Amazing Tales from Centropolis

GreenKarl

First Post
Volume #2, Issue #1 “Death Duel with the Destroyers!!!”

OOC Thread
Rogues Gallary

[sblock=Centropolis]
Welcome to Centropolis City
Centropolis has been called the “city of the future today” and with good reason.

Thanks to the generous endowments from such amazing entrepreneur as Raymond Shawe of Human Inc. and Bernadette Wellington Cross, of Cross Worlds Industries, the city of Centropolis enjoys some of world’s first, great technological innovations. To name only two of some of these amazing wonders there is the extremely affordable, hyper-fast, super-clean, and always on time C-Train Monorail, and low-cost, near-infinity, clean and abundant power for all of its citizens from the Newton Fusion Facility.

Centropolis truly is the greatest city in America, if not the world...

A brief history of Centropolis…
Founded in 1848 by prospectors looking for gold and silver in western Nebraska, they settled on the southern banks of the Platte River to explore into the hills of the surrounding area. Enough deposits were found that the city grew rapidly. By the 1880’s it was also a major destination for cattle drives and a number of small and mid-sized slaughterhouse plants were formed.

Centropolis would have remained a small frontier boom town has it not be for the discovery of Unobtanium around the turn of the 19th century. In fact it is one of the few places in the continental US where this rare mineral is found in anything but minut quantities. Due to the refinement and processions of this precious mineral, the industry to meet that needs were located here.

The Centralist Canal was built to connect the ore mines and the Platte River during the 1930’s.

Centropolis bills itself as a clean, safe and modern city of 8 million, but scratch the surface and one can find a great deal of corruption and crime.

Take a Quick Tour of Centropolis…
MainTown (the Downtown Core)
MainTown is the wonderful downtown core of Centropolis and it is where all the great buildings and modern services are located. You can find anything and everything here, in our modern, safe and clean streets.

There are well over hundred buildings are fifty stories or higher here in this district alone, and it also boosts some of the tallest buildings in the world.

It is also the home of the Central Park Zoo, the Centralist Plaza, Founders Square and the Atlas Dedication Park.

MainTown is dominated by the awe-inspiring Monolith Tower, the location and world-wide headquarters of Raymond Shawe's Human Inc. This skyscraper is one of the tallest buildings in the United States and the World.
MainTown.jpg
Human Inc. is a world leader in applied technologies for the betterment of all humankind… advanced computers, robots and exo-skeleton systems, skycars and state of the art fusion power plants are only a few of the listed projects of this corporation. Mr. Shawe’s motto has always been that the human mind is the greatest tool in the world if not the universe and that by applying our fullest capacities to the betterment of our planet and our people will result in the greatest works even seen anywhere.

The Atlas Statue strides at the very top of the Monolith Tower is a shinning tribute to our city’s fallen son and greatest hero, Atlas. He meet his heroic end in battle to protect our fair city from the alien V’sorri invaders only six short years ago, it is a testament to his legacy that we can all look up to. A shining example of the tribute of the human spirit in face of overwhelming odds and hardship.
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Atlas was the first and only humans to undergo the so-called Perfect Human Project proceeded, developed by Raymond Shawe over 20 years ago. After many other failed attempts at repeating the success of the procedure has been dropped by Human Inc. to pursue the EXO Man-of-War Powered Combat systems instead. As Shawe has explained, these suits are operated my brave men and women without the benefit of superpowers. And yet they exemplify all that humans can do when the set their minds to the task at hand.

There are many publicly available luxury living suite located on the 90th through 100th floor of the Monolith Building, offers a balcony with some of the most exciting views of the downtown core. Of course, it does not compare to the view offered to Raymond Shawe in his penthouse CEO Office at the 150th floor, but for us ‘mere’ morals it is about as close as we can get (if you can afford the rent that is) to those lofty extremes.

The Atlas Dedication Park is one of the most beautiful and large parks in a major US city and is just behind the Monolith Tower. Feed by the Central Canal waterway to create a number of manmade lakes and mini rivers along with the many status and walk-ways only enhance this peaceful piece of nature within our urban landscape.
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The Mercury Tower, located at Central Ave and 1st Street, and across from the Cross Building, this skyscraper is home of city's world famous Centralist Daily online newspaper and WCBZ TV headquarters.
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This area of course is also home to our wonderful Centralist Plaza and Founders Square, where millions of tourists come to see each year. Founder Square is also part of the Central Square where 1st Central and Northwestern Street connect. This area is almost one city block wide where multiple shopping and entertainment venues are located.

The Cross Building is the world headquarters for Cross World Industry. Cross World Industries is a major competitor of Human Inc. within the city, and around the world. They specialize in heavy industrial produces and transportation industries. It is situated on the opposite end of the Centropolis Plaza from the Monolith Building to the east.
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The twin Lake Towers are Centropolis's newest skyscrapers. Headquarters for the world renowned meta-genius Doctor Sigil and his Sigil Works Group, their stylized design are an exciting addition to our fair city.
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At the top of each tower is a pair of dragon statues. These Welsh Dragon statues were brought to the US at great expense and placed atop the Lake Towers by Doctor Sigil for some unknown reason but what can one say, they are truly beautiful to behold and are wonderful addition to our city’s skyline.

