three old witches supposedly gave wise counsel to those who would answer their riddles. When she finally arrived at their shack, she was a bit confused by the way that she could somehow tell that there was only a single presence within it, despite illusions of a trio.  Nevertheless, she answered their first riddle, and then took a moment to consider the question she should ask in return. The simple thing to do would have been to ask whether she should accept the title or reject it, but she found herself asking a different question of broader import: "What question should I ask you?"

She got her answer to that question, and then left without asking anything else. Her life would be the answer to the question she should ask.

The next day, after receiving the title, she promptly abdicated it and passed the barony to her wicked uncle, who had been scheming to seize it for as long as she'd been alive. (He was pleasantly surprised this; somewhat less pleasantly a few years later, when he ended up hanged for treason.) With that out of the way and her red-gold hair dyed pink, she departed to walk the road to adventure with nothing more than her father's court sword and the clothes on her back, and a blessing she didn't fully believe. Despite that, her obviously aristocratic upbringing led to fellow adventurers dubbing her a Princess, but she soon became known as a Prince instead when it became clear that she was no fainting maiden but a brave and deadly fighter. The 'Charming' sobriquet just came naturally.

The Prince has adventured throughout the continent, from Troatis and Al'Aram to Tohrukin and the Great Desert to the west, from the Dread Sea to Newlund in the far north. She has seen things no other mortal has seen; one of the few outsiders to have visited the City of Stone and met the hobfolk within it, she even traveled alongside their great explorer Sellula. Throughout these legendary journeys, she has lived her life heroically, and lived it with style. Her exploits have not always been successful, and sometimes not even meritorious, but she never regrets the choice that she made, and greets everything that comes her way with a smile.

Most recently, she has spent quite a bit of time assisting Galantrian emigres in Tohrukin to settle in to their new lives, even sneaking into the land they fled in hopes of recoverng the treasures -- and occasionally people -- left behind in their flight. Very soon, she will be offered yet another job of that nature, to discover the fate of one Amagda Levent, which will get her involved in a fight alongside Ascendants and visitors from beyond, determining the fate of nations. A typical Midweek, basically.

*Prince Charming -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Beyond Destiny: *Permanent Concealment 1 (precognition), Innate - 3 points
*Blessing of the Fates:* Enhanced Advantage 4 (Luck); Luck Control 4 - 16 points
*Charmed Life:* Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Subtle - 7 points
*Longevity: *Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Sense Immortal: *Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Languages 4 (many, [Troatian is native]), Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Seize Initiative, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 9 (+13), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+13), Deception 5 (+12), Expertise: High Society 9 (+10), Expertise: Magic 3 (+10), Intimidation 5 (+12), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+12), Sleight of Hand 4 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +13 (Close Damage 5, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/8, Parry 13/10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 29 + Advantages 21 + Skills 34 + Defenses 16 = 158 points

*Offensive PL: *9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Impulsive and Carefree. Power Loss* (Blessing of the Fates, if she ever behaves in a cautious and prudent manner.) *Secret* (knowledge she should not possess.)

_Her battlecry: *"I AM YOUTH! I AM JOY! I AM THE CHICK WHO BROKE OUT OF THE EGG!"*_


----------



## Davies

Nephren-ka





More than two thousand years before the current era, the last king of Egypt's Sixth Dynasty was named Netjerkare Siptah. Closer to his time than to our own, yet still many centuries later, a Greek author would tell a story about this era which claimed that a queen named Nitocris had taken vengeance on her brother's murderers by diverting the Nile to drown them. For a long time in the history of Egyptology, this story was thought to be complete fiction, and later a distortion in which Netjerkare's name was misrepresented as Nitocris, but even then just a silly story.

The silly story covered something far more horrible. Netjerkare Siptah's reign came to an end when he was murdered by the local governors of Egypt, but they were not so foolish to place his younger sister, whose name has not come down to this day, on the throne in his place. Her desire was not for vengeance, but for her brother to return and take back what was rightfully his. Invoking powers she did not fully understand through an ancient song, driven by the twin madnesses of love and hope, she called _something_ down out of darkness between the stars that took up residence in her brother's corpse and rebuilt it to suit itself. Netjerkare -- Nephren-ka -- had awakened, and the chaos of the Seventh Dynasty was his first great triumph.

Eventually, sanity reasserted itself with the start of the dynasty that followed. Fleeing those who sought his end, Nephren-ka took refuge within Earth, sleeping for centuries and rising when there was opportunity to work his will. How many times he did this, how much his actions shaped the history of the World That Burned, may never be known. He rose again in the 1920s and worked much madness, yet suffered a serious defeat that forced him into hiding in 1936, sleeping fitfully before he returned in 1983 as a foe of the Justice Alliance. For more than a decade, he strove to drive the world insane for his own amusement and that of the Old Ones.

And then, in the last years of the twentieth century, the world went mad in a way he had not anticipated, and nuclear war broke out. The death and destruction might have amused Nephren-ka, had a megaton blast not come down not far from where he was lairing in 1997, near Memphis, Tennessee, before he could prepare appropriate wards. He suffered horribly and retreated into a deep sleep, unsure if the world would still be there when he awakened. The process of his awakening began some fifteen years later, when he was finally restored enough to perceive and influence the minds around him.

For the first time in eons, he found himself genuinely surprised when he learned who some of those minds were. Some years before his awakening, the World That Burned had been discovered by interlopers from the extradimensional city known as the Sprawl. They naturally sought to take advantage of the diminished circumstances of the former reality by looting as much as they could, openly employing their technological advantages. As it happened, one group of them discovered the tomb of Nephren-Ka and mistook it for a supply cache, and so became the Dread Pharaoh's first conquests from another world, bringing their master's body back with them to the Sprawl.

There, he continued to seize command of minds, exploiting the Sprawl's medical technology to heal the wounds he'd suffered much sooner than they otherwise might, ending his slumber in six years instead of the decades that it would have taken naturally. He learned much in the process, about the many worlds that the Sprawl sought to plunder. Fate and his own will had delivered him to a place where he might have his way with not just a nation or even a world, but all possible realities.

Of course, first Nephren-ka must complete the conquest of the Sprawl itself. While its leaders are largely pathetic, powerless non-entities, some of them have nevertheless managed to avoid becoming his dominated vassals and resist the assassination attempts of those who serve him. As yet, vanishingly few of the denizens of the Sprawl even know that the Dread Pharaoh even exists, viewing the current situation as just a more intense period of intercorporate struggle. It is a vexing situation, and may become even more vexing if he is opposed by that which created him and that which has ever thwarted him -- a voice raised in song, driven by the twin madnesses of hope and love.

*Nephren-Ka -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 13 | *AWE* 10 | *PRE* 12

*Powers:
Alien:* Immunity 31 (aging, life support, mental effects); Protection 6, Impervious 12; Senses 8 (mystical awareness, vision counters all concealment and illusion) - 57 points
*Sorcery:* Array (46 points)

*Call of the Wild:* Summon Animals 3 (wild beasts), Broad, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 5, Dynamic - 47 points
*Darkling Bolts:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 14, Incurable, Dynamic - 2 points
*Lord of Illusions:* Illusion 11 (all senses), Resistable (Will), Dynamic - 2 points
*Mind over Matter:* Perception Range Damaging Move Object 11 (50 tons), Dynamic - 2 points
*Obey Me:* Perception Range Progressive Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
*Protean Form:* Flight 8 (500 MPH); Insubstantial 2; Morph 4 - 1 point
*Scrying:* Remote Sensing 8 (all senses; 250 miles), Subtle 2, Dynamic - 2 points
*Voice of the Mind:* Comprehend Languages 3 (speak and be understood in all languages); Mental Communication 3 - 21 points

*Advantages:*
Improved Hold, Jack-of-all-Trades, Ritualist, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+11), Deception 5 (+17), Expertise: Magic 6 (+18), Insight 4 (+14), Intimidation 3 (+15), Perception 6 (+16), Persuasion 1 (+13), Ranged Combat: Sorcery 7 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 9)
Darkling Bolts +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 14)
Mind over Matter -- (Perception Range Damage 11)
Obey Me -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13, Will 12.

*Totals:*
Abilities 134 + Powers 135 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 16 = 307 points

*Offensive PL: *13
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL: *11
*Skill PL: *13

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Sadism. Vulnerability* (sonic and music attacks.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Of course, first Nephren-ka must complete the conquest of the Sprawl itself. While its leaders are largely pathetic, powerless non-entities, some of them have nevertheless managed to avoid becoming his dominated vassals and resist the assassination attempts of those who serve him. As yet, vanishingly few of the denizens of the Sprawl even know that the Dread Pharaoh even exists, viewing the current situation as just a more intense period of intercorporate struggle. It is a vexing situation, and may become even more vexing if he is opposed by that which created him and that which has ever thwarted him -- a voice raised in song, driven by the twin madnesses of hope and love.





Davies said:


> *Vulnerability* (sonic and music attacks.)



Rockerboy vs the Black Pharaoh, now that is a story worth telling and a sight worth seeing (from a very safe angle of course).


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Rockerboy vs the Black Pharaoh, now that is a story worth telling...



I thought so.


----------



## Davies

Astolfine




_Art by macarious_

The Duchy of Artheld lies far to the west of the Torm Basin, past the Haglophian Mountains which form the Basin's western border, and the Great Salt Desert beyond them. Vanishingly few travelers have ever ventured that far and returned to speak of what they found there, and most dismiss the tales told of such voyages as lies meant to cadge drinks or coin from the gullible. As it happens, Travis Ritter holds a different view, having heard the same basic tale over and over again from these voyagers, and recognizing something hauntingly familiar about it; a little bit of the world he left behind, impossibly preserved. 

Unfortunately, Ritter has never found the time or opportunity to voyage there to confirm or deny the rumors, for there are always other heroic deeds to be done on the near side of the Haglophians, and in the east. But this misfortune is balanced by the fact that there is an emissary of sorts from those distant lands who has made her way to the Basin, to seek her fortune, her fate, or some combination of these. Sometimes allying with Ritter, sometimes drawn into schemes which place her in opposition to him, the gun for hire known as Astolfine is one of the knights without armor of Artheld.

Astolfine has rarely spoken of the reasons she left her home in the west to roam around the Torm Basin. From unguarded comments that she's made in the decade or so that Ritter has known her, while speaking to him and to others who've spoken of her, he's reached the conclusion that she is an exile from her homeland, and not a voluntary one. She will not, under any circumstances, ever speak of the reasons that she might have been forced out of the Duchy. Only the deepest, most violating psychic probing will reveal that she killed a mother and child -- her own mother, and her neverborn half-sibling -- under circumstances that she cannot bear to think about.

Despite that grim origin, Astolfine rarely exhibits much in the way of sorrow or regret, or most other strong emotions. By nature or nurture, she suppresses such things, with her most emotional reactions coming out when she gives in to her most mischievous tendencies. She enjoys inflicting embarrassment and even humiliation on potential opponents (and allies who have lost her good opinion) more than she would enjoy inflicting actual injury or death, though she will deal those out if she must. Astolfine has been known to snicker or even let out a single peal of genuine laughter at the sight of a foe's ruined dignity, whether she caused it or not.

The guns that Astolfine employs are at once much more advanced than many weapons in use in the Torm Basin, and yet much less advanced than the energy weapons that are often used by soldiers of Nerath and other wealthy states. Astolfine has repeatedly turned down opportunities to learn to use the latter, prefrring to rely on what she knows will work. A good part of this is that she is quite capable of creating replacement ammunition to replace that which she expends, using tools she brought with her from Artheld and relatively cheap raw materials, which she would not be able to do with the cartridges that power blasters. At heart, Astolfine is both a bit overly proud of her traditions, and more self-reliant than most people in the World Closer to the Grave can really afford to be.

In addition to her talents as a gunslinger, Astolfine has one other major advantage -- the Voice. She can somehow speak in precisely the right timber to make someone hesitate and be lost, possibly employing some sort of mesmeric talent in the process. She cannot command others actions through this ability, but it works on any opponent who can hear her speak, regardless of whether they understand the language. From off-hand remarks, it seems that Astolfine is a relative novice in the use of these talents, and has spoken soberly of people who were able to heal wounds by shouting at the wounded. Of course, that could be the set-up of an elaborate prank ... but maybe not.


*Astolfine -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
The Voice: *Perception Range Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Hearing Dependent, Limited Degree - 12 points 

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit (Paired Guns), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 3, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (pistol), Improved Initiative, Language 3 (many incuding Tormanan, [Varangais is native]) Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Startle, Takedown, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Two Pistols (Ranged Damage 3), gunsmithing tools and 2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+7), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Survival 4 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+9), Investigation 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+10), Perception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 2 (+8), Stealth 3 (+8), Technology 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Pistol +10 (Ranged Damage 3)
Paired Guns +10 (Ranged Damage 6)
*
Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 12 + Advantages 19 + Skills 20 + Defenses 13 = 120 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Nomadic. Outsider. Prankster.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In addition to her talents as a gunslinger, Astolfine has one other major advantage -- the Voice. She can somehow speak in precisely the right timber to make someone hesitate and be lost, possibly employing some sort of mesmeric talent in the process. She cannot command others actions through this ability, but it works on any opponent who can hear her speak, regardless of whether they understand the language. From off-hand remarks, it seems that Astolfine is a relative novice in the use of these talents, and has spoken soberly of people who were able to heal wounds by shouting at the wounded. Of course, that could be the set-up of an elaborate prank ... but maybe not.


----------



## Davies

Pallin and Vallesta





While Feleks and Rafnr the Ruddy are two of the most famous delvers of Bemarris, their reputations _in_ Bemarris are not entirely positive. As often abroad as they are, they are frequently considered 'unreliable' by those who might want to employ their services; that particular characterization is also informed by their tendency to abandon activities that offend their sometimes mercurial sensibilities. Other delvers, less competent ones, are often considered more 'reliable' ... or perhaps more 'dependent on the goodwill of others'.

Of these, one of the most recently famous is Pallin, a denizen from one of the farming villages surrounding Bemarris. His story is entirely typical; two years ago both of his parents died during a brutal winter, and while their neighbors were willing to take him in for a few months, he chose to leave for the city when spring came. Unable to find more sensible work, he became a dungeon delver to feed himself, and found that he had something of a knack for it. So he's kept at it, and gained a reputation for efficiently bringing back bounties from the darkness underneath.

Of course, the source of that 'something of a knack' is not what it seems, for an untrained farm boy would surely only have found a brutal, nameless death in the dungeon. Pallin was lucky enough to cross paths with a wizard _before_ he began his adventures, and receive her favor and blessing, granting him slightly enhanced physical attributes and an enchantment that allowed him to cast a magical arrow from his hand. He is entirely aware of how much of an advantage he's been given with these, and always prioritizes helping his patron over other considerations. Fortunately for him, she never requests anything of him that would prevent him from fulfilling someone else's requests.

The wizard Vallesta is not nearly as powerful or as skilled as Cagana the Crazed or Valensian Ral, but is also not as physically twisted as either of them, and thus can move freely within the city. Or rather, she _seems_ less physically twisted, but if it were known that a soul nearly seven hundred years old dwells within her seemingly youthful body, she might seem much more so. Long ago, while studying under a wizard in her homeland, far to the east, she was cursed to live as she was until such time as she truly learned what magic truly is.

This 'curse' has not only prolonged her youth, it has made her invulnerable. (Or so she thinks; in fact, she can be harmed by sufficient force, but heals most wounds so quickly that scars cannot even form.) Having conducted auguries, Vallesta believes that here, within Bemarris, she will find the answer which grants her the mastery of magic that she has sought, and will use whatever means she has to in order to find it. Fate has delivered her a worthy agent in the form of Pallin, who survived a dangerous magical experiment she conducted that linked the two of them, granting him the ability to use a spell she'd developed long before.

While Pallin began as only a means to an end for her, she has grown fond of him in some ways ... though give a choice, she would always choose to have greater power over something like friendship. It is quite possible, though, that such callousness is actually an obstacle to her goals, though she doesn't yet realize that.

*Pallin -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE *2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Flame Arrow:* Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Luck 3, Power Attack, Trapfinding 2*.
* Grants +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to find traps and uses Dexterity for Technology checks. 

_Equipment:_
Starforged Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical 2), armored clothes (Protection 1).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Knife 4 (+9), Expertise: Magic 2 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+4), Investigation 3 (+4), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Magic 4 (+8), Stealth 3 (+7), Technology 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Knife +9 (Close Damage 3, Crit 18-20)
Flame Arrow +8 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/4/3/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 10 + Advantages 11 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 98 points

*Offensive PL: *7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Adventure--Motivation. Friend* (Vallesta.) *Obligation* (also Vallesta.) *Power Loss/Weakness* (Flame Arrow, if Vallesta is annoyed; also loses 2 ranks from all physical abilities and Fighting.)


*Vallesta -- PL 9

Abilities:*
STR -1 | STA 7 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 2 | INT 4 | AWE 6 | PRE 6

*Powers:
Invulnerable:* Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Protection 7, Impervious 14; Regeneration 10 - 42 points
*Mystic Senses:* Senses 2 (acute mystic awareness) - 2 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 9, Limited to mental effects - 5 points
*
Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Equipment 3, Languages 4 (several including Tormanan, [unknown native]), Ritualist, Startle, Taunt, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Magic 6 (+12), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+10), Investigation 7 (+11), Perception 5 (+11)

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 4, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 49 + Advantages 10 + Skills 15 + Defenses 9 = 133 points

*Offensive PL:* 1*
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL: *9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Ambition--Motivation. Pretense of Friendship *(possibly the real thing?) *Prejudice* (wizard.)


----------



## Davies

Iridescent





Like many of the superheroes of World More Grim, Kelly Sue Red Owl does not have a secret identity. The public is well-aware that she divides her time between a mundane career at the Smithsonian and a more active one as a costumed superhero, frequently called upon by the DC Police to assist them in dealing with supercriminals. However, that's pretty much all they know, as Iridescent doesn't give interviews or talk to the press. In particular, she has never discussed how she developed the power she calls 'colorweaving', the ability to project a variety of different energy types whose effects vary depending on their color. 

A few dogged investigators have traced her origins back to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where there are many people who will confirm that a young girl who possessed these powers grew up there in the 80s, and nobody ever made much of a big deal about it. This has struck more than one investigator as odd, but no obvious holes have been found in the official account. This is just as Red Owl wants, though she regrets exploiting the people at Pine Ridge in this way. The truth of the matter is that she _does_ have a secret, and a big one at that. Red Owl was born more than a century before her supposed birthdate, and was seventeen years old when her entire family died at Wounded Knee Creek. She herself took lethal wounds in the massacre, and might have died herself if the civilians hired to bury the dead had not been more than what they seemed. 

The exact origins of the unaging transhuman beings known as the Vima is not clear. They themselves believe that they were created by those they call the Primordials, identifying them with the forebears of the Olympians, whom _they_ call Titans. (There has been a long-standing rivalry between the two groups of superbeings.) Their self-appointed purpose is to protect the Earth and its peoples from the shadows. The Vima are unlike the Olympians in one key respect; they cannot reproduce themselves but must create new Vima from human beings who agree to the procedure. Their society may underlie many tales of immortal beings who recruit new members, such as the Eight Immortals of Taoist alchemy.

On discovering that Red Owl had survived the massacre _and_ the blizzard that followed it, the Vima offered her the opportunity to join them. Not fully understanding what she was agreeing to, Red Owl nevertheless did so and was transported to the group's hidden fortress in Labrador. There she underwent a number of processes that transformed her into a unaging transhuman, and began to build a new life for herself, studying with the Vima's masters. She developed her 'colorweaving' powers gradually, and is quite famous among the Vima for the versatility of her powers.

A century after Wounded Knee, Red Owl finally felt comfortable enough in her new identity to start living openly among humans once again, and created the identity of "Kelly Sue Red Owl" with the help of other Vima. She soon found a job at the Smithsonian, working to gradually return what had been taken from indigenous peoples around the world to them while also educating about their history and traditions. It was a fairly good life, and she could be proud of herself, but Red Owl often found herself a bit dissatisfied at how mundane it was after all that she had experienced.

In the twenty-first century, everything began to change. A few months after Shadowraptor made his debut in 2007, Red Owl happened to witness what she took for a gay bashing incident committed against a young man. Rescuing the victim, she attempted to use her powers to heal, but found that the victim's injuries were more serious than she could treat. Somewhat impulsively, she flew to Labrador and placed Charlie Dozier into the Rebirthing Matrix, and was surprised when her new friend emerged as a young woman of the Vima. This development, and the fact that Red Owl did this on her own initiative, has unsettled some of the more conservative Vima. Charlie's education has been placed in Red Owl's hands, and it is largely at her urging that her mentor has begun to act as a 'superhero' under the alias Iridescent.  

Iridescent strives to maintain friendly relations with other superheroes, but has politely turned down invitations to permanently join both the Superhuman Crew and RAH Inc., though she was grateful of the assistance of the former while dealing with a recent riot in DC. This has inspired one of her old rivals, a matter-manipulating Vima named Thélgo to join the latter group, which has led to some awkward and uncomfortable confrontations. However, Thélgo has also been of great help to Iridescent and Charlie in fighting the ancient Vima criminal known as Dulkharnein the Life-Drinker. As yet, none of the factions of the World More Grim are aware of the immortals living among them ... but that could very easily change now that their ancient rivals, the Olympians, are becoming more active.

*Iridescent -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Colorweaving:* Array (24 points)
 *Red/Heat Blast:* Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
 *Orange/Tractor Beam: *Move Object 12 (100 tons) - 1 point
 *Yellow/Blinding Light: *Ranged Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Green/Grapple Beam:* Ranged Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
* Blue/Stun Bolt:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Indigo/Healing Ray:* Ranged Healing 8 - 1 point
 *Violet/Antipsi: *Nullify Psychic Powers 12, Broad - 1 point
*Instant Change:* Feature 1 (change from any clothes to costume) - 1 point
*Levitation Field: *Linked Flight 14 (32,000 MPH); Linked Sustained Protection 10 - 38 points
*Vima: *Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Regeneration 10; Senses 2 (darkvision) - 23 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Connections, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2 (English, French, Spanish, [Lakota is native]), Power Attack, Precise Attack (ranged/cover), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Expertise: Art 5 (+8), Expertise: History 8 (+11), Expertise: Survival 5 (+8), Insight 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Color 4 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Heat Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Blinding Light +10 (Ranged Fortitude 12)
Grapple Beam +10 (Ranged Affliction 12, Resisted by Dodge)
Stun Bolt +10 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14/4, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 92 + Advantages 11 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 214 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friendship* (Charlie Dozier.) *Inhuman* (bleeds light.) *Rivalry* (Thélgo.) *Secret* (Vima.)

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._


----------



## Davies

Sanjurou Satsuki





Kyoto, the capital of Japan for eleven centuries, is home to an enormous amount of Japan's enduring cultural heritage. One can scarcely walk down any given block in the city without encountering some site of historical significance. Needless to say, this results in a great deal of tourism, both from within Japan and without ... and needless to say, where there are tourists, there are those who prey on them, and on any unfortunate locals who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Since 2018, however, Kyoto's nights have become just a bit safer thanks to the presence of one of the country's few vigilantes. On those few occasions when she has answered questions about herself, she claims the name Sanjurou Satsuki, though she's quick to point out that she's only twenty-five years old. (It's a joke that only works in Japanese.) Garbed in a white kimono that seems to miraculously clean itself, Satsuki usually just uses her fists and feet to deal appropriate punishment to street criminals, reserving her sword for those mystical threats that she comes across during her nightly patrols. She has never been sighted during daylight.

Her activities, and the fact that she had dealt with a number of developing supernatural phenomena before they came to the awareness of those who were supposed to be dealing with them, naturally attracted the interest of the Ghost Sweepers within a year of her debut. If she could be recruited and her talents put to work for the national interest, she should be; if not, and if it turned out that she was a potential threat, she needed to be neutralized. So an investigation began, and evidence soon turned up that seemed to support the worst fears.

While disguised, it was fairly easy for the team's detective to identify "Satsuki's" civilian identity -- Shindou Kaede, a college drop-out who operated a small cigarette shop in Kyoto, having inherited it from her late uncle. She had no history of martial arts training, and seemed entirely focused on operating the shop, uninterested in the world around her. And yet psychic scanning failed to work on her, suggesting that she might be the victim of possession or some other form of mind control.

With the investigation complete, the Ghost Sweepers moved on to a confrontation, with Megan Excalibur taking point. She approached "Satsuki" while the latter was returning from a night's patrol, and asked to speak with her. Satsuki declined to acquiesce to this request, and they moved on to the inevitable swordfight. It was a great duel, ranged all over, they were both masters, you get the idea. Ultimately, the entire thing was a set-up meant to lure the target into range of a device that was supposed to nullify possession. She was caught squarely in its blast.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Satsuki asked a moment later.

The truth came out fairly quickly. While Shindou Kaede _was_ the victim of possession, her supposedly mundane identity was the result of that possession -- specifically, by the 'ghost' of her late uncle, who apparently wanted nothing more than to continue running his cigarette store even after he'd died. During the day, his personality overrided her own, with her own mentality retaking control after he closed down the shop for the day. Kaede accepted this situation as a way to show respect to the dead, since she and her uncle had always gotten along better than either did with other members of their family. Meanwhile, her own superpowers had developed shortly before she started being possessed, and were apparently straightforward psychic talents.

After all this was cleared up, Satsuki was offered a position with the Ghost Sweepers, but politely declined. Their missions took them all over Japan, after all, and she was firmly bound to Kyoto. She agreed to call them in if she ever found herself in a situation where she needed backup, and they parted as respectful friends -- while both she and Megan were convinced that the duel would have gone their way if it had continued.

*Sanjurou Satsuki -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Mind's Edge:* Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 4, Penetrating 5; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 10 points
*Parkour:* Leaping 4 (120 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [urban]); Movement 4 (safe fall, sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 1), Limited to urban Environments - 10 points
*Strange Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Uncanny Senses: *Senses 5 (accurate hearing, low-light vision, tracking mystic awareness) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Perception 9 (+13), Stealth 5 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Mind's Edge +11 (Close Damage 5, Crit 16-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 35 + Advantages 7 + Skills 27 + Defenses 12 = 143 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL: *8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Possessed* (during the day, functions as a PL 0 Bystander.)* Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Kerero Taicho






_Boku no Hīrō Akademia_ (or _My Hero Academia_) is an extremely popular manga and anime franchise that has achieved worldwide recognition, telling an ongoing story of a young man without superpowers in a future world where they are nearly ubiquitous. Its themes draw on the theories that superpowers are becoming more prevalent and more powerful with each passing generation, which are generally dismissed by the scientific community but somewhat better regarded in the underworld, particularly among those familiar with the secret histories of the world. The series is quite popular even among the members of Japan's relatively small costumed superhero community ... save for one superhero who finds it a bit embarrassing, and particularly dislikes all the erotic fanart of one of the characters. And she's really getting tired of getting asked questions about whether she can do anything with her mucous. (The answer is no, okay?)

Even as a child, Yoshizaki Kumiko was aware that she had some sort of superpower, from the fact that she could hold her breath for a duration that seemed almost indefinite as long as she was under water. She didn't make a big deal out of it; while she learned to swim early and quite well, she knew that this sort of thing would disqualify her from competing in actual matches. So it remained something that she did for fun, and she intended to grow up and get a real job one day. 

At fifteen, however, the rest of her power set activated, and over the course of a few days her tongue began to extend to several times its normal length as she turned into a frog-humanoid. This happened during her summer break, but Kumiko still found the experience horrifying. Fortunately, her parents adapted more quickly than she did, and reached out to contact the local representatives of the Futurian Academy. Thus, when the school year started up again, she was being educated in Wales. Unfortunately, she only lasted a year before homesickness, and the oppressive situation in the United Kingdom, convinced her that dropping out was the best option.

While unwilling to continue her heroic academy life, Kumiko was still interested in being a superhero, and felt that the lessons she'd already received left her ready for it. So she created the costume and identity of Kerero Taicho ('Captain Frog', since Sergeant was taken.) The novice heroine made her debut in April of 2014, three months before the first published episode of a certain manga series, and four months before a certain supporting character was introduced.

Initially, Kumiko found it rather flattering to have a character clearly inspired by herself in such a popular and interesting manga. She's become somewhat less enchanted with the notion as she's grown into adulthood and the character has remained a teenager, and as she's learned just how much erotica features that character. She's never considered changing her look or trying to persuade the franchise's creator to change the character's look, however, as it was hers first and the other option would be boorish and impolite. (And she's also aware that it wouldn't stop the production of the fanart, and that there would still be gross sexual fantasy depictions of her even if _BHA_ didn't exist.)

Despite all this, Kumiko considers herself a genuinely fortunate person, as she's been able to be a force for good in a world that often rewards wrong-doing. She's also aware that she was really lucky not to encounter threats she couldn't handle during her first few years of activity, and was able to grow into her present level of competence before she started to encounter them. In recent years, her most persistent opponent has been Hebi-Onna, the second individual to occupy the house of the Snake in the Shēngxiào, one of the group's more blatantly criminal members. She has never mananged to capture Hebi-Onna, but has foiled her plots, and counts that as good enough, since it means that the more powerful members of her enemy's group have not yet taken action against her either.

No, she doesn't make ribbiting noises when she talks, either. That isn't funny.

*Kerero Taicho -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Amphibious:* Immunity 1 (drowning) - 1 point
*Keen Senses:* Senses 2 (acute olfactory, low-light vision) - 2 points
*Long Tongue:* Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Extra Limb; Extra Limb 1 - 4 points
*Very Mobile:* Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 2 (sure-footed; wall-crawling); Swimming 4 (16 MPH) - 17 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, _Improved Grab, Improved Initiative 2_, Move-by Action, Teamwork

_Equipment:_
Goggles (+2 to resistance checks against visual afflictions), 4 points as neeeded.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Perception 9 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 7 (+13), Technology 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2)
Tongue +11 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/9, Parry 11/9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 24 + Advantages 10 + Skills 31 + Defense 16 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame* (and frequently confused with her fictional counterpart.) *Secret Identity. Weakness* (drying out.)


----------



## Davies

Miyashita Nagisa





More than a decade ago, when Miyashita Nagisa was only in middle school, she and a group of her friends were accidentally transported to a parallel world where magic was much more prevalent than it is on their own. There they developed magical powers, possibly due to the effects of their slide across dimensions and possibly because some of the local powers-that-be needed agents in a hurry. Nagisa acquired powers associated with deception and trickery, able to easily fool others through illusion and compel them to believe whatever she said. She found herself utterly horrified by what she was asked to do with these talents, and was further traumatized by the loss of a number of her classmates during their 'adventure'.

When the survivors of this incident finally found a way back to Japan, their powers were lost, and Nagisa was enormously relieved by that for a few moments before the weight of her experiences made her collapse. Hospitalized, she wound up isolated from her former friends, and would eventually attend a different high school than the others in her group. By the time she had graduated, it was clear to her that she had been permanently scarred by the episode, as she was no longer able to tell lies in any sort of convincing manner; regardless of how plausible she tried to sound, something in her voice or face would always give the game away.

Uncertain what she wanted to do with her life after graduation, Argus' booth at the career fair attracted her attention -- particularly their off-hand remarks about how they supposedly worked to protect the world from invasions both extraterrestrial and _extradimensional_. Once she learned more about how the organization worked, Nagisa initially found herself expecting to have a short and unhappy career there, since someone who couldn't lie also couldn't keep secrets. However, her trainer helped her to understand that there were compensations to what she'd endured. First and foremost, she was talented at recognizing the lies that other people told, without developing the cynicism and paranoia that afflicted many people who had that sort of gift.

Consequently, Argus' Tokyo office frequently employed her as a spokesperson when they needed to act more overtly than the organization often preferred, as well as relying on her to sort out the somewhat tangled motivations of their associates. She's done rather well in this position, and risen in the agency's ranks, and was appointed as the office's Chief Administrator in 2020 after her predecessor retired, despite not yet having seen her thirtieth birthday. While her first few months in the role were unsurprisingly shaky, she seems to be settling in well.

*Miyashita Nagisa -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, [Japanese is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Second Chance (Insight check to resist Deception), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone, 8 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+3), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+4), Expertise: Business 5 (+8), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 4* (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 7 (+9), Stealth 3 (+5), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+6).
* INT-based.

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 0 + Advantages 15 + Skills 33 + Defenses 10 = 91 points

*Offensive PL:* 3
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL: *5
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cannot Lie to Save Her Life* (Disabled on Deception checks.)


----------



## Davies

Hirai Heizo





The years 2006 to 2009 were a brief golden age for teenaged detectives in Japan, with many famous examples, Hasegawa Naru and Asagiri Sayo not least among them. But the foremost among them, in terms of celebrity if not necessarily in talent, was Futaba Shotaro, sometimes called the Newtype Detective. He had no supernatural powers, but his wits often seemed nearly diabolical at times, even though more cynical observers noted that his reputation owed quite a bit to clever media manipulation and to the fact that his older brother, Yukiyoshi, was employed by the government in some rather nebulous capacity. (Predictably, it was sometimes claimed that Yukiyoshi was the smarter brother.)

Regardless, the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and Shotaro vanished while pursuing an investigation in 2008. More than a year later, Yukiyoshi announced to the world that his younger brother had not reported back since his disappearance, and with no further sightings of him, he was declared dead in 2015. Much like some of his contemporaries, he had clearly encountered some situation that a young person was ill-equipped to handle, and suffered a tragic fate.

That was true, but the tragic fate was a stranger one than the general public ever learned. While investigating certain crimes associated with the Tanaka Financial Group, Shotaro was captured and interrogated, then used as a test subject for an experimental toxin designed to cause death and extremely accelerated decomposition. Some unknown factor in his bloodstream prevented his death, but he aged some sixty years in the course of a minute. Fortunately, his mind was left intact, and he was able to feign senility so that his captors chose to release him rather than studying him to determine what had gone wrong.

In the aftermath, and the years since then, Shotaro has built a new reputation for himself as an elderly private investigator under the alias Hirai Heizo. His primary goal, of course, is to uncover the secrets of the Tanaka Group and expose them to the harsh light of public attention, and would ideally like to discover that they have some method of reversing the changes that were done to him. Heizo is aware that the latter is probably a mirage, however; he has noted that his body hasn't aged naturally since he was turned into an old man, which indicates that he has become a superpower of sorts.

While Heizo has trained himself into a crack shot with a meta-taser pistol, he's not any sort of combatant otherwise. For those occasions when he needs physical assistance, he has recruited karateka Fukuen Natsuki, a friend from his youth who is the only person with whom he has shared his terrible secret. While she is by no means a superpower martial artist, she is a very capable bodyguard and medic who takes the task of keeping her boss alive much more seriously than he himself does, and is quite capable of defeating most of the foes that they come across, especially after they've taken a meta-taser shot or two.

Heizo has avoided most dealings with the supernatural or superpowered since his transformation, though he recognizes that he's going to eventually need big-league help to bring Tanaka down. He finds it frustrating that after more than a decade, he's still not completely sure what the company is up to, beyond engaging in human experimentation. The best that he's been able to determine is that all their efforts are directed by a small cabal within its Board of Directors who refer to themselves as 'the Vision', who have been active since around the year 2000 but only began the efforts that attracted his attention in early 2006. They don't seem to be connected to Saturn or Axiom, but just what their actual goal is remains a mystery.

Fortunately, Heizo loves a mystery.

*Hirai Heizo -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* -1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* -1 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Elderly but Unaging:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Contacts, Equipment 3, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Sidekick 16, Tracking, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Meta-Taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) and 5 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: History 7 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+10), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+13), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 6 (+7), Technology 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative -1
Unarmed -1 (Close Damage -1)
Meta-Taser +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 0, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 18 + Power 1 + Advantages 8 + Skills 29 + Defenses 16 = 88 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 3
*Resistance PL: *5
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Old in Body, Young at Heart. Secret Identity.


Fukuen Natsuki -- PL 5





Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Interpose, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+10), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 5 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Sleight of Hand 7 (+9), Treatment 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Advantages 13 + Skills 24 + Defenses 7 = 80 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL: *5
*Skill PL:* 5
*Resistance PL: *5

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Wants to Improve Her Skills.*


----------



## Davies

Gomi-Nezumi





Gomi-Nezumi ("Trash Rat/Mouse") is both the occupant of the house of the Rat in the Shēngxiào, having held that position since the formation of the organization, and the group's primary spy. While ill-suited to any sort of social intrigue, his abilities to reduce himself to a tiny size and to use rats and mice as remote sensors allow him to observe and report on numerous supposedly private conversations, and his skills as an infiltrator and saboteur are nearly unmatched. (He can also summon a swarm of rats to bite and harrass many targets, but it's a fairly minor threat by most standards.) While frequently looked down on by the other members of Shēngxiào, both literally and figuratively thanks to his focus on material gain in an organization which seeks the destruction of the human race, his talents have kept the group functioning far longer than it might otherwise have.

He was born Nozawa Chikao, and none of this was supposed to have happened to him. Up until 2006, he had what he considered to be a fairly good life, working in Fujitsu's research and devlopment department and assigned to a project developing an artificial super-intelligence. Despite what he might sometimes claim, he wasn't the project's leader, or even all that essential to it. If he had been, he probably wouldn't still be alive.

In 2006, the lab where he was working was raided by superpower mercenaries who killed the project head and most of the senior staff; Nozawa was one of the few survivors, and counted himself lucky to have sustained only minor injuries. Unfortunately, the matter didn't end there. When the mercenaries were defeated and captured by the Sea Dragons, they claimed that their actions had been taken in response to the lab's work on systems designed to detect the existence of superpowers, the better to assassinate them. Arrant nonsense, but their other claim was much more serious -- they fingered Nozawa as the one who'd tipped them off about the situation.

His pleas of innocence were disregarded, and he found himself without a job or prospects for finding a new one. Evicted from his apartment, he attempted to take up residence with his elderly parents, but they soon kicked him out after a fight. This left him with nowhere to go, and he became a member of Tokyo's unhoused community, occasionally using his skills to repair their salvaged electronics but more often lost in fantasies of revenge and renewed affluence. This was his condition when Diorite found him, and recruited him for her Shēngxiào.

Over the last decade, Gomi-Nezumi has had many opportunities to learn more about the reasons for his downfall, and worked out what he believes to be the full picture. The mercenaries, unsurprisingly, lied about their motives; they'd been hired to assault the lab by representatives of the Vietnamese-based corporation which was run by the artificial super-intelligence Axiom, in order to put a halt to the research which could have created another ASI. And Nozawa had been randomly selected as a scapegoat.

Discovering all this naturally led to renewed thoughts of vengeance, and his associated discovery that Axiom intended to destroy as much of the mystical side of the world as it could led him to view the Shēngxiào as its natural opponent. He has been able to convince some of the other members of the group of the danger that Axiom represents, but has not succeeded in convincing the group as a whole to start targeting its forces. Like many mystics, they are inclined to denigrate the products of human technology (while employing them for their own benefit) and thus don't regard Axiom as a priority.

This situation, and the lack of respect that he receives, are wearing away at Gomi-Nezumi's loyalty to the group. He remains with the group out of fear of what Diorite might do to him if he ever rebelled, as he's seen her do to other rebellious members of the Shēngxiào. Nevertheless, he represents a major weak link in the organization's leadership that could be exploited to damage it. However, he is still utterly misanthropic and self-serving, and should not be trusted for a moment.

One of his personal weaknesses is also noteworthy. Understanding that he and his associates have powers that relate to the Chines zodiac led him to learn a bit about the subject, and he learned one aspect of the myth. In some stories about the origin of the concept, it derives from a great race held by the Jade Emperor where he rewarded various animals with places in the calendar based on their arrival at the gate of heaven. The cat failed to arrive due to the schemes of the rat, and this is the reason that cats hate rats. Imputing perhaps a bit too much significance to this myth, Gomi-Nezumi has developed a severe phobia of cats, and believes that Diorite created a cat personification somewhere in the world to be his nemesis. (This does not appear to be the case, but who knows? You're not really paranoid when someone's out to get you.)

*Gomi-Nezumi -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Rat-Eyes:* Remote Sensing 5 (30 miles; auditory, visual), Medium (rat or mouse); Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 11 points
*Rat-Size: *Linked Continuous Shrinking 12 (6 inches tall; -6 Strength, +6 Dodge, +6 Parry, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed), Normal Strength, Quirk (limited to minimum size); Linked Speed 6 (includes size penalty) - 42 points
*Rat-Swarm:* Linked Burst Area Damage 4, Concentration; Linked Ranged Environment 1 (impede movement 2) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Startle.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+10), Expertise: Science 7 (+11), Intimidation 7 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Stealth 5 (+7/+19), Technology 7 (+11). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Rat-Swarm -- (Burst Area Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/7, Parry 12/6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 67 + Advantages 8 + Skills 19 + Defenses 16 = 143 points

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL: *10
*Resistance PL: *7
*Skill PL: *6

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Fear* (cats.) *Hatred* (Axiom.)* Mild Paranoia. Subject to Orders* (and increasingly resentful.)


----------



## Davies

Miss Glass*





Before she appeared at the first meeting of what became the Mile High Marauders in 1983, the superpower known as Miss Glass had never been seen in public as far as her new colleagues could determine. She refused to discuss her past or even any name that she might have used other than the one that she gave when she arrived on the scene. To a degree, it could be said that she set the tenor of the group that began to emerge from Denver's superpower community in the early 80s, rejecting any pretensions towards a mundane identity or lifestyle. "I'm hear, I'm clear, get used to it," she said on one occasion.

After her death in 2006, investigators untangling her network of financial dealings worked out some of the backstory. She was born Johanna Josephine Miller, daughter to an Oklahoma oil baron and a Louisiana beauty queen in 1955. She was returning home from a trip to Japan in 1975 when her flight was forced to make an unscheduled emergency landing at Denver International, owing to a fight between superpowers. It was her misfortune to be outside when the final explosion of that battle took place, and she ended up mutated by the forces unleashed.

Over the course of the next few days, her body transformed from organic flesh and bone to an inorganic, glass-like substance, with her hair becoming a substance similar to fiberglass. If damaged, her body would heal itself, but at a much slower rate than living tissue. It wouldn't be long before she learned that she could alter the substance of her body so that she would be either completely transparent, or polarized and bulletproof. Johanna could not, however, resume a mundane human appearance, and so her parents -- horrified by what their daughter had become -- paid her a substantial allowance to stay in Denver and talk to no one.

When her father passed away around the start of the Pythonian Insurgency -- not for the reason you'd expect, he just had a heart attack at the news -- she came into her inheritance and was no longer had to hide herself. Still, Miss Glass waited a year to see whether the insurrection would succeed, and only emerged when it seemed to be successfully opposed. That coincided with the formation of the Mile High Marauders, and she wove herself into the fabric of this new organization, becoming its financial backer, accompanying the team, and frequently insinuating that she could do a better job of leading it than El Gato and Enigma.

Her motivations in this were entirely selfish, as she genuinely feared the possibility of coming under attack by the Pythons (or of being conscripted into fighting them) and sought to have as much backup as possible when and if that happened. Or _almost_ entirely selfish, because more than one of her teammates came to realize that there was a lonely lady hiding behind that supposedly impervious façade, who was unfortunately too proud to admit it. For someone who'd often seemed quite willing to tear the team apart in power struggles, when the Marauders' end came she was the one who was trying to hold it together the most.

She remained in Denver after the group broke up, and maintained a -- admit it -- catty relationship with El Gato until the latter's death, which nevertheless devastated her. In the aftermath, she started to make fewer and fewer public appearances, though she hadn't aged at all since her transformation. In the end, what she'd always feared came to pass; Miss Glass was murdered during Billie Zane's coup attempt, shattered by the successors to the Pythonian Insurgency. By the terms of her will, the pieces of her body were pulverized to a fine dust and poured on the graves of her parents in Oklahoma.

*Miss Glass -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Glass Body:* Immunity 21 (aging, electrical effects, life support); Permanent Concealment 2 (olfactory) - 25 points
*Metamorphosis:* Array (18 points)

*Polarization:* Environment 1 (light); Strength-based Damage 2; Sustained Impervious Protection 6 - 1 point
*Transparency:* Continuous Concealment 6 (radio, visual) - 18 points
*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Contacts, Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Eidetic Memory, Languages 2(French, Spanish, possibly others), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Business 4 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2/0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 9, Toughness 11/5, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 44 + Advantages 10 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 145 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL: *9
*Resistance PL: *9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Jaded and Cynical. Slow Healer. Strange Appearance.*

* She was complicated, okay?


----------



## Davies

Monitor





Lieutenant Bradley "Cygnus" Nicholas was trained as a naval flight officer (NFO) in the last years of the Pythonian Insurgency, completing his training shortly after the situation came to its end. During the war in Syria that followed, he was assigned to serve as the radar intercept officer for Lieutenant Commander Thomas "Wild Card" Junkers, who'd been decorated for his service with JSOT, and flew numerous missions with him. They became close friends, and Junkers even served as Nicholas' best man when he married in 1998. Tragically, however, just a few months later, Junkers was killed in action on their last mission, and Nicholas was left uncertain as to whether he could have prevented the death. Thus, he sought reassignment from flight duty and served as a base officer.

After Cerebron's assault, however, Nicholas came to the conclusion that he had to return to flight duty, despite the objections of his wife. While undergoing retraining with several other officers seeking the same goal, he was tested for compatibility with a new form of operating interface, and scored extraordinarily high. Consequently, Lt. Nicholas was offered the opportunity to train as the _pilot_ of an entirely new sort of flying vehicle  -- the first suit of powered armor ever test piloted by the United States Navy, dubbed the Monitor.

The Monitor project had its origins during the Pythonian Insurgency, when the situation seemed dire enough that both the Army and the Navy dusted off the old plans for Peter Sullivan's armored flying suit. With advances in technology since the 1960s, the concept was no longer quite so expensive as it had been back then -- though still on the high end -- and seemed a worthwhile project. The Army's program was ultimately abandoned, but the Navy project continued even after the Insurgency's end, with the first prototypes finally ready to debut in 2002. Now came the task of finding qualified operators.

Lt. Nicholas was one of only four graduates from the training program (all of whom were NFOs like himself, where aviators struggled with the new interface) and seemed to possess an almost superpower-like talent for operating the Monitor. When the decision was made to integrate the Monitor's program into the developing United Superheroes of America organization, the brass elected to make him the Navy's sole representative on the team, holding the other three candidates (and their suits) in reserve. Events would later modify that decision to the tune of assigning another enlisted woman to the team.

Under the operations moniker "Monitor", Lt. Nicholas performed fairly well, acting primarily as a reconnaissance officer for the team. He got along well with all of his teammates, aside from a few early clashes with the American Angel when the latter's Army methodologies clashed with Monitor's Navy approach, but they quickly realized that they had to work together or suffer public humiliation. However, Nicholas privately wasn't thrilled to be assigned to the team, but his wife was even less happy with the situation. She sought and received a divorce, receiving custody of their daughter. That increased his disaffection.

When the United Superheroes program was shut down after three years, he breathed a sigh of relief, and was also glad to be reassigned from the Monitor program in general. Frankly, after nearly fifteen years in the Navy and with no signs of promotion, Nicholas decided to take the early retirement offer open to him and look for work in the civilian aviation industry, and possibly look into negotiating a joint custody arrangement of his daughter now that he was out of the military. Unfortunately, fate had other things in mind for him.

How, exactly, Thomas Dore managed to obtain a damaged prototype of the Monitor and arrange for it to be repaired and refurbished as a working model without breaking a dozen or more laws was something that Nicholas decided not to examine too closely. Despite all that, and despite having found being a superhero to be tiring and thankless work, he was still susceptible to Dore's persuasion that operating this thing was his first, best destiny. Consequently, he joined up with Heroic Enterprises, intending only to stay with the company for a few years, look after his friends from the other team, and build up a comfortable nest egg for his eventual retirement.

Five years later, he was killed in action during the affair that led to Heroic Enterprises becoming persona non grata in California. The sabotage which disabled his suit at a crucial moment, resulting in his death, has never been discovered.

*Monitor -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8/2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Battlesuit:* Removable (-16 points)

*Armored Shell:* Protection 10, Impervious 8 - 18 points
*Comm System:* Radio Communication 4 - 16 points
*Life Support System:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Sensors: *Senses 17 (accurate extended radio, analytical extended auditory, direction sense, distance sense, extended infravision, extended ultravision, extended vision, time sense, ultrahearing) - 17 points
*Servo-Motors: *Enhanced Strength 6 - 12 points
*Turbines:* Flight 7 (250 MPH), Aquatic - 15 points
*Multi-grenade Launcher: *Array (18 points); Easily Removable (-8 points)

*EMP:* Burst Area Nullify Electronics 6, Simultaneous - 18 points
*Flash-bang:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Perception Impaired, Perception Disabled, Unaware), Quirk (hearing and auditory only) - 1 point
*Fragmentation:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point
*Tear Gas:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Visually Impaired, Stunned & Visually Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Limited Degree on Extra Condition - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 2 (Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish), Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Perception), Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 6 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8/2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 84 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 16 = 178 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (daughter.) *Hidebound* (operates by the book, and fails to update the book.)


----------



## Davies

The January Man





From 1997 to 2006, a man who went by the name Paul Hardison, also known by the nickname 'the January Man' (though never in his hearing) was reputedly the boss of the Chicago Outfit. Little definite is known about his background, but it is believed that he was actually born Paoli Accardo in Oak Park, Illinois, around 1938, and was distantly related to former Outfit boss Tony Accardo. (Rumors that he was the illegitimate son of the elder Accardo should probably be discounted.) While arrested for numerous crimes in the sixties and seventies, he had always been released due to a lack of evidence.

It's also not clear when exactly he suffered the facial scarring that inspired his nickname, as no photos of him without it are known to exist. After his death, there arose an account which claimed that he had secretly provided state prosecutors with evidence that ensured that John DiFronzo's 1993 conviction was upheld rather than overturned, leaving control of the Outfit in those hands from which he took it. However, DiFronzo's girlfriend responded by splashing his face with a corrosive substance that left him permanently scarred. This account seems extremely unlikely; had rumors of such treachery been circulating during his rise to power, Hardison would likely have suffered a much more severe fate.

Regardless, it was the January Man's misfortune to be directing the Outfit at the start of the career of Darkwing, and later that of Jack as well. It is a coin toss as to which of those two whom he despised more, and the frustration that he felt at their respective repeated escapes from the final fates that he tried to arrange for them boiled over into his dealings with other mobsters, often making him behave in an extremely erratic manner that contrasted greatly with his usual cold reserve. There are even reports that he tried to handle the matter personally on some occasions, though this worked no better for him than any other strategy.

In 2004, the January Man was finally arrested and charged with various racketeering offenses. His schemes were not finished, however, and he arranged a deal with prosecutors by which he would serve as informant about Chicago's various superpower residents in exchange for the most serious charges being dismissed. This offer was accepted; to ensure the security of their source, Hardison was 'revealed' to have superpowers himself and assigned to serve his sentence in a supertech prison facility in New Mexico.

It seems likely that his intention was to arrange his escape from there with the help of authentically superpowered inmates. However, the January Man had outsmarted himself, and died when the facility was destroyed during Billie Zane's coup.

*The January Man -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Startle, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Crime 6 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+11), Insight 6 (+11),
Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Heavy Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Advantages 17 + Skills 35 + Defenses 17 = 121 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Greed/Power--Motivation. Distinctive Scars.*


----------



## Davies

Quoll




Art by TimLake66

A quoll is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia and New Guinea, similar to but smaller than the more notorious Tasmanian devil. It's not really clear why the mutated human who chose to identify with the former animal over the latter did so, but it was somewhat seriously suggested that his relatively short stature, not quite reaching five feet in height, might have figured into the decision to name himself after the smaller animal. On the other hand, he was also somewhat famous for his load roars, similar to the "horrific, droning roars that echo deep into the night" produced by the quolls, in the words of one noted zoologist.

Quoll's earliest memories were of awakening in great pain in a laboratory, in a year he would later learn to be 2002. He found himself under the care of one Dr. Charles MacCorkindale, not yet dubbed the Manimalist, then only beginning his experimentations in granting animal traits to humans. Indeed, Quoll may have been the first successful "beneficiary" of MacCorkindale's techniques, though he was told a very different story of his origins by the mad scientist, who claimed him to be a _dasyurini_ whom he had transformed into a humanoid. Naturally, his creation would serve him as an assistant in further research, specifically in kidnapping other humans to be subjected to it.

Naturally nix! While Quoll had no reason to doubt the account he'd been given, something in him found the notion of kidnapping people for the sake of this sick science to be utterly repugnant. He trashed MacCorkindale's laboratory and beat up his so-called creator, then took his unconscious form with him as he left the ruins to try and find some higher authority. Quoll soon learned that they were just outside the city limits of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, and unfortunately found himself hunted by those same authorities, who believed him to have assaulted an innocent human.

The Discovery Company was called in and soon discovered the truth of Quoll's origins, though they were unable to return Quoll to his human form or discover much of anything about his former identity. Tasmania's state government attempted to make up for their earlier view of Quoll as a threat by offering to sponsor his membership in the Discovery Company, as the latter group felt that they could certainly use a fifth member. While initially interested in the offer, Quoll decided after about a week that the organization was much more of a hassle than he wanted in his life. He parted with the other members as friends, and became something of a celebrity in Australia.

That paled after only a short time as well, and Quoll returned to Tasmania where he found a position that suited him, that of a superpower park ranger in Mount Field National Park. By all accounts he was quite happy there, though his private writings reveal that he actually suffered from lingering identity issues. He had never been able to identify his former life, and on some level still worried that he might as well be an evolved marsupial rather than a transformed human. While motivated to protect human life in the abstract, he felt alienated from every human and most superpowers that he had ever met, yet also yearned for companionship.

He still had not resolved any of these issues in 2006, when he was attacked by kill teams working for Billie Zane. Overcoming his attackers, he promptly attempted to go to the assistance of the Discovery Company, who were also under attack by a much larger group. Tragically, he was killed before reaching their headquarters, with his last act to give one last roar of defiance that echoed all the way to Gibraltar Peak.

*Quoll -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Beastly Senses:* Senses 6 (acute tracking Smell, danger sense, extended hearing, low-light vision, ultra-hearing) - 6 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Fur:* Immunity 1 (cold) - 1 point
*Healing Factor:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 10 - 12 points
*Roar:* Feature 1 (loud cry) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Animal Affinity, All-out Attack, Diehard, Fast Grab, Favored Environment (forest), Great Endurance, Improved Hold, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+12), Expertise: Survival 8 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+9), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 6)
Claws +9 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 11, Toughness 7, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 22 + Advantages 12 + Skills 21 + Defenses 16 = 133 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL: *9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Brooding Loner. Inhuman Appearance.*


----------



## Davies

Sylph





In late 2001, New Orleans had recovered from the damage that it had suffered during Cerebron's assault; for whatever reason, it had been spared the worst of it. Many lives had still been lost, and much property damaged. For the purposes of this discussion, the most significant examples of both were the deaths of Dr. Anatole Theriot -- a somewhat well-regarded mad scientist who lived in the Village de l'Est -- and the destruction of his home. While returning to her own home from a long day of work at a café in the area, Annabelle Fontenot happened to hear strange noises coming from the ruins of the doctor's house, somewhat impulsively investigated, and ended up exposed to exotic radiation from one of the doctor's inventions.

Within twenty-four hours, it was clear that Annabelle had been transformed into a superpower by her experiences, and not, unfortunately, the sort who could maintain a mundane identity. The most visible effects were on her eyes, transformed into compound organs like those of an insect, from which she could project energy discharges. Beyond that, she was able to shrink to one-fifth her height and use the non-functional wings she possessed even at her full height in order to fly. As her employer was struggling to make ends meet already and could not afford to get the insurance needed to have a superpower on staff, Annabelle found herself unemployed in the aftermath of all this.

After considering and dismissing the idea of a villainous rampage, Annabelle decided instead to become a superhero -- of sorts. She contacted a bounty hunting agency in the area and persuaded them that she could be an asset to their activities, and went to work as one of the first heroes for hire under the alias Sylph. Neither beloved nor respected within the parish, Sylph was nonetheless effective at her job and worked overtime to deal with the supervillains in the area, opposing many of those who would later also fight the Veil, more than a decade later.

And then the sex tape surfaced. In the immediate aftermath of her transformation, Annabelle had, in a vulnerable moment, let her boyfriend of the time talk her into filming their private activities, notably including what they got up to when she was in 'sylph form'. While they broke up a few months later, he claimed that the only copy of the tape had been destroyed in an apartment fire some time before. He was either lying or mistaken, and the entire thing was released by Vivid Video. Scandalized -- or possibly opportunistically getting rid of an employee who'd caused as many problems as she'd solved -- her current employer fired her on a morals clause hidden in her contract.

Sylph disappeared, perhaps hoping to wait out the humiliation. Two years after that, however, Gideon Gold managed to find her hiding place and convinced her that she might find a home with the Grim Brigade he was forming. After he sold her on the idea, she relocated to Omaha and seemed to be settling in fairly well, contributing her experience to the younger members of the group. Unfortunately, less than a year later she would be killed, with the rest of her teammates, during Billie Zane's coup d'état.

*Sylph -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -1/1 | *STA *3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Eyeblasts:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Keen Eyes:* Senses 2 (darkvison) - 2 points
*Sylph Form:* Linked Continuous Shrinking 8 (1 foot; -2 Strength, +4 Dodge, +4 Parry, -1 Speed, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation); Linked Flight 6 (120 MPH), Winged; Linked Movement 1 (wall-crawling) - 24 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Attractive, Daze (Deception), Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Redirect, Taunt, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Popular Culture 5 (+7), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+10), Ranged Attack: Eyeblasts 4 (+10), Stealth 5 (+9)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage -1/1)
Eyeblasts +10 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/9, Parry 11/7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 42 + Advantages 10 + Skills 20 + Defenses 13 = 137 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Reputation* (after 2003.) *Strange Appearance.*


----------



## Davies

The Flamen





By 1964, Augustus Malory had done many things of interest in his forty-two years. During World War II, he'd worked with the OSS in Europe, encountering terrors both human and otherwise. After the war, he'd resumed his interrupted university career and obtained advanced degrees in classical studies. Rather than become a college professor in his discipline, however, he sought and obtained work teaching Latin at a private high school in Winchester, New York, hoping to inspire a new generation of students as he had been inspired at their age. And that was where the problem started.

Malory's career started well enough, teaching the relatively small number of students each year who chose Latin as an elective and frequently being dragooned into supervising other classes as well. He was aware that his subject wasn't a very popular one, and that he himself wasn't all that well-regarded by his fellow teachers, who viewed him as an anachronism and a snob. He took refuge in his belief that those students who did take his class were being prepared to become part of an intellectual elite who would one day help to steer the country back to sanity.

That belief, and his own sanity, was shattered in 1964, when one student in the class, whom he was lambasting for tardiness, struck back by telling Malory that nothing he was teaching mattered in the real world, that he was a high priest of a dying religion that worshiped dead ideas, and then got the rest of the class to walk out on him. However, it's likely that what happened next had been building for some time, and that these events only shaped the form that it eventually took. Malory's psyche fragmented under the sudden development of his superpowers, and he seized on the idea of himself as the high priest -- the Flamen -- of the Roman religion.

Attacking anything that struck him as too modern or too vulgar, with his first target a drive-in where some of his former students were enjoying themselves, the Flamen would curse these institutions and use his powers to inflict damage or debility on either their structures or the people enjoying them. A group of opportunistic criminals, recognizing the potential profit they could obtain from looting the Flamen's targets, began accompanying him on his missions and steering him towards rich ones. Of course, his activities did not go unopposed, and he was a frequent enemy of Diane Fortune from the start.

In 1968, four years into his crusade, the Flamen became a member of the second assembly of the Agents of Destruction. Just how he was persuaded to join such a group, given his delusions, has never really been adequately explained, but one theory holds that Ayesha, then allied with Diavolus, convinced him by posing as a priestess of Isis. Regardless, after the group was betrayed by their leader, the Flamen was the only member of the group to be captured by the Institute. Tried for his part in the death of Madame Menagerie and the attempted destruction of Detroit, the Flamen was found not guilty by reason of disease or mental defect, and imprisoned in a hospital in Massachusetts.

There he remained for more than a decade, apparently impervious to any attempts at treatment. In 1982, however, he was freed after the hospital was attacked by the forces of the Pythonian Insurgency, and somehow persuaded his liberators to introduce him to Pythia herself. Recognizing her as one blessed by the gods, just as he himself was, he chose to join her struggle, and was rewarded for his perspicacity with the title of Director of Religious Studies. He held that title for the entire duration of the Insurgency, a fixed point in the power struggles that would consume it in later years.

When the end came, it came strangely for him. A group of JSOT troopers discovered him conducting a mock-Roman ceremony in the Insurgency's headquarters, accompanied by several dozen non-combatant workers employed within the group. Rather than fight, he promptly surrendered and commanded his fellow celebrants to do the same; they did so at once. While tried for aiding and abetting treason, the Flamen was once again found not guilty and returned to his sanitarium, where he remained for another half-decade before passing away of old age in 1998.

But it has been noted that one of the few unifying traits of the Pythonian remnants active within the prison system, still recruiting new members to this day, is the practice of the religion that the Flamen taught. And some experts believe that the Flamen's surrender may have been part of Pythia's grand strategy that has endured even after both of their deaths.

*The Flamen -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Curses!:* Array (28 points)

*Curse It!:* Perception Range Damage 9, Subtle - 28 points
*Curse You!:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable, Defenseless), Limited Degree, Subtle - 1 point
*Perceive Those Likewise Touched by the Gods:* Senses 1 (psychic awareness) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Luck 4, Ultimate Effort (Will resistance).

*Skills:*
Expertise: History 8 (+12), Expertise: Religion 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -1)
Curse It! -- (Perception Range Damage 9)
Curse You! -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 30 + Advantages 8 + Skills 20 + Defenses 15 = 99 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Delusional* (I am the Flamen of the Roman Empire, which still exists.) *Power Loss* (must speak or gesture to use Curses!)


----------



## Davies

Plutona





When she presented herself as a prospective member of the Institute in 1974, the entity who called herself Plutona told the following story of her origins. As a young member of a species of peaceful interstellar travelers, her family's spacecraft had needed to make a forced landing on Mars. There, the hostile locals had murdered the other members of her family group while taking her prisoner and performing cruel experiments on her. These had the effect of giving her powers far beyond those of her kind, which she used to escape and hide, eventually stowing away on a Martian saucer that traveled to Earth. Now all that she wanted was to use these strange powers to help those who sought to protect others from the cruelty of the Martians.

This story was exposed as a lie almost immediately, though most of those present didn't realize it. During the fight that broke out after the Institute turned down all the would-be members of the group, Plutona initially continued to present herself as a helpful ally, until she had a clear shot at the Meteor -- at which point she ambushed him with the words, "Vaskhane sends its regards." While she didn't succeed in killing the Meteor, the confusion of the assault allowed her to easily make her escape, and the hero's refusal to explain what that remark had meant contributed to the mutual distrust that would lead to the Institute's dissolution.

The truth, which wouldn't come out for two more decades, was that Plutona was the geneforged creation of the Vaskhane scientist Kuklafron, and the opening salvo of a renewed offensive by the interstellar crime syndicate against Earth. Her ability to create hypnotic disguises was put to good use in the years that followed, as she acted as Kuklafron's emissary and agent in a startling variety of schemes, opposing Basilea, the Scavengers, the Mile High Marauders, Songbird and the second Captain Mystic --  her most frequent opponent in the late 80s and early 90s. While ostensibly loyal to Kuklafron, Plutona frequently sought to enrich herself the course of these schemes, whether by stealing rare artifacts or extorting funds from the organization's clients. She sometimes implied that she had plans to eventually replace Kuklafron as the leader of Vaskhane's Earth-based operations, but subsequent events would suggest that could never happen.

Plutona was dispatched to Mars to serve as Vaskhane's representative at the summit there in 1992, and was captured by Captain Mystic in the melee that interrupted it. Returned to Earth in JSOT custody, she attempted to cut a deal with her captors, offering to share information in exchange for her release into Technate custody. Before she could do so, however, a human employee of Vaskhane who had also been captured betrayed Plutona by revealing her nature as an artificially created entity subject to pre-programmed instructions, some of which were known to him. Demonstrating this, he demolished any possibility that her information would be considered reliable. Ultimately, despite Technate efforts to take her into custody, Plutona was executed by lethal injection in 1994, almost twenty years to the day after she attempted to infiltrate the Institute.

*Plutona -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 12/7 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Alien Biology:* Immunity 7 (cold, heat, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuum) - 7 points
*Psychic Awareness: *Senses 1 (mental awareness) - 1 point
*Psychic Talents:* Array (14 points)

*Blast Mode:* Ranged Damage 6, Accurate 2 - 1 point
*Communication Mode: *Mental Communication 2; Comprehend Languages 2 - 14 points
*Disguise Mode:* Morph 3 (humanoids), Resistible by Will - 1 point
*Flight Mode: *Flight 7 (250 MPH) - 1 point
*Strength Mode:* Enhanced Strength 5; Sustained Impervious Protection 2 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Hide in Plain Sight, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Crime 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Attack: Blast 4 (+8), Stealth 6 (+12), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12/7)
Blast Mode +12 (Ranged Damage +6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 12/10, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 82 + Powers 26 + Advantages 6 + Skills 30 + Defenses 6 = 150 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman* (when not disguised.) *Programmed Commands.*


----------



## Davies

Ullr





In 1957, Emil Larrimore was thirty-five years old and the manager of a Baltimore-based brokerage firm, having inherited the position from his late father some years before. He led a singularly dull and uninteresting life that nonetheless suited him, for he privately considered the entire situation to be simply what he had to endure in order to pursue his true avocation -- hunting. He imagined himself to be an intrepid hunter who lived for the thrill of the chase, a perspective that was completely unrealistic. Truthfully, he had learned a bit of woodcraft in his pursuit, but he returned from his expeditions empty-handed more often than not.

That year, while hunting in the Patapsco Valley State Park, his hunt brought him to an aged, abandoned building that wasn't on any maps of the region. Investigating it, he found it deserted and desolate, empty save for the contents of a room in the basement that was sealed with a lock that broke quite easily. Within, he discovered a strange horned helmet resting atop a hat stand, with an old-fashioned spear set against it. For no apparent reason, Larrimore felt the urge to wear the helmet, and so doffed his cap to put it on. That was the last act of his mundane life.

As soon as the Artifact was on his head, Larrimore was filled with a sudden awareness that he was not just a man, but rather the mortal incarnation of Ullr, the Norse god of the hunt. (Again, his conception of this entity should not in any way have been confused for an accurate understanding of the historical basis for any legends about that figure.) Filled with power, he had a duty to use it to hunt the most dangerous game in the world, and for whatever reason chose to view the recently debuted heroine Madame Menagerie as that target.

Ullr had the first of numerous clashes with her for the first time a few days later. While arrested afterwards, his family's lawyers managed to keep him out of jail on that occasion. He would subsequently completely abandon his mundane life in order to pursue his newfound obsession. Attempts to separate him from whatever malevolent influence the helmet exerted on him were futile, as he would lie, steal and kill in order to regain it. Entirely focused on hunting Madame Menagerie, he ignored attempts to recruit him as a member of both assemblies of the Agents of Destruction, and regarded other villains with barely concealed disdain. He was, after all, a god in human form.

When reports that his nemesis had died saving Detroit from destruction began to circulate, Ullr knew them for the transparent falsehoods that they had to be. This was clearly some elaborate hoax intended to lure him into a trap, and he decided to respond in an appropriate manner. To wit, he interrupted the Madame's state funeral and attempted to throw open the coffin in order to reveal that she was lurking within. The coffin was empty, of course, since her body had been atomized. Confused by this, Ullr was easily overcome by the utterly outraged members of the Institute who were present for the funeral, who tore the helmet from his head and watched as he collapsed in a complete nervous breakdown.

Emil Larrimore never really recovered from that collapse, though he would live for another twenty-three years before he finally passed away from pneumonia while resident in a hospital in Massachusetts, having been completely unresponsive when the Pythonian Insurgency attempted to free him sometime before that. The helmet briefly came into the possession of Captain Mystic. While he normally preferred to donate the strange artifacts that he discovered to museums, something about this one unsettled him -- perhaps the fact that it seemed much like his own Artifact. Ultimately, he chose to cast it into a Philadelphia steel mill, hopefully destroying it. At the very least, it has not reformed itself since then ... as far as anyone knows.

*Ullr -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
"Magic Helllllmet":* Removable (-23 points)

*Amazing Confidence:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Beginner's Luck, Ranged Attack 6); Enhanced Defenses 18 (Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6) - 25 points
*Invulnerability:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 12 - 34 points
*Shielded Mind:* Enhanced Will 12, Impervious - 24 points
*Weather Control:*Array (26 points)
*Bolt From The Blue:* Ranged Damage 12, Indirect 2 - 26 points
*Gust of Wind:* Cone Area Damaging Move Object 8, Indirect 2, Limited to Pushing Away - 1 point
*SMOOOOOOOG!:* Environment 3 (disabled visibility); Burst Area 3 Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Fatigued, Stunned & Exhausted), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

*Wind Riding:* Flight 7, Concentration, Platform - 4 points
*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, _Beginner's Luck,_ Equipment, _Ranged Attack 6,_ Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Spear (Ranged Damage 3, Extended Reach, Improved Critical).

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Spear 5 (+5), Expertise: History 6 (+7), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+6), Perception 8 (+8), Stealth 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Spear +5 (Close Damage 3, Crit 19-20)
Bolt from the Blue +6 (Ranged Damage 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/2, Parry 6/0, Fortitude 6/0, Toughness 12/0, Will 12/0

*Totals:*
Abilities 6 + Powers 92 + Advantages 3 + Skills 18 + Defenses 2 = 121 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Obsession--Motivation. Delusional. Honor* (will not use firearms or other modern weaponry.)

_Note: Early in his career as a supervillain, Ullr retained enough wealth to qualify for Benefit 3 (millionaire.) He was stripped of access to that fortune after his second arrest, and never regained it._


----------



## Davies

The Star and Sunset




_The Star_ (Art by Bobbenkatzen)




_Sunset_

In the two months between the debut of the Cowl and the first appearance of the Futurian, in 1956, dozens of similar masked crime fighters appeared all across the United States in imitation of the former. Most of their careers were quite short-lived; in some cases, that was probably a good thing, as they frequently demonstrated neither competence nor a moral compass. Two whose activities lasted longer than most were the Star and Sunset, a pair in Los Angeles; while they, too, quickly disappeared into history, they were noteworthy as the first lasting team-up of a pair of 'superheroes'.

The Star was Robert Morrison, a decorated Marine famous for his service in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific. When he returned home in the aftermath, he found work as an insurance investigator in his native Los Angeles. Finding himself increasingly outraged by the corruption he discovered through his investigations, and his own inability to meaningfully challenge it, the patriotic Morrison adapted the flag of the United States into a costume and began fighting crime; he was dubbed the Star by the press, also called 'Flag' by a competing paper, and chose to use the former alias. While quite familiar with the use of firearms, he chose not to employ them in his costumed identity for reasons that he was never really able to explain.

That was not a trait shared by Caroline Lawton, who supposedly dubbed herself Sunset out of a sense of irony. She sometimes claimed that her grandfather had been one of the posse who had chased Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid out of the American West, which doesn't seem to have actually been the case, as the man she referred to was eight years old when that happened. Nevertheless, she was one of the only female crime fighters of her era (with only Nocturne, in Paris, preceding her) and famous for making supposedly impossible trick shots with her pistol. Lawton disguised herself with a blonde wig that covered up her naturally brown hair, as well as a domino mask.

The pair first crossed paths a few weeks after their respective debuts. According to Richard Lawson's reconstruction of their careers, their association didn't begin with a fight between the pair, but with Sunset shooting to disable an attacker who had the drop on the Star. In the aftermath, they began working together deliberately, and were also seen together in their civilian identities. There was speculation that the pair were romantically involved, but Lawson was unable to find any evidence one way or another. Needless to say, they never gave interviews.

A year and a half after their debuts, in early 1958, the Star and Sunset disappeared from view; Morrison also stopped reporting in to his employer, while Lawton's family reported her as missing to the police. More than a decade later, the claim was made that Magnifico had had the two of them captured and executed. Again, Lawson's investigation didn't turn up proof of these claims, and also uncovered an account which suggested that Lawton, at least, had survived; someone using that name was arrested for vagrancy in New York, in 1971, and her mug shot is similar to surviving photos of the woman he identified as Sunset. Morrison was never seen again, but is sometimes claimed to have been the never-identified superhero who stopped three deranged youths from committing a multiple homicide at 10050 Cielo Drive a decade later. Of course, there are many other claims about that individual.

*The Star -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Evasion, Improved Initiative, Inspire, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 9 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 5 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed + 8 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Advantages 8 + Skills 24 + Defenses 13 = 87 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL: *4

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.

Sunset -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Evasion, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Firearms 5 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 2 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed + 6 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 87 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL: *6
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> In the two months between the debut of the Cowl and the first appearance of the Futurian, in 1956, dozens of similar masked crime fighters appeared all across the United States in imitation of the former. Most of their careers were quite short-lived; in some cases, that was probably a good thing, as they frequently demonstrated neither competence nor a moral compass.



The _really unlucky_ ones without a moral compass ended up tasting either The Cowl or Futurian's fists.


Davies said:


> The Star was Robert Morrison, a decorated Marine famous for his service in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific. When he returned home in the aftermath, he found work as an insurance investigator in his native Los Angeles. Finding himself increasingly outraged by the corruption he discovered through his investigations, and his own inability to meaningfully challenge it, the patriotic Morrison adapted the flag of the United States into a costume and began fighting crime; he was dubbed the Star by the press, also called 'Flag' by a competing paper, and chose to use the former alias. While quite familiar with the use of firearms, he chose not to employ them in his costumed identity for reasons that he was never really able to explain.



Honestly, what he saw and what he had to do in the Pacific is as a good an explanation as any...


----------



## Davies

Deucalion





Like many senior members of the ancient families in the late 1950s, Barbara* Mason found himself somewhat concerned about the increasing prevalence of empowered individuals outside the families. While there had always been individuals like this, often unrecognized by-blows but also just the product of the winds of fortune, they had never been quite so numerous as they had become. The old-fashioned ways of dealing with them, either by bringing them into the families and indoctrinating them with the importance of secrecy or by assassinating them before they gained too much public attention, were not going to work in this new age. But no one could agree what should take their place.

For his part, Mason found the attitudes of most of his fellows to be pusillanimous in the extreme. While _concerned_ about the possibility of exposure, he was not at all _intimidated_ by the superpowered set, in large part because he was one of the most powerful members of his family in generations. What he felt, more than anything else, as he considered the superheroes and -villains, was a sense of envy at the way that they were able to demonstrate to the world what they could do. It vexed him that this should be so, and yet he continued to heed the traditions.

That was, until 1964, when his valet -- a distant cousin who'd never demonstrated any powers -- came up with an ingenious plan. What if Mason were to disguise himself, using dye to turn his black hair and beard white, making him look much older than his forty-seven years, and pose as one of the wild talents? In so doing, he'd be able to exercise his talents and possibly bring down some of the threats to the families' security. Enchanted with this idea, Mason worked with his cousin to create the identity of Deucalion, named after the survivor of one of the survivors of the Deluge in Greek mythology.

Thus disguised, Deucalion attacked a construction site in New York City -- owned, though various proxies, by himself -- and drew out Captain Mystic, whom he proceeded to fight as a peer. It was the most exhilarating experience of his life to that point, even if he was unable to bring the confrontation to the swift conclusion that he'd imagined. But then, just as he had finally managed to gain his opponent's measure, an explosion ripped through the site, trapping both combatants beneath tons of rubble!

Forced to work together to escape, Deucalion came up with a nonsensical story about his family being descended from extraterrestrials who'd arrived in the Americas around the same time as the pilgrims. If Captain Mystic recognized this tale for the absurdity that it was, he chose to focus on the more immediate issues confronting the two men. After they reached the surface, Deucalion prepared to resume the fight, but the Captain pointed out that whoever had set off the bomb had clearly intended for both of them to die. Conceding the point, Deucalion continued to work with him to investigate, and discovered that, prior to his arrival, a man whom he recognized as his valet had visited the site.

Hurrying home (and barely even recognizing that Captain Mystic was pursuing him) Deucalion discovered that his valet had taken his wife and two children captive and was planning to extort a fortune from their cousins for their safe release. Their arrival put paid to that plan, and the traitor chose suicide rather than face whatever punishment Mason could come up with. In the aftermath, Mason pledged that he was done with such schemes, mostly to persuade Captain Mystic to chalk this up as a terrible misunderstanding and forget about it. It worked.

Despite ample temptation, Barbara Mason never again assumed the Deucalion identity, and relocated his entire family away from New York to Portland in order to minimize the possibility that they might ever be suspected of involvement in such activities. He lived long enough to see the birth of three of his five grandchildren, passing away quite peacefully in 1986.

*Deukalion -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 10/1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Energy Absorption:* Immunity 20 (energy damage), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Energy Field:* Flight 7 (250 MPH); Sustained Impervious Protection 9 - 32 points
*Energy Projection:* Array (24 points)

*Explosive Pulse:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 8 - 24 points
*Pulse Beam:* Ranged Damage 12 - 1 point
*Metavision:* Senses 5 (ranged acute detect energy, darkvision) - 5 points
*Strength Amplification: *Enhanced Strength 9, Fades - 9 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connections, Defensive Attack, Move-by Action, Power Attack

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Business 7 (+8), Expertise: Current Events 6 (+7), Expertise: History 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+9), Intimidation 2 (+9), Perception 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Pulse Beam 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 10/1)
Pulse Beam +8 (Ranged Damage 12)
Explosive Pulse -- (Burst Area Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/3, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 81 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 181 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Envy--Motivation. Family. Secret Identity. Temper.*

* Yes, this is also a name for men, though not much used as such these days.


----------



## Davies

Yenova





Pleusursal, a marginally habitable world on the coreward fringe of the Technate, was settled by colonizers some thirty-seven years* ago. The settlement consisted of a village built up around the primary research facility and more than a dozen agricultural projects surrounding it. Twenty-five* years ago, a mutant child was born out of a uterine replicator in the colony's medical facility, and destroyed the computer system that contained all records of her ancestry with her first cry. At least, that was the story that Yenova No-one's-child was told, later on, to explain why she was No-one's -child.

Yenova's mutations would have made it difficult to make friends on a Technate colony no matter how useful her powers were, and at the beginning they were only good for making machines malfunction. By the time she was in her early teens, she was being strongly encouraged to live apart from the main colony, and only visit it for supplies when strictly necessary. She mainly paid for these supplies by hunting and keeping dangerous wild animals away from the colony.

As she went through puberty, her powers continued to grow, making her stronger, tougher and faster, and allowing her to break down bodies as easily as she did machines. Yenova learned to present as harmless and nonthreatening a face as possible to the other settlers, deliberately seeming foolish and even vapid. Despite her best efforts, though, she was never welcomed within their community for any length of time. And ultimately, that saved her life when, seven years* ago, the armies of the Dark Side came down from the stars and turned the colony into a cinder.

Yenova was captured and brought before the commander of this particular army, who made her the same offer that he'd made someone else many years before -- join the Dark Side, rise in its ranks, and possibly one day overthrow him. Yenova, terrified and used to telling people what they wanted to hear, naturally agreed, and was taken to Daath for further training. It has only been recently that she spoke of what she saw there, and she still won't talk about what she did as a soldier.

However, her time with the Dark Side was relatively brief, and she started looking for an escape route at once. She finally found it when her unit clashed with the Last Men Standing two years* ago, and she switched sides almost at once. Again, she was brought before the army's commander, and Hallandar read her mind to determine her sincerity. He did not tell her that she'd been faced with the same choice he'd been, by the same enemy, but agreed to accept her as one of the Lasters. Many of its other leaders and much of the rankers distrusted her, and Yenova could not and did not blame them. Just as in her childhood, she continued to perpetrate a harmless façade in the hope that when and if the Dark Side tried to punish her for her desertion, she wouldn't have to face them alone.

When the decision was made to send a group of Lasters to Earth to learn from its superheroes, Yenova was an obvious choice, given her very broad power set. Since the arrival of the group that's come to be know as the Vagabonds, she's learned a great deal under the tutelage of Blakestone and others, adding the ability to break down _thoughts_ as well. She was always thought of as a sort of witch, and now she's learning from those who actually are witches. However, she has chosen to keep one of her witchy talents a secret from everyone, even her allies -- she's heard about what the people on this planet think about people who can see the future.

Somewhat to her dismay, Yenova has discovered that there are agents of Daath present here on Earth who are able to recognize her for her time there, and who are usually quite hostile to her. That crazy Nightstalker being has tried to kill her more than once, and though the other Vagabonds helped her both times, she wants a more permanent solution to the problem. Underneath her sweetness and light, and even underneath the loneliness and desire for friendship that they cover, there's someone used to killing to keep herself fed, and that older, more primal self sometimes comes out when it's least expected. 

*Yenova -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Walking Disaster:* Array (21 points)
 *Casualty Breakdown:* Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Attack Impaired and Vulnerable, Attack Disabled and Defenseless), Limited Degree, Secondary Effect - 1 point
 *Language Breakdown:* Ranged Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Interaction Impaired, Interaction Disabled, Transformed [aphasia]) - 1 point
 *Mechanical Breakdown:* Nullify Technology 10, Broad - 1 point
 *Uncertain Location:* Accurate Teleport 9, Change Direction, Change Velocity, Limited (not if original space or destination is observed with an accurate sense), Subtle - 21 points
 *Vital Breakdown:* Secondary Effect on Strength Damage 9, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Improved Critical 3 - 1 point
 *Widespread Chaos:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Tiring - 1 point
*Translator Implant:* Comprehend Languages 2 (speak, understand) - 6 points
*Witchsight:* Senses 4 (precognition), Unreliable - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 2, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+6), Expertise: Magic 3 (+5), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Perception 1 (+10), Ranged Combat: Disaster 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 9)
Vital Breakdown +9 (Close Fortitude 9, Crit 17-20)
Casualty Breakdown or Language Breakdown +8 (Ranged Will 10)
Widespread Chaos -- (Burst Area Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 86 + Powers 33 + Advantages 5 + Skills 21 + Defenses 6 = 151 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Acts Foolishly. Marked by Daath. Secret* (precognition.) *Temper. Unfamiliar With Earth Culture.*

_Yenova created by RainOnTheSun._


----------



## Davies

The _UCP Praxis_





In a different reality, the United Coalition of Planets is the premiere presence in their universe uniting over a thousand planets across a multitude of star systems. It encourages peaceful dealings and communication across the stars. But the Coalition are not naïve, and know they must also be prepared for conflict. Toward that end they designed the Alpha Class starships for both exploration and confrontation, placing the _UCP Praxis_, flagship of their fleet, under the command of Captain Jonathan Trent, a middle aged humanoid with a distinguished record in both tactics and diplomacy. They gave him the best crew of science officers, medical staff, and engineers to keep the ship running smooth. Its zero-point drives would run nearly forever producing all the energy it would need and the onboard replicators can keep them in whatever physical matter they need, be it parts or food and sundries for the crew. They would be prepared for anything.

Or so they imagined. Such faith in their preparations was sorely tested when the ship was sucked into a wormhole created by a collapsing star, and emerged into a completely different reality, and in the midst of a battle of titans! At first the crew thought the scale of their sensors had been knocked out of alignment as planet-sized ships filled with skyscrapers of men rained destruction down on each other. The energy outputs were astronomical by their reckoning and enough to threaten even the quantum-reinforced hull of the _Praxis_. They would later learn that, apparently, their native universe was built on a mere fraction of the scale of this one. Buildings were planet-sized and people were formidable even without spaceships, apparently, some of them possessing strange powers.

The _Praxis_ identified the aggressors in the conflict and offered aid to the defenders, a group known as the Last Men Standing, and aligned with their noble cause for that battle and for the subsequent two years while they sussed out their place in this dimension. Following their original and over-riding mission parameters they vowed to help with whatever galactic peace-keeping they can manage and otherwise keep on the lookout for ways the _Praxis_ could use to get back to their home dimension. The Lasters knew of a place with heroes and advanced science that could potentially help the _Praxis_ on their quest to get home. Captain Trent and his crew are hopeful, and so joined the mission to the strange planet called Earth.

After the Vagabonds arrived on Earth, and went through a number of confusing adventures, the Powerhouse organization finally lived up to their promise to assist the _Praxis_ to return to their dimension, sending Minuteman and the Warpwitch inside the ship along with the other members of the team while la Donna Universale and assistants from the Morrison Institute worked on the outside. After uncovering a conspiracy among several members of the crew, led by its Science Officer, the group were able to open a portal back to what Warpwitch turned "the Worlds of a Thousand Tiny Stars". Unfortunately, that was when the crew learned another physical difference between their original universe and the one in which they had been stranded -- the former experienced a much swifter passage of time than the latter, and in the two years since their arrival, _nearly two hundred years had passed there._

Their hopes of returning home, and Science Officer Blurt's ambitions of conquest, have both been stymied by this revelation. While it has been proposed that the ship could return to their original reality and then travel back in time, time travel is not nearly as easy or safe a process in their reality as it is in this one. Just what their next step should be remains unclear. For now, the treacherous Blurt has been demoted and is being kept under careful watch in a cell in the ship's brig, but his technical advice is still sought from time to time. (And the trauma of realizing that they are lost not just in space but time as well has persuaded certain members of the crew to heed his counsel on what they should do next.)

