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

[Davies]

Gedaugen (revised)

"Like Alexander I will reign,/And I will reign alone,
My thoughts shall evermore disdain/A rival on my throne."
-- from My Dear and Only Love, by James Graham, Marquis of Montrose

For a long time, he was content in his tiny kingdom, content to have his services called upon by the much greater powers that ruled his world, content with guarding what he had discovered under circumstances that even he no longer remembered well. He knew that he would only destroy himself if he chose to oppose those greater powers, and that they had no interest in claiming what he guarded or seizing his demesne. So he was satisfied with what he had.

Then came a strange foreigner who demanded -- demanded -- that Gedaugen turn over to her the Entropy Gem. If the Commandant of Entropy regrets anything, it is that he did not wield the powers of the Gem against her in response to this demand, but trusted to his own mastery of that universal force to vanquish this challenger. He recognizes that the other four Cosmic Gems she had in her possession would likely have still granted her the victory, but perhaps he could have made it a hollow one by destroying what she sought in a final act of defiance.

But he did not, and she took the Entropy Gem with her and left him lying on the floor of his throne room, barely alive and struggling to restore himself. His immediate plan was to pursue the one called Billie Zane and somehow -- this part of the plan was, he admitted, too vague to merit the term "plan" -- regain what she had taken from him, no matter what the effort cost him. Almost as soon as he was hale, however, Gedaugen felt a confusing change in the cosmos.

Then a scowling, red-haired woman appeared from nowhere before him. "This is probably a big mistake, but what the hell do I know?" said Gloriana as she tossed the Entropy Gem to him. He was too astounded by this development to take any action against the intruder before she disappeared as quickly and inexplicably as she came. There was also the distraction of what renewed possession of the gem allowed him to understand about the aforementioned change to the forces of entropy, which now possessed the mystic qualities that it did in other parts of the multiverse.

This has both increased his power and broadened it, allowing Gedaugen to wield entropy to nullify the powers of others, regardless of their source. Still more terrifyingly, he has gained the power to suppress the psychic functions of other beings with nothing moe than a touch, reducing them to a comatose state while manifesting their consciousnesses as globes of energy that he holds in his hand, which he can interrogate as long as he holds them. He generally releases these "stolen souls" once he has obtained whatever intelligence he requires from them, but has been seen to crush them out of existence, killing the victim, when doing so suited his needs.

These changes to his station, and the disappearance of both Abraxas and Ananke from Daath, have led Gedaugen to join the struggle for power that now consumes the world of darkness. His short-term goal to seize sole power and then reorganize the armies of the Dark Side along more professional lines, before resuming their attacks on the rest of the universe. His long-term goal serves the purposes of entropy as he now understands it, breaking things down into simpler forms. What could be a simpler form for a universe filled with division and conflict than being brought beneath the rule of a single individual? All will be equal then, none more powerful than any other, save for him.

"He either fears his fate too much,/Or his deserts are small,
That puts it not unto the touch/To win or lose it all."
-- op. cit.

Gedaugen -- PL 15

Abilities:
STR 11 | STA 13 | AGL 4 | DEX 2 | FGT 9 | INT 3 | AWE 6 | PRE 6

Powers:
Abiding: Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Impervious Toughness 7; Impervious Will 10 - 28 points
Entropic Manifestations: Array (45 points)

• Boundary: Healing 15, Others Only, Selective Burst Area - 45 points
• Cascade: Cumulative Affliction 15 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Vision Impaired, Vision Disabled, Vision Unaware), Selective Burst Area, Limited to One Sense - 1 point
• Exergy: Damage 11, Alternate Resistance (Fortitude), Selective Burst Area - 1 point
• Mitigation: Healing 11, Self Only, Reaction (when damaged) - 1 point
• Momentum: Move Object 15 (800 tons), Selective Burst Area, Limited to Moving Away - 1 point
• Nullification: Close Nullify 15, Concentration, Cosmic - 1 point
• Reaction: Cumulative Affliction 15 (Resisted by Fortitude; Impaired, Disabled), Limited Degree, Selective Burst Area - 1 point
• Soul Theft: Affliction 15 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Reversible; Cumulative Mind Reading 10, Quirk (only targets incapacitated by Soul Theft) - 1 point*

Force Shield: Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Strength-based Damage 4; Activation (Move Action, -1) - 7 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Benefit (rulership), Fearless, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Takedown 2, Weapon Break.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 3 (+14), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+13), Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+11), Expertise: Military 10 (+15), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+12), Perception 6 (+12), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 9 (+11)

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 11)
Shield Bash +9 (Close Damage 15)

Defense:
Dodge 13/11, Parry 15/13, Fortitude 15, Toughness 13, Will 11.

Totals:
Abilities 104 + Powers 66 + Advantages 13 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 245 points

Offensive PL: 15
Defensive PL: 14
Resistance PL: 13
Skill PL: 10

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Brutal and Merciless. Enemies (other would-be rulers of Daath.) Guardian of the Entropy Gem (will go absolutely berserk if anyone tries to steal it after this.)

* "Crushing the stolen soul" uses a finishing attack maneuver against the Incapacitated target.

 

[Davies]

Dr. Valerie Petrie

Let it be clear, she is a legitimate doctor. (When in a good mood, she will unsmilingly declare, "I have a Doctorate in Philosophy from Yale, a Doctorate in Civil Law from McGill, and a Doctorate in Medicine from John Hopkins. My friends, out of courtesy, call me Doctor.") But if she ever held a license to practice medicine, it has certainly been revoked given the well-documented crimes to which she has been party. Dr. Valerie Petrie is perhaps the foremost medical mercenary in the world, with only Sorayama Hiroshi, the great artist of cybernetics, standing as a peer.