Upper MainTown, located north of MainTown, is the financial center of Centropolis. This district is dominated by densely packed skyscrapers and is the living, beating heart of the city’s vast wealth and financial strength. The Centropolis City Police have a strong presence here to assure that the area is safe.
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Separated from Upper MainTown by the Central Canal, Wellington Heights is middle-class neighborhood. There are hundreds of clean, wonderful high-rise apartment complexes here, most famous of them the Silver City Residential Arcology where almost 1,000 people live and work without ever having to leave the building.
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South of Wellington Heights the neighborhood of Ridgeway is where most of the city’s’ wealthy live and play. Many of the city’s greatest mansions are located here along with Millionaires Pavilion, one of the world’s largest and most expensive shopping centers.
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The Red Haven (or District) is one of the worst areas of Centropolis, on the south of the Platt River across from MainTown. This was where the original red-light brothels and the cattle slaughterhouses warehouses were concentrated around the turn of the 19th century. Then back in the 1960’s while the city was being modernized and re-building, it was renamed South Haven but no one ever calls it that, even today. It is still the bad part of town with all the seedy gambling houses and drug dealing deals dot almost every street corner. But this is where most of the working class of the city lives and the present mayor and police commissioner has plans to push the mob out and clean up its soiled streets, so fear not citizens, soon it will be as clean as the rest of the city!
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The C-Train connects the whole city of Centropolis and it many districts and outlying residential and industrial regions. It is fast, cheap (free for many) and on time, 24 hours a day. Human Inc. and Cross World Industries are the two many corporate sponsors of the line, along with generous federal grants. It is just one of the many a marvels and points of pride for our city.
Centropolis.C-Train.JPG

Some of the City’s Major Corporations
Daedalus Robotics – headed by Allen James Callaway, this manufacturing company is the city’s premier group in robotic technology. Most of the robots are for manufacturing but Allen is looking into law-enforcement and para-military applications. Most of the software and a great deal of the theoretic work is done at the MainTown Silver City Residential Arcology.
Drake Industries– run by the young Gary Drake, this corporation is involved with heavy industry and manufacturing. Gary Drake uses the wealth and resources of his parents company to support his various charities and is considered the most eligible young bachelor of Centropololis.
Cross World Industries– headed by Bernadette Wellington Cross, this corporation is one of Human Inc.’s main competitors. While publicly Raymond and Bernadette appear to have a friendly rivalry, they really hate each other with a passion and Cross would love nothing more than to wipe Human Inc. out of existence.
Glass-Mikhail Financial Group– headed by Rebecca Glass and Sergei Mikhail, this group is the city’s main banking and financial organization.
Human Inc.– headed by Raymond Shawe, one of the richest men in the world and the most prominent corporation within the city. The corporation is involved in hundreds of fields of scientific research, and is one of the US Militaries major supplies of everything from combat planes to body armor. Raymond himself does not really trust metahumanity and works to help “normal everyday” people live in a world where super beings shot lasers out of the eyes, fly without any known outside source, etc. The EXO Man-of-War Powered Walker System is one such project that Raymond believes will one day be the great equalizer allowing anyone to stand up to these inhuman costumed threats.Centropolis.MonoliftBalcony.JPG
Marrs Military Industries
– headed by Maximillian Marrs, a young technical genius, the corporation is a world leader in small arms and military software technologies.
Pandora Inc.– is a worldwide corporations with enclaves around the world. This think tank and research group is world renowned in the fields of medicine and genetics, but is secretly a front for Victor Helios (aka Doctor Frankenstein) and his FleshWorks factory. It is locally run by Walther Black (Mr. Black) and while rumors abound that they might be involved with some illegal actives they are vigorous denied by the corporation’s team of highly paid lawyers.
Sigil Works Group – headed by Doctor Sigil (no other known aliases or names known). This group does not really produce anything; instead they do pure research and have made a number of important scientific breakthroughs. Doctor Sigil himself is a metahuman with super-human levels of intelligence and is working on hundreds (if not thousands) of different theories at any one times. He has created repluser-fields (near anti-gravity), fission and anti-matter energy technology, teleportation/worm-hole accelerators, to name only a few of the most famous works. Most of these do not completely work yet, but he is confident that within a few years, humanity will make a huge leap.

Other Neighborhoods and Incorporated Townships of Centropolis
Blue Bluffs– located north of Upper MainTown, Blue Bluff is mostly where the ‘old money’ of Centropolis is located (i.e. the Robber and Train Barons). As Centropolis has changed and moved towards high tech industry and Unobtanium production many of the older families lost a lot of wealth and influence. Today many of the old mansions are abandoned or in ill repair as most of the wealth of the city (and the family’s that control it) moved into Ridgeway and Sunny Newark.
Chinatown– located between the lower-east side of Wellington Heights and Ridgeway neighborhoods, as the name implies it is where much of the cities Chinese immigrants settled.
Fairview– to the north east of Upper MainTown, Fairview is a mostly suburban enclave of Victorian style homes, parks and malls. Nothing much happens in this small neighborhood.
Hillsdale– to the east of MainTown on the northern side of the Platte River, Hillsdale is a mixed neighborhood of suburban homes and high-tech industrial parks. Daedalus Robotics has a major domestic robotic manufacturing center here and is one of the largest employers in the area. The Raven Academy of Exceptional Students is located here and the ‘unusual’ student here often sneak off campus to do a little “patrolling” in the surrounding areas.
Little Russia– on the eastern boarder of the Red District, this city is made up mostly of large tenement housing units and is dominated by the Medved Koroli. Drugs and gambling are rampant here, but also some of the best ethnic restaurants are also located here.
Lantern Hill– on the northwestern part of town, this neighborhood was settled by Irish and Russian immigrants after the Unobtanium mines were first opened. These mining families also brought their churches and with the wealth from the mines lead to a number of large cathedrals being raised here. It got its name from the tradition of hanging colored lanterns on every street corner during the holidays and their cultures traditional holidays.
Park Ridge – one of the richer suburban enclaves to the west of greater Centropolis city. More millionaires are located here then almost anywhere in the city. The Centropolis police force is supported by a large number of private security forces, all with limited legal enforcement powers within the district.
Pine Oak– This northern town was settled by a number of Vietnamese and eastern European immigrants and was mostly built to chatter to the students of the Pine Oak Technical University.
Silver Town– located ten miles north of the city and not far from the Middleton Army Base, it once served at a miner temp-town for the silver mines (before the discovery of Unobtanium). Today it has remade itself into a ‘Mecca of Gambling’ with a number of large casinos.
South Place– located south of the Smokes and Red Haven, this lower-middle class residential area is surprisingly low on much of the crime that plagues the neighborhoods north of it.
Sunnyvale– located some ten miles to the southwest of Upper MainTown, Sunnyvale is located near the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Park. This park has been greatly expanded in the last few years with a large endowment from Pandora Inc. In fact Pandora has a secret underground facility here where they have been experimenting with new Chimera breeds and then released back into the park to see how well they survive in the wild.
The Smokes – located west of the city and running along the southern side of the Platte River, with parts of the Red District spilling over into it, this is the location of most of the city’s heavy manufacturing and industrial area. While much of these industries are ‘cleaner and greener’ then older manufacturing it is still dirty and pumping out huge columns of smoke and ash, from where it gets its name.