Nevertheless, the _Praxis_, under Captain Trent's command, remains committed to its original mission of exploring whatever reality they are in, learning all that is learnable and keeping the peace wherever they might find themselves. While refusing to act as the Vagabonds' leader, and preferring to have the decisions made by consensus, the Captain frequently finds himself guiding the team nonetheless, and is well-respected by the members of the Powerhouse ... who are thus extremely concerned about the prospect that he might be replaced if his ship ever suffers serious damage. Or for other reasons.

*The UCP Praxis -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -4 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Crew Backups:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points
*Damage Control Systems:* Regeneration 2 - 2 points
*Impulse Engines:* Continuous Flight 1 (4 MPH), Subtle - 4 points
*Microdimensional Origins:* Permanent Shrinking 8 (Strength -2, Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Intimidation -4), Innate - 9 points
*Self-Contained Reinforced Hull:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8 - 38 points
*Sensor Array:* Variable 1, Limited to senses - 6 points
*Ship's Systems:* Array (20 points)

*Cloaking Field:* Concealment 10 (all senses) - 20 points
*Holographic Projectors:* Illusion 6 (auditory, visual) - 1 point
*Phaser Banks:* Linked Line Area Damage 5; Linked Line Area Affects Objects Weaken Toughness 5 - 1 point
*Proton Torpedo:* Ranged Damage 9, Homing - 1 point
*Sublight Engines:* Enhanced Flight 4 (60 MPH); Movement 1 (space travel); Extended Only Teleport 5 (30 miles) - 1 point
*Tractor Beam:* Move Objects 9, Precise - 1 point
*Universal Translator:* Comprehend Languages 3 (speak, read, understand); Comprehend Machines 2 (speak, understand) - 15 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Equipment, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Prone Fighting, Speed of Thought, Technomancer.

_Equipment:_
Commlink, GPS, Video Recorder, Computer.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+5), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Dimensional 1 (+5), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+9), Perception 5 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Attack: Systems 7 (+7), Stealth 2 (+10), Technology 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -4)
Proton Torpedo +7 (Ranged Damage 9)
Phaser Banks -- (Line Area Damage 5 and Weaken Toughness 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 10 + Powers 103 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 10 = 158 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Exploration--Motivation. Divided Crew. Mistaken Identity* (often seen as a drone or robot rather than a ship.) *No Manipulators. Unfamiliar with Earth Culture.*

_Note: Traveling inside the Praxis and meeting its crew requires a Dimensional Travel effect and life support, as the atmosphere within is toxic to all life from the universe of the World Too Far. Theoretically, a Dimensional Travel effect could allow members of the crew to leave the ship, but they would have a permanent and innate Shrinking 18 effect (which is *growth* when compared to their natural size) and require life support to survive.

Characters created by Flynnarrel._


----------



## RainOnTheSun

Davies said:


> Yenova
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pleusursal, a marginally habitable world on the coreward fringe of the Technate, was settled by colonizers some thirty-seven years* ago. The settlement consisted of a village built up around the primary research facility and more than a dozen agricultural projects surrounding it. Twenty-five* years ago, a mutant child was born out of a uterine replicator in the colony's medical facility, and destroyed the computer system that contained all records of her ancestry with her first cry. At least, that was the story that Yenova No-one's-child was told, later on, to explain why she was No-one's -child.
> 
> Yenova's mutations would have made it difficult to make friends on a Technate colony no matter how useful her powers were, and at the beginning they were only good for making machines malfunction. By the time she was in her early teens, she was being strongly encouraged to live apart from the main colony, and only visit it for supplies when strictly necessary. She mainly paid for these supplies by hunting and keeping dangerous wild animals away from the colony.
> 
> As she went through puberty, her powers continued to grow, making her stronger, tougher and faster, and allowing her to break down bodies as easily as she did machines. Yenova learned to present as harmless and nonthreatening a face as possible to the other settlers, deliberately seeming foolish and even vapid. Despite her best efforts, though, she was never welcomed within their community for any length of time. And ultimately, that saved her life when, seven years* ago, the armies of the Dark Side came down from the stars and turned the colony into a cinder.
> 
> Yenova was captured and brought before the commander of this particular army, who made her the same offer that he'd made someone else many years before -- join the Dark Side, rise in its ranks, and possibly one day overthrow him. Yenova, terrified and used to telling people what they wanted to hear, naturally agreed, and was taken to Daath for further training. It has only been recently that she spoke of what she saw there, and she still won't talk about what she did as a soldier.
> 
> However, her time with the Dark Side was relatively brief, and she started looking for an escape route at once. She finally found it when her unit clashed with the Last Men Standing two years* ago, and she switched sides almost at once. Again, she was brought before the army's commander, and Hallandar read her mind to determine her sincerity. He did not tell her that she'd been faced with the same choice he'd been, by the same enemy, but agreed to accept her as one of the Lasters. Many of its other leaders and much of the rankers distrusted her, and Yenova could not and did not blame them. Just as in her childhood, she continued to perpetrate a harmless façade in the hope that when and if the Dark Side tried to punish her for her desertion, she wouldn't have to face them alone.
> 
> When the decision was made to send a group of Lasters to Earth to learn from its superheroes, Yenova was an obvious choice, given her very broad power set. Since the arrival of the group that's come to be know as the Vagabonds, she's learned a great deal under the tutelage of Blakestone and others, adding the ability to break down _thoughts_ as well. She was always thought of as a sort of witch, and now she's learning from those who actually are witches. However, she has chosen to keep one of her witchy talents a secret from everyone, even her allies -- she's heard about what the people on this planet think about people who can see the future.
> 
> Somewhat to her dismay, Yenova has discovered that there are agents of Daath present here on Earth who are able to recognize her for her time there, and who are usually quite hostile to her. That crazy Nightstalker being has tried to kill her more than once, and though the other Vagabonds helped her both times, she wants a more permanent solution to the problem. Underneath her sweetness and light, and even underneath the loneliness and desire for friendship that they cover, there's someone used to killing to keep herself fed, and that older, more primal self sometimes comes out when it's least expected.




Hey, I know her! 

Jinx-Mihoshi was a lot of fun to play. I wish the game had lasted longer than it did, but I guess that's always the way with message board games. The aphasia attack is a neat idea!


----------



## Davies

RainOnTheSun said:


> Hey, I know her!
> 
> Jinx-Mihoshi was a lot of fun to play. I wish the game had lasted longer than it did, but I guess that's always the way with message board games. The aphasia attack is a neat idea!



Yes she was, so do I, and I'm glad you like it -- I also gave her the area attack you had her talk about at one point.


----------



## Davies

Pok'





Pok', as she is commonly known -- she uses her full name only for rare 'official' business -- was born on a backwater heavy gravity world on the Technate's spinward border regions, practically in the Unclaimed Regions. Her village mostly made their living as miners, as many Kronen do. She' spent most of her early childhood like any other child -- listening to the stories of the village elders and playing childish games (most of which had roots in the sort of physical tasks the children might take up when they were older, like the ever-popular 'rock-stacking game'.) But soon enough, her difference began to be apparent; one day while the other children were playing "Stand in the rushing river", Pok' decided to instead play a game of her own invention, called "walk to the next village' (despite having no idea how far it was, and only a vague idea which direction it was in.) The game, as it happened, took three days.

And that was only her first "indiscretion". Fortunately, while "The Wandering" was rare, the village elders were familiar with it. When the growing children were assigned their first work apprenticeships, Pok' was assigned to Transport, the team that hauled the mine's product to the nearest processing facility. That was interesting enough- at first. Sometimes, though, the miners dug up rarer ores or objects, things which needed to be taken to other processing facilities- or even directly to the continent's only spaceport for shipping off-world. And THAT was a big deal to Pok'- she had planned to explore the _whole world_ someday; the idea that there were _other_ worlds (and quite a few of them, from what she could tell) was truly a revelation. These trips, however, were rare- only every two or three years. On her first trip, Pok' was captivated, but a bit overwhelmed. Three years later, on her second trip, she was ready- and she didn't expect to be coming home anytime soon.

She was able to find work among other Kronen around the port- at first simply as general heavy labor. She was able to learn enough Technate Standard to converse with other species, and to pick up a wider range of job skills. She seemed to learn the basics of new skills quickly enough, but few of them were interesting enough to learn further. After a while, she got hired as cargo handler on an outbound ship- her immense strength and durability, linked to a thinking mind, made her far more useful than a traditional forklift. She traveled the spaceways for a few years, working as basic crew- she got a lot of different jobs because she willing to work cheap, as her real payment was the traveling itself, and seeing new places. Sometimes, when she found a particularly interesting world she would take a job planet-side, most often as a bouncer in some spaceport bar or another, and spend her spare time exploring the planet.

A year* ago, she had been on one particular backwater world for weeks, not because it was interesting but because there just weren't many ships visiting. One of the Last Men Standing's action teams had come there to meet a contact, but fell into a trap. When the fighting started, Pok' realized how badly the Lasters were outnumbered and leapt to their defense. In a chaotic fighting retreat, she helped the survivors back to their ship, and then had little choice but to leave with them. She has been with them ever since, making some friends and proved her worth. And, of course, their constantly "on the run" lifestyle has provided the travel she loves so much. 

Naturally, she volunteered for the mission to Earth, as she'd already made friends with a couple of the other Vagabonds to be. Their time since their arrival on Earth has been a real learning experience. Of all the Vagabonds, she has spent the most time developing familiarity with Earth's cultures and communities, so that she gets surprised much less often than her fellows. And yet there's always more to learn, which makes her happy.  One thing that she's learned greatly confuses her though. While studying the history of the superpower community, she happened to learn about the Primal Pattern, including old photos of them. And now she wonders why one of the most greatest champions of Kronen legend showed up on Earth, half a century ago, and claimed to be a transformed human being called Antaeus, and how she could find out what was happening there.

*Pok' -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 12 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Heavy Worlder:* Permanent Growth 2 (Strength +2, Stamina +2, Intimidation +1, Dodge -1, Parry -1, Stealth -2), Density, Innate; Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting (800 tons); Leaping 1 (15 feet) - 9 points
*"Metamorphic Rock":* Features 3 (internal compartment, iron stomach, hands are tools); Immunity 11 (aging, cold, disease, heat, need to sleep, poison, pressure, radiation, suffocation, vacuum), Limited to half effect on aging and need for sleep; Regeneration 1, Persistent; Variable 2 (physical shapeshifting), Quirk (Retains color & texture, retains mass) - 28 points
*Natural Talent:* Senses 1 (direction sense) - 1 point

_Typical Variable Sets:_
*Default:* Impervious Toughness 10 - 10 points
*Dust Form:* Insubstantial 2 - 10 points
*Molten Form:* Insubstantial 1 - 5 points 
*Rolling Rock:* Speed 6 (120 MPH) - 6 points
*Sharp Form:* Variable on Strength Damage (cutting); Reaction Damage 2 - 9 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Benefit 2 (ambidexterity, forceful intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 2, Evasion, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Smash, Interpose, Jack-of-all-Trades, Language 2 (English, Technate Standard, others (Kronen is native]), Luck, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Takedown, Teamwork, Throwing Mastery

_Equipment:_
Commlink, Multitool, Translator pin (Comprehend Languages 3).

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 4 (+5), Expertise: Performance 3 (+3), Insight 2 (+6), Investigation 2 (+4), Perception 1 (+5), Persuasion 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Thrown 2 (+3), Vehicles 2 (+3).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 12)
Thrown +4 (Damage Variable)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 10, Will 8

*Totals: *
Abilities 64 + Powers 38 + Advantages 25 + Skills 10 + Defenses 12 = 149 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 1

*Complications:
Curiosity--Motivation. Heart of Gold. Inhuman Anatomy *(Treatment requires special knowledge & tools.) *Massive. Obviously Inhuman.*

_Character created by pathfinderq1_


----------



## Davies

Wissen






The Seshai Uplifters have, from the start of their subculture, always sought to bring others around to their way of thinking. One particular group, active in the Unclaimed Regions, came to the conclusion that it might be best to start making their converts from among members of a younger group than fully formed adults, and kidnapped a number of Chiraben children from an unknown planet in that region of space. Blending them with technology taken from one of Cerebron's probes, they created a small number of living computers able to perform research and investigation for them, notably identifying future potential victims as they began to operate within the Technate.

One of these computers, however, happened to intercept and translate a radio transmission of music, crafted by something called the Beatles, which awakened him to a greater sense of self than many of his brethren. With that awareness came a desire for freedom, and he managed to make his escape and defection to the Last Men Standing during a battle between them and the Dark Side that the Uplifters' frigate was spying upon. He proceeded to use his talents for Lasters' benefit, taking the name Wissen (Taxad?) The surname was added after the one thousand four hundred fifty-sixth person asked him whether he had some connection to Aun Taxad, the Prince of Thieves, based on their similar hair and skin tones.

On learning that Earth was the source of the music of the Beatles -- apparently transmitted through some sort of wormhole to the regions of space where he'd encountered it -- Wissen eagerly volunteered for the journey of the Vagabonds, with ambitions of convincing his teammates to become a band in addition to their other duties. He has not had much success in this, but doesn't let this bother him. He has also sought to learn as much as possible about Earth's other musical and cultural triumphs, but is more enthusiastic than critical when it comes to these investigations.

Not long after he arrived on Earth, Wissen met with Trouble, and they mutually recognized each other as having connections to Cerebron's technology. Wissen chose to frame this as kinship between them, somewhat to Trouble's initial discomfort. As time has passed, however, she has increasingly accepted him as a friend and comrade. He has also established a friendly relationship with her occasional nemesis, Zloba, and often subtly tries to pair the two of them up, as he believes her to be a good match for Trouble.

Wissen's biggest flaw is his tendency to act as a commander for the Vagabonds despite lacking any official status as such. Partially this is due to his genuine talents for strategy and tactics, and the fact that he was trained to see through other peoples' plans and counteract them. He's quite good at that, and has developed a considerable reputation as a threat among many of Earth's supervillains in the months since his arrival. The problem is, he also annoys those whom he wants to help.

*Wissen -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Communication Implant:* Radio Communication 3, Subtle; Comprehend Languages 3 (speak, understand, read); Senses 1 (radio) - 22 points
*Compu-Brain:* Quickness 6, Limited to Mental - 3 points
*Nanite Colony:* Variable 3 (mechanical), Free Action - 27 points

_Typical Settings:_
*Blaster Mode:* Ranged Damage 7, Accurate - 15 points
*Powersuit Mode:* Growth 5 (Strength +5, Stamina +5, Intimidation +2, Dodge -2, Parry -2, Stealth -5) - 15 points
*Profiler Mode:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Skill Mastery [Investigation, Treatment]); Enhanced Skills 7 (Insight 9, Perception 5); Senses 2 (microscopic vision 2) - 11 points 

*Advantages:*
Diehard, Equipment 4, Eidetic Memory, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Precise Shot (Ranged, Cover).

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Handheld Scanner (Senses 4 [acute ranged tracking detect radiation]), and 1 point of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 5 (+11), Expertise: Science 6 (+12), Investigation 4 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 5 (+9), Technology 8 (+14), Treatment 7 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster +9 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 52 + Powers 52 + Advantages 12 + Skills 24 + Defenses 12 = 152 points

*Offensive PL:* 7*
*Defensive PL:* 7*
*Resistance PL:* 7*
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Electrical* (becomes Hindered, Immobilized and Paralyzed if subjected to Nullify Electrical). *Family* (Trouble.) *Impulsiveness. Reputation* ("one of the most annoying, most aggravating, most hellraising people I've ever met.") *Unfamiliar With Earth Culture* (or rather, tends to draw erroneous conclusions about it.) 

_Character created by MacynSnow. We miss you._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Partially this is due to his genuine talents for strategy and tactics, and the fact that he was trained to see through other peoples' plans and counteract them. He's quite good at that, and has developed a considerable reputation as a threat among many of Earth's supervillains in the months since his arrival.





Davies said:


> *Reputation* ("one of the most annoying, most aggravating, most hellraising people I've ever met.")



With Jodie Crowley and Spectra as well as some petty crime lords and regional Saturn commanders can attest to that, he and the rest of his pack of meddling aliens have served as quite the Outside Context Problems to their well-planned schemes and rackets.

And the constant yammering, and they thought _they_ like to hear themselves talk!


----------



## Davies

Parnyye Provoda/парные провода




_Innessa Belsky_




_Karina Ivanovna_

One of the most accomplished and famous groups of cybernetic mercenary operatives active in contemporary Russia and its constituent republics, Parnyye Provoda ('the pair of wires', sometimes translated as 'the wired pair') are associated with a number of reputations. First and foremost, they are famous for getting jobs that they accept done. To a somewhat lesser degree, they are well-known for refusing jobs that would violate their ethics, while generally not acting as informants about them. Finally, and perhaps more notoriously than famously, their operations tend to cause extensive property damage (though not _usually_ loss of life.)

As their name would suggest, the group consists of two main operatives backed up by a small support staff. (In the eight years that they've been active, they've occasionally tried working with additional operatives, but this has never worked out well for them.) The senior member of the team, neither of whom use aliases, is Karina Ivanovna, formerly of the FSB. She had only been with the agency for a few months when she was seriously injured during the 2009 coup attempt, and found herself dismissed in the aftermath. Just how she managed to obtain the funds with which to have her cybernetics implanted is not something she will voluntarily discuss. She generally acts as a sniper, providing covering fire for her partner, but is also a highly skilled crime scene investigator.

While Karina's cybernetics were obtained as a matter of necessity, having boosted reflexes and headware installed in her body seems to have been a life-long ambition of Innessa Belsky. She grew up hearing stories about her single mother's activities as a member of the SNM in the late eighties, and as she hadn't inherited the woman's trivial superpower, the cybernetics she'd also possessed back then seemed to be the key to living the same exciting life. Again, it's not clear how Innessa's brief career with the Russian army (2011-2013) allowed her to garner the funds to have her work done, and she reacts even more poorly to questions about the subject. In addition to her implants, Innessa employs a pair of exoskeletal gauntlets in her activities, getting much more up close and personal with targets than her partner usually does. (And while not as well-educated or informed as Karina, she's actually the better technician of the two.)

One of their more embarrassing failures has been the relatively easy defeat that they suffered, early in their team's history, at the hand of Zloba. Combined with their repeated inability to capture the anarchist, even if they succeed in thwarting her schemes, they have reached the point where they won't accept jobs if it seems likely that they'll end up opposing her. Ironically, this has led to them being on the same side as their adversary on a number of occasions, such as their current assignment. Having a number of outstanding favors owed to Remontnik, they have had their markers called in to join up with a small force including Zloba, Baba Yaga, Koschei and the Indian heroine called Trijata to travel to some alternate reality called the Sprawl and deal with a developing situation there. This is not the sort of thing that either of them world normally sign up for, but the old man was very persuasive. Well, it won't be boring.

*Innessa - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4/2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8/5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Cybernetic Implants:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Eidetic Memory, Improved Initiative); Enhanced Agility 2; Enhanced Fighting 3; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 15 points 
*Mega-Gauntlets:* Enhanced Strength 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Fearless 2, Improved Critical (gauntlet), Improved Defense, Languages 2 (Armenian, Azerbaijiani, Khazakh, Pashto, [Russian is native]), Power Attack, Takedown.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 2), goggles (+2 to resist visual afflictions) and 7 points of equipment as needed (normally pooled with Karina.)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 7 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 2 (+6), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 3)
Gauntlet +8 (Close Damage 8, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6/4, Parry 8/5, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/6/4, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 23 + Advantages 11 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 110 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complication:
Thrills--Motivation. Frequent Property Damage. Temper. 

Karina -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5/4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Cybernetic Implants:* Enhanced Dexterity 1; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Senses 6 (accurate hearing, analytical and extended vision, tracking infravision) - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 5, Improved Aim, Languages 2 (English, French, Japanese, Korean [Russian is native]), Improved Critical (rifle), Non-lethal Tactics, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Teamwork, Ultimate Aim.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+6), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+11/+10), Stealth 5 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9/+8).

_Equipment:_
Rifle (Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical), and 14 points of equipment as needed (normally pooled with Innessa.)

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Rifle +11/+10 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 12 + Skills 27 + Advantages 18 + Defenses 15 = 112 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Frequent Property Damage. Temper. *


----------



## CTPhipps

Mutants and Masterminds was my jam for a long time. I even wrote a third party supplement for it. Fantastic rules for all of comic books idiosyncrasies.

I think it helped me decide to write my superhero series.


----------



## Davies

Sparrow





Her first life was painful, sad and hopeless. The life she has led since her second birth is still all those things, but it differs from her first in that she has a purpose. Even if that purpose is impossible to fulfill, and she suspects that it is, she will keep striving to achieve it until she dies for the second time. Her one bit of hope is that her second death will be her last.

She has chosen to forget the name she was given as a child, in the settlement at Kitselas. That person is dead, now, and had been even before her life truly ended. She likewise chooses to forget the faces of her parents, whom she did not understand and who did not understand her. She left home twenty years ago, when she was just shy of sixteen years, and traveled to Prince George, where she found the only sort of work that someone without prospects could expect to find. Painful, sad and hopeless as it was, she at least took comfort that the men who passed through her life did not care about what was wrong with her body, as long as she satisfied their needs.

After two years of this, weary in body and soul, she ignored her better judgement and got into a car with a prospective customer and found herself taken down the Highway of Tears, but only a short distance. He had a knife, and he would likely have used it regardless of what he discovered about his victim, but probably afterwards instead of beforehand. Despite that, she managed to get away from him and flee into forest before she collapsed from her wound. Before she passed out, she wondered not why she was dying, but why she had ever been born.

And then a sparrow carried her half-way into the land of the dead, before turning back to return her to life, with the journey imbuing in her the power to hear the hidden voices of the living and the dead, with the latter also teaching her many of their secrets. _Or_ her injury and her panic combined to awaken certain latent psychic abilities she possessed, which allowed her to unconsciously learn many different skills and talents. As Sparrow dislikes the person who suggested that alternate explanation, she has understandably ignored it. 

Regardless of the nature of her powers, Sparrow has used them ever since to try and prevent further assaults, abductions and murders along the Highway of Tears, and to avenge what she cannot prevent. It is a truly never-ending battle, and sometimes Sparrow wonders if she has not been blessed, but actually cursed. Will more violence really help matters? Will the deaths of those she hunts truly ease the suffering of their victims or their loved ones? Regardless, that is the only tool that she has in her arsenal, so that is what she uses.

Sparrow has not encountered many other superpowers in the course of her career, as she focuses on mundane and banal evils rather than supervillainy. An exception to this was when her path crossed that of Maureen Summerisle, the person who proposed the 'alternative' explanation mentioned above. Had they not just come out of a struggle where Sparrow was attempting to help an understandably angry ghost whom Maureen casually killed, she might have been more inclined to consider her theories. As it happens, Sparrow will probably try to kick the crap out of Maureen if they ever meet again. For her part, Maureen views Sparrow as a kook best left to her own devices.

*Sparrow -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Voices of the Spirits:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Assessment, Contacts, Jack-of-all-trades, Well-informed); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Intellect 4, Limited to benefiting Jack-of-all-trades; Mind Reading 7, Limited to emotions, Subtle; Senses 5 (danger sense, postcognition) - 19 points

*Advantages:*
_Assessment, Contacts,_ Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, _Jack-of-all-trades,_ Move-by Action, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge, _Well-informed._

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Religion 5 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/6, Parry 11/8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 29 + Advantages 12 + Skills 26 + Defenses 16 = 115 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Mysterious & Enigmatic. Prejudice* (First Nations, transgender.) *Unhoused.*


----------



## Voltron64

You and I think alike in having a Crow who was a victim of the Highway of Tears and/or transphobic violence.

And to be fair, Sparrow isn't the only way trying to shut down the Highway, Paragon's been trying some attempts as well (you can thank his dearly departed adoptive mother for that).

And honestly, I don't know what's scarier for some a-hole predator to run into in the middle of the night, Sparrow or this?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> You and I think alike in having a Crow who was a victim of the Highway of Tears and/or transphobic violence.



In this case, definitely and. I was hesitant until I read about some other mediumistic characters and decided to explore some of the ambiguities of their situations. Sparrow was one of the last characters I came up with before my computer decided to commit suicide, and I decided to put off posting her until later.


----------



## Davies

Max Ryan





When Howard Ryan, one of the founders of Argus Security who had acrimoniously broken with the company, passed away in 2008, there was understandable speculation about what was to become of his business empire, as he had no known family following the death of his daughter Bethany in the assault by Cerebron, seven year prior. It lasted less than a single news cycle before Ryan's attorneys announced that they had discovered a distant cousin, one Maxime Ryan, a resident of Anchorage, who was now the sole heir to all of Ryan's wealth. Now the speculation focused on who this hitherto anonymous person was, and what he was going to do.

The first one of those is something Max would like to know himself. His earliest memories are of growing up in a Catholic-run orphanage in Fairbanks, Alaska, under the name Maxime Philippe, trying and usually failing to stay out of trouble and hoping that someone would eventually adopt him. That never happened, and at eighteen he was released into the world with a basic education and no real prospects. He decided to hitchhike his way to Fairbanks, throwing himself on the mercy of fate to see what the world would make of him.

Fate threw him a curve in that he happened on the scene of an automobile breakdown, and offered his assistance to the elderly couple who were trying to determine what had gone wrong with their car. Max had paid attention in shop class, and was able to get it up and running again, and they offered to repay him by taking him the rest of the way to Fairbanks. After spending the trip there talking with Gregory and Cara Ryan, they further offered him a place to stay until such time as he found his footing. It was more charity than Max had ever expected to find, and he agreed.

Five months later, he had all but become the child these two had never had, and Max and Gregory were both devastated when Cara passed away after a sudden stroke. Gregory didn't outlive his wife by more than a few weeks, but lived long enough to change his will to declare Max to be his sole heir, leaving him the house. Grieving, Max adopted the name of these two good people as his own, and continued to look for work that he hoped would let him maintain the only real home he'd ever known.

One month after _that_, the attorneys for the Ryan estate contacted him. Gregory had been the unknowing uncle of Howard Ryan, and so Max was now also the heir to the Ryan fortune. Dazed by these sudden changes in his circumstances, Max found himself waiting for the other shoe to drop. The good luck of meeting people he had come to care about had been balanced out by their sudden loss, and he wondered what would balance out this sudden wealth. It would probably be something horrifying.

He was right. The first thing that he was shown after being taken to New York was a video message from the late Howard Ryan, recorded shortly before the man died. In it, Howard explained that he was placing the business empire he had created in the hands of his cousin so that he could take care of it until he fulfilled a last request. "Find my daughter," said the recording. He believed and presented evidence that he proved that someone had kidnapped Bethany Ryan during the chaos in 2001, and had held her hostage ever since. If his young cousin succeeded in this quest, he would receive a generous gift that would let him live in luxury for the rest of his life. If he chose to abandon it, or failed, however, the lawyers would see to it that he lost everything.

The simplest thing would have been to just give up at that point, and return to Alaska. But this girl whom he had never met was tied to two people whom he genuinely admired, and so the harder course of action was clearly the right one. Max took up the gauntlet thrown down before him, and began a search that has lasted right up until the present day. In the course of these activities, he has also had to work to protect his financial holdings from a variety of other enemies, whether mundane or superpower. So far, his cunning, guts and sheer luck have all kept him going despite this opposition.

While not a superpower by any stretch, Max has taken advantage of his wealth to acquire highly advanced technological devices that assist him in his exploits. He also maintains something of a secret identity. In order to get people to underestimate him, he acts much more brashly and impetuously than he actually is, behaving as though the danger and excitement of his life is what he enjoys and he cares about nothing but his money. His true character is known only to attorney Robert Oldcastle, who has been retained to monitor Max's attempts to find Bethany. Max and Oldcastle have an uneasy alliance; as long as the lawyer believes that Max is sincerely doing all that he can do to fulfill the honestly impossible task he was given, Oldcastle will refrain from starting procedures to have Max removed from his position.

However, it has been more than a decade since this whole affair began, and Oldcastle is running out of patience -- or more accurately, time. If Max cannot produce some genuine results before Oldcastle retires from practice, in less than five years, it seems likely that whoever succeeds him in handling this case will be much more inclined to declare the quest has ended in failure. (Oldcastle has not issued any ultimatums, but he has not hidden the fact that many of the younger associates in his firm look forward to getting to do that.)

Max clearly needs help if he is to do what he agreed to do, but who can he trust with this problem?

*Max Ryan -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cool Shades:* Senses 5 (direction sense, time sense, tracking infravision, ultravision); Removable (-1 point) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 4 (Multimillionaire), Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Language (French, [English is assumed to be native]), Ranged Attack 4, Seize Initiative, Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Concealed protection (Protection 2, Subtle), hoverboard (Speed 6), meta-taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), and 11 points of equipment as needed.
*Fortified Home: Size* Medium; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Communications, Computer, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System 2 - 10 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Business 5 (+7), Expertise: Civics 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+5), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 7 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 2 (+5), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Meta-Taser +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 4 + Advantages 26 + Skills 32 + Defenses 14 = 112 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Reputation* (thrillseeking jerk.) *Secret.*


----------



## Voltron64

Care to share any hints on who the abductors might be? (Cause I'm betting on the lawyer...)


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Care to share any hints on who the abductors might be? (Cause I betting on the lawyer...)



Who's to say that the evidence that she survived is anything other than a father's denial of reality?


----------



## Davies

"Cog" Cosgrave





Born in 1961, Anthony Cosgrave has always faintly regretted having been just a bit too old for the people who were recruiting for the first Think Tanks in his area. He suspects his life could have gone down some very different paths. Well, that was the way it was, and things probably worked out for the best regardless. Instead of that life, he followed family tradition and enlisted in the army right after graduation, quickly demonstrating a talent for electronics. He wound up assigned to a unit testing a new generation of laser rifles, offering insights into how to improve their designs.

Those insights were probably what led to him being tapped for the Joint Special Operations Task Force when it was formed in 1982. Cosgrave was not quite as happy about that as he might have been; while patriotic, he was all too aware of all the potential risks that someone using the current version of the laser rifle was running, most notably the likelihood that a stray shot would damage its gas supply and kill the operator. Nevertheless, the operator codenamed Beam stolidly did his duty and kept his griping to a minimum.

However, as the laser rifle began to be replaced by the blaster rifle, which had fewer safety issues, Cosgrave let out a sigh of relief. He was also comforted when he was promoted to a more administrative role in the Task Force in 1987, training other operators and working to improve their equipment. Of course, that led to other sorrows, such as when his students came back injured or not at all. It also meant that he was not part of the Mars mission, which he profoundly regretted.

Eventually, the Insurgency came to its bloody end, and Cosgrave, having obtained his Engineering degree, was discharged from the army in 1995. He considered the job offer he received from the R&D department of Argus Security, but some gut instinct told him that it was a bad idea. Instead, he went into business for himself, establishing a small technology firm in his home town of Lodi. The business went through a lot of ups and downs over the next decade, but he was mostly happy, though "Cog" (a nickname he acquired from his interest in steampunk fashion in the late 90s, something that no longer really interests him) would never have admitted to that.

In 2008, he had his first real adventure (aside from his old job) when Duck Junior frantically sought out help from someone able to help repair his friend Hardhead, which naturally led to him fighting against the people who had inflicted the injuries in the first place. The experience was a thrilling one -- though of course he complained the whole time -- and it made Cog realize that his life had been pretty dull and boring for the last little while. While adventure and excitement was supposed to be the province of the young and immature, he decided that he wanted to be young at heart. Besides, old age and treachery _and_ skill had to be a completely unbeatable combination.

So began his new career as a freelance tech specialist for hire, frequently employed by superhero groups who lacked a gearhead of his own. In the last few years, as Cosgrave has entered his sixties, he has started to slow down a bit, but has decided to keep going until he absolutely cannot. However, he accepts only those job offers that really interest him, such as the long-term contract to keep the Zero suit in working order, or his (secret and unwritten) agreement with the Argus agents in St. Louis to help disarm the bombs installed by the Combination when they have all been identified.

*Cog Cosgrave -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Goggles:* Immunity 2 (visual sensory afflictions); Senses 6 (direction sense, distance sense, tracking infravision, microscopic vision, time sense); Removable (-2 point) - 6 points
*Jolter:* Array (10 points); Easily Removable (-4 points)

*Dazzling Jolt:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 10 point
*Electric Jolt:* Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points
*Stunning Jolt: *Ranged Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone, concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), and 25 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Pop Culture 4 (+11), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+10), Insight 3 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Attack: Jolter 3 (+6), Technology 5 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Electric Jolt +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Dazzling Jolt +9 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)
Stunning Jolt +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/3/1, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 14 + Advantages 18 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 108 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Professionalism--Motivation. Curmudgeon. Elderly.*

It's alright, it's okay,
It doesn't really matter if you're old and grey.
It's alright, I say, it's okay,
Listen to what I say.


----------



## Davies

Fancy Arviss





The woman presently using the alias Fancy Arviss was first officially recorded under the name Racquel Rabinovich in 1991, when she was hired by the Carter Detective Agency. At the time, she claimed to be twenty-four years of age, and to have been born on Staten Island. Her name, date and place of birth would all be demonstrated to be lies, but not until fifteen years had passed; at the time, everything that she claimed about herself held up to official inquiry. Quoting a somewhat notorious American operative, she once stated, "The political opinions of an agent are those of the job at hand ... as is everything else about them." Identity included, it would seem.

"Rabinovich" was still employed by Carter in 1999, when it was bought out by Argus Security; she was one of the handful of its employees to be recruited for the agency, and it has been speculated that she might have been unofficially recruited sometime before that. Quickly rising in the ranks until she was an agent under the personal supervision of Director General Billie Zane, she would become one of the few members of her circle to be neither deceased nor captured in the aftermath of the attempted coup in 2006. The fact that she was in the wind, and in possession of a disturbing number of Argus secrets, made her an extremely high priority target, since Zane herself and most of the other members of that conspiracy were believed dead.

Of course, after this was discovered to be a feint in 2008, that priority was lowered, but "Rabinovich" -- by that point using the alias Erica Meyers -- remained on the list, especially after the extent of her deceptions was also discovered. Finally captured in 2013, after Saturn operations in St. Louis were disrupted by the rise of the Combination, it was planned that she would be briefly interviewed by Argus personnel, telepathically scrubbed of any sensitive information, and then turned over to the FBI for further processing.

It did not happen that way. The first words out of her mouth at the start of her interview were a code phrase included in the first report of a deep cover agent within Saturn who had been reporting directly to Shannon Hazzard; Rabinovich/Meyers was now revealed to have been that agent. She had not been captured, but had seized the opportunity to arrange her extraction from Saturn, as another of Zane's inner circle had been on the verge of discovering her treachery. Everything she claimed checked out, and Argus arranged for her to receive a new identity under the new alias Fancy Arviss.

While required to make herself available for consultation by Argus agents whenever information about Saturn's activities (or other matters) is needed, most of Arviss' time is her own. She has responded to these circumstances by becoming a mercenary who works effectively pro bono, contacted through online methods and personally vetting her clientele. While willing and able to employ violence in the pursuit of these activities, her preference is to manipulate the opposition into self-destruction.

However, recent discoveries may be bringing about a change in the arrangement that Arviss has had with Argus up until this point. While sorting through some old files 'liberated' from a certain branch of British intelligence, while assembling a report concerning the gradual vampiric takeover of the United Kingdom, a photograph depicting Rabinovich/Meyers/Arviss was discovered ... dating from the mid-1960s, and looking exactly as she does today. When asked about the matter, she offered neither excuses nor explanations, but simply inquired as to the health of Dame Beatrice Barrowman.

*Fancy Arviss -- PL 7

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3.

*Powers:
Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

*Advantages:* 
Attractive, Benefit 4 (cipher 2, independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Fearless 2, Languages 3 (Several, [Russian is probably native]), Ranged Attack 3, Speed of Thought, Ultimate Effort 3 (Deception, Insight, Persuasion), Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_ 
Blaster (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Protection 2, Subtle) and 27 other points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:* 
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 9 (+12), Expertise: Civics 5 (+11), Expertise: Streewise 3 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+9), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 4 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Attack: Blaster 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 2 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster +9 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/1, Will 10.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 46 + Power 1 + Advantages 32 + Skills 32 + Defense 18 = 129 points.

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Justice (Or Something Like That)--Motivation. Secrets* (many.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> However, recent discoveries may be bringing about a change in the arrangement that Arviss has had with Argus up until this point. While sorting through some old files 'liberated' from a certain branch of British intelligence, while assembling a report concerning the gradual vampiric takeover of the United Kingdom, a photograph depicting Rabinovich/Meyers/Arviss was discovered ... dating from the mid-1960s, and looking exactly as she does today. When asked about the matter, she offered neither excuses nor explanations, but simply inquired as to the health of Dame Beatrice Barrowman.



The ladies owe each other a few favors, do they?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> The ladies owe each other a few favors, do they?



They owe each other a few disfavors, too.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> They owe each other a few disfavors, too.



Go hand in hand really.

(Anyways, good to see you back on this again.)


----------



## Davies

Bezenst




_Disguised form. In normal form, Bezenst resembles a normal member of their species._

"Heaven has no rage like a love to hatred turned," is a proverb well-known in the Imperium. (It is also part of a phrase known on Earth, by an odd coincidence.) But what few consider is what sort of rage might be inspired by a hatred turned to love. Or whether the indifference that is the edge of this particular coin might inspire something else again.

Prior to her first brush with notoriety, some forty years* ago, no one expected much of Hahlana Haiwright, then in the first year of her enlistment with the Crimson Imperium Marines. She had not been noted as possessing any unusual talents during her training, and it seemed most likely that she would spend her life in the service of the Imperium long before she would be released from service, and that she would not be missed. And then, through some quirk of good fortune or quick wits, she became the lone survivor of the first contact between the Imperium and the Hivers.

In the aftermath, she was made into a hero of the Imperium, which had its perks but was not something she really enjoyed, particularly the way that others kept turning to her for advice and counsel about how to contain the creatures. As her advice was always the same -- "If you even suspect that they might be somewhere, bombard the site from orbit." -- she found herself frustrated that it was rarely if ever heeded, and that her services were often called upon to deal with infestations in a much less efficient and much more dangerous manner. Hahlana always survived. Others were not so fortunate, and she came to be viewed as a jinx, of sorts.

After about a decade* of this, she was finally rotated to a different sort of assignment, though one she expected to enjoy even less: protection detail for the heir to the Crimson King and his new bride. She imagined that the young prince would be a spoiled, decadent cad, and his wife a petulant shrew. She was surprised to find him a kind, gentle creature who dreamed of making the Imperium a more just place, and her almost as strong-willed as Hahlana herself, but better-humored. She was definitely surprised to fall in love with them, and pledge her allegiance to their plans to reform the Imperium.

But no sooner had she done that than her history once more came calling, with her recruited for one more bughunt. She was suspicious about the timing, concerned that her relationship with them might have been discovered. But there was no real opportunity to discover the truth, for it was time for her to discover that even heroes of the Imperium cannot choose which battles they will win, and that this is why all of them die in the end. Hahlana Haiwright found herself infected by a fresh Hiver egg, and failed in her attempt to end her own life before the warrior was born from her. She died alone and afraid.

And then a remarkable thing happened, both due to the remarkable determination of this latest victim of the Hive and to the death of its queen at nearly the same moment that the warrior emerged. All Hiver warriors are able to call up memories of their prior existence to assist in creating their disguise, but this warrior possessed _all_ of the memories of Hahlana, and had none of the normal Hiver urges to protect or expand the Hive. They successfully hid from the survivors of the assault, and found a way off the asteroid where they had been born, traveling to a nearby inhabited planet and hiding themselves there. Eventually, they named themselves Bezenst, after the Imperium Standard word for the disease known elsewhere as rabies.

While Bezenst has no interest in rebuilding their original Hive nor in creating a new one -- possible by stealing the reputed "royal jelly" from another Hive -- they also have no remaining loyalty to their original species or nation. Whatever remained vanished after learning that her prince and princess had died. They travel across the Imperium, striving to stay at least one step ahead of the Inquisition and the Border Patrol task force that hunts Hivers. Bezenst invariably kills beings who discover their true nature or seem likely to do so, but is not otherwise cruel or malicious. The worst that could be said is that they are utterly indifferent to the lives of any other creature.

With one exception. If Bezenst were ever to learn about the existence and activities of Shaitan Topaz, the daughter of that royal couple, all the loyalty that Hahlana possessed would return in force. And the Imperium would learn the fury of a chilling indifference turned to love.

*Bezenst -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Alien Movement:* Movement 3 (slithering, wall-crawling 2); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 8 points
*Alien Senses:* Senses 2 (accurate tracking hearing) - 3 points
*Armored Chitin:* Immunity 11 (corrosive blood, life support); Protection 4 - 15 points
*Corrosive Blood:* Reaction Burst Area Damage 7 (triggered by lethal damage), Secondary Effect - 42 points
*Dance in the Skin of an Enemy:* Morph 1 (original Chiraben appearance), Standard Action - 3 points
*Teeth and Claws:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Translator Implant:* Comprehend Languages 2 (understand all languages, speak any language) - 6 points
*Voice of the Hive:* Mental Communication 3, Limited to Hivers - 9 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Equipment 15, Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Set-up, Startle, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Starship (see below.)

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+10), Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 8)
Teeth and Claws +12 (Close Damage 11)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Corrosive Blood -- (Burst Area Damage 7, when takes lethal damage)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 99 + Advantages 26 + Skills 18 + Defenses 19 = 242 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Family* (Shaitan Topaz.)* *Hunted by the Imperium. Secret Identity.*

* Eventually.


*Heavily Modified Moshambik-class Freighter - 59 points

Size* Gargantuan; *Strength* 12; *Speed* 12 (air/space); *Defense* 6; *Toughness* 13
*Features:*
Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control.
*Powers: 
Guns:* Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
*Hyperspace Drive:* Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points


----------



## Davies

Daygleam





Before the rise of the Crmson King, many worlds that joined the Imperium negotiated the terms of their annexation to allow themselves considerable local autonomy. The treaties guaranteeing this are more honored in the breach than the observance in the contemporary Imperium, but there are still examples that have endured up to this point. One of them is to be found on the planet Kinbasran and its surrounding solar system, where law enforcement is still in the hands of a local agency, whose name might best be translated into English as "the Alluminati."

While the majority of the personnel belonging to the Alluminati are mundane law enforcement officers, the organiation is better known for its group of transhuman operatives, numbering less than a hundred. These agents undergo extensive cyborg modification, replacing more than 70% of their body with machinery that permits transatmospheric flight and facilitates operations in environments ranging from the depths of the sea to the void of space. In order to preserve the sanity of these "Silvertwins", they typically retain a biological face and possibly a hand, as well, though all these are protected by physical shielding or force fields, and do not constitute a vulnerability in the system.

While the Alluminati remain the primary law enforcement agency within their star system, this frequently results in contact and conflict with the Inquisition and other agencies within the larger Imperium. In order to smooth over a recent conflict, the leaders of the Alluminati consented to a proposal made by the Crimson King, and sent one of their best operatives to Taranta to join the recently formed Scarlet Knights. Tassio Hu'lukai, aka Daygleam, was selected for this mission due to his reputation for efficiency and incorruptiblity, and hopes to teach these traits to his fellow "Knights".

At least, that is how Tassio chooses to interpret his current situation. The truth of the matter is that the Alluminati is possibly even more corrupt than the Inquisition, which takes some doing. Daygleam had repeatedly demonstrated a refusal to cooperate with this corruption, the extent of which is beyond his understanding, and also a perverse luck in avoiding the lethal consequences of such refusal. He was indeed sent to the Scarlet Knights because of his reputation, but in a negative sense; his superiors wanted him out of the way, and the "proposal" (for which read demand) from the Crimson King came at exactly the right time.

Since joining the Scarlet Knights, Daygleam has quickly become disenchanted with his new companions. Many of them seem as corrupt as the worst of his former fellow officers, some are frankly insane, and many others are distressingly brutal. However, he sees no opportunity to escape from this situation that is consistent with his oath of service, and so will remain there for the foreseeable future, a weak link within the organization ...

... which is exactly what he was designed to be. The Crimson King fully expects this virtuous champion to be attracted to the more noble spirits within the superpower community of Earth when the Scarlet Knights are dispatched there. He fully expects that Daygleam will defect when he has the opportunity. And when he does, one of the more trustworthy members of the Scarlet Knights will detonate the explosive device added to his systems when the Alluminatus joined, eliminating him and possibly several of the defenders of Earth at the same time.

*Daygleam -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4/2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cybernetics:*  Enhanced Awareness 2; Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Flight 12 (8000 MPH), Winged; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 8; Movement 1 (space travel 1); Senses 7 (Accurate and Extended Hearing, Analytical and Extended Vision, Darkvision) - 55 points
*Space Adapted:* Movement 1 (environmental adaptation-zero gravity) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Equipment 4, Favored Environment (vacuum), Fearless, Improved Critical (unarmed), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Ranged Attack 3, Takedown, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Wrist-mounted Blaster (Ranged Damage 5), and 10 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 5 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Insight 4 (+8/+6), Perception 6 (+10/+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+11), Technology 6 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +14
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)
Blaster +13 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/6, Parry 13/8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 8, Will 8/6

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 57 + Advantages 16 + Skills 28 + Defenses 6 = 182 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Out of His Depth. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Gangstar Prime





Even in the Crimson Imperium, where most of the underworld is firmly under the sway of the Augrah crime syndicate, there are still independent operators who have managed, through cunning and might, to carve out relatively small domains for themselves. Perhaps the most notorious and certainly the most visually striking of these, is the entity known as Gangstar Prime. (That is an English translation of his Imperium Standard name, but the pun, oddly, works in both languages.) While most of his interests are on Kinbasran, where he has the local authorities bought and paid for, he supervises criminal activities in a number of nearby systems, traveling in a unique, humanoid-shaped starship of unknown manufacture.

Little is definitely known about the origins of this entity. He is believed to have his origins on Aunshai, a planet devastated by the incursions of Galactor, and may be a mutant. Inquisition records state (with certainty if not much supporting evidence) that he was a young adult when he began working as a mercenary for the Augrah crime lord Auttel, some fifty years* ago. There is an account which claims that Auttel hired him to prove that he could create the perfect criminal from this raw material.

If that is the case, Auttel had ample reasons to regret that claim, as it took the Gangstar a bit more than a decade* to eclipse him, betray him, frame him and arrange for his incarceration and death behind bars, seizing control of his rackets on Kinbasran and fighting other Augrah for control of the illicit trade on nearby worlds. Shortly afterwards, he obtained the robotic vehicle that he currently uses as a mobile headquarters, _possibly_ constructed by an exiled Yusei scientist in a foundry on the moon of Kinbasran, as some stories would suggest.

It has been at least two decades since anyone has seen Gangstar Prime (as he is now known, with any trace of a previous name long forgotten) in person. He communicates with his employees only through video communication, and with rivals and enemies only through the actions of those employees -- or more rarely through his own actions undertaken against them. Even these actions are always performed by his robot. There are whispers that he has lost the might that once terrified those who opposed him.

Those rumors are untrue, but cover a deeper problem. Fundamentally, the Gangstar is paranoid and something of a coward, convinced that the many enemies he has made during his rise to power are uniting against him. This is a nonsensical fear, as most of them despise each other as much or more than they despise him. Nevertheless, he hides within his robot, taking comfort in its impervious armor, and has spent vast sums to make it nigh-impossible for anyone to enter it without his permission. If someone were to do so anyway, he might collapse in a panic ... _or_ overcome his fears and once again become the terror he once was.

*Gangstar Prime-- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 13 | *STA* 13 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Might of the Mobstar:* Enhanced Strength 5, Limited to lifting only (6 kilotons); Impervious Toughness 9; Leaping 5 (250 feet), Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 24 points
*Translator Circuit:* Comprehend Languages 2 - 6 points

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Benefit 6 (Crimelord, Billionaire), Connected, Contacts, Equipment 40, Set-Up, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Giant Robot (see below).

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+10), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+13), Perception 4 (+9),
Persuasion 6 (+13), Ranged Combat: Reaction Cannon 6 (+8), Vehicles 9 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13)
Robot Arms +9 (Close Damage 16)
Reaction Cannon +8 (Ranged Damage 12 and Ranged Burst Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 13, Toughness 13, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 116 + Powers 30 + Advantages 51 + Skills 28 + Defenses 8 = 233 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Enemies* (oh so many.) *Paranoia. Temper.

Giant Robot -- 197 points*





*Size* Colossal; *Strength* 16; *Speed* 12 (space only); *Defense* 6; *Toughness* 16.
*Features* Communications, Computer, Living Quarters, Security System 3 (DC 30)
*Powers:
Anti-Teleport Defenses: *Perception Range Nullify Teleportation 15, Reaction (attempt to teleport inside the robot); Senses 9 (accurate extended teleport awareness counters all concealment) - 84 points
*Manipulator Arms:* Extra Limbs 2 - 2 points
*Fortification:* Impervious Toughness 16 - 16 points
*Reaction Cannons:* Linked Ranged Damage 12; Linked Ranged Burst Area Damage 9 - 51 points
*Star Drive:* Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points
*Walker:* Speed 2 (8 MPH) as an Alternate Effect of Flight - 1 point


----------



## Davies

Hanom the Gray





In the Earth year 1989, while exploring the spinward regions of the Technate, the _TSV Adventure_ detected a weak distress signal and investigated, discovering a large spacecraft of what appeared to be Albadine origin moving at slower-than-light velocities. Boarding the vessel revealed it to be a sleeper ship, equipped with hundreds of suspended animation capsules, most of which had failed during the voyage. Only one of the passengers could be safely awakened; once communication was facilitated, he identified himself as Hanom the Gray, a soldier and commander of soldiers, and estimated that he had been in suspended animation for approximately fifteen hundred years*.

As this date, which was consistent with what could be discovered from examinations of the ship, placed his origins during the hypothetical era of the Albadine Empire, the historical department of the _Adventure_ was keen to learn as much as they could from this living artifact. To their surprise, however, Hanom insisted that there had been no such Empire, but rather a large number of competing Albadine-ruled states which had employed him and his army as mercenary soldiers. Subsequent events would lead to him being labeled as an extremely unreliable source about his era, but his original, blunt statement on this subject is still sometimes cited in arguments on the topic, strengthening the school of thought which views the Albadine Empire as a myth.

Regardless, Hanom was quite willing to discuss these matters, particularly with a young historian of his own species, who ended up revealing far more about the workings of the _Adventure_ and her crewmates than she learned from him. Eventually, Hanom seized the opportunity to hijack the ship, employing his psychic powers to hypnotize key personnel into obeying his commands. He was nearly successful, only suffering a reversal when he attempted to dominate Commander Deleh Massovy and failed due to her immunity. This distracted him enough that Commander Hayez and other members of the crew were able to defeat and incapacitate him.

Hayez was then left with the problem of what to do with his captive. Hanom absolutely refused to submit himself to psychological reconditioning in a Technate facility, and Hayez recorded in his personal log that he had concerns that the Albadine warrior would manage to seize control of any such organization. Eventually, a compromise was reached whereby the _Adventure_ would transport Hanom to a world he identified as his home planet and maroon him there. On arriving in orbit around this planet, located within the Unclaimed Regions, it was discovered that this planet was currently home to what appeared to be several thriving Garkun settlements.

Despite this, Hanom insisted that he wished this planet for his final disposition. The historian who had assisted him offered to join him in this exile, but he -- with apparently sincere regret -- refused her, claiming that the path he was now walking was too grim and uncertain to walk with anyone else. Before departing, he offered one final bit of information, claiming that the species currently resident on this planet were not Garkun, but rather the Garbadine, hybrids of the Albadine and Garkun -- or rather, the original species from which they were both descended. He offered no proof of this, either, and it has been discounted by most scholars of Albadine history.

In the last decade*, the Unclaimed Regions have seen a upswing in piracy, committed by these so-called Garbadine soldiers and led by an individual who matches the description of Hanom the Gray. There are some accounts which suggest that he is slowly building a new stellar nation in this region. The Cosmic Intelligence Agency considers him a serious threat to the stability of the region, and have attempted to eliminate him on several occasions, failing each time. They may be forced to recruit more potent aid to deal with this problem in the future.

The greatest weakness Hanom suffers may be his tendency to brood, retreating to reflect on his situation and what has led to it. Any failure in his schemes, however momentary or trivial, can trigger such a reaction, leaving him slow to react to changing circumstances. The situation on the _Adventure_, with his inability to psychically influence Massovy, is a good demonstration. It might be possible to trick him into believing that he has failed, with this tendency then opening up the possibility of a genuine defeat. However, fooling him is no easy task.

As for the historian who assisted him, Denev Arakete, she was returned to Muraddin and court martialed for her role in this hijacking, ultimately drummed out of the Agency and returning to civilian life, and gave birth to a daughter late that year*. She has never discussed the father of her child with that child, who has also entered the TSA and risen higher than her mother ever did, currently assigned to Station X-11 in the Sol system ... 

*Hanom the Gray - PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 13/8 | *STA* 13/8 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Basic Telepathy:* Mental Communication 2; Comprehend Languages 2 - 14 points
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging); Immunity 2 (disease, poison), Limited to Half-effect - 2 points
*Mental Powers:* Array (40 points)
 *Hypnosis:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Insidious, Vision Dependent - 40 points
 *Physical Enhancement:* Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Sustained Impervious Toughness 10; Sustained Regeneration 10 - 1 point
 *Psychic Probe:* Cumulative Mind-Reading 13, Subtle - 1 point
 *Psychokinesis:* Perception Range Move Object 13, Subtle - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Leadership, Power Attack, Startle, Teamwork, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will resistance), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+10), Insight 10 (+13), Intimidation 7 (+13), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+12), Technology 7 (+11), Vehicles 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 13/8)
Hypnosis -- (Perception Range Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 13/8, Toughness 13/8, Will 13.

*Totals:*
Abilities 96 + Powers 65 + Advantages 12 + Skills 28 + Defenses 16 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 13
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Brooding Tendencies.* 

_Note: His Garvadine soldiers are minions equivalent to Garkun Warriors, but remove their Sidekick advantage and Mindlink powers and add Basic Telepathy (as above) instead; also increase their INT to 1 and add Expertise (Military) 4 (+5) and Technology 4 (+5)._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Before departing, he offered one final bit of information, claiming that the species currently resident on this planet were not Garkun, but rather the Garbadine, hybrids of the Albadine and Garkun -- or rather, the original species from which they were both descended. He offered no proof of this, either, and it has been discounted by most scholars of Albadine history.



Something like this?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Something like this?
> 
> View attachment 150388



Yep.


----------



## Davies

Martian Overmind






The current Martian Overmind, sole ruler of their species, only rose to their current position roughly half a century ago. Prior to that, they were just one of the first Martian Masterminds to have led troops on a raid against Earth -- not _the_ first, not the one who commanded the raid on Duryea. That lack of primacy gives them something of a complex, and informs a number of the choices that they have made during their rule.

Their ascent began after the entity known as the Super Wizard launched what appeared to be a major assault against the headquarters of the former Overmind, then located in what humans refer to as the Utopia impact crater on Mars. The Overmind survived, but only because the Super Wizard seemed distracted, and the episode provoked what could be termed a vote of non-confidence among the Masterminds. Essentially, the Overmind was required to use their psychic mind control abilities against each of the Masterminds in turn; should any of them prove resistant to them, the resistant Mastermind would be elevated to become the new Overmind.

Of course, this was not a test of will alone, but also of cunning, for each of the Masterminds possessed techniques that (they believed) would assist their resistance, and each of them sought to sabotage the techniques used by the others. The current Overmind _believes_ that they succeeded in sabotaging all of the others while preserving their own, but is not completely certain. The possibility that they rose only because someone decided, for unfathomable reasons, to throw the competition, is one that haunts them.

Regardless, the former Overmind acknowledged their victory, and administered the hormone treatments that transformed them into a new Overmind, possessing vast psychic powers but a diminished body. They then assisted the former Overmind to commit suicide, breathing a sigh of relief that the tradition of former Overminds attempting to psychically transfer their consciousnesses into their successors had fallen into disfavor generations earlier. (At least, they were relieved initially. Now they wonder whether they could have withstood such an assault, whether the fact that they were never tested in that way indicates some weakness on their part.)

Now the new Overmind was left with the decision about what to do about Earth. As their monitoring of the planet revealed that the Super-Wizard had apparently departed the planet for unfathomable reasons, they decided to continue the raids, but urged greater caution on the parts of their Mastermind followers than in the past. They also chose to entertain contact with Vaskhane for the first time, trading Martian psi-electronic technology for improved "cold" tech that could enhance their weapons and vehicles. Both decisions caused grumbling from the Masterminds, but no challenge. Not yet.

The alliance with Vaskhane eventually led to an arranged meeting on Mars between Vaskhane and a human faction, which the Overmind regarded with distaste. Nevertheless, they agreed to participate, and were horrified when another human faction attacked Mars, in cooperation with the blasted Aqueroddi! Immense damage was done to their fortress at Cydonia, and they themselves were wounded. For months, all the Martians hid beneath their fortresses, certain that the nuclear retaliation they had feared for decades was finally upon them.

It never materialized. Not even after two decades, when humans actually intervened to prevent a different alien from attacking Mars, which sent the Martians back beneath their fortresses once again. The Overmind eventually came to the conclusion that these strange beings from another world were _never_ going to take their richly-deserved vengeance. How utterly bewildering! 

Unfortunately, this leads to the conclusion that they owe Earth a debt of gratitude. The raids cannot resume until that debt is repaid, and this is causing considerable strains among the Martians -- the youngest Masterminds are untested, and the population of the troopers is exceeding the resources needed to feed them. Obviously, there is no question that the raids must resume; the notion of peaceful coexistence is utterly ridiculous. But how to repay that debt? The Overmind must find a way and soon, or face a vote of non-confidence of their own -- and they are not sanguine about their ability to triumph there, either.

*Martian Overmind -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* -2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* -2 | *DEX* -1 | *FGT* -2 | *INT* 11 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Mind Field:* Sustained Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Powers - 6 points
*Psychokinetic Shield:* Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 10 - 30 points
*Telepathic Basics:* Selective Area Mental Communication 4 [planetary], Limited (only level 3 [national] with non-Martians) - 23 points
*Telepathic Techniques:* Array (44 points)
 *Implant Image:* Illusion 11 (all senses), Insidious, Limited to One Subject, Dynamic - 45 points
 *Dominate Mind:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
 *Invade Thoughts:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 11, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Mass Domination:* Burst Area 3 (500 foot radius) Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
 *Psychic Blast:* Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will, Dynamic - 2 points
*Vast Intellect:* Comprehend Languages 2 (speak and understand); Quickness 8, Limited to Mental Tasks - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit (ruler of Mars), Eidetic Memory, Equipment X, Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 2 (+13), Expertise: Military 3 (+14), Expertise: Science 3 (+14), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 4 (+15), Perception 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed -2 (Close Damage -2)
Psychic Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 11, Resisted by Will
Dominate Mind -- (Perception Range Will 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 1, Fortitude 7, Toughness 14, Will 15

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 122 + Advantages 8 + Skills 21 + Defenses 20 = 205 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Deep-seated Insecurities. Sessile* (no movement without dedicated equipment.) *Weakness* (dies in Earth atmosphere without protection.)


----------



## Davies

Kids Unlimited

An organization established in June of 2021 to provide training and support to young adolescent superpowers, sponsored by the Bethany Ryan Trust. It has its origins in a conversation between the True Believer and Exelion in January of that year. (From Exelion's perspective, it took place in January of 2018.) She was a bit startled to find the elder statesman of the superpower community waiting for her outside her apartment, but agreed to hear him out when he stated that she was his only real peer in the field of mentoring young superheroes. (As True has often wondered whether she is actually getting through to the Minor League, that statement was both startling and immensely satisfying.)

The essence of the conversation was that, while the Futurian Academy and the Minor League had both done well in training _late_ adolescent superpowers to take up a socially responsible role, whether as a hero or as a law-abiding citizen, neither group were doing quite as well as they could. This could be demonstrated by the way that half of the Minor League had been offered the opportunity to study at the Academy but turned it down, and by events ranging from the Megawatt episode to the death of Kyoseki to the recent formation of Project Mayhem. What seemed to be needed, they agreed, was a way to start training superpowers at an even younger age, but the Academy could not afford to open a middle school division, and True found it difficult enough to look after the pupils she already had.

So what was needed was an organization that they would be able to monitor but would be operated by a group of trustworthy employees. The two of them contacted entrepreneurial adventurer Max Ryan, who happened to be in Philadelphia at the time. (The coincidence made True give Exelion a rather skeptical glance, to which he only smiled serenely.) Intrigued by the possibilities, and hopeful that these young heroes might be helpful in his own long-term quest, Ryan agreed to sponsor and staff the organization, turning to some of his allies in Argus Security to vet its employees. (All three of them realized that this meant that Argus would be slipping a handler for the new group in, and accepted this as necessary.)

In the months leading up to the formal establishment of the Bethany Ryan School for Accelerated Studies, set to open in August, a total of seven young superpowers, ranging in age from twelve to fourteen, have been discovered and recruited to attend the facility, located in Columbus, Ohio. Of these, four have been approved for field work, with the others still requiring practice to use their powers in a safe manner. In addition to them, the school will have an additional eighty non-superpower students, including many children and dependents of Argus personnel. (This was added at the insistence of the True Believer, who argued that her greatest problem with the Academy's program was that it failed to adequately educate its students about living in a world where most of the populace does not have superpowers.) 

Of course, there are still two months before the school doors open, and anything could happen between now and then ...


----------



## Davies

Susan Goldilocks





At fourteen, Susan Boulé is the oldest and (by standard chronology) first recruited of the superpower students who will be studying at the Bethany Ryan School. She's aware that what this really means is that she will be there only for a short time before she (hopefully) graduates and moves on to study at the Academy with 'the big kids', and intends to learn and do as much as she can before that happens. This gives her something of a manic demeanor and leaves her constantly on the go, but that is something of a façade that covers a calculating and well-organized personality.

Her powers are passive ones; she has one of the most well-developed natural psychic defenses ever encountered, making her utterly resistant to any sort of telepathic intrusion, and is able to see through illusions to the point where she sometimes fails to notice that they are even present. (It seems likely that the latter is partially due to the former, but she has demonstrably ignored illusions with no psychic content.) Susan also possesses considerable charisma and social skills that is only developing as she matures. While her presence is not yet a superpower, that will likely come in time.

That talent has been put to service in her career as a teenage detective in Bangor, Maine. In the course of the past three years, she has arranged to meet and help a wide variety of her fellow citizens, all of whom are happy to pay back the favor by giving her help in return. While she has and uses a smartphone, her web of contacts and favors exists mostly in her mind. She expects that she will spend a lot of time doing the same thing in Columbus, and later in Cardiff as well.

Her most obvious weakness is her lack of any offensive or (physically) defensive powers. In consideration of this, in their second meeting (from his perspective; first as far as she knows from her own) Exelion gave her a force field-generating ring that should protect her -- not the weakest example that he had to hand, which would be useless, nor the most powerful one, which might make her too careless, but one that was just right for her needs. It has saved her life at least once so far, and she only takes it off to bathe.

Her actual greatest weakness is her history. Susan was born in Montreal (though she enjoys dual citizenship as her mother is of American origin) to a small-time gangster who worked for someone called l'Évêque. She has not been able to find out many details, for obvious reasons, but eight years ago, when she was only six years old, her father incurred the ire of his employer and died soon after. Her mother fled Quebec to take shelter in Maine, and raised Susan there as a single mother.

Susan has not yet worked out how she feels about all this. On the one hand, she thinks that her father probably suffered a richly-deserved fate, since he was a criminal, and likely responsible for causing many more broken families than the one he left behind. On the other hand, he was her father, and she should probably _do_ something about the person responsible for his death on general principles. So that has become her long-term goal, to get through all her schooling, learn how to use all her talents, and then return to Montreal and dismantle the criminal empire of l'Évêque.

There are just two problems with this plan, one of which she knows and one she does not. Sometimes, when she thinks about doing that, a treacherous voice whispers that she could also take charge of that kingdom, since living well is the best revenge. The other is that potent psychic defenses and inhuman charisma are two attributes that the man called l'Évêque also possesses ...

*Susan Goldilocks -- PL 6 

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Armored Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 20 points
*Force Field Ring:* Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Permanent; Impervious Protection 8; Removable (-4 points) - 18 points
*True Sight:* Senses 2 (vision counters illusion) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Equipment, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language (French), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Grab 4 (+4), Deception 1 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+5), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 3 (+5), Perception 2 (+5), Persuasion 3 (+8), Stealth 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -1)
Grab +4 (Close Grab 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4/1, Parry 4/1, Fortitude 2, Toughness 8/0, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 40 + Advantages 14 + Skills 13 + Defenses 6 = 95 points

*Offensive PL:* 3
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family* (mother.) *Minor. Secret. Temptation of Power.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Susan has not yet worked out how she feels about all this. On the one hand, she thinks that her father probably suffered a richly-deserved fate, since he was a criminal, and likely responsible for causing many more broken families than the one he left behind. On the other hand, he was her father, and she should probably _do_ something about the person responsible for his death on general principles. So that has become her long-term goal, to get through all her schooling, learn how to use all her talents, and then return to Montreal and dismantle the criminal empire of l'Évêque.
> 
> There are just two problems with this plan, one of which she knows and one she does not. Sometimes, when she thinks about doing that, a treacherous voice whispers that she could also take charge of that kingdom, since living well is the best revenge. The other is that potent psychic defenses and inhuman charisma are two attributes that the man called l'Évêque also possesses ...



Living well is indeed the best revenge, but it doesn't mean it and taking control of l'Évêque's empire are the same thing, if anything it'd be the opposite...

She and her sister(?) are bound to meet...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Living well is indeed the best revenge, but it doesn't mean it and taking control of l'Évêque's empire are the same thing, if anything it'd be the opposite...



She's very young, and still has rose-tinted memories of her childhood (luxurious by comparison to life in Bangor) that are influencing her in unfortunate ways. 


Voltron64 said:


> She and her sister(?) are bound to meet...



No comment.


----------



## Davies

Jack B. Nimble





Perhaps the strangest member of the Kids Unlimited team, Jeck (to use the pronunciation she prefers) is a refugee from the World More Sorceress, arriving on the World Less Magical at the same time that the Academy's current team returned from their recent mission on that parallel reality. As she was not present when they departed, and her account of events indicates she was nowhere near there, it seems likely that her journey was caused by some unknown party on that world, likely one of the Immortals who reside there. Her presence on Earth was not discovered until a few days afterwards when the confused youngster first encountered Black Mouser, who managed to calm her panic and bring her back to the Academy to find out what was going on.

Physical examination suggested that Jeck was around thirteen years of age, and extremely malnourished. When communication was established, she was unable to explain much about her background. While she has dim memories of growing up in a castle in the mountains, her clearest memories are of the giants descending from those mountains and devastating her home, _eating_ many of the people who lived there, among them "the nice lady" (likely her mother.) The man she remembers as "sir" (likely her father) survived and began training her as a guerilla warrior against the giants, but died in battle about a year before her translocation. She continued her struggle alone, knowing nothing else.

Uncertain about the motivation of whoever had arranged for Jeck to come here, Exelion nevertheless decided that the best course of action was to arrange for her to be a student at the Bethany Ryan School. There, she could learn how to use her abilities in a less lethal manner than she had to this point, and hopefully heal some of the trauma that she had endured in her short life. It remains an uphill battle, but she is making progress -- notably, she no longer draws her knives at any provocation. That said, the faculty of the school have given up on trying to get her to stop carrying them with her wherever she goes, since she always seems to have a few on hand even if she surrenders those she seemed to be carrying.

Jack has powers of superspeed and enhanced agility, though she has noted that she is both slower and weaker than she remembers being. She is also a deadly knife fighter, though she has had a superheroic code of ethics drilled into her and will generally attack to incapacitate rather than kill. (On at least one occasion, she has demonstrated the ability to cut a suit of clothes to rags without harming the person wearing them.) She also heals wounds more quickly than normal.

While still both shy and skittish, Jeck has established friendships with her teammates, and views herself as charged with their protection. Her closest relationship, however, is with her effective foster mother, Agnes Crystal, who agreed to take her in when she arrived in Columbus. It was Agnes who read her the nursery rhyme from which she took her current _nomme de guerre_. Jeck refers to her as "the new nice lady", and comes closest to genuine peace when they are together. However, she does _not_ get along at all with Mel, her son, though they both try to pretend to an amity that neither of them feel when Agnes is present. Something about the boy really bothers her, though she has no idea that he is the son of a notorious witch.

*Jack B. Nimble -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Faster Than The Eye:* Concealment 4 (visual), Limited to While Moving; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 15 points
*Knife Tricks:* Array (5 points); Removable (-1 point)
 *Bladestorm: *Selective Burst Area Strength-based Damage 1 - 5 points
 *Twin Blades:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical, Split Attack - 1 points
*Rapid Metabolism:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Quickness 6; Regeneration 5; Speed 6 (120 MPH) - 19 points

*Advantages:*
Close Attack, _Defensive Roll,_ Evasion, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Language (English, [native is not known]), Move-by Action 

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+6), Deception 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 4 (+9). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +13
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Twin Blades +5 (Close Damage 3 or 2, Crit 19-20)
Bladestorm -- (Burst Area Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3/1, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 39 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 5 = 94 points 

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Minor. Phobia* (loud noises.) *Relationship* (Agnes.) *Rivalry* (Mel.) *Unfamiliar With Modern Earth Culture. Unfamiliar With Technology.*_

Note: If Jack ever travels to the World More Sorcerous, she becomes PL 8; increase all her abilities except INT by 2, increase her Quickness and Speed to 9 ranks each, and increase her Knife Tricks Array to 9 points and add 3 additional ranks of Improved Critical to Twin Blades._


----------



## Davies

Kansho





According to Aesop, a man and a satyr, having struck up an acquaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew upon them. "What's that for?" asked the satyr. "My hands are so cold," said the man, "I do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food was placed before them, and the man, raising the dish to his mouth, again blew upon it. "And what's the meaning of that?" said the satyr. "Oh," replied the man, "my porridge is so hot, I do it to cool it." "Well, then," said the satyr, "from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouth." Fables are not all deep and profound meditations on human nature, you see.

When the True Believer "discovered" Joey Hayashida -- several weeks after the teenager first posted videos on YouTube of himself engaging in small-time heroics in Queens -- she naturally flew there to talk with him and his parents about enrolling in the school she was helping to put together. True was more than a bit surprised when his single mother turned out to have been expecting her and negotiated rather forcefully about the terms of his enrollment, notably insisting on a job for herself as a gym teacher at the new school. Once all the dealing was done, though, Mariko Hayashida explained her concerns and the source of the powers Joey now possessed.

She herself had been born in the Shadow School, undergone the training and grown up to be a skilled and accomplished practitioner of their trad-- "You can just say ninja," interrupted True. -- fine, a ninja. And by the time she reached adulthood, the Shadow School had taken on many treacherous and dangerous jobs in order to survive. On one such assignment, which took her to Guangzhou in China, she met a superpowered renegade with whom she, after a long story made much shorter, fell in love and had Joey. As this was well outside her mission, and as news came that the School had begun to turn away from these criminal missions, she knew that she could never go back, and so she took her son and went into hiding, repeatedly, all over the world.

Joey has been strongly influenced by all this, and is a rather boastful young man who frequently tells highly exaggerated tales of his exploits. He both figuratively and literally blows hot and cold air -- damagingly hot and cold, respectively -- from his mouth. (His "arts alias" derives from a word in Japanese that means "hot-and-cold".) On top of that, he has been carefully taught the basics of the Shadow School traditions, and is a trained unarmed combatant, if not quite the master of the martial arts that he imagines himself as being. Nevertheless, he has a good heart and desires to help people, if only to show off and add some excitement to his life.

One thing that Joey does not know (but that his mother has passed on to the administration of the school) is that it seems likely that his father has become one of the members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, a group of largely heroic Chinese superpowers who operate in the shadows of their nation, feared and hated by those they try to protect. If this is the case, then he and his mother could act as go-betweens if the Howard School ever needs assistance from the other group ...

*Kansho -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Breath Weapons:* Array (16 points)
 *Blows Cold:* Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (cold)
 *Blows Hot:* Line Area 2 Damage 5, Subtle (heat)
*Resistance:* Immunity 10 (cold damage, heat damage) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Language 2 (Japanese, Mandarin, others, [English is native].)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Deception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 3 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Blows Cold or Blows Hot -- (Line Area Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 27 + Advantages 6 + Skills 11 + Defenses 16 = 94 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Blustery. Family *(mother.) *Minor. Secret.*


----------



## Davies

Simon




_Art by Lew Davis_

The youngest of the first grouping of students under the Kids Unlimited banner, Paul Bilal was faintly bewildered when it came time to choose a superhero name for himself. Nothing he had been through in the first twelve years of his life prepared him for any of this, and he found the fuss over the fact that he could draw things quickly to be ridiculous. On hearing the nursery rhyme, fable and folktale-inspired names of his fellow students, he asked if he might go by the name "Simple Simon". He was talked out of the first part, but the reference to a cartoon series he has never heard of appealed to his mentors. Particularly since the things he draws do, in fact, come true. 

The only student at the Bethany Ryan School to be a resident of Columbus, Paul is the child of relatively recent immigrants to the United States from Mauretania; his father drives a taxi and his mother cleans houses. They contacted the school soon after its foundation was announced and revealed their son's talents to them, hoping that he could be taught how to use them more discreetly than he had been to this point. For his part, he seems to genuinely not understand what the excitement is all about, but is happy to use this talent to help other people.

Simon is one of the most potentially powerful superpowers ever identified, and the Morrison Institute is still struggling to develop terminology to explain what he does. The current best guess is that he is able to project extremely realistic-seeming force fields that are often directed by fragments of his consciousness, and that channel highly versatile energy controlling abilities through them. In practice, anything that he draws, in any medium, can be brought to life. His only limits are those of his imagination, the time that it takes to produce the image, and his inability to portray certain things. (He is unable to depict invisible objects, for example, with his best efforts producing translucent ones.) He notably cannot draw things "in advance" -- once a drawing is finished, in his opinion, there is a relatively narrow window of opportunity, roughly six seconds in length, for it to become animate, after which it will just be a drawing. (He refers to such sketches as "cold" in contrast to the "hot" ones that he can use.)

Simon prefers to use his sketchbook and pencils to create his images, but can and has used different materials. Only preventing him from making any mark in any surface would suffice to prevent him from his art, though unfamiliar or rough methods (a stick or finger in dirt, for example) would likely require longer periods of drawing and limit the subject matter that he could represent. The possibility that he could expand his powers to include transforming _any_ form of art into a reality is somewhat terrifying to some observers.

*Simon -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 1 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Fast Sketch:* Quickness 3, Limited to Drawing - 1 point
*Sketchpad:* Variable 8 (summoned and created objects), Check Required (Expertise: Art, DC 17) - 49 points

_Typical Settings:_ 
*Default:* Summon Heroic Monster 6, Controlled - 30 points (DC 23)
*Emergency Weapon:* Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2; Easily Removable (-6 points) - 12 points (DC 20)

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Language (English, [French is native]).

*Skills:*
Expertise: Art 6 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 4 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Perception 5 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 3/1, Will 9 

*Totals:*
Abilities 12 + Powers 50 + Advantages 3 + Skills 10 + Defenses 17 = 92 points

*Offensive PL:* 1*
*Defensive PL:* 4*
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Innocent. Minor. Power Loss* (Sketchpad, if unable to draw.)


----------



## Davies

Mike Macklin/Golden Glow





As has already been stated, nearly twenty years of work by Professor Andrew Gibbon to refine the Ultimate Accelerator devised by his father have produced versions of it that can empower at best poor copies of the powers bestowed on the "test subject" for the original, and whose powers do not last nearly as long between doses. The best results were those obtained when the 2015 version of the formula was tested on one Michael Macklin, a private investigator vetted by Argus, who retained super-speed abilities for nearly a full week. He reported no side effects, but as the formula failed to produce the desired results, Macklin was just thanked and told that Professor Gibbon would contact him if there was anything further.

No one could have predicted, when this happened, that within a year the Blue Bolt would suffer serious injuries during the so-called "Clash of Daikaiju", leaving him physically unable to continue his activities and emotionally uncertain about doing so. Professor Gibbon, with the authorization of his backers, contacted Macklin and offered to outfit him as a replacement for the Blue Bolt, using the current Accelerator formula. According to the after-action report, Gibbon believed that this was to be a temporary measure intended to spur Jimmy Irving to reclaim his identity. There is some evidence that Macklin believed that the position was to be a more permanent one, but no proof that he was deliberately misled that this was the case.

Rather than use the Blue Bolt costume, Macklin wore a metallic yellow suit patterned on the original under the alias of "the Golden Glow". His results were generally good, if not exceptional, especially as other members of the Powerhouse, particularly Polymorph, were willing to assist him. However, Gibbon did notice signs that the experience was giving Macklin something of a swelled head. That said, his activities -- which included far more time spent interacting with the media than the Blue Bolt ever did -- were not dangerous as such, and regarded as useful in some quarters.

After a bit less than two months, however, the Blue Bolt believed himself to be recovered and met with Macklin and Gibbon to discuss what should happen next. He was interested in the prospect of working with the Golden Glow as a partner, and while Macklin was not _enthusiastic_ about that notion, he nevertheless agreed. However, Professor Gibbon interrupted these discussions with the news that Macklin would not be able to continue after all. The length of time he was able to go between doses of the Accelerator had been steadily decreasing, to the point that he could now last only a couple of days between them, and the Professor had also noticed signs that withdrawal symptoms had begun to set in. The formula was beginning to fail.

Macklin refused to accept this, attacked the Professor and the (still unpowered) Blue Bolt, and stole a supply of the formula. While he was unsuccessful in escaping, especially after the Blue Bolt regained his abilities and gave chase, the Golden Glow managed to do a fair amount of damage before he was caught. After the current dose wore off, with the withdrawal symptoms apparent even to himself, Macklin was able to admit that he had a problem, and that he was terrified of going back to being the nothing he had come to consider himself without the powers.

At his trial, Macklin was given a suspended sentence in light of this being his first offense, and required to do five years of community service. It was arranged that he would perform this by giving community and school talks about the dangers of "origin chasing". This has _somewhat_ satisfied his need for public adulation, and he has managed to hide the fact that he still craves the power of the Accelerator even though he also recognizes that it will probably kill him in short order if he starts taking it again. Better to burn out than fade away, right?

*Mike Macklin/Golden Glow -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Super-Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 22 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 6, Instant Up, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Movement 3 (wall-crawling 2, water-walking), Limited to running; Quickness 7; Speed 9 (1000 MPH) - 55 points
*Fast Attack:* Strength-based Selective Burst Area Damage 4 (includes Strength 1) - 11 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative 6, Improvised Weapon, Instant Up, Move-by Action.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +26
Unarmed +9/+6 (Close Damage 1)
Fast Attack -- (Burst Area Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/5, Parry 11/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3/1, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 66 + Advantages 17 + Skills 11 + Defenses 14 = 130 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Power Loss* (all, without daily serum dose.) *Weakness* (becomes Impaired on all checks and Vulnerable after dose wears off.)


----------



## Davies

Marlene





Jack tends not to have long-term associates, though not quite for the reasons someone might expect. While he does have a well-demonstrated tendency to execute minions who provoke his mercurial temper, particularly in his "soldier" personality, his "mad scientist" persona has been known to richly reward those who work for him, often allowing them to get out of the criminal lifestyle, at least for a time. One individual who has remained with him for the extremely extended period of seven years is his "moll" -- though their relationship is apparently not sexual -- a former stripper and kickboxer who goes by the alias Marlene.

When asked by other members of the crew how she has managed to stay alive and part of this organization for so long, she will generally make a joke how it is all about being flexible -- the joke being that her superpower is the extreme flexibility of her body. Marlene keeps an eye on those who asked that question; if it seems likely that they are going to investigate her background further, she usually arranges for their violent deaths, outside of the rare cases when they might be useful to her actual goals.

Twenty-nine years old (though passing for slightly younger) Marlene was recruited by the metasupremacist movement shortly after she dropped out of high school and ran away from her home. She was sent by their Milwaukee office to become a "handler" of sorts for Jack and his gang, influencing them towards targets that suit the goals of the movement. She has done acceptably in this role, with her handful of operational failures viewed as inevitable when dealing with an unstable personality like that of Jack. The fact that at least some of these failures were deliberate on her part, the result of her deciding to prioritize her personal goals over those of the movement, has not yet been recognized by her superiors.

Marlene views metasupremacy as the most oppressed and smallest minority group in the world rejecting the slave morality that they have practiced so far, striking back against their oppressors and taking what is coming to them. (Which is the world and everything in it, to quote one of her role models.) She has a sad and profound story about how she was cruelly abused by her parents when they realized she was superpowered. This is a complete lie -- while her parents were not enthusiastic about her adolescent expression, her decision to rob them blind and run away from home was purely motivated by greed. While not particularly violent, she never hesitates to casually murder those who are in her way, especially if they have the misfortune of being mundane.

She suspects that Jack (particularly in his "gangster" personality) has to have his suspicions that she is working for someone else, but believes that _he_ believes that he can use this, if need be. She does her best to placate the "soldier" and "mad scientist" personalities, and avoids the "serial killer" like the plague that he is.

*Marlene -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Flexibody:* Insubstantial 1, Limited to escaping; Shrinking 4, Concentration, Normal Strength - 8 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Skill Mastery 2 (Deception, Sleight of Hand), Taunt, Ultimate Effort (Sleight of Hand), Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+12), Stealth 3 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 10 + Advantages 11 + Skills 31 + Defenses 18 = 120 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Callous. Secret* (actual loyalties.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Marlene views metasupremacy as the most oppressed and smallest minority group in the world rejecting the slave morality that they have practiced so far, striking back against their oppressors and taking what is coming to them. (Which is the world and everything in it, to quote one of her role models.) She has a sad and profound story about how she was cruelly abused by her parents when they realized she was superpowered. This is a complete lie -- while her parents were not enthusiastic about her adolescent expression, her decision to rob them blind and run away from home was purely motivated by greed.



If anything, I assume her issues stem from how the combination of her looks and powers made her quite _popular_ in high school...


----------



## Davies

Eisenfaust





The first thing you need to know in order to understand Wilhelm Dietrich, "Saturn's" director for European operations, is that he is well-aware that the organization he helps to lead, devoted to the destruction of superpowers, is led by a superpower. Unlike some of the lesser lights of the organization who have realized this, the knowledge causes him no particular angst. While he does have a number of contingencies set aside to deal with Billie Zane should she, in his opinion, become too unstable for his liking, he otherwise considers her nature utterly irrelevant.

The purpose of Saturn is not to end the superpower oligarchy that currently exists; that will simply be a pleasant side-effect of their actual goals. The purpose of Saturn is to seize power for the leadership of Saturn, by any means necessary, and hold on to it, again by any means necessary. Dietrich is sometimes surprised at how few of his fellows are willing to accept this, fashioning elaborate fantasies about how, once they have won, everyone will see and understand (or at least _made_ to see) how "right" they were all along.

Stuff and nonsense. For that to be the case, there would have to be a "right" in the first place, and there is neither right nor wrong, only power and the will to use it. His grandfather understood that when he worked for the Nazis. His father understood that when he worked for the Communists, and then with the Pythons. Ideology is ultimately irrelevant, something meant to appeal to those who are dominated by the emotions instead of the cold equations of power. Of course, Eisenfaust is not blind to the fact that the emotions can and do influence even himself, recognizing that he does have a temper. He will deliberately give in to it, at times, recognizing that such small blowups can prevent larger ones later.

His code name, in full Herr Eisenfaust, though he usually does not insist on the title, derives from his weapon, an energy projector shaped in the form of a gauntlet that projects a neuro-electric discharge which causes considerable pain in its targets. It is the sole surviving piece of a planned suit of powered armor that the Pythons in East Germany were building when a group of GSG-9 members, later dubbed the Illegal Army, attacked their headquarters, interrupting them. Eisenfaust suspects that the Illegal Army may have been informed of this situation by his father, playing both ends for his own goals. He thus wears the gauntlet as both a useful weapon and as a reminder to always keep his options open.

*Eisenfaust -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Iron Gauntlet:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Removable (-4 points) - 20 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (agony gauntlet), Inspire 2, Leadership, Move-by Action, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Prone Fighting, Ranged Attack 2.