The earliest record of a Valerie Petrie dates to 1981, when she arrived, alone, at the doors of a think tank operating in Rochester, New York. According to her stated biography, she was then fourteen, and the only daughter of the late Roland Petrie, associated with the Morrison Institute before his death in 1979 and a former employee of a somewhat notorious private hospital in upstate New York. All subsequent attempts to discover corroboration of this background have failed. Nevertheless, she was accepted as a member of the think tank and soon distinguished herself in its medical research program.

She remained at the think tank well after she would have been free to leave, only departing when she was expelled under obscure circumstances in 1997. According to her statements, she had even then begun to feel that the think tank concept had served its purpose and that much of the research currently being pursued there was pathological and/or directed towards impractical ends. The handful of fellow students from that institution who are willing to talk about her will claim, in hushed tones, that she was expelled for practicing reanimation, having even then come into possession of the Frankenstein papers as an inheritance from a cousin of hers named West. (She denies any relation to the individual by that name who was active in the 1980s, but will not deny a possible connection to his alleged ancestor.)

Since then, having not aged perceptibly since departing the think tank, she has unhesitatingly put her scientific and medical skills to the use of the highest bidder. While regarding ethics as largely irrelevant to her concerns, Dr. Petrie does observe certain personal standards. She is not interested in putting her skills to use for the sake of romantic nihilism under the pretense of "for science!" When she agrees to work on a project, it must have a specific goal that she considers achievable. If she later determines that the goal is unachievable after she has accepted payment for her work, she may (depending on her evaluation of the stability of her employer) make one attempt to convince them of the impossibility of what they want. If that fails, or if she believes doing so would be unsafe, she will continue to work on the project while making plans for her personal escape from the fiasco sure to follow.

During the course of several such fiascos, she has crossed paths with most of the Powerhouse and other noteworthy superheroes, maintaining a somewhat collegial association with la Donna Universale despite having been on opposing sides of several conflicts. When confronted by superpowered opposition she will unhesitatingly surrender, having no illusions about her ability to successfully fight against such beings. She is more inclined towards homicidal self-defense when confronted by more mundane opposition, and can and has given lessons in the combat applications of the scalpel.

As already mentioned, Dr. Petrie has been alleged to be in possession of the papers of one George Frankenstein, outlining his process for returning life to unliving tissue. These rumors are correct. However, Dr. Petrie does not engage in these practices. (This is not to say that she has not, only that she no longer does so.) She believes in staying bought, and considers the decision by Adam and Mary Frankenstein to allow her to remain living after they learned of her ownership of these documents, as long as she was willing to agree to use them only as they request, as having purchased her services in a coin she values dearly.

Buried in the archives of the think tank where she was supposedly trained, now held by the library of the University of Rochester, are the results of the physical examination she was given on arriving at that institution. They confirm that she was a typical fourteen year old female human, but note one oddity -- the presence of scarring on her head, covered by her hair. Scarring typical of someone who had been the subject of brain surgery -- extremely radical brain surgery. Those marks have largely been effaced by time and treatments she herself has developed, and she does not welcome inquiries about them. At all.

Dr. Valerie Petrie -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Longevity: Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) - 3 points
Unfazeable: Immunity 5 (interaction skills) - 5 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 10, Evasion, Improved Critical (knife) 2, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Medical Miracleworker*, Multilingual, Non-Lethal Tactics, Redirect, Skill Mastery (Treatment), Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.
* As Invention, but using Expertise: Science to design and Treatment to "build".

Equipment:
50 points of gear as needed for current operations, usually including a knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical) and a headquarters (always including Infirmary and Laboratory.)

Skills:
Close Combat: Knife 5 (+9), Deception 5 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 5 (+12), Expertise: Science 6 (+13), Insight 5 (+8), Intimidation 7 (+11), Investigation 4 (+11), Perception 5 (+8), Technology 2 (+9), Treatment 6 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Scalpel +9 (Close Damage 2, Crit 17-20)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 52 + Powers 8 + Advantages 26 + Skills 25 + Defenses 19 = 130 points

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

Complications:
Mercenary--Motivation. Honor (stays bought.) Power Loss (Longevity, without regular treatments.) Secret (custodian of Frankenstein papers.) Somewhat Vain.

 

[Davies]

Kalama Mazainin

Art by Moonsoo Lee

Not so very long ago, on a planet on the trailing side of the Technate, a middle-aged woman, beat down by years, sat at the bar in a broken down public house, nursing an alcoholic beverage. She lifted her head slightly at the unfamiliar sound of thrusters not so far away, then nodded to herself. "'Tis about to get a bit dangerous in here, gents, so you'd all wisely be elsewhere," she announced, then glanced over her shoulder to discover that the tavern had emptied out even before she spoke. With a shrug, she returned to her drink.

Then the doors to the house burst inward as a younger woman, strongly resembling the older one, kicked them in. (Her hands were filled with a pair of blasters, you see.) "You chuttin' slag!" she shouted as her fiery eyes settled on the sole occupant of the house. (It should not be difficult to figure out the English equivalents of the naughty words being used in this conversation, but the originals will nevertheless be used in their stead.)

"Fair mornin' to ye, Kalama," replied the chutting slag without a glance in the direction of the one who so addressed her. "You're out sooner than I thought."