Important and/or Unusual Places
A.E.G.I.S. (American Elite Government Intervention Services)– US federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security with the most direct influence over meta-humans and costumed heroes and villains. There main facility in Centropolis is located in the heart of MidTown but this is most a front, with their primary base is closer to the Danver Airforce Base.
Atlas Dedication Park– one of the largest parks in Centropolis, this dedication park is heavily forested with numerous sidewalks and hiking trails. It is patrolled by the Centropolis City Police fairly heavily and is considered fairly safe day or night.
C-Train System – an incredibly advanced and modern elevated monorail system that covers most of the city. During the work week more than 80% of the city rides it to and from work.
Center Park Zoo– this large zoo and park located within Wellington Heights and spots some of the largest collection of exotic animals in North America.
Centralist Plaza– something called ‘Time-Square west of the Mississippi’, this throughway runs along Atlas Avenue and eight blocks down 1st Central Way. Dozens of major big box stores and hundreds of minor ones line the Plaza on both sides of the Way and they are visited by thousands of people every day. Founders square is in the central of this where Northwestern Street intersects (Four blocks from both the Cross building and the Monolith, almost anchoring each end).
Centropolis General Hospital– located on the south side of MainTown along the river, this large and modern hospital is the envy of many major cities. Again grants and corporate sponsorship has made this hospital one of the most advanced in the world. It has over 500 beds spread over half a dozen buildings and is a world leader in the treatment of numerous cancers and various diseases.
Danver Airforce Base– north of the Middleton Army Base and west of the Unobtanium mines, this moderately sized base is another line of defense for the all-important strategic mines. A full squad (12 men) of Human Inc.’s EXO Man-of-War Powered Combat suits (X-Core) is located for initial testing of the suits for military applications.
Founders Square– located in middle of the Centropolis Plaza, this 'square' is a dedication park to all the heroes of the city, including its founders and some of the metahumans that have died defending the city over the years. There is a large water fountain and a number of bronze statues scattered throughout the park. 1st Central Way and Northwestern Street both circle this 'square'.
Lakota Hospital for the Criminally Insane– located in the Little Russian (on the border with Red Haven) neighborhood this hospital facility is world famous for housing some of the most dangerous and insane criminals of the country. At present both the so-called Psycho Dragon and Kill-Joy are both housed here along with almost a hundred other inmates. Doctor Kenneth Washington is the chief psychologist and physician on staff, and is secretly also a super villain called Doctor Wraithman, head the criminal origination known as V.I.L.E.
Meadows Manor Home for Disturbed Children– located on the northern part of Wellington Heights, this medium security home of psychologically children who have no criminal records.
Middleton Army Base– located north of Centropolis, and only a few miles from the largest Unobtanium mines, is a large sprawling military base (south of the Danver Airforce Base, running across the Platt river). At present commander is one General Marcus Ironworth, a no-nonsense, by-the-book leader who has a deep distrust of all things to do with metahumans or costumed vigilantes.
Millionaires Pavilion– one of the world’s largest and most expensive shopping centers located in Ridgeway. This mall has a strong private security presence and does not allow ‘just’ anyone inside.
Newton Fusion Facility– located just outside Centropolis on the northwestern banks of the Platte River this is one of the most important power generation facilities in the world. Private security is provided by Human Inc. and Cross World Industries.
Platte-Rock Super-Max Penitentiary “Iron Rock”– a smaller super prison located on the west side of the Middleton Army Base, on an island on the upper Platte River. This prison is designed to house about 80 metahuman criminals (it is an important metahuman facility, but not the most important and there are at least a dozen others of equal size spread throughout the U.S.). Due to an influx of recent Stormer meta criminals, the facility is nearly at full capacity.
Raven Academy for Exceptional Students– located in the Hillsdale neighborhood this private school is run by the eccentric Profession Farley Whiteraven, who also secretly houses and trains young metahumans to use and control their powers.
Silver City Residential Arcology– a first for the world, this Acology is run by Daedalus Robotics where almost 70% of their entire work force and their families live and work (around a thousand residence total). Taking up two full city blocks in eastern MainTown and just over 40 stories tall, it is a modern marvel of engineering and planning. The idea is that a person can be born here and never have to leave. The Acology includes its own schools, hospital, private police force, malls, parks, and of course business located within its’ walls. There are numerous shops and malls open to the public located on the first four levels and extensive underground parking.
SilverCity.jpg

Unobtanium Mines
– there are hundreds of mines located within 20 miles to the north of Centropolis, the most important controlled by Human Inc. and Cross World Industries. Security at these sites are extremely tight as this is one of the only locations of the mineral in the USA territories.
The United States Federal Platte Penitentiary – located to the east of Centropolis, this maximum security prison is where most of the states federal non-metahuman prisoners are located.