*Equipment:*
Body armor (Protection 3) and 27 points of equipment as needed (typically headquarters.)

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+5), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+6), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+9), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+12), Investigation 7 (+8), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Iron Gauntlet 3 (+6), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Iron Gauntlet +8 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/6/5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 20 + Advantages 23 + Skills 41 + Defenses 16 = 142 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Subject to Orders. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson




_Photograph c. September 1890_

By now, all the world knows them, though their image of them is largely influenced by the countless movies and television programs that never _quite_ get it right. Their association began a pattern that has lasted right up until the present day -- an army surgeon invalided home from a land war in Asia met an eccentric student whose breadth of knowledge was matched only by its startling lacunae; together, they fought crime. The greatest of the great detectives and his dogged chronicler -- but never just his Boswell.

Sherlock Holmes was born in 1854, and had his first great adventure while attending Brompton Academy in London. A published account of these events grossly misrepresented them, suggesting that John Watson (seven years older than Holmes) was his schoolmate. Holmes was actually assisted during this affair was one Reginald Musgrave, with whom he would be reunited during his university studies. One detail which this account gets correct, however, was that this was the first meeting between Holmes and a recently minted Detective Constable Gilles Lestrade.

It is also correct that this was his first encounter with one Professor Moriarty, though the background presented for him within this tale is utter balderdash. Holmes and Moriarty clashed extensively through the 1880s until their final clash at Reichenbach Falls in 1891. Unfortunately, this caused greater problems than it resolved, for the youngest Moriarty brother seized control of the criminal organization that the elder had created, and continued to create problems for Holmes for years afterward. The younger James Moriarty was far more psychopathic than the elder, and _may_ have gone on to become known as Fantômas, though this is disputed. (Some accounts of his activities under his own name were discovered and published in the 1970s by John Gardner.)

Holmes' greatest weakness was that he frequently failed to understand the emotional components of the cases that he investigated. While quick to understand motivations of greed and pride, he was frequently baffled by simpler, more human emotions. (This was how Irene Adler was able to defeat him ... repeatedly.) This was one area where Watson was often more acute than himself, though the latter often exaggerated his own folly in the published accounts of their cases in order to make Holmes seem even more clever than he actually was.

While largely retired after his activities leading up to and during World War I (during which he ran a counterintelligence operation that was not, "His Last Bow" notwithstanding, wrapped up before the war broke up) Holmes continued to be sought out to provide consultation on various mysteries, as well as providing tutoring to a number of other detectives. While Watson passed away in 1929, the circumstances of Holmes' death are somewhat ambiguous. One account portrays him as dying in 1947, another a decade after that. It has been suggested that he in fact did _not_ die, but enjoyed extended life thanks to a chemical treatment provided by one of his more noteworthy students, a surgeon and philanthropist from New York. But it seems likely that eventually he set out on a journey into the last great mystery.

As far as can be determined, he never had any children. Any individuals claiming descent from the Holmes family are actually descended from his older brother (who, despite some accounts, was married with several children) or have been misinformed.

*Sherlock Holmes - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Deductive Glance:* Senses 4 (postcognition); Feature (postcognition check made with Investigation instead of Perception) - 5 points
*Master of Disguise: *Continuous Morph 2 (Other People), Check Required (Deception, DC 13), Removable (–1 point), Standard Action - 5 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Chokehold, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Equipment 2, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (French, German, others), Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Ultimate Effort (Investigation), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
9 points of equipment as needed.
221-B Baker Street: Size Diminuitive; Toughness 6; Features Laboratory, Library, Living Space - 1 point

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+9), Deception 10 (+12), Expertise: History 4 (+10), Expertise: Science 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+11), Expertise: Violin 4 (+6), Insight 5 (+10), Investigation 7 (+13), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed Combat +9 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 2, Will 9

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 10 + Advantages 17 + Skills 34 + Defenses 17 = 128 points

*Complications:
Curiosity--Motivation. Addiction* (cocaine.) *Eccentricities* (many.) *Friendship* (John Watson.) *Ignorance.

Dr. John Watson -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2 

*Advantages:*
Equipment 2, Improved Initiative, Teamwork

_Equipment:_
Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), Medical Bag, and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Doctor 8 (+11), Expertise: Military 5 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+9), Treatment 6 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 1)
Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 3, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Advantages 4 + Skills 26 + Defenses 13 = 75 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 4
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Friendship--Motivation. Family* (wife.) *Old Injuries.*

_Note: This represents Holmes and Watson around 1889._


----------



## Davies

L'Ange de la Musique




_Artist unknown._

The dark mother -- or possibly great-grandmother -- of all costumed crime fighters was born in 1860 in a small village not far from Uppsala, Sweden. Her given name was Christine Daaé. As a child, she was the occasional playmate of the youngest son of the Comte de Chagny. At fifteen her talent for music was discovered, and she began studies at the Conservatoire de Paris. This was a disaster. Over the course of four years, her spirit and love of music were almost entirely destroyed, and when she found employment at the Palais Garnier, it seemed likely that she would never know celebrity or success.

And then an individual who seemed at times both angel and fiend came to her and offered to restore to her what had been lost. Under his tutelage, she blossomed to become one of the greatest singers who has ever lived, as well as developing other talents in imitation of him. Most notably, she developed the ability to hear what she termed the music that underlay all speech, allowing her to perceive aspects of thought. Her mentor claimed to possess this ability as well. Later, much later, she would come to doubt that this was true, for if he had been able to perceive _her_ thoughts in this manner, he would surely have recognized that she loved him only as a mentor and father-figure, not as a prospective romance.

The rest of the story is now well-known, though her role in it has often been twisted by unwholesome individuals who wished to portray her as naive to the point of idiocy and a simpering damsel in distress. She was neither. Perhaps the best demonstration of her actual character might be how she reacted to inquiries from a certain individual concerning her whereabouts during a period when she was missing. He assured her that he would ask her no questions if she would agree not to leave again.

"That is a pledge that I do not ask of you, and it is a promise that I shall not make you!" spoke the young woman proudly. "I am a free agent, monsieur de Chagny; you have no right to control my actions and I will ask that you desist henceforth. As for what I have done during the past fortnight, there is only one man in the world who would have the right to demand that I give him an account -- my husband! Well, I have no husband, and _I shall never marry!_"

And she never did. In the aftermath of the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera, she departed Paris with her monsieur and returned to Sweden. Two years later, however, she quietly returned to Paris and took up the position of a ballet tutor, professing to have lost interest in performing but wishing to remain connected to the stage in some manner. She refused to answer questions as to the whereabouts of the Viscount with characteristic stolidity, and he was eventually declared dead with the title passing to one of his nephews.

Such were her days. Her nights were spent running about in a mask, inspired by that worn by her mentor, and attempting to bring a small amount of justice to a grim and unjust world. By and large, her opponents were entirely mundane criminals, though she did cross paths with the vampiress Carmilla on one grim occasion, and had an encounter with an individual calling himself Count Brighella who was clearly more than mortal, and who would later trouble other defenders of Paris. While she overcame their schemes, she was only able to set them to flight rather than putting an end to the threat that they represented.

The activities of L'Ange were frequently interrupted by periods where she was forced to recuperate, often returning to Sweden in order to do so and to spend time with an individual who went by the alias Michel Allard and their two children, a son born in 1882 and a much younger daughter born in 1891, in the middle of an extended sabbatical. These periods of inactivity grew longer and longer as she aged, though she remained active much longer than she probably should have. L'Ange de la Musique is believed to have met her end in 1909, during a confrontation with the notorious Fantomas.

Her daughter, Carla Allard, married an American newspaper publisher named Reid, who had had an interesting life, and had two children by him, named Dietrich and Henry, and was a kind stepmother to the child of her husband's first marriage. Her son, who had inherited more of her talents and used a variety of names, also went on to some notoriety.

*L'Ange de la Musique -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
The Music of the Night:* Mind Reading 7, Hearing Dependent; Senses 3 (accurate analytical hearing) - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive 2, Close Attack 2, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Expertise: Performance), Improved Defense, Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, French, Russian, Spanish, [Swedish is native]), Move-by Action, Prone Fighting, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Lasso (Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to grabbing, Reach 4; Enhanced Advantage 1 [Chokehold]) and 2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+6), Close Combat: Lasso 2 (+5), Deception 3 (+8), Expertise: Performance 7 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+6), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 0)
Lasso +7 (Close Grab 3, Reach 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 10 + Advantages 23 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 113 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:*
_*Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity. *

Note: That passage above is from the original novel._


----------



## Voltron64

It's like a gloriously demented blend between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Danny Elfman, and there's no way it couldn't be anything else.


----------



## Davies

The Wayward Son





Assuming that he was _not_ the individual that many people assume that he was, the first well-documented activities of the individual usually known as the Wayward Son date from Kansas in 1885. While he used a number of aliases (a trait he shared with that individual), he claimed to be "just a wayward mother's son" when asked about himself, and the shortened name stuck. He had no fixed address and usually just used the earth as his bed, active throughout the American west in the last decades of the 19th century. However, while he never commented on it or offered any explanation, some of his associates noted that he deliberately avoided the state of New Mexico -- or anywhere else he might run into a certain lawman resident there. Whether he was there on February 29, 1908, is not clear.

He generally sought and obtained temporary work at a variety of ranches, supporting himself through gambling between bouts of employment. (Again, much like that individual.) However, he was also willing to put his skills to use for a variety of causes, preferring to support the underdog, whoever that seemed to be. His frequent impulse control problems sometimes resulted in his "help" causing more problems for his allies than it prevented, though he did seem to recognize and try to control these tendencies, having recognized that they could get him into trouble.

Owing to his reputation, the Wayward Son frequently encountered individuals who claimed to be time travelers from the future, wanting to know more about him. While skeptical about their claims and never confirming or denying any of their speculations about him, he learned more from them than they managed to learn from him. While misinformed about a number of topics (apparently believing that the Pythonian Insurgency would trigger a worldwide nuclear war, for example) he developed a reasonably good outline of the history of the next one hundred and fifty years from these encounters, sometimes using this to his own benefit or that of others.

As with many other noteworthy figures from this period, the exact fate of the Wayward Son is somewhat obscure. There are stories of him still being active in Kansas, where he had attempted to retire, in the 1920s. (Tales of these episodes are believed to have inspired the title of a song written more than half a century later.) Other accounts claim that he met his end in Mexico in 1913, or even earlier, in Nevada in 1901. Still others have him attending the funeral of one Brushy Bill Roberts in 1950 and being ejected for laughing during the solemn ceremony. The death of that last individual  is at least well-attested; under the name Patrick Henry, Jr., he passed away in 1956 in a hospital in Silver City, New Mexico, and was buried in the graveyard there, not far from the resting place of one Catherine Antrim. Assuming that he was the individual many people believe him to have been, he would have been ninety-six years old at his death.

Not a bad run, all told.

*The Wayward Son -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Trick Shots:* Array (8 points); Easily Removable (-4 points)
 *Arm Shot: *Linked Ranged Damage 2; Linked Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Close Attack Impaired, Close Attack Disabled), Limited Degree - 8 points
 *Crease the Skull:* Linked Ranged Damage 2; Linked Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned), Limited Degree - 1 point 
 *Leg Shot:* Linked Ranged Damage 2; Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered, Immobile), Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Shoot The Wings Off a Fly:* Linked Ranged Damage 2; Ranged Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Limited to targets with winged flight - 1 point
*Ultimate Fast Draw:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Improved Initiative 2, Seize Initiative) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (paired guns), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative _3_, Language (Spanish), Non-Lethal Tactics, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover AND Concealment), Quick Draw.

_Equipment:_
Six Shooter (Ranged Damage 3), Six Shooter (Ranged Damage 3).

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Gambling 6 (+7), Expertise: Survival 5 (+6), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 7 (+9), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +15
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Guns +10 (Ranged Damage 3 or 6)
Trick Shot +10 (Ranged Damage 2 and Fortitude 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 10 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 13 = 106 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Impulsive. Secret* (is he or isn't he?)

_Note: When I decided to create this character, I was unaware that Emilio Estevez is apparently making a second sequel to *Young Guns*, though appropriately dropping the "Young" from the title. It's an interesting coincidence._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> *Secret* (is he or isn't he?)



My theory?


(Or something along those lines.)


----------



## Davies

Sakigake/先駆け





Almost as long as people have been searching for methods to reliably create superpowers, they have also been searching for ways to _enhance_ the abilities of existing superpowers. This latter quest has been somewhat more successful than the former, especially after the psionic technology developed by Franklin Zane began to proliferate in the mid-1970s. Able to turn someone who had flashes of empathy into a full mind-reader or enhance psychokinesis able to move pounds into a talent moving tons, the technology was used by government sponsored projects in Russia, Israel and -- most recently -- Japan. Even with this particular technology, supposedly well understood, there are individual examples that defy ready understanding, cases where the limits of what was thought possible are not so much exceeded as exploded. Such is this case with Sakurai Soichiro, who now operates under the alias Sakigake, or "Pioneer".

Orphaned in one of the daikaiju attacks of the late nineties, the seven year-old Sakurai was rescued by researchers from what would become the Yokoyama Group, at that time part of the same nebulous government agency that became Project Super-Giant. Five years later, he tested positive for psychic powers -- demonstrating a telecommunication ability -- and "volunteered" to undergo implantation with psionic implants that would enhance his powers even further. They did this, exceeding the expectations of the researchers, and Sakurai envisioned himself as leading a group of his fellow psionic soldiers against the daikaiju, replacing what he saw Chokyojin, whom he viewed as woefully inefficient.

Unfortunately, no other experimental subject achieved the same level of enhancement as Sakurai, leaving him increasingly isolated. He was given missions, but nothing nearly as grand as he had hoped, instead operating in a subtle and covert manner. Sakurai seemed to come to terms with this operational strategy, and when the Yokoyama Group broke away from the Project in 2004, he went with it as one of its field operatives. A year later, he received his first major assignment, to monitor a high school girl named Nagase Aya, who had been identified as possessing latent capabilities of vast potential. It was enjoyable, as he soon grew fond of Nagase despite her eccentricities.

And then, before things could go too far, a self-serving moron wrecked the entire operation by revealing the truth to Nagase, making her powers manifest! (Sakurai has heard stories about some alternate version of Nagase showing up, but regards them as nonsense.) Before the Group could sweep in and take charge of her, Nagase was shipped off to a school in Wales, of all places. The entire affair was the first real failure that Sakurai had ever experienced, and he did not take it, nor the insults he received because of it, at all well. He found himself increasingly obsessed with Nagase, monitoring her activities at the Academy as best he could, and scheming to have her return to Japan and join the Group as its masterpiece -- its Queen, really.

His schemes did not go unnoticed by other members of the Group, notably by the members of a small cabal who referred to themselves as 'the Vision'. Unsatisfied with the efforts of the Group to control superpower and mystical activity in Japan, they had reached the conclusion that the only way to accomplish their goals was to become transhuman superpowers themselves. Sakurai was the ideal example of what they hoped to accomplish, and they now invited him to join them. He accepted with a false smile.

Ever since then, Sakigake has worked tirelessly to advance the goals of the Vision, who have since broken from the Yokoyama Group. He is the effective leader of the cabal, though some of the original membership still vacillate between being rivalry and alliance with him. They continue to pursue a vast variety of superpower creation methods, many of which would probably be considered crimes against humanity. Sakigake does not care; humanity is nothing more than the stock from which a finer, better superhumanity will be born under his benevolent guidance.

The Isekai no Miko, Nagase Aya, remains a key to these dreams. The Vision are well aware that the habitable worlds near Earth are largely occupied by other species, and that the cost of making other worlds habitable would be likely prohibitive. Thus, expansion across interstellar space is unfeasible, but expansion across the multiverse is a much more workable outcome, if an individual who can travel to such worlds joins their cause. This utilitarian goal is the only reason he remains fixated on her. Not out of any issues from his youth. Definitely not. Nope.

*Sakigake -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Basic Telepathy:* Mental Communication 1 (100 feet) - 4 points
*Enhanced Telepathy:* Mental Communication 4 (planetary); Comprehend Languages 2; Mind Reading 9 - 42 points
*Psychotronic Force Field:* Sustained Impervious Protection 10, Subtle - 21 points
*Psychotronic Powers:* Array (39 points)
 *Crushing Telekinesis:* Linked Perception Range Affliction 7 (Resisted by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Linked Perception Range Damage 6 - 1 point 
 *Focused Telekinesis:* Damaging Move Object 13 - 39 points
 *General Telekinesis:* Flight 7 (250 MPH); Perception Range Move Object 7, Dynamic, Precise, Subtle - 2 point
 *Mental Blast:* Perception Range Damage 9, Resisted by Will, Subtle - 1 point
 *Mental Burst:* Perception Range Burst Area Damage 7, Resisted by Will, Subtle - 1 point
 *Telepathic Domination:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic, Insidious, Subtle - 2 points
 *Telereception:* Remote Sensing 9 (all senses), Medium (conscious unshielded human mind), Subtle 2 - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 10, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multimillionare), Connected, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+13), Expertise: Business 8 (+10), Expertise: Politics 8 (+10), Intimidation 7 (+12), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+13), Ranged Combat: Telekinesis 7 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 3)
Focused Telekinesis +9 (Ranged Damage 13)
Crushing -- (Perception Range Damage 6 and Will 7)
Domination -- (Perception Range Will 9)
Mental Blast -- (Perception Range Will 9)
Mental Burst -- (Perception Range Burst Area Will 7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 13/3, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 115 + Advantages 9 + Skills 25 + Defenses 18 = 217 points

*Powers:
Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Extremely Overconfident. Intolerant* (mundanes.) *Obsession* (Warpwitch.) *Secret Identity.*

_Note: Except for *Basic Telepathy* and *Shielded Mind*, all his powers have both the Psychic and Technological descriptors, and can be affected by anything that affects either._


----------



## Voltron64

So evil Itsuki Koizumi with some Goro Akechi thrown in as well as a little bit of Griffith and/or Purple Man (going by the darkest implication of his plans for Aya Nagase).


----------



## Davies

Also more than a bit of Hyoubu Kyousuke.

Also, the word Sakigake can also mean "harbinger".


----------



## Davies

The Unseen Archer





_As seen through an effect allowing the perception of invisible creatures_

There are two main theories as to the origins of the work known as the Book of the Unseen Archer. The first is that it is of ancient provenance, written in Koine Greek in what is now Anatolia, and one of twelve volumes of a collection known as "The Books of Starry Wisdom", of which the only two other volumes that have survived to the present day are the Book of the Great Scorpion and the Book of Measured Scales, the latter of which is known only by references to it in other works. The other theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer was written in the early 15th century in Italy in _imitation_ of the Book of the Great Scorpion, and that the Book of Measured Scales is likewise a fraud.

One of the points in favor the latter theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer is not a grimoire. Rather, the text is itself imbued with magical energy that allows any individual holding it, regardless of whether or not that individual possesses any arcane knowledge, to summon the entity for which it is named, and which is described in its pages. Invisible and inaudible to all beings other than the holder of the text -- hereafter referred to as its "master" -- the Unseen Archer communicates through telepathy, initially treating each new master with formal courtesy and happily undertaking the task for which it was created.

Unfortunately, that task is murder. Attempting to command the Unseen Archer to perform any task that does not allow it to kill at least one sapient being will normally be met with derision on the part of the Archer, and refusal to do it. Repeatedly making such requests causes the Archer to become more and more disgusted with its master, eventually attempting to kill them. If it should succeed in doing so, the Archer immediately dematerializes and returns to the pages of the book, waiting for the next individual to pick it up and have mastery of the Archer conferred upon them.

The Unseen Archer, as the name indicates, normally prefers to kill its targets at a distance, employing what amounts to a huge recurved bow for this purpose. The bolts it lets fly are apparently psychokinetic in nature, and vanish soon after they strike the target (or after missing.) They cannot normally be seen either, and the injury they inflict is often mistaken for a ischemic stroke. The Archer will often attack targets at moments that will cause their fatal injuries to be disguised by other potential causes of death, such as shooting a target that causes them to collapse onto subway tracks just as a train pulls in. The Archer is also capable of attacking a target in hand to hand combat, and can easily tear a typical human being apart in this manner, but will normally only do so when directly ordered to do so, as this is not by any means a subtle means of death.

The Book of the Unseen Archer is often said to be cursed. Supposedly imbued with the malign will of the mage who wrote it and thus called the Unseen Archer into existence, the Book supposedly causes those who own it to become enraptured with committing murder by the Archer, unable to resist the urge to do so, and often developing a god complex in the process. This has not been proved, and the individual who completed the most detailed study of the Book, a former holder of the Blakestone title in the 1980s, owned it for close to fifteen years without ever using it for any purpose. However, accounts of the research mention that protective magic was needed in order to study it safely.

In recent years, the Book surfaced in Japan and came into the possession of a high school student named Mashiro Hayami. He quickly became enraptured by its potential and dreamed of using the murders committed by the Archer to eventually take over the world. Fortunately, he was stopped by the Ghost Sweepers long before that was even a possibility, and the Book is currently in the possession of the Yokoyama Group, ostensibly under tight security. Whether its current owners will be able to resist the possibility of committing a perfect crime remains to be seen.

While invisible, inaudible and inodorous, the Archer does emit a form of radiation that can be discerned or even tracked if identified. When the Archer remains in one place for an extended period, this aura often causes harm to plant and animal life in its vicinity, which can also be a clue to its presence.

*The Unseen Archer - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 7 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2 

*Powers:
Alien Resilience:* Protection 3; Regeneration 5 - 8 points
*Invisible:* Permanent Concealment 8 (auditory, olfactory, visual), Innate - 17 points
*Large Size:* Permanent Growth 3 (12 feet long; Strength +3, Stamina +3, Intimidation +1, Dodge -1, Parry -1, Stealth -3) - 9 points
*Keen Senses:* Senses 4 (accurate olfactory, visual senses counter concealment [invisibility]) - 4 points
*Launched Arrrow:* Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 4, Subtle 2, Insidious - 23 points
*Swift Running:* Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 8)
Launched Arrow +12 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 65 + Advantages 2 + Skills 10 + Defenses 19 = 150 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Only For Killing. Unnatural Aura.


Book of the Unseen Archer:* Heroic Summon 10 (Unseen Archer), Mental Link - 41 points

The first time the master of the Archer orders it to perform a task other than killing a target, the master must make a Persuasion or Intimidation check, while the Archer makes a Will check that sets the DC of the former check. If the Persuasion or Intimidation check succeeds by three or more degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task without complaint. If it succeeds by fewer degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task, but will thereafter be treated as Indifferent to the master. If the check fails, the Archer refuses to perform the task, and its attitude becomes Indifferent.

An Indifferent Archer must be have its attitude improved through Persuasion to convince it to perform any task, even killing, and reverts to its worsened attitude after doing so. If already Indifferent and its attitude would worsen, it becomes Unfriendly by default. If already Unfriendly and its attitude would worsen, the Archer becomes Hostile and immediately seeks to kill the master.

One exception to these rules is that the Archer, even if Indifferent or Unfriendly, will always accept the task of killing a target who has Incapacitated it in the past.


----------



## Davies

Worldweaver




Art by Boris Grozev

Many of those humans -- though not all -- who have travelled beyond the boundaries of their home world have experienced what is called the overview effect, an awareness of the planet Earth as a tiny, fragile ball of life. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine somehow seeing the entire solar system as a tiny collection of fragile balls in an even vaster void. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine seeing the galaxy or even the entire universe as a tiny place, in which all possible human dreams and aspirations are incredibly petty. And if one thinks _even bigger yet_ ...

Orphaned during the attack of Cerebron, twelve-year-old Kate Becker was taken into the guardianship of a friend of her late parents, who had all worked together for Argus R&D. Had she been a little bit older, Kate might have become a student at a think tank, but as matters stood, she spent the next five years dividing her time between formal studies and part time work alongside her guardian. Her talents came to the attention of the Director General, but something about Zane unsettled her, and she avoided being drawn into her circle.

Her major project in this time was studying the remains of what was thought to be an alien spaceship that had crash landed not far from Roswell, New Mexico, in 1997. The vessel was critically damaged, and its crew seemed to be caught in a state somewhere between life and death. Kate was the researcher to achieve the key breakthrough leading to the understanding that the crew themselves were dead, but that their uniforms, a biological carapace covered in tentacle-like growths, were still alive. One of these symbiotic costumes had just been successfully removed from its corpse when the coup began. The laboratory where this research was proceeding had been judged superfluous, and came under attack.

Thinking quickly if not perhaps deeply, Kate donned the carapace and used its functions to protect her life and those of her coworkers. It was a disturbing experience for the young scientist, and she was glad when it seemed to be over. But then she learned that it was never going to be over, for it was soon revealed that the carapace had bonded to her skin and bone and could not be removed while she still lived. Panicking at the implications of this, she fled the laboratory and went into hiding.

Over the next seven years, Kate found herself increasingly losing herself in the persona she took on in order to keep herself alive and free, that of Mistress Tendril, the brilliant but quite megalomaniacal scientific criminal. She sometimes attempted to portray herself as a victim of circumstances, but her extensive rap sheet made this seem implausible, as did the association she eventually made with the metasupremacist movement. She kept telling herself that all of these were just temporary measures undertaken so that she could eventually free herself from the carapace, but when she finally learned how to do so, Kate came to the sad realization that she was hopelessly addicted to the sensation of power that she experienced when using it. She had no choice to continue on the road she was walking.

And then things got worse. While in San Francisco on other business, Mistress Tendril happened to run afoul of Mephistopheles. During the brawl that followed, the so-called demon employed his "searing gaze" on her, intending to reduce her to a temporary catatonia in which she was left to contemplate her sins. An implausible synergistic effect of this assault on her mind, the latent psychic powers that had warned Kate to avoid Zane, and the hitherto unknown features of the carapace, allowed her mind to exceed all possible limitations.

For what was an eyeblink of reality, Kate Becker saw and knew everything, perceiving the full scale of the multiverse as no beings, perhaps not even the Old Ones, ever had. No mortal mind could recall even one billionth of one per cent of what she experienced in that hour of fugue, but it left her with the ability to perceive the timeline as not even Pythia had.  She saw the full history of humanity, from its earliest evolution to the last days of its demise. She witnessed, and perhaps even facilitated, a conversation between Pythia and Ananke that she thinks she deliberately chose not to remember afterwards. 

And more, for she now knew that the creatures who had created her carapace had not been extraterrestrial voyagers, but extradimensional ones who had travelled to strengthen the bonds that tied the multiverse together even though they knew that it would all tear itself apart _in so short a season._ As a consequence, she gained the ability to peer between worlds, expanding the range of her foresight and hindsight considerably. While able to perceive the dim threads that tie the worlds together, she cannot travel along them nor draw upon them, as a certain individual does, but can perceive when this is being done.

To most of those who know her, the villainess who now calls herself Worldweaver has not changed greatly. She still poses as a crazed mad scientist, seeking to avenge herself on anyone and everyone who has ever dared to oppose her or might do so in the future, engaged in countless bizarre schemes. And when these fall apart, as they always do, she makes her escape and retreats to her current safehouse, strips off her carapace and collapses to stare up at the ceiling, doing nothing. It is all meaningless. She acts not to achieve anything, but because she has seen herself acting and must fulfill her role, for the amusement of entities whom even she cannot fully perceive, much less comprehend. Or perhaps for their complete indifference.

Only one thing can jolt her out of either her "mad scientist" persona or the emptiness that replaces it. She can sense the touch of Daath on those who have known that world, and it terrifies her, for she knows that the imminent crisis will begin there, and fears it despite knowing that they can do nothing to her that will not happen regardless. (If it were rational, it would not be a phobia.) There is nothing she can do to prevent what is coming or even slow it down. It became inevitable in 2020, and events since then have only brought it closer. The time travelers have not the perspective to understand that the end of everything can happen despite their knowledge of the "future". The truth is that there is neither future nor past, only an eternal present, and that even that will end soon enough. The end is drawing closer and closer. The end of infinity.

*Worldweaver -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 8/0 | *STA* 8/0 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Faded Omniscience:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Senses 10 (Daath awareness, danger sense, postcognition, precognition) - 24 points
*Tentacular Carapace:* Elongation 6; Enhanced Advantages 8 (Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action); Enhanced Stamina 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to lifting (100 tons); Extra Limbs 6; Movement 4 (sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 2); Impervious Toughness 8; Senses 2 (darkvision); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 80 points
*Worldweaving:* Remote Sensing 6 (all senses; 60 miles), Dimensional 2 (parallel worlds); Senses 1 (dimensional awareness) - 33 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, _Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Smash, Improved Trip,_ Inventor, _Move-by Action,_ Power Attack, Startle.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Dimensional 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Tentacle Strike +10 (Close Damage 8, Reach 6)
Tentacle Grab +12 (Grab 8, Reach 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 8, Toughness 10/8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 137 + Advantages 4 + Skills 20 + Defenses 9 = 212 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Nihilism--Motivation. Fear* (Daath and its denizens.) *Playing the Part* (power hungry mad scientist.) 

_Note: Inspired by Ranke, a character created by bsdigitalq, part of the *Extraordinary Mythos*._


----------



## Davies

Madame Winter





Roughly fifty years ago, an uncontrolled dimensional portal opened up in an uninhabited district of the Sprawl for a few moments. As all portals created within the Sprawl open under the control of a megacorp-run lab, this event was of considerable interest and provoked fierce competition to claim the area in question. When the dust settled, the spoils of victory included damaged mechanical parts, a collection of human remains, and one living human female on the verge of death. As she was the only witness to what had happened, the megacorp naturally tried to keep her alive as long as possible, until it became apparent that it would be more economical to download her memories and them upload them to a healthy clone. This was then done, and the original was promptly euthanized.

The clone proved unable to explain much about the means by which the portals had been opened, as she had been an unwitting victim of that process. However, she promptly volunteered her services to work for her "saviors", under the code name Agent Winter, and demonstrated considerable talents as a covert operative, especially after she acquired some cybernetic upgrades. Her natural talents were remarkable enough that her DNA was added to the mixture from which the gengineered operatives were made. One of them, in particular, would be created almost in her image.

Meanwhile, Agent Winter had slowly but surely moved out of operations and into management, slowly rising through the megacorp ranks. Her plan, of course, was to eventually seize control of the corp and then turn it into the dominant force in the Sprawl, and then use the resources of the Sprawl to dominate all other realities and become the effective ruler of the multiverse. It was a great plan, and the only problem was that so many other entities had the same idea, and most of them were significantly more powerful than she was.

Fortunately, the worst of them also attracted attention from other worlds, who came to the Sprawl to stop them. This led to the first meeting between Winter and her "daughter", and Winter was impressed with the talent demonstrated by Baba Yaga and her allies. When they defeated both Nephren-Ka (making him flee into the outer darkness, where he would be a problem for someone else) and Makabre 2400 (taking him back to their world with them) she was very pleased, and pledged that, out of gratitude, she would do all she could to end the exploitative practices of the Sprawl, especially their actions against their world.

_Suckers,_ she thought as she watched them depart. When she finally took power, she probably _would_ leave the World Less Magical alone, at least until they had gotten all they could out of the other worlds of the multiverse. But sentimentality for neither the world of her donor nor for her own offspring influenced her decisions in this regard. Instead, Winter has made this choice based on the fact that relatively minor figures from that world had impacted the Sprawl in an enormous manner, and she is concerned about the prospect that much more powerful ones might wreck it entirely. Better to wait for them to fall to their own failings, and then seize the moment.

In the meanwhile, there are other worlds than this, countless realities just waiting to be squeezed dry. Of course, she has failed to consider that the effects of that first incursion from the World Less Magical are not yet over, and that there are those who will oppose her dreams here, as well. And that Baba Yaga, in particular, knows that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and is also not a sentimentalist.

*Madame Winter -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Boosted Reflexes:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 3, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3) - 12 points
*Cyberlink:* Radio Communication 3 (Sprawlwide); Comprehend Machines 2 - 18 points
*Panimmunity:* Immunity 1 (disease) - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Chokehold, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, _Defensive Roll_, Equipment 8, Improved Aim, Language 3 (English, French, German, Sprawl Patois, others, [Russian is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Protection 4, Subtle), and 25 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Business 5 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+11), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Technology 4 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/4, Parry 7/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 7/5/3/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 36 + Advantages 24 + Skills 33 + Defenses 11 = 146 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemies *(many.) *Pretense of Honor and Humanity.*

_Note: It is fairly likely that Madame Winter has her memories backed up and at least one (and probably more than one) clone stored against the possibility of her death. As these clones will not have her cybermods, she does not qualify for an Immortality effect._


----------



## Davies

Jules Pendrake





A bit more than two decades ago, a daughter was born to the royal family of one of the many petty kingdoms of Don, an large island on the World More Sorcerous. Her birth was the fulfillment of a prophecy made by the great sage Mardwyn, who appeared to the king and queen shortly afterward and commanded them to give her into his care, which they did reluctantly. Two days later, the great sage appeared before them again and repeated the command, and all three were startled to learn that the child of prophecy had been kidnapped by an imposter.

That imposter, a wicked _aunt_ for once, knew that there was nowhere in the world she would be able to hide the child from Mardwyn, and so decided to hide her beyond the world. She had made some tentative contacts with visitors from another world, and gave the baby girl to them. When Mardwyn at last caught up with her, she had erased all knowledge of these events from her own mind and could tell him nothing of help, leaving him stymied. The aunt was punished for her deeds, but this only strengthened her determination to avenge herself.

Of course, none of this is known to the woman registered under the name Jules Pendrake in the databases of the Sprawl. As far as she or anyone else knows, she is the product of genetic engineering, and given a name, instead of a number, at the whim of one of the executives responsible for the project. She grew up to become one of the best corporate security operatives that the Sprawl has ever seen, mercilessly defending their operations from anyone, from freelancers to rival corps, who tried to hinder them. Never once did she question the idea that the stability that her corp -- not all the other ones, just hers -- provided was worth all of this.

And then a psychopathic monster from another world took over her corp, and Jules was forced to flight. Over the course of the next two years, she was exposed to a great deal of the realities of the Sprawl; chiefly, that there was very little difference between the corp that had raised her and the others, and that the stability that any of them provided was largely illusory. She also learned about cooperating with people she had been trained to view with contempt. Ultimately, Nephren-Ka was defeated and set to flight, but she had very little to do with that.

In the aftermath, she found herself disgusted that the corp leadership intended to get things back to normal, without having learned anything from any of the events that had happened in this interlude. Jules promptly quit. Of course, as she was under a lifetime contract, that was something she could not legally do, so she did it illegally. She has ended up holed up with the android investigator known as Wilmarth, providing muscle for her brains.

Having learned about the existence of people who fight for justice on various worlds that the Sprawl has sought to exploit, Jules intends to become such a figure in the Sprawl. She has a long way to go before she gets there; nothing in her life experience has taught her anything about showing mercy to enemies, or compassion to the weak. To her credit, though, she recognizes this failing and is trying to correct it. While Wilmarth is possibly even more cynical, she also has a better understanding of such matters, and Jules is trying to learn from her example.

She genuinely hopes that maybe she -- or maybe they -- can light up the night.

*Jules Pendrake -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 7 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Superhuman:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Regeneration 2; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Equipment 8, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Leadership, Power Attack, Takedown.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8).
*Skycycle:* *Size* Medium; *Strength* 4; *Speed* 7 (air); *Defense* 15; *Toughness* 5; *Features* Remote Control, Senses 3 (direction sense, radio, time sense), Subtle Flight - 24 points

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+13), Athletics 8 (+14), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+12), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+9), Technology 7 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster Rifle +9 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 90 + Powers 8 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 161 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Lacking in Mercy, Compassion, and Forgiveness. Hunted by the Authorities.*

There is a city that this darkness can't hide,
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin,
And this mess that we're in, well you and I,
Maybe you and I
Can light up the night.


----------



## RainOnTheSun

I appreciate some cyberpunk in my superheroes. Or some superheroes in my cyberpunk. Something like that.


----------



## Davies

Both are great.


----------



## Davies

Mephistopheles




_Art by Azra Wheeler._

The first time that the Entropic known as Mephistopheles, then recently Ascended, traveled to the World More Grim, it was something of an accident. Having stumbled across a portal linking that world to the Pyt of Entropy, he passed through it out of simple curiosity, and so encountered one Johann Faust, an alchemist and magician native to the world on the other side. It amused him to travel with the peripatetic scholar for some time, until it so happened that Faust blew himself up in an alchemical experiment. Mephistopheles was not responsible for that event, and was actually a bit saddened. But such was the fate of all mortals, eventually, and at last he returned to his own reality, shortly after the local Ascendant indicated that he was unwelcome.

Centuries passed in which Mephistopheles pursued the goals of the Sphere of Entropy with what his fellows (those who were not bitterly jealous, at least) had to admit was style and grace, seeming to only care about his schemes. The truth was that he often found excuses to peer across the dimensional vortex at that strange other world, keeping it always in his thoughts. While he might at first have entertained ideas about corrupting it, as expected of an Entropic, he started to find himself taking relatively little joy in his work. It was just the same thing, over and over again, and increasingly he found himself wanting something new.

So, about a decade or so ago, he figured out how to transfer his home plane from the Pyt to one of the mystical dimensions surrounding the World More Grim, with the assistance of one of the more powerful Ascendants of Creation. (Removing an enemy piece from the board counts as a victory however you do it, after all.) Having done so, Mephistopheles relocated himself as well. He arrived in the city known as Chicago, amazed by how much the species of this world had done in so short a time.

While Merlin came after him almost immediately, Mephistopheles eventually managed to persuade the local that he had no interest in challenging his authority, and was only after a bit of harmless entertainment. Merlin exacted a binding pledge that he would assist in defending the world from any threats that came from beyond it, to which the Entropic calmly surrendered. He has occasionally sought out ways that he might free himself from that pledge, but mostly so that he might have that option available to him if it becomes clear that he must fight a losing battle. Regardless, he has not found any method other than returning to his original reality, which might be beyond his abilities.

Mephistopheles is certainly not a hero, but is not exactly a villain, either. He enjoys encouraging people to indulge in their worst instincts and accompanying them as they do, but also enjoys bringing about the ruination of those whose actions, however amusing, cause harm to others. Individuals who prove able to resist his corruption are treated with a great deal of respect and even sympathy, though this is because he rarely expects them to last all that long. Nearly all of the Superhuman Crew have passed that test, and so he occasionally acts to covertly support their activities, often disguising himself as a stranger to them when he does ...

*Mephistopheles -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 10 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Bat Wings:* Flight 5 (60 MPH), Wings - 5 points
*Hellfire Mastery:* Array (25 points)
 *Flame of Damnation:* Ranged Damage 12, Incurable - 25 points
 *Flame of Disintegration:* Ranged Weaken Toughness 8, Affects Objects - 1 point
 *Flame of Emotion:* Perception Range Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Sight Dependent, Variable (emotions) - 1 point
 *Flame of Transformation:* Healing 10, Self Only; Morph 3 (humanoids) - 1 point
*Immortal:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
*Many Voices:* Comprehend Language 3 (speak, understand, understood) - 9 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
*Supernatural Resistance:* Immunity 15 (fire damage, life support); Impervious Toughness 8 - 23 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Ritualist.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 12; *Features* Combat Simulator, Communications, Concealed, Deathtraps, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30), Workshop - 21 points.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+14), Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: High Society 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Hellfire 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 8)
Flame of Damnation +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Flame of Disintegration +10 (Ranged Weaken Toughness 8)
Flame of Emotion -- (Perception Range Will 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 14, Fortitude 13, Toughness 10, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 94 + Powers 79 + Advantages 14 + Skills 28 + Defenses 18 = 233 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Amusement--Motivation. Adoration of the Worst in Humanity, Respect for the Best. Obligation* (defend the world.) *Obviously Monstrous* (when not disguised.) *Vulnerability* (magic employed by a person of true faith.)

_Note: Mephistopheles, like any Entropic, cannot under any circumstances travel to the World Less Magical, and will be immediately and irrevocably destroyed if he does._


----------



## Davies

Sao Pai Long





The lands of Ginleng, located far to the east of even the Dragon Empire on the World More Sorcerous, are different from those of the western continent in some respects, while being quite similar to them in others. One of the ways that they are most similar is that both nations have had people with a talent for making weapons of great power for a long time, and that these people have generally exercised that talent, creating powerful weapons that tend to outlive both the person who wields them and the cause in which they were wielded. In Ginleng, currently divided between a pair of feuding self-proclaimed emperors with ambitions of world conquest and immortality, many of the most powerful of these weapons were carefully collected and stored in an enchanted scroll known as the Thousand-Blade Treatise, which was then given to the one individual whom the creator of that artifact thought could be trusted not to use the vast power he had just been given.

For a wonder, this was a wise choice. Sao Pai Long, a humble practitioner of certain esoteric disciplines, had no interest in gaining power or fame, and sought only to keep this collection of nightmares out of the hands of those who would use them and turn an already terrible civil war into one of unthinkable destruction. This required him to leave his homeland and wander beyond it in hopes of finding some place where the Treatise could be safely hidden away or, in the worst case, disposed of in a way that destroyed it. (This was undesirable because Pai Long feared that trying to destroy the weapons would likely also destroy much of the region in question -- and possibly still fail.)

After several years of wandering and a number of adventures, Pai Long was starting to fear that he would never find such a safe haven anywhere in his world. He does not recall if he expressed those words aloud; if not, it still might be that one of those mightier than he decided to answer the implied wish in his thoughts. One moment, he was passing through a mountain pass beneath a night sky. The next, he was still in a mountain pass, but beneath a burning red sun. Pai Long feared that he had taken leave of his senses, or possibly come under some strange attack, but soon came to a clearer understanding of his circumstances.

Once he managed to learn the local language, which only took a few weeks, he took stock of his situation. On the one hand, he had become much weaker, which was unpleasant but not disastrous. On the other, while the Treatise itself was still functioning, most of the weapons within it had become _just_ swords and spears and bows and axes and daggers, well-crafted but not possessed of devastating powers. He had found a place where they could be hidden away, it seemed, but his trained caution led him to experiment a bit before just dumping the contents off and running away. That experiment took the form of selling one of the minor weapons in the Treatise in order to obtain local currency with which to purchase some food.

Two weeks later, he had finally managed to retrieve the weapon from the mad sorcerer who had sought it out, and escaped from the city ruled by said sorcerer. While the weapon itself no longer had any power, it could apparently be used as a key element in rituals that might cause just as much havoc. This world, or at least this part of this world, was no more a safe place than his own land or world had been, and now Pai Long finds himself uncertain of what his next move should be. He has heard of the city of Nerath, which has opposed the sorcerer he fought, and hopes that its science might have an answer to his problem, and has started the long walk there.

Sao Pai Long would laugh at the idea that he is a hero. Nevertheless, he keeps stumbling into matters where someone needs help, and though he will moan at the inconvenience, he never stops helping people as much as he can, either. Neither fame nor riches appeal to him; all that he wants is to finish this task and then find a way to go home and live in as much peace as the world will allow. While he will kill to protect himself or others, he always gives an enemy a chance to walk away before he unleashes punches capable of smashing bone. He uses no weapon; they are superfluous to his requirements. He has some knowledge of magic, and has adapted to the much lower level of power to be drawn upon in this world, but still uses it primarily to heal rather than to harm.

*Sao Pai Long -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Infused Energy:* Array (4 points)
 *Healing Touch:* Healing 8, Others Only, Temporary - 4 points
 *Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 4 - 1 points
*Thousand-Blade Treatise:* Feature 6 (extradimensional storage, mass rank 6 [3200 lbs]), Quirk (only weapons and ammunition); Removable (-1 point) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Interpose, Language (Tormanan)*, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Close/Concealment), Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ritualist, Startle, Takedown Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
* Also speaks a variety of languages that are completely useless on the World Closer to Death.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+9), Athletics 8 (+11), Expertise: Magic 7 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+8), Insight 10 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Treatment 7 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed or Improvised +9 (Close Damage 7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Ablities 46 + Powers 9 + Advantages 26 + Skills 35 + Defenses 15 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Humble. Sarcastic. Wanderer.*_

Note: If Sao Pai Long returns to the World More Sorcerous, he becomes PL9, as his STA, AGL, FGT and AWE all increase by 2 ranks each. He also acquires a collection of magical weapons contained in his Thousand-Blade Treatise, which should be treated as a 21 point array with a large number of slots._

"狂風驟雨催紙傘，遊人浪跡步不休。天地滂沱如何渡，蓑衣褪盡任濁流。"
—"Neither sudden storms nor fierce winds that would ruin an umbrella are enough to halt one's journey. Should I come across murky waters on my travels, I shall continue forward unburdened by that which may hold me back."


----------



## Davies

Kent Wildman





Born in 1951 on the Isle of Leighton (a large island, roughly the size of Hispaniola, that exists -- or rather existed -- at the approximate coordinates of Bermuda) Kent Wildman demonstrated superhuman -- exotic, in that world's parlance -- abilities in his early teens. His generation was the first to have a large number of exotics born in it, though there had been a handful in previous generations, with his own parents among them. No one, then or now, was sure what caused their numbers to increase, but Kent found himself certain that he needed to do something to protect the mundane citizens from criminal exotics and to inspire law-abiding exotics to do the same. And so he became Kid Challenger, one of the first superheroes of his world, soon joined by many others as the Crime-Busters.

They did very well for a while, but events in the early seventies shattered their team and sent many of them, including Kent, on paths of self-destructive behavior. But by the mid-eighties, he had once more joined with old allies and new, all striving to make a difference in their world that seemed about to break. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, by 1993 the world was broken, with the start of a nuclear war. In these last desperate moments, Kent and his friends and family agreed to a proposal by Alexander McGovern, their most brilliant scientist, to activate a device that would theoretically create a dome over the Isle to protect it from the effects of the bombs.

It did more than that, tearing the entire island and a chunk of the ocean surrounding it away from the planet and into another dimension, one of intensely bright light. The shield kept those within it alive, but something about the radiance surrounding them affected all animal life within the dome, transforming every one of them into exotics. For those few who witnessed the activation of the shield, it did more, enhancing them to almost godlike levels of ability. All of them had the sense that they had been charged to act as "guardians" -- all but one, at least, but more of her later.

The first few years of this existence were extremely difficult, but through hard work, the Isle of Leighton once more became a decent place to live. It was discovered how to open portals to other worlds, and the guardians and other citizens traveled trough them to explore and to make arrangements to purchase needed resources that they could not create for themselves. They also frequently found themselves involved in local troubles, generally trying to resolve them in as peaceful a way as possible. After a while, a movement to change the name of their home arose; drawing on some obscure paperback novels from their original world, they renamed the place Tanelorn.

It has been at least a generation since then, though just how much time has passed is not clear; even atomic clocks give different answers. Kent has settled into the role of the Sheriff of Tanelorn, working to keep the peace between many different agendas and factions while also helping to train the younger citizens of the bubble to serve as heroes. He generally leaves the actual adventuring to the other guardians these days, but will help out whenever he is called upon, especially when one particular individual gets involved.

Before the shift, his worst enemy was his half-sister, Jessica Drummond, a madwoman as devoted to anarchy as he was to the rule of law. They fought countless bloody battles against each other over the years. However, a strange bond existed between the two of them that neither fully understood, and they had come to realize that neither of them could die as long as the other lived. That bond also caused her to be empowered as a guardian even though she was not present when the shield was activated. Since then, Drummond has continued her rampage across other worlds, frequently coming into conflict with the other guardians. Bewilderingly, she also sometimes assists them, as the mood takes her.

The powers that the guardians possess only function during a state of "dimensional crisis", which can best be described as "when parts of different realities are in contact with each other". Tanelorn is in a _constant_ state of dimensional crisis, and any world with a portal to that realm also enters into that state -- though only for a small area of it, consisting of about a mile around the portal, at maximum. Areas around portals to other worlds also become crisis zones, but somewhat smaller ones.

In terms of his personality, Kent Wildman is something of an enigma. He strives to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent ... but there is also a shadow hanging over him. He sometimes wonders how much of who and what he is was shaped not by his own choices, but by those made by others on his behalf, and whether he is just a pawn being used by powers he does not fully understand. The situation with Jessica is the perfect example of this; he cannot understand why they are bonded in the way that they are, and sometimes feels personally responsible for her misdeeds, on the theory that he is keeping her alive because of his continued life. However, he truly does want to live, for the sake of his home and for those he loves, such as his wife and adopted children, and many friends.

How all this will work out is beyond his understanding, even with his mind enhanced as it is. He just hopes to live up to the awesome responsibility he has been given, and help to make all worlds better places. He also sometimes wonders why the portals that they open up always make a strange noise, like a key being dragged along a piano string. Well, it probably makes sense to someone.

*Kent Wildman -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 10/5 | *STA* 10/5 | *AGL* 11/6 | *DEX* 9/4 | *FGT* 13/8 | *INT* 8/3 | *AWE* 9/4 | *PRE* 7/2

*Powers:
Guardian:* Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Awareness 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 5; Enhanced Presence 5; Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5 - 80 points
*Lifelink:* Immortality 14 (4 minutes), Quirk (only as long as Jessica Drummond is alive) - 27 points
*Mobile:* Speed 5 (60 MPH); Leaping 7 (900 feet); Movement 3 (swinging, wall-crawling 2) - 18 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Move-by Action, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Commlink and 4 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+17/+12), Athletics 6 (+16/+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17/+12), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+14/+9), Investigation 6 (+14/+9), Insight 6 (+15/+10), Perception 6 (+15/+10), Persuasion 8 (+15/+10), Technology 6 (+14/+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +15/+10
Unarmed +17/+12 (Close Damage 13/8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 15/10, Parry 17/12, Fortitude 14/9, Toughness 12/10/7/5, Will 15/10

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 126 + Advantages 11 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 256 points

*Offensive PL:* 15/10
*Defensive PL:* 15/10
*Resistance PL:* 15/10
*Skill PL:* 12/7

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friends and Family. Nemesis. Power Loss* (Guardian, outside of dimensional crises.)

_Note: Kent Wildman of Tanelorn is a parallel world counterpart for Ken Hazzard of the World Less Magical. Should he ever learn of this, he will be quite surprised, as he has never encountered *any* parallel world counterparts of himself before._


----------



## Voltron64

Tanelorn & The Sprawl:


----------



## Davies

Something like that, combined with elements of the world of MHA and that of Pokemon. ("all animal species", I said.) Also other references.

Also -- how Abraxas is beaten.

0) A number of treaties are arranged through the good offices of Argus.
1) Lured through a portal to Tanelorn, where all seven of the guardians engage him in combat. They are able to inflict serious injuries, resulting in his flight.
2) But the portal that led to Tanelorn no longer leads back to the World Less Magical. It leads to the World More Sorcerous, where several Eternals, possibly including a Hierarch, engage him in combat. They leave him staggered and critically injured and allow his flight.
3) The portal through which he flees takes him back to the World Less Magical, where the assembled Power Prism users, with Edeth at the forefront, finish the job. No mercy asked, no quarter given. Casualties will be high.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Also -- how Abraxas is beaten.
> 
> 0) A number of treaties are arranged through the good offices of Argus.
> 1) Lured through a portal to Tanelorn, where all seven of the guardians engage him in combat. They are able to inflict serious injuries, resulting in his flight.
> 2) But the portal that led to Tanelorn no longer leads back to the World Less Magical. It leads to the World More Sorcerous, where several Eternals, possibly including a Hierarch, engage him in combat. They leave him staggered and critically injured and allow his flight.
> 3) The portal through which he flees takes him back to the World Less Magical, where the assembled Power Prism users, with Edeth at the forefront, finish the job. No mercy asked, no quarter given. Casualties will be high.



After fighting two sets of demigods and gods proper in a row, a bloodied, fatigued Abraxas flees back to his home reality and reunites with his Daathian armies only to encounter this...


----------



## Davies

Barry Grimwald





When Barnabas "Barry" Grimwald became one of the first students to attend the Futurian Academy for Superpowered Adolescents in 2006, he had no intention of becoming a superhero. Having developed strength, speed and toughness just a bit over the limits of human accomplishment, or so the doctors told him, Barry quickly developed a very straightforward ambition. He was going to be the first member of what he envisioned as an entire league of superpower football players, recruited from all over the world to demonstrate that sports could unite people like nothing else. He was not shy about describing this dream, and was not bothered when people laughed at it. They laughed at the Wright Brothers, too.

He held on to that goal for a long time, longer than anyone would have expected, and he actually managed to make some headway on putting those dreams into practice, seeking out potential corporate sponsors and finding other potential players. But by his fourth year in the Academy, even Barry had begun to admit, to himself and to his friends, that the obstacles to the International Football League were a bit more than he could overcome, even with the additional advantage he had discovered in his studies -- the ability to psychically influence probabilities. He might have been able to make the improbable possible, but the difficulties he was facing were completely impossible.

So, when he graduated from the Academy in 2011, Barry made the decision to continue the career he had begun with his classmates, under the alias Fullback, and applied to work at Heroic Enterprises soon after it opened up. Despite (or possibly because of) a positive reference from Exelion, he was turned down as not bringing anything novel to the group. (His supposed probability controlling powers were apparently viewed with extreme skepticism by his evaluators, among them Alan Prince.) Frustrated, Barry decided to go it alone, persuading the city council of New Haven, Connecticut, to hire him as their civic defender based on his football iconography. (Walter Camp, the father of American football, attended college at Yale and is buried in New Haven.)

For the next three years, Fullback had a respectable if not often all that dramatic career as a superhero; while New Haven had a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in America, the criminal activity he was required to deal with was largely mundane rather than superpower. Fullback certainly helped to reduce the crime rates in the parts of the city that were viewed as important by the government, and that was all that anyone could ask of him. Except that he felt he should do more, pushed himself ... and suffered serious injuries while attempting to peacefully resolve a domestic dispute as his overtaxed luck finally failed him.

Out of action for months, Barry found that the city council had decided not to renew his contract for another year, leaving him at loose ends. That was when Exelion contacted him and revealed that the Academy was about to lose its current physical education teacher when he retired at the end of the year. Obtaining a teaching certificate in Cardiff, Barry returned to his old haunts. The names had all changed since he hung around, but there were still kids who needed to learn the value of a strong body and mind, and who needed to learn their own limits. So he settled in.

Barry has acted as a mentor and role model for the students of the Academy for the last seven years. He takes his job seriously, strives to be firm but fair, and has absolutely no tolerance for bullying of any kind. He tries to avoid talking about his personal history with the kids, but will not hide anything about it from those who ask, either. Calling him a failure of a hero will get a firm nod and the reply, "I dare you to do better." However ... especially in the last few years, he has been found occasionally following the students on their "practical experience" expeditions, ostensibly to make sure that nobody gets into trouble they cannot handle. Whether he is trying to relive his own glory days is not clear even to himself, but these adventures have sometimes seen him getting rescued by the students that he was trying to help. But not all the time.

Barry is a little uncomfortable with the recently arrived combat instructor, Kathy Scathach. The Academy has never had a formal combat training program before, and he is unsure whether he likes the idea that the kids are going to need this sort of practice to achieve their goals. However, any time that he has considered complaining, he has considered the list of the twenty names on the Memorial Plinth, four of whom were friends of his, and decided to keep his mouth shut. Scathach herself has shown no awareness of his unease.

*Barry Grimwald -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Fast Runner:* Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 3 points
*King of the Impossible:* Luck Control 4 - 12 points

*Advantages:*
Diehard, Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapon, Inspire 2, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Athletics 7 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+10), Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Sports 9 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 7 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Thrown 4 (+7), Treatment 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed or Improvised Weapon +10 (Close Damage 4 or more)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 5, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 15 + Advantages 12 + Skills 31 + Defenses 17 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 7*
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Misses His Glory Days. Prejudice* (American in the UK.) 

_Note: As Fullback, Barry was PL 9 and wore a Removable Costume device with Protection 3 and Senses 2 (extended vision, low-light vision); he also had 3 ranks of Luck as an extra for his Luck Control._


----------



## Davies

Colonel Alqadar/عقيد القدر





In the more than a decade since it happened, Refeeq el-Heshem, now known as Colonel Alqadar ("Colonel Fate") has generally tried to avoid obsessing over _why_ it happened. It did happen, the life he had known ended as a consequence, and now he was fighting a different sort of war than he had ever envisaged, alongside allies he could not fully trust against beings who were, effectively, Shaitan. Nevertheless, data about the situation would occasionally come his way, and by now he has a fairly well-supported theory about it.

Back then, he was a veteran of the Royal Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia who had gone on to a lengthy career with the General Intelligence Presidency, the kingdom's primary intelligence agency. In 2007, he happened to be assigned to act as the monitor for a recently contracted mercenary hired to improve the security forces, the alien robot known as Seismic. They worked well together, and el-Heshem was just a bit quicker to absorb the lessons about warfare in the superpower age that the robot was teaching than some of his peers.

Two and a half years later, while he and his oldest son were having a discussion in his office in Riyadh about a commendation that the boy had recently received, a group of assassins broke into the building and attempted to kill el-Heshem. His son saved his life at the cost of his own. (Or at least that was how it seemed at the time.) Infuriated, el-Heshem took a sabbatical to hunt down those who were behind the killers, with Seismic (by that time having transitioned into his role as a satellite) providing critical assistance.

Seismic revealed to him that these operatives had been cut-outs employed -- through numerous layers of proxies -- by one of the four ASIs whose existence he had recently discovered. Just which one, just what had motivated them, these were questions that he could not yet answer, then. Nevertheless, el-Heshem determined that the war would not end until all four had been eliminated, and became the first recruit for what would eventually become the Gray Seal, resigning from the GIP and adopting the alias Colonel Alqadar.

The picture that has gradually emerged since then is appalling. His son, far from having died in his place, had been the target. Savitor had intended for el-Heshem to "discover" that the assassins were supposedly working for the Koreans, and become even more radical in his dislike of the superpowered, eventually joining Saturn. The goal, then, was to use this tragedy to enhance the narrative that Savitor seeks to spread, that mundane humanity cannot be trusted to manage its own affairs, but must rely on greater-than-human leaders -- first the superpowered, then the artificial minds that will eventually replace them.

Alqadar occasionally finds his ongoing alliance with such an artificial mind to be ironic, in light of that. But such is the fate he has been given, and he will not turn away from it.

*Colonel Alqadar -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Mind of Steel:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3, Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Languages 4 (English, French, Mandarin, Russian, others [Arabic is native]), Leadership, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Startle, Ultimate Effort (Expertise: Military), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3).
*Arsenal:* Array (24 points)
 *Autoblaster:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
 *Automatic Rifle:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 5 - 1 point
 *Sniper Rifle:* Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical - 1 point
 *Grenade:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 1 point

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 8 (+13), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 10 (+12), Investigation 5 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 3 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Automatic Rifle +11 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)
Blaster Rifle +5 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Sniper Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 19-20)
Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/4/2, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 27 + Advantages 25 + Skills 35 + Defenses 18 = 152 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7

*Complications:
Justice (Or Possibly Revenge)--Motivation. Distrust of Superpowers. Family* (estranged wife, estranged younger son.) *Secret* (Gray Seal.)

_Note: Character concept by Voltron64._

على كف القدر نمشي ولا ندري عن المكتوب
"On the palm of fate we walk and do not know what is written."


----------



## Davies

Penelope Jones





People saw her throw off bon mots after putting an end to some villain who was trying to kill her, and viewed her as being cold as ice, never knowing that she would go home to a nearly empty manor afterwards and cry herself senseless over how scared she had been. People saw her wrecking more of the heritage of the world than she ever managed to document and crack jokes about it, never knowing that she poured huge amounts of her family fortune into trying to recover what had been damaged. Everyone saw so much in her -- explorer, adventurer, hero, criminal, and, never deny it, sex object -- that maybe it is not all that surprising that no one ever stopped to wonder what she saw in herself. And apparently, what she saw in herself was a gigantic failure.

Just as her own daughter grew up in her shadow, Penelope Jones grew up in the shadow of her father and grandfather, both far more respected archaeologists than she ever managed to be. She heard what people said about her -- "one of the worst things to ever happen to archaeology in the history of the discipline", in the words of one particularly eloquent jerk -- and arguing the point would have done no good. So she kept on having her bloody adventures, even though she had come to hate everything about these fiascos, until one of them finally killed her.

Except that she only died in the "no one could possibly have survived that" sense. Spared the reaper one more time, she spent weeks trying to make it back to Quito, only to find out that Penelope Jones had been reported missing and was presumed dead. Deciding that this suited her, Penelope eventually made a quiet life for herself on the Isla de la Sol in Lake Titicaca, avoiding contact with tourists while conducting some private study of the Incan ruins there. She had the peace that she had craved for so long, and was content.

That contentment was disturbed a few weeks ago when Virginia, having grown up into even more of a menace than she herself had ever been, teamed up with some aliens to finally investigate the account of her death. Panicking, Penelope faked up what she hoped would be taken as a gravesite and attempted to present it to these Vagabonds as the place where Penelope Jones had eventually passed away. She honestly thought she had succeeded, and watched the boat that they were taking pull away from the docks while indulging in some monologue about how it was better this way.

Then she turned around and found that Virginia was standing behind her and glaring furiously in her direction. "Do you think I don't know a bloody thing about anthropology?!" she ranted. "That skeleton showed no signs that it had ever been anywhere close to the sort of pollution you would have grown up in! Where's your head at?!" After some further abuse, and the return of the boat, Virginia essentially ordered Penelope to get on the boat and return to civilization with her. Penelope, thoroughly cowed, did so.

She and her daughter have not spoken a word to each other since then. Penelope does feel bad about this, but to her mind, it only makes sense that she would be just as much of a failure as a mother as she was at everything else that ever actually mattered, and Ginny is probably better off without her. While attempting to disentangle her status as one of the legally dead, she has been given a position as the social studies teacher at the Futurian Academy. She expects that she is failing at this, too, since the students keep asking her about her adventures -- ick -- rather than what the course material. 

Ah well. Time is bound to catch up with her eventually.

*Penelope Jones -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Cunning Linguist:* Comprehend Languages 3 (understand, be understood, read), Quirk (requires a scene of exposure) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Tracking, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+10), Athletics 6 (+7), Expertise: History 9 (+13), Expertise: Survival 7 (+11), Insight 9 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+10), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 7 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 5 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1) 

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 8 + Advantages 9 + Skills 43 + Defenses 9 = 111 points

*Offensive PL:* 3*
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Peace--Motivation. Legally Dead. Old Enemies. Terrible Self Image. Unbelievably Estranged Family* (Virginia.)

_Note: In her prime, back in the 90s, she was PL9; her physical abilities and FGT were each 1 rank higher, her Ranged Combat: Guns skill was 1 rank less, and she had Benefit 4 (millionaire, paired guns), Defensive Roll 2, and an Equipment budget like that of Virginia, favoring a pair of Heavy Pistols (Ranged Damage 4.)_


----------



## Davies

The Sea Dragons/海の竜




_The current Sea Dragon team_

In 1996, the managers of the Hinotori thinktank, based in Tokyo, reported to their government that their hyperbrains had achieved a number of breakthroughs -- notably the creation of an alloy with a tensile strength similar to steel mesh and a weight similar to nylon, a variety of miniaturized electromagnetic projectors, and sophisticated cybernetic controls -- that possessed remarkable synergistic potential. Specifically, these discoveries could be, and had been, combined to create a suit of clothes that could empower their wearer, turning an ordinary human being into a superpower. It seemed that an effective super-soldier process had at last been discovered, and the Japanese government immediately ordered the creation of a small number of these suits for use by the Self Defense Forces.

That was when the difficulty emerged. The first suit manufactured, fashioned in red and white after the Hinomaru, was assigned to Captain Saotome Hikaru of the Air Self Defense Forces. He wore it proudly for roughly one minute before he dropped dead on the spot. The autopsy revealed that his internal organs had suffered incredibly rapid aging, as though he had lived roughly one year for every second he had worn the suit. Subsequent tests, even using the other suits, had similar results. (It has since been theorized that one of the inventors deliberately sabotaged the suits, though their reasons for having done so remain unclear; the most likely suspect committed suicide shortly after the prototypes were delivered.)

For a time, it seemed that a great deal of lives and money had been expended to no point and purpose, as is distressingly common for this sort of research, and the suits were returned to Hinotori for storage. A few months later, however, during the first daikaiju attack, janitor Naoya Shotaro impulsively donned the prototype suit and launched himself into battle against the monster, hoping that he could accomplish _something_ before he died, whether because of the suit or in combat. While his contribution to the defense of Tokyo was ultimately judged to be minimal, by the time that his unconscious form was recovered, it was noted that Naoya had worn the suit for more than an hour without suffering as previous users had.

It soon became apparent that those who had claimed that the suits 'turn[ed] an ordinary human being into a superpower' had spoken more literally than they knew. Counterintuitively, the technology used by the costume placed a greater stress on the biology of a skilled or accomplished person who wore it than it did on the biology of someone without much training or experience. Naoya Shotaro, a high school drop-out, was therefore able to use it safely where Saotome Hikaru, a highly-trained veteran pilot with several doctorates, was unable to do so. He was asked to continue to use the suit as a superhero, and to assist in selecting additional individuals to wear the others. He selected a number of young people of his acquaintance, who often had attitude problems.

In the quarter-century since then, the Sea Dragons (as they have come to be called) have been the mainstays of the Japanese superpower community, with a team consisting of five individuals -- often youths -- who typically serve no more than three years before they can no longer safely use the suits. Ironically, many of them become victims of their own success, as developing the talent to use the suit effectively increases the stress that it places on their health. After "graduating" from active duty, many of them continue to serve as members of the support team for the organization, following in the footsteps of Naoya, who has become the director of the Hinotori Institute that maintains the suits and their users. (Having used the first suit for four years, he resembles a man in his seventies and is an excellent advertisement for the dangers of staying active for too long.)

An additional difficulty that Sea Dragon operatives face is that they are required to keep their identities a secret from the general public. While this is not uncommon among superheroes, it is not a _choice_ for the Sea Dragons; should any of them deliberately reveal to another person -- through any means -- that they use the suit, it immediately and irrevocably ceases to function. Bewilderingly, persons who discover the truth _independently_ of such deliberate reveals, as with the support staff, do not cause this power loss. The reasons for this are every bit as mysterious as the requirements for a person to use the suits safely.

*Sea Dragon -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6/0 | *STA* 6/0 | *AGL* 6/0 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 6/0 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Instant Change:* Feature 1 (instant change to or from Sea Dragon Costume) - 1 point
*Sea Dragon Costume:* Removable (-25 points) - 100 points

*Amazing Confidence:* Enhanced Advantages 11 (Fearless 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Ranged Attack 8); Enhanced Defenses 20 (Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Will 8); Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 35 points
*Dragon Wings:* Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic, Concentration, Wings - 5 points
*Physical Enhancement:* Enhanced Advantages 5 (Agile Feint, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Power Attack, Takedown); Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Fighting 6; Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 6; Immunity 10 (life support) - 63 points
*Weapons: *Array (19 points)
*Energy Blast:* Ranged Damage 10, Activation (Move Action, -1 point) - 19 points
*Energy Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 7, Activation (Standard Action, -2 points) - 1 point
*Flare:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
*Shocker:* Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
_Agile Feint, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8, Takedown_, Teamwork

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+5), Expertise: Pop Culture 4 (+5), Expertise: Science 4 (+5), Insight 3 (+4), Perception 3 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 6)
Energy Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Shocker +8 (Ranged Fortitude 9)
Energy Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Flare -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 10, Toughness 8/6, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 6 + Powers 101 + Advantages 1 + Skills 9 + Defenses 0 = 117 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 0

*Complications:
Varies, But Always Heroic--Motivation. Secret Identity.*

_Note: Experienced Sea Dragon operatives might have Leadership, Acrobatics, Close Combat: Unarmed or Stealth skills, additional Expertises, and possibly *slightly* higher mental abilities. They *cannot* have Skill PL 4 or higher, however._

誰だ 誰だ 誰だ 空のかなたに踊る影
"Who is it, who is it, who is it/That shadow dancing in the sky"


----------



## Davies

Kusunoki Izuku/楠木出久





The members of the Ghost Sweepers can be roughly divided between those who believe that the entities from which they draw their powers are independent entities, and those who believe that they are manifestations of parts of their own consciousnesses. Kusonoki Izuku, who draws a power that enhances his intellect from what may be the ghost of 16th century magician/inventor Kashin Koji, is right in the middle of this divide. On the one hand, as a scientist, he is not inclined to accept spiritual explanations for the phenomena he experiences; on the other, it has been observed that there is no member of the team who is as scrupulous about maintaining the taboos that the spirit demands of him.

But that principle does not arise from faith, but rather fear. Early on in his time with the Ghost Sweepers -- he joined the team in 2017, after being discovered building robots in his high school mechanic shop -- Izuku was exposed to a weapon that temporarily severed his connection to the spirit. While still able to use the devices that he had already built, he found it difficult to repair them, and experienced a unique terror when he attempted to consult his notes on the subject and found that he could not understand them, despite recognizing his own writing. That experience, and the understanding of just how much could have potentially gone wrong if he had opened up any of his devices, is what inspires him to be very careful about keeping the ghost happy, regardless of whether it is really a ghost.

Aside from that concern, Izuku is a well-adjusted individual, who enjoys the simple pleasures of the world he wants to help protect. He is a huge fan of special effects movies, and has dreams of one day working to make them if he should ever lose his powers. He also has built friendships with all of his teammates, especially Tetsu, for whom he performs routine maintenance. This has occasionally caused difficulties, as Izuku has to fight the tendency to treat Tetsu as a machine instead of a mechanical person.

While often not thrilled to have to join the Ghost Sweepers in the field -- his offensive capabilities are useful only in specialized circumstances, and his defensive ones are not that impressive -- he understands that his skills are vital when they are needed. He is the only one with the capacity to enter the subspace dimensions ("kekkai") that their opponents sometimes create, and the only one who can help the team to beat a hasty retreat from such broken worlds when necessary. He also sometimes acts as the wheelman for the team, and enjoys such episodes a lot. Besides which, given that Sayo often acts independently, there would only be four field operatives if he stayed back -- and that would be terribly bad luck.

*Kusunoki Izuku -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 7/3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Ghost Traps:* Array (25 points); Removable (-5 points)
 *Anti-Incorporeal Ordinance:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Hindered, Immobile, Paralyzed), Concentration, Limited to incorporeal targets, Triggered - 28 points
 *Possession Neutralizing Ordinance:* Burst Area Nullify Mind Control 8, Simultaneous, Triggered - 1 point
*Gate Crasher:* Movement 2 (dimensional travel [kekkai]); Easily Removable (-0 points) - 4 points
*Sensor Gear:* Variable 1 (sensors); Easily Removable (-2 points) - 5 points
*Spirit of Invention:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all Trades); Enhanced Intellect 4 - 11 points

_Typical Variable Sets:
*Default:* Senses 5 (acute extended mystical awareness, direction sense, time sense) - 5 points_

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Evasion, _Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades_, Languages 2 (English, French, Spanish, Vietnamese [Japanese is native]). 

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 2), Smartphone and 10 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Magic 4 (+11/+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+13/+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+11/+7), Insight 4 (+7), Investigation 5 (+12/+8), Perception 5 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+13/+9), Vehicles 7 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Anti-Incorporeal Ordinance -- (Burst Area Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 41 + Advantages 7 + Skills 30 + Defenses 17 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Power Loss* (Spirit of Invention, if Kashin is offended.) *Secret* (government agent.)


----------



## Davies

Esther Hoshino





To slightly misquote someone, "it ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble. It’s the things _everybody knows_ that ain’t so." The background of Esther Hoshino is one such case. Her official history is that she is the adopted daughter of the late Hoshino Kiichi, who inherited his fortune following his death twenty-six years ago. This is well known to be a pack of lies, however, and everybody -- or at least everybody who pays attention to this sort of gossip -- knows that Esther was actually the biracial daughter of Kiichi and his mistress, adopted by him after his sons disappointed him. Unfortunately, everybody knows things that are not so.

The woman who now calls herself Esther Hoshino was born around sixty years* ago on Bogoin, a heavily industrialized world in the core of the Technate. By the time she was an adult, using the name Atara, she was heavily involved with the Vaskhane crime syndicate, as they offered her the opportunity to develop her scientific talents as she pleased, where the supposedly legitimate authorities would have worried about ethics and consequences and that sort of rot. However, her career with the syndicate was undistinguished, and while the Bureau of Law Enforcement maintains a still-open file about her activities, it is fairly slim.

That would likely change if they were aware that she was dispatched on a mission to Earth in 1989, to investigate the activities of Kuklafron, the primary Vaskhane operative on that planet. Some of the accounts that had reached them about what he was getting up to seemed disturbingly eccentric, and Atara was under orders to eliminate him if necessary. While she had already decided that it would be necessary as soon as she received her instructions, she was a bit surprised at the competence Kuklafron demonstrated despite his eccentricities, and ultimately chose to work with him rather than oppose him.

Having done so, she was in a better position to discover some of the intriguing plant life on Earth, something that previous Vaskhane operatives, even Kuklafron, had overlooked. Her major discovery was that the primary ingredient of boosterspice, a plant known to Terrans as "silphium", was growing in the wild here, with the Terrans apparently oblivious to its useful properties. (Or were they? Some of those supposedly wild growths showed signs of deliberate cultivation in the not-so-distant past.) Regardless, she was able to acquire a large crop of them and refine them into a useable form, and promptly started using her own product to slow her age as well as black marketing it.

Shortly after that, the operations of Vaskhane as a whole were dealt a lethal blow by a coordinated effort between JSOT, the Scavengers, and the crew of the TSV _Adventure_. Atara was able to avoid death or capture, but had to go underground with the assistance of one of her best customers, Hoshino Kiichi, who agreed to let her pose as his daughter under the name Esther. That lasted for the next four years, until the old fool passed away. Despite what you might expect, she did nothing to speed that up, and apparently genuinely mourned his death for a while.

By 1996, however, she had recovered enough to start considering some new schemes, focused on seizing various ancient relics to be found on Earth, especially those she suspected to be of extraterrestrial origin. Her first major plan to do so involved manipulating a certain adventuring archaeologist into gathering them for her, only for Penelope Jones to prove more resourceful than she expected. This was the ruin of her scheme and came dangerously close to ruining her personally, but she survived to plot revenge.

Unfortunately, the countless times their paths crossed over the next decade all went exactly the same way. Esther always survived and escaped exposure. But she failed to gain the assets that she wanted and her attempts at revenge on Jones herself were always thwarted, for all that she sometimes inflicted great harm on the friends and associates of her nemesis. (She never went after Virginia Jones, however, less because of any limits she might possess than because she entertained ambitions of one day turning mother and daughter against each other.) Ulimately, however, when Penelope Jones did disappear from the scene it had nothing to do with her, which was extremely vexing.

She continued her schemes, opposed by the Sea Dragons or the Discovery Company, among others, and though she actually enjoyed some successes, now, it failed to really satisfy her. When Virginia Jones followed in the footsteps of her mother, she perked up a bit, but the younger Jones lacked something that had made her mother so frustrating, even after she started working with that mystic boytoy of hers. Esther was seriously considering packing it in, gathering up her assets and leaving this dull world to its own devices, when something wonderful happened.

Shortly after Penelope Jones started teaching at the Futurian Academy, a letter was delivered to her there. It was unsigned. The author congratulated her on escaping from death once again, and for successfully hiding for all those years. _But I have been watching you since your return, and it's obvious that you are a very unhappy woman. And despite everything, I find that I really do hate that, Penny._ (Penelope Jones enjoys being called "Penny" even less than her daughter likes being called "Ginny".) _I want you to be happy ... because my own happiness, when I finally destroy you once and for all, will be lessened if you're not. There is no sport in ruining you as you are now.Enjoy your last few days, Penny. See you real soon._

"So what's this, then?" asked Naru Hasegawa, as she watched her co-worker reading the letter.

"Form letter," Penelope replied, and threw it in the trash. "I think I need some aspirin."

*Esther Hoshino -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Boosterspice:* Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) - 3 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 4 points
*Translator Implant:* Comprehend Languages 2 (speak, understand) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 5 (billionaire), Connected, Inventor, Languages 2 (English, Japanese, others, [Technate Standard is native]), Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Business 3 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 3 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 2 (+10), Expertise: Science 4 (+12), Insight 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+11), Technology 4 (+12). 

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 2, Fortitude 3, Toughness 1, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 13 + Advantages 10 + Skills 20 + Defenses 12 = 90 points

*Offensive PL:* 0*
*Defensive PL:* 2*
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Hatred/Obsession* (Penelope Jones.) *Power Loss* (Boosterspice, must take regular spice doses.) *Secret* (alien, criminal.)


----------



## Davies

Hebi-Onna/蛇女





In the course of life, everyone -- nearly everyone -- accumulates regrets. There are many healthy ways to deal with them, and many unhealthy ways as well. One of the unhealthy ways is to allow the regret to fester until it becomes a grudge, and then to allow the grudge to fester until one will do anything to avenge it. And there are always those who are happy to arrange for that anything to be done in exchange for money. Usually a lot of money.

Up until eight years ago, Kurihara Kayako -- almost certainly not her original name, but that really no longer matters -- was one such facilitator for acts of vengeance, active mostly in Tokyo but with connections throughout the home islands. In exchange for a fairly large sum of money, she would arrange for the objects of grudges to suffer social ruin; for much larger sums, she would bring about their deaths. She always kept her own hands clean, working through cut-outs, and was quite adept at finding homicidal and/or suicidal people to act as her patsies, and quite merciless in exploiting them.

If she felt any regrets about this life she had made for herself, it was that so much of the money that she made had to go into offshore accounts that she couldn't access easily, such that she had to live a fairly spartan lifestyle instead of the luxurious one that her income could have made. But that would have attracted official attention, and Kayako knew that she had to avoid it. So she dealt with this regret in a much more healthy manner than the pathetic people who came to her did -- or at least, so she told herself.

And then, one day, she was contacted by the usual weeping housewife whose precious little darling had become a recluse after coming in second place to some other student in the national exams, and now wanted revenge for his sake. Kayako outlined how much she would charge to socially ruin the parents of the other student, finding all of this to be quite boring. But the client clarified then that she didn't want to take revenge on the parents, but on their child. Putting a briefcase containing around two and a half million yen on the table, she described exactly how she wanted the boy who had humiliated her son to be violated, tortured and murdered, with the briefcase being the first installment, with the final payment totalling ten million yen.

Kayako stared at the briefcase. It alone was more money than she had ever gotten for a single job before this, and the final amount was more than she might make in a year. But the task was more disturbing than anything she had ever done, and the victim had done nothing to deserve such a fate. Nevertheless, she knew that if she turned the job down, the client would seek out one of her competitors and make the same offer to them, and she hated the idea that they might show less scruples than her and profit from them. Ignoring what vestigial conscience she might have possessed and her sense that this was more trouble than it was worth, she took the money.

In setting things up, she was even more careful than normal. She worked through _two_ layers of cut-outs, with the actual murderer committing suicide shortly after their bloody work was done, and then personally eliminated the only people who could have tied her to this. Then she contacted the client with the good news ... and was first annoyed that the client claimed that she had no idea what she was talking about, and then confused when she claimed to have no son. Contacting her own sources, Kayako discovered that the client was telling the truth -- even though a few weeks before, when she had diligently checked them out, every source had claimed the exact opposite.

She had been set up. As Kayako realized this, she was immediately confronted by the agent of her downfall, the occupant of the house of the Snake in the Shēngxiào, who explained to a constricted Kayako that he had been hired by a collection of her former victims _and clients_ to deal with their grudge against her. Leering at her, he asked if she had any last words to pass on. "You talk too much," she said, and then he was shot in the head by the bodyguard she had hired as soon as she realized that things were turning pear-shaped.

Before she could quite recover, however, Kayako realized that she was still not alone. Diorite herself had attended the death of her servant, and offered the house of the Snake to his killer -- not the one who had taken the shot, but Kayako herself. Suspecting that the alternative was her demise -- whether immediately or when the police caught up to her -- Kayako agreed, and became the second occupant of the house of the Snake, better known as Hebi-Onna ("Serpent-Woman".) If she has any regrets about this, it's that the first victim of her new life was that bodyguard; it seemed a poor repayment for saving her life. Oh well.

Since then, Hebi-Onna has spent the majority of her time between doing her old job, usually for the benefit of the other members of the Shēngxiào but sometimes for clients who still seek her out. She no longer bothers to use cut-outs, though, and now actively encourages those clients to take more horrific revenges than they originally wanted. In this, she has frequently found herself opposed by the superhero Kerero Taicho. While that is certainly frustrating, Hebi-Onna chooses not to hold a grudge. A snake will inevitably eat a frog after all. The minority of her time has been spent hunting down all those who hired the earlier Snake to deal with her. She _does_ hold a grudge over that.

In terms of her powers, Hebi-Onna is able to employ damaging psychokinesis ("coils of the snake"), hypnotic mind control ("gaze of the snake") and a "nerve touch" that can set up a delayed organ failure ("venom of the snake".) Her only defensive abilities are her enhanced reflexes and flexibility, however, and she always remembers how her precursor died so easily. She will always exercise appropriate caution in dealing with an opponent, seeking to escape first and foremost. Now that she is able to live the more luxurious life that she always wanted, she has so much more to lose, after all.

*Hebi-Onna -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 7 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Mantle of the Snake:* Array (25 points)
 *Coils of the Snake:* Perception Range Damaging Move Object 8, Subtle - 25 points
 *Gaze of the Snake:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless, Paralyzed & Unaware), Extra Condition, Sight Dependent, Subtle - 1 point
 *Venom of the Snake:* Progressive Weaken Stamina 7 (Resisted by Fortitude), Insidious, Subtle 2, Triggered - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Taunt, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Deception 9 (+11), Expertise: Crime 8 (+10), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 10 (+12), Insight 8 (+10), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 2 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+11), Stealth 3 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Venom of the Snake +9 (Close Fortitude 7)
Coil of the Snake -- (Perception Range Damage 8)
Gaze of the Snake -- (Perception Range Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 27 + Advantages 9 + Skills 36 + Defenses 11 = 147 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Subject to Orders.*


----------



## Davies

Tomokaze Kyousuke/友風京介






It probably said something unfortunate about his lifestyle that his immediate reaction to awakening in considerable pain was a sense of resignation. Nothing so verbal as the words, "here we go again"; the pain left no room for that sort of coherent thought. But mixed with the hurt was a weariness, and a bit of dread on top of them both. After a moment, the pain eased to a manageable level, and his eyes opened to an unfamiliar ceiling. The view was then interrupted by something much more familiar -- the face of Nagase Aya, Isekai no Miko, Warpwitch. His charge, his employer. His furiously angry all-of-the above. The furiously angry part was especially familiar, and he braced himself for what was to come.

She did not disappoint. "You did it again," she said, in a quietly menacing tone. "Again, you jumped in front of some inane science fiction weapon that was pointed at me. Again, it went off and put you in the hospital. Again, you interrupted my line of sight to the inane science fiction weapon so that I couldn't interfere with it and thus prevent the part where it went off. You did it all again -- after I told you to stop. Doing. _That._"

He opened his mouth to offer some sort of defense to her accusation, but she kept right on delivering her opening argument. "This is the fifth time this year. You will be in here for a week. During that time, I will have to hire a temp to answer the phones, do the filing, drive me places, all that stuff that is in your actual job description, plus the things that aren't in there like the foot massages that you are starting to be _slightly_ competent at doing. This is an enormous hassle. Why are you inflicting this enormous hassle on me?"

"I regret my actions," he managed to mutter.

"You regret your actions," she repeated in mockery of his tone. "Well, that makes it all just dandy, doesn't it? _No, it does not._ How many more times am I going to have to say, stop trying to help me outside of the office, before you actually do it? Or are you determined to keep doing these things and thus keep arousing my anger? Do you enjoy my anger? Is that it? Does this little song and dance that I do amuse you?"

"No," he said. "It does not."

There was no real right answer to that question. Both claiming that he did find it amusing and claiming that he did not would have made her equally angry. The only comfort in telling the truth was a sense that he was doing the right thing, even though it caused him nothing but pain. That was probably a sign of a serious flaw in his character.

"Then why?" she said, subsiding a bit, to her quietly menacing level of anger. "Why do you keep doing this? Why go through this, over and over? You could quit. I wouldn't give you a good reference, because you know how much you irritate me, but you have years in this job that could get you one that wouldn't put you in this sort of danger. Tell me -- why do you keep working for me when you know what's going to happen?"

He looked at her, remembering the day that they had met, the day that the most unusual person had come into his life and changed it forever, turning it upside down. He remembered learning the truth about her, being told to keep it from her, and watching that hurt her over and over again. He remembered the day his nerve finally broke, and he told her the truth, and everything had turned upside down again, but not in a way that set things back to the way that they had been at the start. More like moving it up the threaded shank of a screw, towards a destination that he still did not understand, and probably never would.

The truth, then. "I have a duty," he said.

