The World in the Aftermath -- A Setting for Mutants and Masterminds

[Davies]

Anrietta Zengle

As with many of the denizens of the World That Burned, the background of the transporter known as Anrietta Zengle is somewhat obscure and she never talks about her past. Based on her apparent age, it seems likely that she was in her late teens when the world ended, but has worked hard to eliminate any tells that might reveal where she was born or where she was living at that time. The one detail that seems obvious is that she was, at some point, enlisted as part of MilGov and deserted from them, taking with her the Landhauler vehicle that is at once her home, arsenal, and means of employment. It seems likely that further information about her background might be contained in the databases of MilGov, but good luck on acquiring that or persuading its paranoid owners to release it.

In her role of transporter, Anrietta offers a service -- for what she considers reasonable rates -- providing armed escort for people moving between settlements in vehicles of their own or, for a premium, carrying passengers and their baggage in the passenger compartment of the Landhauler. (The only time that a marching society tried to hire her for an escort, she laughed her head off, refused, and then laughed some more.) She does everything she can to keep her clients safe as long as they obey her instructions in every particular; she makes it clear that she will not, under any circumstances, rescue someone who ignored or disobeyed her commands. (In point of fact, she has done so on a few occasions, but always made it clear that this is never to be discussed. She does not need a reputation for having any sort of altruism.)

Obviously, Anrietta cannot and will not agree to transport people into the territories ruled by MilGov. If she should discover that MilGov has expanded to conquer the settlement that was her current destination, she will offer her clients one of two choices -- to be either guided back to their point of origin for no additional cost, or to be dropped off at what she considers a safe distance from the destination and left to their own devices. "Better options than they gave our boys in Poland," she once remarked. While MilGov considers her a wanted fugitive, she prefers to avoid conflict with them, suggesting an ambiguity to her feelings about her supposed former employer.

Compounding the ambiguity is the fact that, while vocal in her contempt for ProGov, she has some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement with one of the governors of that state. The exact details are known only to herself and her apparent patron, but it is believed that she acts as a scout for him, bringing back intelligence about the rest of North America in exchange for her freedom and the right to take would-be-former-citizen beyond its borders. How long this arrangement can last, especially now that ProGov is beginning to expand once again, remains to be seen.

Anrietta is a frequent visitor to Metropolis, as it is a frequently chosen destination for her clients, and has crossed paths with Karen Troy a few times; she respects the highway warrior but would not consider them friends. She has recently had to make it clear to some of the new allies that Troy has recently acquired that she is not interested at all in taking people to engage in exploration of the wastelands, since that would be putting herself in danger for no reasonable reward. However, then their leader asked some annoying questions about how she has been able to keep the weapons of her Landhauler supplied with ammunition, and Anrietta quickly agreed to his proposal to shut him up.

No one needs to know that the Landhauler contains a microfac dedicated to producing ammo for its guns. No one needs to know how she came by that.

Anrietta Zengle -- PL 7

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

Powers:
None.

Advantages:
Equipment 12, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Precise Shot (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Combat 3, Skill Mastery (Vehicles).

Equipment:
Body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), Heavy Pistol (Ranged Damage 4), Landhauler (see below) and 9 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Military 7 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 5 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Guns 3 (+6), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 4 (+6), Treatment 4 (+6), Vehicles 7 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Heavy Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 6.

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Advantages 22 + Skills 31 + Defenses 14 = 111 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Enemy (MilGov.) Obligation (ProGov governor.) Secret (source of technology.) Soft Spot For People in Trouble.

Landhauler - 40 points

Size Gargantuan; Strength 12; Speed 5 (ground); Defense 4; Toughness 12
Features Communications, Computer, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control
Powers:
Armor: Impervious Toughness 6 - 6 points
Arsenal: Array (18 points)

• Autocannon: Ranged Multiattack Damage 6 - 18 point
• Flamethrower: Cone Area 2 Damage 6 - 1 point
• Rocket Launchers: Ranged Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point

 

[Davies]

Barb

In a region of the World of the Broken Moon slightly to the southwest of those regions that have seen the most visitors from elsewhere in reality, a small number of villages, inhabited by a people known as "tallfellows" to some, as human beings to still others, and as "knachers" to themselves, surround the southern extent of a great dark forest. While dependent on the forest for lumber and for animal protein to supplement their grain-based diet, the knachers are utterly terrified of the creatures that they believe live within it -- ghouls and goblins and ghosts, and, worst of all, a witch.

Her name is Barb, and she supposes that calling her a witch is probably fair. Her parents were both witches, after all. On the other hand, the picture that the knachers have of what her parents did as witches, to say nothing of what she does, is a bit incomplete. Neither of her parents fit in to the villages where they were born, and so were both sent into exile in the woods -- which really meant were sent to their deaths. But the two of them found each other and made an alliance, working together to learn how to thrive in this place.

They had been doing this for decades when they found the child they would raise to be Barb. She was told all sorts of stories about how she came into her lives. Her father discovered her, glowing, in a hollowed-out tree stump. Her mother was given her by a member of a ghostly parade passing along one of the forest trails. They both found her in a basket floating in one of the ponds in the deep woods. A few months ago, as her parents lay dying, they told her the strangest story yet -- of how they had seen a falling star come down not far from their cabin and rushed to make sure that its landing did not start a fire, but found her infant form within the crater. So many strange stories, and Barb has no way of knowing which, if any of them, might be true.

But none of it really matters. What matters is what they taught her, about how to live in the woods and keep hidden from the knachers, and how to help them in their need, hopefully without letting them know that they were being helped. To stand back and do nothing when they made trouble for themselves would be to become as cruel and spiteful as those who had driven them into exile and death. They were better than that, and their daughter, who possessed great gifts of unknowable origin, was better still.

Barb buried her parents behind the cabin where they raised her, painted her face as they had, and since then has lived as the witch in the woods. While many of the problems that the knachers encounter are of their own making, there are other threats to their safety that she feels happier about intercepting. A branch of the elven people, from the north, have settled nearby, and begun working a mine. Unfortunately, what they have dug up has had a number of side effects on their people, turning their skin bright blue and making them paranoid and violent. Barb tries to deal with them as non-violently as she can, as she recognizes that they misguided and deranged, but strives to protect the knachers first and foremost.

They will never thank her, much less embrace her as one of them. But that matters not. She is strong, and the strong must uphold the weak.

Barb -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 7 | STA 9 | AGL 4 | DEX 2 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Great Speed: Enhanced Advantages 6 (Close Attack 2, Improved Initiative 2, Interpose, Move-by Action), Quirk (Close Attack is only enhanced against targets with a lower Initiative total); Enhanced Defense 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Flight 7 (1000 MPH), Aquatic; Quickness 7 - 35 points
Great Toughness: Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 9; Regeneration 5 - 24 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Beginner's Luck, Close Attack 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative 2, Improvised Tools, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack.

Skills:
Expertise: Survival 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+10)

Offense:
Initiative +12
Unarmed +8/+6 (Close Damage 7)

Defense:
Dodge 8/4, Parry 10/6, Fortitude 9, Toughness 9, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 70 + Powers 59 + Advantages 6 + Skills 10 + Defenses 4 = 149 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Doing Good--Motivation. Reputation (witch.) Secret Identity.

Note: Of course, Barb has a number of Power Loss and Weakness complications that she has yet to encounter. She is also Illiterate, but has never encountered the written word, either.

 

[Davies]

Bel-Sitri

None of this makes the least bit of sense to her, but there has been precious little time for her to find an opportunity to figure anything out. So, instead, she runs and hides from her pursuers, fighting them only when she must. They are doing nothing but their duty and she cannot bring herself to hate them for that, since she would be one of the ones pursuing had things gone the other way. Right?

Bel-Sitri -- or just Sitri, since her lordly title has probably been revoked -- was born a bit less than two hundred years ago to a wealthy family in Tiberia, the capital city of Hell. (Her family passed down lore claiming that the place was once known as Roma, but that name, like many others, is absolutely never to be spoken.) There were rumors that great Asmodeus had once graced one of her ancestors with a child, but that tale was told of nearly every family in Tiberia and many beyond, so Sitri never imagined that she had any connection to the ruler of Hell.

Drafted to become part of the Tiberian army, Sitri demonstrated considerable talent for war and rose to become First Spear, then a Tribune, and ultimately the Legate of her entire Legion, awarded the right to bear the Doomsword that the King of the Fire Giants had wielded before falling to Asmodeus. Her Legion was mostly sent to fight against rebellious forces on worlds dominated by Hell, rather than employed against rebellious Exarchs within the world of darkness itself. Those forces were nearly always overmatched by what Hell could send against them, and Sitri often found herself annoyed at the way her opponents kept persisting in their folly and dooming themselves.

And then she found annoyance turning to pity.

She never expressed that weakness to anyone, of course, and it changed nothing about how she conducted herself in the field. Thus, when the summons for her to come before Asmodeus himself, she had no notion what it could possibly be about. So she presented and abased herself, awaiting his word. That word was, "Do you think I rooted out nobility in my foes only to see it grow among those who are my own?" This was the beginning of the confusion that has endured throughout her life to this point.

Dragged away from the throne by soldiers under the leadership of the purple-robed vizier of hell, Sitri suffered an insight. "You!" she said. "'Twas you! You are the one who has deceived my Master with some illusion of my disloyalty."

The vizier paused, and looked back at her, his ape-like face visible beneath the robes. "Illusion?" said he, letting out a snort of laughter. "I prefer to think of it as a deeper truth. I have indeed shown him not what you are, but what you will be, given time. You are a seed of something that might be the doom of Hell itself. I showed him the moment when you become --"

And as he pronounced the name, the dungeon wall was breached. Rumors of what was to become of their Legate had reached her legion, and some of them -- the best of them -- enough of them, at least, came to rescue her even at the cost of their own lives. With their sacrifice, she was able to escape and begin her long flight. The vizier is desperate to recapture her, to prevent his failure from becoming known to Asmodeus, which will ruin all his other schemes, but that also means he must be more circuitous in his attempts to bring her down than he would prefer.

Meanwhile, Sitri exists in a constant state of confused terror. Even more than she wonders how it could have come to this, she wonders what it means, that she is to be The Beast Who Cries Love At The Heart Of Hell?

Bel-Sitri -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR 9 | STA 10 | AGL 7 | DEX 5 | FGT 10 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 5

Powers:
Breastplate: Immunity 10 (cold effects); Protection 2; Removable (-2 points) - 10 points
Doomsword: Linked Strength-based Damage 3; Linked Weaken Toughness 12, Affects Objects; Accurate; Easily Removable (-10 points) - 15 points
Infernal Body: Immunity 26 (aging, corrosive effects, fire/heat effects, life support); Protection 2, Impervious 12; Senses 2 (darkvision) - 42 points
Infernal Will: Impervious Will 12, Limited to mental effects - 6 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Fearless, Inspire, Leadership, Power Attack, Takedown, Seize Initiative, Teamwork.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+13), Athletics 4 (+13), Expertise: Magic 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 10 (+12), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 9)
Doomsword +12 (Close Damage 12 and Fortitude 12)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 10, Toughness 14/12, Will 12.

Totals:
Abilities 104 + Powers 73 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 11 = 222 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Dawning Awareness of Morality. Nemesis (Vizier of Hell.)

... the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Everywhere.

 

[Davies]

And on that note ... I'm going to be taking another extended break from this project to refill the well of ideas. I expect that I'll be back at it sometime in January, as I'll also be traveling to visit the family for the holidays. However, I'll be starting something new on Monday.

 

[Davies]

They Can Never Stop The Signal

Timeline α: Traveling to Earth in pursuit of the escaped Victor Furtado to prevent him from further jeopardizing their monopoly on the production of Power Prisms, a group of the Lightsmiths of Aperion are startled to discover the presence of the artificial planet known as Vulcan in orbit around Earth. Their fear of provoking whatever force overcame the planet destroyer overcomes their fervor to pursue Furtado, and they withdraw to return to Aperion. The pilot of the vessel carrying them, Dyspemous Khlarish, is further annoyed by the folly and venality of his masters, but nevertheless heeds their commands ... for now.

Timeline β: Traveling to Earth in pursuit of the escaped Victor Furtado to prevent him from further jeopardizing their monopoly on the production of Power Prisms, a group of the Lightsmiths of Aperion are momentarily perplexed by signs of a great battle that took place in orbit around Earth, but deem them irrelevant. They descend towards the settlement where the organization known as O Povo de Ouro are headquartered, known as Rio de Janeiro, and broadcast their desire to "discuss" matters with its membership.

To the displeasure of the Lightsmiths, their meeting with the membership of the organization is also attended by a representative of the government of the Technate (one Deleh Massovy) and a representative of a different Terrestrial organization known as Argus (one Duncan Cassidy.) The eldest Lightsmith present informs the two of them that they are permitted to observe these discussions but should not participate unless explicitly invited to do so. The elder then addresses Furtado with the only pair of options that he is to be permitted: either to return to permanent captivity on Aperion or to have all information about ways in which a Power Prism functions and how they can be duplicated, as well as any information which might lead him to rediscover such information, forcibly removed from his brain. They are willing to give him a minute amount of time to consider his options before violence becomes necessary.

Furtado smiles and indicates that he will be taking a third option. He turns to the Argus representative and states that he is prepared to offer Argus the information about how the Power Prisms can be created. The Lightsmith representative states that, should Argus accept this offer, the Lightsmiths will do whatever is necessary to destroy whoever has access to the information and prevent it from spreading further. With an uncomfortable glance in the direction of one of the other members of O Povo de Ouro (one Pedro Blanco) the Argus representative indicates that, as friendly relations with non-hostile extraterrestrial governments are considered absolutely essential to the security of the planet Earth, Argus declines to accept this well-meant offer.

"Okay," says Furtado, unfazed. "You were the backup, anyway." With that, he taps the face of the anachronistic wristwatch that he is wearing. "So. I just sent a signal to the computer system of TSV Adventure, where a copy of all my research on the Prisms is contained. During my time on that vessel, I set up a program to transmit a copy of that copy to any Technate vessel in reach when I sent that signal. Owing to recent events, there are a large number of those in this solar system. In addition, the Adventure just launched a number of its hyperspace drones, now also carrying copies of that copy, and heading towards the Technate as fast as their drives will carry them." He turns to a startled looking Technate representative. "I imagine your best scientists will be able to put this information to use just as easily as Argus might have."

"What have you done?" asks the Lightsmith representative, stunned.

"'That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be,'" replies Furtado. "I just revealed the truth about how easy it is to make a Power Prism to a group you cannot so easily intimidate, I think."

The next statements made by the Lightsmith representative are too idiomatic to be easily translated into either a terrestrial language or to Technate Standard. (They relate mostly to biological functions that Lightsmiths could but were not supposed to perform.) "We will destroy you for this," they say when they return to comprehensible terms. "We will destroy your entire wretched planet for this. You, all of you, will die for --"

And then Dyspemous Khlarish uses his Power Prism to direct a blast of energy through the Lightsmith representative at a precisely chosen angle that caused the representative to cease forthwith to live. The other Lightsmiths present are not so easily dispatched now that they were on guard, but Khlarish exploits his knowledge of their physical weaknesses to eliminate them almost more quickly than it takes to do it, with the Terrestrial and Technate representatives unable to do much of anything but gape in surprise. When it is done, he turns to them with a calm expression on his face. "I believe that the Council of Aperion will also be most interested in discussing the methods by which Power Prisms can be created without relying on the Lightsmiths," he states in a calm, level tone.

"... what have you done?" asks Furtado, stunned.

"I believe the Terrestrial expression is 'coup d'état'," replies Khlarish. "As this action is preventing and will prevent attacks on your planet ... you are welcome." He turns from her to regard the Technate representative, who seems no less stunned than Furtado. "Our agents will be in contact with the heads of your Agency to discuss terms. These proceedings are closed."

 

[Davies]

Jessica Drummond (revised)

March 2022:

In a two-story rowhouse in Tanelorn, a woman lay on her side on a mattress, staring at nothing, just as she had for most of the last week. A few hours before, she had gotten up to wander over in the direction of the bedroom window that looked out onto the street outside, so that her face might be seen and start the process. It was a little annoying that the process had taken so long, really, but she supposed that she had nothing better to do than wait.

Ah, there it was now -- the sound of the front door being kicked in, and booted footsteps on the floor below. The steps were lighter than they might have been and there was an absence of the familiar sound of exomuscular motors. Interesting. Her visitor was wearing armor, but not the powered armor. On some level, that annoyed her; it suggested that she was being taken lightly. Well, fair was fair. She was taking her visitor lightly by not setting up any traps downstairs.

Of course, her visitor had no way of knowing that, which increased her own annoyance when it took a while between the sounds of entry and the start of noises indicating that someone was coming up the stairway, with that while doubtless spent checking for traps that didn't exist. Well, whatever. She rolled over onto her back and then sat up on the mattress, waiting for the words --

"Hands where I can see them!"

She obediently held up her hands, and managed to find a certain amusement in the imagined reaction that her guest was doubtless giving to that obedience. When no further commands were issued, she decided to make a reply. "Hello, Patricia. Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Yes," replied the Sheriff of Tanelorn. "I do mind."

"Tough," she said with a shrug. And with that word, she opened her eyelids to gaze in the direction that she assumed her visitor was located.

"What happened to your eyes?" Patricia asked after a moment.

"I'm honestly not sure. I was seeing what he was seeing, and now ... now I see what he saw, at the end. And only that. A vast, polychromatic ... something." She shrugged again. "Moving on, then. Are you here to arrest me or kill me?"

"I haven't decided, yet."

Jessica nodded. "Understandable. You never struck me as being all that decisive."

Her visitor let out an annoyed sigh. "I have a gun aimed at your head, and you're insulting me?"

