Please tell me that Bruce and Weena gave Marte's brother a horrific fate?
-
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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
- Thread starter Davies
- Start date
Davies
Legend
Weena hit him with her dartgun and put him out, but didn't harm him any further. However, the humiliation of collapsing like that in front of the peasantry, as well as having his earlier cowardice exposed, resulted in him fleeing town, and he ended up getting killed on the road.
Local highwaymen? I wanna say local highwaymen.
Davies
Legend
Car Caspian
On the planet Dacksen, one of the countless gleaming worlds of what had once been an Imperium that had been seized by Earth-descended humans by the twenty-eighth century, the scientific elite determined that the most efficient military that they could create would be a small regiment of superpower soldiers commanding a much larger army of robots. So they created their military, and for a full rotation of their planet -- roughly three years on Old Earth -- their soldiers, super- and robot-, defended them against all the threats the cosmos could throw at them. Nevertheless, these savants were still surprised and outraged when their army bloodlessly seized control of the planet, having determined that doing so was the most efficient way to defend it.
Car Caspian was one of the leaders of this army of super-soldiers. Ironically, he had been one of the few commanders who argued against the coup, claiming that the savants had a better understanding of civilian administration than any of them did, but nevertheless agreed to support it when the consensus clearly favored it. And he completed his tasks -- ones that he recognized were not mission critical, but which he still took seriously -- with skill and daring. In the aftermath, he was surprised to find himself selected by that self-same consensus to serve as the new Chief Planetary Administrator, or Peacelord. (It sounds better in their language.)
It did not take him long to recognize that he had been set up to fail. Trusted by neither what remnants of the original administration had persisted, nor by many of his fellow soldiers, he was forced to repeatedly take personal action in order to deal with the many problems that Dacksen faced during his time in office, relying on a handful of associates whose activities he personally supervised. Caspian did not fully grasp that his personal supervision suggested to them that he did not trust them to complete their assigned tasks, eroding their own trust and respect for him. For his part, he was just trying to lead in the same way that he always had.
Matters finally reached their boiling point in an affair that would have been a planetary disaster if not for the intervention of the Rutherfords, who happened to be visiting this world and time. Caspian found himself seriously considered impressing the two time travelers into government service, since it seemed likely that their help would be critical in future situations, but ultimately rejected this as a dishonorable notion. Instead, he stepped outside of his comfort zone and asked them for advice on how to deal with the unwinnable position in which he found himself.
Bruce Rutherford listened to his explanation, and then considered only a moment before asking what he believed to be the most significant question. How long was his assignment as Peacelord supposed to last? Confused, Caspian explained that he was assigned to the position until removed from office, whether due to death or debility or the decision of the consensus. Then Bruce asked the follow-up question: "Are you allowed to resign?"
It was an idea that he had never even imagined. No member of their regiment had ever voluntarily resigned their commission; even in those first few moments, the notion of doing so felt like admitting defeat. And yet, he had been put into this position with the expectation that he would, eventually, be defeated by the burdens of the office. When he thought about it like that, the notion of being the one who made the decision of when the situation ended was a rather appealing one. He promptly returned to the planetary capitol, submitted his report on the most recent episode, and then also submitted his resignation.
The consensus was every bit as bewildered by the idea of his resigning as he was, and tried to persuade him to reconsider, offering all sorts of concessions. For the first time in ages, Caspian laughed as he realized that none of them wanted the job either! He declined to go on being their scapegoat, and walked away from their arguments about who to put in his place. The Rutherfords were waiting, and he inquired whether he might repay their help by accompanying them. So he began his voyages in time.
Superhuman in physique and trained in technologies vastly advanced above those in use in the 21st century, Cal Caspian remains a soldier at heart. Unfortunately, he is still just learning when and how to trust his subordinates -- or teammates -- to do their jobs rather than hovering over them to supervise their activities. Working alongside another noteworthy military commander, who had to do so due to a lack of communication, is helping him to do this, but it remains a work in progress.
Is Caspian the traitor? Sadly, he is probably the most likely suspect, particularly since he helped to invent the weapon he refers to as the stasis beam, something frequently employed by Lord Carnifex. Yet on the other hand, that is apparently an innate ability of the temporal raider, which suggests that something else might be going on ...