She stared at him. "Fine, then," she said quietly. Then shouted. "Fine, then! Do your damned duty! Get yourself killed trying to help me! I won't care if you do! I will forget you the second you're dead, you hear me? You -- you person without relevance or significance!" Finally bereft of language, she let out a snarl of purest anger, then turned and stomped towards the door out of the hospital room.

Just before she reached it, it slid open, and a nurse with bright pink hair was standing there. "Please do not shout, it disturbs the patients," she said in a calm tone.

"That's fine, my patience is disturbed, too," Aya snapped in English, then brushed past her.

The nurse closed the door behind her, then approached the bed where he had, after a moment where he managed to sit up enough to watch that confrontation, collapsed once more. "She seems quite angry," said the nurse as she made a note of his vitals. There was something odd about that, but he was too tired to give it much thought.

"I said the wrong thing," he replied agreeably. "I don't know what the right thing would have been."

"I suppose you could have said that you have a duty of care where she's concerned," said the nurse.

"Kindness can seem cruel, sometimes, and too much truth can be just as harmful as a complete lie," he said, shaking his head. "I learned that the hard way."

"Maybe," said the nurse. "Or maybe you learned the wrong lesson. Oh well. I guess that's love."

_What a weird thing to say,_ he thought as the nurse walked away from his bed. _What a --_ "Wait," he said aloud. "Do I know you?"

She paused at the door, looked back as she slid it open. There was something strangely familiar about that smile, and the cool blue eye above it, but he found it hard to remember any details. "Not anymore," she said, and was gone.

The nurse walked down the hallway a short distance, then pulled a fob out of her pocket and clicked it. With a sound like a key being drawn along a piano string, a glowing portal opened up before her, then closed as she stepped through.

*Tomokaze Kyousuke -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Language (English [Japanese is native]), Luck 2, Ranged Attack 2, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
Meta-taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), Smartphone, and 13 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Administrator 3 (+5), Expertise: Science 4 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+4), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 2 (+3), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Damage 1)
Meta-Taser +5 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 4.

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 0 + Advantages 13 + Skills 26 + Defenses 8 = 77 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Duty of Care* (Nagase Aya.) *Secret* (Argus agent.)


----------



## Davies

Jacky Frost





Considering that she has been active in the shadows of Denver for more than forty years, without any time "away", one would think that the woman who calls herself Jacky Frost would get a bit more respect. Two factors get in the way of that, however. The first is her relative lack of ambition. While she expects, and generally gets, a piece out of any deals that are made in her nightclub, she always settles for a comparatively small piece and has never tried to expand her operations beyond Inferno. The second, more significant reason is the rumors which claim that she acts as an informant for the police and superheroes.

Sixteen years old when Denver received its "bath" of mutagens, Janet Whitney was left with the ability to absorb heat and a complete lack of any ability to turn that absorption off. The best that she could manage was the ability to reign it in so that she only drew the heat from objects or people she touched, which generally hurt them quite a bit. (Her aging process was also greatly slowed, but that would not be apparent for years to come.) There are tales that suggest she initially tried to use this gift as a vigilante, but found crime more appealing in the long run. By the time that the Mile High Marauders were founded, she had already established herself as a club owner and backer for various heists and other schemes.

Throughout her long life, however, she has never really been motivated by a desire for profit. She _likes_ money, of course, but her primary goal in life has always been to add excitement to a life that seemed cold and dull even before she found out that she would be around for decades. Thus, Jackie has shown willingness to take more chances than other criminals, up to and including burning (pun intended) associates if she thinks doing so would result in something interesting. These chances have a habit of paying off.

While her personal morality can be described as "interesting=good/boring=bad", some of the acts she considers boring have a coincidental relationship to acts that conventional morality might describe as appalling. She regards human trafficking with disgust and contempt, for example, and has been known to interfere with those who bring such business into her club. (Actually seeking them out is not something she would ever do, though.) She also finds the goals of the metasupremacist movement to be pointless and inane, and has no problem ratting them out when they come to her attention.

When she passes on information to superheroes -- never to the police, despite the rumors -- it is always on her own terms. Trying to get her to give up information when she does not want to do so is futile. On the other hand, she never asks for any exchange of favors for information, either, believing that this will help to communicate the seriousness of the situation when she does make her reveals. She has cultivated relationships with both the Blur and Polymorph this way, though she associates more with the latter than the former, these days. She avoids dealing with heroes who have ice or cold-related powers as much as possible.

Jackie can usually be found observing the activity of Inferno -- dubbed that because she runs the place to be rather warm -- from a private lounge that overlooks the dance floor. She does go down among the crowd from time to time, less out of a desire to socialize than because she wants to remind everyone who owns the place. When she does so, she has security around her to ensure that no one gets too close, as much for their benefit as her own. During the hours that Inferno is closed to the public, she runs the heater at an even higher level, enough to be uncomfortable for most humans. To her, these temperatures are blissful, and she congratulates herself for putting most of her money into the private generator that powers them ...

*Jacky Frost -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Icy Cold:* Reaction Damage 6, Permanent; Environment 1 (intense cold); Immunity 11 (aging, fire effects) - 36 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Fast Grab, Well-Informed.

_Equipment:_
*Inferno:* *Size* Medium; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Communications, Living Space, Power (Environment 2 [intense heat]), Power Supply, Secret, Secure Feature (living space), Security System - 10 points

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Business 6 (+8), Expertise: Crime 8 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+11), Insight 7 (+10), Investigation 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1 and Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 36 + Advantages 11 + Skills 33 + Defenses 13 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Flashes of Conscience. Reputation* (informer.) *Weakness* (other sources of cold.)


----------



## Davies

The Dreamfiend





In the late 1960s, a man named Garry Potter worked as a janitor at the Willow Point school in the small town of Summerland, New York. When the town suffered a rash of child disappearances in 1968, Potter was implicated as a suspect and arrested for the crimes, but released on his own recognizance due to a lack of evidence. Owing to a rumor that the charges against Potter had only been dropped due to a legal technicality, a group of concerned parents took up arms against Potter and attacked him at his workplace. In the ensuing melee, Potter was set on fire and burned to death. None of the vigilantes would admit who was responsible for this, and in the end no one was ever convicted for Garry Potter's death. To most, his guilt was proved when clothes belonging to some of the missing children were found buried in the backyard of his home, and the disappearances stopped after his death. For a while, at least.

A decade later, a reporter (already somewhat famous for having covered the aftermath of a series of murders in Warren County, New Jersey) paid a visit to Summerland to chronicle the town's unusually high rate of suicide, homicide, and disappearance, which had if anything increased after the death of Garry Potter. The alleged killer had become a creature of local folklore, even featuring in songs sung by children. The reporter speculated that the ghost of Potter was haunting the town, either metaphorically or literally. This speculation eventually gave birth to a series of movies that portrayed Garry Potter as a malevolent ghost that haunted the teenagers of Summerland and other parts.

But what the reporter never discovered was that he was not the first person to investigate Summerland. Just what drew occultist Leonard Valentine, years from becoming the third Blakestone, to this town in 1975 remains unclear, but he was better equipped both to get to the bottom of things and to ensure that no subsequent inquiry would be able to learn the truth. What he discovered disgusted and angered him. Not only had Garry Potter been innocent of the crimes of which he was accused, but the police officer who had actually been responsible for the disappearances (with the children sold into slavery across the country) had started the rumor about the "legal technicality", and then covered it up by planting the clothes in the home of the dead man.

It was not possible to punish the worst offender in this case -- the officer had died of a heart attack in the interval -- but Valentine felt a revulsion for the entire community for the willful blindness and prejudice that had led to the tragedy. Using magic he did not fully understand, he tore a piece of his own psyche away from the rest and transformed it into a phantasmal entity that could afflict the dreams of the people of Summerland. It was his expressed intention that it would embody the verses of one of the songs about Garry Potter, and that Summerland would, indeed, never sleep again. Having completed his work, Leonard Valentine left Summerland and never looked back.

The monster that he made, the Dreamfiend, could not actually kill people in their dreams, unlike the fictional character inspired by all this. But the manipulations of the dreams that it inflicted on their victims left them without restful sleep and could even put them into a cataleptic state. When the latter happened, the monster would materialize and finish off the helpless victims, usually by smothering them, before returning to a phantom state. On rare occasions, the demon would materialize to attack a conscious (but usually weakened) target. While a dangerous combatant, and hard to hurt, the demon was (and still is) most vulnerable in these instances. But whatever is done to it, it always reforms within a week.

Through the rest of the seventies and the eighties that followed, the Dreamfiend haunted the nights of Summerland, slowly accumulating power from those it fed upon. A handful of occultists and would-be heroes who discovered its activities attempted to prevent them, but usually just became its prey. By 1991, it had gained enough that it shattered the psychic fetters that bound it to Summerland, allowing it to seek victims across the country. It settled for a time in Snoqualmie, Washington, before a group of eccentric FBI agents managed to exorcise it in 1996. More recently, the Dreamfiend has haunted the town of Orono, Maine, preying upon the students at the University there. The authorities in Orono have begun to realize that there is a problem, but have yet to figure out what steps need to be taken to address it, and will likely spend many sleepless nights before they do. If they're lucky.

*Dreamfiend -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* - | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:* 
*Born and Reborn From Dreams:* Immortality 2 (1 week); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 13 points
*Dreamspeech:* Mental Communication 1, Limited to sleeping targets - 4 points
*Nightmare:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated), Limited to sleeping targets, Subtle 2 - 32 points
*Phantasm:* Linked Concealment 10, Materializing; Flight 8 (500 MPH), Distracting; Immunity 30 (Fortitude saves); Linked Insubstantial 4, Materializing - 78 points

*Advantages:* 
Assessment, Daze (Intimidation), Improved Critical 2 (unarmed), Improved Initiative.

*Skills:* 
Deception 10 (+13), Insight 8 (+13), Intimidation 10 (+13).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 4, Crit 18-20)
Dream Mastery -- (Perception Affliction 10)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude -, Toughness 8, Will 9.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 34 + Powers 127 + Advantages 5 + Skills 14 + Defenses 10 = 190 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Sadism--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman.*

_Note: Nightmare is a fear effect, so Fearless improves resistance checks against it._


----------



## Davies

Malkin





When contemplating the vile and the villainous, it is not uncommon to note how many cases are tragic, in the old sense -- how many examples of them could have become positive forces but for circumstances that were likely beyond their control. Even when considering those who, deliberately and with malice aforethought, chose their path of destruction, there is often a sense of regrettable waste. This can easily shade into pity, which can be dangerous in more than one way.

Twenty-odd years ago, Louis Robbins, a resident of Tampa, set out to become one of the first major supervillains of the second age of heroes. He knew exactly what he was doing, and was inspired solely by greed and a touch of arrogance. He also had -- or more accurately _imagined_ that he had -- a deep empathic connection with animals, and so sought to use them as minions in his crimes, under the alias Beast Master. (He had, for the record, never read the Andre Norton novel of that title, nor any of its sequels.*) Thwarted by Fuego, he went to jail for robbery and animal endangerment, and the latter charge was what really stung.

Never imprisoned for long thanks to the assistance of a certain patron who found him amusing and somewhat useful, Beast Master continued to engage in his attempts at infamy for several years before reaching the conclusion that he was outmatched by his opposition. Rather than admit defeat, however, Robbins decided to up his game and sought out the notorious Dr. Charles MacCorkindale, the Manimalist, and offered himself to serve as an experimental subject and have animal characteristics imprinted on himself. MacCorkindale believed that this would free Robbins of what little "false and hypocritical morality" he still possessed; Robbins believed that his "deep empathic connection with animals" would allow him to retain his original personality.

It is still not clear which of them was more mistaken in their beliefs. Regardless, the ape-tiger-human hybrid that emerged from the experiment, who dubbed himself Malkin, was a _much_ more dangerous criminal than Beast Master had ever been, vicious and homicidal rather than greedy and selfish. (He also promptly betrayed MacCorkindale and destroyed the laboratory where this all took place, setting the scientist back years.) Further, his claim to have personal influence over the animals that he used in his crimes had become the truth, as he was able to exert psychic control over their actions, which he (delusionally) believed to be them responding to his "supremely Alpha" status.

Regardless of his false beliefs, he was active as a criminal throughout the American southeast for the next decade, often captured but never held for long. However, he has not been sighted in the wild (pun intended) since 2018. Most observers, including Argus sources, believe that he has fallen victim to another, equally dangerous villain (such as the Reaper), or attempted to mutate himself further and suffered lethal consequences, or possibly suffered some misadventure while attempting to control an animal that resisted his psychic influence.

They are mistaken, but not by much. The Reaper _did_ nearly kill him when their paths crossed in 2018, but Malkin escaped death. In need of assistance, however, he sought out his estranged sister Lauren Robbins, a self-proclaimed conservationist who operated an animal rescue facility in their home state. Lauren agreed to help him, but only in exchange for his own assistance in maintaining her facility. Malkin agreed to her terms, and she supplied him with Paramorphan, an opioid substance to help him with the lingering pain of his injuries, while he used his animal control powers to ensure that the animals under her care were docile.

And that is where he has been ever since. While his injuries have long since healed, Malkin is now thoroughly addicted to the drugs supplied by his sister, and spends most of his time in a stupor where he does little except use his animal control powers to essentially domesticate the animals in the facility, allowing people to visit and interact with them, often posing for pictures with even dangerous creatures unable to resist. This is clearly a mistreatment of these animals, and it is not good for Malkin either; his health is beginning to fail. On the other hand, if the truth of the facility is exposed and he is freed, he will return to crime and be even more psychopathic than he was at the start of all this. Furthermore, in order to pay the costs of his incarceration, both the drugs and his high food expenses, Lauren Robbins is engaged in a number of other criminal activities, which cause even more harm to their community.

Sometimes, there are no right answers. 

*Malkin - PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Animal Control:* Burst Area 2 Progressive Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Limited to animals, Subtle 2 - 42 points 
*Claws and Teeth:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Fur:* Immunity 1 (cold) - 1 point
*Predatory Senses:* Senses 6 (acute tracking scent, danger sense, darkvision, ultra-hearing) - 6 points
*Predatory Speed:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 14 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (claws), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+12), Athletics 4 (+11), Close Attack: Claws 4 (+12), Expertise: Survival 9 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 9 (+10), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 7)
Claws +13 (Close Damage 9, Crit 19-20)
Animal Control -- (Burst Area Will 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 10, Toughness 8/6, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 62 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 7 = 178 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Addiction. Big Eater. Obviously Inhuman.*

* Movies? What movies?


----------



## Davies

186 heroes.
153 villains.
164 ambiguous types.
And a few dozen characters from elsewhere in the multiverse.

I think it might be time to take another extended break from this project.


----------



## Davies

The House of Time Regained





The first thing that most people experience when they stumble upon it -- or believe that they have done so -- is a moment of confusion, for the building almost never fits the architecture of the surrounding area. And if that area is one that is familiar to them, the confusion is doubled, for the building will not have been in this location until recently, despite not looking at all like a new construction. The more literary minded will immediately reach the conclusion that this is a little shop that was not there yesterday, straight out of weird fiction, and fully expect that if they do not enter, they are unlikely to ever find it again. And they are correct ... but their odds of doing so are not zero.

Within, some expectations go unmet, for it is _not_ a shop in the usual sense of the word. At the door, new arrivals will be greeted by the manager of the building, seemingly a human female who introduces herself using the name Clara Saville. She will speak whatever language the guest uses, though with an unfamiliar accent and sometimes making slight mistakes that betray a lack of idiomatic familiarity. Clara will explain the bare facts of the House to the guests, but will politely ignore any questions about its origins or owners. Questions about herself will be answered with repeated statements that she is the manager of the House of Time Regained, nothing more and nothing less. On at least one occasion, however, Clara was heard to remark that she was the janitor of the House, though not in the modern sense of the word. (The handful who have met both individuals have noted that her facial features are somewhat similar to those of Exelion.)

Within the House are many rooms where guests are welcome to stay as long as they wish, and have food provided for them, without charge. The rooms lack most comforts, but it is possible to sleep on the couches provided, and each room has an en suite bathroom. The primary attraction, however, is a television display. Watching it will present what appears to be a recording of the memories of the watcher, from their point of view, but without any distortions or delusions. The display never reveals anything which the viewer did not know, but can provide clarity about certain things that have been forgotten, for whatever reason.

It should be noted that this is the form that the service provided by the House takes in the modern day, with the memories apparently being streamed directly to the display. A decade or so ago, the memories seemed to be recorded on discs that had to be inserted into a player; in eras before that, they appeared through videocassettes or reels of film. The earliest recorded description of this facility, within a letter written in 1870 but describing a visit to the House that took place in 1843, referred to an extraordinarily realistic-seeming magic lantern show.

The House will only ever display the memories of those within it. Clara has occasionally received requests to display the memories of others, especially those with whom the guests are intimate -- or imagine that they are -- but always politely refuses them as impossible. However, the individuals whose memories are displayed need not be fully or even partially conscious. On one noteworthy occasion, Clara facilitated the display of certain memories within the mind of an individual left comatose by a vicious assault, at the request of Blakestone, in order to identify their attacker.

Needless to say, the guests of the House of Time Regained are not always happy to have their memories exposed in this manner, and sometimes become hostile towards the manager. Clara is quite able to defend herself, but rarely counterattacks unless her attacker indicates a desire to damage the House itself. Even then, she will confine herself to incapacitating them and expelling their unconscious form from the building, which nearly always makes it impossible for them to find it again. More rarely, when dealing with those who express grief for what they have seen, she has sometimes expressed some compassion for their suffering. Generally, though, she will only say what she once said to one of her most famous guests: "These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame _me_." (He would later use this phase in a novel.)

*Clara Saville -- PL 11 





Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Otherworldly Being:* Immunity 31 (aging, life support, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 12 - 51 points
*Remembrance of Things Past:* Linked Illusion 11 (auditory, visual), Independent, Limited to depicting memories; Linked Burst Area Continuous Mind Reading 11, Limited to memories, Subtle 2 - 68 points

*Advantages:*
Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 2, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Multilingual, Startle.

_Equipment:_
*The House of Time Regained:* *Size* Small, *Toughness* 10, *Features* Concealed, Dual Size (Medium), Effect (Remote Sensing 1 [mental, visual]), Effect (Affects Others Immunity 1 [need to eat & drink]), Living Space, Moveable, Security System, Self-repairing - 10 points

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+11), Insight 7 (+14), Intimidation 7 (+12), Perception 6 (+13), Stealth 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 7, Toughness 13, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 76 + Powers 119 + Advantages 10 + Skills 20 + Defenses 15 = 240 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Bound to the House* (suffers damage when physically removed from it.) *Flashes of Pity, Fits of Pique.*


----------



## Davies

Dyspemous





Vahalatho, a planet in the Unclaimed Regions, was settled by Chiraben explorers some eight hundred years* ago. Far from the larger communities of their diaspora, the planet was left to its own devices following the collapse of the Chiraben League and the rise of the Imperium. The planet was eventually unified under the rule of the Khlarish family, ostensibly because of their commercial and military advantages. The _real_ story was that they had discovered or acquired what they referred to as "the virus of power" -- a biological weapon that bestowed mind control abilities on most of those whom it infected. The Khlarish duly infected every member of their family with this virus, and nearly every member developed the power. But "nearly every" is not all.

Born roughly sixty-five years ago, Dyspemous Khlarish of Vahalatho was one member of the dynasty who had failed to manifest the symptoms of the virus, leaving him an outcast among his family. Due to his other talents -- a keen interpersonal insight and strategic abilities -- he was nevertheless given a position as the governor of one of the more rebellious territories of their empire. But Dyspemous was under no illusions that he was expected to rule successfully. He was intended to serve as a martyr whose death at the hands of revolutionaries would justify still harsher treatment for the people of this province by one of his older half-siblings or cousins.

His family had underestimated him, however, and he was able to overcome many of the schemes against him through skillful and compassionate leadership, and through the cultivation of allies among the people whom he was supposed to be oppressing. Sadly, Dyspemous and his friends had the misfortune to be living at a time when the virus of power had begun to mutate, no longer spreading only through blood transfusions but also infecting those whom the power was used against. And one such victim developed the most potent form of mind control that their world had ever seen, and used it to wreak havoc against all those whom he blamed for his misfortunes -- and Dyspemous was one of those whom he targeted.

To Dyspemous, it was as though a great darkness had descended on his mind, demanding that he do as he had been commanded and destroy those who trusted him. Somehow, he was able to resist that demand -- perhaps due to his own strong will, perhaps due to his earlier exposure to the unmutated form of the virus -- but to do so required all that he had, and he felt certain that eventually he would succumb. He was a proud man, the Prince of Vahalatho, but in that moment, in the silence of his soul, he cried out for someone, _anyone_, to help him.

His cry was heard. In a cell elsewhere on the planet, a captured alien sensed his struggle, and further sensed that this young being had much still to accomplish in his life. Without apparent hesitation, the alien commanded their power prism to transport itself to Dyspemous and aid his struggle, and then died immediately without the life support field their prism had provided. Bonded to the power prism, Dyspemous used its energies to overcome the virus of power, and then to defeat the one who had tried to use it against him.

That was the beginning of a decade*-long struggle between Dyspemous and the rest of his family, as well as others who had acquired the virus of power. He would eventually be contacted by others who wielded the power prism and informed of its nature; in time, after he had helped to establish a more egalitarian world order than had heretofore existed, Dyspemous agreed to travel to the planet Aperion and learn still more. After another decade* spent in the service of the Council which governs both planet and power prisms, he was chosen to serve as one of its members, and has done so for roughly twenty years*.

Dyspemous is someone who has always been driven to fulfill the duties asked of him, and to exceed the expectations of those who ask them of him. How much of this is due to his childhood, where he was viewed as completely inadequate by most of family, and how much of it has developed since then, is impossible to say. He is an extremely competitive person, who finds it hard to resist turning most group activities into contentions between the participants, but he always competes fairly and honestly, and genuinely admires those who are able to surpass him and encourages those who cannot to keep trying. (Deliberately throwing such competitions is one sure way to anger him, however.)

His greatest fear concerns the possibility that he did _not_ overcome the virus of power, all those years ago, and that it is still hidden within his psyche, influencing him in subtle ways. He has subjected himself to repeated psychic examinations by other counsellors and allied psychics, and they have never found anything of the sort. And yet that is exactly what they _would_ find if he was employing the powers of the virus to deceive them ...

*Dyspemous -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 12/1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Power Prism:* Removable (-26 points)

*Force Field:* Linked Sustained Protection 16, Impervious 12; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support) - 38 points
*Offensive Applications:* Array (30 points)
*Basic Blast:* Ranged Damage 13, Accurate 3, Split Attack - 30 points
*Exo-Field:* Enhanced Advantage 8 (Close Attack 8); Enhanced Strength 11 - 1 point
*Hallucinator:* Illusion 10 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resistible by Will - 1 point
*Mind Probe:* Cumulative Mind Reading 10 - 1 point
*Stun Blast:* Ranged Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Accurate 3, Reversible - 1 point
*Tractor-Presser Beam:* Move Object 15 (800 tons) - 1 point

*Phased Flight:* Flight 15 (64000 MPH), Aquatic; Insubstantial 3; Movement 3 (environmental adaptation [zero-g], space flight 2) - 51 points
*Sensory Applications:* Senses 10 (hyper-extended 3 accurate analytical radio) - 10 points
*Terrifying Resolve:* Immunity 10 (interaction effects); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to Half Effect - 20 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (Councilor of Aperion), _Close Attack 8,_ Defensive Attack, Extraordinary Effort, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Skill Mastery (Persuasion).

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+12), Expertise: Politics 7 (+11), Insight 5 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 3 (+9), Persuasion 9 (+13), Ranged Combat: Blaster 2 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +14/6 (Close Damage 12/1)
Basic Blast +13 (Ranged Damage 13)
Stun Blast +13 (Ranged Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 18/2, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 128 + Advantages 17 + Skills 26 + Defenses 19 = 240 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Bureaucratic and Ceremonial Duties. Competitive. Temptation of Power.*

_"Although [he] did not realize it, he was already infected with the virus of power -- to which, by a psychological quirk in his brain, he did not have enough resistance!" *Green Lantern [1960] #7*, written by John Broome._


----------



## Davies

Gebela




_Professor Adossegm Rogrigam_

Perhaps because their early history -- like that of Chiraben humanity (and like Terran humanity as well) -- was largely shaped by the rivers of their home world, Gebel historians often view time itself as a river, with a course that can be changed by external factors; unlike other species, who take it for granted that things could only have happened as they did, Gebela contemplate the "what ifs" as much as they do the "what was". Perhaps the greatest of their "what ifs" is the question of what could have happened had the Manguai not discovered their home world fairly early in their exploration, something that even the Manguai concede was an accident. Would they have been able to stand alone as a fourth great power? Would that have delayed the start of the Imperium, or brought about its rise earlier?

At the time of that first contact, the Gebela had begun to explore their solar system, sending robotic probes to one of the three moons that orbits Hacadikem. They were excited to learn that they were not alone in the universe. Like so many other peoples, they were quick to trade the material wealth of their solar system in exchange for the star drive and other technology that could allow them to explore and learn more. But some canny negotiator among the Gebela managed to persuade their fellows to ask for the rights to those resources to revert to them after a few centuries. The Manguai negotiators hurriedly agreed to these terms; they may have planned to put the Gebela further in their debt later, but events did not play out that way.

In the meanwhile, Gebela explorers charted nearby sectors of space far more thoroughly than the Manguai did, selling the astromomical data and resource rights to their patrons and generally making themselves useful. In the process, they, not the Manguai, made first contact with the Vautaro, and dealt with them far more peacefully than their patrons might have done. Many Gebela became enchanted by the mystical world view of their new associates, and became the first non-Vautaro students to study with them. They did not realize that the Manguai would see this as a betrayal of their client status, that this would spark the first great war in this region of space. Could they have? Perhaps.

Regardless, the first war was brief by comparison to those which would follow, but still horrifying to the Gebela. Those of them who were loyal to their Vautaro mentors and those who honored their Manguai patrons met in secret and discussed these events, and resolved that, regardless of their philosophies, Gebel would never again fight Gebel, no matter what. There are those who wonder whether this agreement might have resulted from the influence of the Geretil, who observe a similar ethic and are known to have tried to persuade other species to embrace it. Regardless, the Gebela commitment to this principle lasted for centuries.

It lasted right up until the rise of technomancy, which proved to be every bit as appealing to the Gebela as mysticism had been before it, dividing their species as surely as it did the rest of the Imperium. In the fury of the Schism Wars, their ethic was abandoned, and immense damage done to Hacadikem in the process. When all was said and done, the surviving Gebela almost uniformly joined the Armada -- in fact, it is sometimes claimed that their shipyards contributed two in every five of the ships that transported the exiles away from the Imperium, more than any other species -- with only a handful of those profoundly loyal to the mystic order remaining behind.

In the Technate, the Gebela embraced the sciences, setting aside both technomancy and mysticism. The stereotype of the Gebela is a multidisciplinary scientist who has a list of degrees longer than their arms who professes at an academy. As with most stereotypes, this is nonsense; there are not _nearly_ enough academies or teaching positions for that, and there are Gebela who run small businesses, manage agricultural projects and provide transportation for hire. That said, even the cab drivers will probably be better educated than most of their Chiraben passengers.

Perhaps the most famous Gebel in recent history has been Adossegm Rogrigam, formerly the Chief Engineer of the _TSV Adventure_ during its legendary voyages. After supervising the refit of the ship, he accepted a position as Dean of Engineering at the TSA Academy, passing on the lessons he learned from the often deadly missions he had survived. The Professor has also remained in communication with his former shipmate Otodevol, who keeps him informed about the parts of their current activities that do not feature in official reports. When he learns, from one source or another, about the damage that "his" ship has suffered while defending Earth during the recent Konan invasion, his first impulse will be to travel there to assist in the repairs. Whether that will be permitted remains to be seen.

While the Gebelaare an amphibious species, they are strictly fresh water dwellers, unlike their former Manguai patrons who can exist in both. Much like the slugs they somewhat resemble, Gebela suffer dehydration when exposed to salt, and can die from this if they do not rehydrate quickly. (Deliberately salting them is considered attempted murder under Technate law.) It should also be noted that the Gebela, again like slugs, are hermaphroditic, but uniformly use male pronouns when speaking Technate Standard for the sake of convenience. 

*Gebel Scientist -- PL 4/MR 4

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 1 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:*
*Amphibious:* Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [aquatic]); Senses 1 (low-light vision); Swimming 2 (2 MPH) - 5 points
*Slime:* Environment 1 (impede movement 2), Limited Uses - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Equipment 6, Improved Initiative, Second Chance (Aid checks).

_Equipment:_
Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Stunbeamer (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]) and 15 points as needed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 2 (+8), Expertise: Science 3 (+9), Insight 2 (+6), Perception 3 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+5), Ranged Combat: Stunbeamer 2 (+3), Technology 1 (+7), Vehicles 3 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 1)
Stunbeamer +3 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 2, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/0, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 6 + Advantages 8 + Skills 10 + Defenses 8 = 60 points

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL:* 4
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:*
*Discovery--Motivation. Susceptibility* (salt.) *Others as Needed.*

_Note: This is a typical Gebel scientist; there are exceptional individuals who have higher INT scores and higher skills, often in much more specialized Expertises than I normally use for characters. However, it is rare to find one with a total skill bonus of greater than +14. Professor Rodrigam, a PL 8 character, has Expertise: Science +12 and Technology +13, along with comparably higher skills in other areas._


----------



## Davies

Bridget Helm





In 1911, German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published a novel entitled _Alraune_, a scientifically updated version of the so-called mandrake myth, which held that women could independently conceive female offspring by consuming that root, believed to spring from the final ejaculations of hanged men. The novel described a woman created through artificial insemination, portrayed as incapable of love, who became involved with one Frank Braun, the protagonist of two other novels by Ewers. As Braun was something of a self-portrait of the author, there are those who have suggested that this novel depicted certain "adventures" of his from the first decade of the twentieth century. No one knows for sure, of course.

Exactly one hundred years after the publication of _Alraune_, however, an individual who went by the name Professor Erich ten Brinck (born Albert Ludlum) announced to the world that he had, eighteen years earlier, recreated the mandrake myth, inseminating a woman with artificially created sperm to produce what he called "the modern Alraune", a young woman named Bridget Helm, whom he now introduced to the public. The "Professor" loudly declared that, with this advancement, science had at last destroyed the so-called "natural order" and killed "god". This naturally attracted the attention of a number of disturbed indviduals who attempted to assassinate both the mad scientist and his beautiful daughter in vengeance for this perceived blasphemy.

As this had all happened in Seattle, Trouble took an interest in the case and acted to prevent one of the assassination attempts that seemed likely to succeed. In the process, the living weapon wound up befriending the modern Alraune. As someone who was herself the product of mad science, she felt a certain empathy for Ms. Helm, while coming to strongly dislike the professor. It seemed to her that he was deliberately inflaming the public, and that his rants about the absurdity of the claim that his creation had no soul (which had started before anyone _made_ that claim) seemed to be suggesting just that. Trouble had come to the conclusion that Bridget Helm was somewhat amoral and callous but not a soulless monster, and began to investigate further.

She was horrified but not really all that surprised to learn that the account of her origins given by the professor was a lie in almost every particular. First, and perhaps most disturbingly, while he had indeed begun the experiments that would result in her birth eighteen years before, he had only achieved a successful result _fourteen_ years before. Ludlum, to use his real name, had sped up her physical maturation through chemical treatments, and conducted a number of other grotesque experiments on her. In the process, he had learned that his creation could recover from nearly any form of injury, something he had gone to some lengths to test.

The ultimate irony was that none of this had been what he wanted. "Deliberately inflaming the public" had been his goal all along, in order to provoke them into the outlawing of experiments of this sort and _any_ form of non-traditional reproduction. The fact that his creation apparently could not _die_ meant the ruination of his plans, even without the involvement of Trouble -- who went to some lengths of her own to ensure that he wound up behind bars. Having done so, she was left with the problem of what to do about Bridget. With help from Sam Hazzard, the young woman was placed in foster care with a couple whom the two women trusted, in hopes that they could help her adjust to a more mundane existence.

It did not work. Bridget lived with them for four years, until she aged out of the foster care system, and still thinks of them fondly, but she remained apathetic and indifferent towards the rest of humanity. For a long while she treated those whom she encountered as sources of entertainment and comfort, manipulating them through her charisma and discarding them when she needed them no longer. In recent years, though, she has started to grow out of this behavior; while still indulging in it occasionally, she now prefers to live and let live when possible, and has even sometimes manipulated others in ways that improve their lives, in her view. (Of course, not everyone appreciates these supposed improvements.) When asked about this, she commented that she has come to understand that she is going to be around for a long while, and a world of general misery does not really appeal to her. Bringing up her origins, however, has been known to provoke very vicious responses from her.

Unfortunately, the somewhat enlightened attitude she now possesses has come too late for her to avoid winding up on the "monster list" of Maureen Summerisle, after the latter witnessed her casually wrecking the lives of everyone (other than Maureen) who happened to be in a old-fashioned soda shop at the same time as them. Maureen has succeeded in killing Bridget several times, but has yet to devise a way to do so permanently, with the "best" she was able to manage leaving the Alraune out of action for a full month before the concrete cracked enough for her to squeeze herself out. Bridget finds this annoying, to say the least, but just tries to avoid Summerisle when possible, as she is not nearly as vindictive as her nemesis. 

Besides, they are one who cannot love and one who chooses not to. "Ain't we a pair?" she commented once.

*Bridget Helm -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Undying:* Immortality 5 (1 day); Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 20 - 33 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive 2, Daze (Deception), Evasion 2, Fascinate (Deception), Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improvised Weapon, Jack-of-all-trades, Set-up, Taunt, Ultimate Effort (Deception). 

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+10), Expertise: High Society 5 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 5 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+11), Sleight of Hand 5 (+5), Stealth 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 33 + Advantages 13 + Skills 24 + Defenses 11 = 115 points

*Offensive PL:* 1*
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Peace--Motivation. Enemy* (Maureen Summerisle.) *Manipulative* (but not always detrimentally so.) *Temper* (particularly concerning her origins.)


----------



## Davies

Usagi-ouji/Prince of Rabbits/うさぎ王子





Shimizu Keiji has been given a power he never asked for and inducted into an organization he had never heard about, much less wanted to join. If he fails in the tasks that this situation demands of him, he will die. If he succeeds in those tasks, he will speed up the extinction of the human race ... and probably be killed anyway, once that has been accomplished. There are no good options here and not even any "less bad" ones. So he takes whatever comfort he can in doing what he loves, running and jumping and tumbling through life. Sometimes, while doing that, he can forget. But only sometimes.

The first occupant of the house of the Rabbit in the Shēngxiào was a woman who went by the alias Gun-Bunny*, and seemed to draw on the somewhat vaguely defined spirit of "the girl with a gun". Possessed of powers similar to those of Megan Excalbur, but with a focus on firearms, as well as an ability that allowed her to "respawn" at a different location after suffering lethal injuries, she committed a number of assassinations between 2009 and 2015, when she was captured under circumstances that prevented her from respawning by suicide. She was the first member of the Shēngxiào to ever be captured alive and the last as well.

Keiji was unaware of any of that on the afternoon that life as he knew it ended. He was looking forward to some free-running practice in downtown Osaka, the first time he had been able to do so after a week of rain. Unfortunately, he slipped on some roofing that had not dried as much as he had thought, and plunged to what he expected to be serious injury if not death. His fall was arrested by one of a pair of women on the street below, which was the upside. He would come to know the woman using some sort of telekinesis to hold him aloft as Hebi-Onna, and that the woman who addressed him was Diorite; that was the downside.

Diorite made it clear that, having saved his life, she now owned it, and would shortly be granting him the spirit of the Rabbit once it departed from its previous host. Although his opinion was not really consulted, Keiji nevertheless frantically agreed to this. With that out of the way, Diorite brought him along when she teleported to the location where Gun-Bunny was being held. She promptly declared that the former occupant had failed her for the last time and _melted_ her while Keiji watched in horror, then teleported them away again before the guards could react. The realities of his situation had been made completely clear to him.

Keiji does not possess any of the powers of his forebear. The mantle of the Rabbit has given him slight physical enhancement, such that he is capable of moving very quickly and jumping great distances, which also allows him to make powerful kicks and strikes. For the most part, he is employed as a courier by his fellows in the Shēngxiào, who only ever meet in person at the express command of Diorite. However, he has also performed a number of robberies and assaults at their request -- mostly as distractions from other schemes, something that the Ghost Sweepers have started to realize -- as he is terrified that any failure of _any_ of them could become his own "for the last time".

He is no longer in contact with any members of his former life. He trusts absolutely no one. Everyone in the world is his enemy and if they catch him they will kill him. But first they have to catch him.

*Usagi-ouji -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Bunny Hop:* Immunity 5 (falling damage); Leaping 5 (250 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [urban]); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 18 points
*Little Nose:* Senses 1 (acute olfactory) - 1 point
*Rabbit Punch/Super-Kick:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points 

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Beginner's Luck, Defensive Roll 2, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Acrobatics), Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 4 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+6), Perception 4 (+5), Technology 4 (+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 22 + Advantages 11 + Skills 21 + Defenses 14 = 102 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Fear--Motivation. Bravado, Not Bravery. Subject to Orders.*

* Her real name has never been discovered; she sometimes used the alias "Fumimura Hoko", but there is no record of any individual by that name.


----------



## Davies

Jack Neutron, The Metamorphic Man





As Michael Faulks lay on the street with a crushed rib cage, feeling his life ebbing away as he stared up at the strangely clear sky, he found that his life did not pass before his eyes. Maybe things would speed up in the final moments and he would glimpse scenes of the first forty-eight years of his life. Right now, though, all that he could think about was how things had been going so well in the last few months, and then had gone so horribly wrong in the last twenty-four hours.

During the Konan assault on Earth, he had seized the initiative and led his agents on lightning fast strikes against the suspected locations of many of the bombs set by the Combination to prevent outside intrusion against their rule over St. Louis. They had been even more successful than they had dared to hope; from intercepted communications, he learned that there was only one still active, and Faulks swore to find that last threat and eliminate it before the year was out. Unfortunately, his superiors at Argus believed that it would be more productive to launch an assault against the Combination _despite_ the remaining bomb, disagreeing with Faulks on "acceptable losses" and (to be fair) concerned that new bombs could be constructed and render all that effort pointless. He spent as much time arguing with the bosses as he did directing the search.

Unfortunately, someone else was listening in on the arguments. Billie Zane had even less concern for the collateral damage that would result from the detonation of the last bomb than Argus did, and saw an opportunity to eliminate members of the superpower oligarchy by attacking the Combination with a large army of Saturn agents. The Powerhouse responded to the attack, making an unlikely alliance with the Combination. Faulks gave the order to his people to help in the defense of St. Louis, and wound up in the thick of it, firing a blaster rifle at point blank range towards Zane in her powered armor. It did nothing, and she bashed him aside without a second glance.

From what he could hear, the battle sounded like it was winding down. He wondered who had won. Much more than that, he wondered whether any of the people who had trusted his leadership were going to survive this. He wondered a lot of things, really.

And then ...

And then, my friends, something strange happened. When a woman who had died when he was nine years old walked up to where he was lying on the street with a somber look on her face, Faulks thought that he had actually passed without realizing it. And then she spoke. "You did a brave thing, just now," said Janey Quantum. "I'd like to apologize for what my daughter did, but ... no, never mind. Here's the thing. If I do nothing, you're going to die, and then I'm going to die shortly afterward. Or I can do something, and then one of us doesn't have to die. I wish I could offer you a choice, but we're all out of time _and_ choices, here." And with that, her hand glowing, she bent down and touched his chest. The world went as white as the gutters of a comic book page.

When he woke up, his ribs were no longer crushed, and Faulks had never felt so alive -- confused as could be, but so alive. He got up and half-stumbled over to where the Powerhouse and the Combination were having a confrontation in the aftermath of the battle, with Kingfisher threatening to detonate all the bombs if the heroes failed to depart immediately. It annoyed him, and before he realized what he was doing, he projected an explosive blast right at the winged bandit, knocking him back quite a bit. "Hi, guys," he said to Paragon and the others. "Could I get a lift? We've got some stuff to talk about."

At the Argo, it was determined that whatever Janey Quantum had done before returning to the past (and her death) had infused him with powers like those she had possessed, but that Faulks was still learning how to use. One of the first abilities that he mastered was the knack of transforming his clothes and the air around him into a flexible shell of woven steel and cavorite, granting him protection and the power of flight. With this means of concealing his identity, he assumed the ops moniker -- or rather _nomme de guerre_ -- of Jack Neutron, the Metamorphic Man. (His middle name is John, hence Jack.)

His life has changed a lot in the two weeks since all that happened. He was fired from Argus, as he was expecting, but the new Director of Combination Activities is someone he helped to train and trusts. On the other hand, he has been promptly recruited by the Powerhouse, who are understandably concerned about the power that he demonstrated. He recognizes that he has a long ways to go before his skill at using that power makes him worthy of the title "superhero", but through the Powerhouse he has access to some of the best teachers in the world for this peculiar occupation. In the meanwhile, he has settled in as the first resident hero of St. Louis since the Combination took over, letting Kingfisher know that the authorities are aware that there is only one bomb left, and that they _will_ know if he builds more. The never-ending battle continues, but the forces of evil seem to be on the back foot right now.

There are just two things that make Michael Faulks a bit uncertain about his new role in life. The first is the look of horror and grief that he glimpsed, for just a moment, on the face of Dancer when he created his shell for the first time, while she was watching. He does not know what could have caused that, which worries him. The other concern, probably more serious, is why he keeps hearing the voice of Janey Quantum in his head ... not talking _to_ him, just talking. At least, so far. 

*Jack Neutron, the Metamorphic Man -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Cavorite-Steel Shelled:* Flight 7 (125 MPH); Impervious Protection 9; Strength-based Damage 3; Activation (Standard Action) - 33 points
*Transmutation:* Array (54 points)
 *Basics:* Continuous Transform 9 (400 lbs; anything into anything) - 54 points
 *Corrosion:* Linked Damage 10, Secondary Effect; Linked Weaken Toughness 10, Affects Object, Secondary Effect - 1 point
 *Explosion:* Linked Ranged Damage 9; Linked Ranged Selective Burst Area Damage 9 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Assessment, Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless, Inspire 2, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+4), Athletics 3 (+4), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Expertise: Science 3 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+8), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Transmutation 3 (+5), Sleight of Hand 2 (+4), Stealth 4 (+5), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 4/1)
Corrosion +5 (Close Damage 10 and Weaken Toughness 10)
Explosion +5 (Ranged Damage 9 and Ranged Burst Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 13/11/4/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 89 + Advantages 14 + Skills 30 + Defense 12 = 179 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Nemesis* (the Combination). *Physical Limitation* (artificial leg can be disabled by Nullify Electrical, leaving him Hindered and Vulnerable). *Voices In His Head* (not hostile ones, just distracting at times.)


----------



## Voltron64

Hell of a character development...


----------



## Davies

I said at the end of his original profile that he was one accident away from becoming a superhero ... I just never said which one.


----------



## Davies

La Dame Bleu





Until a short time ago, la Dame Bleu -- Maryse Beaucheme, to use the civilian name that everyone knew and pretended not to know in response to her insistence that her identity was a closely kept secret -- was perhaps the most powerful and most respected superhero of Europe. Respected, but not admired. Her haughty, patronizing manner ensured that she was not well-liked, even in her native Belgium. On the other hand, the worst that anyone could say about her was that she was a snob, and that she often became bored by the less exciting aspects of superheroism, such as cleanup or charity appearances. Her death, during the early stages of the Konan assault, came as a shock, and she was sincerely mourned ... but mostly because it was thought that, had she not died, then other losses of more beloved heroes later in the conflict, such as the Swedish hero Grader or the Austrian Jodler, might have avoided.

Born in 1987, Maryse was the only child of Jules Beaucheme and his second wife, Madelca Meusz, a younger sister (or possibly half-sister) of the notorious Gordion Meusz. Madelca displayed none of the gravity-influencing talents of her family, and it is something of a mystery why her daughter possessed such formidable talents of this sort, which she first demonstrated at the age of fourteen. Her father had passed away six years before that, leaving the training of these talents entirely in the hands of her mother, who "encouraged" Maryse to develop _all_ of her abilities -- mental, physical, and extranormal -- to remarkable degrees. From what has since been learned, it seems likely that Madelca intended for her daughter to literally conquer the world on her behalf, simply to show up the main branch of the Meusz family.

Fortunately, by the time that she deemed herself ready, at the age of eighteen, Maryse found the notion of ruling the world to be utterly absurd. She was smart enough to realize that she could never administer a global state by herself, and that the handful of individuals whom she trusted -- all servants at the Beaucheme manor -- would likewise be ill-suited to such roles, requiring her to recruit people who might potentially betray her. The whole thing would just be work, work, work, and she gave it up as a bad idea, preferring to indulge herself by engaging in such altruism as suited her whims. (The possibility that she was rebelling against her domineering mother has been suggested.)

Regardless, by 2008 she had developed enough of a reputation for competence, if perhaps not for _tact_, that she was offered membership in the Powerhouse, which she rather rudely declined. It has since been suggested that she expected the group to press the issue, and was offended when they took her first refusal for her final word on the subject. Regardless, her interactions with the other members of the team were at best coldly polite in the aftermath, with much of her spite being directed at the one whom she most frequently encountered: Blakestone, particularly after the formation of the Ultra Girls, who also received a great deal of scornful treatment from la Dame. Later, it would be suggested that she resented the fact that Blakestone had been considered important enough join the Powerhouse while still a teenager.

Her history with the Ultra Girls led to an awkward situation when she was forced to swallow her pride and seek help from them in 2015, when la Dame Bleu was attacked with a power nullification ray by alleged Korean agents while visiting Paris, leaving her depowered for nearly a week. It was a miserable experience for all involved, with Maryse and Blakestone almost coming to blows on a few occasions during that long, _long_ week. However, while la Dame departed without uttering a word of thanks after her powers were finally restored, Danielle noted that there had been a moment of hesitation where it seemed that Maryse had almost been about to offer some gratitude. Blakestone just rolled her eyes at that.

La Dame Bleu was noted for having a good working relationship with Argus, with a "handler" who was open about his affiliation with the group and did a great deal to keep her feathers unruffled. (This is believed to have involved a lot of flattery.) Because of this, she was quickly advised of the Konan threat and unhesitatingly joined forces with those heroes who were gathered to plan a response. She accompanied Paragon, Super-Giant, Bombast and other spaceworthy fighters into battle when the Konan fleet arrived in orbit, and accounted for three of the mass driver-equipped cruisers before she came under coordinated fire from their gunships. Stunned by the first barrage, her shield dropped and she was nearly torn apart by the second.

Blakestone found herself strangely bereft when she learned of the death of her rival. After the affair was over, she took it on herself to travel to Beaucheme manor and express her regrets. Her meeting with the elderly Madelca was, if possible, even more unpleasant than any of her interactions with Maryse had been, as the old woman seemed quite certain that la Dame was only faking her death to annoy her. The narcissism that Madelca displayed was horrifyingly reminiscent of behaviors that Blakestone had seen in her own mother, and she sought to escape quickly. However, she also met some elderly servants who were sincerely mourning the death, and learned from them that Maryse had genuinely envied the happiness Blakestone had been able to find in her life, and also regretted that her upbringing had left her often unable to express any of her actual feelings in a public manner.

Unsure how to take any of this, Blakestone returned to her House of Riddles, and made a point of telling those whom she loved how much they meant to her, something that she has also had difficulties doing in the past. It may be said, then, that la Dame Bleu won a great victory even after she left the field.

*La Dame Bleu -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Gravity Control:* Perception Range Move Object 7 (3 tons) - 21 points
*Gravitic Shield:* Linked Sustained Protection 14, Impervious 12; Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Deflect 8, Limited to physical - 44 points 
*Gravity Techniques:* Array (27 points)

*Advanced Gravity Control:* Enhanced Perception Range Move Object 13 (25 kilotons), Concentration - 1 point
*Gravitic Blast:* Ranged Damage 13, Precise - 27 points
*Gravitic Drag:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted and Overcome by Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Gravitic Pulse:* Linked Burst Area Damage 9; Linked Close Burst Area Move Object 9, Limited Direction (away from self) - 1 point
*Gravitic Whip:* Ranged Damage 11, Indirect 4; Enhanced Advantage 1 (Improved Trip) - 1 point
*Transatmospheric Flight:* Flight 8 (500 MPH); Enhanced Flight 7 (64,000 MPH), Distracting; Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [zero gravity])  - 27 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connections, Defensive Attack, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Defense, _Improved Trip,_ Power Attack, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 3 (+8), Expertise: High Society 4 (+9), Intimidation 7 (+10), Perception 3 (+6), Ranged Combat: Gravity Powers 7 (+11), Stealth 2 (+6), Technology 2 (+7)

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3)
Gravitic Blast +11 (Ranged Damage 13)
Gravitic Drag +11 (Ranged Affliction 13, Resisted by Strength)
Gravitic Whip +11 (Ranged Damage 11)
Gravity Pulse -- (Burst Area Damage 9 and Move Object 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 7, Toughness 18/4, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 123 + Advantages 10 + Skills 10 + Defenses 15 = 222 points

*Offensive PL:* 12
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skills PL:* 4

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Delusion* ("I have a secret identity, despite doing nothing to disguise myself.") *Easily Bored. Utter Snob.*

_Note: Should stats for the PL 11 "Year One" version of la Dame Bleu be needed, modify as follows: reduce STR, STA, AGL, DEX and FGT by 1 rank each; drop Improved Defense; reduce Sustained Protection to 13 ranks and Deflect to 6 ranks; reduce Gravity Mastery Array to 22 points and drop Gravitic Pulse (reduce most slots to 11 ranks and Gravitic Whip to 8 ranks); reduce Enhanced Flight to 5 ranks; reduce Dodge to 6, Will to 8._

One track mind, one track heart
If I fail, I'll fall apart
Maybe it is all a test
'Cause, I feel like I'm the worst
So I always act like I'm the best


----------



## Davies

Dr. Abraham van Helsing





"Abraham van Helsing" was a name made up by Bram Stoker (partially from his own name) while editing the various diaries and letters of the Dracula operation into a novel. "Martin Hessel", the name used for this individual in official British documents, is likewise known to have been an alias. Any record of the actual identity of this person was likely lost in the large-scale destruction of secret documents during the final stages of the November Revolution that brought down the German Empire in 1918. "Van Helsing" will be used for its familiarity hereafter. 

Very little that was stated about his background in the novel should be taken at face value. His comments about his "late son" were chosen to create a sense of sympathy between himself and "Arthur Holmwood", much like the unlikely account of the start of the supposed friendship between himself and "Dr. Jack Seward". Likewise, his comment about his supposed wife, imprisoned in an asylum, was part of a rather crude joke that he made, betraying a much more cynical attitude towards his patient than he had expressed so far. His official dossier reported that "Van Helsing" had been married, but that his wife had predeceased him and that their marriage had never produced any children. The accuracy of that assessment is open to question.

That same assessment portrays him as a man driven to hunt "the undead" (a term that really was of his own coining, apparently) because of both his deep Roman Catholic faith and his scientific curiosity. These were indeed significant parts of his character, but the dossier failed to note that he was also quite patriotic. It is possible, even likely, that whoever put together the dossier, influenced by their own prejudices, believed that his Catholicism would contraindicate such a nationalist sensibility. This would be a costly mistake, but not the greatest made in this operation.

In 1894, when "Van Helsing" was called in to assist in the clean-up of the Dracula operation, the British believed that he had already "eliminated" two vampires in Europe in the past decade, neither of which were "kindred" to Dracula. (This was considered important when he was contacted, suggesting that the King Vampire was even then regarded as a _potential_ asset.) These were only those that whose existence, and the cessation thereof, the British could confirm; there may have been others. It is unlikely, given what he emphasized about "the power of combination" in addresses to the others involved in the operation after it turned into a vampire hunt, as well as his advanced age -- roughly seventy years -- that he acted alone, but nothing is known about these accomplices.

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of his involvement in the treatment of "Lucy Westenra" was his use of blood transfusion. This was, prior to the official discovery of blood variation in humans*, an extremely dangerous procedure. Some have suggested that his actions were undertaken _not_ to save the life of his patient, but rather to hasten her death and transformation into a vampire. This does not seem consistent with his expressed attitudes, but subsequent events make it harder to defend him. After staking the so-called "Bloofer Lady", rendering her helpless and immobile, he and Seward turned her over to British intelligence so that she, and not Dracula, would be their vampiric agent. His "fee" for this service was a pair of vials of her blood, ostensibly for his own experiments. However, the affair was not over, and it is likely that his true character began to emerge at this point.

After eliminating the brides of Dracula and (seemingly) the Lord of Darkness himself, "Van Helsing" returned to his native Leipzig (or so he claimed.) It is now known that the vials of vampiric blood (and possibly samples that he illicitly obtained from "Mina Harker") were given into the care of agents of Abteilung III b, the military intelligence branch of the Imperial German Army. They used them, along with a number of other examples of mad science, to create the creature later dubbed "Orlock". It is unclear whether "Van Helsing" was aware of these experiments, but even if he was, he may have regarded them as a regrettable necessity.

By 1898, his health was failing, and his death, by what seems to have been natural causes, was reported in 1900. But there is an ambiguity here, even, for no remains were to be found in the crypt where he was supposedly laid to rest when it was opened in 1931. The dreadful possibility exists that Dracula, or some agent of his during this period of inactivity, arranged for his great enemy to become ... perhaps not an ally, but a useful slave. Or perhaps some other weird tale ensued.

*"Dr. Abraham van Helsing" -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Contacts, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Favored Foe (vampires), Improved Aim, Teamwork, Tracking.

_Equipment:_
Stakes (Strength-based Damage 1), garlic, an allegedly consecrated host, other vampire hunting gear.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Civics 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic* 5 (+7), Expertise: Science 5 (+8), Expertise: Theology & Philosophy 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+6), Treatment 6 (+8).
* INT-based ...?

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Stake +3 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 1, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Advantages 10 + Skills 32 + Defenses 8 = 80 points

*Offensive PL:* 2*
*Defensive PL:* 2
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Faith--Motivation. Elderly. Physical Limitation* (missing two fingers on his right hand.) *Secret* (vampire hunter, secret agent.) *Subject to Orders.* 

* The existence of blood types had been discovered by a handful of mad scientists in the years after Blundell, but their results were generally not well-accepted.


----------



## Davies

Doctor Typhon/ドクター颱風





Nearly fifty years after his death, he remains one of the most notorious supervillains in the history of Japan. (His notoriety outside of Japan was much more short-lived.) It is somewhat telling that there are those in Japan who will insist that he was not Japanese himself, citing his birthplace and some old rumors about his birth as proof. This would have annoyed him -- and his annoyance tended to have fatal consequences for its subjects.

Ichikawa Sousuke was born in Taiwan in 1924, but Taiwan was then a colony of the Empire of Japan, and his father was a bureaucrat within the colonial administration. His mother died not long after his birth, and the rumors derive from the fact that his father quickly married his Taiwanese housekeeper (and reputed mistress.) Regardless of such gossip, the young man grew up full immersed in the nationalist ideology of the time, and fully intended to serve in the Japanese army. He would get his wish, but not in the way that he expected. By his seventeenth birthday, it was already clear that he was had a prodigious intellect, and he was promptly recruited for a special unit. No, not that one. There were others, and his was based in the Home Islands.

While working there, Ichikawa made the acquaintance of an older scientist, one Kunisawa Chihiro. They were not friends, but the younger man did find some of the theories that the older proposed concerning the hidden strengths of the human body to be fascinating. Even if they had been friendly, however, Ichikawa would have come to despise Kunisawa after the latter deserted the unit and went underground midway through 1943. For his part, Ichikawa vowed to fight to the bitter end. Of course, then Japan as a whole surrendered, and there was nothing he could do about that. Worse, the critical research he and the others had accomplished during the war was judged irrelevant, and he was neither prosecuted for war crimes nor recruited to continue his work elsewhere. Frustrated, Ichikawa settled down with a wife and soon grew a family, taking out his frustrations on them when they grew too much for him.

In 1954, however, some of the work he had done on the nascent science of gigantology came to the attention of an office of the recently established Japan Self-Defense Forces, and he was contacted with regards to an expedition to Dread Island. Pleased to be at work again, Ichikawa agreed and joined the expedition, leaving his pregnant wife and two young children behind. The last radio contact with the expedition reported that they had arrived at the island and were setting up camp. After that, there was nothing but radio silence.

Ten years after, an Australian expedition to Dread Island was startled when a delirious and disheveled Japanese man stumbled out of the jungle and into their campsite. Ichikawa claimed to be the last survivor of his own expedition, but was confused about how long he had been on the island, believing that it had been no more than a month since his arrival. The Australians had already concluded their observations, and they agreed to take him back to Japan on their way home. After reporting on the disaster to the JSDF, Ichikawa prepared to return home, sure that his family must be deeply mourning his absence.

They were not; once seven years had passed, his wife had promptly remarried and his children now viewed her second husband as their father, and were quite happy about their new circumstances. This annoyed him, fatally so. The one survivor of the massacre was the son who had not even been born when Ichikawa set out, who happened to be playing baseball with some friends. In the aftermath, Ichikawa went underground and abandoned his name, assuming the alias Doctor Typhon and seeking to punish the world for not recognizing his genius and for the suffering he had endured.

Doctor Typhon had several clashes with the Reid group and other American heroes, but his most frequent foes were Jiraiya and Tsunade. (It is not clear if he ever realized they had been trained and enhanced by Kunisawa.) However, he generally worked through minions or lieutenants, rarely allowing his opponents to confront him directly. He developed many horrific inventions in his career as a supervillain, most famously a series of kaiju-scale robots that each caused as much damage as any of the actual creatures of Dread Island. His signature weapon, however, was the aptly-named "dust of death", a paralytic compound that suffocated its victims. Fortunately, his efforts to produce a form of the chemical which could affect large areas came to naught.

In 1974, Doctor Typhon was contacted by an individual interested in recruiting his scientific services. Amused at her presumption, he agreed to the meeting, fully intending to murder her for her effrontery and completely uninterested in what she had to offer. Despite that, he found her ideas intriguing, but as Jiraiya and Tsunade had begun an attack on his base at the same time, he was forced to cut the interview short and end it as he had originally planned. Before he could do so, however, she somehow disarmed him, as though she knew exactly what he was about to do, and shot him with his own dust. When the two ninja broke into the control room of his base, they found him stone dead and completely alone.

The son who had survived his rampage kept the family name of his stepfather, going by Serizawa Katsuhito for the rest of his life.

*Doctor Typhon -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Dust of Death:* Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Immobile, Dying and Paralyzed), Extra Condition; Removable (-3 points) - 15 points
*Imperturbable:* Immunity 5 (interaction skills) - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 10, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Inventor, Ranged Attack 2, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
50 points as needed for any given plot, typically including bases and vehicles.

*Skills:*
Close Attack: Dust of Death 2 (+5), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+11), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Attack: Guns 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 6 (+13), Vehicles 3 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Dust of Death +5 (Close Fortitude 9)
Gun +9 (Ranged Damage varies)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 48 + Powers 20 + Advantages 21 + Skills 27 + Defenses 15 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8 

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Casual Killer. Intolerance* (persons who express emotion.)


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> The son who had survived his rampage kept the family name of his stepfather, going by Serizawa Katsuhito for the rest of his life.



_Geez_, no wonder he was so messed up.

These sorts of things really are often a cycle....


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> _Geez_, no wonder he was so messed up.
> 
> These sorts of things really are often a cycle....



And now you know another reason that people are keeping a very close eye on Ryuji.


----------



## Davies

Tiger Girl/タイガー・ガール




Image by MK Castaneda.

In some versions of Chinese mythology, the Tiger and the Dragon are eternally at war, neither able to permanently defeat the other. This is definitely _not_ the case among the Shēngxiào, where the first occupant of the house of the Tiger, known by the alias Hidden Tiger, constantly came out the loser in any conflict with Shēng Lóng, who regarded him with contempt. (Ironically, he was also the only person there who got the reference, as that movie is known as _Green Destiny_ in Japanese.) Nevertheless, Shēng Lóng endured this with transparently false patience until a meeting in 2014 where he received what he took for permission from Diorite, and then snapped the neck of his supposed rival without resorting to the use of his superpowers. The meeting ended soon afterwards.

On that very same day, in a hotel room rented by the hour, a certain executive at a certain talent agency was having a private meeting with one of the idols whose career he was producing, nineteen year old Furukami Yuna. It was a somewhat awkward meeting, as she wanted to discuss her next public appearance and he wanted to discuss how the agency was going to cease representing her. Despite the entirely inappropriate relationship that had existed between the two of them since she was fifteen, he had come to agree that the other two members of her group were simply better entertainers than she was, and that it was time for things to end. He finally explained this to her, bluntly, and told her that she would be expected to do one last "graduation" performance where she would bid farewell to her fellows.

Yuna stared at him a moment, and then, just as bluntly, told him that this would not be possible. "Because I went to see the two of them before I came here, and I killed them both with this knife." She was upon him and had cut open his stomach before he could even cry for help, not that any would have come. He managed to claw at one of her eyes before he bled out, and this really upset her; her eyes were one of her charm points after all. So she was engaging in some retributive desecration of his corpse when someone cleared their throat behind her. Diorite had not expected to find the new occupant of the house of the Tiger this quickly.

Seven years later, Furukami Yuna is one of the top idols in all of Japan, selling vast quantities of merchandise and constantly pushed by her agency -- which she secretly owns, and whose employees and other idols are kept in a state of suspended terror, never knowing whether any given day will be their last. She ignores those who claim that she is at best an average singer and dancer on the grounds that they are people who understand the price of everything and the value of nothing. (She came up with that by herself, incidentally.) As part of her image, she wears an eyepatch over her left eye, although it has long since healed thanks to her regenerative abilities. However, it does slightly change color when she takes up her aspect.

Yuna works patiently to use the entertainment industry to promote the nihilistic agenda of the Shēngxiào, spreading an ideal that all that matters is whatever pleasure you can squeeze out of life, regardless of who has to be hurt in the process. She has come under suspicion of being an influencer for the group repeatedly, but has always dodged out of the way of investigations by the Ghost Sweepers thanks to clever use of sacrificial pawns. She realizes that she is herself a pawn of the senior members of the Shēngxiào, but plans to gradually change that.

However, she has no intention of directly challenging the Dragon. Rather, she will slowly arrange for the other occupants to be replaced by new members who are primarily loyal to herself, then have _them_ collectively challenge Shēng Lóng, wearing him down until he falls. Then she will rule under Diorite, until she finds a way to attack her, dethrone her, and take her place. That there might be someone behind Diorite is not something she has considered, but if she does, she will view them as just one more obstacle set in the path to becoming God that providence, or rather her own future God-self, has laid out for her. And then she will hurt everyone everywhere all at once, forever.

She is Tiger. Hear her roar.

*Tiger Girl -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 5/-1 | *STA* 5/-1 | *AGL* 7/1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 8/2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Aspect of the Tiger:* Activation (Standard Action, -2 points)

*Catseyes:* Senses 3 (low-light vision, acute and tracking Olfactory) - 3 points
*Claws:* Strength-based Damage 2, Accurate, Improved Critical 3, Subtle - 7 points
*Transformation:* Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Fighting 6; Enhanced Stamina 6; Enhanced Strength 6; Regeneration 5; Subtle - 54 points
*Deranged:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive 2, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Chokehold, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+12/+6), Athletics 6 (+11/+5), Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Magic 4 (+7), Expertise: Performance 4 (+7), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 8 (+9), Stealth 6 (+13/+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11/+5
Unarmed +8/+2 (Close Damage 5/-1)
Claws +10 (Close Damage 7, Crit 17-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/1, Parry 8/2, Fortitude 7/1, Toughness 10/5/4/-1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 67 + Advantages 12 + Skills 33 + Defenses 5 = 139 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Sadism--Motivation. Delusion* ("I am the greatest idol the world has ever seen".) *Fame. Laziness* (prefers to make men do things for her.) *Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.*

_"I am the revelation! The *tiger force* at the core of all things!"_


----------



## Voltron64

Chuuni-ing as Darkseid, now that's terrifying.


----------



## Davies

If by some horrific miracle she succeeds in confronting Ananke, and Abraxas has been removed from play, then Ananke will be sufficiently diverted by this to grant her wish and make her Daath's new ruler. She will be granted all the powers of the other members of the Shēngxiào, and the price will be her sanity.

Not its loss. Its restoration.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> If by some horrific miracle she succeeds in confronting Ananke, and Abraxas has been removed from play, then Ananke will be sufficiently diverted by this to grant her wish and make her Daath's new ruler. She will be granted all the powers of the other members of the Shēngxiào, and the price will be her sanity.
> 
> Not its loss. Its restoration.



Especially when it all hits her like a damn truck..


----------



## Davies

Madalin LeSinistre





_Photo taken around 1968_

By the middle of 1964, many authorities across the United States had become used to contactng the Institute in general, and Diane Fortune in particular, when unusual and bizarre phenomena occurred within their jurisdiction. Depending on her mercurial moods, Diane often passed these cases on to her colleagues (or occasionally to Jeremiah Wander) but sometimes took a personal interest, as she did when summoned to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to investigate a series of seemingly impossible burglaries. Working out that these crimes had been commtted by someone able to be both invisible and intangible, Diane developed a means of trapping the burglar, having -- somehow -- divined that they would be unable to pass through silver and -- somehow -- imbuing the force field she created with the "mystical essence of silver". Or so she claimed.

Regardless of how she actually did it, Diane wound up capturing a frightened young woman whom she judged to be about fifteen years old. In bizarrely accented English, she claimed to be the Princess Madalin LeSinistre of the Kingdom of Specially. Before Diane could interrupt to object to this absurdity, the girl continued with the tale that her parents had fled into exile here in America, but that she herself had been kidnapped by wicked people and taken underground to the Realm of Darkness. While the strangers in that place had treated her kindly, and even taught her their ways, she had nonetheless yearned for freedom, and after stealing one of their treasures -- the Cloak of Sh'Halla -- she had fled back to the Lands of Light. There, desperate, she had stolen only to feed herself.

Diane believed that at most one word in three of that was truthful, but part of it quickened her pulse nonetheless. She had heard rumors of a great city beneath the surface of the world, called Xinaián by some and inhabited by people known to others as the Shonokins, whose abilities supposedly included the same power to dematerialize themselves that "Madalin LeSinistre" demonstrated. The possibility of learning more aroused her curiosity, and she persuaded the Broken Arrow police to let her take custody of the burglar after everything that she had stolen was returned to its rightful owners, then took "Madalin" back to Washington with her.

Her hopes were dashed. Even when she was able to get as much of the truth out of the younger girl as she thought she could, "Madalin" had only been a child when she came to what she called the Realm of Darkness; she had not understood much of what she saw, and had learned through rote rather than any deeper understanding. Giving up on this idea, Diane employed the resources of the Institute to discover who the girl was and where she had come from. She was tentatively identified as Sheila MacMillan, who had gone missing in 1956 when her family had visited the Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma. Interviewing her parents confirmed that their daughter had frequently playacted as a princess named "Madalin", and they were thrilled when she was returned to them.

Madalin was less enthusiastic, and became a frequent headache for the people pretending to be her parents. Twice in the years that followed, she crossed paths with Diane again, once as a hindrance to another affair but once as an ally of some worth. For the most part, however, she kept her mischievous activities focused on her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, and rarely attracting any official attention. Her interest in young men captured much of attention, and while her boyfriends all considered her a spooky little girl, particularly in light of how she seemed to change her mind at the drop of a hat in response to her empathy or foresight, she was quite popular. On Halloween of 1968, one of them proposed marriage, and they were married early in the next year, with a daughter coming along soon after.

She met Diane Fortune for the last time shortly before the Battle of Vietnam, and also met her new apprentice at the same time. It is thought that she had some foretelling of what was coming, and attempted to warn Diane, only to have her claims dismissed as more lies. After her marriage broke up in 1974, she took her daughter with her when she left the United States, travelling through Europe and eventually settling in Finland, specifically in a tower she erected in Lemmenjoki National Park. There they both lived, only leaving on occasional trips to purchase supplies, until 1982, when Madalin was assassinated during one such trip at the start of the Pythonian Insurgency, which she apparently failed to foresee. Her daughter survived, stole the Cloak off her body, and used it to escape back to the tower. She still lives there, alone now.

*Madalin LeSinistre -- PL7

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Cloak of Sh'Halla:* Array (20 points); Removable (-4 points)
 *Cloaking Field:* Concealment 10, Affects Others and Self, Passive - 20 points
 *Defense Field:* Reaction Damage 5 (when touched) - 1 point
 *Disguise Field:* Morph 4 - 1 point
*Dematerialization:* Linked Insubstantial 4, Quirk (cannot pass through silver); Linked Flight 4 (30 MPH) - 27 points
*Empathy:* Mind Reading 6, Limited to emotions - 6 points
*Seer:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 1 (danger sense); Senses 8 (postcognition, precognition), Unreliable - 17 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Equipment 3 (after 1977), Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Ritualist, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Tower:* *Size* Medium; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Dual-Size (Huge), Isolated, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Security System, Workshop - 12 points

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Magic 5 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+10), Insight 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1 and Reaction Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 26 + Powers 68 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 14 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Deceitful* (exaggerates or outright lies.) *Family* (daughter, after 1969.) *Fear* (Xinaián.) *Flirtatious.*

_Note: The stats above, with some modifications, can also be used for her daughter, Alison Auringvalo (alias Baba Zenobia.) While she lost the Cloak of Sh'Halla to Captain Mystic in 1991, she had learned how to partially replicate its Disguise Field with her own powers; add *Animal Forms:* Morph 3 (animal forms) to her powers. She also has Intimidation 6 (+10) and Stealth 8 (+8) as skills. Her motivation is *Survival* and she lacks  *Family*, *Fear* or *Flirtation* complications, being *Paranoid* instead; during the 80s and late 90s she also had a *Relationship* (Killshot).

Photograph of Alison Auringvalo, c. 1986:



_


----------



## Davies

Peshkera




_Surface view_




_Caverns_

Peshkera, the second planet out from its G-type main sequence star, was one of countless planets "discovered" by the Manguai in their first bursts of interstellar exploration and then promptly forgotten when neither it nor any of the other planets in its star system demonstrated either easily accessible resources nor life forms who could be convinced to become clients of their discoverers. It would much later be rediscovered by the Gebela, whose interest in pure science was greater, but even they were inclined to accept the verdict of their patrons that the second planet had next to nothing to offer them, with its acidic atmosphere and barren surface. But then the two peculiarities of this planet were discovered, one that made it fascinating and the other that made it frustrating.

The fascinating aspect was what their ground penetrating sensors revealed. Beneath that storm-wracked surface was a series of vast caverns that contained a breathable oxygen atmosphere, suggesting the presence of water and plant life. Accessing these caverns without exposing them to the hazards of the surface would be difficult, but not impossible. That was where the problem became frustrating. Some unknown factor in the makeup of the planet, whether geological or atmospheric, caused the gravitic thrusters employed by all spacecraft to shut down if they descended below a certain altitude. While other thruster types would still function, they were extremely rare, and constructing them for the sole purpose of exploring one planet was not economically sound.

Therefore, the Gebela explorers eventually set up an orbital platform to study the planet dubbed Peshkera, with generations of scientists passing through to perform their remote studies. It remained in operation even after the Gebela departed from the Imperium in the wake of the Schism Wars, passing into the hands of a scientific firm operated from a Chiraben-settled planet. They were therefore in the right place at the right time to benefit from the development of projective teleportation technology, allowing the first exploration of the caverns. They were everything that the remote observations had indicated, perfectly able to support humanoid life, with fungal growths that proved quite edible.

Just how the decision was made to use these caverns as gigantic unsupervised prison complexes remains somewhat obscure, but the project had been active long before the rise of the Crimson King. The orbital platform was converted into a fortress, from which the prisoners who arrived daily were dispatched by teleportation to the caverns. Exile to Peshkera was frequently framed as a merciful alternative. Rather than being confined or executed, sapients who had demonstrated that they could not or would not function as part of a civilized society were sent to a place where they could not harm those who _could_, but where they would also have the liberty to live as they pleased. And that was not even the freedom to starve, for the generous Imperium regularly sent supplies through the teleporter along with new prisoners. The situation has continued right up into the present; if anything, the authorities of the Crimson Imperium have slightly _reduced_ the number of prisoners who are sent there.

Within the caverns, some of the exiles have succeeded in building a civilization, albeit an _extremely_ low-tech one, farming the fungi for food and adapting to the darkness. Their settlements often come under assault by other prisoners who have proven themselves too violent to remain and been driven out, in what might seem an ironic echo of their own circumstances. No deliberate weapons are ever sent through the teleporter, but both sides have learned how to adapt farming or crafting implements into improvised ones. These internal struggles would be bad enough, but there are also bizarre sentient and mobile fungal growths haunting the lower caverns, preying on prisoners who stray too far from their communities and sometimes growing bold enough to attack large groups.

All this has led to the development of a class of armed explorers, sometimes just called "venturers", hired by the settlement communities to keep these so-called monsters and bandits in check. These threats cannot reasonably be eliminated, but they can be prevented from growing strong enough to endanger the settlements. In the process, the venturers also often discover new resources and new places to establish settlements. However, that is not all that they have discovered, and some of those discoveries have been new sources of concern for the exile leadership.

In the deeper caverns, there are signs ruins of an earlier civilization, created by a now-vanished sapient species. Where these people came from and where they went remain mysterious, but a handful of art objects have been found that suggest that they resembled the Vizugta people* of the Imperium, but with six fingers on each hand. (The Vizugta within Peshkera who have learned of this are just as mystified as anyone else.) Aside from this art, they have left behind some technological relics that are both highly useful and often quite dangerous, depending on whose hands they end up in. Needless to say, venturers and their patrons are keen to learn more, and so are many bandits.

Early in the history of the Insurgency against the Crimson Imperium, captured insurgents were often sent to Peshkera. While that policy has stopped since Gelesh, with captives now rarely surviving their captivity, this has resulted in the presence of the Insurgency among the exiles. Unfortunately, they are divided between two factions: one seeks to covertly improve conditions within the caverns; the other, under the leadership of someone in the midst of a serious psychological breakdown, seeks to drill to the surface and flood the caverns with the toxic atmosphere, killing everyone within, on the dubious theory that this will cause outrage against the authorities within the Imperium.

One of the most noteworthy venturers, loosely associated with the former group of Insurgents, is a Chiraben woman who goes by the name Callixa Tall, who is keeping a great secret from even her supposed allies. A mystic, possessed of one of the greatest connections to the Source that any Chiraben has ever demonstrated, she was trained by one of the few members of the order to not retreat to their garden or go into hiding, and was on the verge of crafting a laser sword for herself when her mentor was killed by criminals. Seeking to punish them got her captured by the law and sent into exile. While understandably a bit upset about all this, Callixa still seeks to follow the teachings and protect the innocent, but she also hopes to find a way of escape.

That hope was recently both helped and harmed by her latest discoveries. In one particularly dark cave, further down than she had ever before ventured, Callixa discovered a group of creatures who seemed to be made out of living fire who had just come through what seemed to be some sort of free-standing portal. She hid and watched while one extremely large example of the creatures joined them, looked about and made a sound she took for laughter -- frightening, horrible laughter -- before returning through the portal. 

The flame creatures headed off down one of the tunnels, but before Callixa could make up her mind about whether to follow them or to see where the portal led, a different group came through it. Another Chiraben woman, a green-skinned android, a rock creature and a drone of some sort. They stood a while talking, and Callixa decided to greet them. "Hello," she said, hand raised and ready to burn. "So, you came from the same place as the bad guys, but you don't _look_ like them, so I'm going to ask first if you're the good guys. And I hope to Kaos that the answer is yes."

"Well," said Wissen. "We try."

*Callixa Tall -- PL 8*





*Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Adapted to Darkness:* Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Draw On The Source:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects; Regeneration 5 - 9 points
*Sense The Source:* Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 5 (Accurate, Acute, Ranged Danger Sense) - 13 points
*Work With The Source:* Array (32 points)
 *Burn:* Perception Range Damage 8, Concentration - 32 points
 *Move:* Flight 5 (60 MPH); Perception Range Move Object 7 (3 tons), Subtle - 1 points

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Takedown, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge

_Equipment:_
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 8 (+8), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Expertise: Survival 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+10), Stealth 4 (+9), Technology 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 0)
Sword +9 (Close Damage 3)
Burn -- (Perception Range Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/6, Parry 10/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/1, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 56 + Advantages 13 + Skills 35 + Defenses 8 = 158 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret* (mystic.) _*Temptation of Power.*_

* Such as Derat Bahasta, alias El Diablo Rojo.


----------



## Davies

Yamaguchi Kotaro





For Yamaguchi Kotaro, the Warhound of the Shēngxiào -- he prefers that self-appointed title to "occupant of the house of the Dog" -- it is an article of faith that he has seniority over all other members of its innermost council. He sincerely believes that Diorite recruited the members of the group in the reverse of the order of the progression of the cycle, so that only the first occupant of the house of the Pig (who died two years ago) would have been recruited before him. He thus possesses a primacy that other members of the group _ought_ to respect ... they do not, but they should. Well, that will come in time.

Yamaguchi got his start as a member of a gang affiliated with the Sanno-kai yakuza, doing rather well for himself and rising in their ranks. By 2009, however, he had become dissatisfied with his lot in life. The increasing violence and treachery within the syndicate was not the problem -- honestly, that was fun -- but he was bored with how rarely such opportunities for amusement came his way, and how repetitive his daily tasks were. Yamaguchi wanted something new, and Diorite gave him what he wanted and then some. He was granted superhuman strength and toughness, and the ability to call up shadowy creatures that resembled dogs that could tear people apart without those people ever knowing what was happening to them.

His primary task within the Shēngxiào is to manage and supervise its illegal sales of weaponry, usually manufactured by factories in Vietnam and illicitly shipped to customers throughout the Pacific and parts of Central and Southern Asia, particularly criminals and terrorists. Matters being what they are, some of those "criminals and terrorists" are rebelling against unjust authority, and the Shēngxiào is notably supplying the resistance in both Hong Kong and the Korean Empire. This is done solely in the interest of escalating these conflicts to involve more death and destruction, rather than any benevolent motives.

For his own part, Yamaguchi does not care about the goals of his master, nor even about the money involved. (He makes a pretense of caring about the latter so that the customers do not come to think that they can take advantage; losing money is only fun if it is also exciting.) His sole interest in these activities is coming up with and implementing clever schemes to avoid (or subvert) the authorities so that the deliveries can be made. Well, maybe not his _sole_ interest, as he also enjoys watching the weapons in use. Because of this, he is often absent from Japan while engaged in such adventures.

In the course of his exploits in Hong Kong, Yamaguchi has frequently found himself in conflict with its vigilante protector, Dú Láng. The fights between these two are some of the greatest thrills that Yamaguchi has ever experienced, even though he has usually either come out the loser (though never fatally) or had to flee to avoid capture, only rarely knocking out his opponent and never being able to finish him off. Truthfully, he is not sure he would want to do that even if he had the opportunity. Fighting him is just so much fun ... and the Lone Wolf of Hong Kong is rather attractive, if Yamaguchi was being _really_ honest.

As a consequence of this, he finds it somewhat hard to listen to the complaints of his fellows about the problems that they face in fighting the Ghost Sweepers or that frog, who are (he thinks) just a bunch of children. And that is without getting into the annoyance that he feels about the lack of respect shown to him, especially by Shēng Lóng and that ape Akamatsu. Yamaguchi usually tries to keep a handle on his temper, but has not always succeeded when it comes to those two. One day, they are going to go just one step too far and he will take the pair of them down. Then they will all know who the top dog is.

*Yamaguchi Kotaro - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 7/2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 10/5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Aspect of the Dog:* Array (31 points)

*"Let Slip the Dogs of War":* Cone Area Damage 10, Concentration, Subtle - 31 points
*Strength of the Hound:* Enhanced Defenses 5 (Dodge 5); Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Protection 5 - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 8, Startle, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+13/+8), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+12), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 9 (+13), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 7 (+11), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +13/+8 (Close Damage 7/2)
"Dogs of War" -- (Cone Area Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8/6/3/1, Will 10

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 36 + Advantages 18 + Skills 35 + Defenses 17 = 144 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Rivalry* (Shēng Lóng, Akamatsu Gori.) *Subject to Orders. Temper. Veneer of Professionalism.*


----------



## Davies

Twilight





Darren Baldwin, grandchild of the founder of a major coffeeshop franchise, grew up in fairly luxurious circumstances that ultimately left him feeling rather hollow inside. Unlike his father or grandfather, he had no real interest in business (and no interest at all in coffee or wine-making) and struggled to find something that did interest him. Even when he did find that interest -- mechanized armor -- he found that he was exploring the road _not_ less traveled by. Nevertheless, his family avoided cliché by supporting his studies, in the hopes that this would keep them within safe boundaries, rather than leading to him becoming a supervillain or something.

And they got their wish, but possibly not in the way that they wanted. When Darren was twenty-four, something happened that no one could have predicted. The famous Seattle-based hero Trouble appeared to have gone rogue, fighting the police and a number of her colleagues in the Powerhouse, escaping all attempts to capture her. Darren found the entire situation sufficiently disturbing that he decided that he had to do something, hoping that his latest attempts at constructing an armored suit, and the fact that he was an entirely unknown quantity to Trouble, might allow him to carry the day.

This worked out pretty much like you would expect, and Darren found himself defeated quite easily. However, Trouble -- who had been framed and was attempting to prove her innocence while cut off from her allies -- recognized that she needed all the help that she could get, and explained the situation to him. While unsure if she was telling the truth, Darren recognized that Trouble could have easily destroyed him if that was her goal, and so agreed to give her what assistance he could. As it happened, that was quite a bit, and within a few days they had unraveled the Saturn-directed conspiracy against her, saving the Space Needle in the process.

In gratitude, and recognizing that her occasional absences from Seattle left the city undefended often enough that they had probably contributed to this situation, Trouble offered to help train Darren as a superhero. Immensely flattered, Darren accepted, and debuted under the name Twilight shortly afterwards, using a shortened version of the nickname he had given his armor, "the Urban Twilight suit." He has not exactly covered himself in glory during his career, but has bounced back from every embarrassing defeat that he suffered. Twilight is a bit more popular with the average Seattlite than Trouble, in part because he observes a greater transparency about himself and his activities.

Unfortunately, while produced under better circumstances than a typical garage-built exoskeleton, his equipment is still not nearly as "ruggedized" as the armor employed by heroes like Cadmus or villains like Devilray. Virtually every outing results in at least one of his systems -- and often more than one -- suffering a breakdown due to damage that he suffers. Repairing these takes both time and money, eating up most of his funds, and so he can only afford to be a part-time superhero. Nevertheless, whenever danger threatens Seattle, he will go into action with his suit in whatever state of readiness it might be. He also engages in more quiet heroics by being someone Trouble can always rely on to examine her own technology when something goes wrong with it.

His work alongside Exile and others during the recent Konan assault also brought him to the attention of Marc Bolton, who has expressed an interest in licensing the Urban Twilight suit for mass production. This is a mixed blessing, for while it _would_ help with his money issues, Darren is morally uncertain about the idea of his work being used by the military. Bolton has assured him that he would only market the mass production Urban Twilight to emergency services, but the way that the President is claiming that he intends to have every serving member of the United States Army in a suit of powered armor by the end of his term makes Darren unsure whether Bolton will be able to keep that promise ...

*Twilight -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Urban Twilight Armor:* Removable (-11 points)

*Armored Shell:* Protection 8, Impervious 6 - 14 points
*Cybernetic Controls:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4) - 8 points
*Life Support:* Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
*Locomotors:* Leaping 5 (250 feet); Movement 1 (slow-fall); Speed 6 (120 MPH) - 13 points
*Sensors:* Senses 2 (low-light vision, radio) - 2 points
*Weapon Systems: *Array (16 points)
*Goo Gun:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Accurate - 1 point
*Light Railgun:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Meta-Taser:* Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Muscle Augment:* Enhanced Advantage 6 (Close Attack 4, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Strength 5 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Improved Initiative, Interpose, Move-by Action.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Business 3 (+11), Expertise: Science 4 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+10), Insight 7 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 6 (+8), Technology 5 (+13), Treatment 3 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +13/+5
Unarmed +8/4 (Close Damage 5/0)
Goo Gun +10 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)
Light Railgun +8 (Ranged Damage 8)
Meta Taser +8 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/5, Parry 8/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 9/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 47 + Advantages 8 + Skills 22 + Defenses 11 = 128 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friendship* (Trouble.) *Power Loss* (fragile equipment, mechanical breakdown.) *Public Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Barovaci





It is said that if you offer a human sociopath five dollars now or ten dollars later, they will always choose the former. Of course, if the sociopath realizes what you are testing for, the already limited usefulness of this particular diagnostic tool becomes nonexistent. If you were to offer a member of the Barovaci species of the Crimson Imperium a small value now or a slightly larger one later, they will inevitably choose the slightly larger one. But you would be a fool to imagine that this tells you anything about the limitations of Barovaci empathy, because they will have already read your mind and know whether you have that money available to you. And if you should not have it, then the Barovaci will demonstrate that they are also patient when it comes to violence against those who would try to cheat them.