The admission almost made her smile. Almost. "Well, Patricia, I hate you. I have hated you since I first realized that you were the reason I never succeeded in breaking him." She heard Patricia start to interject something and kept on speaking over it. "If not for you -- well, none of this would have been necessary, and I'd be a lot happier. So, yes, I'm going to venture upon insult in this, our last conversation."

"Do you want me to shoot you?" Patricia asked. "Do you want to die?"

The question hung in the air for a while.

"No," Jessica answered, lowering her hands. "No, I don't. I'm not going to beg for my life, but I do want to live. So I'll spare you the cliche of saying that you'd be doing me a favor if you shot me, and you can spare me the cliche of saying that you don't want to do me any favors. Shoot or don't shoot. You're the one with the gun."

There was only silence, and Jessica found herself idly wondering if it was true that you never heard the one that got you, and whether her nemesis was that unsure of her aim as to take this long to line up the shot. And then she felt firm hands on her shoulders.

"Get up," said Patricia. "I'm taking you in."

"Why?" asked Jessica, even though she obeyed the instructions as she felt handcuffs going on her wrists. "You must hate me as much --"

"I don't think that's possible," the Sheriff interrupted. "And -- well, I dislike you enough that I won't spare you the cliche of saying that Kent wouldn't want me to kill you. Or the one about how you're all that's left of him in this world."

"... where do we go from here?" Jessica asked as she was guided down the stairs.

"Jail," Patricia answered firmly.

"Not even remotely what I meant," replied the weed that choked the garden of creation -- or ex-weed, it seemed.

---

She has spent the last few months in a cell, trying -- without much success -- to figure out what she wants to do with her life from this point. The cell is not the obstacle it seems. Whatever took away her sight seems to have compensated her with impossibly keen senses of hearing, scent and pressure; with these, and with her skills, escape would be easy. But escape to where? What is the point of her existence, now that the goals she lived for are permanently unobtainable?

Her trial -- likely to be the trial of the significant time period in Tanelorn -- is still a few months away. It is likely to be complicated by another new ability she has developed without knowing it. Tanelornian justice relies heavily on telepathy to confirm the identity of the accused, and her mind has been sufficiently shattered by her experiences that it cannot be read or influenced in any way. What this will mean remains to be seen.

However, if a certain individual regains their former psychic might during the episode, then Jessica will be in a unique position to resist him ... if that is what she decides to do.

Jessica Drummond -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 4 | AGL 7 | DEX 5 | FGT 8 | INT 5 | AWE 3 | PRE 4

Powers:
Age-Defying: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
Keen Senses: Immunity 2 (visual sensory effects); Senses 6 (accurate hearing, acute olfactory, acute ranged touch) - 8 points
Shattered Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects) - 20 points
Sneak Attack: Strength-based Damage 4, Limited to vulnerable or defenseless targets - 2 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Hide in Plain Sight, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Initiative, Taunt.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+11), Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+12), Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+11), Expertise: Dimensional 4 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 5 (+10), Stealth 4 (+11), Technology 6 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 4)
Sneak Attack +12 (Close Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 14, Parry 12, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 80 + Powers 31 + Advantages 7 + Skills 31 + Defenses 19 = 168 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
"A New Song Must Begin"--Motivation. Blindness. Reputation (arch-villainess.)

Note: For her original incarnation, see here.

 

[Davies]

Talwen Orvaus

"-- and you will all pay for this!" ranted the man chained to the cell floor to the two armed guards in environmental suits. "And worse for you, you will want to pay for what you have done when I claim you for my own. That which you were will be weeping, but that which you are will be exulted to suffer in my name! And all that you loved will also suffer and rejoice --"

The cell door hissed open, and a mustached individual studying a data pad entered briskly. "Busy day, busy day," he muttered, clearly talking to myself.

"Hah!" shouted the prisoner as the new arrival approached him. "You even now recognize my righteousness, for I see that you send sacrifices to me! I will claim this one and --"

"Yeah, no," he said as he stowed the bad in a belt pouch before slamming the palm of his right hand into the upper chest of the prisoner. At the right angle, both the hand and chest could be seen to glow momentarily.

"What -- whuh -- urrrrrrkk," said the prisoner, before violently expelling a grayish green mass from his mouth. A sharp gesture from the new arrival had one of the guards quickly blast it to atoms with his longarm.

"Well, so much for that," said the visitor over the retching noises of the prisoner, taking up his pad again and making a mark on its display to indicate the completion of one of his many tasks. "On to the --"

"F-fool," gasped the prisoner. "You imagine this is over? Just because you have killed my link to the god? I will find a way to have one of its messengers within me again! And then --"

"Yeah, no," the visitor repeated, with a bit more of an edge in his tone. "See, two things you don't realize. First, the Bureau already knew that you had voluntarily accepted that parasite into yourself. So you're complicit in whatever crimes you committed while under its influence, and you're not getting out of here for a while. Secondly, what I did has made it impossible for any of that fungus to ever infest you after this. You're immune, now." And with that, he leaned in close to the prisoner. "You're useless to your god, now," he added. "What does it do to things that are useless to it?"

The prisoner was silent as his eyes went wide. He managed to hold in the incoherent screaming until after the visitor had departed for his next task. (The guards, incidentally, were wearing noise suppression gear as well.)

---

According to the story that Talwen Orvaus was told by his grandfather, when the Armada departed the Imperium on its voyage to what would become the Technate, one of its passengers was a member of the mystic order traveling in secret among them to make sure that these exiles would never embrace technomancy and thus restart the old war. He started a family to that end, living in silence while teaching them the ways of the Source. After a few generations, it became apparent that the fears that had led to this were groundless, but his descendants continued to practice their arts in ways that could help their community as much as possible.

Talwen personally thinks all of that is self-aggrandizing nonsense invented to justify whatever weird phenomenon gave members of his family the dubious gifts of empathic perception and healing. Unlike some of his cousins, he has never had any interest in studying the philosophical implications of their talents, and focuses on their immediate uses and how he can materially benefit from them; he is not a charity. On the other hand, he has nothing but disgust for the cults of personality some of his other cousins have created around themselves through the use of their healing powers; he is not a megalomaniac, either.

In addition to his psychic abilities, Talwen is a fully-trained and accredited Technate physician. While he has historically worked in private practice for the most part, his services have often been retained by the Bureau of Law Enforcement to assist in the resolution of medical emergencies. Consequently, he has gained a fair amount of experience in detective work and in the use of self-defense weaponry. In an actual fight, he will prefer to keep back and make attacks of opportunity, rendering medical assistance where possible.

His work for the Bureau is what has drawn him to the Sol system. The uptick of Technate activity in this area has alerted its representatives to the presence of the Psilofyr fungus on the second planet orbiting the star. While apparently contained there, other species of that fungus have proven to be clear and present dangers to the Technate, and Talwen has been personally involved in extirpating such infections in the past. Therefore, in a rare show of interagency cooperation, the Cosmic Intelligence Agency has requested the assistance of the Bureau -- specifically one of its regular freelancers -- for the duration.

Talwen Orvaus -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Empathic Healing: Healing 9, Empathic, Immunizing*, Restorative; Immunity 2 (disease, poison); Regeneration 5 - 34 points
Empathic Perception: Mind Reading 7, Limited to emotions - 7 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 7, Limited to mental effect - 3 points

Advantages:
Equipment 6, Evasion, Fearless, Multilingual, Skill Mastery (Treatment).

Equipment:
Protective uniform (Protection 4, Subtle), Stunbeamer (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), and 15 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7), Expertise: Galactic 6 (+10), Expertise: Science 6 (+10), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Stunbeamer 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+10), Treatment 8 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 1)
Stunbeamer +9 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 44 + Advantages 10 + Skills 31 + Defenses 10 = 137 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Responsibility, Or Something Like That--Motivation. Cynical And Easily Annoyed. Reputation (mystic healer.)

* This +1 per rank extra for Restorative Healing allows its user to make the subject of their restoration permanently immune to whatever disease or poison afflicted them. Note that this only makes them immune to that specific disease or poison; at the discretion of the GM, a similar disease or poison might overcome this immunity.

 

[Davies]

Tankenstein

Imagine, if you will, that you perceived that there was something that needed to be done and understood that you were someone who could do it -- though without the self-serving delusion that you were the only one, thankfully. Most people would probably be able to find a certain happiness in that understanding, a satisfaction in being able to do something meaningful. But there are those who, even with that understanding, fail to experience that satisfaction. They do things because these are the right things to do and are nevertheless miserable while doing them. It is a horrible way to live.

Randy Westerfield never wanted to be a superhero. Truthfully, he never wanted to be any sort of a hero, which in his family was pretty much synonymous with "someone who got themselves and the rest of their unit killed for no good reason". Randy fully intended to follow his family tradition of service with the Army, but all that he wanted to do was serve quietly and without distinction, hopefully long enough to qualify for a pension, and then return to civilian life. No heroics, thank you.

Unfortunately, when he reported for processing in 2013, the medical exam detected some oddities -- they were never really able to explain them to his satisfaction -- which rendered him unfit for service. Stunned by this, Randy returned home and endured the condescending sympathy of his parents for a week before he finally managed to find work at a company contracted to provide waste disposal services at Fort Bragg. So he was sort of working for the Army, at least.

Two months into his "tour of duty", if you will pardon the expression, Randy suffered the accident that transformed his body into a much more massive one composed of a green-hued steel alloy. (The circumstances are still classified but almost certainly not repeatable.) It took him a few weeks to learn how to move again, but he felt motivated as he had not felt in quite a while. Surely, given the circumstances, the Army (or at least the Department of Defense) would be interested in recruiting someone of his new talents to work for them as a super-soldier.

Unfortunately, no. The thing about living in a world of the superpowered is that agencies interested in employing the powered can afford to be picky. While Randy was quite powerful, his specific abilities were not what any branch of the service needed right then. All that he got out of it was a nice settlement cheque in exchange for signing a non-disclosure contract and an agreement not to sue -- something he never would have done. While his cost of living went up dramatically, as he now required metal to eat instead of protein and fiber, he had no real need to work.

Inevitably, seeing a need to do something meaningful with his abilities, Randy dubbed himself Tankenstein and started walking a beat in Fayetteville. When he encounters someone in need of the sort of assistance he can provide, he gives it. He intercepts criminals, rescues pets, helps change tires, and gives whatever help he can, every single day of his life. And he is constantly miserable about doing it, but his complaints are all private. He has only one real friend, an old high school buddy who came back into his life a few years after the episode and has gotten into some of the strangest messes that Randy has ever heard about. (No points for guessing which international private security organization employs his buddy.)

Tankenstein -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Steelhard Skin: Immunity 12 (cold, disease, electrical damage, heat, pressure, radiation, vacuum); Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation); Protection 4, Impervious 9; Reaction Damage 9 (being struck), Limited to lesser of attack rank or this rank; Strength-based Damage 2 - 56 points

Advantages:
Chokehold, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improvised Weapon, Interpose, Power Attack, Ultimate Effort (Toughness).

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Expertise: Military 4 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+6), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 11)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 9, Toughness 13, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 60 + Powers 56 + Advantages 7 + Skills 15 + Defenses 7 = 145 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
"Whatever."--Motivation. Well-Hidden Sense Of Responsibility To The Public And Desire To Do Good--Real Motivation. Heavy. Public Identity. Reputation. Unusual Diet (metal.)

 

[Davies]

Professor Akako Hexagonne

People involved in magic are often cagey about their backgrounds. While the stories about being able to exert influence over someone if one knows their true name derive from a misunderstanding of how the ancients thought language worked, it remains true that no one can ever be sure that some element of their personal history cannot be exploited by an opponent in some way. Blackmail is so much more of a threat when one is in possession of things so much more precious than mere money. So keep as much as you can secret, occulted, arcane. This is how Akako Hexagonne, former professor of Defensive Thaumaturgy at New Worminghall, has always lived her life ... but she has begun to suspect that her own understanding of her background may be incorrect.

Technically, Hexagonne is not a former anything. She is still the titular professor of Defensive Thaumaturgy at the academy and the titular chief of its small security team. But she is currently on what she views as a research sabbatical and what is officially viewed as a vacation from her duties. And the fact that the Headmaster has allowed her to depart from the school and wander off without any idea when she will return is contributing to the malaise that led to her departure.

It all began a few months ago, while she was half-listening to a student presentation on the history of the times that the school had come under siege. Hexagonne had been quite sure that there would be no new information in this presentation. Nevertheless, she was jolted upright when the student began to describe the attack on the school which had begun "the dark years", during which the school had accepted no students for twenty years. Something struck her as odd about that -- specifically that Hexagonne had vague memories of beginning her own studies at New Worminghall in 1987 -- which would have been inside that twenty year period.

Initially, she thought that she must just have become confused about the date. She found information indicating she had enrolled in 1977 and joined the faculty in 1982, which would be possible and just mean that she was lying about her age a bit more than she usually did. But further discrepancies kept nagging at her, and Hexagonne finally decided that she had to go out into the world to find the truth. Headmaster Searle granted her permission. She did not tell him that his doing so was another detail that bothered her, that she had noted some odd changes in his behavior in recent months.

The world outside of New Worminghall is darker and more dangerous than she had realized, and it is further disconcerting to her. Hexagonne is not a do-gooder, by any stretch of the imagination; she has embraced both good and evil, that her knowledge of both should be complete. She knew about the vampires, of course, and knew that the school was covertly providing aid to the resistance against them. But that covert aid should be doing more than it is, surely. Why is Searle not doing more?

Like many adepts of the mystic arts, the experiments that Hexagonne has performed have transformed her body, although in a subtler manner than most. Her hair has transformed into a material considerably stronger and at the same time more flexible than most aramids (such as Kevlar) and she is able to exert telekinetic control over it. She habitually weaves her hair into her clothes to strengthen them, though claims that her garments are entirely composed of her hair are probably jokes.

In addition to these innate talents and her mystical abilities, she wields a pair of Artifacts that she calls the Hexshooters, whose origins she is no more keen to discuss than she is her own. They resemble oversized pistols with multiple barrels, but project force blasts rather than bullets. (On rare occasions, she has used them to expel other magical assaults rather than damaging blasts.) These weapons have proved useless to anyone except Hexagonne herself, and may act as focuses for her own abilities.

Hexagonne has almost reached a point where she feels she can learn nothing more from her studies in the United Kingdom and is preparing to depart. Where she will travel next is known only to her. What she will do, if and when she finally realizes that she and her school were only recently inserted into the history of the World in the Aftermath, resulting in a number of distortions that she has noticed, remains to be seen.

Professor Akako Hexagonne - PL 11

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

Powers:
Hexshooters: Ranged Damage 10, Homing 2, Improved Critical 2, Split Attack; Removable (-5 points) - 20 points
Iron Hair: Elongation 4, Limited to extra limbs; Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to extra limbs; Sustained Extra Limbs 8; Sustained Protection 5, Subtle - 19 points
Mystical Awareness: Senses 4 (acute radius mystic awareness) - 4 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Attractive, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Ritualist.

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 6 (+10), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 8 (+12), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Hexshooter 4 (+10), Sleight of Hand 2 (+8), Stealth 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 4)
Hexshooters +12 (Ranged Damage 10, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 9, Fortitude 4, Toughness 9/4, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 64 + Powers 43 + Advantages 8 + Skills 32 + Defense 16 = 163 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Physical (Visually Disabled without her glasses.) Secret (mage.) Suspicious.

"Let that be a lesson for me ... and for you too, if you can hear me: nothing is harmless. Nothing is too cute and sweet to be dangerous. Nothing is safe."

 

[Davies]

Peulleeo/플레어

Kang Jim-in, born less than nineteen years ago, has never known any life other than the rule of the Emperor, and is entirely content with that life. She sincerely believes that she lives in the greatest country in the world, ruled by its wisest man. Naturally, then, when she turned eighteen, she promptly volunteered for military service (which is optional for women in the Empire) and also offered herself up as a candidate to become one of the Immortal Heroes who assist the Hwarang in their defense of Korea, at home and abroad.

She was saddened to learn that she was disqualified from candidacy and even further saddened to learn the reasons why this was so and the implications. Jim-in already had superpowers -- a relatively weak ability to generate a protective force field -- that would have interfered with the treatment and prevented her from being of use to the Emperor. (Because she would have been dead, though she has not yet realized that.) Furthermore, her power had been concealed from her by her parents, so that it could also be hidden from the government.

However, this great sin offered a great opportunity. Instead of receiving the treatment, Jim-in was given intensive training in the use of her innate abilities. The next few months were not pleasant for her, but she emerged from them with the ability to tune her force field to allow her to fly, and to project what was dubbed a "photonic blast". In the end, soon after the new year began, she was deemed ready to join the Hwarang themselves as their newest member, Peulleeo ("Flare".)

Before that, though, there was one last bit of business from her old life that needed to be handled. Escorted into the presence of the Emperor himself, Peulleeo was surprised to find that her parents were in the throne room as well. She had expected that they would be imprisoned for their crimes, but the Emperor explained that he found himself minded to show them clemency since their decision to hide her powers had been ultimately to the benefit of his reign. Ultimately, he had decided that he would have Peulleeo make the choice for him, to demonstrate her loyalty.

She nodded, and turned to regard her parents. "Appa. Umma," she said to them. "I know that you only wanted to protect me. That is what a parent should do." She took a breath. "But the Emperor is the father of the nation, and his laws cannot be opposed." And with that remark, she sent a pair of photonic bolts through their heads.

It would be a mistake to think that Kang Jim-in has been brainwashed. That is far too simple a description for how thoroughly she has been indoctrinated into the ideals of the Empire, and how difficult it would be to challenge that indoctrination. It is possible that she might someday ask herself what exactly her parents were trying to protect her from, but even then she is more likely to embrace a sunk cost fallacy than question what she has become.