"Oh, I daresay you thought you'd never see me again, Maza," replied Kalama, making the word for mother into a curse. "But I showed 'em like I'm about to show you and --"

"I knew you'd be back," the old woman said, before taking a deep draught that almost drained the contents of the flagon before her.

"Damned liar!" Kalama shouted. "If you'd thought I'd be back, you'd have been lars away from here by now! Or what, did the dosh from the buros not cover a ticket on a fast ship for ye?"

"You could say that, right enow," her mother replied agreeably, licking her lips to get what remained of the drink on them.

Kalama let out a disgusted grunt. "Spent it all on drink, I s'pect."

"Now that you can't say. There was no money, Kalama. The buros offered me some, aye, but I told 'em where to keep it. I never sold ye out, girl. I gave ye up for free."

Kalama was shocked enough that the blasters in each of her hands dropped their line of fire from the old woman to the floor of the house. "For free?" she repeated, hoarsely. "You turned me into the chuttin' Bureau of Law Enforcement, knowin' what they would do to me, knowin' they'd try to turn my mind inside out, and you never even took their dosh? Why? What was the point of it, then?"

"The point," said her mother, finally sure that there was no more drink to be had, "was to trade the endless wonderin' of when you'd decide to finish me off for at least a little time where I knew you couldn't. I hoped for a month, but a week will have to do." With that, she finally turned to face Kalama head on, regarding her with furious loathing. "So get on with it, damn ye, you've been tryin' to end me since you was in me guts!"

The sound of Kalama shrieking in outrage almost drowned out the roar of blaster fire.

Kalama Mazainin ("Mothered-Not") is one of the most notorious pirates of the trailing regions of the Technate, frequently raiding into the Vaask Hegemony and territories claimed by the Konan Armada. There is a substantial bounty on her head, but most people are understandably reluctant to take the risks involved in claiming it, given what she is known to have done to the last individual who turned her in for the reward. (The true story of that, presented above, is known only to herself.)

She has subjected herself to extensive cybernetic modification in order to keep her body beyond the razor edge needed to be a successful space pirate, as well as keeping herself alive after the serious injuries she has suffered in her pursuit of infamy. None of this has done anything good for her psychological balance, which was not all that great in the first place. Kalama is notorious, even among pirates, for being a mercurial and unpredictable commander, showering her crew with riches on day and shooting them in cold blood over minor infractions of ship policy the next. Fortunately, the stories about paying well attract the interest of people who imagine that the other sort could never happen to them.

Recently, Kalama happened to overhear an old rival-slash-ally-of-convenience, one Naharuk, recruiting crew for a visit to some obscure planet in the Unclaimed Regions that had been invaded by Konan and threw them back. The incident has seized her curiosity, as she wonders how much profit could be gained from raiding a system that would be barely recovered from the damage that invasion caused ...

Kalama Mazainin -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Mobility: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 2 (environmental adaptation-zero gravity; wall-crawling); Speed 2 (8 MPH) - 12 points
Twin Stars: Ranged Damage 10, Improved Critical 2, Split Attack; Easily Removable (-8) - 15 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Benefit (make climbing checks with Acrobatics), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 17, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Leadership, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2, Skill Mastery (Acrobatics), Startle.

Equipment:
Maza: Size Gargantuan; Strength 14; Speed 14 (space only; 32,000 MPH); Defense 6; Toughness 14; Features Communications, Hidden Compartments, Holding Cells, Infirmary, Living Space, Navigation System, Remote Control.
Powers:
Stardrive: Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 4 points
Weapons: Array (54 points)

• Torpedoes: Linked Ranged Damage 12; Linked Ranged Burst Damage 10 - 54 points
• Tractor Beam: Move Object 14 - 1 point

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Galactic 7 (+10), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 9 (+11), Stealth 4 (+9), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +13
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)
Blaster +8 (Ranged Damage 10, Crit 18-20)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 7/2, Will 7

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

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 27 + Advantages 29 + Skills 27 + Defenses 19 = 172 points

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Paranoia. Weakness (becomes Vulnerable if subject to Nullify Electrical.)

"I tread a lurching timber world, a reeking salt-caked hell;
And yet, perhaps, no worse a world than yours ..."

 

[Davies]

Proctor

The saying goes, "If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras" -- in rather more words, it is foolish to make unlikely conclusions from data when there are more plausible ones to be made. So it is that, when a robot appears and starts attacking people, most people will assume that it is a creation of a human mad scientist, even if they are aware of the existence of sapient robots on the planet Mercury. (The fact that the largest manufacturers of hostile robots on Earth are also robots is known to few.) Sometimes, however, the hoofbeats will be those of zebras.

The robot known as Proctor first appeared in 2018, operating in Denver and luring the Blue Bolt and Polymorph into a trap-filled facility that made heavy use of its attack drones as both remote weapons and spies. While the two heroes were able to easily deal with the traps -- to the point where they spent a fair amount of time reminiscing about more effective means of imprisonment to which they had been subjected to in the past -- and incapacitate the robot, they were unable to determine who had created it and set it loose. They turned the inactive robot over to the authorities and sauntered off whistling, expecting this to be their only encounter with the robot.

They were technically correct, in that they have yet to encounter Proctor as a duo since then, though each of them has had a subsequent encounter with the robot, as have a number of other superheroes. (By this point, it has become clear that it is operating independently of whoever constructed it.) The robot has seemed more interested in capturing and studying its opponents than permanently eliminating them. This is doubly fortunate, as the designs and implementation of its plans have improved greatly from its initial debut, frequently striking against the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of its targets.