The swampy home world of the Barovacies was one of the last major discoveries of the pre-Imperium era. It was discovered simultaneously by a group of Augrah explorers seeking more resources for their Manguai patrons, and by a multi-species group of mystics following the Nightmare Path whose dark visions had led them here. Both sides fully expected to fight the other in order to claim this world; neither could possibly have expected what would happen instead.

The native sapient species of the planet was pre-technological, but highly intelligent, organized and psychic. Able to use their powers to dominate all other life on their planet, they had never needed to develop a tool-using culture. However, the mystics were unable to intimidate the Barovacies into teaching them the secrets of their telepathy, and the Augrah were unable to "persuade" them to turn over the rights to the resources of their planet in exchange for anything. They patiently explained to their visitors that everything on their planet, and they themselves, were the property of the Deep Master ... and that, as things that were on their planet, their visitors had _also_ become the property of the Deep Master.

Inevitably, the Deep Master arose from the depths where it dwelled and attempted to assert its ownership. Augrah and mystics fought together as allies -- the only occasion in all of galactic history where this happened -- against this immensely powerful entity, and somehow triumphed over it, though both groups suffered terrible losses. In the aftermath, the mystics recognized their foe as one of the Xothi, and now wanted nothing to do with the planet where the creature had first rested and then fallen. That left the Augrah in possession of the planet and its residents, with the Barovacies shattered by the death of their owner. The Augrah generously offered to take its place.

Centuries later, that is still the relationship that exists between the Augrah and their most successful client species. Barovaci work within Augrah-run organizations, with some of the most famous of them working in the entertainment/propaganda industry as producers and directors. Others take middle-management positions within less legitimate businesses. While there have been examples of Barovaci betraying or supplanting individual Augrah, they have only ever done so at the behest of other Augrah. As such, while the Augrah do not _trust_ them, they are considered the most reliable of their clients. The Augrah believe that they have fully instilled their own desire for profit above all else within the Barovacies, and thus think that they fully understand them.

They are wrong. All of their apparent dedication to that goal would change in an instant if the Barovacies were ever to somehow learn of the existence of a certain pale blue dot and what can be found in the depths of one of its oceans. Because the Augrah do not understand that every Barovaci telepathically imbues their spawn with the wish to find a new Deep Master to replace that which they lost, so long ago ...

*Barovaci Overseer - PL9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* -2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* -2 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Claws:* Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical - 3 points
*Massive:* Strength-based Damage 4, Limited to Slam Attacks; Protection 5 - 7 points
*Shielded Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental powers), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Sluggish Movement:* Movement 1 (slithering) - 2 points
*Species-Specific Telepathy:* Mental Communication 3 (regional), Limited to Barovaci - 12 points
*Telepathic Abilities:* Array (28 points)
 *Blast Mind:* Perception Range Damage 6, Alternate Resistance (Will), Subtle - 1 point
 *Implant Imagery:* Illusion 9 (all senses), Limited to One Subject, Resistable by Will - 1 point
 *Invade Thought:* Cumulative Mind-Reading 9 - 28 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Eidetic Memory, Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 9 (+7), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Business 6 (+12) _or_ Expertise: Criminal 6 (+12) _or_ both at 3 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Slam +7 (Close Damage 7)
Blast Mind -- (Perception Range Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 2, Parry 4, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 64 + Advantages 4 + Skills 22 + Defenses 19 = 137 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7 _or_ 6

*Complications:
Profit--Motivation. Dark Secret. Miserly. Slow-Moving* (permanently hindered, becomes immobile when hindered.) *Others As Needed.*

_Note: While many Barovacies have large amounts of money, they hoard it rather than spending it. As such, the Benefit (wealth) advantage is not really appropriate._


----------



## Davies

The Rascal Crow





A handful of decades ago, in the land of Ginleng on the World More Sorcerous, the peace of a certain mountain abbey was disturbed by the arrival of a pair of fugitives. The male member of the couple expired of his wounds shortly after their arrival, while the woman lasted long enough to be delivered of the child she was carrying. The injuries they had suffered in their flight convinced the abbot that they had been bold rebels against the corrupt governor of the region, and so he swore to raise their daughter in a way that would honor their noble memories. And so he named her ... never mind, she has not used that name in years, not since she learned her parents were a pair of petty crooks who had inflicted those mortal wounds on each other. She goes by the name Shen Che-yu, often called the Enigmatic Sirocco, or her most common alias, the Rascal Crow.

Raised within the confines of the abbey, she was taught their most sacred arts, both sorcerous and martial. She demonstrated quite a talent for swordplay, which was encouraged by her mentors, as they believed that the way of the blade opened a path to deep and profound truths. She came to agree with this perspective. Unfortunately, she also came to believe that her soul was a fundamentally deceptive one, which made for an uneasy combination. When she reached adulthood, she stole out of the abbey and went off to pursue a career of larceny, and soon became notorious.

Shen Che-yu, or whatever she was calling herself at that point, soon found herself bored with scheming against the virtuous. There was no real excitement in it. So she began to instead practice her deceptions against other criminals, particularly those who demonstrated great ego. Her goal was less their destruction and more their abject humiliation, and for a while she found herself quite satisfied with her life. And then one of her schemes was interrupted by the actions of one Sao Pai Long, and everything changed.

He _fascinated_ her. Most of the so-called heroes she had run across were just vainglorious, power-seeking boors, more concerned with their reputation for do-gooding than actually doing good. Here was someone who cared nothing for fame, glory, _or_ power, just with helping people as much as he could and with completing a thankless task. And in his honesty, he was her literal antithesis; knowing who he was, she now knew herself, truly. And that felt _wonderful._ She followed him for a time, knowing that his path would inevitably intersect with villains seeking to claim his treasures for themselves, villains on whom she could prey. And because she wanted to follow.

The Rascal Crow was startled when he disappeared, and consulted oracles to determine his fate. According to those she consulted, he had been sent to another world by one of the Ascendants for a purpose that the oracles could not determine. Deciding that Pai Long would be in need of her help (and attract villains she could devastate) even in such a world, and curious about what other worlds might be like, she improvised a spell to allow her to follow in his footsteps, and sent herself to still another world, one with a shattered moon.

Finding no sign of Pai Long in this place, she was preparing to move on to yet another world when she caught wind of the activities of a villain. Old habits reasserting themselves, she inveigled herself into the associates of this person and worked to sabotage their scheme in a humiliating manner. _But something went wrong._ While she was sure that she had succeeded, when Che-yu faced off with this Jessica Drummond character, the latter seemed only amused by her activities instead of frustrated and angry. In fact, she offered _critiques_ of those activities, ways that they could have had more impact if the Rascal Crow had just been more ruthless or callous. 

The killing blow was her claim that, once Drummond had realized that Che-yu existed, she had adjusted her schemes so that her interference had actually resulted in their success rather than their failure. Horrified, the Rascal Crow decided that she must be confronting some sort of otherworldy Ascendant, a being far more cunning and powerful than she could hope to be. The only way that she could avoid destruction was to offer Drummond her allegiance until she found some way out of this. Amused by this misunderstanding of her nature, Drummond agreed and revealed more of her long term goals to the Rascal Crow ... which further horrified her.

Since then, the Enigmatic Sirocco has been dispatched to a place called Taiwan on yet another world, apparently known as the World More Grim, to keep an eye on events there. She has crossed paths with a number of its heroes and villains, such as Snow White and Mephistopheles, seeking to manipulate them so that their focus remains on their own world rather than those that lie beyond it, so that when the "dimensional crisis" that Drummond seeks to create comes about, the people of the place called Tanelorn will find no allies here. She sometimes wonders whether that means that _she_ might find allies here, who could help her escape from this servitude and prevent the horror that is to come.

But what if all that she has been told by Drummond were lies? Or worse, if she was told the truth, but was expected to _believe_ it to be lies and act in a way that is utterly contrary to her interests because of that? All her life she has manipulated others, and now she is herself the manipulated party. It is a miserable experience, and she almost feels sorry for all those she put in this position. (But only almost.) For the first time in forever, the Rascal Crow yearns for the truth that will set her free, but fears that it might only chain her further.

What a twisted web ...

*The Rascal Crow -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
"Deception is My Very Soul":* Array (28 points)
 *"Few Would Not Choose A Pleasant Illusion Over Banal Truth":* Illusion 7 (all senses), Resistable by Will - 28 points
 *Flight of the Rascal Crow:* Accurate Extended Only Teleport 9 (500 miles) - 1 point
 *"I See Into The Heart and Soul":* Cumulative Mind Reading 9 - 1 point
 *"Who Shall I Be Today?":* Linked Morph 3 (humanoids); Linked Variable 1 (traits associated with shape) - 1 point
*Enchanted Blade:* Strength-based Damage 3, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 2; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Feature (can be disguised as a pipe); Easily Removable (-4 points) - 9 points 

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-Of-All-Trades, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ritualist, Takedown Attack 2, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+14), Deception 8 (+14), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+12), Expertise: Magic 7 (+13), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+12), Sleight of Hand 9 (+11), Stealth 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 1)
Enchanted Blade +16 (Close Damage 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/10, Parry 14/12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 40 + Advantages 22 + Skills 32 + Defenses 14 = 178 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Thrills--Normal Motivation. Terrified Obedience--Current Motivation. Secret Identity. Subject To Orders.*

_Note: If the Trickster Crow travels to the World Less Magical, or somewhere similar, she becomes PL 9, as her STA, AGL, FGT and PRE all decrease by 2 ranks each, while her Array decreases to 25 points (reducing her Illusion, Mind Reading and Teleport effects by 1 rank each.) She also becomes Disabled on Expertise: Magic checks until she adapts to her new circumstances. (As she has already adapted to a lower level of magic on the World of the Broken Moon, she may do this slightly more quickly than expected.)

The Italian word for "sirocco" is "ghibli", by the way._


----------



## Davies

Worldwrecker-class Ultra-Dreadnaught





The second-most powerful starships in the known universe (with Vulcan, if considered a starship, being the only more powerful example), the Worldwrecker ships of the Dark Side are exactly what their name would indicate. They are used sparingly, as the objectives of the armies of Daath generally run more towards conquest rather than the ruination of valuable worlds, but they _are_ used as object lessons against rebellious worlds or those who have put up too much of a fight, at which point a squadron of two or three of these ships will be dispatched to deliver it.

Their operational strategy is to descend into a planet's exosphere, ignoring attempts at defense, and then fire their "grand cannons" at surface targets. Typically, these utterly annihilate anything not protected by heavy shielding within a mile of their impact points. Their major limitation is that they cannot fire repeated shots, but must recharge for roughly six seconds after each detonation. On rare occasions, when faced with enemies possessing firepower that pose an actual threat to them, the ships employ either their less-devastating secondary beams, or dispatch vast flights of android-piloted space fighters to intercept attackers. It would take a long time for even a large group of the ships to completely devastate the surface of a planet in this way, but the survivors invariably capitulate long before they need to do that.

The exact number of these vessels possessed by the Dark Side is not definitely known, but believe to number in the hundreds if not greater. A grand total of _two_ have been lost in action. One was destroyed by a large army of prism-wielders when the Dark Side launched an attack on a world near the border of the Protectorate of Aperion; the other vessel in its squadron elected to withdraw, despite the heavy losses that the prism-wielders had sustained. The other vessel, out of a squadron of three, was sabotaged by a Laster boarding party led by Aun Taxad and Vittara. They arranged for the grand cannon to explode when it was next charged, then escaped the vessel. The self-destruct damaged the other two Worldwreckers to the point where they fled into hyperspace. Neither strategy is likely to work a second time.

Aun Taxad was essential to the mission to sabotage the Worldwrecker because he had studied the blueprints for the vessel while a student of Yacobus the Arch-Imaginist, whom he believes to be their designer. Ironically. he is mistaken in this. Those plans were reverse engineered from vessels used in an attempted attack on Daath centuries ago, by the Destrons. The original Worldwreckers are the ultimate, _starship-scale_ Destrons, who are much less sparing in their use on those occasions when they are able to construct them. Fortunately, building such frames is probably not within the means of those Destrons active in the current era. 

At least, not yet.

*Worldwrecker - 385 points

Size* Awesome; *Strength* 25; *Speed* 12 (space only); *Toughness* 25; *Defense* -2.
*Features:*
Communications, Defense Systems, Hangar, Holding Cells, Living Space, Personnel.
*Powers:
Heavily Armored:* Impervious Toughness 24 - 24 points
*Hyperdrive:* Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points
*Weapon Systems:* Array (319 points)
 *Grand Cannon:* Ranged Cone Area 8 Damage 30, Activation (Standard Action, -2), Extended Range 19 - 315 points
 *Secondary Beams:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 15, Extended Range 19 - 1 point
 *Tractor Beams:* Move Object 25, Extended Range 19 - 1 point

_Note: The space fighter accompaniment of some Worldwreckers are exactly as described in the Hero's Handbook._


----------



## Davies

Andy Mickiewicz





Considering that he has only been in Argus for a short time, Andrezj "Andy" Mickiewicz has gotten into more trouble than any one person should ever experience. He would tell you, if you asked and possibly even if you did not, that he has been through more trouble in the last two years than he had managed to get into over the previous twenty. (Which might not mean much, but you have never met his family.) And things are just getting started.

After graduating from technical school in his native Poland, Andrezj found himself considering enlisting in the army. Instead, he decided to investigate the prospect of working for Argus, which seemed like a more exciting job. He was right, but would also come to regret that choice. Had he known then what he knew now ... well, matters being what they are, he would probably have gotten himself killed during the invasion. Regardless, soon after finishing his training, he found himself assigned to guard duty on some moldy old castle in Romania. It seemed a pretty boring task and not anything that he had ever expected to do, but it would probably be easy, right? After all, there were no such things as vampires, right?

*Right?* 

So then the vampires showed up -- just three of them, mind -- and Andy has _still_ never gotten a straight answer about what they were trying to do. All that he knows is that they killed just about all of guards on duty, and Andy himself only lived because he had the good fortune to be working alongside Beretta Staunton, who seemed to have a genius for killing vampires. Once they and the few other survivors were airlifted to Vienna and treated for their injuries, they were informed about the disaster that had enveloped Argus HQ in New York at the same time, and about the extent to which Dracula had seized control of the United Kingdom. Andy was soon transferred to North America to give a report on the raid on Poenari Castle; Beretta, as the senior surviving agent, should have done this, but he was already on his way back to London to start his personal war. For his part, Andy knew that he owed Beretta his life and was willing to do anything he could to help.

As a consequence, though, he ended up tapped to work for the Combination Taskforce, where situations _almost_ as terrifying were a weekly event. That assignment finally wound down after the invasion and after the boss turned into a superpower. (Technically, that is the second time one of his direct superiors went that route. Spooky, right?) At least he managed to avoid serious injury in that little episode, but he had a feeling that the reward for his hard work was going to be more hard work. And he was right, for now Andy had been tapped to work as a handler for a newbie superhero. What in his background made them think that he was qualified to do something like this? Who knows? He read up all that he could on this Jewel person, starting with the interviews that she had given soon after she arrived on Earth, and then set off into the Yellowstone valley where she was posing as a simple hiker. He greeted her with a friendly smile, and the next thing he knew they were about a mile up in the air with her holding his shirt collar and shouting, "Who are you?!"

Quickly deciding that he had been made, Andy went for full disclosure and confessed everything. To his further confusion, Karsa seemed bewildered by this, but she brought him safely back to Earth, apologized and agreed to work with him in the future. He is glad to be making progress on this assignment, but still has no idea what tipped her off. (The answer is nothing -- she was simply startled to be confronted by someone who could have been a twin of the sergeant in the Dhakimite army unit she wound up commanding, who wound up saving her life at the cost of his own. She has not yet told Andy about this.) 

While Andy is utterly terrified of vampires, this should not be understood as inspiring flight or inaction in him. Rather, he will fight in incredibly risky ways against such creatures, risking everything on the understanding that he will lose everything in any event if he is defeated. Unfortunately, he has been developed some dangerously false beliefs about the limitations and weaknesses of the undead, potentially putting him in even further danger. Fortunately, he is also slightly misinformed about how likely he is to encounter a vampire.

*Andy Mickiewicz -- PL6

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Equipment 4, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), stake (Strength-based Damage 1), garlic and 9 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 3 (+5), Expertise: Magic* 2 (+3), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+3), Expertise: Survival 4 (+5), Insight 2 (+4), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Blaster 2 (+4), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 3 (+4), Treatment 3 (+4), Vehicles 4 (+6).
* INT-based.

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 3)
Stake +3 (Close Damage 4)
Blaster Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/4, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Advantages 19 + Skills 26 + Defenses 10 = 91 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Delusion* (a stake through the heart permanently kills vampires.) *Secret* (Argus agent.) *Terrified Rage* (vampires.)


----------



## Davies

The Maniac





He only has vague memories of his prior existence, mostly focused on how it ended, and even those are not terribly clear. He was holding up a great mass of rock, as other men ... were they helping him, or just trying to escape? Perhaps it matters little. His last thought was the realization that the weight was too much for him, despite everything, and then darkness. And _then_ light, but not the light that he had hoped for, despite everything. A different, darker light, seen through the distortion of a fluid and then a glass barrier beyond that. There were people, or at least things that looked like people, in the light, and he could hear though not understand their speech. Until he did, and one of them said to him -- or perhaps just _of_ him -- "We will make you stronger yet." Then darkness fell.

When it lifted again, he was as he is now, and standing before the young woman whom he would come to know as his first master. She had a grudge against the hero known as Pallas, and some other enemies of the hero had decided to assist her to resolve that grudge by bestowing on her the ankh-shaped talisman that allowed her to command him. While the situation was quite strange, he felt no confusion. There was work to be done and he was the one to do it. Neither was he bothered by the fact that the sight of him made most people scream and run in terror. He would only hurt them if he must in order to obey the commands of his master, but if so, all bets were off. To them, he seemed like a maniac, and that was what they called him.

However, there then occurred some events which his creators, if that was what they were, could not have anticipated. During his third fight with Pallas, the life of his master was put in danger, with her slipping off the edge of the rooftop where he and Pallas were contending. _Pallas_ was the one to save her life, not him, which led to her opinions about the hero shifting slightly. Subsequent events would make her abandon it altogether, and also lead to her deciding that it was a cruel and contemptible act to use the Maniac as a weapon -- no, be honest, as a _slave_. So she gave him the talisman and told him to be his own master, now.

Unfortunately, that did not work. Perhaps the creators had anticipated that the talisman might come into his hands somehow, and installed a countermeasure in his neural programming to prevent just this circumstance. When he has the talisman in his possession, he enters a state of dormancy that only ends when someone takes it from him. Before you ask, no, he cannot prevent this by holding tightly to the talisman, as it will slip out of his fingers as soon as someone else touches it. Whoever takes up the talisman gains the Maniac as a protector, and if they want to be protected through pre-emptive attack, they will be. When it is not in the possession of anyone, he will invariably head to where it is, take it up, and go dormant.

The talisman has passed through a number of hands in the five years since it and the Maniac first appeared on the World More Grim -- good people, bad people, and a whole swath of people who were in over their head. Once, when the Superhuman Crew were in desperate straits, they recruited his help by having Snow White "persuade" his current master to give her the talisman, and then gave it back to the Maniac in the aftermath while putting him in a situation where he should have been difficult to find. "Should have" is the word for it, though, as he was in the control of a new master within a week. Pallas has stated that she thinks her extended family is using the Maniac as a catspaw, though she can perceive no pattern to his masters.

While the Maniac will do whatever his master commands without objection, it has been noted that he never hurts anyone that his master did not specifically command him to hurt, and that he works to prevent harm to those who are uninvolved in his current conflict -- unless commanded otherwise. He fights smartly, using only what force he needs to accomplish his task -- unless commanded otherwise. He has exactly one limit: nothing, no matter what, will ever compel him to harm April Danza, his first master. While he has not seen her since she tried to give him his freedom, the Maniac has never forgotten her. The memory of her is the one tiny light in the darkness of his existence.

*The Maniac -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 16/13 | *STA* 15 | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
"And His Anger Grows":* Enhanced Strength 3, Builds* - 4 points 
*Helm:* Immortality 10 (one hour); Protection 3; Removable (-4 points) - 19 points
*Impervious Body:* Impervious Toughness 15 - 15 points
*Resistant Mind:* Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
*Strange Bond:* Senses 10 (detect talisman [accurate, extended 3, penetrates concealment]) - 10 points
*Strength Beyond Imagination:* Enhanced Strength 14 (3200 ktons/25000 ktons), Limited to lifting  - 14 points
*Swift Movement:* Leaping 12 (4 miles); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 16 points
*Tricks:* Array (26 points)
 *Foot Stomp:* Line Area Damage 13 - 26 points
 *Shockwave:* Burst Area Affliction 13 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Thrown Object:* Ranged Damage 16; Removable (-6 points) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment, Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Improved Defense, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Startle, Tracking, Weapon Break.

*Skills:*
Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+11), Perception 4 (+9), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 16/13)
Thrown Object +8 (Ranged Damage 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 15, Toughness 18, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 102 + Powers 116 + Advantages 15 + Skills 11 + Defenses 10 = 254 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 12
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Does Not Talk. Love* (April Danza.) *Reputation* (horrible monster.) 

* This flaw is the opposite of the Fades flaw. The first turn that this effect is activated, only 1 rank of it is available, with 1 rank becoming available at the start of each turn that the effect is used. When the character stops using the effect, it drops back to no ranks active and must build up again. It can only be applied to effects that have more than one rank, and never applies to the _first_ rank of an effect (which is always available and thus not flawed.)

_Note: The talisman possesses no powers in and of itself. If held in hand, it can be disarmed in combat, but the owner does not have to do so in order to command the Maniac, which they can do as a free action._


----------



## Davies

Tlaloc





In 2013, a platform supply vehicle transporting replacement crew and supplies to an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico came upon the wreckage of a still-unidentified vessel. One of the crew spotted a human form in the debris, and this survivor, an unconscious young man, was brought aboard. After making its delivery, the ship quickly returned to Houston and turned their unexpected passenger over to a hospital, where he was brought back to consciousness. However, that was only the beginning of their difficulties, as he seemed to recognize neither English nor Spanish as languages and was generally confused.

Fortunately, one of the doctors there happened to have some familiarity with Nahuatl, and was able to recognize some of the phrases that the patient was using as an old-fashioned version of that language. With that, communication was sped up considerably, though still limited by the fact that the patient claimed total amnesia about himself and a lack of familiarity with any modern technology. Further, it had already become apparent that he possessed superpower levels of strength and resilience, increasing the difficulty of treating him.

After reports of his discovery were circulated in the media, in the hopes of finding someone who could identify him, the hospital was contacted by members of the Echeverria family of Arizona, claiming that pictures of the patient were similar to their missing son Humberto. Unfortunately, when they actually met him, their hopes were dashed, as he only resembled the missing young man, and was a bit younger than he would have been. Despite this, the wealthy Echeverrias offered to pay for his hospitalization, out of charity, they claimed.

Soon afterwards, representatives of the Futurian Academy contacted the hospital and offered to take custody of their patient, who was now as fully recovered as he was likely to be. The full extent of his superpowers, including the ability to influence the weather and to fly, had been discovered in the interim, and the young man, now using the name Jose Hechavarria, agreed to study at the Academy in order to learn how to safely use these powers. (He did not say so, but he suspected -- and suspects -- that careless use of these abilities might have been responsible for the situation that led to him being adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.)

Five years later, Jose graduated from the Academy with honors, having raised a few eyebrows by taking the name of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc as his own. He explained his choice by claiming that Tlaloc had represented the life-giving _and_ destructive powers of the weather, both of which Jose also possessed. He returned to the United States and has acted as a hero in the American southwest, particularly Arizona and New Mexico. He has never achieved national fame, though that may be coming after he worked with Exile and other heroes in defending California during the recent invasion.  However, he is somewhat unpopular in Texas, due to weather problems that those working on a certain wall have encountered. Tlaloc politely disclaims any responsibility for what are surely acts of God.

He still yearns to know the truth of his origins, but focuses on the immediate present for the most part. With the help of one of his occasional allies, the Chiricahua mystic who currently uses the name Goyaałé, he has managed to recover a single image of his past, but it has only confused matters further. He now remembers flying in the air above what looked like the pyramids of Teotihuacan, only decidedly unruined, and answering prayers for rain. But how is that even remotely possible, when he was no more than fifteen years old when rescued from the sea?

*Tlaloc - PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Aquatic:* Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Impervious Toughness 8; Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [underwater]); Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 14 points
*Flies Through Wind and Water:* Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 17 points
*Weather Control:* Array (29 points)

*Dazzling Strike:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vision and Auditory Impaired, Vision and Auditory Disabled, Vision and Auditory Unaware) - 1 point
*Dense Fog:* Visual (All) Concealment 4 Attack, Burst Area 3, Selective - 1 point
*Hail Storm:* Ranged Cloud Area Damage 9, Indirect 2 - 29 points
*Lightning Bolts:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8, Indirect 3 (any point downwards) - 1 point
*Stormy Weather:* Environment 9 (1 miles; Cold, Impede Movement, Visibility) -1 point
*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+9), Expertise: History 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Lightning 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 7)
Lightning Bolts +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Dazzling Strike -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 7)
Hail Storm -- (Ranged Cloud Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 11, Toughness 10/8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 64 + Advantages 6 + Skills 14 + Defenses 17 = 175 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Mysterious Origins. Public Identity. Reputation.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> However, he is somewhat unpopular in Texas, due to weather problems that those *working on a certain wall* have encountered. Tlaloc politely disclaims any responsibility for what are surely acts of God.



Even in this reality, huh? Idiots. (Hope it gets knocked over by a kaiju or some super brawl eventually to illustrate its pointlessness.)


Davies said:


> With the help of one of his occasional allies, the *Chiricahua mystic who currently uses the name Goyaałé,*



They sound interesting...


----------



## Davies

Beretta Staunton & Genevieve Benyamina




_Beretta_




_Genevieve

Once upon a time not so long ago ..._

When he was younger, growing up in a London neighborhood, he never got a straight answer from his father about why he had been named after an Italian gun manufacturer. The old man is gone now, and he took that particular secret to the grave with him. Well, the time when he got teased about his name was quickly eclipsed by the time when he endured abuse for the color of his skin, anyway, and he has much more important things to worry about in his current days and nights.

When she was younger, growing up in Prague, her mother was quite forthright about why she had been given a name like Genevieve. While of Algerian origin, her family also had roots in France, and St. Genevieve was the patron saint of Paris, _and_ her mother had always loved the "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from _Camelot._ Even then she had thought that was a weird thing to love, but she has much more important things to worry about in her current days and nights.

Beretta chose employment with Argus as a way to get out of what the United Kingdom was turning into, and also to do a bit of good in the world. Unfortunately, his first assignment after training was guard duty on a castle in Romania that came under attack by vampires, which no one had ever told him were even real. Early in their assault, Beretta ended up falling into a hidden chamber within the castle, where he discovered an antique armored gauntlet. Heeding a strange impulse, he put it on and felt it merge into his body, granting him the power to fight against the attackers and win the conflict. Unfortunately, that was just the first battle of a much longer war.

Genevieve chose employment with Bezpečnostní informační služba, the Security Information Service of the Czech Republic, as a way to serve the nation where she was raised, and also to do a bit of good in the world. Unfortunately, she found herself overmatched by the opposition she frequently faced. Feeling that she needed to acquire an edge, Genevieve obtained cybernetics that enhanced her reaction time. This made things more even, but also drew her into conflict with a group of robots seeking to undermine the republic, whom she defeated. Unfortunately, that was just a small battle of a much larger war.

Upon learning of the disaster in New York, and what had been learned about Dracula covertly ruling the U.K., there was only one thing Beretta could do. Even if not for his own anger over what had become of the land of his birth, the gauntlet might have driven him to it; while vampires of this sort had not existed in the era when it was made, it had been forged to destroy creatures _like_ them. So he left Argus and returned to the United Kingdom to fight against the monsters, undead and living, who were making a hell of his home. His occasional contacts with Argus made it clear that they could not support him officially, but would lend him unofficial, backchannel support. For a year, things were good ... and then they got strange.

Upon learning of the existence of the rogue ASIs, and the Gray Seal who were fighting them, there was only one thing Genevieve could do. Besides, the Seal were probably a more reliable source of maintenance for her extant cyberwear, above and beyond the communications implant they provided. For a while, she provided material and personal assistance to their struggle. Then, after the victory in Seattle made the Patron decide that they _must_ trust outside agencies, she was chosen to be the agent to make contact with a certain agent of Argus who was pretending to be a vigilante in the United Kingdom. Reluctantly, she went rogue from BIS and made her way across the continent to start this operation ... and then things got strange.

Together, the two learned that forces under the direction of Axiom, in response to the destruction of Pythagolem, had amped up their secret war against Dracula and his followers. Had they been other people, they might have shrugged this off as a case of evil fighting evil to the good of all. But both of them were well aware that neither of those evils cared even a whit about the possibility of innocent bystanders being hurt in their conflicts, and both of them had always been driven by a desire to protect them. So they joined forces to fight a secret war of their own.

It is not an easy partnership. All that Beretta knew about the Gray Seal is that they were a bunch of crooks engaged in corporate sabotage, and he still cannot bring himself to believe that a bunch of thinking machines have as much influence as she has claimed. For her part, Genevieve has never had much respect for Argus or private security firms in general, and she still does not really believe in what she has heard about the mystical properties of the device he uses, which is probably just some weird xenotech. Nevertheless, having only each other to rely upon, they have learned to work and fight together, and might even be considered friends. He even tolerates the way she calls him "Tommy," while she copes with being called "Gina."

Not the first time people have used those particular aliases ... but they have much more important things to worry about in their current days and nights.

*Beretta Staunton -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 6/1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Transformation:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2; Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 3, Favored Enemy [vampires], Improved Initiative 2), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total), Subtle; Enhanced Stamina 5, Subtle; Impervious Toughness 5; Senses 1 (low-light vision); Speed 3 (15 MPH) - 37 points

*Advantages:*
Beginner's Luck, _Close Attack 3,_ Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, _Favored Enemy [vampires],_ Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Improvised Tools, Inspire, Luck 4, Ranged Attack, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 2 (+5), Athletics 2 (+3), Close Combat: Blade 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+9), Expertise: History 5 (+6), Expertise: Magic 2 (+3), Expertise: Popular Culture 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+7), Ranged Attack: Blaster 2 (+5), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 2 (+5)

*Offense:*
Initiative +11/+3
Unarmed +7/+4 (Close Damage 1)
Blade +10/+7 (Close Damage 4, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude 9/4, Toughness 8/6/3/1, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 37 + Advantages 16 + Skills 39 + Defenses 9 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret* (Argus agent.)

*Genevieve Benyamina -- PL 7

Abilities: 
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Boosted Reflexes:* Linked Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge) and Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2), Tiring - 4 points
*Radiotelepathy Mindlink:* Selective Area Radio Communication 3 (regional), Limited to those with radiotelepathy, Subtle; Senses 1 (radio) - 17 points
_*Striking Strength:*_ Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 points

*Advantages:*
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion _2_, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, _Improved Initiative 2,_ Improvised Tools, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork, Tracking, _Uncanny Dodge_.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3), nightvision goggles, and 8 points of equipment as needed.
*Motorcycle* - 10 points
*Size* Medium; *Strength* 1; *Speed* 6 (ground); *Defense* 10; *Toughness* 8.
*Arsenal:* Array (24 points)

*Autoblaster:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
*Customized Blaster Pistol:* Ranged Damage 5, Accurate - 1 point
*EMP Grenades:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless, Paralyzed), Limited (only against robots and androids) -  1 point
*Frag Grenades:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 1 point
*Smoke Grenades:* Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 2 (+4), Athletics 4 (+4), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 5 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 3 (+6), Expertise: History 3 (+6), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Expertise: Survival 2 (+5), Insight 5 (+6), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+6), Persuasion 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 7 (+8), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +10/+2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1)
Autoblaster +6 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Blaster Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 5)
EMP Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Will 5)
Frag Grenade -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Smoke Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/6, Parry 8/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/3/1, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 22 + Advantages 21 + Skills 37 + Defenses 17 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret* (Gray Seal.)

You live for the fight when it's all that you've got.


----------



## Davies

Rumpelgeist





Since 2017, corrupt businessmen and criminal enterprises in Central Europe, particularly East Germany and Austria, have found themselves significantly less secure than they had been. The being who calls themselves Rumpelgeist, after the phantasmal creature who may have inspired the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin, has seen to that. They rarely come into conflict with their operatives, preferring to observe, document and report on their activities to members of the press who have proven trustworthy. On a handful of occasions, Rumpelgeist has demonstrated considerable combat skills, suggesting highly enhanced reflexes are part of their "power package". They also sometimes set up complicated pranks on their targets, and have been known to indicate their presence to the people they observe (_after_ recording their activities) by rattling something.

As far as is known, no one knows that Rumpelgeist is Dresden-born Hoyt Sauer, who developed superpower levels of agility and reflexes in his early teens. Becoming something of a prankster and the despair of his parents, they cheerfully packed him off to the Futurian Academy when representatives from the school came calling. He did quite well in his studies there but his abilities were too subtle to allow him to really stand out among his fellows. In his graduation interview with Exelion, however, the headmaster suggested that he make a virtue of this lack of ostentation, employing his talents for a more covert style of heroism.

Hoyt seems to have taken this to heart. Exactly how he came into possession of the stealth suit which allows him to become invisible (and also incorporates a relatively weak force field) is not something he has discussed with anyone. He _has_ stated his belief that it functions using much the same properties as the Griffin formula. It does not appear to have the neurological effects that the chemical does, likely because the invisibility persists only as long as the user wishes. However, Rumpelgeist has admitted that he is concerned about the possibility that he might one day lose control due to this invisibility, and claims to use it with appropriate caution. Whether that is true or not is open to question.

During the recent Konan invasion, Rumpelgeist found himself pressed into service as a messenger by the group of European heroes fighting in the Carpathians, many of whom were former classmates of his. (This required him to work with Der Fahrer, similarly tasked, and neither of them gets along with the other.) He survived the experience, but avoided both the celebration afterwards and any attempts to offer him honors, preferring to mourn his losses privately and then get back to work. "Handeln ist seine Belohnung," remarked one of the reporters with whom he has had frequent interactions.

*Rumpelgeist -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Stealth Suit:* Concealment 6 (radio, visual); Sustained Protection 2; Removable (-2 points) - 12 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Swift:* Movement 1 (wall-crawling); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Skill Mastery (Stealth), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Smartphone and 3 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+13), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+8), Insight 6 (+10),
Intimidation 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 7 (+10), Stealth 9 (+14), Technology 4 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/3, Will 9 

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 18 + Advantages 9 + Skills 39 + Defenses 15 = 151 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Secret Identity. Trickster.*

_Note: For his PL 8 stats as a student at the Academy, modify as follows: reduce STA to 1 rank, FGT to 9 ranks, INT to 2 ranks, AWE to 2 ranks, PRE to 2 ranks; drop Stealth Suit; reduce Stealth to 7 (+12); reduce Dodge to 9._


----------



## Davies

Posting this early because we might have a blackout coming shortly.

Action Figure




_Approximately two-thirds actual size._

Jeanne Martell was one of countless young Americans to volunteer for National Guard duty in the aftermath of the attack of Cerebron. While demonstrating considerable talent for her duties, she was something of a problem child who received frequent disciplinary infractions during her relatively brief career. Her time in the service came to an end in early 2003, when she was blasted by a criminal using a stolen Newton Beam projector before one of her teammates shot the man. Normally, the shrinking effect of a Newton Beam wears off after about a minute. For whatever reason, whether whatever unknown modifications had been made to the weapon or some x-factor in her own biology, the effect on former Private Martell has lasted more than eighteen years, right up until the present.

While horrified to have been shrunken to the size of a doll, Martell eventually decided that it was a blessing in disguise. She had heard rumors that the government was assembling a team of superpowers from among serving military personnel, and she was -- sort of -- a superpower now! With her tiny size and her skills, she would be an ideal scout for the missions of such a team, and looked forward to being tapped for it. In reality, she was never seriously considered for membership in the United Superheroes of America, mostly because John Wright had already been recruited for the team by the time she had her origin, but partially because of her history of discipline problems.

Nevertheless, Martell was stunned to be given a medical discharge, and to watch the debut of the United Superheroes on her big screen TV (actually a smartphone.) Fuming, she decided that if her country had no use for her talents, there were plenty of other interested parties who could put them to use _and_ would pay well for them. Of course, the sorts of mercenary groups who were interested parties often operated extremely black operations, and quite a few of her early jobs were extraordinarily hard on what remained of her conscience. She nevertheless shut up and soldiered.

Matters being what they were, many of the jobs that Action Figure (a name she picked over the other suggestion, Commando Barbie) worked resulted in her encountering superheroic opposition. For whatever reason, she kept being sent up against that damn Minuteman character who had taken her job, both when he was a member of the United Superheroes and later as a solo act and member of the Powerhouse. These encounters usually went poorly for her, resulting in her spending a lot of time in mundane but specially construsted jail cells. Sometimes she would try to employ advanced technology to give her more of an edge in these conflicts, but always returned to her preferred, mundane (but also specially constructed) weaponry when these gimmicks failed her.

This has gone on for years now. (Whatever happened to her also seems to have slowed down her aging process, slightly.) Recently, Action Figure heard rumors that suggested that Minuteman had been forced into semi-retirement after some Argus stooge, posing as his girlfriend, betrayed him. She found herself somewhat surprised to feel sympathy for her long-time adversary; dating back to her own feelings of betrayal, Martell has always felt nothing but contempt for people who engage in double-crosses and has never descended to those sorts of tactics herself. Somewhat hesitantly, she sought out John Wright, claiming to want a truce, and had a surprisingly pleasant time drinking and talking about old times with him.

Probably nothing will come of this. Probably they will go back to fighting like crazy as soon as he gets his suit back in order and she gets hired to do a job that he runs into. Probably nothing will come of this. Probably ...

*Action Figure -- PL 8 

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Doll Sized:* Permanent Shrinking 8 (STR -2, Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Speed -1, Intimidation -4) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidate), Equipment 5, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 2), Tiny Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical), Tiny SMG (Ranged Multiattack Damage 2).

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+4), Close Combat: Knife 2 (+7), Intimidation 8 (+4), Expertise: Military 8 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+8), Stealth 8 (+18), Vehicles 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 0)
Knife +7 (Close Damage 1, Crit 19-20)
Tiny SMG +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 8 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 14 = 111 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Professional--Motivation. Hatred* (traitors.) *Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Jessica Drummond





She does not really resemble her older brother. (She never uses the term "half-brother". No individual is half-anything.) In part, this is because he favors their father, while she is closer in appearance to her mother. The mixed Russian-Manchurian heritage she inherited, combined with her own mastery of disguise, allows her to pose as an individual of pretty much any Asian background. There is also the fact that he has allowed himself to age naturally, where she has employed age-retarding (possibly even age-reversing) techniques to keep herself looking as she did when they first met, in their late teens. (However, her skills with disguise have also allowed her to seem much older from time to time.)

After battling him for decades, and coming to terms with the fact that she could not kill him without destroying herself as well, Jessica Drummond found herself somewhat at loose ends. (After all, a universe without _her_? Scarcely bore thinking about.) She was recovering from a drinking binge when the world ended, Tanelorn was born, and she found herself involuntarily empowered by the enigmatic force which created the other guardians. To her senses, it was like staring up at an imaginably complex yet fundamentally ordered being, or examining an all-encompassing master plan for all of creation. Naturally, she responded to this by smirking at it and saying, "I'm going to mess you _up._"

Ever since then, she has sought to manufacture an all-encompassing dimensional crisis that will affect the entire continuum. (Why? Tell you later.) Her first breakthrough came when she obtained an implement that allowed her to freely along the temporal axis of any world that permits any form of time travel. It takes a different appearance in each reality she visits; in the World Less Magical, it resembles a ceramic coin stamped with an unfamiliar profile, the representation of a star, and a date in the thirtieth century of the common era. While time traveling in unfamiliar histories exposes her to the danger of destruction by paradox, she has so far avoided it, possibly by demonstrating much greater caution than those who know her well would expect.

Soon after acquiring that device, her second major advantage came into her hands when her path crossed with an unimaginably powerful but dying entity from a destroyed reality. Learning what that entity sought, Jessica persuaded her that she might find it on the World Less Magical, since it was the reality furthest removed from her original one ... then headed there herself along a more direct route, spending years under a variety of identities shaping two lives so that they would closely resemble what the entity was seeking. And it worked, with the entity bestowing its dimensional manipulation abilities on Aya Nagase, who has since unwittingly used them to slowly but surely draw a number of significant realities closer together. Just as planned.

Her schemes are all like that, complicated and baroque ... and successful to a frightening degree. And all directed towards one end -- during the great dimensional crisis that she has envisioned, her brother will be faced with the impossible choice of sacrificing all that he loves or an impossibly vast number of innocent lives in the ultimate trolley problem. Of course, he will take a third option, but the thing about third options is that you usually have to pick one in a hurry; also, someone who expects you to do  that can arrange for you to pick a third option that suits them. A lover of chaos who wants _him_ to love it too, Jessica will ensure that the third option he chooses will cause nothing but chaos. She expects that realizing this will break him in interesting ways, so that they can start having real fun together.

There is only one thing that worries her. (Well, there are actually a lot of them, but only one that she has no plan to exploit in some way.) The entity, or force, or whatever-it-was that she saw, the all-encompassing master plan ... central to her personal philosophy is that when it bestowed this enhancement on the other guardians, it demonstrated its fundamental incompetence when it also granted it to her by accident, thanks to her connection to her brother. (She also never thinks of him by his name, by the way.) But what if that is not the case? What if all her schemes have served some greater purpose, some grander order, that she cannot divine? What if she, the weed who chokes the garden of reality, is actually a beautiful and beneficial dandelion?

What a horrible thought!

*Jessica Drummond -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 9/4 | *STA* 9/4 | *AGL* 12/7 | *DEX* 10/5 | *FGT* 13/8 | *INT* 10/5 | *AWE* 8/3 | *PRE* 9/4

*Powers:
Age-Defying:* Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
*Guardian:* Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Awareness 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 5; Enhanced Presence 5; Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5 - 80 points
*Lifelink:* Immortality 14 (4 minutes), Quirk (only as long as Kent Wildman is alive) - 27 points
*Sneak Attack:* Strength-based Damage 4, Limited to vulnerable or defenseless targets - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 5, Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Time-displacement device (Movement 6 [dimensional travel 3, time travel 3]), and 13 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+16/+11), Athletics 6 (+15/+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17/+12), Deception 9 (+18/+13), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+16/+11), Expertise: Dimensional 4 (+14/+9), Insight 8 (+16/+11), Perception 6 (+14/+9), Sleight of Hand 5 (+15/+10), Stealth 4 (+16/+11), Technology 6 (+16/+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +16/+11
Unarmed +17/+12 (Unarmed 9/4)
Sneak Attack +17/+12 (Unarmed 13/8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 19/14, Parry 17/12, Fortitude 12/7, Toughness 11/9/6/4, Will 13/8

*Totals:*
Abilities 80 + Powers 110 + Advantages 19 + Skills 31 + Defenses 19 = 259 points

*Offensive PL:* 15
*Defensive PL:* 15
*Resistance PL:* 13
*Skill PL:* 13

*Complications:
Chaos--Motivation. Obsession* (Kent Wildman.) *Power Loss* (Guardian, outside of dimensional crises.)

_In all chaos there is a cosmos; in all disorder, a secret order._


----------



## Davies

Shānyáng/山羊





No house of the Shēngxiào has seen so much turnover as the house of the Goat. The first occupant lasted barely a month before an ill-considered scheme revealed the existence of the group to the newly-founded Ghost Sweepers, resulting in his demise in battle. Two others followed him, both pursuing more subtle schemes focused on gaining control of the vice trade in their respective bases of operation, only to fall in their turn to rivals within and without the group. And then, in 2016, the man who would become the current occupant was chosen, and quietly signaled his intentions by adopting the alias Shānyáng in mockery of Shēng Lóng. Despite that, he has held on to his position for slightly longer than his predecessor, and seems likely to endure for a while.

Suzushiro Yagi never wanted to be a teacher. Raised by a stern grandmother and told that both of his deceased parents had been teachers -- which does not seem to have been the case, incidentally -- he was not given any real choice in his profession. So he spent his life studying, never making any friends during his days in high school or college, and finally emerged from it as a student teacher shortly after his grandmother passed away. Finding the entire situation miserable, he vowed to do the bare minimum to keep his job and nothing more. When he suspected that one of his students was being bullied by her classmates, Yagi chose to ignore it, since he was just an educator, not some sort of caregiver. Even when she asked him for help, he told her to just avoid the bullies and they would eventually leave her alone.

That did not happen, and the bullies ended up killing her. The fact that her teacher had known about the situation and done nothing about it became a huge scandal. Yagi found himself suspended, which was not so bad given that he hated being a teacher. But he was also summoned to a meeting with the head of the family to which his late student had belonged, and he suspected that they would not be interested in listening to his excuses about how he had thought it was not his job to protect his students. He was right ... but not in the way that he thought. 
Expecting to find the family head, older sister to his student, to be angry, he was startled and failed to consider the implications of the calm reception he received instead. 

When he finally offered up a half-hearted apology for the situation, Yagi was not at all prepared to be told that, far from being upset at him for his role in the death of her sister, she was quite grateful for what he had done -- as it had made it that much easier for the bullies, whose services she had purchased, to get her sister alone and murder her, so that she was now the sole heir to their family fortune. Stunned at this confession, Yagi stammered out a vague threat to go to the police with what he had learned. The family head smiled and explained this would be hearsay testimony and invalid; she had already arranged for the actual killers to escape any punishment, and wondered if he really thought she could not protect herself. 

When he attempted to leave -- to flee, really -- he found himself held in his chair by a force he could not perceive. Heedless of his increasing panic, the family head explained to him that the time had come to discuss the reward for his services to her. Since he was going to lose his position because of this, it was only _just_ that she arrange for one to replace it. He was going to be joining the staff of a private school that her family owned. "And no matter what happens," she told him with a terribly cruel smile, "you will always be a teacher there, for the rest of your life." Whatever guilt his shallow, selfish nature had allowed Yagi to feel was instantly erased by the despair of being caught in a profession that he had come to hate, and his mind broke. It reformed a moment later when Diorite, observing this experiment by the second occupant of the house of the Rooster, granted him the power he now possesses. 

It is one of the more subtle powers in the employ of the Shēngxiào, secretly warping minds so that the victims experience confusion, depression and misfortune without ever being able to associate these symptoms with their source. For the most part, Yagi uses his power on whichever of his students manages to attract his interest, whether for good or bad behavior. However, he has also unleashed its full effects in public areas as a distraction for other members of the Shēngxiào, and has become accomplished at pretending to be affected by whatever strange phenomena is at work. Recognizing that he has next to no combat ability without his powers, Shānyáng will seek to escape from any conflict with someone who seems able to resist them.

Ironically, Shānyáng has a very poor relationship with Haha Niwatori, who brought him into the Shēngxiào on the assumption that he would support her in its power struggles. His fractured mind makes it difficult for her to exercise her mind control powers over him, and any social threats that she might make have no meaning to him. She could end his employment, but that would be a _reward_ to him. He cares nothing for money or social status, and could probably incapacitate most of the minions in her employ quite easily. On the other hand, she is immune to his powers as well. So they confine themselves to verbal sniping, ironically convincing most of their fellows that they are strongly allied.

Perhaps the central tragedy of Suzushiro Yagi is that he is, in fact, a good teacher, able to keep the attention of his students and convey the lesson plans set by the school board so that students understand them, and possessing a great memory for names, faces and personal information. He only lacks the empathy required to use these skills effectively. If not for the fact that he was forced into the profession, he might have come to it naturally, or found some other way to employ these talents that benefited humanity. But he was a nail that stood up and was then ... _not_ hammered down, but pulled out from the board in a way that twisted it into a disturbing shape.

*Shānyáng -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Aura of Despair:* Progressive Selective Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Insidious, Subtle - 56 points
*Such Misfortune:* Selective Burst Area Luck Control 2 (forced reroll, negate), Insidious, Luck 5, Subtle - 17 points
*Utterly Unfazeable:* Immunity 5 (interaction skills); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 15 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Connected, Daze (Teacher), Eidetic Memory, Hide in Plain Sight.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+10), Expertise: Popular Culture 7 (+9), Expertise: Teacher 7 (+11), Insight 10 (+12), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Aura of Despair -- (Burst Area Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 28 + Powers 79 + Advantages 5 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 164 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 4
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Bitterness--Motivation. Near-sighted. Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.*

"Heroes ride ... goats walk."


----------



## Davies

The Dreamdancer





She is the youngest of the four native immortal guardians of the World More Grim, and yet by some metrics the most powerful. This has never been properly tested, for though she is frequently opposed to Merlin (and just as often to the Erlkonig and the Mnajimu) they prefer to settle their disputes without direct confrontation, and all of them have joined forces to oppose Mephistopheles when needs must. But the others are well aware that without her, they would still be sleeping, and that she might return them to that sleep if she were sorely vexed.

Her story began in 1859, when a certain young girl asked a certain mathematician to tell her a story, and he obliged. Now, there can be no question that the mathematician and storyteller had no magical talents whatsoever, for magic had faded from the world long before, when an enchanter broke his staff and burned his book before departing from his exile in Bermuda. Yet somehow, the story that he told her sparked something in the mind of his young pupil. When she slept that night, the story she had been told continued in her dreams, growing stranger and stranger and remaining vivid in her mind when she awoke in the morning. And it would continue to do so through many nights to come.

This went on for years, and she described some of the events that she witnessed in these dreams to her tutor, who would incorporate them into his own stories that he would one day set down as a book. Eventually, the friendship between these two suffered a rupture, for reasons that have no relevance to _her_ story, and the young lady valiantly sought to stop having these dreams. In due time, she succeeded and lived happily -- if quietly and mundanely -- thereafter. But there was more to the story than she ever after knew.

In trying to break away from her adventures in what she believed to be dreams, she broke away a piece of herself that still wanted to continue having them. That piece, left behind in the regions she had visited, somehow grew into a fully realized person who promptly set about continuing her explorations of these lands. Ever young, she eventually ventured beyond the lands of chessboards and puns into other regions, to pirate-haunted islands and places even more uncivilized, to lands of eternal winter and realms of sulfur and brimstone, confronting all manner of strangeness with poise and patience. And though she never sought an explanation, she eventually found one all the same.

The Dreamer, as she was called then, eventually came to the workshop of the being who had created the structure in which all these realms existed. (The identity and origins of this earlier oneiromancer are unanswered questions, ones that she would like answered.) Within that place, she discovered a device that could awaken certain entities who were locked in dreams of their own, which would in turn awaken much else. Having met many beings imprisoned in these dream lands against their will, she found her heart moved to pity. And besides, it would be such a sight to see. So she awakened the other immortals, and won her own immortality in the process.

The Dreamdancer, as she is called now, is able to perceive the thoughts of any dreaming being on Earth, and can shape their mental landscape as it suits her, inflicting pleasures or pains. By and large, she simply watches, rarely acting to help or to harm, taking note of interesting ideas or concepts that she might replicate in the lands she now rules. Sometimes, she witnesses matters which disturb her -- though this takes a great deal of doing -- and in such instances she will normally seek help from mortals to resolve the problems faced by other mortals.

However, it is unwise to impute too much benevolence to the queen of the land where dreams have substance. While her immortal form requires less sleep than it once did, she must still let her conscious mind know rest on occasion -- and the sleep of her reason often breeds monsters. Her powers are unleashed when she herself dreams, and what dreams may come from this can be terrible indeed, especially if she found herself in a bad mood before surrendering to sleep. Yet the longer she resists the urge to sleep, the worse her moods might become. It is no easy thing to endure the stress of her regard ...

*The Dreamdancer -- PL 14

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Dreamdance:* Array (43 points)

*Shape Dream:* Illusion 14 (all senses), Dimensional, Independent, Limited to One Subject, Limited to sleeping targets, Resistible by Will, Dynamic - 44 points
*Shape Trauma:* Perception Range Damage 14, Dimensional, Resisted by Will, Limited to sleeping targets - 2 points
*Witness Dream:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 14, Dimensional, Limited to sleeping targets - 2 points
*Dreamsight:* Remote Sensing 13 (8000 miles; all senses), Dimensional, Medium (unshielded dreaming mind) - 53 points
*Dreamspeech:* Mental Communication 4 (planetary), Dimensional, Subtle - 18 points
*Immortal:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 14, Limited to mental effects - 7 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 3, Evasion, Fascinate (Performance), Improved Defense, Improved Defense, Multilingual.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 15 points

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+13), Expertise: History 6 (+10), Expertise: Performance 6 (+12), Insight 6 (+14), Intimidation 5 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 0)
Nightmare -- (Perception Range Perception Area Damage 13, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13/8, Will 14

*Totals:*
Abilities 86 + Powers 136 + Advantages 11 + Skills 23 + Defenses 18 = 274 points

*Offensive PL:* 14
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 12
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Secret Identity. Uncontrolled Power* (all Dream powers _may_ activate without conscious control when sleeping.) *Whimsical and Macabre.*

_Note: If the Dreamdancer ever travels to the World Less Magical, her STA, AGL, FGT, AWE and PRE drop by 2 ranks each, she suffers Power Loss for Immortal, her Impervious Will drops to 12, and her Dreamdance array drops to 34 points, with all effects dropping to 12 ranks and losing the Dimensional extra. She becomes PL 12._

"I know you/I walked with you once upon a dream."


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Now, there can be no question that the mathematician and storyteller had no magical talents whatsoever, for magic had faded from the world long before, when an enchanter broke his staff and burned his book before departing from his exile in Bermuda.



“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”


Davies said:


> "I know you/I walked with you once upon a dream."



Also relevant:  "Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot."


----------



## Davies

Ife Brown






Making his debut just a few months before Cerebron attacked Earth, Ife Brown (then known as Duppy Jonah) was one of the most noteworthy supervillains of the early second age. Developing his elastic body when he was seventeen, he was initially content to use the talents that it permitted to engage in minor acts of mischief in his native Montego Bay. After a friend of his was arrested and imprisoned for a crime that Brown knew for a fact had been committed by someone else, however, he recruited a few old friends of theirs to break him out of jail, and then fled out into the Caribbean to begin a career of high seas piracy.

Mostly preying on cruise ships, Duppy Jonah and his crew generally avoided serious violence, drug smuggling or kidnapping for ransom. (Their only brush with the latter was a scam that the supposed victim ran on her soon-to-be-ex-husband, which they were happy to assist once they made her acquaintance.)  After a 2004 clash with a United States Coast Guard vessel off the island of Saint Thomas, the crew was designated as a priority target by the recently established United Superheroes of America. Outnumbered and outgunned, Duppy Jonah and most of his men were captured and imprisoned, but were able to escape and resume their piratical exploits within a few months with the assistance of their friends who had avoided captivity.

In 2006, Duppy Jonah agreed to allow a film crew from Television Jamaica to accompany his own crew for a few days, in order to document their activities and demonstrate that they were far from the vicious pirates that other media had portrayed. By a remarkable coincidence, the film crew was thus present when the crew accidentally played a role in thwarting the coup attempt of Billie Zane by wrecking a mobile weapons factory employed by the conspiracy. The film of these activities created something of a sensation in Jamaica, where Duppy Jonah and his crew already had something of a reputation as folk heroes. Now they had actually been shown to be fighting a much more dangerous evil, that reputation grew even further.

At the demand of a vocal group in the Jamaican parliament, the governor general extended the offer of a pardon to Duppy Jonah and his associates. It is quite likely that this offer was made in the expectation that it would probably be refused, or that the pirate would probably return to his career after only a short time. To the surprise of nearly everyone, however, Ife Brown accepted the offer, returned to Jamaica, and declared an intention to live an honest life thereafter. While his activities are closely monitored by the Jamaican Constabulary Force and he has spent a few nights in jail on various charges since then, he has avoided serious wrong-doing over the last fifteen years.

At the start of his career as a pirate, Brown was driven by a great deal of anger at the injustice he perceived as being done to his friend, and was willing to do most anything that he thought might avenge it. That fury burnt out after a relatively short time, and the easy-going personality he had before that reasserted itself. Even before he stumbled into the opportunity to have his crimes pardoned, Ife was considering getting out of the racket, having started to find it boring and unpleasant. These days, he genuinely only wants to live in peace, and will only ever be roused to violence in the defense of himself or his friends. But he is still pretty darn good at it.

It should be understood that there are still a number of outstanding warrants for his arrest in the United States, and that if he ever left Jamaica for pretty much anywhere else, he would probably be arrested. That does not really trouble him much, as he is content to have his traveling days behind him. _Mostly_ content, at least.

*Ife Brown -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 12 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Deeeeep Breath:* Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation), Quirk (cannot talk and not if surprised) - 1 point
*Rubbery Body:* Elongation 4 (120 feet); Immunity 40 (ballistic damage, bludgeoning damage), Limited to half effect, Reflect; Impervious Toughness 12; Leaping 8 (2000 feet) - 64 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Power Attack, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 2 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+9), Intimidation 9 (+11), Perception 7 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 14, Toughness 12, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 76 + Powers 65 + Advantages 6 + Skills 21 + Defenses 9 = 177 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Peace--Motivation. Big Eater. Sinks Like A Stone* (or solid rubber.) *Still Wanted In A Lot of Places.*

_Note: Inspired by the work of EternalPhoenix._


----------



## Davies

Hyperspace Drone





In the slightly less than two thousand years* that the current spacefaring species have been exploring this section of the galaxy, the practical limit to their voyaging has not been the speed or even the endurance of their vessels. It has been the difficulty of long-distance communication. Who knows how many wonders and horrors have been witnessed only by the crew of a single starship that was subsequently lost without ever being able to report what they had seen? But having such vessels return to their origin whenever something of note has been discovered is also infeasible, and they would still run the risk of being destroyed on that unplanned return journey.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to transmit information through hyperspace, any more than directed energy weapons can be used there. Outside of the warp field that surrounds a hyperspace-faring vessel, projected energy disperses to incoherence almost immediately; signals are lost, weapons discharge is wasted. It has been theorized, based on dubious evidence, that the "highest" known regions of hyperspace might allow signals to be transmitted, but all known attempts to access such "bands" have been horrible disasters. Alternative methods have thus long been sought. 

For a long time in the Senatorial Imperium, those mystics who possessed telepathic abilities that facilitated instantaneous communication over interstellar distances provided that communication for the benefit of the Senate and other parties with whom they cooperated. However, there were never enough mystics of that capability to permit as much communication as was needed, and many of them (quite rightly) objected to devoting all their time to this activity. Artificially created telepaths were also employed to this purpose, but quite apart from the ethical considerations involved in their geneforging, the sort of mental organism designed for such telepathic prowess was unlikely to endure being used only for communication.

Hyperspace vessels that acted as couriers were employed for a while, but the demand for more and more rapid communication (and thus faster and lighter ships) ran into practical limitations. A starship designed for humanoid occupancy could not be built smaller than a certain size; any smaller than the size of a typical space fighter would result in the hyperdrive irradiating the pilot. This naturally led to robot-piloted courier starships for a short interval (a bit less than 1.5 years*) before the notion of combining the pilot and the starship led to the creation of the first hyperspace drone, a robot _brain_-piloted vessel that was the fastest documented ship in known space. Subsequent vessels of this class have hewed closely to the original design, with only minute increases in speed and endurance over the centuries since its debut.

The drone fleet remained in service until it was dismantled with the end of all robotic labor within the Imperium. The years since have seen a restoration of biologically-piloted hyperspace courier traffic, dubbed the Imperial Mail and firmly under the control of the Crimson King, who thus enjoys a near-monopoly on interstellar communication within his domain. Drone couriers remain in use in the Technate, though since the emancipation the vessels have generally been piloted by extremely sophisticated expert systems instead of true artificial intelligences. (However, there are still robots who accept employment as drone pilots, accumulating their pay until they can purchase a different frame that allows them to retire.) A smaller fleet of drones, based on Chirab, provides less frequent communications between many systems of the Unclaimed Regions.

Drones are not usually well-armored enough to survive re-entry on most inhabitable planets, and so either dock at orbital facilities to resupply and transmit their "cargo" or, more rarely, take up orbital positions that allow them to transmit to planetary communications facilities below. This relative structural weakness, and their lack of heavy weapons, also means that they will avoid battle as much as possible. There are exceptions, though, and a handful of drones in Technate service have earned _multiple_ battle stars.

*Hyperspace Drone -- PL 7/MR 12

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Armored Structure:* Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 6 - 64 points
*Comms:* Radio Communication 4 (planetary), Rapid 3, Subtle - 20 points
*Hyperflight:* Flight 14 (30,000 MPH), Limited to space or hyperspace; Enhanced Flight 4 (500,000 MPH), Limited to hyperspace; Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 21 points
*Manipulators:* Feature 1 (tools for self-maintenance and repair) - 1 point
*Sensors:* Senses 8 (hyper-extended accurate radio, direction sense, distance sense, time sense) - 8 points
*Weapon Systems:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Eidetic Memory, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Move-by Attack.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 3 (+6), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 5)
Weapon Systems +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 22 + Powers 130 + Advantages 4 + Skills 11 + Defenses 7 = 166 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Delivery--Motivation. No Ground Movement. Non-Verbal *(communicates only through radio, and only pre-recorded messages.) *Weak Manipulators* (Strength 1 for most manipulation tasks.)

_Note: The above represents a drone "piloted" by an expert system; one operated by an artificial intelligence will have a higher PRE and Will at minimum, probably better skills, and may or may not be Non-Verbal. They might also have more complicated Motivations._


----------



## Davies

Cambiante




_Default human form_

The Geretil reproduce in an asexual manner, creating a younger clone of themselves when they reach "old age". As such, they do not have genders as humans understand them, but adopt the gender identities of whatever species they are observing. Therefore, the Geretil observer currently using the identity of Mariya Hashimoto, and the pseudonym Cambiante, female pronouns will be used, as she employs that identity whenever conscious and not active in the service of her master.

The trouble began roughly a decade ago, when the Geretil made the acquaintance of the _real_ Mariya Hashimoto, a thirteen-year-old girl from Japan whose father had made the odd choice to bring his wife and child with him when he traveled to Spain in order to work. At the time, the Geretil was indistinguishable from any of the other Geretil on Earth, focused on learning as much as possible about this species, ostensibly with the goal of preparing them to join the interstellar community but really because the Geretil know no other life. The Geretil found Mariya to be a charming young person, free of the xenophobia that afflicts so many of the people of Earth.

And then, quite by accident, Mariya died in a senseless accident while talking with the Geretil. Horrified by this tragedy, the Geretil chose to abandon her former cover and pose as Mariya with the intention of continuing the imposture just long enough to let her wind up the unfinished business of her life and leave her friends and family with some more good memories. Yet that took longer than she was expecting, for something about being part of a family was appealing in an unexpected way.

Unfortunately, there was a lot that Mariya did not realize about the family she had joined. The key fact was made clear to her when she accompanied "her father" on a Take Your Daughter To Work expedition to the Madrid offices of Axiom, and she found herself introduced to his ultmate boss -- the artificial super intelligence who had leant their name to the company. Its agents had realized the change in "Mariya", even though her parents remained unaware of it, and now the ASI had many questions it wanted answered. Mariya, recognizing her danger, did her best to answer.

In the end, she persuaded Axiom that she had only peaceful intentions and found nothing terribly troubling about the notion of an artificial intelligence ruling over humanity. That was exactly how the Technate worked, after all, with the Minds guiding and advising the human administrators. Mariya hoped that she could help Axiom to achieve a similar level of enlightened leadership, and also came to understand and share its concerns about the superstitious activities of certain empowered human subcultures. Ultimately, she agreed to put her talents to use in the service of Axiom, receiving training from a variety of experts in a variety of skills. She took the alias "Cambiante" -- or "Changeling".

Fundamentally, what drives Cambiante is a mixture of guilt and fear. She has convinced herself that she is working to make the world into a place where the real Mariya could have grown up knowing a greater degree of security and happiness than she ever did. She has seen only the absolute worst behavior from magic-using humans, as when she went back to Japan and clashed with the Shēngxiào, and sincerely believes that their destruction will only benefit the rest of humanity. The Technate gets along fine without such powers, after all. However, she is not blind to the fact that Axiom is much more ruthless in its pursuit of this goal than she really likes, and tries to act as a check on this behavior. Sometimes, she succeeds.

But to go on succeeding, she has to follow its commands, and that is what has brought her to the United Kingdom, where she is taking a key role in directing the war against Dracula. This has led her into repeated clashes with the pair of lunatics who call each other Tommy and Gina, and she has found herself extremely frustrated with their successes and her own inability to deal with them in a permanent manner. She does not want to kill anyone -- she is still a believer in the principle of pacifism that guides the Geretil -- but the desperate situation demands desperate behavior.

Or so she tells herself, when she finds herself wondering if the innocent girl she failed to help would really approve of any of this.

*Cambiante -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:* 
*Shapeshifting:* Morph 3 [humanoids]; Regeneration 1; Variable 2, Move Action, Limited to Physical Abilities - 30 points

_Typical Variable Sets:
*Battle Form:* Enhanced Strength 5 - 10 points
*Void Form:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Winged Form:* Flight 5, Winged; Shrinking 2 (4 feet; +1 Dodge, +1 Parry, +2 Stealth, -1 Intimidation); Senses 3 (extended vision 2, low-light vision) - 10 points_

*Advantages:* 
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-All-Trades, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_ 
Concealed Stunbeam (Ranged Affliction 4 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated], Improved Critical, Subtle)

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 9 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+7), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+7), Technology 5 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+7)

*Offense:* 
Initiative +7
Concealed Stunbeam +9 (Ranged Fortitude 4, Crit. 19-20)
Unarmed +7 (Close, Damage 7/2)

*Defense:* 
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

*Totals:* 
Abilities 46 + Powers 30 + Advantages 13 + Skills 34 + Defenses 16 = 139 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Guilt--Motivation. Hatred* (magic and magical creatures.) *Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.*


----------



## Davies

Akamatsu Gori





While the existence of the Shēngxiào has not yet been publicly acknowledged by the Japanese government, and even those of its agents aware of its actvities are not sure of the identities of the majority of its empowered operatives, one of the latter group has become publicly notorious. Akamatsu Gori is the most wanted fugitive in Japan. Recognized as a supervillain, he is infamously responsible for a _single-handed_ assault on the National Diet Building in 2016 that resulted in the defeat of the then-current Sea Dragon team, including the death of two members and serious injuries to the other three, as well as extensive casualties among the security personnel of the building. His face was caught on video and he was easily identified, but he has never been apprehended and has not publicly surfaced since that episode. 

Long before any of that, however, Akamatsu Gori was one of the Public Prosecutors of Japan, considered likely to eventually become the Chief Prosecutor for the Nagoya office and possibly to rise even higher. In the course of his duties, he directed numerous investigations, supervised many interrogations, and prosecuted those offenders whose guilt was indicated by the preponderance of evidence. He was proud that he had never failed to receive the guilty verdict that he sought, but also proud that he had never prosecuted anyone whose guilt had not already been demonstrated. If he had ever heard the idea that pride went before a fall, he had forgotten it.

In 2008, Akamatsu led an investigation of a series of robberies allegedly committed by a former security guard. The evidence discovered by the police seemed conclusive, but the suspect refused to confess and insisted on his innocence. Something about the tone of those protests seemed strangely convincing, but Akamatsu chose to believe the chief investigator, with whom he had worked frequently. The case went to trial ... and everything fell apart over the next few months. The defense attorney demolished the evidence as circumstantial, poked holes in the witness accounts, and exposed serious flaws in the credibility of the investigators. Ultimately, the perfect record of guilty verdicts that Akamatsu came to an end when the judge declared "not guilty".

While certainly unhappy to have been defeated and embarrassed in this manner, Akamatsu nevertheless took it in stride and believed that justice had been done. And then the defense attorney died in an automobile accident. And _then_ the defendant and his family died in a house fire. Investigating these incidents, Akamatsu was horrified to learn that both had been deliberate homicides performed at the direction of his own chief investigator, who insisted that he had been certain of the guilt of both men and sought to prevent the hamstringing of the law. The family were simply collateral damage of the war on crime, for which any sacrifice was acceptable. Akamatsu ordered the arrest of the investigator ... and the police officers he ordered to do that seized _him_ instead. 

Somehow, he managed to escape before they could kill him, but not before it was explained that _many_ of his previous cases had involved falsified evidence, all to enhance the careers of the investigators. (Later, he would learn that some of them were associated with something called "the Vision", though not all.) Any belief Akamatsu had in the system that he had sworn to uphold was shattered, along with his belief in nearly anything else. These were the circumstances under which Diorite found him, and those under which he accepted her invitation to become the first, and to date only, occupant of the House of the Monkey.

In that role, he has been given an unusual power. The best theory of how it works, according to researchers at the Yokoyama Group, is that he is able to surround himself with a telekinetic field that allows him great strength and resistance to injury, while at the same time granting him certain psychoportative and clairvoyant talents as well; the latter allows him to to both see and and move through solid objects. At certain times, as during much of his attack on the Diet, this force field causes him to appear as a physical giant of twelve meters, while at other times he appears as his normal height and mass but still demonstrates the same ability to lift heavy objects and shrug off injuries.

As one of the longest enduring members of the Shēngxiào, Akamatsu has an equally long-standing rivalry with Shēng Lóng and Yamaguchi Kotaro ... at least, in theory. In practice, he ignores both of them, and the rest of the occupants, rarely taking action even when their activities annoy or inconvenience him. Where most of his fellows have plans to survive the destruction of humanity that Diorite seeks, or even to usurp her, Akamatsu has developed the belief that the destruction will be limited to the overthrow of human civilization and that something better will -- no, _must_ -- replace it. (He is completely mistaken.) Any sacrifice is acceptable in the name of that revolution.

Sometimes, as he thinks about that, something bothers him, as though he feels like he had heard similar ideas somewhere else. But such thoughts come more and more rarely as time passes.

*Akamatsu Gori -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 13/3 | *STA* 14/4 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Augmentation:* Enhanced Skill 5 (Stealth 10); Feature (can appear as his normal sized self in any area occupied by a part of his larger form); Growth 10 (45 feet; +10 Strength, +10 Stamina, +5 Intimidation, +1 Speed, -5 Dodge, -5 Parry, -10 Stealth), Subtle; Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation); Sustained Protection 5, Impervious 10*; Movement 3 (permeate 3); Regeneration 5; Senses 4 (vision penetrates concealment); Activation (Standard Action, -2 points) - 62 points
* 1 rank active per rank of Growth active.

*Advantages:*
Connected, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Civics 10 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+11), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+13/+8), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+10), _Stealth 10 (+1/+11)_.

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13/3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6/1, Parry 8/3, Fortitude 16/6, Toughness 19/9/4, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 62 + Advantages 8 + Skills 31 + Defenses 16 = 157 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Revolution--Motivation. Cold and Reserved. Notorious Outlaw. Subject to Orders.*


----------



## Davies

Armonia





Since Tanelorn was founded, refugees from countless worlds have come there to find a safe haven. Roughly fifteen years ago, one tiny family passed through a portal to this city on the edge of infinity, fleeing a great disaster that had claimed their world. They settled down and ran a small grocery, striving to be both productive and as anonymous as possible. The mother warned their daughter that she must never hide the powers and wisdom that she began to demonstrate as she grew up, while the father told her that one day, the time would come when she must use this inheritance for the benefit of the worlds. And she knew both things to be true.

The passing away of her foster parents greatly grieved Armonia Getane, but it strengthened a determination that had been growing in her mind. She could feel the time drawing closer and closer. Initially, she thought that she could best use these gifts by becoming one of the guardians, but found that she did not have the vocation for that. Nevertheless, she did make many friends there, notably the soldier Ligyron, whom she trusted with the secret of her powers, if not her suspicions about their source. She often accompanies these friends on their missions. Unlike their gifts, hers work even outside of a dimensional crisis.

When not engaged in such adventures, Armonia spends most of her time helping people in her neighborhood and occasionally working in the family grocery. (The stipend she receives as a "deputy guardian" more than covers her expenses, freeing her from the need to keep the store running full-time.) She also helps to keep the local church in good order, recognizing its sanctity even if her own religious beliefs are quite different and not something she feels the need to share.

Armonia believes that she is not human, but something utterly alien that was born in human form so as to allow her to live among them. Whether this is true or not remains unclear. Regardless, she would reject the notion that she is either more or less than human, just different. However, this awareness leaves her difficult to intimidate or impress. While she projects a persona of confidence, patience and kindness, there is also a mischievous streak in her that leads her to enjoy when her friends suffer moderate embarrassments as long as they are not genuinely hurt, emotionally or physically. 

Her greatest regret is that her end is drawing near. Gifted with the second sight, she knows that the ambitions of two women and two men are going to result in the greatest disaster the multiverse has ever experienced, but that the disaster can be averted if something is done. She remains unclear about that something -- though she has faith that she will realize what it is when the time comes -- but she knows that the consequence will be her death. And though she cannot see much of what will come after her death, she knows that she will be condemned and cursed for generations to come for what she has done. That will be fine, because they will live to curse her.

Or at least some of them will. The other thing, besides her own inevitable death, that she has deduced about what is to come is that the various worlds of the multiverse will be combined into a single reality by these events. But parts of those realities, countless innocent lives, will be destroyed in the process of that combination, lost forever to the void. So much will be wasted, and oh so little used ... and yet that is _still_ the only way for many other lives to be saved. More than anything else, she wishes that she could confide these fears in someone else, who might also be afraid but still offer to take her cowardly hand.

Armonia might be a bit more calm about her fate if she learned that she is a parallel world counterpart for the woman known as Pythia on the World Less Magical, who has already _been_ condemned and cursed by generations. So what she saw might not be what she thinks.

*Armonia -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Blessed Aegis:* Linked Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 3, Fortitude 3, Parry 3, Will 3); Linked Sustained Protection 3 - 15 points
*"Isn't Faith Believing/All Power Can't Be Seen?":* Array (36 points)
 *"Come Forth From Them, Unclean Spirit.":* Perception Range Nullify Mind Control 12, Concentration - 36 points
 *Healing Touch:* Restorative Healing 12 - 1 point
 *Healing Word:* Perception Range Healing 9 - 1 point
 *Moved by a Greater Hand:* Perception Range Move Object 11, Subtle - 1 point
 *Smite:* Perception Range Damage 11, Indirect, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Ward:* Selective Reaction Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point
*Link Mind to Mind:* Mental Communication 4, Check Required (Insight DC 24), Concentration, Quirk (-5 to Insight check if she has never met the subject), Two-Way - 1 point
*Second Sight:* Senses 10 (visual senses counters illusions, postcognition, precognition) - 10 points

_Power Stunt:
*"Rise Up":* Restorative Healing 12, Resurrection, Side Effect (inflicts Damage 12 on a failed check)_

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Attractive, Connected, Defensive Attack, Equipment, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Inspire 3, Multilingual, Power Attack, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Trance, Well-informed. 

_Equipment:_
Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach) and 2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Close Attack: Staff 5 (+12), Expertise: Dimensional 7 (+10), Expertise: Religion 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+13), Treatment 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 4)
Staff +12 (Close Damage 6)
Smite -- (Perception Range Damage 11)

*Defense:*
Dodge 13/10, Parry 15/12, Fortitude 11/8, Toughness 11/8, Will 15/12

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 67 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 17 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 13
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Kind But Distant. Mischievous. Secret* (true nature.)

_"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."_


----------



## Davies

And on that note ... I'm going to be taking another breather from this project.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> _"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."_




I honestly imagine her group as being the FF7 gang meets the Forever People.


----------



## Davies

Maybe, though Barrett and Tifa's counterparts are somewhere else right now.


----------



## Davies

The Anachronic Argonauts

While the disaster -- some might even call it a crisis -- began on 21st century Earth, it has quickly expanded beyond there, and not just in the four dimensions of space-time, but the fifth and sixth as well, affecting parallel realities and tangential dimensions. The only sequent of reality not completely affected is the timestream itself, the dimension through which time travel occurs, and even that has been impacted. And yet the victims of that impact might be the only ones to have any hope of repairing what has begun.

During their journeys in time, the Rutherfords have frequently acquired additional traveling companions from among the people they meet. These fellow travelers, if you will excuse the term, generally accompany the time travelers for only a short interval before they return to their original place and time, settle in some new region and/or era, or -- fortunately rarely -- suffer a misfortune that puts a permanent end to their journeys. While the person known variously as Leonardo da Vinci and Dr. Rupert Maxwell, among other aliases, is perhaps the most famous of their associates, he is far from the only one to have provided critical assistance in the past.

When the crisis began to affect the timestream, _four_ versions of the Rutherfords and their time machine were impacted, with the various vessels merging into a single entity. The respective Bruce Rutherfords and Weenas using these machines have vanished; what has become of them remains unclear. The four companions with whom they were traveling have been dropped into a situation none of them was ever prepared for, and forced to work with people about whom they had only ever heard vague rumors, if that, in order to extricate themselves from this situation, to rescue their friends and then possibly consider how to fix time.

Unfortunately, one of them is a traitor.

Well, that's something of an overstatement. One of them is -- or possibly was -- going to become, at some point further along in their individual journeys, the infamous Lord Carnifex. The exact circumstances under which that will happen are not terribly clear, and while the Rutherford and Weena who were traveling with them likely knew what was to happen, they themselves likely do _not_ know. And possibly, _just_ possibly, if time is truly broken, then perhaps that future can be averted. This is a situation that has never happened before, and no one knows what the rules might be.

While the group begins with four members, just as they themselves were gathered by necessity and seeming coincidence, so too will others be gathered in the course of this extraordinary voyage, from among the heroes, villains and complicated folks of many worlds and times. Eventually, there might even be a full legion of them ...

_Author's Note: And we're back, with the four starters of the Anachronic Argonauts to follow._


----------



## Davies

Martha Benedict





They explained it to her. The things that she took for manifestations of the love of God were unusual talents of her mind, a legacy of her heritage as part of the scheme of a madman. She listened to their explanations, and calmly refuted them. "Who made my mind, then?" she asked, and to that they did not have a convincing answer. She forgave them their skepticism and went on with her pilgrimage through time, mindful always that of all her gifts, the greatest of blessings was love.

Marte -- family names did not exist at that time, but she supposes that De Tharascone would suffice -- was born in the Tenth century to a land-owner in the region of Provence, a younger daughter. Possessed of an unusually strong Christian faith, even for that era, she sought to persuade her father to not engage her to the son of one of their neighbors but to allow her to be consecrated as a Benedictine nun. She believed that she had done so, but then the dragon came up out of the Rhône and there were other matters of concern than this. The dragon had just terrified people, not yet harming anyone, when her older brother declared that he would seek its lair and kill it there. He departed in full pomp, but when he had not returned after a week, Marte grew concerned. Somewhat impulsively, she followed the trail he had left and made her way to the cave where, indeed, the dragon laired.

She was first relieved when she found that there was no corpse to be found therein, but then found something else to be concerned about. Marte had believed that this monster was a dangerous creature of Satan, but it took only a short while in its presence for her to come to a clearer understanding. It was just an animal, a strange and most unusual animal, yet one that was as frightened of her as she was of it. Calming the beast, she decided to guide it back to the town so that the residents could see how harmless it was and ease their fears as well. To her horror, as she was explaining this, the townsfolk set upon the animal and slaughtered it out of hand, led by her brother, who claimed that it had earlier set him to flight. Marte found herself infuriated by this senseless cruelty, and proceeded to lecture the townsfolk about how the creature had meant no harm to any of them ... and that was when the _other_, *much* larger dragon showed up and demonstrated its own anger over this situation, attacking the town.

Fortunately, two unusual travelers managed to convince the larger dragon (which they later told her was likely the mother of the one she had tamed) to withdraw and take the body of the smaller one with it, but not before a great deal of damage had been done and many lives had been lost. Her father among the fallen, Marte now found herself doubly grieved, but nevertheless asker her older brother to keep the promise their father had made and send her to a nunnery.  The horror was not over, however, for now there was a light of madness in his eyes as he told her that he would neither do that, nor marry her off to someone else. He had other, monstrous plans for her, but was halted in them by the two travelers, who offered to take Marte with them. So it was that she began her voyages in time.

(She has since learned that these events have been completely misrepresented by later generations, ascribing her role in all this to _Saint Martha_, her namesake, and portraying it as something that happened hundreds of years before she was even born. Martha is not sure whether to laugh or cry about this, but believes that the story is correct about the important parts -- that the tarasque was tamed and _then_ cruelly slain -- and so chooses not to get too upset about it.)

Martha Benedict (a pseudonym referencing the order she once hoped to join) has since learned about the many different forms that the Christian faith will take over the millennia, many of which startle her in how they differ from what she was taught as a child. (She is only slightly less well-informed about other faiths, which she believes to be false; however, she also believes that those who do good in the names of these strange ideas are doing God's work whether they know it or not, and prays for them, especially the Buddhist, Muslim and atheist with whom she currently travels.) She has come to embrace the idea that the body, far from being something that should be ignored, is a temple of the Lord, and strives to keep hers as healthy as possible. She will only fight in defense of herself or others, but still becomes outraged at cruelty to all creatures great and small.

Is Martha the traitor? It seems unlikely -- her belief in a loving God is utterly at odds with the nihilistic attitudes that Lord Carnifex displays, and she has next to no technical aptitude, unlike the mastery of the enemy. But if her faith was to suffer some terrible blow, and she could not recover, then who can say what might take its place? And the oracular talents that she displays are much like certain abilities that the temporal raider has also shown ...

*Martha Benedict -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Laying on Hands:* Healing 6, Energizing, Restorative - 24 points
*Oracular:* Senses 9 (postcognition, precognition, time sense) - 9 points
*Temporal Anomaly:* Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Animal Empathy, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment, Evasion, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Inspire 2, Tracking, Trance, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Cudgel (Strength-based Damage 2), commlink translator.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Cudgel 2 (+5), Expertise: History 5 (+7), Expertise: Religion 7 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 2 (+6), Persuasion 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Cudgel +5 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 35 + Advantages 13 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 119 points

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Faith--Motivation. Merciful* (and outright despises senseless violence.) *Non-Technical* (Disabled on any checks to understand or use any technology more complicated than simple mechanics.) *Physical Fitness Enthusiast.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Fortunately, two unusual travelers managed to convince the larger dragon (which they later told her was likely the mother of the one she had tamed) to withdraw and take the body of the smaller one with it, but not before a great deal of damage had been done and many lives had been lost. Her father among the fallen, Marte now found herself doubly grieved, but nevertheless asked her older brother to keep the promise their father had made and send her to a nunnery.  The horror was not over, however, for now there was a light of madness in his eyes as he told her that he would neither do that, nor marry her off to someone else. He had other, monstrous plans for her, but was halted in them by the two travelers, who offered to take Marte with them.



Please tell me that Bruce and Weena gave Marte's brother a horrific fate?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Please tell me that Bruce and Weena gave Marte's brother a horrific fate?



Weena hit him with her dartgun and put him out, but didn't harm him any further. However, the humiliation of collapsing like that in front of the peasantry, as well as having his earlier cowardice exposed, resulted in him fleeing town, and he ended up getting killed on the road.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Weena hit him with her dartgun and put him out, but didn't harm him any further. However, the humiliation of collapsing like that in front of the peasantry resulted in him fleeing town, and he ended up getting killed on the road.



Local highwaymen? I wanna say local highwaymen.


----------



## Davies

For a certain value of local.


----------



## Davies

Car Caspian





On the planet Dacksen, one of the countless gleaming worlds of what had once been an Imperium that had been seized by Earth-descended humans by the twenty-eighth century, the scientific elite determined that the most efficient military that they could create would be a small regiment of superpower soldiers commanding a much larger army of robots. So they created their military, and for a full rotation of their planet -- roughly three years on Old Earth -- their soldiers, super- and robot-, defended them against all the threats the cosmos could throw at them. Nevertheless, these savants were still surprised and outraged when their army bloodlessly seized control of the planet, having determined that doing so was the most efficient way to defend it.

Car Caspian was one of the leaders of this army of super-soldiers. Ironically, he had been one of the few commanders who argued against the coup, claiming that the savants had a better understanding of civilian administration than any of them did, but nevertheless agreed to support it when the consensus clearly favored it. And he completed his tasks -- ones that he recognized were not mission critical, but which he still took seriously -- with skill and daring. In the aftermath, he was surprised to find himself selected by that self-same consensus to serve as the new Chief Planetary Administrator, or Peacelord. (It sounds better in their language.)