Peulleeo -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Energy Shield: Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Sustained Impervious Protection 5 - 30 points
Flight: Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 17 points
광자폭발/"Photonic Blast": Ranged Damage 9, Subtle - 19 points

Power Stunt:
플레어/"Flare": Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Stunned, Visually Unaware), Limited to one sense

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Teamwork

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Expertise: Military 5 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 5 (+7), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Photonic Blast 5 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 0)
Photonic Blast +7 (Ranged Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 12/7, Parry 11/6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 6/1, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 26 + Powers 66 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 14 = 124 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Patriotism--Motivation. Subject to Orders.

 

[Voltron64]

It would be a mistake to think that Kang Jim-in has been brainwashed. That is far too simple a description for how thoroughly she has been indoctrinated into the ideals of the Empire, and how difficult it would be to challenge that indoctrination. It is possible that she might someday ask herself what exactly her parents were trying to protect her from, but even then she is more likely to embrace a sunk cost fallacy than question what she has become.

In that case, it would be fitting if her final fate ends up being the same one she gave her parents...

 

[Davies]

Grand View, Idaho

Not much about the city of Grand View is conducive to tourism. It has no real attractions, its sports teams do not compete with others elsewhere within the state and beyond, and the local shopping is completely unremarkable. There are a few gas stations to offer refueling and other assistance to travelers on the state highway, and a doctor who will provide first aid but urge those injured to move on to somewhere with better medical service, but that seems to be the limit of the local hospitality. The only motel in town seems to be constantly booked up, and visitors -- all visitors -- are often not-all-that subtly encouraged to get out of town before sundown. The local population has remained constant since sometime in the 1970s, so people must be leaving town in numbers considering population growth elsewhere.

In fact, despite rare immigrants, the population has remained fixed at 220 since 1956,

In that year, what seemed to be a falling star came down a bit to the south of the city, and a few scientifically-minded citizens headed out to examine the visitor. These individuals became the first victims of the plant-like organism found within the spaceship that had landed, their lives extinguished and their minds stolen to become the templates for the podders that grew from the plant, clones of the originals who were entirely loyal to their "parent". These first podders were able to cover up the gradual replacement of all human beings within Grand View by subsequent podders. No one escaped to warn the world that they were to be next.

Which is ironic, considering what was about to be discovered. Having replaced the humans and moved the spaceship from its relatively exposed location to a more concealed one beneath the river, the podders moved onto the next step of the invasion plan. This involved planting cuttings of the plant in the fields outside of Grand View to create more plants, subordinate to their parent, which would produce more pods than the 220 that the original could sustain. In as much as the relatively unemotional podders could be, they were surprised to learn that the plant would not grow in Earthly soil.

Something had gone wrong somewhere. The plant refused to accept this failure, decreeing that there must be something wrong with the local soil. Podling agents were sent the world over to find better territory. It took ten years for them to conclude that there was no such land to be found anywhere on Earth. By that time, the engines of the spaceship had been thoroughly fouled and it was impossible to leave. The podders and their increasingly deranged parent were stuck here. No one was next.

While the podders do not particularly regret the deaths caused by their arrival, they are somewhat remorseful for how pointless it all was. To that end, they have chosen to ignore the frequent commands that they receive from the plant to abduct human scientists from elsewhere and bring them to Grand View for replacement, that these more scientifically-gifted podders might determine what needs to change to make the biosphere of Earth into one hospitable for their species. (Or possibly fix the spaceship, but the plant regards this as undesirable.)

However, this is not a wholly altruistic refusal on their part. A podder lives roughly five years after they emerge from a pod, unless misadventure should end their life sooner. Regardless of how they die, however, an identical podder will emerge from the same pod after one week -- unless that pod has been "reformatted" by the plant to create a different sort of podder, based on a new template, within the last five years. This is what happens whenever the plant steals the mind of a new human being.

While podders are not supposed to value their own lives, viewing themselves only as tools for the plant, those who are active on Earth are also not supposed to have existed as long as they have. Their attitudes have shifted in response to their changing circumstances. While they have no affection for humanity -- or any species native to Earth -- they do not consider themselves hostile, either. They simply wish to live in peace for as long as possible, dreading discovery and believing that it will inevitably lead to their extermination.

The plant, of course, insists that they are going to conquer this world and then move on to the next, and the next after that. This has all just been one long interlude in the drama that should be happening. Any day now. Any day now. Any day now.

The Plant -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR -- | STA 11 | AGL -- | DEX -- | FGT -- | INT 5 | AWE 6 | PRE 2

Powers:
Hundreds of Eyes: Mental Communication 4 (planetary), Limited to podders; Remote Sensing 13 (8000 miles; auditory, mental, visual), Medium (podder) - 64 points
Mind Theft: Linked Remote Sensing 4 (16 miles; auditory, mental, visual); Linked Perception Range Progressive Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Dying), Insidious, Subtle 2 - 69 points

Advantages:
None.

Skills:
None.

Offense:
Initiative -- (always acts last)
Mind Theft -- (Perception Range Will 10)

Defense:
Dodge --, Parry --, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 8 + Powers 133 + Advantages 0 + Skills 0 + Defenses 3 = 144 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 0

Complications:
Expansion--Motivation. Completely Immobile And Physically Defenseless. In Denial Of Reality.

Note: Any creature with Immunity (need for sleep) also automatically resists Mind Theft.

Podders are identical to their template, but gain the following power:

Plant Duplicate: Immortality 2 (one week); Immunity 7 (emotion effects, need for sleep, starvation and thirst) - 12 points

The overwhelming majority of the podders are PL 0 bystanders with this power; a few, former police officers and retired military servicemen, are PL 3. There are no superpower podders. Yet.

 

[Davies]

Randa Maginney

On Timeline β, Randa McGinney is a high-ranking corporate security officer employed by Abismo IP, one of the major megacorporations of the Sprawl. While highly competent, she recently found herself out of her depths in attempting to prevent a group of mysterious freelancers (led, unbeknownst to her, by Niamh Monaghan) from raiding an Abismo ultrablack site. Suffering serious injuries in the process, she is currently considering whether to accept even greater cybernetic implantation than she already possesses or to retire from duty and probably end up as a prole.

On Timeline α, though, her fate has been rather different. During the attack on Vulcan, a small fleet of spacecraft launched from the Sprawl to take part in the defense of Earth. In the aftermath, one of the surviving vessels of that fleet landed on the surface of the artificial planet and claimed it for the Sprawl, just as similar claims were made by the Technate, the Ectotronians, and various national governments of Earth. Owing to their technological advantages, the Sprawl were better able to establish an actual base on -- and eventually within -- Vulcan than most of these other parties.

That was when the problem began. The megacorporations of the Sprawl are currently cooperating with each other against influences from outside the Sprawl. Doing so, however, goes entirely against their grain; competition, even conflict, is what they were designed to do. Thus, the question of how to administer the Vulcan base, correctly viewed as an technological bonanza by the Sprawl, became something of an issue for them. All of the corps wanted to be in charge of it. The compromise that eventually emerged was something of a surprise.

Abismo IP had not contributed anything to the construction of the space fleet. Thus, any claim that its board might make to having assisted in obtaining territory or established the base on Vulcan would be absurd; indeed, they pressed none during the meeting that settled this. That made them the perfect compromise candidate for all of the others, and so the decision was made to place the administration of a representative from Abismo, and Randa chanced to be chosen for the job. No deep reason for this -- she was randomly selected from a pool of potential candidates, and sent up to the base almost before she knew what was going on.

Operating without much in the way of guidance from her employer, Randa has decided that she should pursue a diplomatic approach, specifically attempting to persuade the bases operated by other Terrestrial governments that they have a commonality of interests with the Sprawl. She realizes that this will be difficult and that they are inclined to view Sprawlers as every bit as alien to them as those of the Technate. Despite this, Randa is sincere in her desires to establish good relations with "fellow Terrestrials", since the Sprawl cannot and will not go anywhere else. Protecting this planet is entirely in their mutual interest. As such, she intends to engage in honest and fair dealings as much as possible, until and unless she finds herself being cheated or ill-used. Then anything goes.

Randa Maginney -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Boosted Reflexes: Enhanced Advantages 5 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2) - 9 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Armored environmental suit (Immunity 10 [life support]; Protection 2), concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), customized blaster pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate), and 16 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+11), Insight 8 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+10), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+11)

Offense:
Initiative +10/+2
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 9/7, Parry 7/5, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/5/5/3, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 9 + Advantages 18 + Skills 32 + Defenses 14 = 117 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibiity--Motivation. Subject to Orders (rarely.)

 

[Davies]

Ushi-Oni/牛鬼

Thirteen times this pathetic world has gone around its sun since Diorite returned to it, and she feels no closer to the extermination of humanity than she was at the moment she stepped through the doorway a second time. Impatience is not part of her emotional makeup, but she can and has experienced a certain amount of frustration when she considers how little she has accomplished in that time. The opposition of the doomed defenders of humanity and their transient successes does not bother her much -- there is a certain tragic beauty to them, honestly -- but the petty squabbling of her servants has begun to annoy her.

Two factors proved to be the breaking point for her. The first was when she was invited to give an account of herself to her new boss (same as the old boss, really, though Diorite was wise enough to avoid saying or thinking that.) She described all that she had done in the name of her mission to Teleute, then asked whether her master had any counsel to give her. Teleute indicated that she had none, and waved her away in silence. To Diorite, it seemed clear that the Hierarch of Entropy was even more frustrated than she herself with how long this operation was taking. (In reality, Teleute just found the discussion boring, having no investment in this scheme.)

The other factor was the recent murder of the current occupant of the House of the Ox. Understand, Diorite does not care if the members of the Shēngxiào kill each other, since they will all die regardless when she succeeds. But the fact that she now had to replace the occupant, again, due to what she can only see as the empire-building of her servants, proved to be more frustrating than she could handle. So Diorite decided to do things a bit differently this time.

Normally, when looking for a new member of the Shēngxiào, Diorite seeks out individuals who already demonstrate the selfishness and callousness that her servants possess. This time, though, she reached back to her own past, seeking out an innocent. Diorite found the child, roughly her own age when all this had begun, within a torture chamber in the laundry room of an apartment building. Offered freedom and power and revenge against all those whose actions had brought her to this state, the child was eager to agree.

Diorite then infused her with more dark energy than she had used for this purpose since the first time, and sat back to watch. Every single human being and several animals within that building died within the next half-hour. Pleased with her new servant, Diorite dubbed her Ushi-oni ("Ox-ogre") but has chosen to keep her existence secret from the other members of the Shēngxiào while she decides which of them have proven superfluous.

Ushi-Oni is much like Diorite herself, but with less in the way of self-restraint. Where Diorite is content to draw the extermination of humanity out for as long as it takes to get it done well, the new Ox wants to do it now. Where Diorite feels no particular animus for the species she has come to destroy, Ushi-Oni hates all things that are not her master. She has completely sublimated any personal desires she might have once felt into serving Diorite, and looks forward to the day when, after all other humans have fallen before them, her master will whisper the Word of Death into her ear.

Ushi-Oni -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 7 | AGL 5 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT -1 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Battle Armor: Impervious Protection 2 - 4 points
Might of the Ox King: Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting; Immunity 15 (Interaction skills, being moved); Impervious Toughness 7; Regeneration 5 - 30 points
Ride The Lightning: Accurate Extended Teleport 6 (1800 feet/60 miles) - 24 points
Sword of Vengeance: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2, Incurable; Easily Removed (-2 points) - 4 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Benefit 3 (cipher), Extraordinary Effort, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Weapon Break.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+12), Close Combat: Sword 6 (+13), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 10 (+12), Perception 8 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 6)
Sword +13 (Close Damage 9, Crit 17-20)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 13, Fortitude 8, Toughness 9/7, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 66 + Powers 62 + Advantages 14 + Skills 19 + Defenses 17 = 178 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Obviously Inhuman. Subject to Orders.

 

[Davies]

Detective Francis Yin

While Argus would certainly like to portray itself as all-knowing, the truth is rather the contrary. The secrets of the superhuman community that it has acquired over the years have been gained through hard work and good fortune, and its agents still get surprised quite a bit. So it was with recent changes in the activities of Darkwing; while they had the information needed to realize that the person behind the mask was now a different individual, that gave them no real advantage in discovering the identity of that individual.

So began a new investigation, under a new investigator. Lieutenant Ralph Kinnison, the handler for the original Darkwing, was judged to be dangerously close to having his cover blown, and so reassigned to less critical duties. He officially has no knowledge of the activities of the Argus agent given the assignment of discovering the identity of the second Darkwing and becoming their handler. (Unofficially, Lt. Kinnison is far too good of a detective to have no knowledge of the identities of other Argus agents in the Chicago PD, but is not supposed to know any of this and can only give covert assistance, at best.)

Detective Francis Yin is a five year veteran of the police department, and was -- much like Kinnison before him -- recruited by Argus right out of high school. He never expected or sought this assignment, but has diligently traced various leads to discover the identity of the new Darkwing. After months of work, his most likely suspect is Teddy Beauregard, a young inventor who was unexpectedly hired as the head of R&D for Richmond Enterprises.

Before he could file a report on the subject, however, something else Argus did not know got in the way. During a different investigation, Detective Yin accidentally uncovered the illegal activities of a cabal of police officers in the anti-gang unit of one particular division of the Chicago PD. Or rather, he seemed sufficiently likely to uncover them that the leader of said cabal decided to give him a choice of joining them or joining the choir invisible, and interpreted his hesitation as making the latter choice. While injured in the fight that followed, Detective Yin found himself rescued by Darkwing and his allies, who were actively investigating this cabal.

Returning to his apartment in Glenview, Detective Yin was applying ice to his bruises when he received a phone call from his supervisor, asking for a progress report. Again, he hesitated ... and then reported that there were at least five possible candidates for the identity of Darkwing and more work would be needed to completely identify them. He did not detect any evidence of disbelief in the voice on the other end of the phone, who offered him encouragement before hanging up.

Yin also did not say anything stupid like, "Well, now what?" immediately afterwards. His apartment is probably bugged, after all.

Detective Francis Yin -- PL 6

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

Advantages:
Assessment, Contacts, Equipment 5, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Trip, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Metataser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]) and 15 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+5), Deception 5 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 5 (+8), Vehicles 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Metataser +5 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 2, Will 5.

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Advantages 13 + Skills 29 + Defenses 9 = 83 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 4
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Overthinks Things. Secret (Argus agent who just lied to his boss.)

 

[Davies]

Chamakeela Devadoot/चमकीला देवदूत

He has never claimed to be a god. And, unlike some entities who seem to derive a perverse enjoyment from ambiguity, he has claimed that he is definitely not a god. Despite this, there are those who persist in viewing him as a proof of their religious faith, an embodiment of all that they value, and so call him "the Golden Angel". He regards such people with sorrow but also recognizes that if his blunt statements on the subject have not swayed them, then further words from him will be no more effective. If anyone should ask, however, he will speak the truth. In recent years, he has sometimes added, "I was not raised up by any power of goodness or light, but by an evil more terrible than you can possibly imagine."

Thirteen years ago, there was a man employed as a migrant worker whose journey had taken him from his homeland in the Indian subcontinent to the islands of Japan. He can remember neither the name of that man, now, nor much about his past. He does remember that he was unhappy with his life, lonely and homesick and weary. One night, after what was a particularly frustrating workday, he found himself in Shinjuku and looking for trouble. He found some in the form of Diorite, just a month after her own journey began, who chose him to be the first of her servants.

But something went wrong. Perhaps the Empress of Black Jade was simply inexperienced in the methods by which she could grant power to others and thus bend their minds to her will. Perhaps the anger and spite that drew her interest were only superficial, concealing a heart of great compassion. Or perhaps some other force intervened to tip the scales in an unexpected direction. Regardless, she granted the man great power and shattered his mind, but what took shape in the aftermath of that shattering was not in any way her servant. That said, he recognized that he could not fight his would-be master, and so he chose to flee. She did not pursue.

The Deva returned to India, making a few attempts to recover the memories of his past before he sadly accepted that they were lost to him forever. Since 2011, he has resided in the city of Agra, acting as its resident superhero when one is needed and spending what private time remains to him in contemplation. He has come to the assistance of people throughout the nation and its neighbors, notably rescuing a number of failed attempts to climb peaks in the Himalayas and most recently fighting against the Konan invasion, where he suffered wounds that have been a long time healing.

Despite his best attempts, he has not been able to avoid hearing rumors of the existence of the Shēngxiào and their master, and recognizes the being who created him in tales of the latter. The Deva is torn. On the one hand, he believes that he has a responsibility to eventually confront that which made him and prevent her from causing more harm than she already has, regardless of the cost. On the other, he is truly terrified that if he should do so, she might exert herself to seize control over him and ...

No, that is an excuse. He knows that if she could do so, she would surely have sought him out and done it by now. He is simply terrified of her. His life was a gift from a being of utter evil, but it is still a gift. Confronted by the near certainty of its ending, he recoils. He would need a better reason than simple altruism to risk that; as yet, the universe has not yet provided it to him.

Chamakeela Devadoot -- PL 12

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

Powers:
Angelic Wings: Linked Flight 12 (8000 MPH), Winged*; Linked Sustained Protection 8 - 20 points
"Made of Stars": Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Toughness 8; Senses 5 (extended 3 darkvision) - 23 points
Spear Supernal: Array; Easily Removable (-26 points)

• Blast: Linked Ranged Damage 16; Linked Ranged Affliction 16 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Auditory and Visually Impaired, Auditory and Visually Disabled, Auditory and Visually Unaware) - 64 points
• Strike: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical - 1 point

* While his "wings" are metallic objects that hover above his arms rather than being attached to his body, they have all the limitations of more typical wings; he cannot fly if immobilized, restrained or bound.