Recently, however, those schemes have become considerably more lethal than they have in the past, with the Milwaukee-based hero Scanner barely escaping with his life after an encounter with Proctor. Scanner passed on information about this episode to the Powerhouse as a courtesy, while admitting that he was unsure whether the danger had been greater because of changes in the operations of the robot or his own complacency. As Proctor rarely speaks to its motives in making these attacks, just what might have prompted such changes remains as much a mystery as anything else about it.

Proctor -- a self-granted designation -- was created by a hyper-advanced civilization that lies far beyond the regions of space explored by aliens familiar with Earth, much closer towards the galactic core. These entities are much more familiar with and able to exploit the higher regions of hyperspace than is permitted by the technology employed by the Technate and Imperium. As such, they were able to perceive a disturbance that propagated through those regions of hyperspace at trillions of times the speed of light, and track it back to its source on Earth, where extradimensional energies had briefly touched reality from the other side. A robot explorer was dispatched to Earth to investigate this situation further, operated by a gestalt consciousness based on the entire leadership of its creators.

Proctor discovered traces of these extradimensional energies on a variety of subjects, especially "superheroes" associated with the organization known as the Powerhouse. But its investigations would not discover their source for nearly a year, when it learned of the existence of the entity known as the Avatar -- a projection of the consciousness and power of an actual entity from beyond reality onto this plane of existence. This was humbling and terrifying. Proctor nevertheless continued its investigations, now focusing on studying the effects that the presence of this being had on the inhabitants of this planet.

They have continued even as beings from this planet have apparently altered the way that the entire universe relates to those extradimensional energy sources in recent months, further terrifying Proctor. This residents of this planet have clearly demonstrated that they are a serious threat to all other civilizations in this reality, including its creators, and so its investigations have become much more forceful than they have been in the past. Proctor still does not want to destroy Earth or its residents, but their continued experimentation with reality-altering technologies, whether informational, mechanical or psi-electronic, has to stop. And if the only way to do that is to stop them from doing anything ... well, it is a cold and unforgiving universe.

Proctor -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA -- | AGL 5 | DEX 7 | FGT 5 | INT 6 | AWE 6 | PRE 5

Powers:
Advanced Sensors: Senses 9 (direction sense, distance sense, infravision, radar [radius accurate radio], time sense, ultravision) - 9 points
Attack Orbs: Summon 8, Controlled, Heroic, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 3, Sacrifice - 98 points
Built-In Weaponry: Array (24 points)

• Basic Blaster: Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
• Capturebeam: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseles & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Gravbeam: Damaging Move Object 8 - 1 point
• Stunbeam: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point

Phased Flight: Flight 11 (4000 MPH), Aquatic; Insubstantial 3; Movement 4 (environmental adaptation [zero-g], space flight 3) - 46 points
Robotic Body: Immortality 5 (minimum of 1 day), Check Required (Technology, DC 20); Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Impervious Protection 11; Regeneration 1 - 54 points

Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Multilingual, Skill Mastery (Technology), Ranged Attack 3, Speed of Thought, Well-informed.

Skills:
Expertise: Galactic 6 (+12), Investigation 5 (+11), Perception 6 (+12), Stealth 6 (+11), Technology 7 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 6)
Basic Blaster +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Capturebeam +10 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Stunbeam +1 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude Immmune, Toughness 11, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 70 + Powers 234 + Advantages 8 + Skills 15 + Defenses 11 = 328 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Observation and Judgment--Motivation. Fear (magic and supertechnology.)

Attack Orbs -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Advanced Sensors: Senses 9 (direction sense, distance sense, infravision, radar [radius accurate radio], time sense, ultravision) - 9 points
Built-in Weaponry: Array (16 points)

• Blaster: Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points
• Gravbeam: Damaging Move Object 5 - 1 point

Microjets: Flight 8 (500 MPH), Aquatic - 17 points
Recorders: Feature (audio/video recording equipment) - 1 point
Robotic Body: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 1 - 47 points
Small Size: Permanent Shrinking 12 (6 inches; Dodge +6, Parry +6, Stealth +12, Strength -3, Speed -1, Intimidation -6) - 12 point

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Skills:
Perception 10 (+13), Stealth 0 (+14).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster +8 (Ranged Damage 8)

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

Totals:
Abilities -2 + Powers 103 + Advatages 9 + Skills 5 + Defenses 5 = 120 points

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

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. No Manipulators or Speech.

 

[Davies]

Sid Viscous

Ronald Rampulsky, better known by the alias Doctor Viscous, was one of the most notorious supervillains of the first age. Not for success in his criminal endeavors, but for sheer persistence. Despite being beaten by nearly every member of the Institute at some point, he kept coming back for more. Exactly how he avoided the inevitably lethal attention of Stardust is not clear, though Richard Lawson noted that the police reports about the crimes of Doctor Viscous do not show him as involved in any homicides, suggesting that his crimes never rose to the level that Stardust considered deserving of retribution.

In the end, however, he found himself behind bars for an extended period after the Battle of Vietnam, with his escape attempts foiled. Rampulsky would not be freed until 1982, when he was broken out of prison at the start of the Pythonian Insurgency. Seeing an opportunity, Doctor Viscous pledged his loyalty to the movement, and went to work in its scientific department. Despite the proposals he repeatedly pitched about outfitting an entire unit of Pythons equipped with his glue gun, he accomplished relatively little during his time with the Insurgency, and was ultimately killed several months prior to the invasion of Delphi.