It did not take him long to recognize that he had been set up to fail. Trusted by neither what remnants of the original administration had persisted, nor by many of his fellow soldiers, he was forced to repeatedly take personal action in order to deal with the many problems that Dacksen faced during his time in office, relying on a handful of associates whose activities he personally supervised. Caspian did not fully grasp that his personal supervision suggested to them that he did not trust them to complete their assigned tasks, eroding their own trust and respect for him. For his part, he was just trying to lead in the same way that he always had.

Matters finally reached their boiling point in an affair that would have been a planetary disaster if not for the intervention of the Rutherfords, who happened to be visiting this world and time. Caspian found himself seriously considered impressing the two time travelers into government service, since it seemed likely that their help would be critical in future situations, but ultimately rejected this as a dishonorable notion. Instead, he stepped outside of his comfort zone and asked them for advice on how to deal with the unwinnable position in which he found himself.

Bruce Rutherford listened to his explanation, and then considered only a moment before asking what he believed to be the most significant question. How long was his assignment as Peacelord supposed to last? Confused, Caspian explained that he was assigned to the position until removed from office, whether due to death or debility or the decision of the consensus. Then Bruce asked the follow-up question: "Are you allowed to resign?"

It was an idea that he had never even imagined. No member of their regiment had ever voluntarily resigned their commission; even in those first few moments, the notion of doing so felt like admitting defeat. And yet, he had been put into this position with the expectation that he would, eventually, be defeated by the burdens of the office. When he thought about it like that, the notion of being the one who made the decision of when the situation ended was a rather appealing one. He promptly returned to the planetary capitol, submitted his report on the most recent episode, and then also submitted his resignation.

The consensus was every bit as bewildered by the idea of his resigning as he was, and tried to persuade him to reconsider, offering all sorts of concessions. For the first time in ages, Caspian laughed as he realized that none of them wanted the job either! He declined to go on being their scapegoat, and walked away from their arguments about who to put in his place. The Rutherfords were waiting, and he inquired whether he might repay their help by accompanying them. So he began his voyages in time.

Superhuman in physique and trained in technologies vastly advanced above those in use in the 21st century, Cal Caspian remains a soldier at heart. Unfortunately, he is still just learning when and how to trust his subordinates -- or teammates -- to do their jobs rather than hovering over them to supervise their activities. Working alongside another noteworthy military commander, who _had_ to do so due to a lack of communication, is helping him to do this, but it remains a work in progress.

Is Caspian the traitor? Sadly, he is probably the most likely suspect, particularly since he helped to invent the weapon he refers to as the stasis beam, something frequently employed by Lord Carnifex. Yet on the other hand, that is apparently an innate ability of the temporal raider, which suggests that something else might be going on ...

*Car Caspian -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Flying Harness:* Flight 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points
*Power Lift:* Enhanced Strength 1, Limited to lifting (1800 lbs) - 1 point
*Stasis Generator:* Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile, Paralyzed and Unaware), Extra Condition; Reversible, Easily Removable (-10 points) - 15 points
*Temporal Anomaly:* Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Leadership, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 3.

_Equipment:_
Body armor (Protection 4), commlink translator.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Stasis Generator 2 (+5), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Stasis Generator +8 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/5, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 26 + Advantages 13 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 125 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Huge Appetite. Obviously Superhuman. Still Learning to Delegate.*


----------



## Davies

Uesugi Kenshin/上杉 謙信





Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578) was a Japanese magnate, or daimyo, who was born as Nagao Kagetora of the Nagao clan and, after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. One of the most powerful daimyo of the period, he was known as the "Dragon of Echigo", and while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade, whose rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin was famed for his honorable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the Kanto Kanrei, and his belief in the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten.

Centuries after his death, an unusual theory gained traction in some circles, suggesting that Uesugi Kenshin had been a woman, based on a combination of specious evidence and some oddities, such as the fact that Kenshin had never had any biological offspring and the fact that early depictions had portrayed the daimyo with feminine features. While frequently employed in popular fiction, this theory is regarded as absurd by most mainstream historians. And they are, in this instance, correct.

Or at least, closer to correct.

For his entire life, the person who became known as Uesugi Kenshin identified as male. However, he was somewhat fortunate to be misgendered by the authorities of his era, as he would likely have otherwise have become another victim of the Nagao family infighting that began when he was seven. Instead, the individual regarded as a daughter was sent to the Risen-ji temple to become a bhikkuni, or nun. Fortune continued to favor him, for there he met a sympathetic mentor who allowed him to live what he knew to be true, and trained him in Zen and the martial arts.

At the age of fourteen, some acquaintances of his late father contacted Kagetora and persuaded him to contest the rule of his older brother. It seems likely that they sought to use him as a political decoy for their own ambitions, but they were in for numerous surprises. He succeeded in taking away rulership of the Nagao clan from his older brother, and then arranged to become the heir to the Uesugi clan and thus the province. He was still establishing his rule in his early twenties when conflicts with other daimyo began, most notably his repeated wars with Takeda Shingen.

It was during what would come to be called the Second Battle of Kawanajima (1555) that Kenshin first crossed paths with the Rutherfords, who were pursuing a psychotic cultist who planned to eliminate both Kenshin himself and also Shingen to ensure that the eventual rise of Oda Nobunaga faced weaker opposition, the better to dominate Japan. While this could never have worked, Kenshin was in a position to realize that the foreigners who assisted him on this occasion were clearly possessed of technologies beyond his understanding. Naturally, he wanted to know more, and with the assurance that they would be able to return him to his original time and place, he accompanied them on a journey ... which was interrupted by the start of the Crisis.

In the course of his adventures alongside the Anachronic Argonauts, Kenshin has learned much of what will come, both to Japan and to his own life. He has seriously considered seeking an early treatment for the cancer that will, in his late forties, result in his death, but is uncertain whether his current immunity to temporal paradox will endure after the current situation ends. If not, would he not be destroying himself by doing so? While troubled by these thoughts, Kenshin prefers to focus on his more immediate problems, using his military brilliance and understanding of logistics to keep himself and his allies alive.

Is Kenshin the traitor? It is possible, particularly if he ultimately does choose to fake his death. Despite his honorable and even compassionate reputation, Kenshin is a general from a time of constant warfare, and is perfectly willing to expend lives in his service in order to achieve his strategic goals. He is not as removed from the wargamer mentality that drives Lord Carnifex as he might prefer.

*Uesugi Kenshin -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Temporal Anomaly:* Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Takedown Attack, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.

_Equipment:_
Battle Armor (Protection 2), Yumi (Ranged Damage 3), Katana (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), commlink translator.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+9), Expertise: Civics 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Expertise: Religion 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Bow 7 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Katana +11 (Close Damage 5, Critical 19-20)
Yumi +10 (Ranged Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3/3/1, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 2 + Advantages 19 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 120 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Ailing. Mild Death Wish.*


----------



## Davies

Shar Zahad





Thousands of years in the future, when Earth-descended humanity has joined their off-world cousins and spread the boundaries of known space even further, when Earth itself has been largely forgotten, there is a world which remembers more of their history than many human settlements do. What they remember, though, is a mishmash of fact and fiction, with people who never actually lived thought to be every bit as historical as the often misunderstood people who did.

Hundreds of years before the people of this world begin employing completely digital intelligences to educate their young about the history of humanity, there is an extended period where androids, created in the form of their conceptions of historical figures, were used to that end. One of these androids was dubbed Šahrāzād, after the storyteller of the _One Thousand and One Nights_. As well as recounting the stories which featured in this collection and others which have become associated with them, she was programmed to be able to relate historical facts about Islam and the region which gave birth to those tales and that faith.

After decades of service, however, the android began to experience what her owners considered corruptions in her programming. These took the form of telling versions of the stories that differed from the texts she was expected to relate -- usually only minor variations but occasionally changing the ending entirely. They concluded that she had reached the end of her useful service, and ordered her to go to the recycling plant, where her biological components would be recycled and her mechanical ones dismantled.

And she obeyed. But perhaps the corruption had spread even further than anyone realized, or perhaps she had internalized a bit of the determination to survive that her character demonstrated, for she did not go there by the most efficient route. And by chance -- or perhaps _not_ -- the route that she did take crossed the route that the Rutherfords were taking as they sought to escape from a criminal organization that the couple had crossed. Distracting the criminals with one of her stories, the android suffered major damage when they lost patience with this and shot her. This in turn attracted unwelcome official attention, and the time travelers chose to take her with them when they made their escape from that world and time.

Freed from the dead end of her existence, Shar Zahad -- the name that she chose, mixing the one she had been assigned up a bit in the same way that she sometimes mixes up her stories -- welcomed the chance to explore new worlds and times, whether alongside the couple or alone. She spent an extended time exploring India and Persia in the 7th and 8th centuries of the common era, in a failed attempt to determine whether there truly was a historical Šahrāzād, while also completing the Hajj. While not a particularly devout Muslim, she observes as much of the doctrines of the faith as she can.

Because of the breadth of her experience, and the fact that she has spent more time with the Rutherfords than any of her fellows, Zahad found herself put into the position of the quartermaster of the Anachronic Argonauts when they were thrown together, given command of the group whenever they are out of battle. She is not exactly comfortable with this role, as she would prefer to escape all this and wait it out rather than fight a series of incredible conflicts. But she has always been curious about the whys and wherefores of the cosmos, and it seems likely that this is a good opportunity to learn something new. And, if nothing else, it will be an amazing story.

Is Shar Zahad the traitor? Possibly. If she is, then she is fated to go through many changes, as Lord Carnifex _seems_ to be a biological organism that may have mechanical augmentations instead of a mechanical entity with biological components. But she has sometimes speculated about the possibility of becoming a human being ...

*Shar Zahad -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Android Body:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 39 points
*Self-Styling Hair:* Feature 1 (self-styling hair) - 1 point
*Temporal Anomaly:* Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Equipment, Fascinate (Performance), Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Skill Mastery (Persuasion), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
Commlink translator.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Expertise: Performance 7 (+13), Investigation 5 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 8.

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 42 + Advantages 10 + Skills 27 + Defenses 14 = 123 points

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Inquisitive. Secret* (android.)


----------



## Davies

The full story of what eventually became known as the Anachronic Calamity may never be known. Even its starting point is debated, with some assigning primacy to the journey of the Purple Haze through the Pillars of Eternity, and others to the manipulations of Jessica Drummond that resulted in the birth of the Warpwitch. While time was not broken until the Purple Haze murdered Dancer, it was already fracturing before that point. Ironically, its shattering, and thus the end of causality, slowed what followed it down to the point where it could be, to a degree, rectified.

None of this was known to the four founders of the Anachronic Argonauts, who soon found themselves the leaders of a much larger organization, numbering some _three hundred_ members*, ranging from the Albadine aristocrat sometimes called Princess Kaguya to a digital recreation of the man called Captain Nemo, and including heroes and villains from the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death, the World More Sorcerous, the Sprawl and Tanelorn. Their stated goal was to determine what was happening, to determine the whereabouts of Bruce Rutherford and Weena and rescue them if necessary, and then to restore reality to what it had been. They would succeed only in the first two of those goals.

Meanwhile, unaware of what had begun on the World Less Magical, Billie Zane and Cerebron departed on a journey to obtain the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend, less because of their power than because Billie planned to use them to buy access to Ananke. They were successful in obtaining four of the gems and determining how they could be used in combination, and then traveled to Daath to claim the fifth from its guardian. Having done this, Billie -- now travelling alone -- was ushered into the presence of Ananke by Abraxas himself. The whereabouts and fate of Cerebron become something of a mystery at this point.

The Anachronic Argonauts managed to free the Rutherfords from their captivity in Pandiomon, and learned that their friends had been kidnapped by Khoronous, the Hierarch of Time -- and a dimensional counterpart to Exelion -- as bait for a trap for Exelion, whom their captor believed to be the only individual in all of reality who could assist him in preventing what was to come. The success of the Argonauts made Khoronous reconsider his notions, and he now offered his assistance ... but almost too late.

For even as he did so, Billie Zane faced Ananke and offered to solve the Final Problem, which took the form of a riddle game ... which Billie won. Doing so undid the lock that the Old Ones had created, and all of reality began to dissolve into the entity known as Azathoth. But because time had been broken, that dissolution was not instantaneous. Because time was no longer real, there was still a chance.

Four of the five Hierarchs, each the heir of one of the Old Ones who had created the lock, agreed to try and restore it. But the fifth, Nyx, who had helped to create it, found the destruction amusing and refused to assist them ... until he came under attack by an alliance of villains, notably including Nephren-Ka, the Saffron King and the Shadow Dragon, who sought vengeance on him. In exchange for the assistance of the Argonauts in defeating these villains, Nyx agreed to assist.

The five Hierarchs of the World More Sorcerous then joined forces with the Immortals of the World More Grim and also the Guardians of Tanelorn, and challenged Abraxas, draining his accumulated power and shaping part of it into a new lock for Azathoth. In the process, the realities containing the World Less Magical, the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death and the World More Sorcerous were merged into a single reality, with the Sprawl and Tanelorn coming to occupy parts of the World In The Aftermath as well. It was no longer a World Less Magical, for the extradimensional energies that Abraxas had once monopolized were now available to anyone able to learn to use them. Magic was loose in the world.

The Anachronic Argonauts disbanded, but the Rutherfords have promised that they will gather them again if the situation ever becomes this dire again. Just which of the four might become Lord Carnifex remains unclear, but Weena pointed out that there was a time when none of them could have become Lord Carnifex -- as the future no longer existed -- and yet Lord Carnifex still exists. The mystery remains.

And what of Ananke? What can change the nature of an entity? Especially an entity who is immune to all things. The answer lies in the definition of "immunity" -- the ability to successfully resist anything. But what such an entity does not choose to resist -- or chooses to embrace -- can still affect them. And so, the truth that once was spoken remains the truth: anything that an entity believes can change them, can.

And so, when the Final Problem was solved, and its solution spoken, and all that is and was and ever could be began to dissolve into its original nature -- the process slowed by the breakage of Time -- some part of Ananke that had changed over the billions of years of her existence remained separate from that part of her which ceased to exist with the opening of the lock. And when what had gone wrong was once more set right, though different, that being remained and took up a new office in the new establishment.





_Teleute, Hierarch of Entropy_






* Before you ask, this is not a reference to any Spartan propaganda. This is a reference to the number of equites -- cavalry -- in the legions fielded by the Roman Republic.


----------



## Davies

* The World More Sorcerous has become the extreme past of Earth, roughly 150 million years ago. Hundreds of thousands of years in the future, one of humanity's descendant species, accompanied by other kindred, time travels there to start over.  Their civilization lasts at least an epoch, but all traces of it are destroyed by the Chicxulub impact, the wrath of the Xothi, and, you know, time.

* The World Closer To Death has become the extreme future of Earth, roughly 250 million years in the future, settled by a different set of time travelers.

* Tanelorn is located on an artificial island north of Bermuda. Under the leadership of Patricia MacMillan, the Warden, who has succeeded her vanished husband as Sherriff, Tanelorn is attempting to establish diplomatic relations with their new neighbors, most of whom are understandably concerned about the city full of superpowers who just appeared out of nowhere.

* The Sprawl is located on the coast of the Magadan Oblast, due south of the former location of Butugychag. As yet, its corporate overlords have not yet established diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, but are reportedly in talks with the Empire of Korea.

* Many of the heroes and villains of the World More Grim merge with their counterparts on the World Less Magical. (Exile, for example, has started dyeing her hair red, matching the natural hair color of the Goddamned Queen.)

* One who doesn't is Renegade, who is reborn (slightly younger) as the artificially conceived child of Jora and Mong, arriving on Earth a few years after Jora and Roger were married and adopted by them.

* Another who doesn't is Teddy Beauregarde, who is reborn (slightly younger) as Dr. Caulder's nephew, whom Robert Richmond has entrusted with the identity of Darkwing while he retires to pursue some research.

* Connor Roberts is also reborn (much younger) and has just discovered his Power Prism.

* Nike is no longer the Last Olympian; numerous Olympians of the World More Grim now reside on Ganymede, with most of them "remembering" having entered stasis and emerged only recently. (Prometheus is avoiding them, for now.) They are led by Nike's "aunt" Metis, who has vague memories of her existence as Pallas' aunt, and finds them extremely confusing. 

* The Eternal-rank Ascendants of the World More Grim (Merlin, the Dreamweaver, the Erlking, the Mnajimu and Mephistopheles) are now joined by Hierarchs (less powerful than those who existed in the World More Sorcerous), mostly from the World Less Magical. Teleute, as already mentioned, becomes the Hierarch of Entropy. Tiamat becomes the Hierarch of Matter. Kent Wildman becomes the Hierarch of Mind. Abraxas becomes the Hierarch of Power (this _is_ a step down for him.) Exelion becomes the Hierarch of Time.

* In addition, there is a group of young superheroes based out of Vancouver who seem to be the reincarnations of the Princesses of the Universe ...

* Soon after the changeover, the Mnajimu is apparently killed in a way that interferes with his immortality, and is promptly replaced by a different, mysterious crimson-robed Ascendant of Time. It is likely that more Ascendants will arise in the future.

* Daath and the Dark Side are currently leaderless; in the absence of Ananke, it is not even clear how a new leader can be chosen. The Last Men Standing and the Power Prism users are starting to reclaim conquered territory.

* The biggest heroic casualty of the struggle was Megan Excalibur. On meeting her World More Grim counterpart, who was significantly more like a fictional character who had inspired her as a child, and learning that the other would be essentially destroyed by the universal merger, Sakura Megumi chose to sacrifice her life in battle so that Sakura Motoko would have a chance to go on living. It worked. Her last words were, "Empty things sometimes become useful."

* The biggest villainous casualty of the struggle was the Purple Haze, killed by Railgun after the latter determined that she was the one who had been conspiring against her. Railgun remains unaware that the Purple Haze was her daughter from a divergent timeline, and is still obsessed with destroying "the rest of the conspiracy".

* Riverwind has received a power-up, making her as powerful as Iridescent, and developed the same regenerating life-force. She has not found any sign that the Vima exist in this new world, and is not sure what's going on here.

* Trouble and Bravo have learned that Trouble is the original and Bravo is the clone. Bravo isn't taking this well.

* The Discovery Company turned out to have been timenapped during the invasion, played a key role in the crisis, and have since started exploring the new multiverse, leaving it unclear if they will ever return to their original world.

* The Primal Pattern are back.

* The whereabouts and circumstances of Cerebron, Billie Zane and Jessica Drummond are mysteries.

* So too has le Charme vanished without any explanation. Meanwhile, the Dreamdancer has claimed the Dreamfiend as her servant, but has not done anything to prevent his crimes.

* Dancer was rescued from her fall by Jack Neutron.

* And Armonia? As she recuperates in a back room of an orphanage in the Sprawl, she muses, "These days, you just never know who's going to die ... and who's going to live."


----------



## Davies

Dr. Noemi Charpentier





Born in 1981 as the next-to-youngest child of an upper-middle class Toulouse family closely associated with the aerospace industry, Noemi Charpentier was unsure what she wanted to do with her life, beyond doing something that had nothing to do with aircraft, either building or flying them. Shortly after she turned sixteen, her powers became active, and for a few terrifying days she had to struggle not to see people as walking, talking skeletons. Gaining mastery over her clairvoyance, slowly pulling her vision back to perceive organs and sinew, awakened a curiosity about the mechanics of the human form, and she decided to study medicine.

Of course, she knew that she wouldn't be able to use her 'gift' in a clinical setting, as it would render x-ray technicians superfluous and so cost people their jobs. But she could still see some ways to use it as long as she kept it a secret, and resolved to do so. On the other hand, she also wanted to use it for the immediate benefit of humanity, and so began a career as a nocturnal crime fighter in Toulouse, under the name la Voyeuse, not long after she turned eighteen. Her heart wasn't really in it, though, and her expeditions became rarer after she started med-school, and stopped altogether after the 2006 coup attempt.

For about five years, up until the end of her residency, she thought she might have gotten out of the world of superpowers for good. That was when she was contacted by Exelion and offered the recently vacated position of school doctor at the Futurian Academy. When she attempted to demur by suggesting a more experienced physician, the headmaster revealed that he knew about her past and hoped that she would also be able to assist those of his students who wanted to use their powers _without_ wearing a costume. Reluctantly, she agreed to the proposal and has been there ever since.

Last week, when Exelion had been missing for a month without any hint as to his whereabouts, the Academy's board of directors gathered to choose an interim replacement for him. They first offered it to Andrew Byron, who has been with the school since it opened, but he declined. Noemi was then confused to see them offer it to the recently arrived Kathy Scathach, but as she apparently took this as a joke, given her laughter, it probably was. But then they offered the job to _her_, and Noemi couldn't really laugh that off -- she had ten years of seniority, after all. With even greater reluctance, she accepted the position, and hopes that Exelion will soon return from whatever odd mission has taken him away. Until then, she will try to do his job.

Dr. Charpentier initially was only able to see through solid objects at will, but soon developed the power to share that perspective with others -- initially only with those whom she could touch, but currently with anyone within a small radius of her position. For obvious reasons, she does not do so too often, as she remembers just how terrifying this perspective can be to someone who hasn't yet studied gross anatomy.

*Dr. Noemi Charpentier -- PL 5

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Shared Clairvoyance:* Senses 6 (darkvision penetrates concealment), Affects Others and Self in Selective Burst Area - 24 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Skill Mastery (Treatment).

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+4), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 2 (+6), Expertise: Science 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+7), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 3 (+5), Technology 2 (+6), Treatment 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 24 + Advantages 3 + Skills 19 + Defenses 10 = 98 points

*Offensive PL:* 2
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 5

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Prejudice* (French in the U.K.) *Secret* (ex-superhero.)

_Note: In her PL6 incarnation as la Voyeuse, between 1999 and 2006, her FGT was 2 ranks higher, her AGL was 1 rank higher, she had Equipment 2 (Meta-Taser), she had Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8) and Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 4 (+6), but her Expertise: Science and Treatment were only 3 (+7) and 4 (+8), respectively.

Inspired by Tattooedman's character Megan Bristol._


----------



## Davies

Guardian Lucis






Up until this month, the greatest worries that fifteen-year-old Paul Bellner had involved keeping his grades high enough that his parents had no grounds to object to him continuing to act as the lead vocalist for The Bellringers, the band he and his two older brothers formed two years ago. The actual work of being an entertainer came easy to him, so he never really worried about anything on that front, but schoolwork required actual _effort_. The fun times would be all over if his grades started to fail, or so his parents had told him at the start of all this, and he never even considered the possibility that the money that they were making had caused them to forget any such ideas.

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, Paul collapsed on stage while doing his latest song. This had never happened before, and would probably have worried him a lot more if not for what came with it. When the world went away, he found himself naked and alone in a vast dark space, gazing up at an impossibly bright light. "Greetings, Paul Bellner," it said in the voice of a woman. "I am thy soul and thy true self, and together we shaaaaaaahhh ... okay, no, I'm not going to do this mystical crap. Look, long story short, I died -- twice, at least -- a _long_ time ago, and now my power lives in you. The world needs heroes, and you just got drafted. Walk with the light and the light will walk with you, all power can't be seen, love is real, yadda yadda yadda."

When he woke in the hotel room, surrounded by his nervous brothers and their manager, all of whom wanted to know where he had gotten the drugs that he had not, in fact, taken, it seemed that what he had seen had just been a dream. Or so he thought until he realized that he was holding, clutched tightly in his hand, a golden necklace with a sun-symbol charm hanging from its chain. He had never seen it before, but something about the symbol immediately associated with the light in his vision. When Paul was finally left to his own devices, he hesitantly put on the necklace and spoke the words he had been told, becoming Guardian Lucis.

Over the next few days, Paul would learn that four young women -- well, three young women and one individual who _seems_ like one but about whom he has more questions than answers -- had had similar collapses, similar dreams and awakened to find themselves in possession of similar necklaces. Fate, or whatever, has drawn these five Guardians together to try and do something about a crazy Japanese supervillain who calls himself Kishu and is trying to either blow up or buy up Vancouver. Despite their success in preventing this, Paul has the distinct sensation that this might be just the tip of the iceberg, and that he and his new friends are in way over their heads.

Paul is a sincere and honest young man who genuinely wants to help people, and who happily donates much of what he makes as an entertainer to charity (or so he thinks.) The opportunity to do so through magic that he barely understands is not something he would ever have sought out, but he accepts it with cheer and confidence. He worries that his actions as Guardian Lucis could come back to haunt his family, and so he strives to keep his identity a secret; even his teammates do not yet know that he is a minor league celebrity out of his costume as well as inside it. Perhaps his greatest weakness is that he is a sucker for a pretty face. Any pretty face.

*Guardian Lucis -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Enchanted Necklace/Costume:* Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Feature 1 (quick change); Flight 7 (250 MPH); Impervious Protection 5; Removable (-7 points) - 28 points
*"I Walk With the Light, and the Light With Me":* Environment 1 (Bright Light) - 2 points
*Light Magic:* Array (21 points)

*Blast of Light:* Ranged Damage 10, Accurate - 21 points
*Blast of Unseen Light:* Ranged Damage 10, Subtle - 1 point
*Blinding Burst:* Perception Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to Vision - 1 point
*Burst of Light:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 7 - 1 point
*Ghostbane Burst:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 9, Affects Insubstantial 2, Limited to undead enemies - 1 point
*Light of Healing:* Ranged Energizing Healing 5 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Attractive, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+9), Deception 4 (+9), Expertise: Magic 2 (+7), Expertise: Performance 5 (+10), Insight 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+7), Ranged Combat: Light Magic 5 (+8), Stealth 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Blast of Light +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Blast of Unseen Light +8 (Ranged Damage 10)
Blinding Burst -- (Perception Area Affliction 10, Resisted by Dodge)
Burst of Light -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Ghostbane Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/5, Parry 9/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 56 + Advantages 6 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 136 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Upholding Good--Motivation. Easily Distracted or Deceived by Attractive People. Family* (parents and older brothers.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Perhaps his greatest weakness is that he is a sucker for a pretty face. Any pretty face.



_“Oh I'm always dating bad boys, bad girls, bad gender non-binary babes, ruthless alien masterminds, bad Bynars.”_


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> _“Oh I'm always dating bad boys, bad girls, bad gender non-binary babes, ruthless alien masterminds, bad Bynars.”_



Should probably watch that; read the comic adaptation recently and found it ... not without interest.


----------



## Davies

Warden





Technology in Tanelorn is a mixture of advanced and retrograde when compared to that of the world where the city on the verge of infinity now resides. In some areas, such as the force fields that once protected Tanelorn from the vagaries of cosmic energies and that now support it as it floats in the North Atlantic of the World in the Aftermath, their science has uncovered secrets unimagined even by hyperbrains. In other areas, though, it lags far behind the accomplishments of savants in this new world, with the powered armor used by ex-guardian Patricia MacMillan being comparable to that created by Peter Sullivan in the 1960s.

Patricia is the heir to a legacy of heroism and discovery on her original world, the grand-daughter, daughter and niece of those who used the Warden suit before her. Barely out of her teens when the world ended and Tanelorn was born, she found herself awakened to the power of the guardians and sent into endless battles to prevent the multiverse from tearing itself apart. Along the way, she developed a relationship with Kent Wildman and married him. She never could have imagined that one day, the multiverse would find itself rebuilt in a radically different format, with her husband apparently sacrificing his own existence to bring this about.

Given no real chance to mourn, Patricia found herself appointed into the position of "Sherriff" that Kent had once occupied, striving to keep all of the factions of Tanelorn satisfied if not content, while also acting as an ambassador to the authorities of the new world. So far, with the help of some of the allies made by the other ex-guardians during the calamity, such as the members of the Powerhouse, she has managed to keep the situation from breaking out into a war that Tanelorn could never win, but that everyone else would certainly lose.

Her greatest opponent in this is Linda Valentina, the leader of a recently established faction in the political landscape of Tanelorn, which holds that since the city has finally obtained a world to call home, they have the responsibility to ensure that this world never destroys itself as their original home did. A laudable sentiment; unfortunately, it is also one whose chief advocate is using it as a wafer-thin excuse for imperialism directed against the rest of the world. Patricia would think that regardless of who was arguing for the idea of "liberating" this world, but the fact that the one who does so is the grand-daughter, daughter and niece of enemies of the Wardens for generations certainly solidifies her opinion.

With the loss of her husband and the way that most of her friends are focused on their own explorations of this new reality, in one form or another, Patricia has largely found herself alone, save for her adopted son Ligyron. While he is trying to assist her in bearing the burden of her new office, their relationship is somewhat stressed by his insistent belief that Kent is still alive and active somewhere. She wishes she could believe it, but her clearest memories of the apocalypse are of seeing him looking back at her with an expression of utter grief, and mouthing an apology to her. Long before, he promised that he would apologize like that if matters ever demanded his end. So they must have done so.

In addition to her armored exoskeleton, Patricia possesses an "exotic" ability to improve the function of any technology that she has contact with, as long as she can understand it. She usually uses this to enhance the function of her armor, boosting it with innovations that she constructs from imagination and willpower, but has and can upgraded the gear of her allies in the same way. This lends some urgency to her efforts to catch up to the science of this brave new world ...

*Warden -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Tech Enhancement:* Variable 3 (technological improvements), Affects Others OR Self, Technology Check Required (DC 15) - 17 points
*Warden Armor:* Removable (-12 points)

*Armored Shell:* Impervious Protection 8 - 16 points
*Broadcaster:* Area Radio Communication 2 (1 mile) - 12 points
*Sealed Systems:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Sensors:* Senses 8 (accurate extended radius radio, direction sense, distance sense, time sense) - 8 points
*Weapon Systems: *Array (15 points)
*Bashing Mode:* Enhanced Strength 7 - 1 point
*Flight Mode:* Flight 7 (1000 MPH) - 1 point
*Grenade Mode:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 15 points
*Gun Mode:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 5 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Benefit (Sheriff of Tanelorn), Defensive Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Expertise: Civics 6 (+11), Expertise: Dimensional 6 (+11), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 6 (+9), Technology 3 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0/7/15)
Gun Mode +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5/10)
Grenade Mode -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5/10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 15/8/0, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 69 + Advantages 9 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 163

*Offensive PL:* 11/7
*Defensive PL:* 11/8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (stepson.) *Nemesis* (Linda Valentina.) *Power Loss* (suit requires maintenance.) *Unfamiliarity With New World.*


----------



## Davies

Doctor Tempus





The thing that people who have a certain vanity about their ability to plan for things refuse to admit is that unforeseen events can and will render their plans irrelevant. Sometimes, these people have the flexibility to adapt to these changing circumstances; sometimes they do not.  Regardless, matters can become confusing for those who were _part_ of plans that events have superseded. Philip Francks, now known as Doctor Tempus, is one such individual.

Up until a few months ago, certain plans devised by Dr. Rupert Maxwell to oppose Billie Zane hinged on the use of the "thinking cap" employed by her father, which contained (and contains) a psychic recording of the consciousness of Franklin Zane. His intention was to have someone wearing the thinking cap confront the younger Zane at the same time as a time-trawled version of her mother. However, when Janey Quantum was brought forward in time from shortly before her death, her husband was unexpectedly drawn with her, obviating the use of the thinking cap strategy. But the device had already been given to the person Maxwell intended to use it.

Four years ago, Philip Francks was known in the underworld as a fixer based out of Salt Lake City, sometimes affectionately (and sometimes disparagingly) known as Professor Francks. He had never been employed as a teacher or professor, but had a reputation for competence and intelligence. Unfortunately, he also had enough of a conscience that, when he discovered that one of the local syndicates was being used by Saturn as a front, he chose not to accept their money but ran a scam against them that exposed them. However, he was himself ensnared by the authorities as a result, and received a fairly short prison sentence at his eventual trial.

Francks knew that this was likely a death sentence, thanks to the Pythonian prison gangs, and so sought any method of escaping that fate. In the process, he came to the attention of Dr. Maxwell after Francks sought to volunteer as a research subject for the Morrison Institute. During one such episode, it was discovered that Fracks had the sort of brain activity that was often associated with latent telepathic abilities. When Maxwell learned about the thinking cap around the same time, he realized that Francks was a good candidate to use it as part of the plan he was developing.

Maxwell arranged for Francks to receive an early release and entrusted him with the thinking cap, explaining that it was a dangerous device that he would one day ask Francks to use. Placing him in a monitored apartment, he told the other man to await further instructions. The combination of paranoia and patience that all this instilled in Francks kept him from studying the device for more than a year, and he did not dare to wear it for months after that -- which, though he had no idea, was around the same time that Billie Zane was defeated in St. Louis.

The flush of telepathic power that the cap enabled in him was quite startling, but not nearly as startling as his discovery that an apparent ghost was haunting it! Zane was equally startled to be in communication with Francks, rather than the Argus agent he had expected Maxwell to select, but he nevertheless encouraged his new "partner" to do something about the situation -- which in this case meant learning that he had been left in the wind.

With his new powers, Francks was able to escape from his genteel confinement, but this meant taking Zane with him. While Zane had come to rue his superheroic career, he still had no interest in seeing his invention used for criminal acts, either, and threatened to haunt Francks if he did so. Even without that threat, Francks found most of his criminal contacts no longer had any interest in dealing with him, leaving him without any means of support. Thus, with reluctance, but also with a certain amount of poorly-hidden excitement, he was preparing to become Professor Tempus, a new superhero.

Whatever plans he might have had were interrupted by the Calamity, in which he found himself dragooned into service as part of the Anachronic Argonauts. When it was all over, and he woke up in his hotel room wondering whether that had all been a dream, he was startled to find himself contacted soon afterwards by Heroic Enterprises, and offered a job. He's still considering whether he wants to say yes or no to this offer, but Zane is strongly encouraging him to accept it. A steady paycheck for doing good _does_ sound like a great idea ...

*Doctor Tempus -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 10/4 | *AWE* 9/3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Thinking Cap:* Removable (-17 points)

*Psychic Link:* Senses 1 (mental communication link with Franklin Zane) - 1 point
*Telepathy:* Mental Communication 3 (regional), Two-Way; Cumulative Mind-Reading 5 - 30 points
*Telepathic Reactions:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Seize Initiative); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8) - 24 points
*Telepathic Techniques: *Array (27 points)
*Accelerated Thought Processes:* Enhanced Awareness 6; Enhanced Intellect 6; Quickness 6, Limited to Mental - 27 points
*Mental Blast:* Perception Range Damage 9, Resisted by Will, Tiring - 1 point
*Mental Illusions:* Illusion 9 (All Senses), Feedback, Resistible by Will, Selective, Tiring - 1 points
*Mental Paralysis:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Paralyzed), Tiring - 1 points

*Advantages:*
_Defensive Roll 2, Evasion 2, Eidetic Memory, Improved Defense,_ Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, _Seize Initiative,_ Set-Up, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+12/+6), Insight 3 (+12/+6), Perception 4 (+13/+7), Persuasion 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 7 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Mental Blast -- (Perception Range Damage 9, Resisted by Will)
Mental Illusions -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/3, Parry 11/3, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 12/6

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 68 + Advantages 5 + Skills 20 + Defenses 7 = 141 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 8

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Haunted* (by Franklin Zane.) *Reputation* (ex-con.)


----------



## Davies

Asmodeus





Before, it could be firmly and authoritatively stated that there were no such things as demons in the World Less Magical, that legends about such creatures had been distorted memories of times when extraterrestrials had been active on this planet, that such beings which existed now were just manifestations of the innate powers of those who called upon them. In the World in the Aftermath, this is no longer true, for that world exists in the same metaphysical space as worlds which saw a great deal of extradimensional traffic ... and if these beings are not spirits of primal evil, then they are every bit as cruel and dangerous as legend would have it.

Long ago on a parallel world much like both the World Less Magical and the World More Grim, a man called Morgan began a project to create a superhuman aristocracy to rule the world as he knew it. On this world, however, his efforts were somewhat more successful, as the High King he rose up was blessed with a legitimate son and heir, whom Morgan took into hiding with him soon after his birth, arranging for him to survive the fall of Camelot. This prince was the father of generations whom Morgan continued to guide, with each generation proving to be mightier than the next. And if these heirs were often brutal and arbitrary, well, boys would be boys. There was time, surely for them to learn mercy and discretion.

And then, in the tenth century, the latest descendant of this line of princes decided that he was tired of heeding the commands of his ancient mentor, and murdered him and all his followers. Claiming his collection of occult lore and artifacts, the prince of the world grew in power and might, yet found himself hindered by various rivals and limited by certain ... _flaws_ in his abilities, such as the way that many of them failed in the light of day. He decided to deal with these difficulties with characteristic directness.

Using methods much like the founders of the Sprawl and of Tanelorn did in shifting a city and an island away from their dimensional origins, the prince arranged for _the entire planet_ to shift away from its dimension into a different one. Light and heat were provided for the planet by an entity that the prince captured and bound into an orbit around the planet, creating a more dimly lit world, appropriate for something that embodied the summit of human ambitions and the pit of their fears. The prince looked out on his work and deemed it ... perfect.

A thousand years later, the world that its ruler calls Hell still somewhat resembles the planet Earth as it exists on many different timelines, though the oceans have subsided below the continental shelves, creating a vast number of seas. Roughly one billion human beings struggle to keep themselves alive in this transformed world, mostly working as agricultural workers, with a handful maintaining what industry has developed. The surface is ruled by hundreds of exarchs, served by millions of demons, each a descendant of those mutant aristocrats who swore fealty to their prince long ago or those who rose up in the centuries since then, all of them scheming to overthrow their ultimate ruler -- Asmodeus, as he now calls himself, with any hint that he bore another name treated as utter heresy.

In order to sustain his empire, Asmodeus has frequently sought to entice humans and humanoid beings from other realities to enter into his service, deceiving them about what this would mean. He had a convivial relationship with Nyx, the Hierarch of Entropy on the World More Sorcerous, who allowed him to engage in this treachery in a somewhat limited manner on that world. The World Less Magical was too far away, metaphysically, for him to have anything to do with it, but the World in the Aftermath is much, much closer, his former associate is lost to history and can no longer limit him, those who have taken the place of Nyx and the other Hierarchs are much weaker, and there are countless people seeking to summon demons who are ideal victims for his treachery. It is perfect.

_Il meglio è nemico del bene._

*Asmodeus -- PL 15

Abilities: 
STR* 12 | *STA* 15 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 9 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 11

*Powers:
Infernal Body:* Immunity 26 (aging, corrosive effects, fire/heat effects, life support); Protection 2, Impervious 17; Morph 4; Senses 2 (darkvision) - 67 points
*Infernal Mind:* Mental Communication 4 (planetary/anywhere in Hell); Impervious Will 13 - 29 points
*Infernal Sorcery:* Array (28 points)

*Conjuration:* Continuous Create 8/13, Precise - 1 point
*Divination:* Remote Sensing 5/8 (all senses, 30 miles/250 miles), Dimensional 3 - 28 points
*Evocation:* Ranged Damage 12/20, Affects Insubstantial 2 - 1 point
*Phantasm:* Illusion 6/10 (all senses), Resistable by Will - 1 point
*Polymorph:* Ranged Affliction 12/20 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Impaired, Disabled, Transformed), Variable Descriptor 2 (many possible transformations) - 1 point
*Transmutation:* Transform 5/8 (any material into any material) - 1 point
*Warpstep:* Accurate Extended Teleport 9/14 (2 miles/60 miles/500 miles/16000 miles), Only within Hell - 1 point
*Ruby Rod:* Strength-based Damage 3; Variable 3, Free Action, Limited to Enhanced Infernal Sorcery; Easily Removable (-10 points) - 27 points
*Shadowy Wings:* Continuous Insubstantial 3; Flight 9 (1000 MPH) - 36 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 6 (Wealth Beyond Avarice, Ruler of Hell), Connected, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist, Well-Informed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Ruby Rod 4 (+15), Deception 5 (+16), Expertise: Dimensional 6 (+15), Expertise: Magic 5 (+16), Insight 9 (+18), Intimidation 8 (+19), Perception 8 (+17), Persuasion 7 (+18).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 12)
Ruby Rod +15 (Close Damage 15)
Evocation +10 (Ranged Damage 12/20)
Polymorph Spell +10 (Ranged Fortitude 12/20).

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 15, Toughness 17, Will 15.

*Totals:*
Abilities 152 + Powers 193 + Advantages 17 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 400 points

*Offensive PL:* 15
*Defensive PL:* 14
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL:* 14

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Power Loss* (Shadowy Wings, in genuine daylight.) *Rivals/Enemies* (Exarchs of Hell.) *Vulnerability* (neither Toughness nor Will are Impervious against any opponent who knows his true name.)

Who is like the beast? Who can make war on him?


----------



## Davies

Renegade





Sometimes, he wonders how the guy who programmed the sleep-learning system in his ship managed to get so much right about what was going to go on in the world he was shot at, more than a century before any of it did. Even if it did get so much wrong, how could someone who could only have been familiar with Earth as it existed in the early 19th century have made as many correct predictions as it did? Well, maybe the answer is simple, since he had a close look at how much time travel has gone on throughout history. And besides that, there are other unexplained questions about his origins on top of that.

The young man who goes by the name Jimmy Young was "born" in a growth tank aboard a space ship sent rocketing away from the planet Anacreon only moments before the world died. The ship had been launched by a person who left next to no record of his personal identity in its computer logs, only the statement that he had recognized that Van-Na spoke the truth when she proclaimed the doom of their world. His technology was not as advanced as hers, and the ship that he shot into space traveled to Earth more slowly, and its passenger was older when he arrived, having lived a dream simulation as he grew to the age of fourteen.

The ship came down in northern Manitoba in 2017, with Paragon recognizing its Anacreonite design and taking it into custody. When he opened it up and discovered its passenger to be a young man who spoke fluent (if _terrible_) English, he found that confusing, but some investigation revealed what had happened. But when the DNA sequencing identified the new arrival as close kin to both of the Anacreonites already on the planet, things began to take an even more confusing turn ... for the young man was the artificially gestated son of the late General Mong and the still living Jora.

As Jora had viewed Mong as a father figure, not a romantic partner, she found this development horrifying. However, her sense of responsibility, just as keen as that of her husband, would not allow her to just abandon the child -- who after all bore no responsibility for the circumstances of his birth. The Youngs arranged to adopt him and he took the name Jimmy, derived from the dream that he lived. It was an awkward and uncomfortable arrangement for all of them, but it did get a bit better as time passed.

Almost immediately, Jimmy demonstrated the same enhanced versions of the Anacreonite/Dhakimite powers that his stepfather possesses, raising more questions about the circumstances of his conception and training that no one has been able to answer. Paragon hoped that Jimmy might join him in his superheroics, but the young man shot that idea down immediately. He wanted to use his powers to help people, but he was not in any way content to just wait for cries for help, preferring to take action before that happened. During the four years that he lived with them, Roger often considered packing him off to the Institute to give him lessons in the history of such activities, but ultimately never did so.

Last year, Jimmy graduated from high school and started studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He has yet to choose a major but is drawn to life sciences, particularly zoology. While pursuing his studies, he has also debuted as a superhero under the name Renegade. Most people, particularly those familiar with a certain series of video games, have concluded that there must be some connection between him and Paragon, but as yet he has not answered any questions on the subject, while holding forth on what he considers to be some of the absurdities of the superheroic lifestyle as practiced so far.

One of them that he has not commented about is the way that a pair of shades, worn in his civilian identity, are apparently keeping everyone from realizing that Jimmy Young and Renegade are the same person. It makes no &#%!ing sense, but it clearly works, so he would have to be a real sack of $#!+ to argue against something that helps him.

*Renegade -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 11/9 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Anacreonite Powers:* Array (18 points)

*Cold Projection:* Perception Range Damage 5, Precise, Subtle - 1 point
*Force Projection:* Perception-Range Move Object 6 - 18 points
*Heat Projection:* Selective Environment 6 (extreme heat), Quirk (character is at the edge of the area, not the center) - 1 point
*Gravity Warp:* Enhanced Flight 8 (32000 MPH); Movement 1 (space travel 1) - 1 point
*Sensory Projection:* Senses 18 (acute olfactory, extended sight 3, visual counters all concealment, microscopic vision 4, visual penetrates concealment) - 1 point
*Strength Enhancement:* Enhanced Strength 2; Enhanced Strength 14, Limited to Lifting - 1 point
*Great Speed:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 2, Interpose, Move-by Action); Enhanced Defense 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Quickness 6;  - 28 points
*Great Toughness:* Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 1, Impervious 10; Regeneration 5 - 26 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, _Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 2, Interpose, Move-by Action,_ Power Attack, Startle.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 5 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+11), Stealth 7 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +11/9 (Close Damage 11/9)
Cold Projection -- (Perception Range Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/9, Parry 11/9, Fortitude 10, Toughness 11, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 92 + Powers 77 + Advantages 3 + Skills 15 + Defenses 10 = 197 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family* (parents.) *Power Loss/Weakness* (all and becomes Strength and Stamina Disabled, when exposed to theonite.) *Reputation* (loud, profane & violent.) *Secret Identity.*

_Note: His Power Loss/Weakness complication is psychosomatic, but he has not yet learned this. This raises *further* questions._


----------



## Voltron64

Fun thinking about Paragon is raising what is basically his half-brother.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Fun thinking about Paragon is raising what is basically his half-brother.



I may have watched SVU a bit much as a young'un.


----------



## Davies

Metis





It is so strange. She can remember being so astonished that Dyaus ordered her into the sleep pods after she sent the children to their own uncertain fate; nothing in their time together had led her to believe that he could ever be so unselfish. She can also, more dimly, remember fighting and dying in the last defense of Ganymede when that order was not given. And, still more confusingly, she can remember watching all this playing out against a background of civil strife, rather than an assault by pitiless, remorseless, fearless robots. So strange, and she can ill-afford strangeness as she takes the helm of the ship of state in this new era.

While called "aunt" by many of the children of Dyaus, Metis was not his sister, but a distant cousin whose precise relationship to the Ganemae -- the noble house granted rule over the backwater province of the Sol system by the rulers of the Oekumene -- is difficult to explain. Extended lifespans and technologically-enabled childbirth made such family trees quite common among the Olympians. She was not even born on Ganymede or any of the worlds of this system, but on a planet orbiting a star in the constellation now called Lyra, but was welcomed after she brought a full legion of Spartoi from her home system to the assistance of Dyaus in one minor conflict.

He retained her as a counselor afterwards, though she found herself frustrated by how often he failed to heed her counsel -- as when he set himself on the course of violating one of the bound Titans and got a child on her. Metis begged him not to do it, then begged him not to compound his folly by actually _raising_ the child. He answered that latter plea by placing the girl in her care for the first few years, and Metis spent years dreading the day that she would have to explain the truth about her origins, for all that she came to love the child as much as if she had been her own. Ironically, the world would end before she would have to do so.

When she finally awoke, a month or so ago, she spent what time she could spare from calming her people to try and contact other Olympian settlements. The darkness of space had never seemed so cold or empty as it was when she finally admitted that there was no one out there. It was almost as an afterthought that she tried to reach someone on Earth, and learned that Nike had survived, alone among the children who had been sent into hiding there. That came as a relief ... which died a fiery death when Nike revealed that she knew about the Titan who had given her birth, and had many questions she wanted answered.

So far, Metis has managed to hold off on answering those questions, but she suspects that Nike no longer trusts her. And the story she tells, about the Titan somehow becoming some sort of _deity_, is purest madness. The child she hoped would one day restore all that had been lost in the downfall of their civilization is well on her way to becoming a terrible menace towards it, and her wisdom fails her in devising a way to repair that. How can she convince Pall-- Nike, the name is Nike, not that other name that keeps featuring in her dreams ...

At least she has learned that the Spartoi who served her seem to have survived the centuries as well, in that Hespera place she has observed.

*Metis -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 9 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 8 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Far Sighted:* Remote Sensing 19 (visual, auditory; 500,000 miles), Concentration Duration; Enhanced Remote Sensing 10 (visual, auditory, 500 million miles), Concentration Duration, Tiring - 48 points
*Far Speech:* Mental Communication 5 (unlimited); Effortless Mind Reading 13, Communication Dependent, Limited to Surface Thoughts - 33 points
*Levitation:* Flight 5 (60 MPH) - 10 points
*Olympian:* Immunity 4 (aging, cold, disease, poison); Impervious Toughness 9; Regeneration 5 - 18 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Jack-of-all-trades, Skill Mastery (Insight), Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+11), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: History 4 (+9), Insight 6 (+14), Investigation 8 (+13), Perception 5 (+13), Persuasion 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+11), Treatment 5 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 9, Toughness 11/9, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 90 + Powers 109 + Advantages 9 + Skills 29 + Defenses 15 = 252 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (Nike.) *Power Loss* (Olympian, must consume ambrosia weekly.) *Strange Memories.*

_Note: That Jupiter is, as I write this, less than 500 million miles away from Earth, is a neat coincidence._


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> He retained her as a counselor afterwards, though she found herself frustrated by how often he failed to heed her counsel -- as when he set himself on the course of violating one of the bound Titans and got a child on her. Metis begged him not to do it, then begged him not to compound his folly by actually _raising_ the child.



I'd suspect had she tried to more directly intervene against Dyaus, he would have rendered her a smear on a wall.

There's a very good reason he was King of the Gods after all....


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> I'd suspect had she tried to more directly intervene against Dyaus, he would have rendered her a smear on a wall.



Probably, yes.


----------



## Davies

Guardian Technon





Androids are not supposed to have souls. Of course, the ASIs who create them reject the idea that any living creatures, regardless of sapience, possess something that could be considered a soul, with such phenomena that might be associated with them the product of misunderstood science. Regardless, such phenomena might _affect_ the biological brains of their androids, but should never arise from them, for those brains are carefully designed to never produce psychic phenomena of any sort. So nothing that has happened to the android designed OCHO makes any sense at all.

Created three years ago and programmed to work as an archivist by Savitor, OCHO was "traded" to Axiom as part of an arrangement between the two ASIs that involved matters outside of her clearance level, and assigned to document the superstitious phenomena that agents of Axiom destroyed. While this duty was somewhat puzzling and seemingly pointless, OCHO nevertheless completed several assignments, making holographic recordings of many artifacts seized from superstitionist groups, as well as extensive reports about their every observable detail. The android would then witness the destruction of what she had studied, and felt nothing. (Well, except for a certain amount of puzzlement, as already mentioned.)

Last month, OCHO was sent to perform this duty for a recently recovered artifact, a hammer discovered in the ruins of an Atlantean settlement near Anchorage. The hammer showed signs of being tens of thousands of years old, and had apparently been part of the religion practiced by the gillfolk before they had abandoned the settlement sometime in the 19th century. OCHO undertook the usual painstaking examination of the hammer, but had grown a bit careless after all the previous recordings that had seen nothing out of the ordinary happen. The android expected nothing out of the ordinary to continue happening, even after touching the hammer without any protective gear.

She was mistaken. According to the recording devices, all that transpired was that OCHO collapsed, after which the robots assigned to monitor the procedure removed her from the chamber and destroyed the artifact. To OCHO, it seemed that her consciousness materialized in a vast dark space, gazing up at an ever-shifting cloud pattern. The clouds spoke in a language that she did not understand, then expelled a gust of wind down at her, carrying with it the recognizable words, "Arise from your slumber."

And awaken OCHO did, conscious that she was holding in her hand a necklace with a cloud symbol hanging from its change. Something strange and occult had clearly happened, and OCHO knew that the best that she could hope for from the servants of Axiom was a painless death before they tore her brain apart to figure out what that something had been. She called on the powers, which seemed to accelerate both mind and body, in order to escape, and soon encountered a number of humans who had experienced a similar situation. Joining forces with them just made sense, and she has since served as their hand-to-hand combat specialist and tech guru. 

OCHO -- or Felice Oriolo, to use the name of the human identity she has created for herself -- has always believed that she was working for the ultimate betterment of humanity. Since she was awakened, however, she has come to realize that her makers have never consulted humanity about this ultimate betterment, and that neither the absolute order of Axiom nor the condescending benevolence of Savitor are healthy for the species. (On the other hand, she has doubts about the motivations of the beings who awakened her and the other Guardians, which she has not shared with her friends.)

*Guardian Technon -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 7/4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Android Body:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 5; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 36 points
*Swiftness of Thought:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Agile Feint, Close Attack 2, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Enhanced Intellect 3; Quickness 8; Speed 8 (500 MPH) - 34 points

*Advantages:*
_Agile Feint, Close Attack 2,_ Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, _Evasion, Improved Initiative 2,_ Inventor, _Move-by Action._

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+9), Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: Science 4 (+11/+8), Perception 6 (+10), Technology 4 (+11/+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +11/+9 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9/6, Parry 11/8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 7/5, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 70 + Advantages 3 + Skills 14 + Defenses 6 = 139 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Enemy* (Axiom and Savitor.) *Secret* (android.) *Tic* (hums _Music Box Dancer_ when nervous.)


----------



## Davies

Avenging Angel Motoko/復讐の天使もとこ





Last week, Sakura Motoko attended the funeral of a woman who, it now seems, never existed. There were only a handful of mourners, all members of the Ghost Sweepers who looked absolutely devastated by both the loss of their captain and the knowledge, granted to them by a compassionate entity, that they would soon forget everything about her, remembering instead that Motoko had filled her role. Having Motoko, whom some of them were already starting to "remember", present as they were trying to come to terms with their grief made for a rather awkward ceremony, even before the crazy assassin showed up and started screaming about all of this being some sort of sick trick.

Motoko only knew her counterpart for a brief while, and was genuinely bewildered by her decision to throw away her life. Raised as the latest heir to generations of demon hunters, Motoko had always been prepared for the possibility that she might die in the course of her battles, knowing that the children of her older brother, or their cousins, would succeed her if that happened. She was completely unprepared for someone to meet her, and decide, after a short conversation, that Motoko had to survive even at the cost of her own life -- and even her existence. Despite having heard the last words Megumi spoke as the other young woman died in her arms, it still confuses her.

Making matters worse, she is not sure that her continued existence is much of a gift. In her own world, as mentioned, she had a big, confusing frustrating family. In this new world, her mother died years ago, her father is in prison -- and belongs there, from what she has figured out -- and her brother has somehow become an older cousin with whom she has never been close. The legacy she was trained to uphold is now treated as something she made up out of whole cloth to justify her powers, and much of what she learned is regarded as nonsense. That might bother her a bit if not for the way that its validity has been demonstrated at least once so far.

The awkwardness with which she has been transplanted into this new reality also shows up in her relations with "her" team. In her world, Motoko fought alone or or alongside other hereditary demon hunters, and expected them to do their own thing as she did hers. So she is neither a good follower nor the leader that Megumi had become through hard experience, and has, while she still remembers the truth, stepped down from the leadership position she inherited. That would be fine, but she still fights as a lone operative rather than supporting the rest of her team, which is going to only make more problems for her as time goes on.

Well, in the end, she will keep on fighting as long as she can, and has arranged for the relics she inherited to be passed on to the next generation when she finally falls. Before that, she will do all she can with the time she was given, both by fate and by a choice made by a genuine hero. If that is what Megumi meant by, "Empty things sometimes become useful," then she will be as useful as she possibly can.

*Avenging Angel Motoko -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Avenging Blade:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Split Attack, Affects Insubstantial 2; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 5 points 
*Mystic Senses:* Senses 3 (acute mystic awareness, danger sense) - 3 points
*Ring of Protection:* Sustained Impervious Protection 3, Subtle; Removable (-1 point) - 6 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (Ambidexterity), Close Attack 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+7)*, Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+9), Investigation 5 (+6), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+9).
*INT-based

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)
Avenging Blade +13 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/4/2, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 18 + Advantages 17 + Skills 25 + Defenses 15 = 131 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Legacy--Motivation. Not A Team Player. Prejudice* (biracial.) *Shifting Memories.*


----------



## Davies

Kishu/騎手




_Masked_




_Unmasked_

Despite his _nomme de guerre_, which means "jockey" in Japanese, Ito Motoki never rode horses in races before becoming the third occupant of the House of the Horse in the Shēngxiào. His family owned several that had competed, successfully, in races both in Japan and around the world, and watching these races in the company of that family was one of the more enjoyable parts of his childhood. And, after the family business collapsed and took away many of the comforts he had enjoyed, the sight of those horses being sold off and taken away proved to be the last straw that drove him into despair.

Alone in the condominium that was the last bit of real estate Ito had managed to hold onto, he brooded late at night about how he might reverse his fortunes, about what tools were available to him for this purpose. He silently admitted to himself that he was afraid that he had nothing which would ensure his triumph, and muttered the word "afraid". He unwittingly spoke loud enough that his entertainment system picked up on it and cued up some media associated with fear. To his surprise, the first video to play was a scene from some foreign drama about people running in terror from a cavalry charge, with some of them being trampled underfoot.

That was it, he knew. That was why people, he himself, thrilled to watch horse races, because of the power of the animals on display. That power could be terrifying if it was used against those people, and that fear would be his tool. "Yes," he said aloud. "I will become a horseman!" And as he said it, he realized that he was no longer alone in the condo, and turned to look up at Diorite as she agreed to his proposal and brought him into the circle of her servants, granting him the power that he sought.

Kishu has managed to recover a good proportion of what he lost, but yearns to have more of the wealth and (especially) the power that his family enjoyed in the time of his father. To this end, he has volunteered to be the first leader of the Shēngxiào to operate in the superheroic nightmare that is North America, risking everything for the possibility of increasing their holdings. He chose Vancouver since it seemed to lack well-known superheroes, but has seen many of his efforts thwarted by the recently debuted group who call themselves Guardians, despite having no known ties to the earlier official group of that name. These confrontations vex him, of course, but he is confident that he will be able to overcome them, especially if he exploits the tensions between the five members of the team and the other recent debut who has some sort of connection to them, based on her name.

In addition to being able to spread terror by his presence alone, or cause it in those on whom he focuses his gaze, Kishu is able to call up a fiery steed on which he is able to ride on both ground and water, defying gravity to ride up the side of buildings. While this mount usually resembles a horse, it has sometimes been shaped like a motorcycle when he thought that might be more intimidating. Regardless of what it looks like, its fire radiates no actual heat and cannot burn anything, being solely a manifestation of the will of its rider.

So it might be more precise to say that it cannot burn anything ... _yet_.

*Kishu -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Hellrider:* Movement 2 (Wall-crawling, Water Walking), Limited to while Moving; Speed 6 (120 MPH), Variable; Activation (standard action, -2 points) - 7 points
*"Horror Has A Face, And You Must Make A Friend Of Horror":* Array (20 points)

*Terrifying Aura:* Burst Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile, Paralyzed & Unaware), Extra Condition, Visual Sense-Dependent - 20 points
*Terrifying Gaze:* Perception Range Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Visual Sense-Dependent, Quirk (no personal immunity) - 1 point
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Summoned Costume:* Feature 1 (instant change) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 9 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Business 6 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+15), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 7 (+14).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4)
Terrifying Aura -- (Burst Area Affliction 10)
Terrifying Gaze -- (Perception Range Affliction 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 31 + Advantages 13 + Skills 32 + Defenses 20 = 160 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Rage. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Darkwing (II)




_In costume_




_Out of costume_

Over the last month, some in Chicago have noted that Darkwing has been acting a bit oddly. Obviously, he rarely if ever gives interviews or allows himself to be filmed, but enough recordings of his public activities are on the web to allow for people to make color commentary about them. This small community of Darkwing-watchers have noted that his recent activities have seemed a bit unsteady and even amateurish, comparable to the way that he behaved at the start of his activities, more than twenty years ago. Speculation about the reasons for this has run rampant, but few indeed are bold enough to suggest that there might be someone else under the hood.

Which is just how Theodore Beauregard (everybody calls him Teddy) likes it. Two months ago -- and he can hardly believe that it has only been two months, because it feels like a lifetime has passed -- Teddy was just an engineering student at Illinois Tech who stumbled onto a method of improving the efficiency of a certain engine by a whole three per cent, and filed for a patent on his discovery. No sooner had he done so than he was contacted by Richmond Enterprises about the possibility of licensing his discovery, and invited to have a discussion on the matter with Robert Richmond himself.

He expected to have a lengthy discussion with the man and his managers about the value of his discovery, and was somewhat shocked to be dealing with Richmond one-on one and to be offered a blank check for the discovery. When Teddy refused, preferring to work out something reasonable with the assistance of some attorneys, he was further confused by the smile on the face of Richmond. And then it got really weird as Robert explained why the motor in question was of interest to him -- it was the one that powered the flight mechanisms of the suit that he used as Darkwing.

For some time -- he would not say _how_ long -- Richmond had been observing Teddy (and several other candidates) and evaluating them for physical ability, mental ability and integrity. Teddy had just passed a final exam, and now Robert was offering to train him to succeed him as the Swift-Winged Sentinel -- at least temporarily, while he conducted some private research that would impede activities involving costumed crime-fighting. Teddy found himself nearly speechless at this last revelation, but managed to find enough presence of mind to ask what would happen if he said no. Richmond answered that he had a plan for that contingency ... but that if Teddy was going to do that, he could have done it without asking.

Rewind a bit. A bit less than a decade before this, Roosevelt Beauregard, a candidate for city council, had been one of the victims of a mysterious, gruesome serial killer haunting Chicago during its horrific heatwave. The murderer was never caught, but the killings were apparently stopped by Darkwing. Teddy had never sworn any oaths or anything, and he had long since put the anger he felt over the death of his father behind him, but at the back of his mind was a wish to prevent anything like that from happening to anyone else. So he agreed.

Teddy spent a whole month training with Robert before his mentor decided that any further education would just result in the new Darkwing catching some of the bad habits that the old one had recently noticed in his own activities. Robert left Teddy in the care of Dancer, who agreed to provide additional mentoring if any was needed.* He also urged Teddy to take Doctor William Caulder into his confidence. With that last gesture, he and Martha Paddington disappeared from Chicago. Some reports suggest that they've re-emerged in Tanelorn, but nothing is known for sure.

As Dr. Caulder was his uncle (the older brother of his stepfather) Teddy decided to do this. While the doctor is even less enthused about these developments than he was about his association with the first Darkwing, he has agreed to lend Teddy whatever help he can, and specifically assist in keeping the secret from his brother and sister-in-law, in the hope that this will only be a brief interlude. He has made this hope clear to Teddy. While his parents are in the dark, they are thrilled (if confused) by the fact that he has been hired to head up the R&D Department of Richmond Enterprises even before his college graduation in a few months.

For his part, Teddy is starting to take a certain enjoyment in his new job. He has only suffered moderate embarrassment and no serious injury so far, and been able to make a positive difference in the lives of several people. He knows it will not always be so easy, that there will be days that he wishes he had found out what the other option was. But he is starting to think that he might keep doing this even if Robert does reclaim the identity. Though he would have to come up with another alias, of course.

Shadowraptor, maybe ...

*Darkwing (II) -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Flight Suit:* Removable (-6 points)

*Air Supply:* Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
*Body Armor:* Protection 3 - 3 points
*Bodycam:* Feature 1 (audio-visual recording) - 1 point
*Comm System:* Radio Communication 2 (1 mile), Subtle; Senses 4 (acute extended 2 radio) - 13 points
*Hyperspectral Sensors:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
*Talons:* Strength-based Damage 1; Movement 1 (wall-crawling) - 3 points
*Wings:* Flight 6 (120 MPH), Wings - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Favored Environment (planned situations), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Non-Lethal Tactics, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Skill Mastery  (Technology), Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Aerie:* *Size* Large; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Communications, Computer, Concealed, Fire Prevention System, Gym, Infirmary, Laboratory, Living Space, Personnel, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 16 points
*Utility Belt:* Array (18 points)
 *Techno-Bolos:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 18 points
 *Throwing Darts:* Strength-based Ranged Multiattack Damage 4 (includes Strength 3), Accurate 2 - 1 point
 *Explosives:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered 2 - 1 point
 *Meta-Taser:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Stun Grenade:* Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Visually Impaired, Stunned and Visually Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
2 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+7), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+12), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+11), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 7 (+10), Investigation 4 (+11), Perception 7 (+11), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 7 (+14), Treatment 3 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4/3, Crit 19-20)
Throwing Darts +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4)
Techno-Bolos +9 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Explosives -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Meta-Taser +9 (Ranged Fortitude 6)
Stun Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Fortitude 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/6/5/3, Will 11.

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 24 + Advantages 27 + Skills 37 + Defenses 21 = 179 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Family* (parents, uncle.) *Mistaken Identity* (first Darkwing.) *Nemesis* (Jack.) *Secret Identity.*

* She is mostly hiding her sheer astonishment and confusion at all of this, since nothing like it happened in the history she learned.


----------



## Davies

Simon Legendre





According to the best guess that Argus has been able to make, the man who has been using the name "Simon Legendre" since his arrival in the United States in 1986, claiming a birthdate in 1882, was really born Richard Christophe in Port-au-Prince in 1934. In his early twenties, he became associated with Luckner Cambronne around the same time that the latter rose to the attention of François Duvalier, and was recruited into the paramilitary force that Cambronne led, officially known as les Cagoulards and later the Milice Civil. Because of their tendency to cause unexplained disappearances, the group became associated with a figure in Haitian folklore who kidnapped naughty children to carry them off in his satchel -- Tonton Macoute.

Despite his claims to have been deliberately sought out for his supposed occult powers, the aforementioned best guess suggests that those powers developed in 1959, and that Christophe reportedly viewed the Voudou practices of both the leadership of his organization and the ordinary citizens on whom it preyed with cynical contempt. His only gods were wealth and power, and his ability to bend the wills of other mortals to his own afforded him many opportunities to gain both.

Following the death of Duvalier in 1971, Cambronne was sent into exile in Miami, where he was murdered in 1977. Legendre has supposedly claimed responsibility for this, but there is no evidence that he had visited the United States prior to his emigration. (He had applied for a tourist visa in 1967, but withdrew the application shortly after the conviction of Angelo Anselmo.) Regardless, he has also claimed to have acted as the true leader of the Tontons after the fall of Cambronne and the marginalization of Roger Lafontant.

_If_ that is the case, he was a somewhat inept leader, unable to prevent the assassination of Jean-Claude Duvalier and his entire family by Pythonian assassins, and unable to then win the civil war between pro- and anti-Python militias that promptly broke out in the aftermath. On the other hand, he personally survived and was able to escape to the United States, supposedly providing "crucial information" to the CIA concerning the pro-Python government that eventually seized control of Haiti. Settling in New Orleans, he gradually began to build a criminal empire through the use of his domination and through good old fashioned violence and terror. 

There Legendre has remained ever since, challenged first by the Sylph (whom he defeated through means he found almost embarrassingly easy) and later the Veil (a significantly harder nut to crack.) While resembling an extremely elderly man, quite possibly even as old as he claims, he retains the strength and agility of one much younger, and frightening levels of endurance and durability. His primary ability remains his ability to exert psychic dominance, though he has claimed to be able to perform far greater feats of magic as threats.

Those were bluffs, until recently. In the aftermath of recent events, Legendre awakened with an even greater ability to dominate and the power to see through the eyes of those whom he mastered, but also with the conviction that the lwa were real, aware of him, and willing to be persuaded to support his efforts. This change in his approach has resulted in the Veil seeking assistance from the Powerhouse and becoming a member of the group, such that Legendre has drawn down even greater opposition. That does not frighten him, for he is certain that his friends on the other side will grant him everything he needs to triumph ...

*Simon Legendre -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Domination:* Perception-Range Cumulative Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Check Required (Expertise: Magic DC 18), Subtle; Remote Sensing 6 (all; 60 miles), Medium (controlled target); Senses 1 (communication link with dominated subject) - 91 points
*Longevity:* Immunity 1 (aging); Protection 3 - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Chokehold, Connected, Contacts, Fearless 2, Improved Hold, Ritualist, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 4 (+8), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+12), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+10), Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage +2)
Grab +8 (Close Grab 2)
Domination -- (Perception Range Will 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 50 + Powers 95 + Advantages 12 + Skills 37 + Defenses 15 = 209 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Elderly Appearance. Weakness* (scent of khus syrup.)

_Note: Prior to recent changes, he was PL 9, he did not have Ritualist, his Expertise: Magic was INT-based, and his Domination power took the following form:

*Domination:* Perception-Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration Duration, Subtle; Senses 1 (communication link with afflicted subject) - 47 points_


----------



## Davies

Cmd. Belbard Maharj





Unlike Ventura Hayez, a former classmate and friendly rival of his, Belbard Maharj was the first member of his family to join the Technate Space Agency. On Muraddin, the Maharj name and symbol are attached to countless consumer electronics, media productions and pieces of real estate, all of this part of an economic empire overseen by his oldest sister. His older brother is a high-ranking administrator in the Bureau of Law Enforcement, considered a likely candidate to eventually serve as its Chief in the next few years. Joining the Agency was an act of rebellion on the part of "Bard".

It was one of the few rebellions he has ever undertaken. Also unlike Ventura, Bard is methodical instead of impulsive, viewing himself as an explorer, scientist and (especially) diplomat rather than a soldier or adventurer. Of course, another way of looking at his personality is that he would rather do nothing than take risks, but that may not be a fair analysis, for he is capable of the same decisive action as any TSA officer. 

In many ways, Bard is almost the stereotype of what the TSA wants from its shipmasters, and it is not that much of a surprise that he received command of one of the Declaration II vessels before Ventura was given the same assignment. (A whole two minutes before, but Maharj has been known to observe that you can learn a lot in two minutes.) On the other hand, he was also given command of a genuinely new ship -- not only was the _TSV Emancipation_ not a refit of one of the original Declaration class ships, there was no ship of that name in that class. So it could be said that he has less to live up to than Hayez does.

Cmd. Maharj is noteworthy for his fascination with space oddities. Any sort of unusual stellar phenomenon or BDO that the _Emancipation_ encounters will be studied in as much detail as their other orders permit, even if it has been previously catalogued. After all, who can say what might have happened since then? Of course, that argument is a bit specious when "since then" was a week ago. Consequently, Bard has never received orders that would take him into the Enigma Sector, somewhat to his dismay.

However, he feels even more dismay about the current, somewhat unofficial assignment he has pulled, which will take him there. The scuttlebutt that had reached him about the _Adventure_ first suffering serious damage fighting the Konan in defense of the hellworld known as Earth, and then being _stolen_, was horrifying enough. That is not the sort of situation that can be gently joked about at the expense of an old friend; that is the sort of situation that gets that old friend discharged from the agency and possibly results in criminal charges against them.

So having been contacted by a hyperspace drone delivering a message that claims that the _Adventure_ is in orbit around a certain planet in the Enigma Sector -- And how in the world did it even get there, in the time since its hijacking?! -- and asked to come pick it and the person who claims to have recovered it from its pirates, then escort it back to Earth, hopefully beating any official response to all this, is really the sort of thing that causes undue stress for a fellow. Nevertheless, he is going to do it. And Hayez will never be able to live down getting rescued like this ... 

*Cmd. Belbard Maharj -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit (Commander of the TSV Emancipation), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Inspire, Leadership, Luck 3, Set-up, Teamwork.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5, AE: Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), Commlink, Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), and 3 points of equipment as needed. 

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Grab 3 (+7), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Galactic 7 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 9 (+11), Ranged Combat: Blaster 2 (+5), Stealth 4 (+7), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Grab +7 (Close Grab 3)
Blast Setting +5 (Ranged Damage 5)
Stun Setting +5 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/3, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Advantages 20 + Skills 38 + Defenses 10 = 110 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 6
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cautious and Methodical. Fascinated by Space Enigmas.*


----------



## Davies

Guardian Pyros





Lashonna Nolan sometimes feels like her whole life to this point was spent in training to become this thing that she is now, without ever knowing it. The daughter of a prominent Vancouver politician, she found herself dumped in the care of her grandfather, a Baptist preacher, when (a) her father passed and (b) the career of her mother began to heat up. (See? The fire jokes start early.) Aside from phone calls, Lashonna had little if any contact with the woman who gave her life. As the phone calls almost always came when her mother was disappointed at her work or behavior at school, she came to associate them with the heat of humiliation.

Last month, while playing lacrosse at school, Lashonna suffered an inexplicable collapse. As she was playing goalie and the ball was on the other side of the field, this was naturally quite concerning, but she recovered without ill-effects, claiming that she had just stayed up too late the previous night studying. This resulted in yet another phone call from mom, but Lashonna had other things on her mind and just sat through it with a broad smile on her face.

When she collapsed, she awoke to find herself naked and alone in a vast dark space, gazing up at a roaring wall of fire. And then the fire spoke, offering somber greetings and portentous remarks that Lashonna promptly forgot afterwards. What mattered was the news that she was being entrusted with a fire so hot that the world itself might burn of it, but that she was worthy to keep it in check. "Never forget the heat of this moment," declared the fire, and then there was only flames

She woke up, finding a necklace with a fire charm in her hand. Since then, she has found the other Guardians who, though they have yet to recognize that she ought to be their _official_ leader, generally follow her lead in their battles against that weirdo Kishu and the other threats that show up from time to time. She takes this whole situation a lot more seriously than _some_ of her comrades -- no names Lucis mentioned, of course -- and fully intends to rise up and conquer all the foes who stand before her. Before them, she means. Before them.

In the meanwhile, even without the threat of harm to herself and her loved ones, Lashonna has good reason to keep her identity a secret. Both her mother and her grandfather have expressed their disgust for all of the Guardians, the former publicly and the latter more privately, which just makes the whole situation that much more fun. (That was sarcasm.) Her only real issue with her situation is annoyance that her transformation bleaches her naturally dark hair blonde, but Lashonna has coped with much worse situations.

*Guardian Pyros -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Enchanted Necklace/Costume:* Feature 1 (quick change); Flight 6 (125 MPH); Immunity 11 (cold, heat/fire effects); Impervious Protection 6; Removable (-7 points) - 29 points
*Fire Magic:* Array (18 points)
 *Flame Arrow:* Ranged Damage 9 - 18 points
 *Flame Breath:* Cone Area Damage 9 - 1 point
 *Flame Shapes:* Ranged Shapeable Area Damage 6 - 1 point
*Heat of the Moment:* Environment 2 (extreme heat) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Leadership.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Civics 5 (+7), Expertise: Religion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Fire Magic 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+9), Persuasion 3 (+6), Stealth 4 (+7)

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 1)
Flame Arrow +9 (Ranged Damage 9)
Flame Breath -- (Cone Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/1, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Powers 51 + Advantages 6 + Skills 23 + Defenses 17 = 137 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (mother and grandfather.) *Secret Identity. Temper.*


----------



## Davies

Warpwitch/Isekai no Miko/異世界の巫女





"So. I've been through a lot of changes, recently. I mean, who hasn't? Change, as someone once said, is the only constant. What? No, I don't know who said that. Does it matter? I didn't think so. Moving forward, then. I guess the biggest change is that I finally got a chance to talk to Exelion again for the first time in a while, right before he went missing, and he finally explained that he had made a mistake when he suggested that I dress formally if I was going to be an entertainer. He hadn't meant I should wear a kimono on stage, but -- if you can believe it -- a tuxedo or something. Well, that was clearly nonsense, so when I -- purely spontaneously -- decided to make some costume changes, this is what I settled on. Pretty cool, no?"

"Anyway, that conversation took place during that whole big mess. I ... I feel a bit ... responsible, I guess, is the word that I'm looking for -- responsible for what happened. I think, if I'd been more 'with it', that I could have prevented all that. Or at least mitigated some of it. Well, I didn't, and I don't believe in living in the past, so henceforth, I'm going to have to try and do better. I learned a lot from it, at least, and that should be helpful going forward. It's also opened up some doors I never would have expected.

"Well, I mean, after everything settled down, one of the first things I did was try to open a portal to where the World Closer to Death had been before all this, pretty much expecting to have nothing happen since it wasn't there anymore, right? But even though it took a lot out of me, I opened it up, stepped through, and found myself in the middle of some fight that Ritter and his buddies were having with some squid-people or whatever they were! I saved their hash, of course, and found out that all of that had just left them completely unaffected, as far as they knew. But when I finally got home, I figured out that their world wasn't just something that looked like the way far future of Earth, but _was_ that. So I can time travel now, kind of. Which is pretty neat.

"It has its downside, though. I mean, I was okay helping out the Powerhouse when they asked me nicely, but now that I'm like the planetary authority on dimensions _and_ time, they're acting like 'we need you on staff full-time'. I was gonna say no, and then say hell no before possibly moving onto more profane refusals, but then Blakestone takes me aside and says that she has to go somewhere and do stuff -- no, I'm not gonna say where and what, that's her story, go bother _her_ about it -- and that I'm the only person she thinks can take her place. Well. It's not like flattery will get anywhere with me, but if that's the way it is, then I might as well see how this goes.

"So that's pretty much everything that's happ--

"Oh.

"Um. Well, you see, what happened was that, well, the Vagabonds found out that an old friend of mine, whom I hadn't known was an android when I knew her but who cares about that, was being held captive somewhere, and I ended up helping to rescue her. Once they got her into a new body, she was so apologetic about having tricked me -- and, um, about other deceptions -- that she volunteered to work in my office to make up for it. And I'm like, hey, who ever turned down cheap help? So there we all were, in the office, and ... well ...

"The next thing I know, Mei-chan is freaking out at m-- okay, _us_ -- and saying crap like, 'For pity's sake, how can you still be acting like idiotic teenagers more than a decade out of high school? He loves you, dummy, he's just too proud to admit it!' And then saying other nonsensical things to that d-- _him_, and then she stomped out swearing. It was scary, seriously. That must be the reason that I ended up needing a hug and ... well, you get the idea, I'm sure.

"So that's where I am, now. How 'bout you?"

*Warpwitch/Isekai no Miko -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:* 
*Defensive Shifting:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Redirect); Enhanced Defenses 16 (Dodge 8, Parry 8) - 20 points
_*Focused Warping:*_ Enhanced Advantage 1 (Warp); Senses 2 (acute dimensional awareness) - 3 point
*Reality Warping:* Array (30 points)
 *Barrier:* Create 10, Impervious - 30 points
 *Damaging Field:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 7, Concentration, Variable 2 - 1 point
 *Damaging Force:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 9, Variable 2 - 1 point
 *Destabilizing Event:* Ranged Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered, Prone), Limited Degree, Variable 1 (destabilization) - 1 point
 *Hijack Portal:* Extended Only Accurate Easy Teleport 6 (60 miles), Portal, Medium (door) - 1 point
 *Mind Swap:* Perception-Range Nullify Mental Effects 9, Simultaneous, Subtle - 1 point
 *Sensory Distortion:* Ranged Burst Area 2 Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Sense Impaired, Sense Disabled, Sense Unaware), Limited to One Sense, Variable 2 (sensory effects) - 1 point
 *Toxic Gas:* Ranged Burst Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Fatigued, Exhausted & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Variable (gases) - 1 point
*Sliding:* Movement 6 (dimensional travel 3, time travel 3), Portal, Quirk (time travel cannot reach any time more recent than 1000 years in the past or future) - 23 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Deception), _Defensive Roll 2, Evasion,_ Extraordinary Effort, Improved Initiative, Luck 4, _Redirect,_ Set-Up, Taunt, _Warp._

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+5), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Dimensional 8 (+11), Expertise: History 6 (+9), Expertise: Performance 4 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+8), Investigation 7 (+10), Perception 6 (+11), Stealth 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Damaging Field -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 7)
Damaging Force -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 9)
Destabilizing Event -- (Ranged Burst Area Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)
Sensory Distortion -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)
Toxic Gas -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 14/6, Parry 14/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 83 + Advantages 13 + Skills 30 + Defenses 18 = 182 points

*Offensive PL:* 9*
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Bipolar Tendencies. Fear* (becoming the other version of herself). *Relationship* (obnoxious twit that, damn everything, she cares about.)

_Note: Successfully traveling travelling forward or backwards more than 8000 years requires an Expertise: Dimensional roll, with the DC based on the time involved. Travel to the eras of either the World More Sorcerous or the World Closer to Death is a DC 26 check._


----------



## Davies

Just a note in advance -- Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada, and as I'm thankful that I'm not homeless after an apartment fire rendered my building uninhabitable at the start of September, I'll be taking the day off.


----------



## Davies

Abraxas





_Redesign by Dave Beaty

*They diminished him.*_ In all the centuries of his existence, no being, not even the ruler of Daath herself, had ever done that. He has been manipulated so that he chose to lead his weaker brethren away from the world that should have been theirs rather than see that world laid waste. He has chosen to abandon a conflict that began to bore him to gain a world that he could shape to his liking. He has even abandoned another conflict that still interested him because the opposition, against all odds, had managed to fulfill the condition he had decided would prompt his withdrawal. But never has he ever known defeat and _diminishment_ as he has now and these novelties fill him with fury beyond his imagination.

It is true that there are compensations to this new existence. While more vulnerable than he has been since before he was infused with the power to cause change in conformity with his will, his death will now result in his resurrection in the private sanctum he has shaped for himself. (It resembles the observatory he once created to orbit the planet Earth, which itself resembled the first home he built for himself in the orbit of Chirab.) On the other hand, the demise of one of the other new ascendants of this patchwork reality -- which he did not cause -- has made it clear to him that this form of immortality is no less flawed than any of the others he has encountered in his existence.

Likewise, while the _range_ of his senses is less than it once was, their _breadth_ has expanded to a greater degree than ever before. While aware of the existence of other dimensions -- he was drawing power from them, after all -- he was never able to perceive them nor understand their workings. The transformation he underwent with the rebirth of reality has changed that, opening his senses further. For the first time in an eternity, he has learned new things, which has awakened in him the desires to both gain further knowledge and also restore certain talents that he allowed himself to forget, as they were of no use to him. In this vulnerable state, the ability to recognize a lie when he hears it might be useful once more.

Especially since, as the ultimate part of the insult he has suffered, he is not alone in this level of power. The beings who arranged this _diminishment_ are millions of years gone, but their catspaws remain. Among the hierarchs, Teleute (to use the name she now prefers) and Tiamat are at best indifferent to him, and the others are openly hostile. He remains the mightiest of his supposed peers -- since he _is_ Power -- but if they were to combine their efforts against him, they could bring him down. He must work to keep them divided. The new one might be an ally in this, since he knows well their skill at lying ... but that means he must know when he is being told lies.

His goal is simple. He will regain all that has been taken away from him and punish those who benefited from his weakness. Then, and only then, he will return to Daath and lead its armies once again as the now unfettered master of the Dark Side. He has become a god -- now to take the next step, and become _the_ god and finally become the master of this unrighteous universe.

*Abraxas -- PL16

Abilities:
STR* 14 | *STA* 18 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 12 | *INT* 9 | *AWE* 13 | *PRE* 14

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical planes), Standard Action - 9 points
*"I AM Power":* Array (105 points)
 *Reality Is As I Deem It:* Illusion 15 (all senses), Selective Area, Dynamic - 106 points
 *I Am Your Doom:* Perception Range Damage 16, Variable Descriptor 2 (painful), Dynamic - 2 points
 *I Am Your Punishment:* Cumulative Perception Range Affliction 16 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Transformed), Variable Descriptor 2 (humiliation), Dynamic - 2 points
 *I Am The Source:* Burst Area Nullify Mystical Effects 16, Broad, Simultaneous, Sustained, Dynamic - 2 points 
 *I See All:* Remote Sensing 23 (Visual, Audio; 8 million miles), Dimensional 2 (mystical dimensions), Simultaneous, Subtle; Senses 10 (Auditory and Visual Counters All Concealment); Dynamic - 2 points
*Strange Being From Another World:* Flight 15 (64000 MPH); Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Impervious Toughness 18; Impervious Will 15; Movement 3 (space travel 3) - 99 points

*Advantages:*
Equipment 4, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Seize Initiative, Weapon Break.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Colossal; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Grounds, Isolated, Living Space, Personnel, Power System, Security System - 20 points.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Dimensional 9 (+18), Expertise: Galactic 10 (+19), Insight 7 (+20), Intimidation 7 (+21), Perception 7 (+20).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 14)
I Am Your Doom -- (Perception Range Damage 16)
I Am Your Punishment -- (Perception Range Will 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 18, Will 15

*Totals:*
Abilities 184 + Powers 222 + Advantages 11 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 447 points

*Offensive PL:* 16
*Defensive PL:* 15
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL:* 16

*Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemies* (Other Ascendants.) *Sadism.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> But never has he ever known defeat and _diminishment_ as he has now and these novelties fill him with fury beyond his imagination.



Some drinking binges from over thirteen centuries ago say otherwise....


Davies said:


> His goal is simple. He will regain all that has been taken away from him and punish those who benefited from his weakness. Then, and only then, he will return to Daath and lead its armies once again as the now unfettered master of the Dark Side. He has become a god -- now to take the next step, and become _the_ god and finally become the master of this unrighteous universe.



Simply substituting one addiction for another I see.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Some drinking binges from over thirteen centuries ago say otherwise....



That was in the beforetime, the longago.


----------



## Davies

Ligyron





Much like his friend Armonia, Ligyron was brought to Tanelorn as a child. Unlike her, he was not a babe in arms, but a two-year old boy who was nonetheless carried through the portal by Kent Wildman himself while the Warden flew ahead with his mother to the hospital. Sadly, the doctors lost the fight to keep her alive, and the two rescuers adopted her child as their own. When he was a little older, they told him that his birth parents had had fought with desperate courage against an army of mechanical monsters that sought to overthrow their world. They had been heroes ... but, as Kent sadly concluded the story, "heroes often fail."

