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

[Davies]

Dreadwolves

Dreadwolf

Lycaon (with Dreadwolf inset for size reference)

There is some dispute in the gigantological community as to whether the species dubbed dreadwolves (tentatively dubbed aenocyon horribilis) actually constitute a kaiju species. While they fit the profile of resembling an extinct species, and that of being significantly larger than any documented examples of that species, they are not (with one exception) giant-sized in comparison to humans, and lack the energy absorbing powers of other well-known kaiju. That said, the term 'kaiju' is generally (though often incorrectly) used to describe any large animal to be found on Dread Island, and they certainly fit that definition.

By and large, dreadwolves are secondary consumers within the Dread Island food web, feeding on smaller, primary consumer species (and occasionally on producers) and are themselves fed upon by tertiary consumers, including many smaller carnivorous kaiju. Like mundane wolves, they gather in packs of around twenty or more dreadwolves, consisting of up to three interrelated families of mated pairs and their young. They mark their territory in the same way that wolves do, and it is rare for a dreadwolf to cross into territory claimed by a different pack. The exact number of packs on Dread Island is not known with certainty, but believed to be less than ten.

All of the above fails to describe the single largest known dreadwolf, the being named Lycaon (after the Arcadian king transformed into a wolf.) It should not come as a surprise that there is very little definitely known about this creature, as observations have been difficult. Lycaon sometimes attacks and even kills other dreadwolves, but has also protected other groups from other predators. For an extended period, it was believed that Lycaon must be a female, as most mundane lone wolves are females who have eitheer left or driven from the pack. After an extremely uncomfortable close encounter with the creature, the surviving member of a Morrison Institute research team was unequivocal in declaring Lycaon to be male. This raises more questions than it answers.

All dreadwolves, including Lycaon, are capable of generating sound at a specific frequency that includes some ultrasonic tones, which can cause other creatures to be rendered incapable of movement or response, with this ability typically used as a prelude to an attack. This ability is sometimes misrepresented as a howl that induces fear in the subject; whatever emotional response is provoked by the 'song' is ultimately secondary, as it appears to directly affect the subject's neurochemistry. Dreadwolves of the same pack are unaffected by each others' song -- this serves as a secondary territorial marker -- while Lycaon appears to be immune to that of all of the packs, raising further questions as to this being's nature.

As the dreadwolves are perhaps one of Dread Island's unique species which is closest in makeup to a living species -- and leviathans, the other one, are significantly harder to study -- the researchers of the Morrison Institute remain highly interested in studying them in general, and Lycaon in particular. It is hoped that understanding how Lycaon developed from the dreadwolves will lead to a better understanding of how the daikaiju develop from the kaiju, and in turn how the kaiju themselves develop. This might lead to a further understanding of how superpowers develop in many species, including humanity ... and how to deliberately induce that development.

Dreadwolves -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 7 | AGL 3 | DEX 0 | FGT 6 | INT -4 | AWE 2 | PRE -2

Powers:
Bite: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Loping Movement: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Evasion, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points
Size: Permanent Growth 2 (Strength +2, Stamina +2, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge, -1 Parry, -2 Stealth) - 6 points
Song of the Wolf Pack: Auditory Perception Area Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 ('songs' of other members of the same pack) - 17 points
Wolf Senses: Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Diehard, Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Startle, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+7).

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

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

Totals:
Abilities 28 + Powers 37 + Advantages 7 + Skills 14 + Defenses 13 = 100 points

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Pack Dependent. Physical (no hands, no speech with humans.)

Note: At least one dreadwolf has been somewhat tamed and serves as the Sidekick to one of the best hunters of the Mahani people, herself also PL8.

Lycaon -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 12 | STA 13 | AGL 3 | DEX 0 | FGT 6 | INT -4 | AWE 2 | PRE -2

Powers:
Bite: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points
Loping Movement: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 13 points
Size: Permanent Growth 8 (Strength +8, Stamina +8, +4 Intimidation, -4 Dodge, -4 Parry, -8 Stealth); Impervious Toughness 8 - 32 points
Song of Lycaon: Auditory Perception Area Affliction 11 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Impaired, Disabled and Stunned), Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Immunity 2 (songs of all dreadwolves) - 18 points
Wolf Senses: Senses 5 (danger sense, low-light vision, acute tracking olfactory, ultrahearing) - 5 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Diehard, Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 5 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+6), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 10 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12)
Bite +8 (Close Damage 14)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 14, Toughness 13, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 28 + Powers 69 + Advantages 7 + Skills 15 + Defenses 21 = 140 points

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Loner. Physical (no hands, no speech with humans.) Temper.