Roughly twenty years after the death of Doctor Viscous, a new supervillain made his debut fighting the Blue Bolt under the alias Sid Viscous. (Reportedly, he was bewildered when the Bolt quoted Sex Pistols lyrics at him, raising a number of questions.) While employing what he claimed was an improvement on the original glue formula, he proved just as easily defeated as his forebear. Following his capture, he identified himself as Sidney Rampulsky, the son of Dr. Viscous, born to his Pythonian personal assistant.

This only raised further questions. Peri Brown, that assistant, had been taken into custody following the downfall of Delphi, and served a relatively short jail sentence. While she was the single mother of a young son -- named Dennis and born in 1986, on the same birthdate claimed by Sidney Rampulsky -- there is no evidence proving that Ronald Rampulsky was the father, and some witness accounts which suggest that the Doctor was asexual. Further, Sidney Rampulsky provides a narrative of his life, including time spent at a think tank, which is somewhat at odds with what little is known about the subsequent lives of Peri and Dennis Brown, which apparently came to an end during the Cerebron assault, after which they were both missing and presumed dead.

Nevertheless, Sid Viscous has since demonstrated the same bloody-minded persistence in his unsuccessful criminal endeavors as his supposed father, often coming back from defeats that seem fatal. His persistence is such that it has been seriously suggested that he is, in fact, a clone of Ronald Rampulsky let loose on the world by some unknown party. Sid has heard of these rumors, finds them outrageous, and intends to find out who started the silly idea and do some fatal things to them. He is his own man, living his own life, and if it parallels the father he never knew, that is just how it goes. He certainly never spends any sleepless nights contemplating this nonsense!

Based in St. Louis, Sid will sometimes claim that he was invited to join the Combination when it was formed but had to turn them down as he had other irons in the fire at the time. This is untrue; he turned the invitation down flat, no matter how flattering it was to be the first one asked, and has regretted it every time he has to pay protection money to them. Having learned from his mistake, he agreed to the similar invitation from the Slough, last year, and saw that operation fall to pieces due to the mistakes that everyone but him made. He managed to escape capture, but has sworn off on any team-ups after this. The only person he can rely on is himself, in the end.

Sid Viscous -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Armored Costume: Immunity 2 (suffocation); Protection 5; Removable (-1 point) - 6 points
Glue Gun: Array (32 points); Easily Removable (-14 points)

• Blob Shot: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge; Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Contagious, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 32 points
• Narrow Stream: Cumulative Line Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge; Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Contagious, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Wide Strean: Cumulative Cone Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge; Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Contagious, Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
• Ultimate Solvent: Selective Burst Area Nullify Glue Effects 8, Simultaneous - 1 points

Jump Boots: Leaping 4 (120 feet); Removable (-0 points) - 4 points

Occasional Power Stunts:
"Here's Glue in Your Eye": Ranged Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware)
"Here's Glue in Your THROAT": Ranged Progressive Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated/Dying)

Advantages:
Beginner’s Luck, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Power Attack, Takedown, Well-informed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+6), Expertise: Criminal 4 (+9), Expertise: Science 4 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 2 (+7), Perception 4 (+5), Ranged Combat: Glue Gun 7 (+8), Technology 4 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Glue Blob +8 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Narrow Stream -- (Line Area Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Wide Stream -- (Cone Area Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)

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

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 31 + Advantages 6 + Skills 19 + Defenses 17 = 107 points

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

Complications:
Inferiority Complex--Motivation. Mild Paranoia.

Note: Should stats be required for Doctor Viscous, a PL 7 villain, reduce STR to 0 and STA to 1, increase INT to 8, reduce the rank of all Glue Gun powers to 6, drop all powers other than Glue Gun, drop Improved Initiative, add Defensive Roll 2 and Evasion, drop Athletics and Close Combat: Unarmed, increase Intimidation to 9 (+9) and Perception to 10 (+11), add Deception 10 (+10) and Stealth 8 (+9), reduce Dodge to 6 and Parry to 4. His motivations and other complications are exactly like his successor.

If Sid Viscous is a clone, add the power Endless Doubles: Immortality 5 (1 day) and a Delusion (I am the son of Doctor Viscous) and Memory Lapses complications.

 

[Davies]

Aislinn

While all of the ASIs active on Earth have employed androids for certain tasks, Savitor, the youngest of them, is the one who both employs them the most often and also manufactures most of those used by the others. Because of this, and perhaps because of her youth, Savitor is the most willing to experiment with the designs of these synthetic lifeforms. Despite that, she has never deviated from the procedure of producing brains designed to be unable to produce parapsychic phenomena. Or had never, until recently.

The revelation that one of her creations had apparently developed mystical powers came as a stunning surprise to Savitor, leaving her unable to respond to communications for a full second. Once that shock passed, it was replaced by curiosity as to how this had happened, and frustration that she was unable to directly study whatever changes had happened to OCHO. Savitor resolved this difficulty by drawing on published research about psionic technology, to incorporate it into the designs of a new classification of android.

Of the first manufactured models of these psionic androids, the most sophisticated is one given the identifier ISLN, or "Aislinn", who identifies as nonbinary. Their psychic talents involve being able to absorb "vital energy" through physical contact with living beings, which manifests as cell death, or to return such vital energy through physical contact, either with the original victim of their absorption or another individual, temporarily healing injuries. Aislinn is unable to use the vital energy that they absorb for any other purpose, and must (under most circumstances) transfer energy after having drained it rather than draining repeatedly.