Major Criminal Organizations
Diamond Family – run by Don Virginia ‘Diamond Lady’ Diamond, the youngest daughter of Tony Diamonds, she has reorganizing and regroup the last remains of her father’s mod organization after his assassination and is determined to not only hold on to the last bit of crime that they still control (mostly extortion and gambling within Ridgeway and Upper MainTown) but she plans on somehow destroying the Medved’s and retake control of the city’s crime.
Doctor Destroyer – arguably the most powerful super villain on the planet, the doctor does not have a direct hand in the affairs of the city or its super-villains, but a number of his proxy followers (such as Iron Mask and Fear Monger) have bases in the area seeking to exploit the city’s technology and mineral wealth.
FleshWorks– founded by Victor Helios to provide various criminal enterprises pre-built mooks, such as Skin-Jobs (realistic looking androids), Golems (Frankenstein monster type reanimated corpses) and Chimera (animal human hybrid creations). Doctor Frankenstein has numerous secret facilities throughout the area and around the world.
F.O.E. (Fraternal Order of Evil) – this secretive villainous group of metahumans, under the leadership of the mad inventor, the Atomic Brain (a brain in the jar), controls most of the super and metahuman crime within the city. They have been thwarted multiple times by various heroes over the years but never destroyed and their secret lair within the city has never been discovered.
Feral Underground – made up mostly of outcasts and degraded mutants and escaped Chimera, they live in many of the city’s old abandoned subway system south of MainTown (these tunnels were supposedly sealed off after the earthquake of 1979 and replaced by the C-Train system). They are involved in mostly petty crimes of thief, smuggling and some exertion. The mysterious leader of the Feral Underground is known only as ‘Red Rags’ and always appears wearing a full body ragged red cloak. The supervillain known as the Rat King has strong ties to the gang and often helps them against the police or pesky superheroes.
H.A.R.M. (Humans Against Real Monsters)– a splinter group of various anti-metahuman organization groups that believe that all metahuman, costumed individuals and mutants are too dangerous to be allowed to exist and must be stopped before they expose themselves as the “demons” they truly are. They have some unusually rich secret patrons that fund and support their activities around the US and the world.
The Medved Koroli (the ‘Bear Kings’ in Russian)– the Russian Mafia is one of the strongest crime families within Centropolis. Headed by Dmitri ‘the Crime Tsar’ Alexandroy, a ruthless and greedy man who surrounds himself by only most cutthroat knee-breakers, they control most of the crime in Red Haven and much of the drug trade within all of Centropolis. They destroyed most of the Old Italian mafia ten years ago with the assassination of Capo Tony ‘Pooki’ Diamonds and took over most of his old organization and crime infrastructure (although some escaped and are trying to make a comeback, see above). Dmitri has a core of ‘Chimera’ bear and wolf bodyguards provided to him by FleshWorks.
S.H.A.D.O.W. (the Secret Hierarchy of Agents for Domination Over the World)– while not a major force within Centropolis, the secretive overlord of this villainous organization, Overshadow, has agents and resources here due to his interest in the various high tech industries and the Unobtanium mines.
V.I.L.E. (Villains In Larcenous Enterprises)– formed for the express purpose of providing metahuman muscles for criminal enterprises that lack them. The group is run by a meta-villain known as Doctor Wraithman, who in his secret identity is also one Doctor Kenneth Washington, head doctor of the Lakota Hospital for the Criminally Insane (and their base is actually under the hospital). Note though that the group almost never takes any jobs within Centropolis itself as not to draw attention to their location.
V’sorri Infiltrators– there remains remnants of the vicious V’sorri invasion from five years ago, especially in Centropolis. These aliens live in disguise (though various technological or psychic illusions) and still stow dissent and disaster in and around the Unobtanium industry. It is unknown why the remained for when Atlas sacrificed his life to stop the invasion, their leader the Star Khan, promised never to invade the world again.
W.R.A.I.T.H. (World Renegade Anti-Industrial Terrorist Headquarters)– this villainous organization operations throughout the world, but due to the importance of the various corporate enterprises and the mining of Unobtanium in Centropolis, has made a major focus of their criminal enterprises here. Their goals are unknown but it seems to involve the destruction of most of the world’s industrial infrastructure and governments.
The Yellow Hand– the most powerful of Centropolis’s Triad gangs, whose’ mysterious leader they call the ‘Emperor in Yellow’. They control almost all crime within Centropolis’s Chinatown located in the lower-east side of Wellington Heights and Ridgeway, and also most of the prostitution and some gambling within the Red Haven. They are also involved with human trafficking and smuggling on the riverfront.

Brief History of Super-heroes in the City
Centropolis never had much of a metahuman presence until after the Perfect Human Project produced the city’s first major hero – Atlas. He, along with sponsorship by Raymond Shawe and Human Inc., formed the city’s first super team called the Centurions. Human Inc. helped build the Centurion Towers (across Centropolis Plaza from the Monolith Tower), a state of the art, 34-story ‘C’ shaped office tower built to withstand insane amounts of damage.

The Centurions battled F.O.E. and various other villains, including such world threats Doctor Destroyer and Firebird (presently imprisoned at Iron Rock).

Atlas was killed five years ago during the V’sorri Invasion, but his sacrifice saved the world. Most of the other Centurions were injured, killed or retired after this, while the remainder died almost three years ago during the now infamous Day of Destruction (the world’s most powerful supervillain, Doctor Destroyer, threatened to destroy Chicago, set off a ‘clean’ nuclear bomb in the city, killing over a million people and many of the world’s greatest heroes). Two years ago the Centurions were briefly reformed by a small team of heroes. Led by Freeze Police (a retired Centropolis police officer injured in the line of duty who was giving a cyborg body and ice/cold generating gloves by Marrs Military Industries as a promotion for their new weapons line), Hard Water (the ‘Old Man River’ river spirit of the Platt River), and Traveller (an extremely powerful teleporter). The group battled F.O.E., Medved Koroli and the Yellow Hand extensively but then disappeared over two years ago and their Tower base was empty for almost a year until a new group occupied it...

Recent Events...
Last year there was a huge explosion on the river waterfront that did not kill as many people as one who think and instead grant over two hundred power Super powers. This even was called the Silver Storm as there was a silver afterglow and storm that happened right afterwards. Those people granted powers are now called Stormers but most have returned to some semi-balance of normal life. The explosion was caused by a band of Villains who were working for some outworldly (extra dimensional) being from a place called Terminus, hence the event has been called the Terminus Incident by the news. The heroes battle and defeated the villains before they could set their plan in motion. What they were trying to do was use the psychic energy of all these new Superheroes (who were giving off huge amounts of psychic energy due to the process of creating them) to open a dimensional gateway and allow the Terminus Army and Warlord to spill through.