 

[Voltron64]

Note: At least one dreadwolf has been somewhat tamed and serves as the Sidekick to one of the best hunters of the Mahani people, herself also PL8.

What we need next then is a boar and/or deer kaiju, the latter of which is the only besides Scorpia to possess human-level intelligence.

 

[Davies]

Gogunta

Named by an eccentric Morrison Institute researcher after a toad monster from a fantasy game, with the name kept as a memorial to that individual, the creature dubbed Gogunta is an unusual example of Dread Island's wildlife. Regarded as male by the Mahani, though this has yet to be scientifically verified, Gogunta is a life form on the scale of a kaiju, but one which is as unique as a daikaiju. While creatures which resemble Gogunta have been discovered, and are actually very common across the Island, they are about the same size as typical mundane toads, despite having claws and multiple eyes and mouths. While probably very dangerous to other life forms of their size, they are more often preyed upon by larger creatures -- including Gogunta, who has been seen eating those who stray too close to the larger creature's current position.

According to Mahani oral tradition, for as long as the people have lived on Dread Island, Gogunta has lived in a pond (named, of course, Gogunta's Pond) within a short distance of their village. The creature rarely leaves this region, and the Mahani do not recall any time when Gogunta attacked their home, unlike other, more mobile kaiju. They do not regard the creature with any affection, but rather believe Gogunta to be a cunning but lazy entity who waits for prey to approach and then consumes or annihilates it.

Like many kaiju, Gogunta absorbs and redirects certain types of energy, with the latter taking the form of a laser-like beam that projects from one or more of the creature's eyes. While this is Gogunta's preferred attack form, as it appears to require very little effort on the creature's part, Gogunta is able to grab hold of opponents at a considerable distance with one of eight tongues, typically using this to swallow smaller creatures whole and tear them apart with their teeth. Against beings of similar size, Gogunta will occasionally fight with claw and body blows. While only of animal intelligence, Gogunta cunningly fights only while the sky is not clouded and the sunlight is facilitating the creature's regenerative properties, avoiding fights when this is not the case.

Gogunta is perhaps most famous for having killed Scorpia in 2011, facilitating the exploration of the scorpion-creature's lair and everything that followed from that. This unlikely victory is believed to have only happened because Scorpia had been injured in some other, undocumented conflict, but may have simply resulted from the fortunes of war favoring Gogunta on that occasion. Some gigantologists believe that Scorpia goes out of 'her' way to avoid further conflicts with Gogunta, but this might just be a coincidence.

Gogunta -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 11 | STA 13 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 8 | INT -4 | AWE 2 | PRE -2

Powers:
Amphibious: Immunity 4 (cold, drowning, heat, pressure); Swimming 6 (30 MPH) - 10 points
Claws and Teeth: Close Damage 2, Improved Critical 2 - 4 points
Energy Absorption: Immunity 20 (energy effects); Regeneration 20, Source (light) - 30 points
Feeding Tongues: Extra Limbs 8; Elongation 2, Limited to extra limbs - 9 points
Huge Size: Permanent Growth 10 (Strength +10, Stamina +10, Dodge -5, Parry -5, Intimidation +5, Stealth -10, Speed +1); Protection 2, Impervious 10 - 42 points
Laser Barrage: Ranged Multiattack Damage 12 - 36 points
Many-Eyed: Senses 1 (radius vision) - 1 point

Advantages:
Benefit (multidexterity), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack.

Skills:
Close Combat: Grab 1 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+9), Perception 7 (+9), Ranged Combat: Laser Barrage 8 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 11)
Claws and Teeth +8 (Close Damage 13, Crit 18-20)
Feeding Tongue +11 (Grab 11)
Laser Barrage +10 (Ranged Damage 12)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 7, Fortitude 15, Toughness 15, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 26 + Powers 128 + Advantages 3 + Skills 11 + Defenses 18 = 186 points

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Lazy. Physical (no speech with humans, no fine manipulators.)