Savitor is particularly interested in what these powers have done to the personality that Aislinn manifests. Generally, androids of this type adopt whatever persona is needed for their activities, but while this is still true of Aislinn, certain patterns of behavior manifest consistently no matter how they might otherwise be acting. When draining energy from a target, Aislinn will normally behave in a sympathetic, consoling manner; if the victim is aware of what is happening to them, Aislinn might try to reassure them that this pain is ultimately for a greater good. In contrast, they behave in a somewhat cruel and malicious manner while transferring energy into a target, often insulting or demeaning the subject.

As yet, Savitor has not yet worked out all the details of the operations she plans to have Aislinn undertake. It seems likely that Aislinn will be set up as a peddler of miraculous cures and eventual cult leader, but where those activities will take place is uncertain. Likely possibilities include the United Kingdom (tweaking the figurative nose of Axiom by interfering in its war with the vampires), the Middle East or the American South. Regardless, it seems likely that the activities of this operative will be quite short-lived, but Savitor will learn a great deal from the experiment. And that is what it is all about in the end, right?

Aislinn (ISLN) -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Android: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 10; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 41 points
Life Force Manipulation: Array (17 points)

• Absorb: Damage 8, Resisted by Fortitude, Subtle - 17 points
• Transfer: Healing 8, Restorative, Subtle, Temporary - 1 point

Life Force Perception: Senses 4 (detect health [acute, analytical, ranged]) - 4 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Eidetic Memory, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge, Well Informed.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Deception 10 (+11), Expertise: Religion 4 (+8), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+6), Technology 4 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6)
Life Force Drain +6 (Close Damage 8)

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

Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 63 + Advantages 8 + Skills 23 + Defenses 15 = 139 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Personality Shift (becomes altruistic when draining, sadistic when healing.) Power Loss (cannot use Drain or Transfer in succession, must use the other power.) Secret (android.)

 

[Davies]

Haha Niwatori/母鶏

Kishinami Yui regards her status as the second occupant of the House of the Rooster in the Shēngxiào as being of lesser importance than some of the other figurative hats that she wears. (Of course she never wears an actual hat. What decade do you imagine this is?) The death of her first husband and the gradual slide into early senility of her second has left her in charge of the Kishinami family fortune, to which has been added the not-inconsiderable wealth of her birth family following a series of unfortunate events that have been the end of every heir to that family, other than herself and her only daughter. There is also the responsibility she has to set an example of what it means to be a woman of wealth and taste in contemporary Japan, particularly for her daughter but also for the young women of the country in general.

Still, she is mindful of the fact that she would not be in the position now holds without the power that Diorite granted her a decade ago, and works tirelessly to ensure that the Shēngxiào remain a functioning business. The rest of the inner council certainly cannot be trusted to do that -- most of them care for nothing except living out their boyish power fantasies, regardless of the costs involved. (Hebi-Onna is a noteworthy exception to this judgment, and Yui respects and admires Kurihara considerably more than she did the previous Snake. She is also well-aware that Hebi-Onna would enthusiastically accept any offers to bring about her demise. Hence her admiration.)

Much like her supposed ally, Shānyáng, her powers are subtle in their operation. When activated, they interfere with the minds of all those in her immediate vicinity, making it more difficult to successfully initiate violence and, somewhat perversely, more dangerous to be subjected to it. She is also, by focusing her attention on a single individual who has fallen victim to this calming aura and put them in a suggestive state where they regard her as a god whose orders must be obeyed. This focus makes it impossible to maintain her aura, however, and she must communicate her orders verbally rather than relaying them telepathically.

Haha Niwatori ("Mother Hen") has reason to believe that long-term exposure to her dominance has a cumulative deleterious effect on the psyches of its subjects. That reason is what she has seen it do to her husband, whom she began victimizing with it as soon as Diorite bestowed the power upon her. The mundane explanation for this is an early onset of senility, but the truth is that he is so slavishly devoted to obeying her will that most other issues simply fail to register with him. This has allowed her to use him as her primary bodyguard and enforcer, as he will fight without concern for his own safety whenever she commands it.

In as much as she can care about anybody else, Yui does care about her daughter Monoka, though their meetings are few and far between. She would phrase this as trying to protect the girl from the necessary cruelties of her life, but there has often been a fair amount of disappointment in her activities as well. However, the reports that she gets suggest that Monoka may finally be putting aside childish things and pursuing her goals with the same sort of seriousness that Yui possesses. What a relief. The thought that she might one day have to turn her into a slave was a really troubling one ...

Haha Niwatori -- PL 10

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

Powers:
Aura of Calm: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Attack Impaired and Vulnerable, Attack Disabled and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Insidious, Limited Degree, Subtle 2 - 33 points
Gaze of Dominance: Perception Range Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Insidious, Quirk (Can only be used on targets made Defenseless by Aura of Calm but will remain active on them after they recover from it) Subtle 2 - 42 points
Impermeable Demeanor: Immunity 10 (fortune effects); Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 20 points

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Deception), Redirect, Sidekick 15, Speed of Thought, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Business 8 (+11), Expertise: Criminal 8 (+11), Insight 7 (+11), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 9 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +1 (Close Damage -1)
Aura of Calm -- (Burst Area Will 10)
Aura of Dominance -- (Perception Range Will 10)

Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 13

Totals:
Abilities 28 + Powers 95 + Advantages 31 + Skills 24 + Defenses 18 = 196 points

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

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Family (daughter.) Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.