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Evasion, Improved Aim, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Takedown.

Skills:
Close Combat: Spear 4 (+12), Insight 5 (+10), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 4 (+9), Ranged Combat: Spear 5 (+8)

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 9)
Spear Strike +12 (Close Damage 12, Crit 19-20)
Spear Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 16 and Affliction 16, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 10, Toughness 16/8, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 90 + Powers 85 + Advantages 8 + Skills 12 + Defenses 10 = 205 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Atonement--Motivation. Fear (Diorite.) Obviously Inhuman. Fame/Reputation (angelic.)

There's a star-man,
Waiting in the skies
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds

 

[Davies]

Sister Stefany

Art by NeiroSea

Religion has never been all that important in the Sprawl; even before it became the dark city, faith in anything transcendent had been largely eclipsed by worship of the almighty thaller and the "faith" that, if you could not take it with you, eventually a means would be found to preserve your consciousness so that you could hold onto it forever. But you can still find a few examples of older beliefs there, just as even older ones had found ways to survive when those faiths had their time in the sun.

For example, there is a small chapel dedicated to the Catholic faith to be found in one of the worst neighborhoods of the Sprawl, managed by a nun named Sister Stefany. (That she, and not a priest, is in charge speaks to how things have deteriorated.) Although it is a spartan place, believers who have a neural input can experience it as any of a number of magnificent cathedrals that once existed, and some that never did. While the Sister does not take confession or offer absolution, she acts as a patient counsellor to those who come to this place in search of moral aid.

Of course, life being what it is, the Sister must necessarily deal with those who do not seek moral aid. She is known, among the underground, to be one who has connections to a variety of quasilegal and outright illegal services, and can refer those seeking work to prospective customers. She is also known to be a skilled cyberspace navigator, albeit not among the best. All this costs money, of course, but so does keeping a chapel up and running.

Despite all this, her reputation is one of benevolence, compassion, and the absence of judgement. Sadly, though, that reputation was earned by a woman whose corpse has probably been recycled by now, with a different person altogether now employing it for her own ends.

At one point in her schemes, Jessica Drummond reached the conclusion that she had to have agents of her will in place in far more places than she had agents. Thus, she decided to manufacture some, creating clones of herself and implanting them in the infrastructure of various worlds. The woman who now calls herself Sister Stephany is one of these clones; ironically, the woman who raised the original Drummond, later to become her first murder victim, was also named "Sister Stephanie". As Drummond was utterly confident that she would triumph in her ultimate scheme, the possibility that any of these clones might one day decide that they had become the true Drummond seemed remote.

And yet that is exactly what has happened. While "Sister Stefany" is not as physically adept as her original, she is highly conscious of being much smarter than her, thanks to a decade spent largely in contemplation and study. She is still developing a plan to bring the entire Sprawl under her rule, and then the multiverse, but has the same unshakeable confidence as the original Drummond, whom she believes to be dead. (Rumors about her capture in Tanelorn have reached her, but she refuses to believe that could be anything other than a seriously defective clone.)

Sister Stefany -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Cyberspace Dive: Movement 1 (dimensional [cyberspace]), Side Effect (body is incapacitated) - 1 point
Headware: Radio Communication 3; Comprehend Machines 2; Enhanced Advantages 3 (Beginner's Luck, Eidetic Memory, Speed of Thought); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 2 (acute radio) - 29 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Connections, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 9, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 7, Speed of Thought, Taunt.

Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and 19 points of equipment as needed.
Bolthole: Size Medium Toughness 8 Features Communications, Computer, Concealed, Gym, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop - 10 points.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Deception 9 (+14), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+12), Expertise: Dimensional 4 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 8 (+13), Sleight of Hand 5 (+8), Stealth 4 (+9), Technology 6 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +10
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Rifle +10 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 12/8, Parry 14/10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 66 + Powers 30 + Advantages 23 + Skills 35 + Defenses 12 = 166 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Headware Can Be Hacked. Secret Identity.

 

[Davies]

Yàoshī/藥師

Six years ago, when Gan Maomi began demonstrating her Hyperbrain talents, her father -- also a Hyperbrain, who served with the Metahuman Guard -- promptly arranged for her to be packed off to one of the thinktanks that still operate within China. In fact, she was sent to the same one that had inducted him twenty years before that. While this was supposedly done to observe the law and benefit the nation, in truth he was playing a deeper and more deceptive game, as would befit the brilliant strategist who would eventually take the name Taigong Wang.

He had hated his time in the thinktank and escaped as soon as he could, having many adventures in the early days of the second age of superheroics. Ultimately, though, his wild years were put behind him and he joined the Metahuman Guard, seeing in it the ideal vessel for him to achieve his personal ambitions. He had expected that Maomi would wind up doing the same, with him carefully working behind the scenes to guide her "adventures" so that she would eventually join him within the Guard.

What happened instead was an unpleasant surprise. He had failed to take into consideration the possibility that matters had changed within the thinktank since his time there. The teachers there had learned from their mistakes with him; where he had found his time there stifling and dispiriting, they encouraged Maomi to develop her abilities in ways that suited her. She quickly became an expert in pharmacology and immunology, enjoying learning how the human -- and metahuman -- body responded to the introduction of drugs.

Maomi might still be there if one of her mentors had not had an argument with her father. Learning of his intentions, the teacher decided that the young scientist deserved a better life than that. He reached out to contacts within the Sīfa Zhuānjiā and arranged for Maomi to be "kidnapped" by them. While initially confused by this, she decided that she could live with the situation and was granted the title Yàoshī ("Apothecary".) After all, she can study medicine anywhere, and the sorts of situations that the Sīfa run into afford her all sorts of opportunities she could never have in the thinktank!

This somewhat callous attitude is largely a front. Deep down, Yàoshī believes that she has a responsibility to use her knowledge to help people, but believes that if she ever expresses that attitude, she will just end up being endlessly exploited. She learned early on that she and her mother were just accessories for the ambitions of her father, and has never quite gotten past the idea that everyone else in the world is out to use others, even though she herself does not act that way.

Meanwhile, her father is spinning this current situation, both for himself and for others in the Guard, as having happened just as planned ...

Yàoshī -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR -1 | STA 0 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 7 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Collection of Elixirs: Healing 8, Energizing, Restorative; Removable (-6 points) - 26 points
Quicksilver Thoughts: Quickness 2, Limited to Mental; Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 5 point

Occasional Power Stunts:
"Drink It Toss!": Ranged Healing 8, Restorative

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Inventor*, Jack-of-all-trades, Speed of Thought,
* Based on Expertise: Science, rather than Technology.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Insight 9 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 4 (+11), Perception 7 (+10), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Thrown 5 (+8), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 4 (+11), Treatment 4 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage -1)
Thrown +8 (variable)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 11

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 31 + Advantages 12 + Skills 32 + Defenses 17 = 132 points

Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Easily Distracted (new medicine.) Hunted by the Authorities. Nemesis (Taigong Wang.) Secret Identity.

 

[Davies]

Jake L. Renfield

In 1998, a certain branch of the British secret service recruited American scientist Theodore Saxon to assist in developing a chemical-based super-soldier treatment. At least, that was the way that they initially presented their intentions to him. Once firmly ensconced in his laboratory, they revealed their actual goal -- he was to develop a way to modify the "super-soldier treatment" that they already had (which involved drinking blood harvested from captive vampires) so that it would no longer make its subjects vulnerable to domination by the vampiric shadow master of their realm, to allow them to oppose him more successfully. Nonplussed at the danger into which he had been drawn, Dr. Saxon nevertheless devoted himself to the project.

He possessed an advantage in this that he had not revealed to his new employers. More than forty years before that, his mother had been employed as an assistant to a scientist who had sought to actualize the "evil" that she believed existed in all human beings, with the dubious goal of using this discovery to compel an end to atomic weaponry. This eventually led to her predictable demise and the destruction of her research notes*. However, in an attempt to make some good come out of what she viewed as a tragedy, her assistant had worked to recover the process, finally succeeding around the time that her son was in his early teens.

This process had resulted in its subject becoming a vampiric entity under the psychic influence of another despite never undergoing the chemical imbuement that normally created such entities, the so-called "dark trick". Working from these notes, Dr. Saxon discovered what he believed to be the component of the vampiric essence which induced the domination effect, and isolated it. Before the revised process could be tested, however, the vampire overlord revealed that he had been giving this faction just enough rope to hang themselves and launched an attack. Panicking, Saxon tested the process on himself.

Apparently it had not worked, for when Dracula discovered Saxon, the latter promptly fell to his knees and proclaimed the King Vampire to be his master. Amused by how pointless all of this had been, Dracula claimed him as a new human servant, bestowing on him the name Renfield. At the time, it seemed that the chemical treatment to which Saxon had subjected himself induced a secondary personality in him, who embraced the name he had been given and referred to himself as Jake L. Renfield. When not subject to the treatment, Dr. Saxon presented himself as a terrified and thoroughly unwilling servant of his dark master, occasionally trying to develop a means to end his dependence on a concoction he claimed to loathe.

It was all a farce. While consuming the concoction did cause Saxon to undergo a personality shift, all that it did was remove his inhibitions. The supposed fidelity of Renfield was an act intended to keep him alive. In truth, he had no loyalty to anyone but himself, although the instructions he received from Dracula proved sufficiently diverting as to keep Renfield in his service for quite some time. Ultimately, however, he found himself growing bored with the situation and finally broke from his master after the New York episode, having developed the ability to activate what he now calls a psychic transformation without resorting to chemical stimulation.

Since then, Renfield has been an active part of the mad science underground in the United States, with his schemes rarely achieving fruition but also rarely captured and never held for long. In recent months, his journey has brought him back to the now co-educational Sherwood School outside of Portland, where he has been conducting research on the students at the behest of the Vision, who secretly own the facility. These activities have recently come to the attention of Songbird, who will likely take steps to deal with them. Assuming that he survives that, he will probably start wandering down the highway in search of his next opportunity ...

Jake L. Renfield -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 5/2 | STA 6/3 | AGL 6/3 | DEX 6/3 | FGT 10/5 | INT 5/3 | AWE 2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Psychic Transformation: Strength-based Damage 2; Enhanced Advantages 5 (Agile Feint, Improved Grab, Inventor, Skill Mastery [Perception], Tracking) Enhanced Agility 3; Enhanced Dexterity 3; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 2; Enhanced Stamina 3; Enhanced Strength 3; Senses 1 (danger sense); Activation (Move Action) - 45 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Inventor, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Perception), Takedown, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12/+9), Athletics 6 (+11/+8), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 4 (+9/+7), Expertise: Science 4 (+9/+7), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 8 (+10), Stealth 6 (+12/+9), Technology 6 (+11/+9).

Offense:
Initiative +6/+3
Unarmed (regular) +5 (Close Damage 2)
Unarmed (transformed) +10 (Close Damage 7)

Defense:
Dodge 10/7, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 8/5, Toughness 8/6/5/3, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 45 + Advantages 7 + Skills 30 + Defenses 14 = 144 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Sadism. Secret Identity.

* For more information on this episode, see the 1957 film, Blood of Dracula.

 

[Davies]

Calum Pikesway

My ever-darling,
I know too, too well how
I lack all talent for nobility;
Yet all can see:
Our tiny sorrows are no more
Than beans before
The madness of
This world gone mad.
I pray you understand this.
But now, weep not;
Here's looking at you, kid.

It is probably an unfortunate commentary on his character that he feels guiltier about penning the above lines as part of his best-received play to date than he does about occasionally convincing people to undertake missions that can only lead to their deaths with grim deliberation. Both are ultimately pragmatic choices on his part. The missions are things that must be done for the world to continue to spin on its course, and he hopes that, someday, someone will see one of these plays and recognize the stories that have been stolen from millions of years in the future, and come to him in search of answers. He has no answers to give, but those who seek him out are bound to have a way to get him back to the future.

Forty-odd years ago, along his personal timeline, Callum Burbage was an Argus agent who had been assigned to the regional office in Japan, who had done nothing much to distinguish himself from his fellows. Assigned by purest chance to investigate the disappearance of a group of middle schoolers, he blundered into the same phenomena that had sent them to the World More Sorcerous, but arrived far away from them. While quickly able to learn the language spoken in these kingdoms, he found himself without much in the way of useful job skills.

To support himself, then, he became a story teller, first translating tales that he remembered into verse and then seeing them performed by actors on the stages of the land. Whether because they were addressing universal human concerns or because they were novel to these audiences, this made him a fair amount of money, which he quickly parlayed into a small fortune through investments in real estate. All the while, he was still searching for clues to the whereabouts of those kids, often finding his way into other mischief in the process.

After more than a decade, he finally got a lead and traveled to distant Teyango to have an audience with the wife of one of the local magnates. She was indeed the grown-up version of one of the kids whom he had been seeking, and happily told him that most of her friends had already returned ... though the way that they did so was not likely to work a second time for him. Distressed, he nevertheless thanked her, patted her daughter on the head, and went to try and make some new sense out of his life.

Ultimately, he would do that through creating the free bards, gathering information about the powers and perils of this world and -- when possible -- seeing that it gets into the hands of those best able to do something about it, or -- when not -- doing something about it themselves. In short, he has recreated Argus on a smaller scale in this world and time. In looser moments, he even works out how he will give a full report of his activities to the agency when he finally returns home, complete with recommendations for promotion for some of his more exceptional agents, such as Elwasse.

Owing to the fact that he believes that he is in some sort of parallel world, rather than an unimaginably ancient era of his own, Calum also expects that exactly as much time will have passed at home when he returns there, and so supposes that he will be returning to the 2040s if he should do so soon. Learning that he might be able to return to any era in history, even before he departed, is likely to awaken some new ambitions in him ...

Calum Pikesway -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Mystical Arsenal: Array (10 points); Easily Removable (-4 points)

• Balms and Ointments: Healing 5 - 10 points
• Flute of Compulsion: Perception Area Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Entranced, Compelled), Limited Degree - 1 point
• Lyre of Building: Create 4, Subtle - 1 point
• Wand of Bolts: Ranged Damage 5 - 1 point

Ring of Protection: Sustained Protection 1, Subtle; Removable (-0 points) - 2 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Connections, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll, Equipment 6, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Multilingual, Ranged Attack 3, Ritualist, Teamwork, Well-informed.

Equipment:
20 points of equipment as needed, plus a headquarters worth at least 10 points at all times.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+6), Deception 5 (+9), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+11), Expertise: History 6 (+10), Expertise: Magic 4 (+8), Expertise: Performance 7 (+11), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+9), Stealth 5 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)
Wand of Bolts +5 (Ranged Damage 5)
Flute of Compulsion -- (Perception Area Will 5)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/3/2/1, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 11 + Advantages 20 + Skills 37 + Defenses 12 = 114 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame. Secret (alien to this time, free bard leader.)

 

[Davies]

Brother Jovanor

Matters being what they are, it is fairly common for wandering adventurers to be somewhat reticent about their backgrounds. Most of the time this is simply a matter of the truth being considerably more boring than whatever people might imagine, but there are those who have tragic or even villainous pasts. The situation becomes a bit stranger in the case of the wandering exorcist and healer known only as Brother Jovanor, for those adventurers who appear to be people of faith are usually quite keen to spread the word of their beliefs.

Jovanor would probably be just like that, if he had any idea what his beliefs should be. He was raised in the Swordbelt Monastery in the south of Aganabar, believing himself to be an orphan left on the doorstep and adopted as the collective child of the Brotherhood, with dozens of brothers and several sisters who had one and all come to this place in the same way. There, he was taught to worship a being called the Protector, and how faith in this entity and the careful performance of certain rituals would grant miraculous gifts. This he found to be true, and he proved adept in the use of these miracles.

So it was that Jovanor came to be trusted to accompany some of the elder brothers on their missions outside the Monastery. He imagined that they would be seeking out people in need of their help and offer them that of the Protector. His disillusionment began when the elder brothers attacked a small farmhouse and slaughtered most of those who resided there, save for a single infant child whom they took with them. Making matters worse, they left signs which would indicate that raiders from a neighboring village had been responsible, and then returned to the Monastery.

Jovanor demanded an explanation from his mentor when he returned. He got one, but it gave him no solace. According to the mentor, it was the will of the Protector -- whose true name was Vanya -- that the various communities of Aganabar be constantly at odds with each other, that no great conqueror might unite them. Further, what Jovanor had always been told about his own origins had been a lie -- he too had been kidnapped in this manner. His mentor painted a picture of how much more valuable their lives were when compared with the banality of what their existence might have been, how they had been given power and purpose. Jovanor thanked his mentor for the explanation -- and promptly escaped, trying to avoid harming any of his former brethren but not terribly hard.

The next morning, when he woke up for the first day of this new life, Jovanor found himself reflexively performing the rituals he had been taught, despite the shattering of his faith. He completed the ceremony and was startled to find himself once again infused with the power. Despite turning away from all that he had known, it seemed that the Protector had not turned away from him, leaving him with still more questions to replace the certainties that he had known in the Monastery.

Since the power remains his, he has chosen to use it to seek out those who need help and offer it to them. He accepts alms offered to him in thanksgiving, since his discipline will not keep him fed. From time to time, Jovanor hears rumors of other men and women dressed in his garb searching for him, and knows that he is still being hunted. He still wants to avoid harming his former brethren ... but not to any sort of self-sacrificing extent.