 

[Davies]

Gerolds

On Earth, at least, the story of the creatures known as gerolds is inextricably linked with the story of the criminal organization known as Vaskhane. In the earth year 1958, two Chiraben-descended agents of this syndicate, Taddely and Aunat, were in the Alpha Centauri star system on other business (specifically selling drugs to the denizens of the refueling station there) when their ship was damaged by the wavefront of a hyperspace phenomenon originating in the Sol System two years earlier. Unlike Bzz Trgal, whose ship was affected by the same event but was under way again within a week, it took them several months to return theirs to function, though they were eventually able to follow his course.

Where Trgal spent several months in orbit around Earth, the Vaskhane agents' cloaked ship immediately descended to the planet's surface, landing in Sylmar, California. From there, they began posing as Terrestrials and conducting a wide variety of criminal activities on the planet, selling extraterrestrial technology and lifeforms, most notably examples of hemovoric plantlife and early blaster weaponry. They were not really interested in the money these schemes raised, beyond its immediate uses, but rather in establishing connections and laying the groundwork for future operations. The Meteor detected their activities soon after his debut, and foiled some of their plans, but was never able to capture the operations' leadership. Other superheroes thwarted individual schemes without ever discovering the truth about them.

In 1967, Vaskhane's Earth branch began one of their most dangerous schemes ever. Earlier in that decade, a mission to the Enigma sector brought back an animal species that the Technate quickly realized was a dangerous, potentially lethal threat to any ecosystem other than its native one. Their attempts to control the species, dubbed gerolds after a favored pet of their discoverer, were thwarted by both the creatures' own fecundity and the efforts of Vaskhane, who recognized them as an incredibly useful asset for the syndicate's ecological sabotage operations. A small number were sent to Earth (turning into a much larger number along the way) where they were marketed as unusual pets in North America, with plans to spread beyond there.

A bit less quickly than the Technate, the local governments realized that the danger of the gerolds -- in addition to their rapid reproductive cycle, typically spawning a new gerold every six hours, they could and would eat anything organic and smaller than themselves, and tended to leave those around them in a state of stupefied bliss while that happened. A number of regions where large numbers of gerolds had been purchased found themselves on the verge of famine before steps were taken. All the creatures were gathered up, with exotic means (provided by Diane Fortune, Jeremiah Wander and some of their allies) used to ensure that none escaped, and transported to Dread Island, in the belief that the creatures there would keep them in check.

And that has happened; they have become a major part of the diet of most carnivorous species on the island, while continuing to prey on those creatures whom their empathic fields are able to affect. The island has also seen the development of a phenomenon known as the gerold swarm, in which dozens of the creatures act as something of a hive mind, while acting like folkloric piranha that are able to devour a human-sized target in a few moments.

Ironically, the gerold operation was actually a major disaster for Vaskhane's Earth operations, as it drew the attention of Stardust upon them. Taddely and Aunat ended up transformed into giant gerolds that promptly ate each other, and most of their employees died similarly horrible deaths. Vaskhane's operations on Earth wouldn't recover until the mid-1970s, though that era and the '80s proved to be glory days for the organization thanks to its alliance with the Pythonian Insurgency. They have never tried to import gerolds again, though. If they ever need any, they can just get them from Dread Island.

Individual Gerold -- PL 5

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

Powers:
Empathic Manipulation: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 5 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Concentration, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 16 points
Tiny: Permanent Shrinking 12 (-3 Strength, -1 Speed, +6 Dodge, +6 Parry, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation) - 12 points
Universal Digestion: Feature 1 (iron stomach) - 1 point

Advantages:
None.

Skills:
Stealth 0 (+12)

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +0 (Close Damage -3)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 6, Fortitude 1, Toughness 0, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 2 + Powers 29 + Advantages 0 + Skills 0 | Defenses 4 = 35 points

Complications:
Hunger--Motivation. Physical (cannot talk to humans, no manipulators.)

Swarm of Gerolds -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Aura of Empathic Manipulation: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned), Sustained, Limited Degree; Immunity 1 (gerold empathic manipulation) - 33 points
Swarm: Permanent Insubstantial 2, Innate, Quirk (limited to Size -3 or larger holes) - 10 points
Swarm Attack: Damage 6 - 6 points

Advantages:
Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative.

Skills:
Close Combat: Swarm Attack 8 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Swarm Attack +8 (Close Damage 6)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 2, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities -10 + Powers 49 + Advantages 2 + Skills 11 + Defenses 23 = 75 points

Complications:
HUNGER--Motivation.