Kishinami Kenji -- PL 7

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

Advantages:
Chokehold, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Diehard, Improvised Weapons.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Deception 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 4 (+6), Sleight of Hand 4 (+5), Stealth 4 (+5), Technology 2 (+5),
Vehicles 4 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 2 or by Improvised Weapon)

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

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Advantages 8 + Skills 15 Defenses 12 = 75 points

Offensive PL: 6*
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 1

Complications:
Slavish Obedience--Motivation. Berserker Tendencies. Apparent Senile Dementia.

 

[Davies]

Princess Pele

When her abilities to replicate, on a relatively small scale, the volcanic activity that had created the islands manifested in her late teens, it was obvious how Kamea Keola was going to use them -- to fight against the illegal military occupation of Hawai'i by the United States. So she did, often finding herself in battle against the sanctimonious "heroes" of the Superhuman Crew. Pathetic hypocrites, the lot of them. It was disgusting to listen to them blather about how her struggle was "wrong" because it was directed towards installing her family as rulers of a restored kingdom, while they were "right" for valuing democracy. As if that had ever meant anything other than rich haole throwing bones to the poor haole.

Unfortunately, the obvious rightness of her cause did not prevent her from having to flee her beloved homeland and go into exile. After a year of wandering and occasional bursts of violence, she found sanctuary in Kosovo, where Doktor Makabre showed apparently genuine sympathy for her goals. Her initial suspicion turned to respect, then admiration, and then, surprising them both, into passion, and they were married not long after her twenty-fifth birthday, with their daughter, Mile, born less than a year later.

And then, two years later, the world began to end. Makabre managed to realize what was happening before most of his enemies did, and reached out to certain "business associates" of his on a place called the World Less Magical. Kamea and Mile were sent through a portal and into the care of something called the Vision, with Makabre assuring them that he would triumph over this threat just as he had triumphed over all others before it. Then the portal closed, and they were left to wait.

Their "hosts" waited a full week before they nullified her powers and took her daughter from her. Even without her powers, she raged at that, and wound up sedated. When Kamea awoke, she knew that she was somewhere else, somewhere that felt oddly familiar. Drawing on that familiarity, she overcame the nullification field and destroyed the laboratory where she was being held after confirming that Mile was nowhere within it. She emerged to find herself in Hawai'i ... but not the Hawai'i she had known. There was no trace of her family, anywhere.

Getting off the islands was not easy without any identification, but the skills that she had gained during her wandering were still largely applicable here, too. The people at the laboratory spoke Japanese, so she is making her way to Japan, slowly but surely. She will find her daughter and take her back, and anything that gets in the way of her doing that -- or looks like it might -- is going to burn. Kamea is not altogether sure what she will do after that, but she will think of something.

Princess Pele -- PL 11

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

Powers:
Lava Form: Linked Burrowing 12 (250 MPH); Linked Sustained Immunity 10 (life support); Linked Sustained Impervious Protection 10; Reaction Damage 8 - 82 points
See Through Smoke: Senses 3 (visual senses counter concealment [smoke], low-light vision) - 3 points
Vulcanism: Array (31 points)

• Choking Cloud: Linked Cloud Area Visual Concealment Attack 2; Linked Cloud Area Cumulative Affliction 11 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Smell-Dependent - 1 point
• Lava Burst: Selective Burst Area Damage 10, Indirect - 31 points
• Lava Flow: Ranged Line Area Damage 10 - 1 point
• World Shaking: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Prone), Concentration, Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Limited to targets on the ground - 1 point

What Fire Cannot Burn: Immunity 10 (fire effects) - 10 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Benefit 2 (cipher 2), Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Taunt.

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+7), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: History 7 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +6

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 13/3, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 121 + Advantages 10 + Skills 24 + Defenses 19 = 216 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Revenge--Motivation. Familiar With A Divergent History. Family (daughter.)

 

[Davies]

Lord Suthros

There are two schools of thought about Lord Suthros, the Grandfather of Assassins and master of the mountain fortress called Karak al'Gharab ("the Raven's Roost".) The first is that he is a sinister manipulator who sends his followers, controlled either by drugs or religious zealotry, on missions of murder throughout Al'Aram, the Kingdoms of the Far North and even the Empire itself, in pursuit of a goal known only to himself or to whichever fell god claims his allegiance. The other is that he is a champion of justice who offers his aid and that of his followers, empowered by Tarastia the Justicar, to all those whom more conventional laws have failed, avenging crimes against them by whatever means are necessary.

Neither of those schools of thought are correct, for they both assume that Suthros is, like most of the noteworthy heroes and villains of his time and place, possessed (or possessing) blessings of one of the immortals, or magical talents as they are also known. In fact, aside from having accepted a magical treatment to restore him from his actual age of nearly a century to about half of that, he avoids the use of magic, while still recognizing that those in his service might need it. What he has accomplished in his life was done with purely mortal strength, skill and will -- not a bad accomplishment in a world ruled by magical power.

With that understood, the idea of him as a champion of justice is closer to correct. When his followers depart on their missions, he prefers that their targets be those who have committed genuine wrongs in need of answer. But virtue will not feed those who depend on him for their welfare, and so he does accept commissions for pay, though it is rare for him to agree to the ending of a target simply for money. Often he will demand less tangible but meaningful commitments from those who would purchase his services, such as extending clemency to prisoners, or agreeing to a diplomatic resolution in a conflict between neighbors instead of pursuing warfare. And if that means the loss of innocence ... innocence is a beautiful thing, but so is peace, and sometimes one must lose a little beauty to preserve what beauty one already has.