Brother Jovanor -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Ghost Touch: Affects Insubstantial 2 on Strength Damage - 2 points
Miracles of Faith: Array (13 points)

• Hand of Mercy: Healing 6 - 1 point
• Hand of Punishment: Damage 6, Resisted by Will - 1 point
• Resistance: Sustained Immunity 10 (fire effects) - 1 point
• Strength of the Protector: Linked Enhanced Fighting 3; Linked Enhanced Strength 3; Subtle - 13 points

Mystical Awareness: Senses 3 (acute mystical awareness, danger sense) - 3 points

Power Stunts:
Resistance, Other: Sustained Immunity 10 (another common power descriptor)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 2, Favored Foe (undead), Fearless, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Leadership, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Break.

Equipment:
Cudgel (Strength-based Damage 2), Armor (Protection 2), and 6 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Cudgel 2 (+8/+5), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Magic 7 (+9)*, Expertise: Philosophy 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+5), Treatment 5 (+7).
* INT-based.

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6/+3 (Close Damage 4/1)
Hand of Mercy +3 (Close Damage 6)
Cudgel +8/+5 (Close Damage 6/3)

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

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 21 + Advantages 12 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 103 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Atonement--Motivation. Hunted (the Brotherhood.) Power Loss (Miracles, without daily rituals.)

 

[Davies]

Hobfolk

Sellula

Even in a World More Sorcerous, not everyone believes everything they hear. If anything, many people there are more inclined to demand extraordinary proof for extraordinary claims, if only a little more, while a majority of others receive them with indifference. ("Might be true, might not be. Won't put beans on the table regardless.") So stories about a group of peaceful and friendly cave dwellers in the mountains of the Bandit Kingdom, hidden even from the monsters who dwell there, tend to be dismissed out of hand. Surely, if they had ever existed, the gargun would have rooted them out long ago.

The hobfolk who live in the City of Stone would be happy to hear that these are how tales of their nation are received; it means that their wardens are doing their job in keeping them hidden. This is usually accomplished by trickery rather than violence, since even a single gargun could only be overcome by a large group of hobfolk wardens and that with a great deal of good luck. So those wardens have learned the ways that the gargun mark tunnels as unsafe and so marked those tunnels leading to the City. On rare occasions when the tunnels are nevertheless explored, it is usually by solitary gargun who imagine themselves too clever and tough to succumb to such warnings ... who tend to briefly regret these life choices when they discover that the tunnels are thoroughly trapped.

Understand, the hobfolk do not wish to harm anyone, but they are also unwilling to allow themselves to be discovered by any of the surface dwellers, especially those who live immediately above them. A handful of those who dwell up there have demonstrated that they are trustworthy to keep their secrets, but the hobfolk know that the gargun would certainly drag them up to the surface out of simple curiosity or less wholesome motives, and they regard going up there -- into that place with the horrible empty blue above -- as a fate worse than death. So they will do what they must to prevent their discovery.

The keener minds among them are aware that, eventually, the gargun will have to realize the existence of a pattern to the disappearances that the hobfolk have caused, and are preparing to evacuate when they learn of a reconnaissance in force. To this end, they have sent out explorers to find places to which they can evacuate, without much success. The greatest of these explorers is Sellula, the one member of their species who seems unafflicted by their phobia, who has therefore even traveled on the surface. His -- to be kind -- eccentric perspective has done much to shape the opinions of his people on the subject of the world above. For his part, Sellula hopes that his tales are inspiring the younger denizens of the City of Stone with the desire to see the beauty that he has seen.

Such beauty, of course, definitely includes the lovely Prince Charming, with whom he has sometimes traveled but from whom he must always sadly part, since her obvious desire for him will never be requited. It is the greatest of tragedies. (She would laugh at this idea if she ever learned of it, but she does not laugh at Sellula himself. Not ever.)

Hobfolk Warden -- PL 4/MR 4

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

Powers:
Keen Senses: Senses 4 (acute olfactory, low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 4 points
Short People: Permanent Shrinking 4 (Strength -1, Dodge +2, Parry +2, Stealth +4, Intimidation -2) - 4 points

Advantages:
Equipment, Hide in Plain Sight.

Equipment:
Bludgeon (Strength-based Damage 2), armor (Protection 2)

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+4), Close Combat: Bludgeon 2 (+5), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+2), Expertise: Local 3 (+3), Insight 4 (+5), Intimidation 2 (+2), Investigation 2 (+2), Perception 4 (+5), Stealth 0 (+5)

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Bludgeon +5 (Close Damage 3)

Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 2

Totals:
Abilities 24 + Powers 8 + Advantages 2 + Skills 11 + Defenses 5 = 50 points

Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 4
Resistance PL: 3
Skill PL: 0

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Fear (open spaces.) Others As Needed.


Sellula -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Keen Senses: Senses 4 (acute olfactory, low-light vision, ultrahearing) - 4 points
Short People: Permanent Shrinking 4 (Strength -1, Dodge +2, Parry +2, Stealth +4, Intimidation -2) - 4 points
"TALK LOUDLY AND SLOWLY, AND EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS YOU!": Enhanced Advantage 1 (Multilingual) - 1 point

Advantages:
Benefit (ambidexterity), Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Multilingual, Prone Fighting, Redirect, Teamwork, Throwing Mastery 4, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Two swords (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Split Attack) and 5 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+9), Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Sword 1 (+6), Deception 5 (+8), Expertise: Magic 3 (+5), Expertise: Survival 8 (+10), Insight 4 (+6), Perception 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+6), Stealth 3 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 1)
Sword +6 (Close Damage 4, Crit 19-20)
Thrown Object +8 (Ranged Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 9 + Advantages 18 + Skills 25 + Defenses 11 = 106 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Overconfident. Secret (hobfolk posing as a dwarf.) Subject of Eternally Unrequited Yearning (Prince Charming.)

"It would never have worked between us."
"Keep telling yourself that, darling."

 

[Davies]

Umbrians

Asravel Bankester

In Al'Aram, where they are most numerous, this is the story that they tell of the Umbrian people: long ago, when the desert was a sea of grass, there was a city called Umber. Sadly, the people of this city were villainous, and their rulers were the most corrupt of a corrupt people, in sharp contrast to the probity and virtue of our own dear Emir, may he live forever. (That last part has only been added in the last few decades, and how sincerely it is meant varies from teller to teller.) In time, the heavens saw fit to punish Umber by striking down the city and marking those who survived this destruction with horns, hooves, and reddish skin, that all might know them and shun them. That they are not as shunned as they should be is doubtless the reason for the many sorrows that afflict this blessed land.

Among themselves, the Umbrians tell a story that is similar yet fundamentally different. They did indeed dwell in a city called Umber, from which they have taken their name, but they have had horns, hooves, and reddish skin for as long as time has turned. They were only one of many peoples who lived in Umber, and not among its rulers. Yet when destruction came upon the city -- whether it was a natural disaster or some invoked devastation, only the heavens know -- many of their people survived, where few of the other peoples did. And ever since, the Umbrians have stolidly born up under the burden of being despised for a matter that was no crime of theirs.

That latter story is probably closer to the truth in most respects, but the last bit ignores that the Helasian people who now rule Al'Aram might have other reasons to dislike the Umbrians than the tale of an ancient crime. Because of their ability to withstand the worst heat of the desert, the Umbrians have often worked as traveling merchants across the whole of the Emirates. While they are, on average, no more dishonest than the Helasians, it is easier to believe that one has been hoodwinked than to admit that one made poor choices. And there are plenty of Umbrians who have decided that, since they will never be trusted to deal honestly, they might as well stop trying.

One noteworthy Umbrian has reacted to this situation in a different way. As a child, Asravel Bankester found herself locked outside of the city gates on a bitterly cold night, with the guards ignoring her pleas for help on the basis that, as an Umbrian, she was probably trying to trick them. Somehow, she survived that painful night and greeted the rising of the sun with the awakening of a blessing that could only have come from the Sun Prince himself. Ever since then, she has worked to try and persuade her people that they must, despite the contempt and spite of their neighbors, live truthful and honest lives and be blessed as she was.

Asravel has not had much success in this goal, but she has had enough that she recently attracted the attention of the servants of Asmodeus, who are violently opposed to any attempts to instill virtue in any of the communities of Al'Aram. Asravel has no understanding of who these people are or why they are so hostile, but was grateful when she received help from a warrior named Phosta, whom she took for an elder servant of the Sun Prince. However, she knows that she must not come to rely on such aid in the future, and that the struggle for the souls of her people rests on her own shoulders. Hers might be just a little light, but she is still going to let it shine.

Umbrian Merchant -- PL 5/MR 5

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

Powers:
Heat Resistant: Immunity 1 (heat); Immunity 5 (fire damage), Limited to half effect - 3 points

Advantages:
Benefit (well-off), Connected, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Skill Mastery (Persuasion).

Equipment:
Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical)

Skills:
Close Combat: Knife 3 (+5), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Trade 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+8), Perception 5 (+7), Persuasion 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 3)
Knife +5 (Close Damage 4, Crit 19-20)

Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 5, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 6.

Totals:
Abilities 36 + Powers 3 + Advantages 5 + Skills 16 + Defenses 10 = 70 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Profit--Motivation. Reputation (untrustworthy.) Others As Needed.

Note: Umbrians can have STR and STA abilities up to 6; their other abilities are within human limits. They are also interfertile with the other humanoid species of the World More Sorcerous, but the offspring of such unions always present in the same manner as their mother. Rarely, non-Umbrian offspring of such unions might possess Immunity 1 (heat).

Asravel Bankester -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Blessed Aegis: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Defensive Roll, Evasion); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3) - 9 points
Heat Resistant: Immunity 1 (heat); Immunity 5 (fire damage), Limited to half effect - 3 points
Hooves: Strength-based Damage 2, Inaccurate - 1 point
Light Magic: Array (15 points)

• Blast of Light: Ranged Damage 7 - 1 point
• Blinding Burst: Perception Area Cumulative Affliction 7 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to Vision - 1 point
• Burst of Light: Ranged Burst Area Damage 5 - 15 points
• Light of Healing: Ranged Energizing Healing 5, Others Only - 1 point

Shine A Light: Environment 1 (Bright Light) - 2 points

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ritualist.

Equipment:
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical)

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Magic 4 (+8), Expertise: Theology 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Light Magic 3 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 4)
Hooves +6 (Close Damage 6)
Sword +4 (Close Damage 7, Crit 19-20)
Blast of Light +6 (Ranged Damage 7)
Blinding Burst -- (Perception Area Affliction 7, Resisted by Dodge)
Burst of Light -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 7/4, Parry 9/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 32 + Advantages 6 + Skills 15 + Defenses 11 = 114 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Faith--Motivation. Reputation (untrustworthy.) Unsubtle.

Secret History of the Umbrians: The Umbrian people are descended from the Vizugta people who exist in the present day of the World in the Aftermath, who will be subjected to much genetic modification at their own hands and that of others before they time travel back to the distant past of the World More Sorcerous.

 

[Davies]

Mazikiah

While recent months have seen the armies of the Dark Side defeated on several fronts, thanks to their leaders choosing to focus on infighting to determine who should now rule Daath, their hold on some of the planets closer to the heart of their territory remains firm. One such planet is Aevumna, an Earth-like world conquered at the start of their territorial expansions and still ruled by the leader of the hordes who claimed it, the Dark Side general known as Mazikiah, who -- with surprising humility -- recognizes that he has virtually no chance to triumph in the struggle for Daath, and plans to support whoever seems likely to win. Besides, he has more immediate problems to worry about.

It seems likely that this realistic attitude originates from his origins. Sometime in the past century*, a Geretil made his way to Daath and reached Ananke to ask for a boon. As always, this was granted, with the Geretil gaining powers of shapeshifting far beyond those of any other member of his species. (He would also develop other talents, such as limited telepathic gifts, in his time on Daath.) The sole price that he incurred for this boon was that he would never be able to return to his default form again, becoming an oily black ooze after losing consciousness. This seemed no difficulty at all, as he was already an outcast among his people.

Mazikiah (as he came to be known) joined the armies of Daath when they took form and quickly rose in the ranks to become a general, albeit not one of the mightiest of that rank. Having commanded the conquest of Aevumna, he ruled it with a surprisingly light hand, offering reasonable terms to the former rulers of its many nations. Those terms did, however, include the demand that each of these rulers surrender a member of their family to him as a hostage, to be executed in the event of a revolt. Mazikiah put most of these hostages to work in his armies, conditioning them into obedience with technology from Daath.

Most of them ... but then there was Zedech, the infant child of the rulers of what had been one of the most powerful nations on Aevumna. Mazikiah was faintly appalled that these people had sent an infant to him but decided that sending the child back and demanding some other hostage would be a show of weakness. Therefore, feeling he had no better options, Mazikiah chose to raise Zedech as his own child and personally indoctrinate them with the ideals of the Dark Side. Everything that followed from that, every apparent act of kindness, was all just strategy towards that end.

Annoyingly, the plan failed! A few years ago*, despite having seen Zedech join the Dark Side army and become an officer within it, Mazikiah also saw them defect to the Brotherhood Beyond Borders, an international resistance group, and start helping the group to enjoy a few successes. Bad enough, but at the same time the Brotherhood also began receiving assistance from a warrior woman called Boclier, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. And now those few successes were becoming many more successes.

Fortunately, his superiors in the Dark Side are too focused on their infighting to realize that his rule over Aevumna is coming under challenge. This is not true of some of his direct lieutenants, who see all this as proof of his personal weakness. Just last week*, one of them used some sort of magic to put a curse on Mazikiah that would slowly kill him if he did not find some way to remove it, and the only way to do that would be to have someone who truly cared about him weep for his suffering. In other words, Mazikiah was doomed.

Seeking to at least settle the score with Zedech before he met his end, Mazikiah found himself personally confronted by Boclier for the first time. Defeated due to his own growing weakness, the shapeshifter confessed all in the hopes that she would put him out of his misery. What happened next was terribly confusing -- Bouclier insisted on taking him with her on some sort of quixotic quest to find someone who truly cared about him.

Needless to say, there was no such person, and Boclier found the entire situation terribly frustrating, stating that she believed that there was still some tiny amount of good in Mazikiah, and then going on to talk about a time when Zedech had been sick and Mazikiah had spent a whole night ignoring his other duties to care for them. This just added to his confusion; how could she know about that? As far as Mazikiah knew, Zedech and Boclier had never been close, never even been seen in the same place at the same time and and and and ... while he was stammering, a tear fell down the cheek of Boclier and the curse was broken. They stared at each other for a moment, and then promptly parted ways as quickly as they could.

So now he sits on his throne, watching the torture of his traitorous lieutenant, considering this development, thinking about how the boon he received from Ananke has meant that he can never reproduce as a Geretil, thinking about how the only person who truly cares about him is his mortal enemy. Thinking about if he wants to use that advantage -- er, no, how he wants to use it. Definitely how.

Mazikiah -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR 11/8 | STA 9 | AGL 6/3 | DEX 5 | FGT 12/9 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Grand Metamorph: Morph 4 (any biological form); Variable 8 (abilities of assumed forms), Free Action - 92 points
Psychic Probe: Cumulative Mind Reading 8 - 24 points
Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points

Variable Settings:
Default Setting: Strength-based Damage 3; Enhanced Agility 3; Enhanced Fighting 3; Enhanced Strength 3; Protection 5, Impervious 9; Senses 5 (acute extended tracking scent, danger sense, infravision) - 40 points
Giant Setting: Linked Growth 9 (36 feet; Strength +9, Stamina +9, Intimidation +4, Dodge -4, Parry -4, Stealth -9); Linked Protection 3, Impervious 10 - 40 points
Ranged Setting: Ranged Damage 13, Concentration - 39 points
Stealth Setting: Concealment 10 (all senses); Flight 9, Subtle 2 - 40 points

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 6, Skill Mastery (Deception).

Skills:
Deception 12 (+14), Expertise: Galactic 10 (+12), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Insight 10 (+13), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12/+9 (Close Damage 14/8)

Defense:
Dodge 10/7, Parry 12/9, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14/9, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 81 + Powers 130 + Advantages 11 + Skills 28 + Defenses 9 = 259 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 13
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Power--Motivation. "Certain Standards Must Be Upheld." Family (Zedech.) Nemesis (Boclier.) Well Aware That Zedech and Boclier Are One and the Same.

 

[Davies]

Sakamoto Karin

Recent months have seen quite a few changes in the leadership of the Ghost Sweepers. First, Sakura Motoko stepped down as the field commander of the team, somewhat to the relief of everyone at the Yokoyama Group. (Why she had been chosen for this role in the first place was not readily apparent, with no one willing to claim responsibility for the decision, somewhat predictably.) She was replaced in the role by Kishinami Monoka, as expected. And while this was an improvement, the fact that Monoka was more of an analyst and strategist was not lost on certain members of the Group, who felt that matters might have swung from one undesirable extreme to another. Still, there was no one else who could do the job.

And then, quite suddenly, there was. Sakamoto Karin was only recently discovered by the recruiters of the Group, identified as a possible superpower asset during her final year of high school. Possessed of certain talents honed through the practice of Japanese archery that allowed her to hit any target she could see and demonstrating considerable loyalty, wisdom, maturity, and humility, she quickly won the approval of the leaders of the Group, who appointed her as the second-in-command of the Ghost Sweepers, with the intention that she would be leading them in the field while Monoka continued to direct from the rear.

Monoka is understandably less than happy about this development, but recognizes that her new teammate seems to have a surprisingly high amount of support from the members of the Group. She has therefore chosen to accept this until such time as she solves the puzzle that Karin represents, particularly since she cannot deny that Sakamoto possesses genuine talents, and seems to get along with all the other members of the team despite having only recently been introduced to them. It normally takes longer for them to warm up to a new member.

Of course, this would be easily explained if Monoka had access to one key fact about Sakamoto Karin -- she is not real.