 

[Davies]

Mr. Odin

Photo taken c. 1959

Nearly everything that is known about the early life of Oddvar Berg, better known as Mr. Odin, comes from what the man himself revealed in an interview conducted by FBI agents in 1984, and should be taken with several grains of salt. He had worked diligently to destroy any other sources of information about himself, and all of his claims were likely directed towards his immediate goal of persuading the FBI, and by extension the American government, to grant him clemency in exchange for his promised assistance in combating the Pythonian Insurgency. Berg was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving this goal, largely because the agents in question believed him to be lying to them, and would ultimately die in prison seven years later.

Oddvar Berg was (he claimed) the last scion of an ancient family of his native Norway, born in 1923. (This birthdate was relatively consistent with his apparent age in 1947, when he entered the United States.) Many members of his family had possessed psychic abilities, usually some form of clairvoyance, but the talent had been growing rarer and weaker in recent centuries, and had last manifested in his great-grandparents' generation. When he developed his own limited ability to foresee the future, in 1938, his parents believed him to be making up stories, and didn't listen to his warnings. Thus, they died in a car crash later that year, which also cost Berg his eye.

As he was already practically an adult at this point, being stronger even as a youth than most grown men, Berg was largely left to his own devices. Following the invasion of his country in 1940, he decided to collaborate with the Nazis, viewing this as the most effective way to preserve his own safety. He became associated with the Rinnanbanden, the group of informants for the German spy apparatus led by Henry Rinnan. Berg claimed that he didn't employ his powers on the group's behalf, just his more mundane talents, and that he was not personally responsible for any of its assaults or murders. Further, he claimed, he grew disenchanted with Rinnan towards the end of the war, and had double-crossed the man when Rinnan and his followers attempted to flee to Sweden in 1945.

If he did so, it seems likely that he did so mostly as a way to further cover his tracks, with his destruction of records concerning him serving as the primary way that he did so. It sufficed to keep him free and at large during the massive purge of Rinnan's group that took place between 1945 and 1946, and allowed him to make his way to America in search of greener pastures. He arrived in New York and soon found a niche for himself as a professional seer for many of New York's gangsters, under the name Mr. Odin. Around this time, he also began his hobby of 'training' ravens to serve as his minions; the training largely involved brute-force mental conditioning.

As the first age of the superhero began to dawn in 1956, Mr. Odin (he later claimed) found himself increasingly disgusted with the petty villainy of the gangsters who employed him, believing that he could give the city a better class of criminal. He took advantage of the confusion following the Apalachin disaster to seize control of some of his former employers' rackets, which led to his first clashes with the Cowl and Masque, becoming their most persistent enemy. (Interestingly, Berg never claimed to have set up the raid.)

Pressure from his heroic opponents and criminal rivals alike finally saw Mr. Odin arrested and tried for his numerous crimes in 1967. He was sentenced to death for several murders, but the sentence was commuted to cryogenic suspension in 1968. In its turn, that sentence was lifted after the cryogenic revival process was shown to occasionally have serious neurological consequences for its subjects. In Berg's case, this meant the loss of his major superpower, the ability to control animals at extended distance and perceive the world through their senses, while leaving him with his limited precognition. His attempts to leverage this talent into a method by which he could know some freedom failed, and he ultimately died in prison, largely forgotten, in 1991.

According to his own account, he never fathered any children. But he was believed to be lying about that too.

Mr. Odin - PL 9

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

Powers:
Eyes of the Raven: Perception Range Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Limited to Animals; Remote Sensing 6 (all senses; 60 miles), Medium (animals) - 42 points
Forewarned is Forearmed: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3); Senses 1 (danger sense) - 10 points

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 6, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative 2, Languages 3 (Danish, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, others, [Norwegian is native]), Minion 2, Set-Up, Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed

Equipment:
Light Pistol (Ranged Damage 3), Walking Stick (Strength-based Damage 2) and 22 points of equipment as needed (usually a vehicle.)

Skills:
Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: Civics 6 (+10), Expertise: Criminal 7 (+11), Expertise: Magic (INT-based) 4 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+12), Insight 6 (+13), Intimidation 8 (+13), Perception 7 (+14), Persuasion 6 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 4)
Walking Stick +7 (Close Damage 6)

Defense:
Dodge 8/5, Parry 10/7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 68 + Powers 52 + Advantages 24 + Skills 31 + Defenses 8 = 183 points

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Physical (one eye.) Secret (can actually control any animals, not just birds.) Vindictive.