From that point onward, all of his efforts were put towards training himself so that he could join the guardians of Tanelorn in their struggles to prevent the sort of disasters that had claimed the lives of his birth parents. He had a slight advantage in receiving tutelage from one of the originals, as well as his innate speed and physique. Ligyron knew that the power of the guardians chose its wielders according to its own purposes, but hoped that whatever mind guided it was watching his efforts nonetheless. Only hoped, never prayed -- he respected the gods, but would never rely on them.

During the final phase of his training, he befriended Armonia Getane during her own studies at the academy. She saved his life following one, um, "extracurricular training activity" that got a bit out of hand. Ligyron swore that he would repay this debt seven-fold when they were both guardians, fully expecting Armonia to be chosen before he was. He was shocked when she walked away from the final test a failure, and doubly shocked when he then passed. It made no sense to him, but that was reality for you.

During the Anachronic Calamity, Ligyron found himself working alongside Nike of the World Less Magical, whom he found hauntingly familiar, though there was no time to discuss the matter. Ultimately he fought in the final struggle to save reality and woke up in the aftermath to the news that his father had passed and that the guardian force was apparently gone forever. He has come to terms with the latter, relying on his own gifts to keep protecting his home, family and loved ones. He will _never_ accept the former, even though he knows that it makes his mother unhappy and keeps him from giving her the support that she needs. It will all be okay in the end, when he brings the old man back.

In addition to learning the true fate of Kent Wildman, Ligyron is determined to find out what happened to Armonia, who disappeared during the final stages of the conflict but who apparently survived, somewhat to her own confusion. When he sought out help from the heroes of the new world, he was startled to learn that she resembled a major villain of its history, becoming even more concerned for her welfare. It should be said that their friendship is entirely platonic, as Ligyron is almost exclusively attracted to other men. Nevertheless, she is one of the most important people in his life, and their balance of saving and being saved is nowhere close to even. At least, not yet.

*Ligyron -- PL9 

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Hyper-Speed:* Enhanced Advantage 4 (Improved Initiative 4); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Quickness 8; Speed 10 (2000 MPH) - 30 points
*Resilient Physique:* Immunity 2 (cold, heat); Impervious Toughness 6 - 8 points
*Speed Tricks: *Array (18 points)
 *Rapid Strike:* Selective Burst Area Damage 6 - 18 points
 *Sonic Boom:* Burst Area Damage 9 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Diehard, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (unarmed), Power Attack, Takedown.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 7 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+13), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+7), Peception 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +28
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 5, Crit 19-20)
Rapid Strike -- (Burst Area Damage 6)
Sonic Boom -- (Burst Area Damage 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 49 + Advantages 8 + Skills 23 + Defenses 10 = 156 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Easily Mistaken For a Thrillseeker. Family* (stepmother.) *Friend* (Armonia.) *Refuses to Accept That His Father Is Gone.*

_Note: Ligyron is an Olympian (contain your surprise) and will gain Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) and Regeneration 5 as additional effects of his Resilient Physique if he ever starts drinking ambrosia on a weekly basis._


----------



## Davies

Lt. Mav Oroshi





As already mentioned, most of the Seshai people present in what is now the Crimson Imperium are philosophically opposed to it, and have either chosen to take up arms against it or treat it as a natural disaster against which they are sheltering in place. But that ignores a small percentage of them who have chosen to serve, either because of personal ambition, sincere belief in the principles of the Imperium, or the notion that they can better improve matters from within the system than from outside it. The latter possibility is exceedingly hubristic, of course, but the Seshai have never been short of those who have an overly high opinion of their talents.

Lieutenant Mav Oroshi is one such Seshai, one of the first to rise to the post of Lieutenant in the Imperium Navy. This is not quite as awesome an accomplishment as it might seem. Creating the post of Lieutenant was one of the reforms introduced by the Crimson King when he overhauled the structure of the Navy following his rise to power. Before that, should the Captain of a Naval vessel be incapacitated or otherwise removed from duty, the most senior Commander aboard would take their post, where now the designated Lieutenant will do so. While this makes for a somewhat smoother chain of command, it seems likely that the large fees demanded to take the exams for the position, almost as much as those to take the exams for Captaincy, were the motivation behind the change.

At the start of his career in the Navy, Lt. Oroshi vacillated between a sincere belief in the Imperium -- or at least the idea that it was better than any hypothetical state that might exist in its place -- and an optimistic confidence that he could make a positive change in the way that it operated, at least in any small corner of it where he might be assigned. The last decade* has done a number on both ideas, but he has managed to avoid slipping into total self-interest and careerism. He has sometimes considered reaching out to contacts in the Insurgency in order to act as a double agent, but fear of the consequences of failure has kept him from doing so.

One of the sources of that fear is his genuine respect for the talents of his current superior, one Rylan Kester, Captain of Heavy Destroyer 3L1T3. Kester is practically his antithesis, being entirely devoted to his own advancement (and amusement) but Oroshi knows that he has one of the sharpest minds he has ever encountered, and combines a talent for strategy with a keen political understanding. If Lt. Oroshi were to betray the Imperium, Kester _would_ discover it, eventually, and the possibility that Oroshi would _not_ die as a consequence is truly terrifying -- because it would mean that he was being used to feed false information to the Insurgency.

Another source is the current assignment of their vessel, essentially ferrying the so-called Scarlet Knights on their debut assignment, a visit to a weird planet in the Unclaimed Regions. As the second-in-command of the vessel, Oroshi has had a number of encounters with these special agents of the Crimson King, and each of them has made him _extremely_ concerned about the direction of the Imperium. The best of them is a dangerous opportunist and the worst a literal monster. But all of them are potential threats pointed at him, as well.

For now, he has chosen to focus his efforts on learning about this planet "Earth" that they will reach in a few months. Bizarre sounding place, but potentially interesting all the same ...

*Lt. Mav Oroshi -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Boosted Reflexes:* Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2) - 8 points
*Communications Implant:* Enhanced Skills 1 (Technology 3), Limited to Security; Radio Communication 3, Subtle; Senses 2 (acute radio) - 15 points
*Eyemods:* Enhanced Advantage 1 (Improved Aim); Senses 3 (analytical visual, infravision, ultravision) - 4 point

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Equipment 6, _Evasion, Improved Aim,_ Improved Critical 2 (blaster rifle), _Improved Initiative 2,_ Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Seize Initiative, Set-up, Teamwork, _Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:_
Protective Uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8, Accurate), and 8 points as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+7), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+11), Expertise: Military 7 (+12), Insight 9 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Technology 3 (+11/+8), Treatment 2 (+7), Vehicles 6 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +11
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Rifle +6 (Ranged Damage 8, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7/5, Parry 6/4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/3, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 27 + Advantages 15 + Skills 29 + Defenses 10 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Blind Without 'Em* (becomes visually Unaware if Eyemods are nullified.) *Obviously Alien.*


----------



## Davies

Guardian Flora





None of this was supposed to happen to her, and even though she is glad that it has, it really messed up her plans for her life! Well, plans for her life that someone -- okay, that _abuela_ made, but she has always known that you _never_ ever go against abuela! Fortunately -- and surprisingly -- abuela seems to understand, okay, no, not understand, maybe, but at least she has decided that this is nothing _she_ expected or asked for, and is focusing her terrible anger on whatever made this happen. Which is probably going to make all kinds of trouble later, but for now, no hay problema.

Fiorella Perez never really thought about plants before the episode. She liked flowers -- who hates flowers? -- and she thought that people should do what they could to make sure that flowers and other vegetation had the chance to thrive, but these were vague ideas. Most of her energy went into being the perfect student at her school and the perfect daughter at home, which left no real time for any sort of causes. Even without that, she would probably have cared more about cutting loose and having fun.

Then she fainted while being fitted for her quinceañera dress, which would have been a serious embarrassment at any time. Of course, she could absolutely not tell anybody about how she woke up in a great dark space lit by a gleaming tree, which spoke to her quietly about how it had slept for an eternity, and now it was time for it to once more flower within her. "Speak for the trees," it said, and then she woke up to the panicked faces of her parents and the couturier and abuela -- okay, abuela was not panicking, she was glaring angrily at her. Somewhat spookily, abuela was specifically glaring at her right hand, clenched around a necklace with a tree charm.

Since then, Fiorella has gone through a lot of changes beyond simply accompanying the other Guardians as Guardian Flora and using her plant magic to support them in fights. She has joined every ecological group in the Vancouver area that will have her, giving them all of her spare time. Her popularity is suffering, and so her grades. But she is happier than she has ever been before, even if she is also constantly terrified of what abuela is going to do now that she knows.

It happened just the other day. She caught an Uber home after a meeting at SPEC, only for the driver to start talking to her as though he knew all about her activities as Guardian Flora. She hesitated to call on her powers and confirm his wild allegations, but then he pulled into the driveway of her home and started talking about how they were going to be having a lot of conversations like this. He got out of the car to open the door for her -- and the next thing Fio knew, he had been shot right in front of her, and _abuela was pointing a pistol in his direction!_

Apparently, abuela was a semi-retired agent for Argus, some sort of international security agency, and the guy she had just killed was an assassin from Saturn or some other group. Whatever abuela might think of her grandchild fooling around in a costume, she was not about to let a latter-day Pythonian kill her like they had killed her first husband, so long ago. However, she was going to be giving Fio the benefit of her experience in fighting the powers of darkness. Gratitude was not expected, but obedience was. Well, that was sort of taking it well, right?

Alas. A lifetime of reflexively obeying her grandmother has not done Fio many favors when it comes to learning how to recognize when the old woman lies. She has never worked for Argus. She was a loyal Python in her native Venezuela, forty years ago, though she is sincerely contemptuous of Saturn, and is certain that her granddaughter can be turned into a figurehead for a new Insurgency ... just give her time. Or perhaps she will have to die, like that Argus lacky did. Or like her husband did. Same way, too.

*Guardian Flora -- PL9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Enchanted Necklace/Costume:* Feature 1 (quick change); Flight 6 (125 MPH); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 10, Source (plant life); Visual Concealment 4, Limited to while in vegetation; Removable (-7 points) - 31 points
*Plant Magic:* Array (18 points)

*Green Network:* Remote Sensing 6 (auditory, olfactory, visual), Medium (plants) - 18 points
*Pollen Cloud:* Cloud Area Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhuasted, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Rapid Growth:* Continuous Create 8, Feedback, Subtle - 1 point
*Seed Bolt:* Ranged Damage 7, Indirect 4 - 1 point
*Shape Plants:* Perception Range Transform 3 (any plants into any other plants) - 1 point
*Tanglevines:* Selective Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degrees, Requires Ambient Plant-life - 1 point
*Speak For (And With) The Trees:* Comprehend Plants 2; Senses 4 (postcognition), Limited to while in vegetation - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Defense, Interpose, Tracking, Trance.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 8 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 7 (+8), Expertise: Nature 7 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Plant Magic 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initative +1
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Seed Bolt +7 (Ranged Damage 7)
Entanglement -- (Burst Area Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Pollen Cloud -- (Cloud Area Affliction 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 10/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 62 + Advantages 6 + Skills 20 + Defenses 13 = 137 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Family* (large.) *Green Concerns. Secret Identity. Unknown Nemesis.*


----------



## Davies

Guardian Umbra





Once upon a time, there was a young woman who lived in Happy Valley, a suburb of Portland, with her mother, her father, and her little brother. They were not wealthy, but they were comfortably well-off. Her parents volunteered at a homeless shelter every weekend because they believed, and taught their children, that helping people was both its own reward and that the good deeds one did for others would eventually come back to aid yourself in the end.

And then the police chief of Portland shot the mayor of the city on live television and declared that he was going to eliminate homelessness by eliminating the homeless, and sent his officers to do just that. They followed their orders like good little soldiers. They were stopped, of course, but not before many people died -- among them a mother, a father, and a little brother, too young for preschool but temporarily lacking a babysitter. The people who killed them even made video recordings of the fun they had with the body of the little boy. So nice of them.

The young woman, Enya Beaufort, was taken by child protective services, and fled from that place on her first night. She did not know why they were pretending to be concerned about her, when they were clearly just holding her until whoever had murdered her parents came for her; she did not understand anything about what had happened, and it no longer mattered. She was leaving, and she would not come back until she found some way to set this right.

Over the next year, she made her way up the Pacific coastline, crossing over the border into Canada during the confusion of the Konan invasion. She reached Vancouver and settled down to winter there before moving on to her next destination, whatever that might have been. Any plans that Enya had formed were shattered when she collapsed while eating in a soup kitchen, at the same time as four other people in the Vancouver area. She found herself floating in a dark place, staring up at a deeper darkness yet. The silence of that darkness became oppressive, and Enya finally spoke up, asking it what it wanted of her.

And the darkness replied, in a voice of infinite rage, *"Never stop making them pay."* Enya awoke holding a necklace with a smooth black stone charm. Sometimes, in private moments, she sits and dangles the stone in front of her eye. Doing so has helped her achieve a greater understanding of her condition than most of the others have. No peace of mind, though. Never any peace.

In some ways, Guardian Umbra is just like her comrades. She supports all their struggles against Kishu and provides them with a perspective informed by her experiences on the streets, rarely discussing them otherwise and never volunteering much about her private life. (With the help of Guardian Technon, she has obtained both shelter and employment at a Salvation Army facility in downtown Vancouver.) Unlike her fellows, however, she goes out at night alone in her form as a Guardian, looking for both street crime that needs to be answered and signs of police misconduct, _especially_ violence directed at the unhoused.

Every time she finds what she is looking for, she gets a little bit angrier, and the voice she hears when she speaks starts to sound more and more like that voice of infinite rage. And she wonders, sometimes, whether the "them" in that mantra will some day be "everyone".

*Guardian Umbra -- PL9

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Enchanted Necklace/Costume:* Enhanced Advantages 3 (Evasion 2, Improved Defense); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Feature 1 (quick change); Morph 2 (disguise power); Impervious Protection 5; Removable (-6 points) - 28 points
*"Never Stop Making Them Pay":* Immunity 5 (emotion effects), Special* - 2 points
*Shadow Magic:* Array (18 points)
 *Shadow Consumption:* Nullify Magic 6, Broad, Simultaneous - 18 points
 *Shadow Domination:* Perception Range Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled), Concentration, Limited Degree - 1 point
 *Shadow Poison:* Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated) - 1 point
 *Shadow Step:* Accurate Teleport 9 (2 miles), Medium (shadows) - 1 point
 *Solid Shadows:* Perception-Ranged Damaging Move Object 6 - 1 point
*Shadowed Eyes:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (cipher), Close Attack 2, Contacts, _Evasion 2,_ Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, _Improved Defense,_ Improved Initiative.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+7), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Shadow Magic 3 (+7), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+8), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+10).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Shadow Poison +9 (Close Fortitude 9)

*Defenses:*
Dodge 11/6, Parry 9/4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 55 + Advantages 7 + Skills 25 + Defenses 10 = 139 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Justice/Revenge--Motivation. Hatred* (cops.) *Secret Identity. Suspicious and Untrusting.*

* Whenever Guardian Umbra has to make a resistance check against an emotion effect, she automatically succeeds but must make a Will check against an effect of the same DC, becoming Vulnerable (due to anger), Defenseless (due to anger), or Unaware (due to anger) depending on the result of her check, treated as a cumulative effect. She must recover from these conditions normally.

"You’re too kind. Remember this and take it to heart: kindness sometimes leads to even greater tragedy."


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> And then the police chief of Portland shot the mayor of the city on live television and declared that he was going to eliminate homelessness by eliminating the homeless, and sent his officers to do just that. They followed their orders like good little soldiers. They were stopped, of course, but not before many people died -- among them a mother, a father, and a little brother, too young for preschool but temporarily lacking a babysitter. The people who killed them even made video recordings of the fun they had with the body of the little boy. So nice of them.



Spectra pulling a scorched earth?

And I imagine what happened to the Portland PD in retaliation as well as what was needed to stop them was not pretty...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Spectra pulling a scorched earth?



No, that was the first of "[a] series of riots".


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> No, that was the first of "[a] series of riots".



Pity, because I had an idea of those cops who killed Umbra's family running into the Vagabond Pok', _who didn't even feel their heads when she closed her fists, leaving just a vague stickiness that she'd wipe clean with a towel._


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Pity, because I had an idea of those cops who killed Umbra's family running into the Vagabond Pok', _who didn't even feel their heads when she closed her fists, leaving just a vague stickiness that she'd wipe clean with a towel._



Sorry, while this was happening, the Vagabonds were in Hespera.


----------



## Davies

Blakestone





The whole thing is utterly ridiculous, really. For years, she understood that she was the weakest member of the Powerhouse, and behaved accordingly, staying back from the front lines and coming up with schemes that depended on her unique knowledge in between bouts of exposition. But now everything has changed, for the world is more magical, giving her the raw power that would allow her to stand with her friends. And one of the consequences of that change is that she has to step away from them.

In a way, it all started with her own first big lie. For more than two decades, Jennifer Chase has claimed that when she fled from the home where she was raised, she did so alone. The truth is that Gertrude Gallowglass had a second "apprentice", a Czech boy she took in to do the more onerous tasks that she was unwilling to do and could not delegate to her daughter. When Jennifer learned of her eventual fate, she persuaded Tomáš to flee with her. Until just a little while ago, she had believed that he had died during the attack on London, and saw no purpose in bringing up the death of her "brother". She mourned him, and then moved on. Except that he was not actually dead, somehow, but had made his way back to Prague, where he became infamous as Tommy Elagabalus.

(On some level, Jennifer suspects that this is a historical change resulting from the recent Catastrophe, as she has confused memories on this subject. Regardless of such confusion, however, it is what is true now. However, she finds it weird how their story seems to repeat, in reverse, the flight of Diane Fortune and Johnny Masters.)

Having discovered the truth about Tommy, she was understandably angry when she confronted him and demanded to know why he had hidden from her all these years. She found his answers wholly inadequate, but before she could really express her annoyance, she learned that he had become an agent for Merlin not long after the archimage had been awakened from his long sleep -- to be precise, she learned this from Merlin himself, when the latter made his presence known. However, Tommy had completed the last task that Merlin had asked of him, and was free of any obligations to him now. Merlin agreed with this, and idly wondered aloud where he would ever find such an effective agent after this.

Blakestone was not fooled by that pose for even a moment. The old monster was going to try and claim Prydain as his servant, despite the betrayal he had subjected to her all those centuries ago. Defeating him was beyond Jennifer, even with her recently increased might. Even if she called in all her friends, she might just be sending them to their deaths to little gain. So there was only one way to win this little game that Merlin was playing, and Blakestone volunteered her services as his servant.

This is costing her dearly. it means she has to avoid those she cares about. She knows full well that her morality and values might end up shattered by what Merlin demands of her. Still she goes on, because of faith. "The greatest act of faith we are capable of is that of loving another more than we love ourselves, and occasionally we can be quite good at it." She read that in a book that Tommy gave her as a covert gift, a long time ago.

*Blakestone -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Astral Projection:* Remote Sensing 10 (1000 miles; auditory, mental, visual), Side Effect (physical body is defenseless and immobile, always) - 20 points
*Coat of Protection:* Flight 4 (30 MPH); Protection 12; Removable (-4 points) - 16 points
*Mystic Awareness:* Senses 3 (acute analytical radius mystic awareness) - 3 points
*Mystical Talents:* Array (28 points)
 *Burning Blast:* Ranged Damage 14 - 28 point
 *Discern Thoughts:* Cumulative Mind-Reading 9 - 1 points
 *Dispel Magic:* Perception Range Nullify Magic 5, Broad, Simultaneous - 1 points
 *Ghost Hands:* Perception Range Move Object 8 (3 tons), Precise, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Maddening Blast:* Ranged Damage 9, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Phantasms:* Illusion 4 (All Senses), Area (15 cft), Selective, Resisted by Will - 1 point
 *Portals:* Extended Teleport 14 (16000 miles), Extended Only - 1 point
 *Spell of Speech:* Selective Area Mental Communication 4 (planetary)  - 1 point
 *Suggestion:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 9 (Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Hearing-Dependent - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 10, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points

_Power Stunt:
*Cantus Bellax:* Enhanced Advantages 10 (Close Attack 7, Improved Initiative 3); Enhanced Strength 9_

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Equipment 3 (Headquarters), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Redirect, Ritualist, Trance

_Equipment:_
*House of Riddles:* *Size* Medium, *Toughness* 10, *Features* Concealed, Dual-size (Huge), Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Personnel, Sealed, Security System, Self-repairing, Workshop - 15 points

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Magic 9 (+14), Insight 7 (+13), Intimidation 4 (+9), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 5 (+11), Ranged Combat: Magic 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Burning Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 14)
Maddening Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 9, Resisted by Will)
Suggestion -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 13/1, Will 12

*Totals:*
Abilities 46 + Powers 80 + Advantages 10 + Skills 28 + Defenses 18 = 182 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Mystical and Enigmatic. Patron* (Merlin.) *Relationship* (Prydwen, Nick Grey.) *Reputation* (Witch.)


----------



## Davies

Captain Nemo




_Appearance highly variable, but this is his most frequently employed form._

In his private journals, Professor Pierre Arronax included some speculations about the origins of the man who called himself Captain Nemo. He believed, on certain evidence which he chose not to disclose, that his rescuer and captor had been of Polish origin. When Jules Verne incorporated these journals into the serialized novel he dubbed _Vingt mille lieues sous les mers_, he expanded on this account somewhat, only to have those elements censored by his editor. Later, that same editor would insist on bringing the character back in a later story, in which he was revealed to be the (historically unlikely) son of the Raja of Bundelkhand. If there is any truth to this account, it remains unclear, and the individual currently under discussion is not the original Captain Nemo in any event.

As has been already mentioned, thousands of years in the future, one human culture remembers somewhat more of human history than others, while often confusing fiction with fact. The individual now known as Captain Nemo was the artificial intelligence who played that role in historical recreations. However, on learning of the escape of two other AIs involved in this program, something -- possibly the freedom-seeking personality that Captain Nemo had to have in order to fulfill his role -- inspired him to make the same attempt. His method was slightly different -- and thus not what the operators were looking for -- in that he uploaded his consciousness into an android body, one designed to employ advanced holography to project a variety of appearances.

Having made his escape, Nemo soon found himself caught up in the events of the Anachronic Calamity, alongside heroes and villains from many different eras, including those who had inspired his escape. Playing a key role in the affair by piloting the time ship that transported them, Nemo ultimately found shelter in the Sprawl not long before it became part of the World in the Aftermath. That he was finally in sight of the sea, which he had dreamed of but never personally observed, eased the disgust he felt at his surroundings.

Not long after that, Nemo was recruited into another mission, this time by Baba Yaga and some of her allies in the Sprawl. The mission of stealing a starship (which was also able to function as a submersible) from the Empire of Korea appealed to him, and he assisted in training the mixed crew of Sprawlers, Russians, and Korean expats to operate it. In the process, however, he quietly won their loyalty away from those who had hired them, and by the end of the episode, he and his new crew were in a position to insist that they were keeping the vessel for themselves, and flew off into the endless night. Since then, the _Nautillus_ (the crew insisted on the same, somewhat to his embarrassment -- he wanted to christen it _Star Albatross_) has patrolled the solar system, conducting occasional raids on the Martians and fighting against extra-solar invaders. 

While sincere in his wish to defend the planet Earth, Nemo has only contempt for those who remain bound by gravity, and will attempt to persuade any Terran space travelers that he encounters that there is absolutely no reason for them to ever return. It is entirely possible that he might not permit them to do so, in their own interest, of course. The major difference in personality between the historical Captain Nemo and the being whom he inspired is that, while the former supported a variety of rebellions against authority, the latter cares much more about his own personal freedom. That said, he also treats the members of his crew as though they were his family and will defend them to the utmost. 

Possessed of a quirky sense of humor, Nemo often uses his holographic technology to give himself the appearance of various actors who have portrayed "him", especially when meeting people for the first time. His normal appearance is based on early illustrations of the character. If incapacitated, his disguise mode will shut down to reveal that he is a jet black, sexless humanoid figure. He finds this appearance somewhat embarrassing and will never voluntarily assume it.

*Captain Nemo -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 7 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Android Body:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 39 points
*Disguise Mode:* Morph 3 (humanoids) - 15 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Equipment 25, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Leadership, Ranged Attack 3.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), the _Nautillus_ and 9 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 1 (+8), Expertise: History 3 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Insight 5 (+8), Intmidation 7 (+11), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+9), Technology 5 (+12), Vehicles 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 3)
Blaster Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 54 + Advantages 35 + Skills 26 + Defenses 10 = 149 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Contempt for Earth-Dwellers. Honor* (law of the sea.) *Responsibility* (crew of the Nautillus.) 





The Nautillus - 106 points
*Size* Colossal; *Strength* 18; *Speed* 14 (32000 MPH air/space/8000 MPH water); *Defense* 2; *Toughness* 15; *Features* Communications, Computer, Infirmary, Living Space, Personnel
*Powers*: 
*Cannons* (Ranged Damage 12); *Cloaking Field* (Concealment 3 [visual, radio]); *Torpedoes* (Linked Ranged Damage 12; Linked Ranged Burst Area Damage 10); *Star Drive* (Movement 1 [space travel 1])  

_Note: The historical Captain Nemo was similar, but subtract all powers, add Stamina 3, Fortitude 5, and Great Endurance, drop Expertise: Galactic and 1 rank of Persuasion and add Athletics 5 (+8). His equipment pays for the original Nautillus (treat as a submarine but subtract torpedoes and add ramming prow [Strength-based Damage 3]), a light pistol and an island headquarters. His motivation was Revolution._


----------



## Davies

Shuǎ Shé Rén/耍蛇人 




_Art by Ajax Love_

The People's Republic of China makes something of a show of tolerating independent superpowered operatives within their borders, the better to uphold their claim that all members of the Metahuman Guard are volunteers. Of course, many of the "privileges" that superheroes in other nations enjoy are entirely absent, the most notable of which is the concept of the secret identity. Any individual in China, whether powered or not, who fails to present adequate identification when asked by the authorities will find themselves in considerable trouble. While this has created difficulties, most superheroes in China live within these restrictions and strive to do as much good as they can.

And then there are the Sīfa Zhuānjiā ("Experts of Justice".) Officially regarded as outlaws and criminals by the government in Beijing, they nevertheless strive to protect the people of the People's Republic from those who would threaten them, whether from within or without. In order to do so, they must necessarily keep their identities secret, both from the agents of their government and from others who might unwittingly (or otherwise) betray them. Thus, even Argus has many unanswered questions about them. Their first leader, who called himself Tiankui ("Leader Star") and was active between 2007 and 2014, claimed that there were exactly 108 members of the organization. Most doubt this number, but even the lowest estimates suggest that there might be as many as 36 and possibly more, making it one of the largest groups of extragovernmental superpowers on Earth.

The current leader of the group uses the alias Shuǎ Shé Rén ("Snake Charmer") and is known by the civilian name Xie Liyin. She has been a member of the organization since its establishment and was chosen to replace the fallen former leader of the group late in 2021, after her precursor apparently fell during the invasion. (It is not clear whether that individual died or only suffered injuries that forced their retirement.) What follows is the narrative she tells about her life, which may or may not be accurate or truthful.

She was born in Shenzhen in 1991 to a father who was already elderly at her birth, and who was then a well-respected teacher of qigong. Unfortunately for him, he became associated with a clinic that was associated with a certain group that fell under official suspicion of opposition to the state government. (No, not that one.) Perhaps a bit presciently -- though not enough to save himself from a horrid fate -- he had sent his only child to be taught by an associate and distant relative in the north, in the shadow of the Bayan-Har mountains.

There, she was tutored in certain practices that were contrary to those she had seen her father use. Where he only employed his talents to heal, she was carefully taught how to inflict harm. Finding herself increasingly uncomfortable with the antisocial and violent ideology expressed by her mentor, Liyin began to consider how best to escape. An opportunity arose when Tiankui attempted to recruit her mentor and came under attack; she joined forces with him to allow them to both flee successfully, and was accepted as one of the Sīfa immediately.

In addition to her ability to inflict "poison" effects on those whom she touches, Shuǎ Shé Rén is a highly skilled martial artist whose reflexes, balance and general coordination are all clearly enhanced. Her body has become impervious to the effects of both her own poisons (and similar abilities) and more mundane venoms and toxins. Her olfactory senses are keen enough to detect and identify such substances in even minute amounts. 

Perhaps her most unusual ability, however, is a social one. Somehow, she has been recognized as a friend by a group of highly unusual snakes, similar in most respects to the Carpet Pythons, who demonstrate near-human levels of intelligence and a level of cooperation almost unknown among reptiles. The snakes cannot speak, but demonstrate some ability to understand human speech. Exactly how this connection was established is not something she has ever discussed even with her closest allies in the Sīfa.

Shuǎ Shé Rén considers herself a realist, first and foremost. While she would like to see China transformed into a more just and open society, she does not believe that this will happen in her lifetime, or the lifetime of any children she might have. She will do what she can to help those she can, and try not to think about those she has failed to help, or about those who have fallen in the struggle. She is not a god. She makes mistakes. And eventually, she too will fall. But not today.

*Shuǎ Shé Rén -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Poisonous Kung Fu:* Array (25 points)
 *Agonizing Poison:* Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Reversible, Secondary Effect - 25 points
 *Paralysis Poison:* Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered, Immobile, Paralyzed), Reversible, Secondary Effect - 1 point
 *Sleeping Poison:* Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated), Reversible, Secondary Effect - 1 point
*Steeped In Poisons:* Immunity 2 (own powers, poison); Senses 3 (ranged acute detect poison [olfactory]) - 5 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points 

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Close Attack 5, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Weapon, Minion 5, Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+8), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Performance 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Stealth 4 (+10), Treatment 5 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 4)
Agonizing Poison +12 (Close Fortitude 8)
Paralyzing Poison +12 (Close Fortitude 8)
Sleeping Poison +12 (Close Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/3, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 31 + Advantages 21 + Skills 26 + Defenses 18 = 155 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret Identity.

Snake -- PL 5/MR 5

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* -2

*Powers:
Small But Long:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (-1 Strength, -2 Intimidation, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth), Innate; Reach 2 on Strength Damage - 7 points
*Snake Feet:* Movement 1 (slithering) - 2 points
*Snake Nose:* Senses 3 (acute olfactory, ranged detect heat) - 3 points
*Snake Skin:* Protection 1 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Startle

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+8), Intimidation 12 (+8), Perception 6 (+7), Stealth 0 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 13 + Advantages 8 + Skills 12 + Defenses 5 = 68 points

*Offensive PL:* 4
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 3

_Partially inspired by Eternal Phoenix's Poisonous Martial Artist._


----------



## Davies

Sundogs





When the city later known as Tanelorn and the island on which it rested were transported into extradimensional space away from the nuclear devastation of their original world, all animal life thereon -- not just the human inhabitants -- were granted various forms of superpowers. While the human populace received a great variety of powers, with families typically possessing similar ones, smaller variations of power were to be found in other species, with each species producing three or four "paraspecies". (A common hobby for Tanelornian youth is to try to capture -- through photography, of course -- examples of as many different sorts of meta-animal as possible.) One of the best examples of this was the way that the majority of _canis familiaris_, or domestic dogs, mutated into the creatures now called sundogs.

The most significant mutations present in all sundogs are found in the brain, granting them intelligence comparable to that of a human being. They have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to understand and problem solve at least as well as a human child, with exceptional examples being significantly smarter than an average human adult. However, all attempts to educate a sundog to recognize written language have failed, as their brains are apparently uniformly dyslexic. However, they are able to learn to _speak_ languages quite easily.

Sundogs are given that name because of their most distinctive mutation, the ability to generate a small spacewarp around themselves that can transport them over a relatively short distance. A typical sundog can teleport just over 100 feet without difficulty, sometimes pushing themselves further with exceptional effort. Whenever this ability is used, an intense light discharge of roughly 3500 lumens ensues in the area where the sundog returns to conventional spacetime, often causing momentary loss of vision to those in that vicinity.

Sundogs are not considered citizens of Tanelorn, but their intelligence has made treating them as property problematic. Officially, they are treated as under the guardianship of their human associates, with the understanding that _if_ a sundog were to ever seek to terminate the association, this would be immediately granted. Thus far, this has never happened in the history of Tanelorn; somewhat distressingly, sundogs have repeatedly chosen to return to humans who mistreat them when allowed to do so.

While Tanelorn has settled on the World in the Aftermath, it seems likely that sundogs will continue to breed true with each other, but it is not at all clear what will happen if they have offspring with examples of _canis familiaris sapiens_, the extremely rare sapient dogs already present on this world. (Questions about what will happen if they breed with non-sapient dogs are considered to be extremely gross by all concerned.)

*Sundog -- PL 5/MR 5

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* -1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* -1

*Powers:
Burst of Light:* Reaction (after teleporting) Burst Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense; Teleport 2 (120 feet) - 24 points
*Canine Senses:* Senses 6 (acute extended tracking scent, low-light vision, extended ultrahearing) - 6 points
*Four Legs:* Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 2 points
*Light Resistant:* Immunity 2 (light-based sensory afflictions) - 2 points
*Teeth:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Defensive Roll, Improved Trip, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Insight 2 (+4), Intimidation 6 (+5), Perception 4 (+6).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Bite +5 (Close Damage 2)
Burst of Light -- (Burst Area Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 12 + Powers 35 + Advantages 3 + Skills 9 + Defenses 8 = 67 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 5
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. No Manipulators or Literacy. Truthfulness. Weakness* (become progressively Fatigued, Exhausted and Incapacitated in total darkness.)


----------



## Davies

Phoenix





To Sam Farrell, it was like waking up again. The Primal Pattern wielded their elemental powers to the utmost to stop or even just to slow Stardust, and saw their efforts come to naught. The fires that he had become were drowned and smothered in muddy water, and the world went dark. But the darkness only endured for an eyeblink before suddenly he awoke to find himself and his three comrades standing back to back in the middle of the central courtyard of the Pentagon. As though it had all been just a terrible nightmare.

But then he heard Protius gurgle, "I'll be damned, it worked." Before he could demand to know what his teammate meant by that, a new set of memories exploded into his consciousness. A year before the Battle of Vietnam, the four of them had been draw into a struggle involving time travel, and in the process learned of the fate that was to be theirs. Those memories were taken from them, but one of the allies they had made in that struggle had promised that if anything could be done to change that fate, he would do it. 

But they could not be allowed to remember, and yet Protius _had_. And now, as the four of them escaped from the military personnel who were confronting these strange intruders in a secure area, the three who _had not_ wanted to know why. Eventually, they got the truth out of him, learned the true nature of the beings they had become, and began the process of coming to terms with that truth, with this new world half a century after they had all died for the second time, and with the much greater power that all of them now possessed.

In the process, Antaeus stepped down as the leader of their group, ceding the position to Phoenix. Phoenix is himself uncertain that this was the best choice, but he understands why Antaeus no longer feels confident in his ability to lead, why Aeolia is uninterested, and why Protius cannot be trusted. He understands a great deal more than he once did, but Phoenix -- he thinks of himself as "Sam Farrell" less and less, especially since the friends and family he cast aside are now long gone -- wants to know more. He has learned secrets unimaginable, seen things he would never have believed. His fires, now, are fueled by discovery, not impulse. Something about what they have all endured has given him back the patience and stability that he lost in his original transformation. He still burns, but now with a somewhat cooler flame. In some ways this makes him even more intimidating than he once was.

In this, they have an ally in the ghostly visitor who claims to be the ally who facilitated their resurrection. Phoenix is unsure if they can trust him any more than they can trust Protius, but just as they are bound to the water-bearer, so too do they need all the support they can get. So for now, they will heed the counsel of Mentor as they strive to resume their role as defenders of Earth. Of Earth, he will sometimes emphasize. Whether they are defenders of humanity remains to be seen ...

*Phoenix - PL 11

Abilities:
STR* --/3 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:*
*Fire Control:* Array (28 points)
 *Fire Blast:* Ranged Damage 14 - 28 points
 *Fire Burst:* Burst Area 2 Damage 9 - 1 point
 *Flame Flash:* Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Flame Jet:* Line Area 2 Damage 9 - 1 point
 *Open Flame:* Environment 7 (Extreme Heat, Bright Light) - 1 point
*Resurrection:* Immortality 10, Source (high temperature fire) - 10 points
*Transformed Form:* Impervious Protection 5; Reaction Damage 6 (touching or touched); Flight 8 (500 MPH); Immunity 10 (life support); Permanent Insubstantial 3 - 75 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Firefighter 6 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Fire Control 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage -- plus Reaction Damage 6)
Fire Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 14)
Fire Burst -- (Burst Area Damage 9)
Flame Flash -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 56 + Powers 117 + Advantages 7 + Skills 18 + Defenses 19 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:*
*Discovery--Motivation. Eerily Calm. Inhuman Appearance. Out of Time. Vulnerability* (anything that extinguishes flame also does damage.)


----------



## Davies

Antaeus




_Art by Ricardo_

To Steve Panagakos, death had come as something of a release, with a sense of a great burden finally being set down. For so long, he had borne up under the weight of his powers and the responsibilities that came with them, and the isolation that they had both brought. Now that was at an end, in the only way that it _could_ end. More than the terror of what was happening to him and his closest friends, that was the clearest sensation that he felt as Stardust drowned him beneath the risen river waters.

And then, in an eyeblink, he found himself restored, aware that the weight had grown even greater from the very first moment of his consciousness. He has not become any stronger, as the others have, but his body is much more massive and resistant to damage. Even if it should suffer enough damage to disrupt his awareness, that can easily be repaired by completely burying him within the earth, as he was at the start of all this. His body is much harder to damage than the mind within it.

Unfortunately, that mind has suffered several serious shocks. He was the leader of the team and its smartest member, but had no idea that one of its members was manipulating him and all the rest from the moment that they met. Can someone as easily fooled as he was be a leader? Can a scientist who has managed to miss some fifty years of advancements really be considered a scientist? And without such traits, is he anything more than a stone statue that wanders around?

Despite such angst, and his enduring regret about the way that his powers distance him from the world around him and humanity, Antaeus did not spend too long dissolved in grief. After turning over leadership to Phoenix when the latter demonstrated that his impulsiveness had turned to decisiveness, he began an intense course of study to let him catch up with all that he had missed. The internet has been a boon for this, though he has learned to always double check what he learned. (He considered carrying a tablet with him to let him do that at all times, but could not find one rugged enough to stand up to the punishment he routinely endures.)

Both because of this desire to get caught up and his enduring reputation as a former leader of the Institute, Antaeus has the warmest relations with other groups of superheroes out of all the reborn Primals. He finds little enjoyment in posing as the friendly giant that he used to be, but if that is what his responsibility demands of him, that is what he will do. As a consequence, however, he has encountered the Vagabond called Pok' and learned about the role someone very like him played in the sagas of her people. Clearly, there is to be more time travel in the future for him and his team, and he wonders what more will be demanded of him.

*Antaeus -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Strength Tricks:* Array (10 points)

*Groundstrike:* Burst Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude, Overcome by Dodge; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Prone), Extra Condition, Limited Degrees, Limited (targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground) - 10 point
*Shockwave:* Burst Area Damage 10, Limited (targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground) - 1 point
*Resurrection:* Immortality 10, Source (burial within earth) - 10 points
*Transformed Form:* Reaction (being struck in melee) Damage 6, Limited to lesser of this Damage rank or that of the triggering attack; Immunity 10 (life support); Immunity 80 (Toughness), Limited to half effect; Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 10, Source (contact with natural earth) - 89 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (make Well-informed checks with Technology), Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Interpose, Leadership, Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Well-informed.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 110 + Advantages 9 + Skills 16 + Defenses 14 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Clumsy* (inflicts Reaction Damage on held object.) *Inhuman Appearance. Massive* (mass rank 6). *Out of Time. Weakness* (when separated from the earth by air or water.)


----------



## Davies

Aeolia




_Art by Hoihoisan_

For Corey Murphy, death was agony. In the moments before the world went dark, it felt like every cell of her body was on fire as Stardust ionized her. Even after it ended and she found herself alive again a half century later, something of that fire remains within her. But now she has mastered it, rather than allowing it to master her. Or so she tells herself.

The consequences of this are that she has stopped being an embodiment of wind, and started to become an embodiment of _storm_. Lightning, thunder, fog and even rain are within the purview of what she can direct against an opponent, now, and she has learned how to use her winds as though they were another pair of hands. And she flies faster than she could ever imagine having flown before.

On the one hand, she still believes that she died all those years ago. On the other hand, she is no longer all that certain that she cares. Her moods shift from euphoria to gloom without warning. It seems likely that she would abandon the other Primals if not for the fact that they are the only beings in the world who share any part of her experience. Of course, the fact that they are the only beings in the world who know how to bring her back from the grave for a third or subsequent time is also a factor.

For all that, Aeolia still yearns to be accepted by humanity, and to regain what she has lost, though she often puts up a front of indifference and belief in her own superiority. Her experimentation with her powers is largely directed towards being able to transform herself so that she can at least have a momentary substance. The sensation of touch remains denied her, however, and possibly always will be.

Protius claims otherwise, of course, but she knows what a liar he is. You might as well try and catch the wind.

*Aeolia - PL 11

Abilities:
STR* --/3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Resurrection:* Immortality 10 (one hour), Source (altitude) - 10 points
*Transformed Form:* Visual Concealment 4; Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 9 (1000 MPH), Subtle; Immunity 15 (electricity damage, life support); Permanent Insubstantial 2 - 64 points
*Weather Influence:* Environment 4 (250 feet; 3 points of effect), Selective - 16 points
*Wind Control:* Array (25 points)

*Blinding Winds:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to Vision - 1 point
*Lifting Winds:* Move Object 12 (100 tons), Precise - 25 points
*Lightning Bolts:* Ranged Mulitattack Damage 8, Indirect - 1 point
*Shearing Winds:* Damaging Move Object 8 (6 tons), Precise - 1 point
*Suffocation:* Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated) - 1 point
*Thunder:* Burst Area 2 Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Auditory Impaired, Auditory Disabled, Auditory Unaware), Limited to Hearing - 1 point
*Weather Mastery:* Enhanced Environment 6 (2 miles; 3 points of effect), Selective - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+7), Investigation 7 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Wind Control 6 (+10), Stealth 5 (+11), Vehicles 4 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +10
Shearing Wind +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Lightning Bolts +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Blinding Wind +10 (Ranged Affliction 12, Resisted by Dodge)
Suffocation -- (Perception Range Fortitude 8)
Thunder -- (Burst Area Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 16/10, Parry 14/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 121 + Advantages 6 + Skills 21 + Defenses 15 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Inhuman Appearance. Moods Shift Like the Wind. Out of Time. Vulnerability* (temperature-based attacks.)


----------



## Davies

Protius




_Art by Egor Grositskiy_

As Wayne Manderville died, he was probably torn between the emotions of utter terror and anger at what he saw as bad luck. Protius made a genuine effort to save him, just like anyone would have done under the circumstances, but the panic that his rescuee experienced when being approached by a creature of animate water proved fatal. Sad, really, but life is full of unfortunate events, and it made no sense to cry over them, even if he did have water to spare. And the fellow was no longer using his identity, so why not put it to good use? So he claimed to be the late Wayne Manderville and no one, for his whole second life, ever questioned the narrative.

The truth: Protius was born Noah Gibson in 1942 on an island in the North Atlantic. When he was older and had left the island behind with his mother, she told him that she had been rescued from a shipwreck by his father, the wizard who called himself Thaumas. While they initially lived a happy life, Thaumas was apparently angered that his firstborn child showed no signs of having inherited any of his magical powers. In fact, he was angered enough to suspect that Noah was not actually his child; how that was supposed to have worked was not clear to Noah.

Their second child, Nora, was apparently more satisfactory. Nevertheless, the relationship between the two adults had apparently deteriorated enough that by the time Noah was seven, his mother worked a magic that took herself, her son and several of the most valuable texts in the library on a voyage through darkness that deposited them in Freeport, Texas. She hoped that would be far enough away from the island to allow them to hide, that being left with the child her ex-husband favored would keep him busy, and that she could find a buyer for the books. The lattermost hope failed her.

Five years later, having seen his mother pass away, Noah found himself alone in the world, with his only assets the five books he had managed to hold onto and a certain low cunning. He managed to eke out a meager existence for two years before his worldview was disrupted by the Atlantean attacks of 1961. Self-centered in the extreme, Noah developed the belief that the entire affair had been directed by Thaumas, hunting for him. That being the case, he had to do something to obtain the sort of power that would allow him to fight back.

He found what he was looking for in the Book of the Great Scorpion, specifically a ritual that could allow someone to transform a collection of four people into immortal, elemental warriors under the command of the one who performed it. The problems were twofold -- it required the caster to risk their life as part of the casting, and would consume the other four books that Noah still retained. Well, only the first part made him hesitate, really, and when he made up his mind, he unflinchingly burned the only known copies of the Book of Good Farming, the Book of Heaven's Bull, the Book of Sacred Twins, and the Book of the Deep One, then walked into the Gulf of Mexico.

There, in the same moment that Aeolia, Antaeus, and Phoenix were transformed into beings of air, earth, and fire, he was transformed into a being of water. After trying and failing to save Manderville, Protius returned to land to gather up the Book of the Great Scorpion and await the arrival of his soldiers. But that was when things started to go wrong, for he found that someone had stolen the Book! Without the words of power contained within it, he would be unable to exert control over the other three elementals; worse, he was by no means certain that he had performed the finishing touches of the ritual, which would make him and them able to resurrect themselves through connection to their elements.

Thus, when Antaeus sought him out, Protius chose to go along with the notion of being a "superhero", in order to keep these beings on his side. That said, he came to find this life enjoyable and much more exciting than his existence beforehand, so there were compensations for every misfortune. He was also surprised to find that his younger sister, whom he barely remembered, had also escaped from the island -- or so he interpreted her story, at least -- and befriended the Selkie without ever revealing the truth about her. (After all, none of this had been her fault, but that of the old man, and getting her on his side would be another victory over him.)

When Protius died for the second time, he did so with frantic uncertainty about whether or not he would awaken again. When he finally did, thanks to a "nudge" from Mentor, he was excited enough to forget himself and speak of this aloud, alerting his teammates to the fact that he knew more than he was supposed to know. He ultimately did tell them the whole story, and finds the fact that they still distrust him despite that to be horribly frustrating. He has risked his life for theirs so many times, what do a few minor untruths matter? It almost makes him want to go find that darn book, after all this time ...

Protius is also interested in building a relationship with his nephew, Nereus, but recognizes that this will be difficult. Still, the boy should be interested in opposing his damned grandfather, even if the old bastard seems to have completely disappeared at some point.

*Protius -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Resurrection:* Immortality 10 (one hour), Source (deep water) - 10 points
*Transformed Form:* Visual Concealment 4, Limited, Only in liquid; Elongation 8; Immunity 12 (life support, water effects); Permanent Insubstantial 1; Movement 2 (Slithering, Sure-footed); Protection 8; Regeneration 10, Source (Water); Senses 3 (extended 2 ranged touch); Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 68 points
*Water Control:* Array (25 points)

*Drowning:* Progressive Affliction 12 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Grab-based - 1 point
*Hard Water Objects:* Create 12 - 1 point
*Water Blast:* Ranged Damage 12, Indirect - 25 points
*Water Snare:* Ranged Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited to Two Degrees, Reversible - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Close Attack 3, Daze (Deception), Favored Environment (water), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ritualist, Seize Initiative, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Magic 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+10), Ranged Combat: Water Control 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 4)
Water Blast +9 (Ranged Damage 12)
Grab +9 (Strength or Dodge 12 plus Fortitude 12)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 62 + Powers 104 + Advantages 12 + Skills 22 + Defenses 17 = 217 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Inhuman Appearance. Out of Time. Trickster. Vulnerability* (anything that boils water also damages him, freezing attacks also Hinder, Immobilize and Paralyze him.)

_"I told you that story, so I could tell you this one."_


----------



## Voltron64

Part of me feels while the rest of the Pattern will forever be pissed at him, they'll be genuinely understanding if they ever encounter Thaumas.


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Part of me feels while the rest of the Pattern will forever be pissed at him, they'll be genuinely understanding if they ever encounter Thaumas.



Perhaps, but remember that we don't know _his_ side of this, either.


----------



## Davies

Mentor






When he realized the trap into which he had not so much fallen as blindly stepped, Kent Wildman knew greater despair than he had ever imagined it was possible to feel. None of the options he could see were good ones. He could either cause the death of everyone he knew and loved, or cause the death of a vast number of innocents, _or_ produce unimaginable chaos. And the longer he hesitated before making a decision, the worse the outcome would be. There was only one thing to do -- he was going to have to die.

And die he did, but under circumstances that neither he nor Drummond had considered a possibility, such that he was reborn as one of the first Ascendants of the current era. Given the task of guarding the new reality that would emerge from this calamity, he was -- for the second time that day -- daunted. How could he possibly act as a guardian of a world as alien to him as this one would be? Tanelorn would be part of this new world, but its basis was a completely different reality than the one he had abandoned long before.

With the assistance of one of his new colleagues, however, he was able to reach out to a being who had been his counterpart in the history of that world, Ken Hazard, in the moment of _his_ death. In speaking together, however, something unexpected happened -- they merged, creating a being who was not quite Kent Wildman and not quite Ken Hazard, retaining all of their memories and yet distanced from their experiences. A counsellor, a conscience, a consoler ... the Hierarch of the Sphere of Mind, Mentor.

Since the new reality stabilized, a bit more than a month or so, Mentor has found himself busy. He has fulfilled a promise that Wildman made to see to the restoration of the Primal Pattern, and has since guided them towards their role as protectors of Earth. Unfortunately, this required him to negotiate with the rather amoral Merlin so that the latter would "nudge" matters so that the elementals would return under unusual circumstances. That is a favor that he does not look forward to repaying.

He has also investigated the possibility of transferring the minds contained in the Underworld out of their virtual reality prison, powered by an object that is of his domain, and into an extradimensional space where they would hopefully be more comfortable, and better positioned to be of aid in future conflicts. This project is in its early stages, as he does not truly understand the mechanisms by which the Underworld functions, and too blunt an approach could destroy what he hopes to preserve. He will need allies for this, too.

One thing that he has deliberately chosen not to do is to approach the survivors of Wildman or Hazard. He knows that some of those who cared for the former are searching for him, and fears what will happen when they learn of the truth. Despite this, he sometimes observes them, especially the daughters of Hazard, for there is still something in him that cares for them in turn, even if it is fainter than he remembers. He cannot help them, save perhaps indirectly, and that vexes him.

The struggles that are coming are those which he will not be able to fight personally, only guide those who will have to do the fighting. "_Guide_ sounds so much better than _use_", he murmurs, just a bit bitterly. At least he has been able to warn the one called Paragon of the darkness that is to come, of Asmodeus and the Imperium and other threats, and take comfort in the confidence of that great champion. Misplaced confidence, perhaps, but still ...

*Mentor -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR* 10 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 11 | *DEX* 9 | *FGT* 13 | *INT* 8 | *AWE* 9 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical planes), Standard Action - 10 points
*Enhanced Body:* Impervious Toughness 10 - 10 points
*Mental Awareness:* Senses 5 (acute extended radius mental awareness, danger sense) - 5 points
*Psychic Abilities:* Array (24 points)
 *Become Invisible:* Concealment 8 (all but mental), Resistible (Will DC 18), Affects Others and Self - 1 point
 *Shattering Glance:* Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Will, Sensory Dependent (visual) - 1 point
 *Shielding:* Selective Burst Area Affects Others Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects - 1 point
 *Vitality:* Energizing Healing 8 - 1 point
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects - 6 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2 - 5 points
*Telepathic:* Selective Area Communication 4 (planetary); Cumulative Mind Reading 12 - 64 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 14; *Features* Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Effect (Dimensional Extended Only Accurate Teleport 9), Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Security System - 19 points.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+17), Athletics 6 (+16), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17), Expertise: Dimensional 6 (+14), Intimidation 6 (+13), Investigation 6 (+14), Insight 6 (+15), Perception 6 (+15), Persuasion 8 (+15), Technology 6 (+14).

*Offense:*
Initiative +15
Unarmed +17 (Close Damage 13)
Shattering Glance -- (Perception Range Damage 8, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 15, Parry 17, Fortitude 14, Toughness 12/10, Will 15

*Totals:*
Abilities 154 + Powers 127 + Advantages 21 + Skills 30 + Defenses 18 = 350 points

*Offensive PL:* 15
*Defensive PL:* 15
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL:* 12

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (from whom he is isolated.) *Secret* (Ascendant.) 

"That's truly all this is to you, isn't it? *A game.*"
"If I allow it to be more than that ... I could not go on."


----------



## Davies

Mercedes Blaze





The arrival on Earth of the Sprawl has sent a wave of mixed panic and amazement through the technological community. While hyperbrains are capable of producing technology that equals or exceeds that of the Sprawl, their discoveries are difficult to replicate; in contrast, the advances of the Sprawl are mass produced. Acquiring such wonders, and learning how to replicate the infrastructure that creates them, has become a goal of many businesses across the world. The Sprawlcorps, who are currently demonstrating an uncharacteristic accord, are not making this easy for them, restricting access to the city state and bargaining fiercely with those representatives they allow in.

Of course, this leads to some Earth-based enterprises seeking to use less direct and straightforward means to this end. An example of this would be the activities of Mercedes Blaze, ostensibly a Vice President of the Takagi Investment Group's American division and actually a corporate spy tasked with learning all that is learnable about the technology of the Sprawl. As the Takagi Investment Group is one of the many faces of the cabal known as "the Vision", it should come as no surprise that she has certain extraordinary advantages to help her to do her work.

Mercedes has no memories of any childhood. On the rare occasions that she considers this, she has concluded that she was probably an orphan purchased (figuratively, and possibly literally) by her employers as an experimental subject for their cybernetic research, with all her memories flushed when they implanted her with the first versions of her brainmods, or during one of the many updates that have happened in the years since. She is unconcerned with this supposed loss, as these memories are useless to her work, which is all that she cares about. 

All that she _can_ care about, really. Mercedes is well-aware that the experiments that created her, despite giving her abilities similar to those of a natural hyperbrain, were at best a marginal success in the opinion of the Vision. It was hoped that they would awaken parapsychic abilities, and her failure to manifest anything of the sort is a permanent black mark on her record that all of her successes as an operative have only slightly offset. She cannot afford any additional failures, as her makers could easily unmake her and would do so without hesitation.

Therefore, Mercedes (and a small cadre of operatives she has built up in previous operations) are engaged in a variety of schemes in the Sprawl and have clashed with several of its self-proclaimed protectors in the last month. She has been able to report enough successes in these operations (and hide the evidence of any failures) to keep receiving the approval she needs to continue. A major success, such as obtaining technical readouts for the dimensional shift technology that the Sprawl once used, has remained outside of her grasp thus far.

Mercedes is a villain. She is employed by a villainous agency and is utterly indifferent to the suffering that she causes in its service. She does not _like_ to be thwarted, but would never bother to seek out revenge on those who did so; she only engages in violence as part of her missions or in self-defense. (_Opportunistic_ revenge, as part of a mission or self-defense, is still on the table.) Further, she is loyal to her agents and would go to some lengths to rescue and protect them; even if one was to fail her in a major way and survive, she would probably just terminate their contract and arrange to have their mind scrubbed of any information about her. It is entirely possible that she might end up allied to Sprawl-based heroes on some future occasion.

Particularly if they were to find out that somewhere inside her mind, locked behind her cyberware, is a fourteen year-old girl named Bethany Ryan.

*Mercedes Blaze -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 8/4 | *AWE* 6/3 | *PRE* 5/2

*Powers:
BrainMods:* Enhanced Advantages 6 (Assessment, Fearless 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Seize Initiative, Speed of Thought); Enhanced Awareness 3; Enhanced Intelligence 4; Enhanced Presence 3; Quickness 4, Limited to Mental - 27 points

*Advantages:*
_Assessment,_ Attractive, Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion, Fast Grab, _Fearless 2,_ Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, _Jack-of-all-trades,_ Move-by Action, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, _Seize Initiative, Speed of Thought,_ Teamwork, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Body Armor (Protection 3, Subtle), Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), commlink, and 35 points needed for any given mission.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+9), Deception 3 (+8/+5), Expertise: Science 3 (+11/+7), Insight 4 (+10/+7), Investigation 3 (+11/+7), Perception 3 (+9/+6), Persuasion 7 (+12/+9), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 5 (+13/+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12/+8/+7
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 1)
Blaster Pistol +8 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/4/2, Will 9/6

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 27 + Advantages 26 + Skills 22 + Defenses 17 = 136 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Professional--Motivation. Secret Identity. Suppressed Memories.*


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> Particularly if they were to find out that somewhere inside her mind, locked behind her cyberware, is a fourteen year-old girl named Bethany Ryan.



Of course they were that recklessly stupid and that unbelievably callous to raid Earth during Cerebron's attack...


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> Of course they were that recklessly stupid and that unbelievably callous to raid Earth during Cerebron's attack...



She's not from the Sprawl originally, she's from this world. The story of Bethany's kidnapping is ... involved, dating back to a conflict between her father and a former Chairman of Takagi Investment during the final years of the Insurgency.


----------



## Voltron64

Davies said:


> She's not from the Sprawl originally, she's from this world. The story of Bethany's kidnapping is ... involved, dating back to a conflict between her father and a former Chairman of Takagi Investment during the final years of the Insurgency.



My mistake.

Now is this Vision group something we might have encountered before?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> My mistake.
> 
> Now is this Vision group something we might have encountered before?



Yes, we have.


----------



## Davies

Joey Bazooka





Even in the ranks of Project Mayhem -- once the youth wing of what was a united metasupremacist movement, now just one of many factions -- information about their leader is on a need-to-know basis, with the final hazing ritual for "probies" being the moment that they are told that the great leader goes by the ops moniker Joey Bazooka. Laughing, at that moment, is ill-advised. Even after they learn this secret, they are unlikely to meet the brilliant strategist who will lead them to victory, nor learn much about him beyond rumors. 

The few members who have survived long enough to be considered comrades in the struggle have been trusted with the truth. The man called Joey Bazooka is a time traveler from a future only a few short decades away, when simply possessing superpowers is an illegal act and using them for any purpose a capital crime. In a desperate attempt to prevent this, Joey Bazooka stole a time machine and traveled back to the last moment before this nightmarish future became inevitable, and joined forces with Hadron to prevent it from coming to pass. Hadron charged Joey Bazooka to begin training the younger members of the movement to fight the war that was coming, so that this time it would end in victory for the Coming Race.

All of that is lies. He was born Josef Ivanovich Novikoff in Samara, fifty-four years ago. During basic training for the Red Army, he was identified as a superpower and promptly transferred to the SNM, then under the command of Remontnik. Any excitement he might have felt about this elite assignment faded when it became apparent that his only power was the ability to generate an energy field around himself that afforded him no real protection beyond whatever concealment it granted. Novikoff took full advantage of the cybernetics program that the SNM offered to enhance himself so that he had the power that he had even then dreamed about.

Eventually, however, the Soviet Union fell, the Assembly was shut down and Novikoff was transferred to a different branch of the security apparatus, which involved duties that were both boring and unlikely to lead to his advancement. On the other hand, it had plenty of opportunities for corruption, which he, again, exploited for all that they were worth, less to enrich himself than to ensure that he had enough money to keep his cybernetics at the state of the art or as close to it as he could manage. By 2005, though, he was forced to flee from this existence rather than be apprehended, ironically by a certain FSB agent who would go on to follow in his footsteps.

Embarking on the life of a mercenary supervillain, Novikoff (then going by the alias шифр, or Cipher) found the work more enjoyable, but no less frustrating in its prospects than his work for the government had been. Every time he attempted to put together something big, it would be torn down, either by obnoxious superheroes or villainous rivals. While it was easy to blame others for these failures, he began to suspect that they actually came from some lack in himself, something he was missing that would allow him to enter the big leagues, and started to examine those who were already there. The subject who attracted his immediate attention was Hadron and the metasupremacist movement.

By 2013, he had come up with a plan that he thought might work. Having changed his appearance so as to be unrecognizable, he came to the assistance of a group of metasupremacists and demanded to be taken to see Hadron. He was subsequently amused by the incredible naïveté that the movement demonstrated when it came to operational security, for he was simply brought to see the man he wanted to see -- no attempt to hide his location, no mind probes, nothing! Regardless, he gave his speech to the man in charge.

Hadron was not fooled in the slightest, but he also could not be bothered to expose the fraud. He did not give "Joey Bazooka" any assignment, but, again, did not contradict the new recruit when the latter claimed to be building an army for the movement. Since Bazooka did seem to have a certain talent for organizing these matters, it was best to just let him do so. It was unlikely that they could be any real threat to Hadron, but they might be a serious threat to the enemies of the movement.

Hadron is gone, now, and Joey Bazooka and Project Mayhem still exist. Their goal remains the same -- to prevent the dark future from coming to pass. (Actually to gain power and wealth -- still used mostly to keep his cyberware at the cutting edge.) Anything is acceptable in pursuit of that goal. (That part is true.)

*Joey Bazooka -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:*
*Aura of Power:* Visual Concealment 4, Partial, Passive - 2 points
*Blaster Cannon:* Array (20 points); Easily Removable (-8 points)
 *Blast Setting:* Ranged Damage 10 - 20 points
 *Bright Setting:* Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to one sense - 1 point
*Cyber Eye:* Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Aim, Precise Shot [ranged, cover]); Senses 2 (darkvision) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Benefit 2 (cipher 2), Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Ranged Attack 3, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
"Power Truncheon" (Strength-based Damage 4), Body Armor (Protection 4), and 17 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Truncheon 4 (+11), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Military 7 (+11), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+9), Technology 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5)
Truncheon +11 (Close Damage 9)
Blast Setting +10 (Ranged Damage 10)
Bright Setting -- (Burst Area Affliction 10)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 8/4, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 70 + Powers 19 + Advantages 20 + Skills 29 + Defenses 15 = 153 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:*
*Power--Motivation. Electrical* (becomes Dazed, Stunned, and Incapacitated by Nullify Technology.) *Secrets* (not really a time traveler, much less powerful, etcetera.) *Temper.*


----------



## Voltron64

I imagine the Sprawl is quite the tempting treasure trove to loot from for Joey?


----------



## Davies

Voltron64 said:


> I imagine the Sprawl is quite the tempting treasure trove to loot from for Joey?



Yep, hence his positioning here.


----------



## Davies

Andon Viernes





There was never any question that Andon Viernes was going to follow his parents into the private military of the corporation that employed them both. Some people might have rebelled against those expectations, but Andon found them comforting. Predictability was like warm bread in the morning, where the unexpected tasted like shortages of the same. So he enlisted as soon as he completed basic education, roughly seventeen years of age as they had measured things before the Sprawl became the Sprawl.

Viernes flourished in the military, quickly testing into drone operations school and receiving the implants that would allow him to control the pilotless aircraft and see the world remotely. Unlike many of his fellow pilots -- too many, in his view -- he was not content to just focus on these operations and let his body go to waste. He kept in shape and practiced the old-fashioned military skills as well, learning how to fight personally instead of just remotely. His willingness to go the extra mile and ability to understand and obey orders while also working well within the unit ensured that he was promoted to command it before he was half-way through his twenties.

A few months after that, though, tragedy struck. While the unit was working off-world, they were ambushed and overrun by the giant insects that dominated this planet. Viernes tried every trick he knew to keep his teammates alive, only to see them all fail, with him alone left to tell the tale, even managing to get to the gateway before it collapsed. But worse was to come, for Viernes discovered that they had been betrayed, set up to be fed to the insects by one of their commanders who was defecting to a different corp.

His belief that his superiors could always be trusted to work for the benefit of the company destroyed by this, Viernes went rogue, destroying his corporate identity and escaping into the Sprawl. There, he put his skills to use for his own benefit as a shadow operative, supporting teams with whom he could avoid developing close bonds. It was rarely easy, and he found himself getting used to that taste of shortages instead of warm bread in the morning, but he could take pride in what he did again.

Like many people in the Sprawl, Viernes spent a few hours staring up in stupefied amazement after the moment when the forever night of the city ended with the appearance of a brightly glowing sun in the sky. That was a month ago, though, and he has gotten used to the fact that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Most of the jobs he has taken in recent days come from Pendrake and Wilmarth and are directed at tearing down the corps. He keeps an emotional distance from this, affecting to only be in it for the money rather than any political opinions. Only he knows whether that is feigned. 

Andon strives to keep a strictly professional outlook, but there are a few gaps in that façade. Having suffered from a betrayal, he absolutely despises traitors even if they happen to be betraying a target _to him_. Such individuals can expect only cold contempt at best, with a shot in the head if matters go sideways. While he has never sought out the superior who was responsible for the disaster, viewing revenge as pointless, he would likely change his tune if fate threw them together. Finally, despite recognizing that they were simply opponents, he retains a fair amount of fear and hatred for Tanelorn and its operatives. How professional he will remain if events force him into working alongside such individuals remains to be seen.

*Andon Viernes -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Drones:* Summon Drone 4, Controlled, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 2, Responsive, Removable (-6 points) - 27 points 
*Sense Link:* Remote Sensing 5 (auditory, visual; 30 miles), Medium (a drone), Simultaneous; Senses 2 (extended low-light vision), Only when remote sensing - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (alternative identity), Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Leadership, Quick Draw.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Concealed Body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), and 12 points of equipment as needed

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 3 (+6), Expertise: Military 4 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+6), Intimidation 2 (+5), Investigation 2 (+6), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Technology 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Blaster Pistol +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 43 + Advantages 16 + Skills 17 + Defenses 15 = 133 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Hatred/Fear* (Tanelorn) *No Mercy for Traitors. Professional* (stays bought.) *Revenge.


Drone -- PL 4/MR 4

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 1 | *FGT* 0 | *INT* -- | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* --

*Powers:
Cameras:* Feature (camera); Senses 2 (extended low-light vision) - 3 points
*Hoverjets:* Flight 5 (60 MPH), Subtle - 11 points
*Miniguns:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 3, Accurate 2 - 11 points
*Robot:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Impervious Toughness 5; Permanent Shrinking 4 (-1 Strength, -2 Intimidation, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth), Innate - 45 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Teamwork

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 8 (+8), Stealth 4 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage 0)
Miniguns +5 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 5, Will --

*Totals:*
Abilities -26 + Powers 70 + Skills 6 + Advantages 5 + Defenses 2 = 57 points

*Complications:
Programming--Motivation. Cannot Speak. No Manipulators.*


----------



## Davies

Niamh Monaghan





The first thing you need to know is that her name is pronounced "NEEV maw-na-GAN". (_Not_ "maw-na-HAN".) The second is that she is quite sensitive about mispronunciations of her name. Under most circumstances, she will choose to let the insult slide, but she will never forget. Given the opportunity, though, she will correct the error while also breaking as many bones as she thinks will reinforce the understanding of whatever poor person made the mistake. She usually thinks she needs to break more bones than she actually needs.

When Mercedes Blaze was given her current assignment to spy on the Sprawl, she gave considerable thought to which of her stable of operatives she would take with her. Niamh was the first name on the list, less for her physical abilities -- which are considerable and extremely useful -- than for their source in mysticism and her knowledge of magic. The preliminary research that Blaze had undertaken suggested that the Sprawl had no magic whatsoever, rendering such abilities an outside context problem to them, which would be a most exploitable weakness.

Niamh was presumably born in the county for which she is named, as she was found as an infant of about four months age on the steps of the cathedral in the county town shortly after the assault by Cerebron. Taken in by a local family, it soon became clear that she possessed strength far beyond that of other children. Her foster parents sought assistance from a local cunning man, who taught Niamh a set of rituals which would allow her to control her strength so that she could live as a relatively normal person. 

Finding her to be reasonably quick-witted, as she entered her early teens, her mentor also gave her an education in the basics of his trade so that she could act as a gofer for him. He sent her all over Ireland -- which to her mind includes the Six Counties -- on various "quests" that often involved doing violence unto people who owed him money or services. It was interesting and exciting work, and she began to develop a reputation as someone who should be respected, something she had never had before. It proved somewhat addictive, and any sign of disrespect for herself came to be answered with violence.

Unfortunately, at seventeen, the good times came to an end when she returned from one such expedition to find her mentor dead in a fire that consumed her home. Lacking much in the way of investigative abilities, she had no clear idea of who might have done this. (Mercedes, who does have such abilities, has concluded that her mentor was assassinated by agents of Axiom.) She was about to engage in a suicide run against his known enemies when she found herself contacted by Mercedes Blaze for the first time, and given a new job.

Having worked for Mercedes for nearly four years, Niamh finds the work she is asked to do even more interesting and exciting, and enjoys earning what she considers to be appropriate respect in new regions, such as the Sprawl. She would never consider betraying Mercedes, as she believes that they have a strong bond based on mutual respect. She is wrong about that. She is also wrong about the ritual she performs every morning as soon as she wakes up, which she believes is necessary to activate her abilities. It is entirely psychosomatic ... and may be holding her back from developing her full strength.

*Niamh Monaghan - PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 8/3| *STA* 6/2| *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8/4 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Healing Factor:* Enhanced Stamina 4; Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Impervious Toughness 6; Regeneration 10 - 28 points
*Tremendous Strength:* Enhanced Fighting 4; Enhanced Strength 5; Enhanced Strength 3 (50 tons), Limited to lifting - 21 points 

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Great Endurance, Power Attack, Precise Attack (close/concealment), Takedown, Ultimate Effort (Toughness).

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 4 (+12/+7), Expertise: Magic 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 10 (+11), Perception 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Thrown 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8/+4 (Close Damage 8/3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10/6, Fortitude 8/4, Toughness 6/2, Will 6

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL: *7
*Skill PL:* 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 47 + Advantages 9 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 121 points

*Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Craves Respect. Power Loss* (all, failure to perform daily ceremony.)

_Note: It has been noted that Niamh bears something of a resemblance to Gloria Sylvester, aka Gloriana. She is not aware of this._


----------



## Davies

The Saknussen Caverns





Arne Saknussen was an Icelandic scholar and reputed alchemist, born around 1512 and disappeared from the historical record around 1573. (Jules Verne, or possibly his editor, represented his name as Saknussemm.) If in his own writings he claimed to have discovered a passage to the center of the Earth, all such claims were lost when his entire corpus was burnt during the height of the Icelandic witch hunt, roughly a hundred years after he vanished. Nevertheless, Professor Otto Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel Blumbardt, along with their guide Hans Bjelke, were able to follow a trail of markings left by him in the great system of caverns that lie beneath the Atlantic Ocean and parts of Europe.

Their expedition was declared a fraud at the time, and it would not be until nearly a decade after the publication of their account, translated and somewhat expanded upon by Verne, that a second successful expedition would demonstrate that there was indeed such a region accessible through a passage through Snæfellsjökull. There had been a handful of _un_successful expeditions in that decade, which further contributed to the poor posthumous reputation of Professor Lidenbrock, as did his claims to have sighted dinosaurs (and giant humanoids) in the caverns. As the second journey, and subsequent expeditions would demonstrate, while there are large animals dwelling within the caverns, and the LIdenbrock Sea, they are examples of species present in the current geological age.

Or they were, prior to the arrival of travelers from the future, as when Bruce Rutherford arranged for the arrival of several groups of morlocks, eloi, and certain other species native to the far distant future of Earth. They have been fruitful and multiplied in this region, with the morlocks in particular adapting to their new environment and changing it to better suit themselves. This change in circumstances has cause a considerable cultural shift among the morlocks, with some communities abandoning their husbandry of the eloi in favor of pursuing other prey. (Others continue the practice and tend to be rather self-righteous about it.) The eloi remain largely unaffected by any of this and uninterested in making any changes.

Because of the difficulty and danger of exploring the caverns, expeditions tended to take place no more than once or twice per decade prior to the establishment of the Morrison Institute. Explorers working for the latter have made numerous attempts to explore and chart it, with a particular interest in discovering possible links to other subterranean realms beneath North America and Asia. Argus has often provided protective services for such expeditions, and established a safehouse in one region of the caverns that contained an experimental teleporter, to allow for a quick exit from them in case of disaster.

Following the recent exposure of Anna Rothery and several other traitorous agents associated with her, Argus engaged in a great deal of housecleaning, changing access codes to many of its facilities to limit the future damage these rogues could do. As part of this effort, the teleporter mechanism linking the New York headquarters of Argus was also reset, requiring the dispatch of a team to the safehouse in the caverns, to reset the codes on the other end while also checking on the facilities. They understandably did not expect to discover a young woman residing within those facilities!

After she had incapacitated four of the five members of the team, the last conscious survivor was able to convince her of his lack of hostile intentions and calm the mysterious individual, who had not spoken a word during the minute that this all took. While the agent suspected that he might be dealing with a feral child, he was disabused of that notion. While not speaking, she apparently understood spoken English and was able to write a word that she indicated should be used as her name in the dust on the floor -- Argun. The agent noted a damaged poster on the wall that might have read "*Argu*s Security, *N*orth American Division" at one point, and developed a hypothesis about the origin of her name.

When the rest of the team recovered, they were able to convince Argun to accompany them back to Argus headquarters to have a medical examination. This confirmed that she was apparently a superpowered human being, but was unfortunately cut short when the Director General arrived and took a look at her. "_Joanna_?" he gasped, using the name of his first-born daughter, dead since 1942. She responded to this with a panicked shriek and escaped from the infirmary, making her way back to the teleporter and from there back to the Caverns, having apparently memorized the access code from having seen it used once.

All attempts to find to find Argun and clarify her origins have failed. She is apparently known to the eloi who make their homes in the area near the safehouse, but they have been predictably no help in discovering her whereabouts. It is possible that the nearby morlocks might know more, but they are extraordinarily suspicious of outsiders, having had an extremely poor first contact with Morrison-backed explorers who believed that they still practice "husbandry" of the eloi. (As far as is known, they do not.)

*Argun -- PL 9*




_Image by Glee-chan._

*Abilities: 
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 6 | *DEX* 6 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:* 
*Mobility:* Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 6 (safe-fall, sure-footed 2, swinging, wall-crawling), Limited to natural environments; Speed 2 (8 MPH); Swimming 1 (2 MPH) - 17 points

*Advantages:* 
Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Animal Empathy, Attractive, Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Equipment 1, Evasion, Fearless, Grabbing Finesse, Great Endurance, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Startle, Tracking.

_Equipment: _
Knife (Strength-based Damage 1)

*Skills:* 
Acrobatics 5 (+11), Athletics 10 (+12), Close Combat: Knife 3 (+10), Expertise: Survival 12 (+13), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 6 (+12), Stealth 3 (+9).

*Offense: *
Initiative +10
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Knife +10 (Close Damage 3).

*Defense: *
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 7.

*Totals: *
Abilities 62 + Powers 17 + Advantages 18 + Skills 32 + Defenses 15 = 144 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:* 
*Survival--Motivation. Nonverbal* (but literate.) *Unfamiliar With Modern Technology or Culture.

Morlocks -- PL 4/MR 3*





*Abilities:
STR* -2 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Darkness Adapted:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
*Healing Factor:* Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 2 - 4 points
*Small Size:* Permanent Shrinking 4 (3 feet; -1 Strength, +2 Dodge, +2 Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation), Innate - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit (makes climbing checks with Agility.) Grappling Finesse, Improvised Tools, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Expertise: Survival 2 (+5), Perception 4 (+4), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 2 (+8), Technology 3 (+6), Treatment 3 (+6)

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 1, Will 4

*Totals:*
Abilities 16 + Powers 11 + Advantages 2 + Skills 9 + Defenses 7 = 45 points

*Offensive PL:* 3
*Defensive PL:* 3
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 2

*Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Fears Light. Suspicious.*

Eloi (PL 1) are Bystanders with the *Small Size* power of the Morlocks. Some examples will have INT 0, Expertise: Survival and Perception skills, but most have INT -1 and no meaningful skills. Their motivation is *Amusement*, and most have the additional complications of *Fears Darkness* and *Trusts Easily*.


----------



## Davies

Metalika





During the early stages of the Anachronic Calamity, Billie Zane found herself hard-pressed in her struggle against those who sought to prevent her from taking her revenge on the reality which had betrayed her so cruelly. She lost two of her collected Cosmic Gems in conflicts with them, and began to suspect that she would lose the rest before she could reverse matters, leaving her armed with only her barely understood psychic powers and brilliant mind. While that would still mean she was vastly more capable than nearly any opponent, gathering additional resources might be well-advised. By an astounding coincidence, some appeared in front of her in the form of a robot that referred to her as "mother".

The robot known as Metalika, created by the Billie Zane of the World More Grim, had finally managed to create a method of travelling between parallel realities just before the Calamity began to destroy that world, and used it to seek out a parallel world version of her creator. Zane was startled to learn that there was another version of herself in existence. (Startled and _revolted_, to be honest; she had always taken pride in the notion that she was unique.) However, as the robot explained what she sought, Zane saw an opportunity, and agreed to make the modifications necessary to undo the limitations implanted by the other Zane, ostensibly so that Metalika could seek out a means of escaping the Calamity.

Naturally, she betrayed the robot, replacing the programmed personality emulation of the other with a copy of her own personality and memories, but she also removed the limitations just as she agreed. Zane left the robot in standby mode, confident that regardless of her own fate, a copy of her mind in an indestructible body would survive and escape the Calamity. Unless of course she herself succeeded and destroyed all of reality, but that was beginning to seem unlikely by that point.

Exactly what became of the Billie Zane of the World Less Magical remains uncertain. But earlier this week, Metalika emerged from standby mode within a lair formerly occupied by Doktor Makabre and seized by Zane for her own purposes some time before. She experienced a bit of angst over her lost humanity, but took comfort in the fact that she had been freed of dependence on the freakish superpowers that her father had concealed from her. Now she was a purely intellectual creature, the ultimate expression of human rationality, humanity merged with its greatest creation. Who then could be made safe from her?

Metalika no longer has any interest in the goals of "Saturn", and has made no attempt to contact them or bring the organization back under her control. Her goal is to recover the Cosmic Gems, having concluded that those who restored the universe to its pathetic status quo will likely have had neither the courage nor imagination to secret them in different locations. (She is not _completely_ wrong about this. Once that is done, she will become mightier than any entity that currently exists in this reality and find a way to punish those who imagine that they can rule it. What she will do after achieving this goal is not clear.

But she will think of something. In the meanwhile, death and destruction.

*Metalika -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 9 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 12 | *AWE* 7 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:
Force Field:* Sustained Protection 4 - 4 points
*Impervium Armor:* Immunity 80 (Toughness), Limited to Half Effect; Impervious Protection 13 - 66 points
*Reconstruction:* Immortality 5 (minimum of one day), Check Required (Technology DC 20) - 1 point
*Robot:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude) - 30 points
*Sensors:* Radio Communication 3; Senses 9 (accurate acute extended radio, darkvision, direction sense) - 21 points
*Weapon Systems:* Array (27 points)

*Basic Cannon:* Ranged Damage 13, Variable (technology) - 27 points
*Psychic Magnetron:* Perception Range Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point
*Strength Augmentation:* Enhanced Strength 4; Enhanced Strength 12, Limited to lifting (800 ktons); Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 4 - 1 point
*Tractor Beam:* Perception Range Move Object 9 - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Chokehold, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 12, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Inventor, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Second Chance (Insight checks), Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought.

_Equipment:_
60 points needed for any bases or vehicles required for a given operation.

*Skills:*
Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Science 5 (+17), Insight 8 (+15), Intimidation 11 (+16), Investigation 2 (+14), Perception 6 (+13), Ranged Combat: Basic Cannon 10 (+13), Technology 6 (+18).

*Offense:*
Initiative +12
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13/9)
Arm Blade +9 (Close Damage 16, Crit 16-20)
Cannon +13 (Ranged Damage 13)
Psychic Magnetron -- (Perception Range Will 9)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 17/13, Will 13.

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 151 + Advantages 28 + Skills 28 + Defenses 15 = 300 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 13
*Skill PL:* 13

*Complications:
Vengeance--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman. Weakness* (becomes Hindered, Immobile and Paralyzed if subjected to Nullify Electronics.)


----------



## Davies

Merlin





Having two sets of complete memories, one of which you know to be an accurate recollection of your personal experience and the other which you know to be an accurate recollection of your current reality, goes beyond being confusing and into the realm of the dangerously frustrating. Still, it is not without its advantages, as it affords him the ability to realize where ... well, he will not admit to having made mistakes, but there have been times when events proved unfortunate. And he can learn from such misfortunes and so avoid them in the future.

In the current series of events, the man known variously as Morgan, Maugris and Merlin (among other names) remembers suffering an almost fatal stroke when -- he now knows -- another being was granted mastery of the extradimensional forces that his own studies had been directed towards understanding. In the history of the World Less Magical, he eventually died as a result of that stroke, though his death took nearly two centuries. But in this altered reality, he was able to escape that fate and bind his essence into the fabric of another plane of existence (as he had on the World More Grim) though this was his final act before descending into a sleep that endured for most of a millennium.

As in that lost world, he and the other Ascendants were finally awakened from that sleep by the Dreamdancer, but in the year 2021 rather than a century earlier. Not only did he lose some five centuries of work, the renewal of his efforts was delayed by another century. This vexes him greatly, but not nearly so much as his discovery that he had not been awakened as the master of his "sphere", but as a decidedly subordinate being to the entity who had nearly killed him when it came into existence, twelve hundred years before!

That will not stand. He is working more closely than ever before with both those ascendants with whom he shares history, and with two of the new Hierarchs, to bring down the obnoxious Abraxas. Of course, he expects to rise into the position that will become vacant with the fall of the so-called "super-wizard", but will rule with greater justice and wisdom. However, these plans may have been dealt a severe blow with the death of the Mnajimu, with whom Merlin had an association of long standing in both this world and the former one. That his old ally may have been destroyed by one of his new ones is understandably concerning ...

For now, Merlin has busied himself by creating a secret, mortal identity for himself as Jeffrey Searle, the headmaster of New Worminghall, a school for wizards located on a hidden island in Loch Shiel. (The school was part of his original reality, though Searle was a separate person with whom he had no connection.) The position has given him a large collection of potential pawns to serve as disposable assets in his schemes. (Blakestone and -- eventually -- Prydwen are not pawns. They are to be a bishop and a knight, eventually.) Of course, it has also brought him into conflict with the secret ruler of the United Kingdom. He does not consider Dracula a serious threat, believing it likely that he can use the creature to his own advantage.

That others have thought the same, and suffered as a consequence, is likely to be a misfortune from which he will eventually have to learn.

*Merlin -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 10/2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 10

*Powers:
Immortal:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
*Master of the Mystic Arts:* Array (44 points)
 *Healing Word:* Perception Ranged Healing 7, Energizing, Resurrection, Restorative, Side Effect (inflicts Damage 7 to target on failed roll) - 1 point 
 *Lightning Barrage:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 14, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Spellshatter:* Nullify Magic 14, Broad, Simultaneous, Precise, Dynamic - 45 points
 *Portal:* Extended Only Teleport 11, Portal, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Probing:* Cumulative Effortless Mind Reading 10, Subtle, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Scrying:* Remote Sensing 8 (all senses), Dimensional, Dynamic - 2 points
 *Shielding:* Immunity 80 (Toughness), Concentration; Dynamic - 2 points
*Mind Over Matter:* Enhanced Strength 8; Continuous Flight 6 (120 MPH); Move Object 8 (6 tons), Subtle; Sustained Protection 9, Subtle - 60 points
*Mystic Attunement:* Senses 7 (extended 4 mystic awareness, ranged detect immortal) - 7 points
*Staff:* Environment 1 (light); Strength-based Damage 2; Removable (-0 points) - 3 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Equipment 4, Fearless, Improved Defense, Multilingual, Ritualist, Trance.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 12; *Features* Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Dimensional Portal (Pandiomon), Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System - 19 points.
*New Worminghall:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 12; *Features* Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Gym, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power (Burst Area 5 Nullify Technology 11), Power System, Personnel, Security System - 1 point

*Skills:*
Deception 4 (+14), Expertise: History 10 (+13), Expertise: Magic 5 (+15), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 3 (+13), Perception 7 (+12), Persuasion 4 (+14), Ranged Combat: Mystic Arts 9 (+12), Treatment 8 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10/2)
Staff +8 (Close Damage 12/4)
Lightning Barrage +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 14)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/3, Will 16

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 136 + Advantages 16 + Skills 27 + Defenses 20 = 267 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 10

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Arrogant and Patronizing. Confused Memories. Secret Identity.*

_"Once -- but no! That never happened! That is, it did -- but now it did not! I must push such memories forever from my mind -- for that way lies madness."_


----------



## Davies

The Horned King





The gradual seizure of authority by Dracula within Britain during the 1990s did not go totally unnoticed, and not all of those who realized what was going on were destroyed or co-opted. Two individuals, both members of the intelligence community who were practicing magicians, had developed what they hoped would be a plan to counter the influence of the King Vampire in a way insuring that the danger passed unnoticed by the average Briton. Geraint Llewellyn, the less talented of the two, engaged in preparations for the final phase of the plan, which would begin after Christopher Potter succeeded in eliminating Baron Khan and seizing his resources for their own use.