It has been about a year since these events and the heroes reformed the city's super team the Centurions and now occupy the old team’s base in downtown Centropolis, the Centurion Tower. The team is being sponsored by the city's richest man, Raymond Shaye, CEO of Human, Inc. one of the largest corporations in the world.[/sblock]

[sblock=Centurion Tower]
Headquarters: Size – Gargantuan (Skyscraper) 4, Toughness 14, Features – Combat Simulator (Danger Room), Computer 4 (base 20PP), Defense Systems 10 (50PP), Hanger Bay, Holding Cells (2 temporary; Toughness 16, Null 9), Infirmary (9 beds), Living Space (Luxury), Laboratory, Library, Personnel (on lower level only, Federal AEGIS Agents), Power System, Sealed (Anti-Teleport and Incoporal features), Security Systems (base DC 30), Underground Dock, Underground Garage, Underground Safe (Toughness 16 impervious), Workshop.

CenturionTower.jpg

This distinctive C-shaped building graces the City Center. Centurion Tower was built by Raymond Shawe and Human Inc. to house the city’s heroes, the Centurions under the leadership of Atlas. But alas with his death and the death of so many other team members during the V’sorri Invasion and then Destruction Day ended with the deaths of most of the remaining team the city lost its heroes. The new Centurions moved in last year. They included the Shadow, Kitsune, Galatea, the Paladin and Ariel *the last two who have gone into semi-retirement). The base itself is only the top 4 floors of this 34-floor tower, most of the rest was meant to be leased out too businesses and as office space, but is mostly unoccupied… too many villains in the past have attacked it thus make it unattractive for most mild manner businessmen and women. Human Inc. still leases few floors and spaces for those brave enough to be drawn in by the very low rates but they maintain the rest as a loss each year. Raymond has been making hints about hiring a team of supers to come and occupy the base again but so far, no takes have appeared.

The first two floors consists of a public areas (including the reception lobby and lecture hall), conference rooms, a dinner and a number of shop and coffee spaces (including Zap’s Coffee Station #12, Xanadu Seafood Restaurant, and Red Dragon Diner) and lobby elevators to floors 2-30, and three of the parking sub-basements. Access to levels 31-34 and sub-basement 4 are restricted to card and retrial scans by authorized personal only. The roof has a helicopter landing pad and access to the lower floors but again only through a heavily reinforced security door. The windows on the entire building have been reinforced and can change from reflective to opaque or normal transparent, depending on what situation or privacy desires. The top four floors, the secure access, high speed elevator and the subbasement are all heavily reinforced and include a low-level force field/electrical field to prevent many types of meta-human instruction (blocking most forms of teleportation and desolidifcation).

Floor 34th contains the six large luxury bedrooms and four smaller guest bedrooms (each with its only bathroom facility and storage space area) along with a large common kitchen area and entertainment lounge. The 33rd floor contains extensive laboratories, a monitor and communications room and space for expansion. The entire 32nd floor contains the team’s danger and various training/exercise rooms and is the locations of the core computer servers and network facility. The 31st contains the original team’strophy room, and various utilitarian features such as extra storage and a large value along with a large meeting/conference room and offices for city, state or federal government liaison(s). The subbasement on level 4 has a security value, backup generator and parking facility for any vehicles that group might have.[/sblock]
 
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GreenKarl

First Post
CENTROPOLIS, February 10th, 2017, 8:01am CST

For the last four days, much of the heartland of the United States, from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Great Lakes to the Rockies, the midland of North America, centering on the city of Centropolis, has been caught in the grip of a massive storm that is steadily building to hurricane intensity. Already, many towns have been flooded and countless fires have been started by lightning strikes. Each day the number of storm related disasters is rising at an alarming rate. A far more sinister aspect of the mega-storm is in the way it seems to be affecting the minds of those caught under its constant deluge: Everyone in the storm areas has been suffering from increasingly severe depression, almost hysteria.

The results of this are as apparent as they are tragic: Incidents of violent crime have tripled. Students have been rioting in the schools while criminals riot in the prisons. Police in many cities have set up conditions bordering upon martial law; apprehending people for minor in-fractions and publicly brutalizing any who resist. The reactions of the churches and the various cultist groups were predictable. Since the second day, they began broadcasting that ‘God is visiting his judgment upon us’ and that this is the predestined end of the world. These broad-casts have set off major panics in nearly every city in the U.S. adding nicely to the rapidly escalating hysteria.

Other groups quickly jumped up on the paranoia bandwagon with their own versions of the tempest’s causes. Many of these put the blame upon all of the superheroes. Occasionally, as the players and other groups of superheroes have helped in emergency rescue operations, they have been attacked by enraged mobs of citizens. The whole central part of the United States is becoming a giant powder keg on a very short fuse!

Brandon Wein has been increasing uncomfortable as ‘Princess’ has been miserable and whisper in his ear of a growing evil!!! Something bad is coming, the Princess just knows it, and she is worried.

By this time the mega-storm has reached a violence and intensity unsurpassed by anything short of a hurricane. Thundering rain and gale-force winds have forced all but emergency personnel indoors to stay. To those that are left outside; the police, firemen, emergency and rescue workers, and the heroes (ooc - it is assumed that you will be doing what they can to help out. Those not on the team yet have probably been dealing with problems elsewhere as there are emergencies all of the city), the worst only now begins to happen: It starts out as almost imperceptible modulations in the noise and rhythm of the rainfall, so that it almost seems like the heroes can hear human laughter echoing about them. This will grow in diabolical intensity until there can be no doubt that there is, indeed, laughter coming from the storm, itself!