Huge Raven -- PL 4/MR 2

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

Powers:
Keen Eyes: Senses 3 (extended 2 low-light vision) - 3 points
Natural Size: Permanent Shrinking 8 (Dodge +4, Parry +4, Stealth +8, Strength -2, Intimidation -4, Speed -1), Innate - 9 points
Wings: Flight 4 (30 MPH; Wings) - 4 points

Advantages:
None.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 0 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage -3)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 2, Toughness -1, Will 2

Totals:
Abilities 6 + Powers 16 + Advantages 0 + Skills 5 + Defenses 3 = 30 points

Complications:
Persistent Domination--Motivation. Animal.

Note: Character concept by Voltron64.

 

[Davies]

Illuminatus

Up to a point, the story of George Collard is almost identical to that of the man who was first his greatest rival, then his nemesis -- Andrew Lewis, aka the Iconoclast. They were both wealthy and intelligent young men who were, in 1947, recruited as agents of the Golden Mean, and given training that turned them into physical paragons to match their intellect. The difference came in their motivations. Lewis apparently viewed the Golden Mean's goals as impossible, and was only interested in living an exciting and interesting life. Collard was a true believer in the group's agenda, and intended to one day become its leader and thus the secret ruler of America, and in time the world.

They did not get on, in other words. On several occasions during the following decade, Collard interfered with Lewis' missions for the secret society, usually failing to cause them to fail, but generally making them harder than they had to be. As Lewis didn't particularly care whether he succeeded or not, as long as he had a good time, this didn't bother him, but on one occasion he was annoyed enough by the interference to retaliate in kind, and caused a major operation that Collard was supervising to fail in a particularly humiliating manner. And Collard couldn't prove his involvement at all.

Soon after this, the Golden Mean ordered Lewis to infiltrate the Institute, resulting in the birth of the Iconoclast. Still smarting over his failure, Collard tried to sabotage this operation in turn, but repeatedly failed -- either due to bad luck or because Lewis was actually taking this particular assignment more seriously than he usually did. His frustration boiled over, and Lewis developed a costumed identity of his own, trying to become the Iconoclast's archenemy under the name Illuminatus.

This didn't work either, and for a time Collard went into hiding, certain that Lewis had to have recognized him -- that stupid mask didn't really cover anything, after all -- and would report him to the Golden Mean's leaders, this time. When he finally realized that this was never going to happen, Collard achieved a new level of anger and spite. He resolved to continue his career as Illuminatus, but he was done trying to just interfere with the operation. He was going to kill the miserable bastard who viewed him as so irrelevant. (Ironically, it seems that Lewis believed that Collard was actually under orders to help him.)

They clashed again and again through the next decade, with Illuminatus becoming one of the members of the Agents of Destruction at one point. When one of the leaders of the Golden Mean discovered his activities, Collard reluctantly agreed to become the other man's personal agent, gaining access to greater resources for his war against Lewis in exchange for a loss of autonomy. Yet no matter what sort of brilliant scheme he devised, the Iconoclast found his way out of it, and often sent Illuminatus to jail ... from which he was promptly (but sometimes not too promptly) freed by his patron.

And then the Iconoclast died, and Collard presented it to the Golden Mean as his ultimate triumph over their renegade member. (Of course, he hadn't actually had anything to do with it, but they didn't know that.) With a certain amount of reluctance, they gave him a seat at the table on the condition that he abandon his costumed hijinx, which he was more than happy to do. He would have enough on his plate scheming to become the first among his supposed peers, after all.

Six years later, he had achieved that goal, but the Golden Mean that Collard commanded was a hollow shell compared to the organization which had recruited him. Two-thirds of the other leaders had stopped bothering to attend meetings, and his efforts to compel their return were thorough failures. Too late, it became clear to Collard that while he was a cunning strategist -- if perhaps not quite so cunning as he believed -- he lacked the ability to persuade others to follow his strategies, and had gradually seen the ability to force them to do so slip out of his hands.