Still, there are rules that Lord Suthros follows. Any individual who manages to survive four attempts by his followers is forever safe from further ones. However, the fourth attempt in such a case will invariably be made by Lord Suthros himself. That prospect has allegedly driven some who survived the first three to end themselves. (Of course, there are also rumors which suggest that any individual who survives three attempts by the assassins is someone whom Lord Suthros will take an interest in employing, suggesting another explanation for their subsequent absence from the world.)

Lord Suthros maintains cordial relations with the wizard Rartigan -- in whose service he once adventured, as a youth, and to whose needs he will send whatever aid he can -- and with Calum Pikesway, the leader of the free bards. Communications from the former will be read aloud in his great hall; those from the latter are read only by himself in the privacy of his chambers, especially when they concern one particular agent trained by Pikesway. The Grandfather of Assassins, after all, cannot be seen to take too much interest in any of his grandchildren.

Lord Suthros -- PL 10

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

Powers:
None.

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit 3 ("of course I have a plan", millionaire), Chokehold, Close Attack 5, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 20, Evasion, Fast Grab, Favored Environment (planned situations), Fearless, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Critical (sword) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4, Redirect, Skill Mastery (Deception), Speed of Thought, Startle, Takedown 2, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Armor (Protection 1, Subtle), Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), Throwing Knives (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1), and 82 points of equipment as needed.
Karak Al'Gharab: Size Huge; Toughness 8; Features Defense System, Gym, Holding Cells, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Workshop.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Athletics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Sword 4 (+10), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+14), Investigation 9 (+13), Perception 8 (+13), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 8 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +15 (Close Damage 5, Crit 17-20)
Throwing Knives +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 5, Toughness 9/8/4/3, Will 11

Totals:
Abilities 62 + Advantages 62 + Skills 41 + Defenses 20 = 185 points

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

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Aging. Distrusts Magic. Secrets Upon Secrets.

"No, not merciful ... only very much bewildered and afraid."

 

[Davies]

Linda Valentina

Nobody ever really thinks of themselves as the bad guy. Admittedly, that is sometimes because certain people are too lost to understand that there is a distinction between right and wrong, much less than the difference is not that hard to figure out. But Linda Valentina, City Counsellor for the Fifth Ward of Tanelorn, does understand that distinction and difference, recognizing that her opponents are not villains, simply sadly misinformed about the realities of their new existence, and sincerely hopes that they can come to terms before matters become such that she must have them killed in their sleep.

None of this was anything she intended for her life. Raised on the periphery of the criminal organization that her grandfather had created, her father had inherited and her uncle now ran, Linda never expected that she would ever become part of their world of violence and pride. Instead, she planned to go to work for one of the legitimate businesses that the family also owned, with her career focused on public relations. She was attending university on the Isle of Leighton when the world ended, and found herself the sole survivor of her family.

While the oh-so-mighty, oh-so-haughty guardians were sequestered in their ivory tower figuring out what had happened to the island, Linda quietly put all her resources and all her ingenuity to the task of keeping the people of what would become Tanelorn alive, safe and healthy. She was, regrettably, forced to frequently use the rather potent talents bestowed on her by the transformation of the world in her own defense or the defense of important resources. By staring at someone, she can cause them to become as still as a statue and cloud their minds so that they lose all awareness of the world around them. It is not an exact match for the petrifying gaze of the mythic Medusa, but it can be every bit as deadly.

In the years afterward, Linda frequently served as a critic of the guardians and their effective rule over Tanelorn, especially as the refugees from other dimensions began to pour in through the gates, often straining the supply chains that she had helped to build up. She never advocated for the abandonment of these policies, unlike some who were her nominal allies during this time, but only their reduction. With the transformation that Tanelorn has undergone, however, she has reversed course, and is encouraging increased involvement in -- and eventual increased influence over -- the outside world.

Linda understands that this is the last best hope for the survival of Tanelorn. If this world -- which is, by all appearances, every bit as chaotic and war-torn as any of the worlds that they could reach through the void -- falls, then Tanelorn does not have a fallback position. This is their world now, and they must protect it and keep it safe. The notion that the people here can do that is utterly laughable; they are the ones who created the greatest problems confronting it! They will just have to learn respect for their betters, like the people whom she helped in the days after the journey began.

Linda Valentina -- PL 12

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

Powers:
"A Mirror? Really?": Immunity 1 (own powers) - 1 point
Gaze of Petrification: Linked Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Hindered, Immobile, Paralyzed), Vision Dependent; Linked Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Vision Dependent - 72 points

Advantages:
Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Connected, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 10, Evasion, Fearless 2, Skill Mastery (Persuasion), Speed of Thought, Startle, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Stately Manor, Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), and 29 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Civics 5 (+10), Expertise: Crime 8 (+13), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+11), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 10 (+14), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 10 (+14), Ranged Combat: Guns 5 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 1)
Light Pistol +8 (Close Damage 3)
Gaze of Petrification -- (Perception Range Fortitude 12 and Will 12)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 4, Toughness 7/2, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 73 + Advantages 24 + Skills 33 + Defenses 18 = 196 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemy (Warden.) Unfamiliar With World Beyond Tanelorn.

You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit the views, which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.