As the storms intensify, flashes of lightning will reveal clouds that have taken on the look of a grim and mocking human face looking down upon them. At this time, as if it wasn’t bad enough, things will begin to really get hairy for the players. They will see and hear people calling for help, trapped in collapsing buildings or in floodwaters, or similar situations, who are not there when the player gets to them. Or someone they have rescued will take on a hideous appearance to the various heroes and start attacking him. Other heroes will see some of their old enemies on nearby rooftops, flying about in the storm or attacking others. By the time the player character has reached them, they will have disappeared only to reappear somewhere else. Of course, anyone else watching this will only see their teammate attacking thin air.

The face in the storm clouds, which will sometimes appear as an entire human body in a long, billowing cape, will continue to laugh all through this. He will verbally mock the pitiful efforts of these so-called heroes!!! Anyone who attempt to converse with the storm cloud apparition will be ignored. Those attacked by old enemies suffer no damage and the images dissipate as fast as they appear.

On the morning of the fourth day the Shadow, Galatea and Kitsune are both at the Centurion Tower on videophone conferencing while coordinating with the semi-reserve members Paladin and Ariel on rescue missions around the city. Princess has returned home to get some rest as Brandon and just catching the morning news. Annabelle is also in her civilian identity, having spent the last few days saving those she could as Warp. She was eating breakfast and only have paying attention to the local news. Outside the storm still rages and it is hard to even tell if it is day as the darkness has not yet lifted!! Bobby was taking a much needed rest from rescuing people also and having breakfast while watching the morning news. Everything just seemed to be getting worst outside.

At the Centurion Tower, the team’s computer turns on the main view screen to a local news says “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, there is something on the news that I feel might be important…” Brandon, Bobby and Annabelle (each in their respected homes) all noticed the news cuts to a BREAKING REPORT…

The local news stations are all broadcasting the same story. On WCBZ TV, anchorwomen is updating on her report, “For those just joining us, once again this is Stacy Daily with WCBZ News special report on the continuing of the Heartland of America Super-Storm crisis. Just minutes ago an online video was posted to every major news organization in the USA, by person or persons claiming responsibility for the storm that has caused so much havoc. We’re going to show this video to you in just a moment but let us go over the chain of events of the last few days… Excuse me a moment… All right, I am being told that the video is now ready and that we are going to show it now. I don’t know what we are about to see other that it’s supposed to be a statement of demands from the group that claims responsibility for this devastating storms that has been raging for these last four days…”

At this point, the picture of the news anchor man is replaced by a picture of a darkened room. In the center foreground is a man in a black costume and cape. His features from the shoulders up are hidden in shadow and some form of hood, but his eyes glow a fiendish red out through the darkness.
[sblock=image]DoctorApocalypse.jpg
[/sblock]

He speaks in a low and well-modulated voice:

‘I am Doctor Apocalypse. I am the author of the tempest that grips the central United States in its terrible gauntlet. These are my demands. I suggest that you heed them:

‘In nine days, the Congress of the United States of America will pass a resolution declaring that the city of Centropolis and within a hundred mile radius around it is now a separate and sovereign state, independent from the United States and deeded wholly and completely over to myself.

‘No later than the following day, the President of the United States will sign that resolution into law. In addition, the President will have drafted by that time, and be prepared to sign, a treaty of non-interference with the new state, and with me as its absolute monarch.

‘Within three days following this, the governor of the State of Nebraska will ratify this law and will initiate procedures to evacuate of all US citizens from my new domain. No later than thirty days after the law is ratified by the Nebraska legislature, my new nation shall be completely evacuated of all of its current residents, along with state and US national assets. Anyone remaining will be executed.

‘If these demands are not met, in strict adherence to the schedule I have stated, I shall destroy a major city of the United States. I will continue to do this every day that you fail to comply with my demands.

‘Do not think for a moment that your military or your technology can protect you from me. I am your technological superior. I can defeat you strategically; I can crush you psychically; I can destroy you supernaturally!

‘If you are wise people, then you will let the evidence that I have already shown you be enough; you will let the disasters that have already occurred be the last. To underestimate me would be a terrible mistake. Unfortunately, I do not believe that you are a wise people. I believe that most of you will be foolishly skeptical of my powers. For you, I have arranged for there to be one additional demonstration of my abilities. You have tasted my supernatural power; tomorrow I will show you something of my technological might. This demonstration will take place at precisely noon tomorrow in Centralist Plaza in the city of
Centropolis. You may respond to this situation as you see fit. As for the storm, I will end it now.

‘You will not hear from me again unless you disappoint me.’

The video then ends. The image is replaced by Stacy once again, who goes on to review the major points of the video. No additional information can be gained from the television. If anyone checks outside, they will notice that the storm has begun the long process of dying down, with rays of sunlight piecing the dark foreboding clouds.

GM: Ok so this is the beginning of the adventure. The Shadow, Galatea and Kitsune are all at their headquarters in the Centurion Tower. Annabella and Brandon are at their respected homes. There are 16 hours before whatever the Doctor has planned before that to do something. It is assumed that you are all going to go there BUT the Centurions of course are called by the Mayor, the Police Commissioner, their A.E.G.I.S. contacts, etc. ALL screaming or begging them to be there tomorrow to try and protect the city. The Mayor has called for a complete evacuation of the MainTown core also, where Centropolis Plaza is located. Police and the National Guard will be cordoning off the area for several blocks. Both the Middleton Army and Danver Airforce Bases are being placed on High Alert.

The Mayor has also called (pleaded) with any metahuman ‘heroes’ of the city to come forward and join the Centurions (at least temporally) to face this unknown danger to the city.

Now heroes can describe what they were doing during the super-storm. Who might they have saved? Did you see any of your old enemies in the clouds? Where you hurt?

Then, what plans might you have to face whatever is coming? How long do you want to be in Centropolis Plaza before none tomorrow? For the new heroes do you take up the Mayor’s offer to ‘join’ the Centurions? Do you want to meet them before or just show up at the Plaza sometime?