Collard thus responded favorably to the invitation he received from Pythia, delivering what remained of the Golden Mean's assets into the hands of the Insurgency she was creating in exchange for the title Director of Subversion. Like all of the Directors, he schemed to gain power at the expense of the rest of them with the goal of eventually toppling Pythia and seizing control of the organization. But the Insurgency was not the Golden Mean, and his fellows were perfectly willing to answer his schemes with lethal force. George Collard was murdered in 1987, after one of his plans annoyed General Estrella just a bit too much.

Iluminatus -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Fascinate (Deception), Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-of-all-Trades, Languages 3 (several), Power Attack, Redirect, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

Equipment:
40 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+11), Deception 8 (+13), Expertise: High Society 4 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 5 (+11), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 3 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 5 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 7 (+11), Technology 6 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 5)

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

Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 2 + Advantages 25 + Skills 44 + Defenses 13 = 158 points

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Nemesis (the Iconoclast.) Secret (identity, true masters.)

Note: Character concept by Voltron64.

 

[Davies]

Black Hood/Hēitóu Zhào

As someone else once said, as far back as Yu Wing Bai could remember, he wanted to be a gangster. Specifically, he wanted to be a member of the On Leong Tong, New York City's original tong organization, as its members seemed to have wealth, influence and respect that was literally unimaginable to a kid from Chinatown. Wing Bai was sure that if he entered this life, he'd be able to look after his widowed mother and dumb little brother, and never have to worry about anything else ever again. So, in his late teens, he started doing odd jobs for the lower ranking members of the tong, in hopes that he'd attract the notice of a patron.

In 1956, at the age of twenty, he got his wish. Out of an array of prospects, he was chosen to become the apprentice of Hēitóu Zhào, the Black Hood, the ageless masked enforcer of the On Leong. As it turned out, the mystery man was not ageless, and was just the latest heir to the title in a legacy that stretched back to the 1890s. (Wing Bai was too excited to ask just how many Black Hoods there'd been over the years, and how long some of them had lasted.) While getting on in years, the old man was still able to give his young pupil intense, almost sadistic training that turned him into a lean, efficient fighting machine, the ideal hitman and enforcer.

Three years later, the old man passed away in his sleep. Wing Bai put on the mask and took up his hatchets, ready to begin serving his masters and finally getting a taste of the wealth and respect they possessed. Almost immediately, though, he found his path crossing with that of the Cowl and Masque, the very same costumed crimefighters who (in the former case) had convinced his mentor that it might be time to retire. They weren't able to capture him, but they could and did thwart his first mission.

Returning to the tong in defeat, he expected to be punished for his failure. Wing Bai was somewhat surprised to find them to be very understanding; many of them had had similarly disastrous encounters with the shady figure who had, a generation earlier, prefigured these so-called superheroes. The punishment was limited to denying the newest Black Hood the remuneration he'd been expecting, with the understanding that he was going to learn from these mistakes and do better next time. Wing Bai swore to do this.

And he lived up to that oath, with his ratio of success to failure being about fifty-fifty over the next decade. That kept his bosses satisfied, for the most part, though Wing Bai wanted to do even better than this. Nevertheless, enough money was coming his way that his mom could be kept in comfort, and his dumb little brother had more options than Wing Bai had, and so he was content with his lot. On the rare occasions that he was captured, he was out in hours, either due to his skills in escape or graft laid down by his bosses.

By 1970, though, Wing Bai was starting to consider getting out of this, training a replacement while he was still relatively young, so that he could rise in the Tong's ranks. That was when he was informed, by the group's current President, that he'd risen as high as he ever could. No previous Black Hood had ever become one of the group's elders, much less an executive. They either died in battle, or trained an apprentice who would be expected to take out their mentor if said mentor lived too long after completing the training. Wing Bai's mentor had died right before he would have been sentenced to death.

Shaken by the realization that he'd walked down a path that only led to a dead end, Wing Bai started to become a bit careless. When given orders to eliminate a group of Hip Sing operatives, he didn't do much in the way of investigating his targets, but just launched a frontal attack. He was expected to die, after all, so why not go all out? But he didn't die, of course, and he found himself the last man standing once again, and looking down at his latest victims with cool contempt that dissolved when it finally broke through to him that his dumb little brother was among the dying. Tearing off his mask, Wing Bai frantically asked what the idiot had been doing here.

"I wanted to be a gangster, like you," were his brother's last words.