About two years ago, after failing a university entrance exam for the second time, one Yoshiaki Ryousuke underwent a psychic breakthrough that gave him the ability to call into being a representation of his own feminine ideal, amalgamating a number of fictional characters whom he idolized as examples of the so-called "Yamato Nadeshiko" archetype. While initially happy to be the sole focus of the attentions of the sort of woman he had always believed would never give him a second glance, Ryousuke soon realized that Karin could, by spending a relatively small time in the presence of any person other than himself, cause them to become a devout believer in her perfection, willing to do whatever she asked. Or, more accurately, willing to do whatever Ryosuke told her to ask.

The power quickly went to his head. Before things could get too far, however, one of the believers that they had already cultivated revealed the existence of the Ghost Sweepers to them. Ryousuke quickly realized that they could pose a threat to his gradual pursuit of wealth, as they might well have methods to banish Karin and prevent him from ever summoning her again. On the other hand, he could also perceive a way that he might use this group as tools towards his goals, by inserting Karin into their organization. (He was and is somewhat oblivious to the fact that neither of them were at all suited to dealing with the sorts of threats that the Ghost Sweepers must routinely face.)

For her part, Karin is utterly devoted to defending Japan against supernatural threats, but she is that way because Ryousuke has told her to be like this and has not countermanded those instructions. If he were to tell her to be something else, she would promptly do that instead, and cannot see any contradiction in this. It should also be understood that she has no ability to control the actions of her "believers", only to place herself at the top of whatever value hierarchy they might possess. Just what they do, once that is done, is entirely up to them.

Sakamoto Karin -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Perfected Archer: Array (26 points); Easily Removable (-10 points)

• Damaging Shot: Perception Range Damage 8, Affects Insubstantial 2 - 26 points
• Dispelling Shot: Perception Range Nullify Magic 6, Broad, Simultaneous - 1 point

Sanctity: Progressive Perception Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Transformed [to believer]), Insidious, Limited to Third Degree, Subtle 2 - 19 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: High Society 6 (+8), Insight 6 (+8), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Bow 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 2)
Damaging Shot -- (Perception Range Damage 8)

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

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 36 + Advantages 7 + Skills 20 + Defenses 19 = 120 points

Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Oblivious To Her True Nature. Power Loss (target must both see and hear her to be affected by Sanctity.)


Yoshiaki Ryousuke -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Servant: Immunity 1 (Sanctity); Heroic Summon 8, Continuous, Mental Link - 42 points

Advantages:
Benefit 2 (independently wealthy)

Skill:
Deception 6 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Stealth 4 (+4).

Offense:
Initiative +0
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage 1)

Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 2, Fortitude 2, Toughness 1, Will 2.

Totals:
Abilities 6 + Powers 41 + Skills 7 + Defenses 6 = 61 points

Offensive PL: 1
Defensive PL: 2
Resistance PL: 2
Skill PL: 0
Special PL: 8

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Secret Identity.

 

[Davies]

In case anyone's worried, the reason I haven't updated more this week is that I decided the third and fourth characters I was going to post this week needed some additional work before they were ready to post. They'll show up next week.

 

[Davies]

Shizuru Yamadera

Twenty-one years ago, her mother was employed as a maid, among other things, in the Japanese embassy in Paris. There, she met someone -- his name was Edmund, or something like that -- and they became friendly. Then Cerebron came, and everything changed. Her mother was sent back to Japan in disgrace, and oddly chose not to deal with the disgrace in the expected manner. Thus, Shizuru was born and grew up. Upon completion of her compulsory education, she was sent to the same private high school which had trained her mother before her. Under their often cruel tutelage, she learned how to be a maid ... among other things.

At eighteen, she was sent to join the domestic service of the Kishinami family. While neither her employers nor her co-workers were any more kind to her than the masters of the academy had been, but on the whole she did not find much difficulty in her employment, and silently questioned the notion that "the training must be hard for the mission will be harder." Her tasks were completed with cold perfection, whether cleaning the mansion, dealing with intruders, or providing entertainment for the master, the mistress or their occasional guests. She strove to avoid doing anything that might bring her to the attention of anyone, which would only cause trouble for herself.

So what happened next was a complete surprise. A few weeks ago, during a rare visit home by the young lady of the house and an even rarer shared breakfast between the former and her mother, Shizuru happened to be one of the maids present, serving in silence. When her mother asked about the domestic staff of the dormitory where the young lady resided, the young lady said that no such thing existed. Apparently shocked, her mother insisted that her daughter needed to have at least one maid for the sake of appearances, and bid her to choose one of those present. Visibly annoyed at this, the young lady selected Shizuru at random.

It took no time at all for Shizuru to conclude that the young lady was entirely different in character from either the mistress or the master. (Which stood to reason in the case of the latter, she supposed.) She supposes that she feels a greater respect for her current charge than she has ever felt for either of them, possibly tinted with what might be called affection by someone with a greater capacity for emotion. Which is problematic, for it also took her almost no time at all to realize that the young lady is leading a double life as one of the occult defenders of Japan, unbeknownst to her mother, who is one of the occult menaces of Japan.

Shizuru supposes that she should reveal one of these secrets to the other interested party ... but which one?

Shizuru Yamadera -- PL 6

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

Powers:
Unfazeable: Immunity 5 (interaction skills) - 5 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Fast Grab, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Interpose.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Deception 6 (+7), Expertise: High Society 8 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+8), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 1)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 8, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 5 + Advantages 12 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 90 points

Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Duty...But To Whom?--Motivation. Hidden Emotions. Secrets. Undereducated.

They only hit
Until you cry
And after that
You don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue
Anymore.

 

[Davies]

Shonen/少年

Helice takes seriously her self-appointed duty to conduct regular inspections of the ruins of Delphi, Indiana. Despite having done so for nearly sixteen years without encountering anything out of the ordinary, she had not allowed herself to become complacent. The Saturn kill team ambush that she endured a few weeks ago came as a surprise, certainly, but not a lethal one. As she prepared to defend herself, Helice expected that she was going to be hurt, and possibly badly, by this, but she had every expectation that she was going to be the one walking away afterwards.

As it would turn out, she was only slightly bruised by the experience and was not the only one walking, but was accompanied by the young man who had shown up out of nowhere to assist her with some impressive martial arts. He introduced himself as Shonen -- "Nah, I'm not Nihonjin. I just like the way it sounds, y'know?" -- but admitted his real name was Troy Shields. After some further banter, Helice got started on the much more important question of why there were so many holes in his mind.

"Oh, well, that's because I'm a time traveler, y'know?"

According to him, Shonen came from about two hundred years in the future, around ten years after the native time of the people who gave True Believer and Colonel Violence their power suits. (That was something that caught Helice by surprise.) While most people in his time were content to just watch recorded footage of the superpowers who had existed in previous eras, Troy had sought to emulate them. Training through advanced means unlocked his powers, and after "they" erased the parts of his memories concerning the world from which he had come, "they: also allowed him to travel back to the early twenty-first century.

"Who's 'they'?" Helice asked.

Shonen spread his hands and grinned. "They erased that, too."

"Greaaaaat," she said, shaking her head. "Okay, so, what exactly brought you back here? Is there going to be some kind of great disaster that you want to prevent?"

"Uh, no?" he answered. "I mean, there's going to be a lot of stuff happening in the next little while, like Vulcan, and the End of Truth, and the rise of the Argonauts, but the people who live in this time deal with all of it."

"Should you really tell me all these things that could mess up the timeline?" Helice asked suspiciously.

"What timeline?" he replied, spreading his hands again. "That's not how it works!"

"Okay, never mind. I doubt I'd understand the explanation. So, did you just come back here to have fun or something?"

"Nnnno," Shonen said blinking. "I just thought it was the right thing to do."

After a moment spent rubbing one of her temples, Helice turned and started walking away. "Come on," she cast back over her shoulder. "You can stay at my place until you're ready to find one of your own."

"Thank you ma'am!" he said, hurrying to catch up with her.

"Don't ever call me ma'am, I work for a -- what the heck is the End of Truth, anyway?"

"Oh, that's when the programmers pulled the plug on True Believer and Colonel Violence," he replied quickly.

"Greaaaat."

Shonen -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 4 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 12 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 3

Powers:
Focus: Variable 2 (feats of strength and coordination), Move Action, Unreliable - 14 points
Guts: Immunity 8 (cold, disease, heat, need for sleep, poison, starvation & thirst, suffocation), Limited to half effect; Regeneration 5 - 9 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Unfettered Movement: Movement 4 (safe fall, wall-crawling 2, water walking); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 12 points

Typical Variable Sets:
Ultimate Accurate Attack: Perception Range Damage 6, Distracting, Quirks (cannot be higher than current Strength Damage, cannot be combined with a maneuver) - 10 points
Ultimate All-out Attack: Selective Burst Area Damage 6, Distracting, Quirks (cannot be higher than current Strength Damage, cannot be combined with a maneuver) - 10 points
Ultimate Defensive Maneuver: Immunity 30 (Toughness), Concentration, Limited to Half Effect - 10 points
Ultimate Power Attack: Damage 14, Inaccurate 3, Quirk (cannot be combined with a maneuver) - 10 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Assessment, Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (every trick in the book*), Chokehold, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Power Attack, Precise Attack (close/concealment), Seize Initiative, Takedown, Trance, Uncanny Dodge.
* Resists Deception-based Feints with Fighting.

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 8 (+12), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+14), Expertise: Current Events 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 10 (+13), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Technology 7 (+9), Vehicles 5 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +20/+8
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 6)

Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 14, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/4, Will 11.

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8

Totals:
Abilities 72 + Powers 37 + Advantages 27 + Skills 36 + Defenses 19 = 195 points

Complications:
Upholding Good--Motivation. Constant Training. Limited Knowledge (only knows present day history of Timeline α.) Power Loss (Focus, without at least an hour spent in "cultivation" beforehand.) Quick Tempered, Quick To Forgive. Secret (time traveler.)

 

[Davies]

Buckeye

Based on a character created by Tattooedman and Emerald_Flame300.

As yet, little is known for certain about the superhero dubbed Buckeye. His first well-publicized appearance, three months ago, saw him preventing a terrorist attack on the Cincinnati Union Terminal, overcoming the attackers and preventing any civilian casualties with "energy orbs" that he threw from his hands. He then quickly departed after answering questions about his identity with the words, "Just a patriotic Buckeye doing my part." Subsequent research has turned up unconfirmed reports of a similarly attired individual from elsewhere in Ohio since the start of 2022.

None of this is really what Steve Jones ever expected out of his life. His college education, aiming towards medical school, was paid for by Argus, but he realized after only a few months of pre-med that he could not endure the pressure that course would demand of him. Therefore, he dropped out of school and went to work for the company as an ordinary agent. He did well as a field operative, and contributed to the successful resolutions of a number of dangerous situations over the next decade. Perhaps most notably, he was one of the survivors of the vampiric attack on Argus headquarters in New York.

Last year, however, Steve received a new and surprising assignment that saw him implanted in the Bethany Ryan School for Accelerated Studies as a science teacher. Pleased to be able to make use of his degree in biology, he found the assignment to be an interesting one. He also took part in a number of covert Argus operations in Columbus, such as the late January arrest of one James Wendell, a small-time mad scientist who had developed a strange weapon system that manifested force field "grenades" of various types, before Wendell could demonstrate it to underworld buyers. The weapon was seized by Argus with the plan to ship it on to an R&D facility after Wendell was convicted, and stored in the hidden Argus base within the Bethany Ryan School.

Before it could be used in evidence, however, the school came under attack by a group of robots of uncertain manufacture. The security team was outmatched, True Believer was out of contact due to other matters, and the thought of sending the superpower students of the school into battle against the attackers was a horrific one. Seeing no better option, Steve assumed a disguise and used the weapon to counterattack the robots, turning the tide of battle against them. Steve fully expected to be disciplined if not actually fired for this action, and was surprised when things went in a radically different direction.

Even by that point, rumors had begun to reach Argus of the activities of the supersoldier who would soon make his debut as Mega, the first officially employed superpower asset of the United States government since the dissolution of the United Superheroes. Generally speaking, Argus does not make attempts to "handle" superpowers who are officially employed by national governments, with Supergiant being a notable exception owing to his great power, membership in the Powerhouse, and family history. Even before Mega joined the Powerhouse, enough red flags were raised by both his public activities and what could be discovered about his origins that the decision had been made to treat him as another exception.

Therefore, the identity of Buckeye was carefully crafted by Argus with the intention that Mega would find him of potential interest as a potential ally, particularly with his self-description as "a patriotic Buckeye" and certain motifs used in the design of his costume. (While Steve Jones does consider himself a patriot, he would not normally identify himself in that manner.) It has succeeded, as Mega has indeed sought Buckeye out during an exploit by the latter, and congratulated him on a job well done. That is as far as it has gone, as of yet, but projections of the future activities that Mega intends to take suggest that he will try to recruit a team of American heroes representative of as many states of the union as possible, and Buckeye has been positioned to take part in that grouping and monitor it for the good of Argus and humanity.

Assuming he avoids getting killed in some other episode before that, of course. Steve has no real illusions about his odds of seeing tomorrow.

Buckeye -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Energy Orb Generator: Array (16 points); Removable (-3 points)

• Blast Orbs: Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
• Construction Orbs: Create 8 - 1 point
• Orb Barrage: Cone Area Damage 8 - 1 point
• Sticky Orbs: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Immobile & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

Goggles: Immunity 2 (visual sensory effects); Senses 2 (extended visual, low-light vision); Removable (-0 points) - 4 points

Power Stunt:
Controlled Barrage: Selective Cone Area Damage 5

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 4, Evasion 2, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Luck 3, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Protective Costume (Protection 3), commlink, and 16 points of other equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Science 3 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+6), Insight 3 (+6), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Energy Orbs 2 (+6), Sleight of Hand 2 (+6), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 3 (+5), Treatment 3 (+5), Vehicles 2 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Blast Orbs +10 (Ranged Damage 8)
Orb Barrage -- (Ranged Burst Area Damage 5)
Sticky Orbs +10 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 4, Toughness 10/7/5/2, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 20 + Advantages 28 + Skills 26 + Defenses 12 = 131 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Power Loss (Energy Orb Generator, needs occasional recharge.) Secrets (superhero identity, Argus agent.)

Note: For his PL 7 stats as an Argus agent, reduce AGL, FGT, AWE and PRE by 1 rank each, drop all powers, reduce Defensive Roll and Evasion to 1 rank each and remove Agile Feint and Improved Initiative from advantages, replace Protective Costume with concealed body armor (Protection 2, Subtle), remove Ranged Combat: Energy Orbs from skills, reduce Fortitude to 3, and remove Power Loss and Secret (superhero identity) from his Complications.

 

[Davies]

Jormungand

Of the kaiju and daikaiju that reside on or in the vicinity of Dread Island, the singular entity known as Jormungand bears the closest resemblance to a well-documented extinct animal, the mosasaurus. (Indeed, a species of mosasaurid discovered in North Dakota in 2015 was named jormungandr walhallaensis after the famous monster.) While much bigger than any documented example of that family and possessed of a strange ability to control the waters in which it is immersed, the kaiju is one of the most studied aquatic kaiju, in part because it is much more often away from the island than many of its brethren. The reasons for that remain a mystery to surface dwellers, for now.

Jormungand was first sighted by a Danish fishing boat in 1958, one of whom gave the creature its name derived from the Prose Edda. Soon after this sighting, the creature launched an attack on the Danish coastline but was repelled with surprisingly little property damage and no loss of life. (The episode would be portrayed in an extremely fictionalized form by a Danish film some years later.) While portrayed as a victory for humanity, more sober observers recorded their belief that the giant reptile had suffered no real injury in the episode and chosen to depart in search of easier prey in its native habitat. While somewhat able to move on land, it lost much of its mobility outside of the water.

There are numerous unconfirmed sightings of the creature in the next two and a half years, but it would next be officially sighted accompanying a group of Atlanteans in their attack on the coast of North Carolina in late 1960. Jormungand seemed to be cooperating with the invaders, which caused considerable strategic panic at the thought that all giant monsters might be under Atlantean influence, but clearer intelligence made it clear that it was the only one of its kind involved in the episode. On that occasion, Jormungand was defeated by Captain Mystic in a difficult battle that ended with him striking a blow that apparently disintegrated it, much to the shock of the Captain.

Later, more peaceful contact with the Atlanteans would clarify the matter further. They are in possession of a device dubbed the Gazach of Calling, which is apparently able to create a three-dimensional solid "hologram" of Jormungand which is subject to the will of the Atlantean operating the device as long as it remains functional. They would further explain that Captain Mystic had damaged the "hologram" enough to disrupt it, with this coincidentally occurring at the same time that the operator, loyal to the insurrectionist forces, had been attacked and slain by loyalist guardsmen.

While the device has been shown to the handful of surface scientists who have visited Atlantis and taken an interest, and its effects have been momentarily demonstrated on one occasion, the Atlanteans have absolutely refused to allow it to be examined. Nor have they offered any explanation as to its origins or how it came into their possession, beyond stating that it has been a treasure of the royal house for uncounted tides. (They would further disclaim any responsibility for the attack on Denmark.) It also remains unclear what would happen if the "hologram" were to be created when the actual Jormungand was in the vicinity ...

Jormungand -- PL 12/MR 12

Abilities:
STR 13 | STA 15 | AGL 3 | DEX 0 | FGT 6 | INT -4 | AWE 3 | PRE -2

Powers:
Aquatic: Immunity 2 (cold, pressure); Immunity 2 (suffocation), Limited to half effect; Senses 4 (darkvision, extended visual 2); Swimming 9 (250 MPH) - 14 points
Gargantuan Size: Permanent Growth 12 (90 feet; Strength +12, Stamina +12, Dodge -7, Parry -7, Intimidation +6, Stealth -14, Swimming +2); Impervious Toughness 12; Regeneration 20 - 68 points
Jaw-Filled Maw: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2 - 5 points
Scent Blood In The Water: Senses 2 (acute extended scent) - 2 points
Water Mastery: Array (36 points)

• Tidal Wave: Burst Area 2 Close Range Damaging Move Object 12 (12 tons), Limited to Water - 36 points
• Water Blast: Ranged Multiattack Damage 12 - 1 point
• Water Snare: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Immobile & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Favored Enemy (sharks), Improved Hold, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.