Finally, any questions or research that you might want to try?
 
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Centralist Plaza– something called ‘Time-Square west of the Mississippi’, this throughway runs along Atlas Avenue and 1st Central Way. Dozens of major shopping centers and hundreds of minor ones line the Plaza on both sides of the Ave. and they are visited by thousands of people every day.

OOC: Just how big is Centralist Plaza?
 

GreenKarl

First Post
GM: Its is eight blocks long, down on main block (1st Central Way)

On the eastern end is the Monolith Tower and Centurion Tower, on the western end is the Cross Worlds Industry building and Mercury Tower
 
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GreenKarl

First Post
There is no information on him although while you are online, hundreds of inquires start appearing on the goggle feed... most are nonsense posts about whatever pet conspiracy theories the poster has - "He's an Alien!!", "He's from the Inner Earth!!!" "He was a Nazi!!!" "He works for the US government!!" "He's a ancient God!!!" etc.
 

Princess Starlight flew into the gale force winds of the storms. It had been raining for three straight days and the town was getting crazy. Every night Brandon felt the need to go out and do something, anything in these trying days. She headed out to the more suburban parts of Centropolis. The night before, she had learned the hard way that sudden gale force gust of winds and narrow alleyways were a dangerous combination for someone flying with wings. Brandon was glad he did not share bruises with Princess Starlight as the time she smashed face first into a building would have surly left a mark.

It was actually quiet this night over Hillsdale. Quiet if you ignored harsh hiss of the winds and the noises that sounded like voices in the distance. The normally quiet (and flat) suburb was usually free of police activity. But with the storm, break ins, riots, and other civil disobedience were making Hillsdale seem like Red Haven. Well, not that bad, not really.

The Princess had learned these past few nights that with her natural glow, hiding was much easier in the busier sections of MainTown than it was to skulk in any actual shadows. Brandon had always hoped to be the scary, vigilante, mystery man style of hero. Instead, as the Princess, he could neither scare nor be a man for that matter. He had to settle for the front line, eyes-on-me style hero. And, men especially, did not mind putting the eyes on the Princess.

She shook her head to stop those thoughts from getting where they were going. A cry for help pierced the howling winds. Later she would note that it pierced those winds a bit too well. She changed direction and headed toward the sound. Below her in a mostly dark industrial park one building was still fully lit though only a single car was in the parking lot. Glass shattered and a woman screamed. Princess Starlight dove toward the falling body unable to catch it as it hit the ground. "No!" she shouted as she landed among the glass. The broken body lay on the sidewalk. Its head rolled to face her and then it started laughing. Laughter surrounded her. She looked around and saw a man approaching her. Her hand started to glow.

"Hey you," a voice called at unsteadily. "We don't need no trouble here." The man was a security guard, his weapon drawn but still angled toward the ground.

Looking up she saw there was no broken window above her. She looked down and the body was gone. "I thought someone called for help," she said. The part of her that was Brandon thought she sounded like a six year old who had just been caught trying to take a cookie from the forbidden jar.

"Ain't no one here but you and me, little lady, and I don't need your kind of help."

The words "little lady" echoed in Brandon's mind. To avoid glaring at the man, she looked at the wet, blood-free pavement once more, total clean, before taking off, "Then I'll be on my way."

The guard said something she could not quite hear but the laughter she had heard when she first saw the body was back. It crescendoed and then was gone a moment later.

* * *

The next night, she was flying over Little Russia when she noticed a crowd gathering. The crowd looked menacing so she circled back and slowed down to get a closer look. Several leaders of rival groups, she was sure there were at least two or three groups there. Settling on a tenement right above the group she said, "Brilliant Comet Birdie Sentinels" and held the birds in reserve. Her instincts had paid off and she sent the birds into the crowd between two of the leaders just as someone threw a rock at him. It harmlessly deflected off one of the luminous birds. More rocks flew and she tried to keep her birds in front of people. It was a losing battle given the number of people who could throw stuff. "Stop this." She shouted above the din of the wind and the crowd. All eyes turned to her as she floated down among the crowd.

Most of the crowd became silent, staring at her eerily. "Why are you leading these people into a fight?" She yelled at two of the leaders. They too started at her. She gave then both a shove and they seemed snap out of... something.

"We don't need your kind here," said the first man.

"No, her kind are exactly what we need," said the second.

"You're an idiot," said the first man. "Look at her, she's just a child, playing superhero games. She can't stop the rain."

"Listen," she shouted. "I don't care if you like me, or superheroes, or eskimo pies. Fighting about superheroes, here on this street isn't going to change anything."

Some of the people around her were no longer staring at her eerily and instead were either nodding or shaking their heads. Shouts of "You tell 'em." and "shut the b--ch up already" could be heard around her.

"That's what I said," said the second man. "But Peter here is too stubborn to listen."

"I always listen. Unless what is being said is too stupid, Illya."

"Just go back to your homes," Princess Starlight implored. "For your own safety, and for your health. You all must have something better to do than stand out in the pouring rain debating the need for superheroes."

"That is true. Come Peter. I think The Corner Bar is still open." The crowd slowly dispersed. Although, some people did linger behind, staring at the frustrated Princess.

She lifted off slowly once the crowd was sufficiently thin. "Why did they always stare like that?" She wondered. As she passed above a street lamp, a camera clicked.

* * *

The next day, Brandon heard his sister tell his mother all about how Princess Starlight stopped a riot in Little Russia the prior night. Brandon was not surprised by part of the exchange.

"Well, that's all well and good, Brandy," his mother said. "But these supers are a menace. Centropolis would be an even better city without them.

"Yeah, yeah, Mom, a menace. It would be far better to have been enslaved by the various invaders or blown up by the megalomaniacs."

"Maybe there would be no space invaders or megalomaniacs if there were no supers."

* * *

Last night, Princess Starlight was involved in a drawn out battle with two low level supers robbing a bank. She managed to capture one of them, the one with the money, but the other escaped. As she waiting for the police to arrive, she was startled when her sister came stalking up the street directly for her. "Why didn't you tell me you were Princess Starlight?"