Wing Bai never really recovered from this horror. He continued to engage in missions for the tong, but no longer cared whether he lived or died. And ultimately, he did die, roughly a month after the Battle of Vietnam, during his last confrontation with Masque. They fought on a rooftop in Chinatown, and one of the Black Hood's attacks carried him over the side, clutching to the edge. Despite everything, Masque tried to pull him up, but Wing Bai all but forced him to let go so that he plummeted to his demise.

The leaders of the On Leong were considering how to go about replacing their masked agent when they were rocked by a series of raids and arrests that would cripple the organization for decades. Wing Bai's fey behavior had concealed his plans for vengeance; on his death, information concerning the inner workings of the On Leong was sent to the police. While many of them escaped prison, the organization never again employed a masked agent. Yu Wing Bai was the last Black Hood.

The Black Hood -- PL 8

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

Powers:
Axe Mastery: Split Attack; Easily Removable (-0 points) - 1 point
Sneak Attack: Strength-based Damage 2, Limited to vulnerable or defenseless targets - 1 point

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Assessment Benefit (ambidexterity), Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Improved Critical 2 (hatchet), Improved Initiative, Language 2 (English, others, [Cantonese is native]), Power Attack, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Hatchet (Strength-based Damage 2) and 8 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Hatchet 3 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 5/3)
Axes +9 (Close Damage 7/5, Crit 18-20)

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

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 2 + Advantages 16 + Skills 29 + Defenses 11 = 114 points

Complications:
Loyalty--Motivation. Family. Prejudice (Chinese.) Secret Identity.

Note: Character concept by Voltron64.

 

[Voltron64]

Returning to the tong in defeat, he expected to be punished for his failure. Wing Bai was somewhat surprised to find them to be very understanding; many of them had had similarly disastrous encounters with the shady figure who had, a generation earlier, prefigured these so-called superheroes.

A figure who knew what evil lurked in their hearts, if not from esoteric technique, then through sheer experience and wisdom.

Wing Bai never really recovered from this horror. He continued to engage in missions for the tong, but no longer cared whether he lived or died. And ultimately, he did die, roughly a month after the Battle of Vietnam, during his last confrontation with Masque. They fought on a rooftop in Chinatown, and one of the Black Hood's attacks carried him over the side, clutching to the edge. Despite everything, Masque tried to pull him up, but Wing Bai all but forced him to let go so that he plummeted to his demise.

Another moment that had changed James Graham as the Black Hood had been a foe he had quite the enmity with. In fact, it was the defeats given to him by the Black Hood that inspired Graham to seek further tutelage from Basilea and the Iconoclast.

The leaders of the On Leong were considering how to go about replacing their masked agent when they were rocked by a series of raids and arrests that would cripple the organization for decades. Wing Bai's fey behavior had concealed his plans for vengeance; on his death, information concerning the inner workings of the On Leong was sent to the police. While many of them escaped prison, the organization never again employed a masked agent. Yu Wing Bai was the last Black Hood.

Overall, quite the Chinese gangster story, Davies.

 

[Davies]

Magnifico

In 1993, as part of his research about the first age, journalist Richard Lawson assembled what could be definitely proven about the man who went to prison under the name Angelo Anselmo -- including the fact that two different specialists offered differing opinions as to the authenticity of the birth certificate with that name and his supposed 1920 birthdate. As that beginning might lead one to expect, there wasn't much to be had, with little more than rumors about him prior to his surfacing in Los Angeles in 1955. One of the more intriguing rumors claimed that someone who greatly resembled him had been active in New York in 1951, under the name Joseph Genovese, until a conflict with Mr. Odin drove him out of town, but there were serious credibility issues with the source.

In Los Angeles, he first made his mark as a supposed investigator for attorney (and secret mobster) Frank DeSimone. Again, it's not clear if DeSimone was aware of Anselmo's powers at that early stage of their association, but it seems likely that he had to have been by the next year, when he used those powers to ensure DeSimone won the election to be named Los Angeles' mob boss. It's also believed that he started to demonstrate his tendency towards sexual assault in that same year, using mind control to first rape Marie Adamo and then force her husband Momo, one of DeSimone's rivals, into murder-suicide. If, as some think likely, he also compelled police informants to blame DeSimone for this act, he also demonstrated his tendencies towards treachery.