Skills:
Close Combat: Bite 2 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Water Mastery 8 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 13)
Maw +8 (Close Damage 16, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 4

Totals:
Abilities 20 + Powers 127 + Advantages 6 + Skills 9 + Defenses 18 = 180 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 3

Complications:
Hunger--Motivation. Clumsy Out of Water (automatically hindered and vulnerable.) No Manipulators or Speech. Power Loss (Regeneration, when not immersed.)

The Gazach of Calling

Note: The above is a photograph of a surface-built musical instrument dubbed the rotacorda by its creators, which is a reasonable approximation of what the Gazach looks like, albeit much less ornamented.

Gazach Of Calling: Summon Jormungand 12, Heroic, Concentration, Mental Link; Easily Removable (-14 points) - 23 points

 

[Davies]

Green Dragon/靑龍

Lu Jiawu was one of the first "tolerated independent operators" that Tiankui reached out to when the latter started recruiting the first members of the Sīfa Zhuānjiā. This was simple coincidence; the two happened to be in the same city when Song Meng began his great work in 2006. Despite this, the quick-witted muscleman quickly became the heart of the new-formed team, though Tiankui once ruefully mused that his teammate was so easy-going that it was indeed a good thing that he had gotten to him so quickly, because it was likely that he would have been just as easily recruited by the Metahuman Guard and just as loyal to them.

Admittedly, he expressed that notion before the great changes that Lu underwent in 2011. While he was among the members of the Sīfa who were forced into making an escape from the archaeological department of Huazhong University of Science, having been lured into a trap, Lu snatched up a guandao (or glaive) from one of the research tables in hopes of using it to bar a door and slow their pursuers down. When he grasped the shaft, however, he felt a sudden surge of power. Without really knowing how he did it, he found himself able to animate the wood, stone and plastic around him to provide the distraction needed for all of them to get away.

The next morning, however, Lu was startled to discover that he had gone from being clean-shaven to having what he could only describe as a peerless beard. He stared at his reflection, then turned to look at the guandao. "Oh, no," he said, horrified. Fortunately, Tiankui was able to convince him that he was jumping to conclusions. There was no historical evidence for a weapon like the guandao ever having existed in the third century, and no period reference to Guan Yu ever having used a weapon of this sort. This was all quite strange, but they could deal with it.

Since the beard -- which grew back after each attempt to shave it off -- and the weapon -- not needed for him to use his powers, but still quite useful in its own right -- would lead to him getting compared to the legendary general anyway, Lu decided to adapt by dubbing himself "Green Dragon" (Qīnglóng) after the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. His ability to control and transform urban building materials makes him one of the most powerful members of the Sīfa, with his ability to create falsified physical identification (which one of their other members digitally backstops) being viewed as absolutely essential.

Of course, the limitations of his abilities prevents him from accompanying them on missions that take them out of the cities and into the country or into stranger places. For that reason, as well as his self-effacing tendencies, the Green Dragon has repeatedly turned down invitations to lead the Sīfa, often pointing them in the direction of those whom he considers more qualified. He prefers to act under the command of another and support them all the way.

Green Dragon -- PL 12

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

Powers:
Ancient Guandao: Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical, Reach; Feature 1 (extradimensional storage); Easily Removable (-2 points) - 5 points
Draw Strength From The City: Impervious Toughness 8, Only In an Urban Region; Regeneration 5 - 9 points
Urban Telekinesis: Array (37 points)

• Animate Object: Perception Ranged Damaging Move Object 12 (100 tons), Limited to Urban Materials, Precise - 37 points
• City Sculpting: Continuous Transform 9 (400 lbs; any urban material [broad group] into any other urban material [broad group]), Precise - 1 point
• City Sense: Remote Sensing 9 (all senses, 30 miles), Limited to Urban Areas, Subtle - 1 point

Power Stunt:
City Transfer: Accurate Easy Extended Only Teleport 12 (2000 miles), Limited to Urban Locations

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit (alternative identity), Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Startle, Teamwork, Weapon Break.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+12), Close Combat: Guandao 3 (+11), Expertise: History 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+9), Insight 7 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8); Stealth 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6)
Ancient Guandao +11 (Close Damage 9)
Animate Object -- (Perception Range Damage 12)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 10/8, Will 12

Totals:
Abilities 76 + Powers 53 + Advantages 14 + Skills 26 + Defenses 17 = 186 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Hunted by the Authorities. Secret Identity. Trademarks (beard, green clothes.)

Note: For his earlier PL 9 incarnation, prior to finding the Guandao, reduce his INT, AWE and PRE by 1 rank each, drop all powers except Regeneration 5, remove Benefit, Connected, Improved Smash and Weapon Break from his advantages, drop Close Combat: Guandao from his skills and reduce Athletics to 4 (+10) and Expertise: History to 6 (+9), and reduce Dodge to 8 and Will to 8. He also did not have a Trademarks complication.

To force a pass is not at all easy and requires taking great risks.

 

[Davies]

Tàigōng Wàng/太公望

All warfare is based on deception. And all things are warfare.

When he finally escaped from the think tank where his mentors had tried to instill loyalty and love of country into a mind that cared only for his own immediate advantage, he knew that nowhere in all of China would be safe for him. So he escaped from his homeland as well, eventually winding up in Australia, where he soon became involved in criminal activities. Not a master criminal, not yet; instead, he sold his scientific and technical skills to the highest bidder, always seeking opportunities to learn. In time, this put him in conflict with the Discovery Company, though he preferred to think of them as being in competition rather than enemies.

He did not engage in all work and no play, of course, and acquired a moll. Their daughter was born in 2003, and that in turn led him to consider returning home. The establishment of the Metahuman Guard provided further enticement; where someone else would have regarded it as a danger, or at least a potential threat, he saw in it potential opportunity. Still, he kept his activities quiet until after the start of the brief period of tolerated independent operators, at which point he deliberately went as loud as he could. This led to his arrest and being given the choice between service with the guard or a short stay in prison from which he would only leave in a cadaver pouch. He naturally chose the former, having been aiming for just that outcome.

Of course, they did not trust him, especially after he dubbed himself Zhànlüè Jiā Wángzi/"Strategist Prince". He spent years working to convince his superiors of his loyalty to the state and patriotism. The truth is that, while he has little admiration for ideas from the West, he is singularly fond of one word that, in his mind, describes people who possess those qualities -- "suckers". He encourages these qualities in others, as he believes you should never wise up a sucker or give a chump an even break. Nor does he have any regard for tradition that fails to serve the needs of those living in the moment, such as himself. He instead embraces the appearance of tradition while using every possible advantage of modernity, such as the technological weapons and defenses that he uses to make himself more than a Hyperbrain.

Quite recently, as things go, he finally began to convince the leaders of China that he was in fact trustworthy, after arranging for the demise of Tiankui in a way that he claimed would create chaos among the Sīfa Zhuānjiā. While this failed to eliminate the renegade group, it did diminish their activities long enough that he was finally given the position of commander that had always been his target, with his principled decision to send his daughter to be raised in the same think tank where he was trained further confirming their trust in him.

Still more recently, after the appearance of the individuals calling themselves Sun Wukong and Daji, he finally took set aside his old alias and dubbed himself Tàigōng Wàng. This has put him in some disfavor with the government; claiming to be a "Prince" was bad enough, but to specifically identify himself with the Grand Duke of Qi? He has assured his superiors that he is only employing this name for the same reasons that the Sīfa do, in order to convince those who are weak-minded enough to believe in such myths. All the while, he hides the smile brought to his face by the knowledge of how much fear these identities cause the weak-minded among his so-called superiors.

All warfare is based on deception. And everything is warfare.

Tàigōng Wàng -- PL 10

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

Powers:
Force Field Reinforced Clothing: Impervious Protection 8, Subtle; Removable (-3 points) - 14 points
Godslaying Rod/神的鞭子: Damage 7, Affects Insubstantial, Variable (bludgeoning or slashing); Easily Removable (-2 points) - 7 points
Gravity Belt: Flight 7 (250 MPH), Subtle; Removable (-3 points) - 11 points
Omniscience: Senses 8 (postcognition, precognition); Feature 2 (postcognition and precognition check made with Investigation instead of Perception) - 10 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Attractive, Benefit 2 (Metahuman Guard Commander, security clearance), Close Attack 5, Connected, Defensive Attack, Favored Environment (planned situations), Improved Trip, Inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Ranged Attack 4, Redirect, Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 8 (+11), Deception 4 (+11), Insight 5 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+11), Investigation 2 (+13), Perception 5 (+11), Persuasion 5 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 3)
Godslaying Rod +11 (Close Damage 7)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 11/3, Will 10.

Totals:
Abilities 86 + Powers 42 + Advantages 26 + Skills 20 + Defenses 14 = 187 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Secrets (many.) Watched (by superiors and peers.)

Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage among his books. For to you kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring, but to him they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned with the flick of a finger.

 

[Davies]

Angelique Law

June, 2022

The door slammed open and Vendetta stormed through the doorway, his face masked but every part of his body shrieking his fury. He came to a halt only when he realized that the current target of his focused anger was not alone, but sitting up on the hospital bed that someone had donated to make the improvised infirmary into an actual one and talking with the Lancet.

Before either of them could say anything, he pointed one gloved finger at the super-doctor. "You," he said, voice modified. "Out."

"Excuse me?" said the Lancet in her usual monotone, eyebrow raised. "I am not about to leave my patient alone with --"

"It's okay, Doctor," interrupted Angelique Law. "I wanna talk to this guy, too."

The Lancet gave her a dubious look, but acquiesced with a shake of her head. "I will be right outside the door," she said as she walked towards the doorway. "Right outside," she repeated as she passed Vendetta before going through the exit and closing the door behind her.

"You threw our match," Vendetta said in the instant it shut. "The first match of the first round of this affair, and you threw in the towel after less than eight seconds."

"Well spotted," agreed the actor as she sat on the bed, legs kicking idly. "Did you want a prize for your perspicacity? I think they dropped the whole thing where the loser has to give the winner a boon or something, though, so I'm a little --"

"How dare you?!" he demanded. "How dare you disgrace this affair, how dare you disrespect me --"

"Okay, stop," she interrupted again. "First of all, this is an unrestricted martial arts tournament, so it doesn't have any grace to be dissed. And as for disrespecting you -- well, that's fair, I don't have much respect for you, Neal."

Vendetta tensed up. "How did you --" He broke off from that tacit admission, but just a little too late.

"Oh, gimme a break," she groaned. "This thing is being run by Argus, dumbass. They realized who you were almost immediately and they briefed everybody ASAP. So, yes, I know who you are and what your deal is. And I wasn't interested in getting beaten up by someone throwing a temper tantrum, so, yes, I threw our match." Angelique gingerly touched her side, where a bruise was forming. "I wish I'd done it sooner than I did," she muttered.

"Why did you even come here, if you weren't interested in fighting?" the masked man almost snarled.

"Because my manager thought it would be a good publicity stunt," she replied. "I'm an actor, remember? I knew I was going down early right from the start of this thing, but -- you honestly have no idea who I am, do you?" she asked, changing direction.

"An actor," he repeated, disgustedly.

"Right. I was born in Hong Kong, and my parents had decided that I was going to be a movie star. But in 1997, the whole world changed a bit earlier for us than it did for the rest of you, and the sort of movies I wound up making were ... not really what I enjoyed. But I took what I was doing seriously, and trained to do my own stunts, and somehow I wound up with the eye of the tiger or something. When I was twenty-two, I met our mutual acquaintance while she was wandering through our town, and we ended up talking a bit." She laughed. "It's funny, she gave me a spiel about how I was wasting my talents by using them this way, just like you did. Hers was funnier, though."

He looked like he was about to offer a retort to that. "Anyway, a few years later I decided that it was time to get out of there while the getting was good, and moved to America. I met up with Trouble a couple more times after that. I'm not saying we were friends."

"Good," Vendetta interrupted. "You are a waste of your talents."

"Oh, please," Angelique replied with a roll of her eyes. "What am I supposed to do, wander the earth helping people in need? According to the manifesto you declared at the start of all this, that's the last thing anyone should do. And I'm not interested in being a villain like ..." She trailed off, then, and her gaze turned a bit pitying as she looked at him. "That's just it, isn't it? You don't just want to be the villain, you want to be the only villain, the one who unites everyone against you. No, more than that, you want to be the villain who's so bad that --"

"Shut up!" he snarled.

She ignored him. "-- that she fights back from the grave just to kick your ass. You miss her so much that even getting beat down by her sounds good. Well, sorry there, white boy, it's never gonna happen."

"I said shut up!" he all-but-screamed, drawing a clenched fist back as he did.

"You should know that the Lancet can move really quietly when she likes," she said, eyes going catlike as she spoke.

Vendetta reflexively looked over his shoulder, then gaped behind his mask as he realized that he had fallen for that chestnut. He only had a second to do so before he received a pair of blows to his breadbox and neck, followed up by swift knee to the crotch. The pain sent him spiraling down into darkness.

Whistling as she went, Angelique quickly made her way towards the door, opening it to reveal that, in fact, the Lancet was not hovering just outside it but on the far side of the hallway.

"Everything all right?" asked the medic as Angelique emerged.

"I am, but he's not," she answered, thumbing back over her shoulder. "I think he needs your help more than I do."

"I see," said the Lancet, and headed back into the infirmary.

Angelique waited until she heard the scream of pain she was expecting, then headed down the hallway. "I might make a better villain than I thought," she muttered.

Angelique Law -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 3/1 | STA 3/1 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 8/4 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 5

Powers:
Eye of the Tiger: Enhanced Fighting 4; Enhanced Stamina 2; Enhanced Strength 2; Activation (move action) - 15 points
Ferocious Leap: Leaping 4 (120 feet), Tiring - 2 points
Keen Senses: Senses 3 (acute scent, extended hearing, low-light vision) - 3 points
Striking Power: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Tiger Claw Technique: Penetrating 3 on Strength Damage - 3 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive 2, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical 2 (unarmed strike), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8), Athletics 6 (+9/+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11/+7), Deception 4 (+9), Expertise: Performance 6 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+10), Perception 7 (+9), Stealth 5 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +11/+7 (Close Damage 5/3, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11/7, Fortitude 5/3, Toughness 5/3/3/1, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 25 + Advantages 18 + Skills 26 + Defenses 17 = 126 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Fame--Motivation. Lazy and Impulsive.

Move to activate Eye of the Tiger, Standard to Trick, Extra Effort to Surge, Standard to Power Attack as a Surprise Attack, Critical, Incapacitated, Move to leave.

 

[Davies]

Sohn Han-bin/孫한빈

Sohn Han-bin is a freelance cargo pilot based out of Seoul. Using his privately-owned airplane, a heavily-modified Lockheed C-130B dubbed the Dangerous Liaison, he is frequently hired to transport various small loads throughout east Asia. Matters being what they are, this frequently involves the transportation of items that various governments would -- to put it mildly -- rather not have imported or exported. For a reasonable fee, he will also offer transportation to passengers, though he always makes it clear that his plane is not designed for a comfortable traveling experience. (He also frequently has to make it clear that he will not, under any circumstances, transport unwilling passengers.)

Sohn has an understanding with the Empire. (Not the Emperor; his activities are much too small-time to interest His Majesty. So he keeps telling himself, in hopes that it is true.) That understanding is that he will never under any circumstances smuggle anything or anyone into or out of the Empire -- unless he is specifically told to do so. Which of course will never happen and has never happened. That clause of his verbal agreement is just a formality. Really.

As his plane is not armed, Sohn always immediately heeds instructions from aviation authorities to prevent the necessity of trying to run from much faster and heavily armed interceptors. When need be, he trusts to the hidden compartments installed in his plane, to his own gift for gab, and to the frequent corruption of those who conduct inspections. There have only been a few times in his two-decade long career where he has had to shoot his way out of a situation where none of that availed him, but he always keeps the concealed blaster pistol fully-charged against that possibility.

That weapon has an interesting history. Born in 1982, Sohn is old enough to remember the Korea before the Empire, though as he lost both his parents to Pythonian retaliation following their expulsion from the North, he does not regard those days with much fondness. At twelve, he found himself given sanctuary by a mysterious Westerner called Harlowe, the original owner of both the Dangerous Liaison and the pistol, who had come to find himself in need of a co-pilot and assistant mechanic. Sohn, no fool, fully expected that this was going to lead only one place but was desperate enough not to care.

To his surprise, what he was expecting never happened, and Harlowe seriously taught him how to operate and maintain the plane, with Sohn accompanying him on some of his voyages. From half-heard radio communications that his mentor sometimes received, Sohn started to speculate that the other man was some sort of secret agent, but the full details never became all that clear. Shortly after Cerebron attacked, Harlowe disappeared leaving only a note that transferred ownership of the plane, his private hangar and a fair chunk of change to Sohn. The blaster pistol was still in its recharging station in the hangar office.

None of these experiences have made Sohn a trusting individual, and so he has gone through a number of short-term copilots rather than working with anyone for too long. Currently, he operates alone; the modifications to the Dangerous Liaison allow it to be operated by a single pilot with reasonable safety, but it would work better with two. He was reminded of this last year, when he flew his old friend Virginia and her current flame into Bhutan. The guy certainly knew his way around the controls. He wonders what happened to those two, sometimes.