"What?" The Princess asked. "Why are you here?"

"I was robbing the bank," the crook said. "Typical, I get caught by one of the crazy ones. I should have listed to Aunt Gladys."

"You should have told me, Brandon," Brandy complained.

"Don't say my name," The Princess scolded.

"Your name is Gladys?" The crook asked. "Who names a kid Gladys these days? No wonder you're a bit crazy."

"What's going on here?" A police officer, arriving on the scene, asked.

"I'm yelling at my brother, don't interrupt," Brandy admonished.

"Don't yell at the officer," The Princess said.

"I didn't say anything," replied Gladys' nephew.

The Princess turned to the officer, "I'm sorry about this young lady yelling at you." As the police officer was looking at her oddly, The Princess turned and discovered his sister was not there. She had experienced other hallucinations these past few night, but never like that. "Um, can you take this guy off my hands? I think I need to leave."

"Typical super, never wants to deal with the paperwork." The officer said with a sigh, "We have a bunch of other witnesses. I'll need you to give me a statement tomorrow."

She shook her head, feeling better now that the perp was in custody. "No, on second thought, I'll give it to you now."

Later that evening, Brandon knocked on Brandy's bedroom door. "Come in," she called out.

"Oh, my God," he thought as he crossed the threshold into his sister's room.

"You love it. Don't you?" his twin sister Brandy grilled him, pointing to the wall decal. "I saw it online last night and had over-nighted."

Brandon was completely shocked to see a picture of Princess Starlight, floating above a street lamp, taken from street level, on his sister's bedroom wall. It was life-size, like those images of sports superstars would adorn a child's bedroom. Though he noted that her natural glow made her face look a bit washed out.

"Oh, it's great," he said as he thought it was not great. "You must be a big fan."

"The biggest," Brandy replied. "I think her name is Gladys."

* * *

Minutes ago, Doctor Apocalypse delivered his ultimatum to Centropolis and the United States. In a large estate along the central canal in the Ridgeway district, a family of four reacted to the ultimatum.

"We should leave town, perhaps visit your mother in LA," Mr. Wein suggested.

"I can't leave," Mrs. Wein said. "I have two board meetings tomorrow."

"You just heard the Mayor is closing MainTown," he said. "Perhaps, send the children."

"Oh, no way," Brandy complained. "I'm not visiting Grandma Byrnes without Mom there to run interference."

"That's no way to talk about your Grandmother," Mr. Wein said.

"No, I wouldn't send them to mother either."

"Where is Brandon?" Brandy asked.
 

* * *

Down near the boathouse, on the canal spur that ran along the Wein Estate, Brandon was looking up at the sky. "How did such a huge storm disappear so quickly? There are open skies from horizon to horizon!" He looked around furtively then said: "Princess Starlight Shine in Luminous Splendor"

In an instant, he felt his body shift in size and shape in strange yet familiar ways. His hair growing to half his body length, turning a dark midnight blue, and tying itself into two ponytails, complete with little red bows, was probably the weirdest feeling he was willing to think too much about. The leotard that covered most of his body was black with glittery speckles. A crimson sweater and matching short pleated skirt lay over top of that. Black platform shoes with golden buckles finished the look. Yet, she was now a foot shorter than he had started.

She wondered if Doctor Apocalypse was the evil she was sent here to defeat. The high pitch of her voice always surprised her right after the transformation. This time was no different as she said, "Illuminated Wings of Glory". White, feathered wings erupted from her back and with a few flaps, she was in the middle of MainTown in no time. She landed on one of more modest 40 or 50 story buildings in MainTown and sat down against the low wall of the roof. "See No, Hear No, Speak No" She wondered if today she might find the evil she was sent here to find. And again, nothing registered.
[sblock="ooc"]I assume[/sblock]"Should I register with the Centurions?" she wondered. "Would they need to know who I really am? I haven't even told my folks who I am. I guess I could go down there and ask them these questions. Being a super isn't a crime, yet." She stood up and looked down Centralist Plaza at Centurion Tower. "How cool would it be to just walk into the Centurion building like I belonged there!" She struck an heroic pose and with a flick of her head, one of her pony tails flew in front of her face. She was instantly knocked down a peg or two. It wouldn't be Brandon entering Centurion Tower. It would be Princess Starlight. The part of her that was still Brandon was a bit depressed by this thought.

"And what if my parents want to leave town. How would it look to volunteer and then not show up?" She paced on the rooftop as she thought. "I wonder if I can get royalties from that pic on Brandy's wall. Maybe the Centurions would be able to help out with that."

Steeling her nerve, she flew toward the Centurion Tower, landing in the central plaza. Looking around, she headed to the front doors.

EDIT: Just read about the building. More to follow...
 
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GreenKarl

First Post
She wondered if Doctor Apocalypse was the evil she was sent here to defeat...
She wondered if today she might find the evil she was sent here to find. And again, nothing registered.
[sblock="ooc"]I assume[/sblock]

The Princess is not completely sure that this Doctor is the 'main' evil she was sent to fight but she is sure that he is a major EVIL
 

OOC: She has a "Detect evil" power that finds "evil" within a mile. It may or may not only apply to her "special" evil. But every now and then she uses it to see if it is "nearby".
"See No, Hear No, Speak No"
She closes her eyes and a nimbus of light surrounds her head. Her arm rises and points.
A: Standard, R: Ranged; D: Sustained; Total Cost: 2 cp
8 Ranks Remote Sensing “Evil” 1/r; No Conduit +1/r; Distracting -1/r; Concentration -1/r; Limited: Does not tell nature of evil, just direction and count -1/r ; Subtotal: 2
Effect: Know count and direction of “Evil” within 1 miles​

Is there a receptionist or security person in the lobby to answer questions? (Such as how do I contact the Centurions about temporary membership for whatever is happening tomorrow at noon?)
 

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