Despite DeSimone's misfortune of being exposed as a mobster in 1957, Anselmo continued to serve as his 'adviser', really acting as a power behind the throne. He was quite effective in this role, as demonstrated by his ability to thwart and eliminate the Star and Sunset, a pair of local vigilantes who'd begun operations in the Los Angeles area in imitation of the Cowl. (Reportedly, the duo were shot and then dumped in the La Brea tar pits.) By 1959, Anselmo had also begun to develop relationships with some of the secret aristocracy of the city, offering his services as a go-between who could be relied upon to 'convince' others. This was also around the time that he began to cultivate his somewhat old-fashioned style, somewhat inspired by stage magicians, and using the alias 'Magnifico'.

Fragmentary evidence suggests that it was in this role that he first encountered Diane Fortune and Nicholas Ashe when they visited Los Angeles in 1961. While their initial meeting was quite friendly, it soured rapidly after he attempted to use his mind control on Fortune and encountered, for what may have been the first time, a will he could not break. The two mystics elected to escape the situation rather than bring matters to a conclusion, leaving Magnifico infuriated and paranoid that they might expose him. He was correct, though mistaken that it would be a public exposure.

Two years later, Magnifico had his first personal clash with the woman who would become his nemesis -- Basilea. Able to not only resist his mind control but to fight back, both physically and psychically, she terrified him on a fundamental level. His schemes went to pieces when she set herself against him, and though he remained free, he was often forced into hiding for extended periods, hampering his ability to 'help' DeSimone and increasing the other man's paranoia, in turn jeopardizing Anselmo's comfortable position.

In light of this, it's not surprising that Magnifico proved amenable to Baron Khan's 1965 proposal to several noteworthy enemies of the members of the Institute that they join forces against them under the name of the Agents of Destruction. He was at first startled and then somewhat amused to find him leagued alongside Nicholas Ashe, now calling himself Diavolo, even though the other man didn't seem to remember their first meeting. Magnifico nevertheless kept an eye on him against the possibility of treachery, with that sort of mutual suspicion ultimately dooming the group's scheme. Ironically, the treachery Magnifico should have feared came from a completely different direction, with Perseus' enemy Glorianna knocking him out during their escape and leaving him to be captured.

Having learned from hard experience just how crimson Magnifico's sins were, Basilea went to great lengths to ensure that he remained in custody, thwarting the man's numerous escape attempts before he finally went to trial, and working closely with the prosecution in the case. Anselmo attempted to portray himself as the innocent victim of mind control by the other members of the Agents, offering EEG scans that seemed to prove that his psyche had been unduly influenced. (In fact, this influence had come after his capture, when Basilea had used her telepathy to interrogate him.)

In doing so, Anselmo outsmarted himself. The prosecution was able to introduce similar scans of numerous men and women who had been associated with him who showed similar influence, and then provide testimony from several of them as to the source of that influence. Despite the best efforts of his attorney, Anselmo was convicted of more than a dozen assaults over and above the initial charges involved in his activities with the Agents, and he was sentenced to more than 120 years in a federal prison, with Basilea continuing to advise on how best to ensure that he could not use his abilities to escape. The sentence was appealed, of course, and went all the way to the Supreme Court, who upheld the precedent that psychic influence constituted assault.

In 1982, as the Pythonian Insurgency declared itself, they caused jail breaks in a number of federal penitentiaries, including the one where Anselmo was being held. Pythia herself, accompanied by several operators, oversaw that particular operation, and paused at his cell as though considering releasing him. "No," she said at last. "I don't think so." He was the only inmate not freed, and the only one to die when the building was blown up after the mass escape.

Magnifico -- PL 10

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

Powers:
Mind Control: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Subtle; Senses 1 (mental link with compelled or controlled target) - 52 points

Power Stunt:
The Voice: Hearing Area Cumulative Affliction 10 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration.

Advantages:
Assessment, Benefit 3 (millionaire), Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Skill Mastery (Deception).

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 8 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 9 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Mind Control -- (Perception Range Will 10)

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

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 51 + Advantages 7 + Skills 29 + Defenses 18 = 139 points

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Intolerance (women.) Temper.

Note: Character concept by Voltron64, based on a 'blink and you'll miss it' reference by me that was a Moonlighting injoke in the first place.

 

[Voltron64]

Considering their shared associations with the Los Angeles Mafia, he and Deschaines work together a fair amount?