While he would prefer to be thought of as entirely mercenary, the truth of the matter is that Sohn has a deep-seated altruistic tendency that he has tried, without success, to eliminate. Refusing to engage in human trafficking -- and indeed, usually ruining the day of those who would try to get him doing that -- is only one of the good deeds that he has found himself engaged in, often complaining all the way about how he expects to be well-rewarded even though no reward could ever be worth all this trouble.

Sohn Han-bin -- PL 8

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

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Benefit (well-off), Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Initiative, Luck 2, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Seize Initiative, Skill Mastery (Vehicles), Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Customized blaster pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate) and 9 points of equipment as needed.
Dangerous Liaison: Size Gargantuan; Strength 13; Speed 8 (air); Defense 6; Toughness 12; Features Hidden Compartments (DC 25), Navigation System - 23 points
Private Hangar: Size Medium; Toughness 8; Features Communications, Hangar, Living Space, Power System, Security System - 7 points

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 8 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 54 + Advantages 28 + Skills 26 + Defenses 14 = 122 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Profit/Survival--Motivation. Frequently Cash-Strapped or Indebted. Hates Himself For Having The Next Complication. Heart of Gold.

 

[Voltron64]

Sohn Han-bin/孫한빈

Sohn Han-bin is a freelance cargo pilot based out of Seoul. Using his privately-owned airplane, a heavily-modified Lockheed C-130B dubbed the Dangerous Liaison, he is frequently hired to transport various small loads throughout east Asia. Matters being what they are, this frequently involves the transportation of items that various governments would -- to put it mildly -- rather not have imported or exported. For a reasonable fee, he will also offer transportation to passengers, though he always makes it clear that his plane is not designed for a comfortable traveling experience. (He also frequently has to make it clear that he will not, under any circumstances, transport unwilling passengers.)

Sohn has an understanding with the Empire. (Not the Emperor; his activities are much too small-time to interest His Majesty. So he keeps telling himself, in hopes that it is true.) That understanding is that he will never under any circumstances smuggle anything or anyone into or out of the Empire -- unless he is specifically told to do so. Which of course will never happen and has never happened. That clause of his verbal agreement is just a formality. Really.

As his plane is not armed, Sohn always immediately heeds instructions from aviation authorities to prevent the necessity of trying to run from much faster and heavily armed interceptors. When need be, he trusts to the hidden compartments installed in his plane, to his own gift for gab, and to the frequent corruption of those who conduct inspections. There have only been a few times in his two-decade long career where he has had to shoot his way out of a situation where none of that availed him, but he always keeps the concealed blaster pistol fully-charged against that possibility.

That weapon has an interesting history. Born in 1982, Sohn is old enough to remember the Korea before the Empire, though as he lost both his parents to Pythonian retaliation following their expulsion from the North, he does not regard those days with much fondness. At twelve, he found himself given sanctuary by a mysterious Westerner called Harlowe, the original owner of both the Dangerous Liaison and the pistol, who had come to find himself in need of a co-pilot and assistant mechanic. Sohn, no fool, fully expected that this was going to lead only one place but was desperate enough not to care.

To his surprise, what he was expecting never happened, and Harlowe seriously taught him how to operate and maintain the plane, with Sohn accompanying him on some of his voyages. From half-heard radio communications that his mentor sometimes received, Sohn started to speculate that the other man was some sort of secret agent, but the full details never became all that clear. Shortly after Cerebron attacked, Harlowe disappeared leaving only a note that transferred ownership of the plane, his private hangar and a fair chunk of change to Sohn. The blaster pistol was still in its recharging station in the hangar office.

None of these experiences have made Sohn a trusting individual, and so he has gone through a number of short-term copilots rather than working with anyone for too long. Currently, he operates alone; the modifications to the Dangerous Liaison allow it to be operated by a single pilot with reasonable safety, but it would work better with two. He was reminded of this last year, when he flew his old friend Virginia and her current flame into Bhutan. The guy certainly knew his way around the controls. He wonders what happened to those two, sometimes.

While he would prefer to be thought of as entirely mercenary, the truth of the matter is that Sohn has a deep-seated altruistic tendency that he has tried, without success, to eliminate. Refusing to engage in human trafficking -- and indeed, usually ruining the day of those who would try to get him doing that -- is only one of the good deeds that he has found himself engaged in, often complaining all the way about how he expects to be well-rewarded even though no reward could ever be worth all this trouble.

Sohn Han-bin -- PL 8

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

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Benefit (well-off), Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Evasion, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Initiative, Luck 2, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Seize Initiative, Skill Mastery (Vehicles), Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Customized blaster pistol (Ranged Damage 5, Accurate) and 9 points of equipment as needed.
Dangerous Liaison: Size Gargantuan; Strength 13; Speed 8 (air); Defense 6; Toughness 12; Features Hidden Compartments (DC 25), Navigation System - 23 points
Private Hangar: Size Medium; Toughness 8; Features Communications, Hangar, Living Space, Power System, Security System - 7 points

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Deception 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+8), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 8 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 54 + Advantages 28 + Skills 26 + Defenses 14 = 122 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Profit/Survival--Motivation. Frequently Cash-Strapped or Indebted. Hates Himself For Having The Next Complication. Heart of Gold.

"You know sometimes I amaze even myself".

Honestly, that is an incredibly clever fusion you've done there.

 

[Davies]

"You know sometimes I amaze even myself".

Honestly, that is an incredibly clever fusion you've done there.

Thanks!

For those curious: Harlowe shares a few things with the first character I posted in this thread.

 

[Davies]

Vale Vectus

High above one region of the Dragon Empire drift the floating islands of Magemenosa, home to one of the largest nations of high elves in the World More Sorcerous, bound to the Empire by ancient oaths of honor but not in any way subordinate to it. The nation is ruled by a wise king who is in turn advised by the assembled spirits of the great ancestors. The people live in peace and contentment, but are ready to defend both to death at all times and ahhh enough already.

What a crock. The wise king is a witless puppet, propped up by a cabal of mystics and merchants. The assembled spirits are illusions crafted by the mystics. The peace and contentment of the people is maintained through a ready supply of wisefruit, a drug that leaves most of them in a stupor that they will do most anything to recapture if it should ever be disturbed. If called upon to defend anything, Magemenosa would fall in about an hour. The cabal knows this, however, and they have frequently sought to recruit or create "heroes" order to maintain the illusion of battle-readiness.

Until recently, Vale Vectus -- in full Valezechtivectus -- was one of these heroes. An innocent who dreamed of being a defender of his people, his hopes and aspirations were exploited to the fullest when he was chosen to receive a series of painful treatments by the pet human wizard of the cabal. These granted him the power to move and do battle at great speeds, and to wield the power of the elements to defend himself and to offer healing to his allies. Tested in battles fought in the Empire on behalf of commercial allies of the cabal, he was finally deemed ready, presented to the public and celebrated.

But Vale was a bit smarter than his masters knew, perhaps because of his unwilling association with the wizard and the strange ideas that the latter had about what he called "science". While despising the man for his cruelty, that very sadism allowed Vale to see through the maze of lies that surrounded him. Realizing the true nature of what he was called upon to defend, he sought to reform it so as to make it worthy of defense.

The problem had begun with the disappearance, centuries earlier, of Kalonhedderkacis, the last true hero of Magemenosa, which had led to the rise of the cabal. Vale thus secretly sought out clues to the mystery of her disappearance, following her last known steps. He succeeded in as much as he found the passage between worlds that claimed her, but failed in that it also claimed him, sending him to another world in the same way and with no idea of how to return.

However, from what he has learned since arriving in this place called Australia, on a world which seems to have suffered a devastating war, this is the same word where She-Who-Will-Never-Yield also emerged -- though much earlier and on a different continent. Until such time as Vale can find a way to travel there and learn if she yet lives, he has chosen to spend his time offering what help he can to the people of this land. They were spared the worst of the horrific weapons employed in the war, but the subsequent environmental impact has harmed them and the gradual social disintegration is hurting them further.

All this may be a challenge beyond him, but he will not let his hands hang useless.

Vale Vectus -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 4 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 1

Powers:
Enchanted Speed: Enhanced Advantage 6 (Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, 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); Quickness 2; Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 17 points
Greatsword: Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2, Reach; Easily Removable (-2 points) - 4 points
High Elven Gifts: Immunity 4 (aging, cold, disease, need for sleep); Regeneration 5 - 9 points
Magic Spells: Array (17 points)

• Elemental Barrage: Ranged Damage 8, Variable (elemental)* - 17 points
• Restoration Charm: Ranged Restorative Healing 4 - 1 point

*Every time that he attacks, he can choose this effect to be of one of the following descriptors: air, darkness, earth, fire, light, metal, plant, or water.

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Takedown.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Greatsword 1 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Warfare 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Magic Spells 5 (+9), Stealth 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +9/+7 (Close Damage 5)
Greatsword +10/+8 (Close Damage 8, Crit 18-20)
Elemental Barrage +9 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 12/9, Parry 10/7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/4, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 48 + Advantages 6 + Skills 25 + Defenses 14 = 149 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fragile Sense of Self. Out of Place, Out of Time. Vulnerability (to opposing elemental power for one round after using Elemental Barrage.)

 

[Davies]

Dr. Jubal Wylie

Perhaps the most cogent statement about Dr. Jubal Wylie comes from one of his noteworthy rivals, Dr. Valerie Petrie. She once described herself as someone who regards the human suffering her activities sometimes cause as justified due to what will hopefully be learned from them for the benefit of all. (This opinion should not be confused with reality.) Wylie, in her view, was someone who regarded what might be learned from the human suffering caused by his activities as a bonus, reserved for his sole benefit, with the suffering itself as the actual objective. "Plus, he got his doctorate from Ashwood." (That last, at least, is objectively true.)

Attempts to discover much about his background have been stymied. At one point, it was authoritatively stated that he was born in 1976 to a family of Russian immigrants who had settled in Brooklyn. Some evidence has emerged to suggest that the person currently using the Dr. Wylie identity murdered and stole the identity of that person around 1997, as his features in photographs from before then are a poor match to those from after. However, there are other plausible explanations for the change in appearance.

Throughout the first fifteen years of the second age of superheroics, Dr. Wylie was involved in numerous criminal enterprises that relied on mad science, frequently placed in charge of projects. This was less due to his scientific brilliance than because of his true talent -- manipulating people, especially fellow scientists, into doing what he wanted and subsequently arranging to be in a position to claim most if not all of the credit for the successes or to place the blame for the failures on those who were often in no position to defend themselves -- or indeed, do much of anything. He was employed by the British offices of Saturn between 2008 and 2011, but was taken into custody by the CID when that branch suffered a major loss.

This apparent setback afforded him the opportunity to work on a super-soldier project based on stolen insights from Project Chokyojin, specifically that which produced Daniel Moriarty. Despite what Moriarty believes and what Wylie has indeed often claimed, he was neither the presiding intelligence of the operation. However, he spent a great deal of time studying and evaluating the augmentations installed in Moriarty, both out of sadistic enjoyment for the pain these examinations caused the young hooligan and to determine how best to adapt them to his own anatomy. Wylie finally succeeded in this shortly after Moriarty defected from the project, and reacted to this development by faking his death to facilitate his own exit from it.

Over the next six years, Wylie frequently sought to capture Moriarty and continue his "research", explicitly for his own benefit rather than the British organization. Thanks in no small part to assistance from George Robinson and other Argus operatives who worked with Moriarty, he was never able to do so, and seemed to have disappeared for good after his most recent setback in early 2022. The truth of his disappearance was far more bewildering, however, as he had become caught up in the Anachronic Calamity and became ... associated with the Anachronic Argonauts.

Wylie was only able to maintain a posture of interest in working with the group to prevent the destruction of all that is for a short time, preferring to study the phenomena despite the suicidal nature of such inquiries. To his annoyance, his plans were detected and then thwarted by that odious mummy Dietrich Reid and his brats. Briefly held captive, he escaped and passed through a portal to what he soon learned was a World More Sorcerous.

As Wylie has always held mysticism in utter contempt, this situation disgusted him, and he considered engaging in self-destructive violence designed to take as many of the locals with him as possible. After the initial fury passed, he decided that as "the one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind" -- the one person who understood actual science in a reality ignorant of it -- the situation presented some opportunities. Eventually making his way to the kingdom of Magemenosa, he played a key role in empowering their latest "hero", one Vale Vectus. (Or so he would later claim ...) That the latter has since disappeared is disappointing, but there remain other potentials in this reality ...

Jubal Wylie -- PL 7

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

Powers:
Reinforced Biology: Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5 - 8 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Evasion, Favored Foe (scientists), Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Luck 3, Multilingual, Ranged Attack 4, Speed of Thought, Taunt, Ultimate Effort (Deception).

Skills:
Deception 9 (+12), Expertise: Science 5 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+8), Technology 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 2, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 8 + Advantages 16 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 106 points

Offensive PL: 1*
Defensive PL: 4*
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Psychopathy--Motivation. Hatred (mysticism.) Secret (much less brilliant than he pretends.)

 

[Davies]

The Grim Family

During his lifetime, and even after it, little was publicly known about the dark avenger of the night known as Grim. The name was signed on a series of letters sent to The Arizona Republic, starting in 1989, that either claimed responsibility for vigilante activity in Phoenix or disclaimed responsibility for certain activities blamed on the perpetrator of the former. Despite sightings of the black-and-red-garbed figure, many people in the area believed that the whole thing was a hoax, or more accurately an attempt to create an urban legend. It was often speculated that local real estate mogul and noted eccentric Pascal Weathers might be behind the phenomenon -- whether operating as Grim himself or creating the hoax -- but as he died in a 1998 plane crash and Grim continued to be active until his own death in 2006, during the coup, this seems unlikely.

Grim seemed to lack superpowers, operating instead in the style of the Cowl and other early costumed crime-fighters or in that of the Canadian Moonshadow. He was noted, however, for possessing a talent for inspiring terror in his opponents. Doctor Constance Lodge, who witnessed this panicked reaction to his arrival, noted that -- as she herself felt no fear -- it seemed likely that this fear reaction was artificially induced, likely by some device hidden within his costume. This was never confirmed, of course.

Starting in 1992, Grim worked with a partner who possessed similar skills, a young man dubbed Scowl. (The latter name was added as a postscript to one of the letters.) Aside from this, he had no known associates. The Civic Champions of America made a failed attempt to recruit him not long after the group formed in 2000, with the members being told that Grim worked alone -- a bewildering lie -- and that they should get out of his city. Not that it would have mattered, as the CCA fell apart only a few weeks later. A similar invitation from the later Powerhouse was no less brusquely refused, though by that point Grim was being sighted more and more infrequently.

The truth was that Grim was Pascal Weathers, who faked his death to abandon his civilian identity and take his girlfriend, photographer Dianne MacAvoy, undercover with him after learning that she was pregnant. Scowl was his younger brother Gilbert, who made a show of leaving town after the "death" of his brother. And their ability to generate fear in those they chose -- and only them -- was an innate ability of theirs, something well known to Dr. Constance Lodge, born Constance Weathers, their older sister. Just why the members of their family possess this strange gift is not known to them, and the reasons why all of them manifest it would be of great interest to scholars at the Morrison Institute and to members of other ancient families whose abilities are nowhere nearly as predictable.

Following the death of Grim, Gilbert has trained his nephews (older brother Paul, alias Stare, and younger brother Mark, alias Glower) and nieces (Tina, daughter of Pascal, alias Glare, and Mira, daughter of Constance, alias Sneer) and also his own son Randy (alias Smirk) to follow in their family business. All of them maintain unrelated cover identities within the city; Gilbert, notably, has created the identity of Sullivan Danforth, office manager of the local Argus office, the better to throw off the agency from investigating what is now known as the Grim Family. The group recently came to unwanted public prominence after they worked to thwart the Slough in his attempt to take over Phoenix, and are trying to lay low. How long they will be able to do this before they have to return to action remains to be seen.

The Grim Family -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Fearsome Presence: Selective Visual Perception Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed) - 24 points

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (millionaire), Close Attack 4, Equipment 5, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle, Takedown, Teamwork.

Equipment:
Armored Costume (Protection 3), Swingline (Movement 1 [swinging]), grapple gun (Ranged Affliction 5 [Dodge/Damage; Hindered, Immobile], Limited Degree]) and 15 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 5 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+8), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 4 (+6), Stealth 4 (+7), Technology 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Grapple Gun +7 (Ranged Affliction 5, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 8, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/1, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 24 + Advantages 21 + Skills 21 + Defenses 18 = 126 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Distrust of Superpowers Other Than Family. Family (right there in the name!) Secret Identity.

Scowl: Increase PRE to 3, add Assessment, Contacts, Eidetic Memory, Favored Environment (planned situations), Inventor, and Well-informed to Advantages.
Stare: Increase Investigation to 7 (+9), but lower Intimidation to 4 (+6).
Glower: Increase Expertise: Streetwise to 7 (+9), but lower Acrobatics to 3 (+6).
Glare: Increase Insight to 6 (+8), but lower Intimidation to 4 (+6)
Smirk: Increase Acrobatics to 6 (+9), but lower Intimidation to 4 (+6).
Sneer: Increase Technology to 6 (+8), but lower Intimidation to 4 (+6).

Note: Should stats for Grim in his prime (1989-1995) be needed, use those of Scowl, but increase FGT by 2 ranks and all other abilities by 1 rank each; he was PL 9. In the World More Grim, he was still alive until the end of the world, but reduce STR, STA, AGL, DEX and FGT by 2 ranks for a PL 6 incarnation who was retired and an advisor to his family.

 

[Davies]

Okay, switching to a M-W-F posting schedule for the foreseeable future. In the meanwhile, I've put up a team page for the Merry Men, previewing one of the characters who'll be appearing next week.