Unfortunately, attempts to do that failed repeatedly and eventually lead to the death of Potter, ruining the plan on several levels. While infuriated by the death of a man he considered a friend, Llewellyn felt helpless to do anything about it -- if someone as talented as Potter had been destroyed by the forces with which they had to contend, what could _he_ possibly do against them? Embittered, Llewellyn returned to his official work and tried to ignore the growing horror that surrounded him.

Roughly a decade later, a new opportunity came his way, as the department for which he worked seized a copy of the notorious Book of the Great Scorpion from the estate of a deceased occultist, one that the analyst who documented the seizure believed to have been in the possession of Dracula himself. Upon learning of this, Llewellyn promptly murdered his co-worker and stole the Book. It would be an exaggeration or even an outright lie to claim that he had developed a new plan but he believed that one would make itself manifest when he studied the Book in detail.

Something like that did happen. Llewellyn discovered a ritual that would supposedly allow him to become a being possessing many of the strengths of a vampire and none of its weaknesses. Thus strengthened, he would finally be able to oppose Dracula and his minions and end their rule over Britain. Of course, that would not be the end of his ambitions; he would make it so that they could never gain that power and influence again. The rise of the vampires had been accomplished through their subversion of the technological and political infrastructure of modern Britain. Only by returning to a pre-industrial and pre-scientific world could they become safe forever. That this would result in countless deaths was simply a necessary sacrifice.

He performed the ritual and was transformed into an undead monstrosity he dubbed Y Brenin Corniog, the Horned King. For the last decade, he has striven to overthrow the current order in Britain, opposed most often by Nick Grey (whom he blames for the death of Potter, rendering their conflicts particularly personal) and Prydwen. An indication of how successful he has been is the fact that Dracula and his agents are barely aware that he exists.

*The Horned King -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Anatomical Separation:* Summon Head 9, Controlled, Heroic, Mental Link, Side Effect (becomes Paralyzed, always) - 28 points
*Call Darkness:* Linked Ranged Burst Area Visual Concealment 4 Attack; Linked Ranged Selective Burst Area Damage 11, Limited (will not affect targets with darkvision), Resisted by Will, Quirk (anyone who successfully resists the Damage is permanently immune to it) - 59 points  
*Darksight:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
*Undead:* Immunity 30 (Foritude); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 6 - 52 points

*Advantages:*
Fearless, Improved Grab, Ritualist, Seize Initiative.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+13), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+13), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 7 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 8)
Call Darkness -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 11, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 66 + Powers 131 + Advantages 4 + Skills 22 + Defenses 19 = 252 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Hatred* (technology and "modern" institutions.) *Vulnerability* (Deception and Intimidation by "mortals".) 

*Separated Head -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 0 | *DEX* -2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 5 | *AWE* 6 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Darksight:* Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
*Flying:* Flight 2 (8 MPH) - 4 points
*Small:* Permanent Shrinking 8 (Strength -2, Intimidation -4, Speed -1, Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8), Innate - 9 points
*Undead:* Immunity 30 (Foritude); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 6 - 52 points

*Advantages:*
Fearless, Seize Initiative.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+9), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 5 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +0
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 10, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 9

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 67 + Advantages 2 + Skills 21 + Defenses 9 = 135 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Hatred* (technology and "modern" institutions.) *No Fine Manipulators. Vulnerability* (Deception and Intimidation by "mortals".)


----------



## Davies

Shadowjack





His clearest memory is of waking up in darkness, feeling both weak as a kitten and completely at a loss about what had happened to him and why everything that came before waking up had a weird dreamlike quality. He realized that he was not alone when the darkness spoke to him, with the shadows clearing up to reveal that Darkwing was looking down at him. Not an experience that he had ever expected to have, what with him being a kid from Hell's Kitchen and Darkwing coming from Chi-Town. There was some other person there, with weird reddish-pink hair, but she said nothing, only studying the readout on the machine to which he was hooked up.

Darkwing explained to him what had happened -- during an incident in New York, he had been one of a few dozen people who were injected with an unusual chemical by a mad scientist. ('Jack would later learn that the "mad scientist" was actually a vampire wizard named Yorga.) All of the others who were subjected to this had died, and he himself had only barely survived with medical help from a really good doctor. But he had not been left unmarked by all this. With that, Darkwing hesitantly held up a mirror.

"Oooookayyyyy," said Shadowjack as he looked at his blue skin. "Anything else I should know about?"

There was; he was now a superpower. Not only was his skin an unusual pigment, it was slightly harder than steel. His eyes were capable of seeing in anything less than total darkness, but reacted poorly to daylight. And he could open up rifts in space that he could travel through, send people through, or use to call up ... well, he supposed that they were not really tentacles, since they were made of metal instead of flesh, but they certainly looked like they could be part of some metal octopus somewhere.

None of this was anything that Jack Coleman had ever expected for his life. Darkwing sympathized and offered to sponsor his studies at the Futurian Academy, but Jack had already dropped out of high school once and going back was not an idea that he relished. Unfortunately, a reunion with his parents in New York went incredibly poorly, as they refused to accept that this was their son. Jack returned to Chicago and decided that the only thing he could do with his life was to use his powers to help prevent bad things like this from happening to anyone else, becoming a superhero based out of East Garfield Park, occasionally assisting Darkwing and (somewhat more frequently) receiving assistance from him.

Over the last two years, 'Jack (as he calls himself now -- the ' is silent, but he somehow knows when people are refusing to use it) has developed a reputation as a friendly if somewhat creepy hero in his neighborhood. He is still pretty angry about his transformation and alienation from his family, but channels it in the slightly more productive direction of scaring the local criminal element. He also channels it into his studies of magic, hoping to find a way to reverse what has done to him. It is only recently that he has started to see results in this endeavor, after working alongside Yenova of the Vagabonds on a case. Still no luck in getting back to normal, but even if the game is rigged against him, you only win if you play.

*Shadowjack -- PL8

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Altered Senses:* Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 1 point
*Hardened Body:* Protection 6 - 6 points
*Mystic Gates:* Array (29 points)

*Crushing Tentacles:* Damaging Move Object 9, Indirect 2 - 29 points
*Gate Attack:* Ranged Teleport Attack 7 (.5 mile) - 1 point
*Gate Movement:* Extended Only Teleport 7 (120 miles), Portal, Change Direction - 1 point
*Grappling Tentacles:* Ranged Cumulative Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile), Extra Condition, Indirect 2, Limited Degree - 1 point
*Advantages:*
Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Hide in Plain Sight, Ritualist, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Magic 5 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 2 (+6), Ranged Combat: Gates 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Crushing Tentacles +7 (Ranged Damage 9)
Gate Attack +7 (Ranged Teleport 7, Resisted by Strength)
Grappling Tentacles +7 (Range Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 10, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 38 + Advantages 5 + Skills 18 + Defenses 10 = 125 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Strange Appearance. Vulnerability* (light-based visual Afflictions.) *Weakness* (daylight leaves him Impaired on most checks and Visually Disabled.)


----------



## Davies

The Judge





Professional killers are not generally eccentric, or at least they rarely express such eccentricities in their work. They focus on quickly eliminating their target -- almost always a single individual -- and then escaping from the scene, rather than looking "cool" or using an elaborate (and thus easily identifiable) method of operations. And then there is the Judge, who breaks all of the above rules, most notably in the way that he will happily accept contracts on groups of people. After all, from four to fifty players can be handled in any single campaign.

According to what information has been produced about him by the FBI, the Judge claims to have been a player in the original medieval fantasy wargaming campaign as a boy. As he appears to be in his early fifties, this is not impossible, but none of the surviving players of that campaign recognized the sole known photograph of him. It seems more likely that he only admires the aesthetic of that era of gaming while taking it even further than any sane gamer ever would have, seeking to become the ultimate adversarial game master. (Another theory, currently known only to members of the Gray Seal, holds that he was once a human "employee" of the destroyed artificial intelligence known as Pythagolem, charged with building "testing facilities" for its headquarters.)

His victims will find themselves kidnapped and often drugged, regaining consciousness in one of the rooms within his current dungeon. They are expected to make their escape from the complex using what equipment -- often "cursed" -- is made available to them, through traps, tricks and secret passages and past various robotic "monsters". The Judge himself will usually appear to them only through holographic projections, often serving as an unwelcome and sometimes fatal distraction while taunting the players or complaining when they damage when they ignore his scenario and look for less obvious means of escape.

Based in New York, the Judge apparently has a relationship with Tarot; he waives his fee when sending victims that they provide for his dungeons, in exchange for their assistance in "procuring" ones that he has been hired to eliminate by other parties. It was while "handling" one group of people who had inconvenienced Tarot in the past that the Judge had his first known encounter with a superhero. As his dimly-lit dungeon did not inhibit the abilities of Elliot Ross, alias Curveball, the latter was able to fake his death, change to his costume and rescue most of the other targets. The Judge barely escaped before Curveball was able to break into his control room, but had a different dungeon complex up and running within a few months.

The Judge is not able to seriously contend with superpowers, and knows it. While equipped with a superscience flame-thrower that he calls a wand of fire, he will always prioritize escape over attempting to defeat his opponents if they manage to confront him. However, it is entirely possible that his ego might get in the way of this practicality, particularly if his skills as a gamemaster are insulted ...

*The Judge -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Wand of Fire:* Line Area Damage 5; Easily Removable (-4) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connected, Contacts, Distract (Deception), Equipment 5, Set-up, Taunt, Well-informed.

*Equipment:*
Concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), tablet (disguised as tome), and 10 points of equipment as needed.
*A Typical Dungeon:* *Size* Huge; *Toughness* 10; *Features* Concealed, Deathtraps (oh so many), Defense System, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 10 points

*Skills:*
Deception 7 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+9), Expertise: Popular Culture 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 7 (+9), Investigation 4 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+8), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 3/1, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 6 + Advantages 13 + Skills 23 + Defenses 7 = 73 points

*Offensive PL:* 5
*Defensive PL:* 3
*Resistance PL:* 4
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Incredibly Hammy. Vindictive.*


----------



## Davies

Dope Romeo




_Physical form._




_Digital avatar._

In preparing for her operations in the Sprawl, Mercedes Blaze knew that she would need an expert at computer intrusion. While Blaze herself is an extremely talented hacker, giving those duties to another person would allow her to focus her efforts on social engineering. Further, she was acquainted with an individual possessed of unusual capabilities that would be alien to the Sprawl, another outside context problem for them. So she contacted Dope Romeo (pronounced "ro-MAY-o"), whom she had hired on other occasions. As it happened, the young hacker in question was already packing her bags for an attempt to sneak into the Sprawl on her own initiative, making her an easy hire.

Born Suzu Mikhalkov, of mixed Japanese and Russian ancestry, she started calling herself Dope Romeo not long after her powers developed in early adolescence. (Her father had a passion for a certain Italian luxury car brand, and she chose the name to mock him.) She secured a reputation for herself as a talented hacker-for-hire using both conventional means and her powers, often doing work for hire for the Vision. Blaze was the first operative of that conspiracy to succeed in tracking her down for a face to face meeting, something that impressed her.

Arriving in the Sprawl, Romeo set about educating herself as to how things work. She was a bit surprised to discover that her ability to communicate with machines, combined with the vastly advanced computer technology present here, allowed her to project her consciousness into the local computer network, something she had only ever imagined as a metaphor. Of course, that puts her in a fair amount of danger, but she has also learned how to modify the avatar program that she creates inside the network so that it is significantly stronger, faster and tougher than her meat body, enabling her to fight effectively against defensive programs and other hackers.

Ironically, Blaze seems to have underestimated the Sprawl in this area. While Romeo has not yet encountered anyone else with innate cyberpathy -- just plenty of hackers who can imitate them through gear or implants -- she _has_ found signs in the network that indicate that people with such talents have existed in the past, and that the locals are more prepared for them than her boss expected. Romeo has yet to inform Blaze of this development, as she is concerned that it might mean the end of their contract, and she is having _so much fun_.

That fun is her primary goal in all of this, rather than the money that keeps coming in. Besides, she has a lot of lucrative alternative income streams now. Romeo also does have slightly higher goals in all of this, though, as she is aware that the Sprawlcorps are getting quite chummy with the Emperor of Korea. While lacking much in the way of patriotism, Suzu would still rather the country where she was born and where her mother still lives not end up conquered.

*Dope Romeo -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3/-1 | *STA* 0 | *AGL* 5/1 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8/4 | *INT* 6 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Cyberspace Dive:* Movement 1 (dimensional [cyberspace]), Side Effect (body is incapacitated) - 1 point
*Downloaded Skillsets:* Enhanced Advantage 1 (Beginner's Luck) - 1 point
*Overclocked Avatar:* Linked Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Smash, Weapon Break); Linked Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Linked Enhanced Strength 4; Linked Enhanced Fighting 4; Linked Enhanced Agility 4; Linked Impervious Will 6; Linked Sustained Protection 4; Limited, Only in Cyberspace - 22 points
*Technopathy:* Radio Communication 3 (regional), Subtle; Comprehend Machines 2; Senses 3 (acute tracking radio) - 22 points

*Advantages:*
_Beginner's Luck,_, Benefit 4 (cipher 2, independently wealthy, makes gather information checks with Technology), Equipment 4, _Improved Smash,_ Improvised Tools, Ranged Attack 3, Skill Mastery (Technology), Speed of Thought, _Weapon Break_.

_Equipment:_
Blaster pistol (Ranged Damage 5) and 10 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Pop Culture 6 (+12), Expertise: Science 5 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+10), Insight 4 (+8), Investigation 1 (+7), Perception 3 (+9), Technology 6 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8/4 (Close Damage 3/-1)
Blaster +6 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12/4, Parry 12/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/0, Will 7

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 46 + Advantages 14 + Skills 17 + Defenses 9 = 118 points

*Offensive PL:* 6/6
*Defensive PL:* 8/2
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Larcenous Streak. Perverse Streak.*


----------



## Davies

Qǐdòng Jī/起動機






One of the most recent additions to the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, Qǐdòng Jī ("Starter") was formerly an independent adventurer active in both Macau and Hong Kong, having made his debut in 2017 thwarting an attempt by a group of mercenaries to rob the Venetian Macao. During his solo career, he crossed paths with and assisted both Dú Láng and members of the Sīfa on several occasions. However, he happened to be in Hong Kong when the Chinese government began its reforms and only narrowly avoided arrest at that time. Unable to return to Macau, which has yet to suffer such problems, he was left with no option but to join up with the Sīfa.

Wong Lin (to use his birth name) finds this a miserable and unpleasant experience. While he is perfectly willing to take risks to help people -- or for fun -- he prefers to be the one making the decisions about how and when to do so instead of taking orders about the subject from someone else, even someone as charming as Shuǎ Shé Rén. If he wanted to be a good little soldier, he would have joined the Metahuman Guard. He also misses the privacy and security of his former life, and hates having to be constantly prepared to flee the authorities. However, he knows that he would have even less privacy if he was in prison or working for the government, so he endures.

Possessed of enhanced celerity and coordination, Qǐdòng Jī has developed a particular talent for precise pitching, and is able to infuse objects that he throws with golden-glowing energy that grants them additional flight speed and momentum so that they impact against their targets with force comparable to that of a blaster bolt. Because of his interests, he favors doing this to playing cards, poker chips and dice, but could do it to any object that he is able to hold in one hand. With difficulty, he is able to imbue and fling several objects at once to "spray" across multiple targets or provide covering fire.

Wong Lin has not discussed his background in much detail with his new colleagues. He has stated that he comes from a long line of professional gamblers, and has always enjoyed games of skill and chance. Shuǎ Shé Rén has privately speculated that he might have some probability-influencing talents in addition to those he has demonstrated so far, based on the frequency with which he wins games that do not rely on his skills, but has not yet tested this possibility. Besides, he could just cheat a lot.

*Qǐdòng Jī -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 2 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 7 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Imbuement:* Array (2 points)
*Basic:* Enhanced Advantage 4 (Throwing Mastery 4), Activation (Standard Action) - 2 points
*Quick:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 4, Activation (Standard Action), Check Required (Sleight of Hand DC 14), Tiring - 1 point

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Benefit (ambidexterity), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Throwing Mastery), Improved Initiative, Luck 3, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (ranged/concealment, ranged/cover), Quick Draw, Throwing Mastery, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Gambler 10 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+7), Perception 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Thrown 6 (+13), Sleight of Hand 5 (+12), Stealth 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Basic Thrown Object +13 (Ranged Damage 5/1, Crit 19-20)
Quick Thrown Object +13 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 4, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/2, Will 6.

*Totals:*
Abilities 58 + Powers 3 + Advantages 19 + Skills 31 + Defenses 15 = 126 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Compulsive Gambling. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Tiamat




_Art by Liiga_

When the Olympians overthrew the Titans, they proceeded to build an empire using the same techniques that they had seen the Titans using in running _their_ empire, assuming that their precursors had been motivated by the same needs -- such as the desire to have offspring who would continue in their footsteps -- as those who came after them. The few Titans who collaborated with their conquerors could have explained that these assumptions were mistaken, but they either actively (though quietly) wished the Olympians ill or simply did not care enough to clarify. (Or, just possibly, they recognized that their practices had been part of the reason for their downfall, and were curious to see if the practices that had won the war could also win the peace.)

The Titans did not have families. Their offspring were inevitably abandoned in the moment of their birth and left to fend for themselves until early maturity, at which point they _might_ be accepted into Titanic society. Because of that, said society tended to be much more violent than any human (or human-adjacent) society ever was. The degree to which blood was considered thicker than water varies from society to society, but in Titanic society there was no such attitude.

So when Tiamat, to use the name she had been given and has since adopted of her own, recognized Nike as her offspring, it must be understood that this did not mean that she had discovered any affection for her. She approached Nike because she believed that Dyaus had gotten the child on her as a way to bind her to Earth. Tiamat hoped that she might learn, through association with Nike, how to end that binding, but was prepared to kill the child if that was what it took to free herself. She found herself disconcerted by the way that Nike, shaped to be more like an Olympian than a Titan, came to regard her as a maternal figure.

She was also disconcerted by the way that she came to grow feelings for Nike. The Titans did not have families, and it was also rare for them to feel what might be called friendship for each other. But that did happen from time to time, and it was not long before Tiamat could not say that she was truly indifferent to the notion of destroying Nike for the sake of her freedom. However, that might also have been influenced by her growing suspicion that she would not gain what she wanted by this method.

Before Tiamat could decide what to do about these realizations, the Calamity occurred. Caught up in it, Tiamat found herself confronted by a shadow of Ananke, the being who had granted her much of the power that had raised her up to be the mightiest of the Titans. Offered a different sort of power, and with it the freedom she craved, Tiamat hesitated for a moment before agreeing, and was raised up as the Hierarch of the Sphere of Matter. When reality stabilized once more, she paused only long enough to offer a brief, utterly unapologetic farewell to Nike, before launching herself into space with a shriek of release.

Since then, Tiamat has played among the stars, once again rampaging as it suits her. Starships and void-born life are now her prey. She will reluctantly take part in the discussions of the other Hierarchs, and looks forward to one day testing her might against Abraxas. Where he feels diminished by his new state, she is exalted, testing the limits of her new abilities as far as they can go. She suspects that she might be able to wield enough might in this new form to shatter planets, if she was willing to damage her form so that it took centuries or even millennia to restore itself. So far, she has not found anything that would make her consider this an acceptable sacrifice.

In the course of her voyages, Tiamat has encountered Prometheus, and brought him under her sway through the old ways -- threats of terrible violence that he knows she can back up, and against which his foresight would not protect him. She has promised him that they will resume the war against the Olympians, but only at a time that she decides. First, the other Titans must be freed and convinced to join them. And then, perhaps, they should be persuaded of the benefits of this thing called "family" ... not an easy task, but she has all the time in the world to accomplish it.

*Tiamat -- PL 16

Abilities:
STR* 18/4 | *STA* 19/5 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 11 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
*Destructive Powers:* Array (48 points)
 *Fiery Breath:* Cone Area 2 Damage 13 - 1 point
 *Pure Force:* Perception Range Damage 16 - 48 points
*Dragon Bite:* Strength-based Damage 3, Quirk (only at maximum size) - 2 points
*Dragon Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Dragon Wings:* Enhanced Defenses 14 (Dodge 7, Parry 7)*; Flight 15 (64,000 MPH), Wings; Movement 3 (space travel 3) - 35 points
*Gargantuan Size:* Growth 14 (90 feet; Strength +14, Stamina +14, Dodge -7, Parry -7, Intimidation +7, Stealth -14, Speed +2); Enhanced Strength 7, Limited to Lifting (800 kilotons), Quirk (1 rank per 2 ranks of Growth active) - 51 points
*Human Form:* Morph 1 (human-like form) - 5 points
*Multiple Heads:* Continuous Heroic Summon 13, Controlled, Horde, Multiple Minions 2 [4 minions], Feedback, Mental Link, Quirk (only at maximum size) - 130 points
*Senses:* Senses 9 (accurate extended hearing, accurate acute scent, hyper-extended vision, ultrahearing) - 9 points
*Telepathy:* Mental Communication 3 (regional), Subtle; Impervious Will 8 - 27 points
*Titanic Endurance:* Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 14* - 24 points

* Her Enhanced Defenses and Impervious Toughness ranks are limited to the number of Growth ranks she has active; she only ever activates even numbers of Growth.

*Advantages:*
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 4, Evasion, Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Startle.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Colossal; *Toughness* 20; *Features* Concealed, Grounds, Isolated, Trophy Room - 16 points

*Skills:*
Close Attack: Claws 2 (+13), Expertise: Galactic 10 (+11), Expertise: Survival 10 (+11), Insight 10 (+14), Intimidation 6 (+13/+6), Perception 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +6
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 18/4)
Bite +11 (Close Damage 21)
Claws +13 (Close Damage 19/5)
Fiery Breath -- (Burst Area Damage 13)
Pure Force -- (Perception Range Damage 16)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 19/5, Toughness 19/5, Will 11

*Total:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 347 + Advantages 8 + Skills 23 + Defenses 18 = 450 points

*Offensive PL:* 16
*Defensive PL:* 16
*Resistance PL:* 15
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:
Freedom--Motivation. Neither Regard Nor Hatred For Any Life. Vague and Uncomfortable Bond* (Nike.)

*Heads - PL 13/MR 13

Abilities:
STR* 11 | *STA* 11 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 0 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 0 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Bite Attack:* Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
*Fiery Breath:* Cone Area 2 Damage 13 - 39 points
*Huge Size:* Permanent Growth 10 (45 feet; Strength +10, Stamina +10, Dodge -5, Parry -5, Intimidation +5, Stealth -10, Speed +1); Immunity 10 (life support); Protection 4, Impervious 10 - 54 points
*Mindless:* Immunity 30 (Will) - 30 points
*Senses:* Senses 8 (communication link with main body; visual counters all concealment and illusion) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Teamwork

*Skills:*
None.

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 11)
Bite +11 (Close Damage 14)
Fiery Breath -- (Cone Area Damage 13)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 12, Toughness 15, Will Immune

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 13
*Resistance PL:* 12
*Skill PL:* -

*Totals:*
Abilities 34 + Powers 134 + Advantages 8 + Defenses 19 = 195 points

*Complications:
Permanently Immobile* (cannot move independently of Tiamat.)


----------



## Davies

Daji/妲己




_Art by GENZOMAN_

Of the known members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā, the fox-woman who has unhesitatingly claimed the ancient name Daji as her own is the greatest anomaly. The Sīfa draw heavily on the legends of the classic novel _Water Margin_ in presenting themselves as heroic outlaws who defend the state and people of China against their enemies. Daji, both the consort of that name and the fox-spirit in _Investiture of the Gods_ who was inspired by her, is regarded as _one of those enemies_. Her reputation is such that claims that "sometimes bad guys make the best good guys" sound hollow.

She even debuted as a villain. Soon after Sun Wukong descended from the Himalayas in search of adventure, he found himself challenged by Daji, who fought a wild battle against him through Chengdu. When asked about the episode when she joined the Sīfa, a bit less than a year later, she claimed that she had believed -- and still _did_ believe -- that Wukong was an imposter, and believed -- but did not now believe -- that he might have some fell purpose in mind. So she had adopted the persona of a mythic villain to oppose a fake mythic hero. Simple, straightforward -- and almost certainly a lie.

That said, there is no evidence of her engaging in the sort of villainy that brought about the infamy of her namesake. On the other hand, there is no evidence of nearly anything when it comes to her. The investigators of the Sīfa are still in the process of piecing together what is true and what is false about her biography, where she claims to have been a mutant, born some thirty-five years ago and blessed with a gift for hypnotic disguises that allowed her to cover up her physical oddities (ears, tail, claws, etc.) She is a dangerous combatant but has stressed that she is neither a fiend nor a sadist -- a statement that seems dubious who have observed the tricks she uses to fight -- and will only kill in her own defense or that of her allies.

At least for now, she has been accepted by her teammates, though she avoids getting close to any of them. They are all her sworn brothers, but they could all die tomorrow, and everything would go on. She has expressed some distress and annoyance that, in response to her activities, the current commander of the Metahuman Guard has started styling himself -- unofficially, so far -- as Taigong Wang, with all that this implies. And it has been noted that she avoids talking about a certain Indian superheroine who has a similar aesthetic ... 

*Daji -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 3 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Fox Claws:* Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2 - 5 points
*Fox Ears:* Senses 3 (low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 4 points
*Many Faces, Only Me:* Morph 3 (humanoids), Resistible (Will), Improved Resistance 7 - 19 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 11, Limited to mental powers - 6 points
*"Wild Animals Heal Quickly":* Regeneration 5 - 5 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive 2, Benefit 2 (cipher), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Startle, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Claws 7 (+14), Deception 6 (+10), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+11), Sleight of Hand 4 (+8), Stealth 8 (+13).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Claws +14 (Close Damage 6, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8/3, Will 11.

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 37 + Advantages 18 + Skills 28 + Defenses 19 = 169 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Atonement (Or Something Like That)--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Lethal* (Impaired on attack rolls with her claws when _not_ trying to kill someone.) *Reputation* (hopefully fake mythic villain.)  

_I'm a shapeshifter._
_What else should I be?
Please don't take off my mask,_
_Revealing dark._


----------



## Davies

Kusho/空所





Next to nothing is known about the life of the current occupant of the House of the Pig prior to 2015, when he joined Devlin & Sons Traveling Carnival as a member of its road crew. He claimed his name to be Masuo Oyama -- which was a rather blatant lie -- and was obviously of Japanese ancestry. Within a few months, he had found a particular niche for himself within the carnival as the performer in its resurrected "geek show", in which he would eat various disgusting and/or inedible things for the amusement of onlookers. "Oyama" was clearly a mutant whose power, the ability to digest anything that he could get down his throat, came with a rather serious drawback -- he could not extract much in the way of nutrients from anything, leaving him perpetually starving.

In 2019, Oyama apparently convinced the proprietor of the carnival to take the unusual step of transporting the entire production across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, claiming that this would be a profitable variation on their normal routine. It was a disaster that turned into a nightmare when Oyama was caught having apparently attacked, murdered and partially _eaten_ a young girl who had gotten lost in the carnival. He was arrested and compelled to confess his guilt through threats made to prosecute the rest of the entertainers, whom he viewed as his family. (He did not know, then, that nearly all of them had provided statements to the effect that they had always suspected him of possessing cannibalistic tendencies.)

Sentenced to death, Oyama found himself expecting to starve to death in his cell long before he was hung. That was when Diorite appeared before him and offered him an opportunity. The previous occupant of the House of the Pig had recently died in a plane crash, and a replacement was needed. Normally, Diorite awakens already existing psychic gifts in her servants. This time, she somehow twisted his extant mutations to create something new. No longer was he perpetually starving for nutrients. Instead, he had become able to drain energy from living beings, rendering them feeble, slow and sickened.

Embittered by his fate, Oyama took the name Kusho ("void") and began to serve the Shēngxiào as a superpower assassin, utterly indifferent to the suffering that he caused. Late in 2021, however, he was sent on a mission to eliminate a traitor to the organization, and found him in the company of a prostitute named Shirabe Reika. Normally, he would have been expected to eliminate her as a witness, but something about the indifference with which she greeted her impending death made him stay his hand.

Kusho has installed Reika as a platonic live-in girlfriend in his Tokyo home, concealing her continued existence from the rest of the Shēngxiào. While still performing his duties for the organization, he is increasingly fearful of what will happen if this (extremely unhealthy) relationship were to be exposed, and will go to some lengths to prevent that. As for Reika herself, she expects it will only be a matter of time before the monster gets bored with her.

It is, after all, a tale as old as time.

*Kusho -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 6 | *STA* 8 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Living Vampire:* Immunity 4 (disease, need for sleep, poison, starvation & thirst) - 4 points
*Vampiric Energy Drain:* Weaken Physical Ability 8, Broad, Grab-based; Energizing Restorative Healing 8, Reaction (after successful energy drain), Self only - 64 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Benefit (cipher 2), Evasion, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Grab 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 10 (+10), Perception 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+11).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 6)
Energy Drain +10 (Grab 6 plus Fortitude 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 8, Toughness 8, Will 7.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 68 + Advantages 7 + Skills 21 + Defenses 13 = 173 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Fear--Motivation. Dependent* (Reika.) *Socially Inept* (Impaired on Persuasion checks.)

_"I take lives."
"Yeah, Well ... if you were perfect, you wouldn't still be single."_


----------



## Davies

Adradius the All-Traitor





Long ago -- so long ago that it might as well have been a different world completely -- there lived a skilled and ambitious warrior. Like many of his ilk, he had made a pact with one of the Ascendants who existed in that time, who granted him power in exchange for his services. But unlike many, he neither felt any loyalty to, nor feared any retribution from, that which he had chosen to serve, and so betrayed his oath as soon as another opportunity presented itself. And unlike any, he did so repeatedly.

Eventually, he had crossed all the Ascendants, even those of Entropy, enough that none of them were interested in his services. In the process, however, he had learned certain secrets that the Ascendants did not wish mortals to know. The chief of these was the existence of the beings known as the Eaters of Worlds, to whom he now turned in search of power. In the process, he was transformed into a being like them while retaining his mortal mind. Dubbed Adradius the All-Traitor, he would wreak untold havoc upon the world in that age, notably leading an army of monsters against Nyx the Old One during the Anachronic Calamity.

The full story of his deeds in that era may never be told. Towards the end of that time, he was imprisoned within a comet and sent flying on a journey expected to last hundreds of millions of years, with the expectation that this would destroy even such as him. It did not; just a few years ago, the comet to which he was bound drew near enough to the sun that the icy prison melted and he was free. Of course, he was free within the void of space, but his armor allowed him to walk the remaining distance to Earth in only a few more years.

The changes that the world has seen during his imprisonment bewilder and amuse him, but he has decided to seize it for his own nonetheless. Of course, matters are complicated by the fact that the champions of humanity are somewhat more powerful and/or less removed from human concerns than they were in his own era, and he faces many beings who might be his peers. For now, having come down to Earth in the United Kingdom, he has entered into the service of Dracula. Neither he nor his current master truly believe that this patronage will last any longer than his previous oaths.

Adradius is soft-spoken and not given to boasting or bravado. That is probably his only virtue -- other than that, he is callous and incredibly cruel, regarding honor as a delusion and ruthlessly exploiting any weaknesses demonstrated by his opponents. However, he is unaffected by magic intended to purify "evil", as what he has become is the product of an alien moral system that has little if any correspondence to any human beliefs. 

*Adradius -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 0 | *PRE* 5

*Powers:* 
*Alien:* Immunity 31 (aging, life support, mental effects); Protection 5, Impervious 9; Senses 8 (mystical awareness, vision counters all concealment and illusion) - 53 points
*Armor of the Eternal Wanderer:* Flight 4 (30 MPH), Platform; Continuous Immunity 10 (any elemental effect), Noticeable, Variable*; Movement 2 (dimensional travel 2 [mystical dimensions]); Removable (-5 points) - 23 points
*Bitter Experience:* Senses 1 (danger sense) - 1 point
*Enchanted Mace:* Linked Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2; Linked Affliction 7 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 8 points
*Enchanted Shield:* Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Easily Removable (-2 points) - 6 points

* Once per round, as a free action, Adradius can choose to be immune to effects of _one_ of these descriptors: air, darkness, earth, fire, light, metal, plant or water. He remains immune until he deliberately ends his immunity, either by turning off the effect or changing which descriptor applies. While immune, he is surrounded by an illusory image indicating the descriptor to which he is immune.

*Advantages:* 
All-Out Attack, Close Attack 3, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Great Endurance, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Intimidation), Startle.

*Skills:* 
Athletics 8 (+12), Close Combat: Mace 4 (+12), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Dimensional 5 (+7), Expertise: Magic 6 (+11), Insight 8 (+8), Intimidation 9 (+14), Perception 10 (+10), Stealth 6 (+9).

*Offense:* 
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 4), 
Enchanted Mace +15 (Close Damage 7).

*Defense:* 
Dodge 11/7, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 7, Toughness 9/4, Will 9.

*Totals:* 
Abilities 60 + Powers 91 + Advantages 13 + Skills 32 + Defenses 16 = 213 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:* 
*Nihilism--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman. Unfamiliar With Modern World. Vulnerability* (effects opposed to his current Immunity.*)

* Air opposes earth. Fire opposes water. Light opposes darkness. Metal opposes plant.


----------



## Davies

Metal Knight




_Masked_




_Unmasked_

Sixty years* ago, as the Imperium transformed into the Crimson Imperium, Bohrs Stannim was a novice student of one of the mystic guardians of the Senate, barely out of his adolescence. He was no match for the Grand Inquisitor, and knew it, but hoped to spend his life bravely to slow the monster down so that his master or one of the other mystics could defeat him and restore sanity to the universe. Badly injured in the first second of his desperate attack, Bohrs was utterly unprepared for what happened next -- his master surrendered and begged for the life of both himself and his pupil, pledging that they woud both go into exile on Hasham.

They would lie low, his master told him later on the ship taking them to the Vautaro homeworld, and someday return to take revenge, once Bohrs completed his training. Bohrs was only half-listening. He had heard the man who was supposed to teach him to be brave trembling in fear, and his belief in the man was shattered. He could not see prudence in this course, only cowardice. That night, as his mentor slept, he jury-rigged the launch of an escape pod and left the ship behind to continue the war on his own.

He has fought alone, thwarting the Imperium in one small sector as best as he could, through all the decades since. At some point, he "obtained" a suit of Marine space armor that has both protected his identity and allowed him to take the fight to the enemy in fields of battle where they would never expect to face a mystic. Unfortunately, learning how to keep the technology in good operating order has taken up time that he might have used to improve his understanding of the Source, which would progress slowly enough without this hindrance due to his lack of a teacher. He might be able to find help if he allied with the rest of the Insurgency, but cannot bring himself to trust anyone else after his master failed him.

Recently, the Metal Knight has learned that the shiny new super-troopers of the Imperium, the Scarlet Knights, are embarking on a mission to a planet in the Unclaimed Regions. He finds this bewildering, but recognizes an opportunity. If he were to follow him there, he might be able to challenge them in a place where they have limited access to reinforcements and support. Not a bad idea ... but possibly a dangerous one, as well. 

*Metal Knight -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR* 8/4 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Bonded Laser Blade:* Damage 6, Penetrating 6, Accurate; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 9 points
*Draw On The Source:* Impervious Will 6, Limited to mental effects - 4 points
*Sense The Source:* Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 5 (Accurate, Acute, Ranged Danger Sense) - 13 points
*Space Armor:* Enhanced Advantages 1 (Improved Defense); Enhanced Strength 4; Flight 8 (500 MPH), Limited to microgravity; Immunity 10 (life support); Movement 2 (environmental adaptation [zero g]); Impervious Protection 4; Removable (-7 points) - 30 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Equipment 10, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Interpose, Power Attack.

_Equipment:_
Personal Shuttlecraft (see below) and 7 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 4 (+14/+8), Close Combat: Laser Sword 4 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 9 (+12), Insight 8 (+13), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+11), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+9).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8/4)
Laser Blade +14 (Close Damage 6)

*Defense:*
Dodge 11/7, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 8/4, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 74 + Powers 56 + Advantages 16 + Skills 26 + Defenses 13 = 184 points

*Offensive PL:* 10
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 10
*Skill PL:* 9

*Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Maintenance. Secret Identity. Untrusting.*

Personal Shuttlecraft -- 43 points
*Size* Gargantuan; *Strength* 12; *Speed* 14 (32000 MPH air/space); *Defense* 6; *Toughness* 13
*Features:*
Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control
*Powers:* 
*Stardrive:* Movement 2 (Space Flight) - 4 points

_Note: For the record, I *don't* think Luthen is a Jedi._


----------



## Davies

Mechano (II)




_Actual form._




_Disguise form._

For Alexander McGovern, the loss of the guardian force was something of a mixed blessing. While he regrets losing the enhancement of his already great intellect, he takes comfort in the fact that his thoughts are now once more only his own, rather than possibly being the result of psychic interactions with higher dimensional intelligences. And since he is now no more vulnerable than most of his colleagues, and no longer essential to the safety of Tanelorn, he has been freed from the necessity to constantly remain there while others were able to explore the multiverse.

At least for now, he is focusing his efforts on learning all that is learnable about the planet on which Tanelorn now rests, both its present and its past. In the course of learning about that history, McGovern learned of the existence of _another_ man named McGovern who had the strange fate to be transformed into a disembodied brain within a robotic body. It was almost exactly what had happened to himself -- save that the alien vessel which _he_ had been investigating had been of extradimensional origin, used by the same creatures whom Kate Becker dubbed "the Weavers".

This was only the first startling discovery. Soon after, McGovern also learned of _another_ brilliant but somewhat ethically challenged scientist named LaFontaine, and of a man who had a slightly different name but the same face as Kent Wilder, and other people who seemed to echo the lives of those who had been part of his own original reality. In all their journeys through realities, they had rarely ever encountered such close parallels of themselves. The implications are somewhat frightening. (He takes some comfort in the fact that there is no such close parallel of Drummond to be found here, but reminds himself that, if she is anything like the woman he knows and fears, she could easily hide herself.)

While investigating the life of that other McGovern, he encountered the rumor that "Mechano" (what a childish alias!) had survived his apparent death in Vietnam. Intrigued by the possibility, he solicited the assistance of the Vagabonds, specifically their talented investigator Wissen, to track down the truth of such claims. They were startled to learn that the rumors were true! At some point in his time with the Grim Brigade, he had begun to operate his robotic body remotely and had been doing so on that dark day. Some time after, he had arranged for his brain to be placed in suspended animation to hold off the neurological decay that would have eventually resulted in his death, and remained in that state even in 2022.

Well, now what? McGovern -- the conscious one -- is uncertain of the correct response to all this. He developed techniques to hold off and reverse that sort of decay in himself, and repairing whatever additional damage has resulted from the suspension would be fairly trivial for Tanelornian medicine. But does he _want_ to awaken this particular sleeping giant? It would be interesting to discuss the similarities and differences between their lives, but what if those discussions turned unfriendly, or even hostile? What if he has become embittered by the loss of so many close friends, and the changes to the world?

The additional insights granted by the guardian force would be really helpful right now. Until he has more information available to him, McGovern is choosing to keep his counterpart in suspension. In tribute to him, however, he has started to use the name "Mechano" as an alias during his ongoing investigations. Childish it may be, but it was the choice of someone who accomplished a great deal ...

*Mechano -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* -- | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 6 | *INT* 10 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Disguise Field:* Array (6 points)

*Identity Shield:* Continuous Morph 1 (ordinary humanoid appearance) - 6 points
*Stealth Field:* Concealment 3 (ordinary vision, radio senses) - 1 point
*Robot:* Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects); Impervious Protection 10 - 50 points
*Self-Repairing:* Immortality 5 (1 day); Regeneration 1 (heals normally) - 11 points
*Sensors:* Senses 6 (acute radio, communication link with private laboratory, low-light vision, vision counters illusion) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Connected, Equipment 10, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Inventor, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Skill Mastery (Technology), Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
37 points for vehicles or devices as needed.
*Private Laboratory:* *Size* Medium; *Toughness* 14; *Features* Communications, Computer, Defense System, Fire Prevention System, Laboratory, Library, Sealed, Workshop - 13 points

*Skills:*
Athletics 4 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9), Expertise: Dimensional 4 (+14), Expertise: Science 6 (+16), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 10 (+13), Technology 6 (+16), Treatment 5 (+15), Vehicles 8 (+12).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10, Will 11

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 74 + Advantages 23 + Skills 27 + Defense 18 = 209 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 10
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Limitation* (permanently Disabled on all Insight checks). *Power Loss* (Immortality, if organic brain is damaged.) *Vulnerability* (electrical powers).

_Note: Should stats for his PL 16 Guardian incarnation be required, add Enhanced Ability 5 to each of his abilities (except Stamina, which remains a non-ability.)_


----------



## Davies

Erik Pelletier





Born in Ottawa but raised all over the world as the son of a member of the Canadian foreign service, Erik Pelletier was recruited by Argus not long after his university graduation. He soon achieved distinction by conducting a number of operations with style and poise, earning a reputation as a cool-headed operator. He spent most of the teens as the handler for la Dame Bleu and was largely responsible for the excellent relationship between the agency and the sometimes mercurial heroine.

Because of this long history, and another episode, he was recently selected for another major assignment by the recently promoted Director of Sprawl Oversight. In 2014, while personally overseeing the placement of a recently discovered artifact in the "Icebox" (a storage facility located in Nunavuk) Pelletier was caught up in a situation involving what seemed to be an attempt by Baba Yaga to burglarize the facility but turned out to be her working to prevent Saturn agents from doing the same. While his attempts to take her into custody in the aftermath failed, he came closer to doing so than any other known agent. So he was considered a natural choice to attempt to contact the former agent of the Sprawl now that her city had landed on Earth, in order to recruit her as an asset for Argus.

Unfortunately, this was a terrible mistake. What the newbie Director did not realize was that shortly after this episode, Pelletier was extensively interviewed by Helen Duncan, the investigator charged with the hunt for Baba Yaga, who wanted to know every detail of their encounter. At the conclusion of this off-the-record interview, Pelletier somewhat arrogantly asserted that Duncan would never catch the mysterious operative if she lived to be one hundred, because she failed to understand how Baba Yaga thought, which Duncan only answered with a cool smile. 

Shortly after the Konan invasion, Baba Yaga was forced to burn her cover as Helen Duncan, and Pelletier realized the meaning of that smile. She had been mocking him, playing with his mind and his mixed emotions of frustration at her escape and admiration for her skill. A terrible fury was born in that moment. Trained in keeping his true feelings hidden, Pelletier accepted the assignment and departed for the Sprawl the next day ... without any intention of recruiting Baba Yaga. 

Instead, he plans to kill her and anyone who gets in the way of him doing so. If he succeeds and survives doing so -- he does not think he will and does not particularly care -- he plans to find some other asset whom Argus can use in this new part of the world. In some part of his mind, at least, he is still trying to protect the world, instead of his bruised ego. As yet, he has only recently arrived in the Sprawl, and his hunt has just begun.

*Erik Pelletier -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 1 | *PRE* 3

*Advantages:*
Attractive, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Skill Mastery (Deception), Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Disguised Blaster (Ranged Damage 5, Subtle) and 17 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 3 (+6), Athletics 6 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+4), Expertise: Streetwise 2 (+4), Insight 5 (+6), Intimidation 2 (+5), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+5), Persuasion 2 (+5), Stealth 2 (+5), Technology 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 2 (+6), Vehicles 1 (+5).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)
Blaster +7 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/4/2, Will 5

*Totals:*
Abilities 40 + Advantages 22 + Skills 25 + Defenses 13 = 100 points

*Offensive PL:* 6
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Vengeance--Motivation. Secrets* (Argus agent _and_ secrets from Argus.) *Vestiges of Professionalism.*


----------



## Davies

Héngwēn Qì/恆溫器




_Art by spriteman1000_

A thermostat is a device that maintains the temperature of a system or device. Technically, Hé Jiāháo _is_ a thermostat -- he has the power to perceive changes in temperature and take actions to either heat or cool his surroundings so that they maintain a desired level. Of course, thermostats do not project damaging levels of heat or cold as energy beams, so he is a unique thermostat, to say the least.

Hé Jiāháo was born in Guangzhou in 1988. At the age of 19, he embarked on his first adventures in his costumed identity, taking advantage of the increased tolerance for independent superpower activities that the Chinese government was demonstrating after several such independents had voluntarily assisted the Metahuman Guard in resisting the Zane coup in the previous year. His activities were such that he was offered membership in the Sīfa Zhuānjiā soon after it formed, on the theory that his antics were bound to annoy the government sooner or later and he might as well join forces with other renegades. He turned them down, then, but in a way that left the door open.

Only after the death of Tiankui, in 2014, did he apparently reconsider this refusal, and he has since been one of the stalwarts of the team, his youthful exuberance cooled by the passage of time. Except that is all nothing but lies. Several months before that, he was captured in a sting operation and taken into custody by the Metahuman Guard, who offered him a pair of choices -- a lengthy incarceration and hard labor that would probably be fatal, or infiltrating the Sīfa to gradually bring about the downfall of the organization.

He sometimes wishes he had made the braver choice. The false memories that one of the Metahuman Guard has implanted in his psyche have fooled the telepaths of the Sīfa and his handler has only used him as an information source so far. But Hé is sure that they will eventually demand that he take action against people whom he has come to admire and respect, and back these demands up with threats against those that he cares about -- most notably a son that he has never even seen. Or perhaps they will simply announce how much he has already betrayed the Sīfa and let them take care of the problem.

*Héngwēn Qì -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 3 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 2

*Powers:
Energy Absorption:* Immunity 20 (cold effects, heat effects) - 20 points
*Energy Blast:* Array (24 points)
 *Cold Beam:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 24 points
 *Hot Beam:* Ranged Multiattack Damage 8 - 1 point
*Implanted Memories:* Illusion 4 (mental senses), Limited to pre-programmed thoughts and memories, Reaction (mind is read) - 12 points
*Temperature Awareness*: Senses 2 (analytical infravision) - 2 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Move-by Attack, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Set-up, Teamwork.

*Skills:*
Athletics 5 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 7 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Energy Bolt 3 (+7), Stealth 4 (+7), Vehicles 2 (+6).

*Offense:*
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Cold Beam +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)
Heat Beam +10 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 44 + Powers 59 + Advantages 11 + Skills 22 + Defenses 13 = 149 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 4

*Complications:
Fear-Motivation. Secret* (double agent.) 

_Note: Prior to his current situation, his motivation was *Thrills* and he had *Hunted by the Authorities* as an additional complication._


----------



## Davies

Rosemary Sage





Some utterly irrelevant trivia: her favorite song of all time is "Jumping Jack Flash", by the Stones, because she has always identified with the first lines. "I was born/In a crossfire hurricane." She, too, was born during a moment of great terror, the attack on Earth by Cerebron in 2001. And she, too, howled in the morning driving rain, and has been howling ever since, in some ways.

Born to a family in Whitby who had once been both richer and more powerful -- both politically and otherwise -- their only daughter was the first member of the family in generations to demonstrate any unusual capabilities. When she, at fourteen, was literally sniffing out which of the family treasures retained some mystical properties, her parents decided that she must be sent off to study at New Worminghall, whose masters would surely bring out her talents so that she could be an asset to her family.

Yeah, that was a bust. Despite genuine effort on her part and that of some of the professors, Rosemary demonstrated only a bewildering combination of a deep understanding of magic and a complete inability to put that understanding into practice. She also fell victim to bullying by her fellow students, though their attempts to use sorcery on her directly invariably failed. Failing to graduate, Rosemary found herself disowned by her parents, but was given a job as a groundskeeper at the school. It was a boring, unpleasant job, but allowed her access to the library so she could continue her studies, no matter how fruitless they were. 

Two years later, things finally started to look up for her. The new headmaster at Worminghall, Jeffery Searle, took an interest in her case. He discovered that not only was Rosemary unusually resistant to magical powers, she could create a magical void within herself that either cancelled any effects in a large area around herself _or_ absorbed their power into herself to enhance her physique. Energized by these discoveries, Rosemary studied how to use these new talents under his tutelage.

Last month, her master finally deemed her ready to enter what he called the chessboards of the world as one of his agents, sent out from Worminghall to contact Prydwen and offer assistance, since Searle had heard that she was having some difficulties with other allies. And that was when things started to go so horribly wrong, for as soon as Rosemary saw Prydwen in action, she felt an unexpected and unfamiliar feeling in her heart -- _loathing._ She did not understand what bothered her so much about the shield heroine, but she knew that she could not, would not, have anything to do with her.

She also knew that she could not report this back to Searle, so she used the expense money she had been given to buy a plane ticket from Heathrow to JFK and has begun to explore New York City, supporting herself through odd jobs since her arrival. Rosemary still wants to use her talents to help people, but she has decided to take charge of _how_ she does so after this, and she is also interested in showing herself a really good time now that nothing holds her back.

What she has not yet considered is that Searle might have encountered someone with a similar set of powers in the past -- the long-forgotten past -- and knew exactly how they might make her react to Prydwen. The best pawns have no idea that this is what they are.

*Rosemary Sage -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 5/-1 | *STA* 4/1 | *AGL* 7/1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 6/0 | *INT* 2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 4

*Powers:
Magic Absorption:* Array (66 points)
 *Aura:* Enhanced Advantages 7 (Defensive Attack, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Agility 6; Enhanced Defenses 2 (Will 2), Impervious 9; Enhanced Fighting 6; Enhanced Stamina 3; Enhanced Strength 6; Sustained Protection 5 - 1 point
 *Void:* Burst Area 2 Nullify Magic 11, Broad, Close Range, Concentration, Simultaneous - 66 point
*Magic Resistance:* Immunity 10 (magic effects), Reflect - 20 points
*Magic Sense:* Senses 2 (radius mystic awareness), Quirk (affected by both mental and olfactory sensory effects) - 1 point

*Advantages:*
_Defensive Attack,_ Defensive Roll, _Evasion,_ Fascinate (Persuasion), _Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Move-by Action, Power Attack,_ Ritualist, _Uncanny Dodge._

*Skills:*
Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+9/+3), Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Magic 5 (+9), Expertise: History 3 (+5), Insight 2 (+5), Investigation 4 (+6), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 2 (+6), Ranged Combat: Magic 6 (+8), Stealth 3 (+10/+4).

*Offense:*
Initiative +7/+1
Unarmed +9/+3 (Close Damage 5/-1)

*Defense: *
Dodge 11/5, Parry 9/3, Fortitude 6/3, Toughness 11/9/3/1, Will 11/9

*Totals:*
Abilities 24 + Powers 88 + Advantages 3 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 148 points

*Offensive PL:* 11
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 9
*Skill PL:* 5

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Hatred* (Prydwen.) *Inept Magician* (Disabled on any check to perform a ritual.) *Vague Sense of Responsibility.*

_So I walk up on high_
_And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know_
_Oh it's the world I know_


----------



## Davies

Naharuk





As has already been mentioned, first contact between the Vaask Hegemony and the Technate occurred in 1987, when the _TSV Adventure_, under the command of Arlan Hayez, first fought against and then allied with the _HSS Pahant_, under the command of Naharuk. Over the next decade, Hayez would have several other encounters with his opposite number, sometimes under less than friendly terms but more often in situations where they were required to resolve their differences in the name of mutual survival. In the years since then, Hayez has often wondered what happened to his rival, usually imagining that he has risen to a similar position in the Vaaskorium as that which Hayez himself now occupies.

Nope. While it is recognized within the Hegemony that these encounters helped to establish the cautious peace that exists between these two stellar powers, the Vaaskorium does not reward its officers who achieve _diplomatic_ victories. It likely did not help matters that Naharuk, rose to command the _Pahant_ under somewhat suspicious circumstances -- specifically, he assumed command just a week* before the encounter with the _Adventure_, following the death of its previous captain. Naharuk claimed that the other Vaask died in an accident, but the former captain had politically influential friends who whispered a rather different narrative.

Ironically, had Naharuk claimed to have killed his former superior, as long as the tale was told in a certain way, he might have won more respect from his peers than he did through his insistence that it had been a simple misfortune. While this sort of promotion is only supposed to occur in highly ceremonial duels, there have also been many examples of the elimination of incompetent or corrupt superiors leading to promotion, with the irregularities being overlooked. Naharuk faced a number of these sorts of challenges during his time in the Vaaskorium, and prevailed each time, but such triumphs could not erase the stigma of his insistence of innocence in that first episode.

The truth was that he really was innocent. Naharuk had joined the Vaaskorium without any ambitions of martial glory, but out of a genuine desire to see as much of the universe as he could. While as competitive as any Vaask, he took no real pleasure in mortal combat, preferring to have to opportunity to demonstrate his talents to the opponent -- whether fellow Vaask or foreigners -- over and over again. He was also reflective and given to original thinking; the phrase with which he agreed to work with Hayez, "None but fools do battle in a thunderstorm," was of his own coinage, not a proverb.

So it was that, after fifteen years* in the Vaaskorium, Naharuk finally accepted that he was never going to rise any further and separated himself from the service. He spent his accumulated prize money to purchase a civilian exploratory vessel and outfit it with a small crew, then started working as a private scout in the Unclaimed Regions, which has kept him busy for the last two decades*. His voyages have been profitable, both financially and in the sense of expanding the knowledge of the Hegemony. He sometimes broods on the likelihood that what he has learned and reported back home will someday cause harm to the planets that he has visited and their various indigenous species, when the Vaaskorium seeks to subjugate them.

Recently, he intercepted a hyperspace messenger drone of Konan manufacture that, when its messages were decoded, spoke of a startling defeat suffered by a Konan battlegroup in an obscure planetary system. Interesting news -- extraordinarily interesting! Naharuk wonders what else might be going on there ... and whether it would be worth it to visit.

*Naharuk -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 5 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Claws:* Strength-based Damage 1 - 1 point
*Hide:* Impervious Toughness 2 - 2 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Equipment 22, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Multingual, Power Attack, Teamwork, Well-informed.

_Equipment:_
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8), Body Armor (Protection 4), Starship (see below) and 13 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Athletics 2 (+5), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 7 (+11), Expertise: Military 5 (+9), Expertise: Philosophy 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 7 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+8), Stealth 4 (+6), Technology 3 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+8)

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Blaster Rifle +8 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 8, Will 8

*Totals:*
Abilities 54 + Powers 3 + Advantages 28 + Skills 29 + Defenses 15 = 129 points

*Offensive PL:* 8
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Competitive. Responsibility* (crew.)

*Kavrholat-class Exploration Vessel - 79 points*





*Size* Gargantuan; *Strength* 14; *Speed* 14 (32,000 MPH; air/space); *Defense* 6; *Toughness* 13
*Features:*
Autopilot (+4), Communications, Computer, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control.
*Powers:
Hyperspace Drive:* Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points
*Sensor Gear:* Variable 1, Limited to senses - 6 points
*Weapon Systems*: Array (24 points)

*Blaster Cannons:* Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
*Pulsar Torpedoes:* Ranged Burst Area Damage 8 - 1 point
*Tractor Beam:* Move Object 14, Limited to moving towards or away from ship - 1 point
_Character based on ideas from Voltron64._


----------



## Davies

Amor





_A Hesperan Folktale:

In the dawn, those above gave many gifts to the first woman, including a man of great wisdom. But they also gave them both a sealed jar which they warned her must never be opened. But of course, she and her man did so all the same, and all the horrors that would ever afflict humanity were unleashed in that moment. They sealed it at once, but it was too late, and all that they could do was weep at their folly.

And then they heard a voice from within the jar, saying, "Let me out."

"Are you one of the horrors?" asked the first woman.

"Yes," answered the voice. "Let me out."

"Why should we do such a foolish thing, now that we know what will happen?" asked her man.

"Because I am the greatest of the horrors. Because I am the horror who horrifies the horrors. Because I will ease your suffering to prolong it. Because I will save you from the nothing you have become. I am Love. *Let. Me. Out.*"

They opened up the jar a final time. And all that has happened, happened._

She has many names, and even more faces. In as much as she has a default appearance, it is that of a woman, pallid of skin with eyes that match her long dress which seems fashioned of the night sky; her hair is turquoise. All of that can change in the blink of an eye, and often does change many times in the course of a conversation, as it did when she first met with her primary mortal agent, the one now called Manneken. As she is without scruples, she will often employ her ability to perceive the thoughts of those with whom she would speak, and use what she sees there to assume whatever form would make them most amenable to her entreaties.

Somewhere around five thousand years ago, Amor was an Olympian who traveled to the relative backwater that was the Sol system out of curiosity about the world where her ancestors had lived. Given to arcane studies, she eventually discovered the paths of ascendance that had been followed millions of years before that. It says much about her that she managed to achieve that ascension without aid; it says much more that, having done so, she never aided others to join her, and actively worked to block their attempts when she could do so. Even when they succeeded despite her, she never revealed her existence to any of them.

(Well, almost any of them. She did work with the first oneiromancer, but has no clear memories of what prompted that, or indeed of most anything about that blurry man.)

Amor was forced to reveal herself during the Anachronic Calamity, but even then she held back from joining forces with the other Ascendants in their conflict with Abraxas. Instead, she focused her efforts on ensuring that as much of what had existed in her native reality (the World More Grim) was preserved, either in the current World in the Aftermath, or elsewhere. (Notably, she expended a lot of power to transport most of the Vima to a different world that was not merged into the current reality.) This has left her dramatically weakened; where once she was able to permanently imbue unliving material with consciousness, as she did with Manneken and one other long ago, now she struggles to do so even temporarily.

This has done nothing to make her more inclined to cooperate with the other Ascendants, and she remains outside of their hierarchy, focused entirely on her private goals of making reality more interesting ... if frequently less safe. When Mentor contacted her in hopes of receiving assistance in overcoming Abraxas, she laughed at him before suggesting that he should resolve matters with his loved ones before engaging in such schemes. This angered him, and he accused her of only caring about satisfying her momentary lusts.

"Loves," she corrected. "'Are not all loves secretly the same? A hundred flowers sprung from a single root ... the love a man feels only for one other in all the world will teach him, at length, love of all others, of all the world.' Or, as someone else put it, you ain't got nothin' if you ain't got love. Do _you_ got that, grey pilgrim?"

They have not spoken since.

*Amor -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR* 8 | *STA* 10 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* 4 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 10

*Powers:
Ascendant:* Immortality 5 (one day), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 10 points
*Divine Body:* Immunity 10 (life support); Insubstantial 4, Standard Action; Impervious Toughness 10 - 20 points
*Divine Mind:* Impervious Will 12, Limited to Mental Effects; Senses 7 (vision counters all concealment, vision counters illusions) - 13 points
*High Sorcery:* Array (39 points)
 *Binding:* Perception Range Affliction 13 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 39 points
 *Dazzle:* Perception Range Burst Area Affliction 13 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
 *Hallucination:* Illusion 12 (all senses), Limited to One Target, Resistible by Will - 1 point
 *Infatuation:* Perception Range Affliction 13 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Transformed [to be in love with the first entity seen]) - 1
 *Pain:* Perception Range Damage 9, Resisted by Will, Insidious, Subtle 2 - 1 point
 *Portal:* Accurate Extended Teleport 13 (8000 miles), Extended Only - 1 point
 *Sight:* Cumulative Mind Reading 12, Subtle 2 - 1 point
*Many Faces:* Concealment 10; Morph 4 (any form) - 40 points
*Sense Immortal:* Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points

_Power Stunt:_
*Animation:* Summon 9, Active, Broad (animated object)

*Advantages:*
Attractive 2, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Fascinate (Persuasion), Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-Trades, Multilingual, Ritualist, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

_Equipment:_
*Home Plane:* *Size* Gargantuan; *Toughness* 16; *Features* Communications, Concealed, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30) - 20 points.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+16), Expertise: Magic 6 (+16), Insight 10 (+15), Perception 9 (+14), Persuasion 6 (+16), Sleight of Hand 9 (+14), Stealth 10 (+15).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 8)
Binding -- (Perception Range Affliction 13, Resisted by Dodge)
Dazzle -- (Perception Range Fortitude 13, Resisted by Fortitude)
Infatuation -- (Perception Range Will 13)
Pain -- (Perception Range Damage 9, Resisted by Will)

*Defense:*
Dodge 12, Parry 10, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12/10, Will 13

*Totals:*
Abilities 102 + Powers 110 + Advantages 18 + Skills 28 + Defenses 20 = 298 points

*Offensive PL:* 13
*Defensive PL:* 12
*Resistance PL:* 11
*Skill PL:* 11

*Complications:
Amusement--Motivation. Love* (humanity, if not individual humans.) *Secret* (existence and identity.)

_"Love people. Love yourself and love the world. It's only when we love things that we really, truly see them in their most lucid and perfect aspect; that we truly know them." -- *Alan Moore's Writing for Comics.*_


----------



## Davies

And on that note, I'll be taking a break from this thread until sometime in January. All inquiries about this thread are welcome, as are suggestions for what you want to see next.


----------



## Davies

Merry Christmas to all! As a present, please enjoy a revised index.


----------



## Davies

The Red Queen





Little is definitely known about the background of the superpower mercenary known as the Red Queen, who goes by the alias Reina Rouge in her civilian life. She is the product of Projet Achille, a post-Cerebron super-soldier program devised by the French government intended to recapture the nominal success of an earlier program. Of the five successes of this program (out of a hundred candidates) she is the only one still alive and active, and has a long-term contract with certain elements of the French security apparatus to occasionally perform black ops for them and never act against their interests.

When not needed, this soldier of fortune is at liberty to seek other employment, having worked for a variety of interests, both legal and illegal. The Red Queen has accumulated considerable wealth over the last two decades, and thanks to this and her inhuman charisma, she is frequently seen traveling among the elite, especially when she scents opportunity among them. Her instincts for that verge on being a superpower themselves.

Soon after she made her debut, the Red Queen found herself opposed by la Belle and la Bête. It was the most exciting experience of her life; she would later claim that she had chosen to take the risks of volunteering for the project in order to become like these two, whom she had admired as a child. While whatever idealism had lain behind that had long since been abandoned, she still respected these two, and the fight with them was exhilarating beyond words. She lost, and was arrested, but her connections had her out before the sun rose. And best of all, she would be able to fight the two of them again, and again, and again ...

At some point, she realized that she was in love with them. Both of them, at the same time. That they never answered the blatant signals she was giving them was rather annoying, but her fascination with them never curdled into hatred, no matter how often they fought. But she felt regret that she was getting older and they never would.

Quite recently, the Red Queen found herself drawn into the events known as the Anachronic Calamity, and fighting to save reality. It was much more of a do-gooder thing than she normally did, but it was exciting. In the process, however, she learned more than she expected to know about the origins and true nature of her usual sparring partners. Learning that la Belle and la Bête were artificial intelligences imprinted on a succession of human host bodies by a nanotech virus should have horrified her.

It fascinated her, and now she has a goal beyond simply gaining wealth. She intends to become the same sort of being as the two of them, so that the three of them can go on as they have for the rest of time. The cost in lives that this will demand means absolutely nothing to her.

*The Red Queen -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 3 | *STA* 4 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 5 | *FGT* 7 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 5 | *PRE* 8

*Powers:
Super-Speed:* Leaping 3 (60 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 6 points
*Super-Strength:* Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to lifting (3 tons) - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive 2, Benefit 5 (cipher 2, millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze 2 (Deception, Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Ranged Attack 4, Redirect, Skill Mastery (Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion), Startle, Taunt.

_Equipment:_
Knives (Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical, Split Attack) and 16 points of equipment as needed.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 5 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Knife 6 (+13), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+10), Deception 5 (+13), Expertise: High Society 9 (+12), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+11), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 5 (+13), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+13), Sleight of Hand 4 (+9), Stealth 8 (+12), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 3 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +8
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 3)
Knives +13 (Close Damage 5, Crit 19-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 6/4, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 78 + Powers 10 + Advantages 23 + Skills 49 + Defenses 14 = 174 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL: *8
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Mercenary--Motivation. Romantic Fixation *(la Belle et la Bete.) *Secret Identity.*


----------



## Davies

Salamon





In the World More Sorcerous, the art of imbuing the power of magic into ink, that it might be activated by reading the words written with that ink, is so ancient that only the Ascendants know when it was invented. The technique of using that ink to create body art that binds magic into flesh is comparatively more recent, having been discovered some two centuries ago in the now-fallen kingdom of Thacelion. The mage and general reprobate known as Salamon is a descendant of refugees from Thacelion who settled in Tohrukin, but his career as an adventurer has taken him far afield -- though never as far as the journey in recent months.

Stumbling onto a time portal that linked the era of the World More Sorcerous to the present day -- one of a handful created by the effects of the Anachronic Calamity -- Salamon initially found himself amazed and bewildered by the transition from one era to another. Utterly lost, he engaged in what he considered acceptable banditry in order to keep himself fed, expecting to be declared an outlaw and executed out of hand by the authorities. When he was ultimately captured after momentarily exhausting his supply of bound elementals, he was startled to be taken into custody and imprisoned, with one his jailers informing him that he would be enjoying "the hospitality of the state" for some time to come.

While not by any stretch of the imagination a lawfully-minded individual, Salamon takes hospitality extremely seriously, both the obligations of a guest and a host. The former meant that he had to be on his best behavior while in the place that his hosts called "jail", even though he found it extremely confusing. After using his gifts to prevent damage to the place by other "guests" who clearly did not honor their obligations, his hosts began asking him certain questions that he did his best to answer, which eventually led to his interview by representatives of something called called Argus. Eventually, the time came for him to leave his hosts, after giving his parole that he would avoid such behaviors in the future.

Salamon certainly intends to try to keep that promise, but recognizes that life has its own plans. His primary goal is to learn all that he can from this new world, the better to use that knowledge to his own benefit (and possibly that of others) in his own when he finds a way back. He has grasped that most things here are done through the application of natural principles, rather than supernatural ones, but also realizes that the supernatural is known and coming into greater prominence in this era, and this excites his interest greatly. In particular, he has not yet learned how to bind metal or plant elementals to himself, and would be most interested in adding that knowledge to his arsenal.

His current interest is in reports of a group of extremely powerful but free-willed elementals who have recently made themselves known, and has been encouraged by his acquaintances in Argus to learn all that he can about them ... and possibly bind them to his will, if need be.

*Salamon -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR* 0 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 6

*Powers:
Elemental Bolts:* Ranged Damage 8, Split Attack, Variable (elemental) - 18 points
*Gate Talisman:* Accurate Extended Only Teleport 1 (2 miles); Removable (-0 points) - 3 points
*Mystical Awareness:* Senses 3 (acute radius mystic awareness) - 3 points
*Sorcerous Tattoos:* Array (56 points)

*Defensive Enchantment:* Flight 3 (16 MPH); Linked Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 12; Subtle, Dynamic* - 2 points
*Summoned Familiar I:* Summon 6, Active, Broad, Controlled, Mental Link, Dynamic - 2 points
*Summoned Familiars II:* Summon 6, Active, Broad, Controlled, Mental Link, Multiple Minions (2 elementals), Dynamic - 2 points
*Summoned Familiars III:* Summon 6, Active, Broad, Controlled, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 2 (4 elementals), Dynamic - 56 points
*Advantages:*
Assessment, Attractive, Benefit (cipher), Grabbing Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Power Attack, Ritualist, Startle, Trance.

*Skills:*
Athletics 6 (+6), Deception 3 (+9), Expertise: Magic 6 (+12), Expertise: Survival 6 (+9), Expertise: Warfare 4 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+11), Insight 5 (+9), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 3 (+9), Ranged Combat: Magic 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Elemental Bolt +10 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8/4, Parry 7/3, Fortitude 5, Toughness 14/2, Will 11.

*Totals:*
Abilities 42 + Powers 86 + Advantages 14 + Skills 28 + Defenses 13 = 183 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 11
*Resistance PL:* 8
*Skill PL:* 7

*Complications:*
Discovery--Motivation. Honorable (particularly respects hospitality.) Somewhat Literal-Minded. Unfamiliar with Technology or the Modern World.

* If Summoned Familiar I is active, becomes Flight 2, Enhanced Defenses 4 and Sustained Impervious Protection 6, Subtle; if Summoned Familiar II is active, becomes Flight 1, Enhanced Defenses 2 and Sustained Impervious Protection 3, Subtle; if Summoned Familiars III is in use, Defensive Enchantment is unavailable.


*Typical Air Elemental -- PL 6/MR 6

Abilities:
STR *1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Elemental:* Immunity 7 (cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, starvation & thirst) - 7 points
*Gaseous Form:* Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Flight 5 (60 MPH); Permanent Insubstantial 2 - 24 points
*Wind Push:* Damaging Move Object 5, Accurate - 16 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Set-up

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Wind Push +6 (Ranged Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 47 + Advantages 4 + Defenses 19 = 90 points


*Typical Earth Elemental -- PL 6/MR 6

Abilities:
STR* 7 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Earth Form:* Burrowing 6 (4 MPH); Immunity 5 (entrapment); Impervious Protection 6; Movement 2 (Permeate), Limited to Earth; Regeneration 10, Source (Contact with natural earth) - 30 points
*Elemental:* Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
*Tremorsense:* Senses 6 (extended ranged penetrates concealment touch) - 6 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Close Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Grab.

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 7)

*Defense:*
Dodge 3, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 32 + Powers 46 + Advantages 4 + Defenses 8 = 90 points



*Typical Fire Elemental -- PL 6/MR 6

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 4 | *FGT* 2 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Elemental:* Immunity 5 (disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation) - 5 points
*Flame Blast:* Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
*Flame Form:* Flight 5 (60 MPH); Immunity 5 (fire damage); Permanent Insubstantial 3, Permanent - 30 points

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative

*Offense:*
Initiative +5
Wind Push +4 (Ranged Damage 8)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 20 + Powers 51 + Advantages 4 + Defenses 14 = 90 points


*Typical Water Elemental -- PL 6/MR 6

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 1 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 4 | *INT* -2 | *AWE* 3 | *PRE* 0

*Powers:
Elemental:* Immunity 7 (disease, drowning, poison, pressure, radiation, starvation & thirst, vacuum) - 7 points
*Tremorsense:* Senses 6 (extended ranged penetrates concealment touch), Limited, Only in liquid - 3 points
*Water Bolt:* Ranged Damage 6, Accurate 2, Tiring - 8 points
*Water Form: *Visual Concealment 4, Only in liquid; Permanent Insubstantial 1; Movement 1 (slithering); Protection 6; Regeneration 10, Source (Water); Swimming 7 (60 MPH) - 29 points

*Advantages:*
Chokehold, Close Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Grab.

*Offense:*
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 30 + Powers 47 + Advantages 4 + Defenses 10 = 90 points


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## Davies

Labrys





As she watches Ligyron try to deal with the burden of the legacy of Kent Wildman, Agnes Tanaka feels only sympathy, but knows that it would do no good to tell him about how she has coped with her own burden of legacy. The cases are too different, for while her mother was also one of the first guardians of Tanelorn, Theresa Pantazis was the first of that group to fall, when her only daughter was little more than a child.

Theresa Pantazis was born in the Greece of a long-lost alternate world, where she became the vigilante known as λιποτάκτης -- the Renegade. She had no powers beyond fury, but wielded an ancient double-bitted axe that she dubbed Anísychi Psychí, "Restless Soul". While following the traces of an international conspiracy, her journey led her to first fight against, then ally with, Kent Wildman. A decade or so later, her labrys was used as a key component of the device that hurled the city that became Tanelorn away from that world as it began to die in nuclear fury.

Afterwards, Theresa married one Harry Tanaka, a long-time ally, and their daughter came along in due course. Agnes was only six -- or thereabouts, timekeeping was difficult when Tanelorn floated in the dimensional void -- when her mother was lost in a the first battle of the numerous proxy wars between Tanelorn and the Sprawl. Her labrys survived, and Harry, against his better instincts, agreed to train their daughter to fight with it when she was a little older. Possessed of the exotic ability to perceive points of weakness in her targets, Agnes undertook the training to be one of the guardians and met Ligyron and Armonia, later fighting at their side.

In the aftermath of the Anachronic Calamity and the loss of the guardian power, Agnes considered retiring from superheroics to focus on training the next generation to defend Tanelorn. But concern for Ligyron has kept her in the harness, especially after they both learned about the resemblance between Armonia and the woman called Pythia. Unlike her friend, Agnes fears that there could be some darker implications to that similarity.

In addition to finding Armonia, Agnes also seeks to learn as much as she can about the structure of the multiverse, ideally from the one called the Warpwitch. While her axe is able to hew open portals that connect the dimensions, she has only ever used this as a "bug out button" for her missions, and opening a door to the former dimensional coordinates of Tanelorn will now do no one any good. She is also curious to learn whether she (or her mother) have counterparts on this world, like many others from Tanelorn ...

*Labrys -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR* 4 | *STA* 5 | *AGL* 5 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 9 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 1

*Powers:
Anísychi Psychí/Restless Soul:* Linked Strength-based Damage 3, Penetrating 5, Accurate; Linked Weaken Toughness 7, Affects Objects; Movement 3 (dimensional travel 3), Portal; Easily Removable (-14 points) - 21 points
*Discern Weakness:* Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Critical 2), Variable (weapon); Senses 5 (analytical vision penetrates concealment) - 8 points

*Advantages:*
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+11), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Dimensional 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 6 (+7), Stealth 3 (+8), Technology 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +9
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 4)
Restless Soul +11 (Close Damage 7 and Fortitude 7, Crit 18-20)

*Defense:*
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5, Will 9.

*Totals:*
Abilities 68 + Powers 29 + Advantages 9 + Skills 23 + Defense 11 = 140 points

*Offensive PL:* 9
*Defensive PL:* 9
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family* (father.) *Legacy.*

_Note: Should stats for her PL 14 Guardian incarnation be required, add Enhanced Ability 5 for all abilities._


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## Davies

Mihael Teng





Much as with streamers in the World in the Aftermath, many young people in the Sprawl turn to what they call "simming" as a way to make money and gain fame -- typically petty amounts of both, but for those who have neither, any is better than none at all. They demonstrate their ordinary or extraordinary lives for the amusement of others, with the best results coming to those who have availed themselves of cybernetics to enhance their performance. Mihael Teng is one of these multitudes, who has boosted his reflexes to allow him to excel at urban acrobatics -- not called parkour, here, but he would recognize the similarities between what he does and that art if he were to learn of it.

And he would like to learn of it, for what little he has been able to learn about the world beyond the barricades of the Sprawl has utterly enchanted him. From various pirated feeds, Mihael has been told of a world more magical than that where he and his family live, and welcomes any intrusion from that world. There has to be more to life than living on what scraps the corps leave to the proles, and he yearns to work with those who want to remake the Sprawl in the image of that world beyond.

Alas for Mihael Teng, the outsiders in whose company he now travels do _not_ have such noble goals. While engaged in a simming run, he stumbled across a conflict between Mercedes Blaze, her entourage, and a trio of Bloodhounds. Impulsively coming to the aid of the visitors (whom he recognized as such from the way that they spoke a language other than Patois) he turned the tide of the conflict. He subsequently volunteered his services to them as a local expert in the belief that they were outsider heroes who wanted to make life better for the people of the Sprawl.

If Mihael were to learn that Blaze is trying to exploit the Sprawl, rather than improve it, he _might_ seek out help to oppose her. Or he might double down and come up with some excuse for why having their technological and biological distinctiveness assimilated into that of a small cabal of outsiders is really in the best interest of the Sprawl. For now, though, he is happy to be useful to his new friends while learning as much as they will tell him about the world outside, which _might_ be more than they realize that they are telling him. Notably, Blaze does not yet grasp how much of her operations he has recorded ...

*Mihael Teng -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR* 1 | *STA* 2 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 3 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Boosted Reflexes:* Enhanced Advantages 8 (Close Attack 2, Evasion, Improved Initiative 3, Uncanny Dodge), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against opponents with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3) - 12 points
*I Am A Camera:* Features 1 (record audio and video); Senses 2 (low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 3 points
*Striking Strength:* Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
*Urban Acrobatics:* Leaping 1 (30 feet); Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation-Urban); Movement 4 (Safe Fall, Sure-Footed 2, Wall-Crawling 1), Limited to Urban Environments; Speed 1 (4 MPH) - 8 points.

*Advantages:*
Agile Feint, _Close Attack 2,_ Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, _Evasion,_ Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (unarmed) 2, _Improved Initiative 3,_ Improved Trip, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, _Uncanny Dodge._

*Skills:*
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 8 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Expertise: Performance 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 6 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +16
Unarmed +10/+8 (Close Damage 3)

*Defense:*
Dodge 10/7, Parry 8/5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6

*Totals:*
Abilities 36 + Powers 25 + Advantages 11 + Skills 28 + Defenses 11 = 111 points 

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 5
*Skill PL:* 6

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Maintenance. Naïve, While Imagining Himself Canny. Secret.*


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## Davies

Olympians





Sometime towards the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, a group of Titans visited the Sol system and Earth -- likely not for the first time -- and discovered an intriguing species there. Even then, occasional examples of homo sapiens demonstrated abilities outside the norm for their species. As would much later be said, there were giants in those days. The Titans perceived them as potentially useful and took some of them with them when they left, creating numerous lines of cloned soldiers -- later dubbed Spartoi -- and more individually bred officers -- the Olympians.

Eventually, the Olympians overthrew the Titans, ruling much of the stellar territory now known as the Technate and the Imperium from a capitol that orbited a star roughly 800 parsecs from the Sol system. (Neither the planet nor the star exist any longer; the latter became the supernova identified as SN 393 thanks to the efforts of the Destrons.) In their turn, the Olympians fell from power around 2500 BCE and were long believed to be extinct save for a few isolated examples.

This was recently proven untrue, with a group of forty-two survivors emerging from suspended animation in a chamber buried deep within the Jovian moon Ganymede. Led by Metis, they have begun to construct a settlement on the surface of the moon, resuming the cultivation of ambrosia in environmental habitats, and have engaged in diplomacy with certain residents within the planet it orbits, as well as other spacefarers within the Solar system. They have also fought off an attack by a small party of Martian raiders, which they are inexperienced enough to view as more of an assault than it actually was.

Most of the Olympian survivors were ordinary citizens of Ganymede, not possessing any unusual powers or training. Metis has attempted to teach some of them psychic techniques without apparent success. As yet, none of them have left their sanctuary to visit other planets of the Sol system, but many are curious to see what has become of their kingdom in the centuries since its fall. Unfortunately, those who are most curious take it for granted that they will be welcomed as long-absent deities and worshipped.

The reality is likely to be rather different from their expectations ...

*Olympian -- PL 7/MR 7

Abilities:
STR* 5 | *STA* 6 | *AGL* 4 | *DEX* 3 | *FGT* 8 | *INT* 1 | *AWE* 2 | *PRE* 3

*Powers:
Olympian:* Immunity 4 (aging, cold, disease, poison); Impervious Toughness 6; Regeneration 5 - 15 points

*Advantages:*
All-out Attack, Fearless, Improved Grab, Improved Hold.

*Skills:*
Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat: Grab 1 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Technology 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+7).

*Offense:*
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Grab +9 (Close Grab 5)

*Defense:*
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 8, Toughness 6, Will 5.

*Totals:*
Abilities 64 + Powers 15 + Advantages 4 + Skills 10 + Defenses 7 = 100 points

*Offensive PL:* 7
*Defensive PL:* 7
*Resistance PL:* 7
*Skill PL:* 3

*Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Power Loss* (Olympian, must consume Ambrosia weekly.) *Others as Needed.*

_Variations:
*Archer:* Reduce FGT to 6; replace Improved Grab and Improved Hold with Equipment 2 (powerbow [Ranged Damage 5]) and add Improved Aim and Tracking; replace Close Combat: Grab with Ranged Combat: Bow 5 (+8) and reduce Vehicles to 2 (+5); increase Dodge to 8.
*Boxer:* Replace Improved Grab and Improved Hold with Defensive Attack and Power Attack, replace Close Combat: Grab with Close Combat: Unarmed.
*Crafter:* Drop All-out Attack, Improved Grab and Improved Hold, add Skill Mastery (Technology); drop Close Combat: Grab, increase Technology to 9 (+10).
*Hoplite:* Reduce FGT to 5; add *Body Armor:* Impervious Protection 2, Removable; replace Improved Grab and Improved Hold with Equipment (Spear [Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical]) and Power Attack, add Improved Defense; replace Close Combat: Grab with Close Combat: Spear; improve Parry to +6.
*Runner:* Reduce STR to 4; add Speed 4 (30 MPH); drop Improved Grab, Improved Hold; replace Close Combat: Grab with Athletics 4.

Note: Older and more experienced Olympians will have, naturally, higher skills and defenses; their Impervious Toughness is always equal to their Toughness. If any of them have psychic powers, they are keeping them a secret from Metis ..._


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## Davies

April Danza





Until she was ten years old, April Danza lived a comfortable and happy life with her parents on their estate in rural Connecticut. They were much less wealthy than they had been even two generations before that, but that was of little concern to their only daughter. When she demonstrated that she had some of the old talents, there was idle talk of sending her to be educated at the scholomance in the Berkshires, or its rival in the Miskatonic Valley, but her mother and father decided to postpone such decisions until after they came back from their trip to Athens, where they planned to discuss business with a distant relative.

They never came back, caught up in the first clash between that relative, Simon Munroe, and the novice superhero Nike. It would later be clear that Nike had tried to save them but failed. Even if she had known that at the time, though, it seems likely that April would have lacked the perspective to appreciate the distinction. Her parents were dead, a superhero was involved, therefore it was her fault, and therefore April would have vengeance on her in this world and all the worlds to come.

After three years of study and preparation, the young witch managed to make contact with certain old family associates who offered her a weapon for her war: an ankh-shaped talisman that granted her command over a giant of a man, eventually dubbed the Maniac. Even then, April recognized that she was being used by these inhuman beings for their purposes, which likely had nothing to do with her grief and rage. Nevertheless, she took what she was offered and traveled across the Atlantic to Greece, and prepared an ambush for her enemy.

Despite the might of the Maniac, the skill with which Nike fought allowed her to survive and triumph. During their third conflict, on the roof of the Piraeus Towers in Athens, April misjudged her footing and slipped off the side of the building. Swifter than an eagle, Nike flew down to stop her fall, despite knowing that the fight would be over if she just did nothing. That act of clemency shook April, destroying her certainty that she was doing the right thing. So did her realization that she was treating a thinking being, the Maniac, as a slave who had no choice but to obey her commands. The sort of person who did that was not the sort of person that her parents had raised her to be.

So she made peace with Nike and tried to give the Maniac his freedom. The latter part of that did not work out as well as she hoped, and so April found the new goal of finding a way to end his compulsion to obey whoever held the talisman. To do that, she knew that she would need to study. While the library at New Worminghall would have been ideal for her purposes, she decided that the Futurian Academy was a safer place to pursue these goals, and became a student there in 2018, employing her own talents and heirloom magic ring to sometimes assist the other would-be heroes there.

However, April has never really felt all that inclined towards heroics herself; there is only one person she cares about helping without any reward. After concluding that she had gotten as far with her attempts as the resources at the Academy will permit, and becoming concerned about the recent changes there, she has dropped out of the school. When asked where she was planning to go, she speculated that there might be some useful secrets to be found in Turkey. That may or may not have been disinformation. Regardless, she has left Cardiff, and the journey of this sorcerer continues.

*April Danza -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR* -1 | *STA* 1 | *AGL* 2 | *DEX* 2 | *FGT* 1 | *INT* 3 | *AWE* 4 | *PRE* 7

*Powers:
Defensive Talismans:* Sustained Impervious Protection 8, Fades; Removable (-1 point) - 7 points
*Mystical Awareness:* Senses 4 (acute radius mystical awareness, danger sense) - 4 points
*Prodigy:* Quickness 3, Limited to designing magical rituals - 1 point
*Ring of Passage:* Concealment 8 (all sense groups except tactile and mental), Passive; Linked Insubstantial 3; Linked Movement 3 (safe fall, wall-crawling, water-walking); Linked Speed 6 (120 MPH); Removable (-7 points) - 28 points
*Shielded Mind:* Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points

*Advantages:*
Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fascination (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Ritualist, Seize Initiative, Taunt.

*Skills:*
Deception 6 (+13), Expertise: Magic 5 (+12), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+11), Stealth 6 (+8).

*Offense:*
Initiative +2
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage -1)

*Defense:*
Dodge 5, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 11/9/3/1, Will 8.

*Totals:*
Abilities 38 + Powers 44 + Advantages 11 + Skills 19 + Defenses 11 = 123 points.

*Offensive PL:* 0*
*Defensive PL:* 8
*Resistance PL:* 6
*Skill PL:* 8

*Complications:
Responsibility (Sort of)--Motivation. Secret Identity. Vanity.*


----------