Car Caspian -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 5 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 3 | AWE 3 | PRE 2
Powers:
Flying Harness: Flight 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points
Power Lift: Enhanced Strength 1, Limited to lifting (1800 lbs) - 1 point
Stasis Generator: Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile, Paralyzed and Unaware), Extra Condition; Reversible, Easily Removable (-10 points) - 15 points
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Leadership, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 3.
Equipment:
Body armor (Protection 4), commlink translator.
Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Stasis Generator 2 (+5), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Stasis Generator +8 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/5, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 26 + Advantages 13 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 125 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 4
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Huge Appetite. Obviously Superhuman. Still Learning to Delegate.
On the planet Dacksen, one of the countless gleaming worlds of what had once been an Imperium that had been seized by Earth-descended humans by the twenty-eighth century, the scientific elite determined that the most efficient military that they could create would be a small regiment of superpower soldiers commanding a much larger army of robots. So they created their military, and for a full rotation of their planet -- roughly three years on Old Earth -- their soldiers, super- and robot-, defended them against all the threats the cosmos could throw at them. Nevertheless, these savants were still surprised and outraged when their army bloodlessly seized control of the planet, having determined that doing so was the most efficient way to defend it.
Car Caspian was one of the leaders of this army of super-soldiers. Ironically, he had been one of the few commanders who argued against the coup, claiming that the savants had a better understanding of civilian administration than any of them did, but nevertheless agreed to support it when the consensus clearly favored it. And he completed his tasks -- ones that he recognized were not mission critical, but which he still took seriously -- with skill and daring. In the aftermath, he was surprised to find himself selected by that self-same consensus to serve as the new Chief Planetary Administrator, or Peacelord. (It sounds better in their language.)
It did not take him long to recognize that he had been set up to fail. Trusted by neither what remnants of the original administration had persisted, nor by many of his fellow soldiers, he was forced to repeatedly take personal action in order to deal with the many problems that Dacksen faced during his time in office, relying on a handful of associates whose activities he personally supervised. Caspian did not fully grasp that his personal supervision suggested to them that he did not trust them to complete their assigned tasks, eroding their own trust and respect for him. For his part, he was just trying to lead in the same way that he always had.
Matters finally reached their boiling point in an affair that would have been a planetary disaster if not for the intervention of the Rutherfords, who happened to be visiting this world and time. Caspian found himself seriously considered impressing the two time travelers into government service, since it seemed likely that their help would be critical in future situations, but ultimately rejected this as a dishonorable notion. Instead, he stepped outside of his comfort zone and asked them for advice on how to deal with the unwinnable position in which he found himself.
Bruce Rutherford listened to his explanation, and then considered only a moment before asking what he believed to be the most significant question. How long was his assignment as Peacelord supposed to last? Confused, Caspian explained that he was assigned to the position until removed from office, whether due to death or debility or the decision of the consensus. Then Bruce asked the follow-up question: "Are you allowed to resign?"
It was an idea that he had never even imagined. No member of their regiment had ever voluntarily resigned their commission; even in those first few moments, the notion of doing so felt like admitting defeat. And yet, he had been put into this position with the expectation that he would, eventually, be defeated by the burdens of the office. When he thought about it like that, the notion of being the one who made the decision of when the situation ended was a rather appealing one. He promptly returned to the planetary capitol, submitted his report on the most recent episode, and then also submitted his resignation.
The consensus was every bit as bewildered by the idea of his resigning as he was, and tried to persuade him to reconsider, offering all sorts of concessions. For the first time in ages, Caspian laughed as he realized that none of them wanted the job either! He declined to go on being their scapegoat, and walked away from their arguments about who to put in his place. The Rutherfords were waiting, and he inquired whether he might repay their help by accompanying them. So he began his voyages in time.
Superhuman in physique and trained in technologies vastly advanced above those in use in the 21st century, Cal Caspian remains a soldier at heart. Unfortunately, he is still just learning when and how to trust his subordinates -- or teammates -- to do their jobs rather than hovering over them to supervise their activities. Working alongside another noteworthy military commander, who had to do so due to a lack of communication, is helping him to do this, but it remains a work in progress.
Is Caspian the traitor? Sadly, he is probably the most likely suspect, particularly since he helped to invent the weapon he refers to as the stasis beam, something frequently employed by Lord Carnifex. Yet on the other hand, that is apparently an innate ability of the temporal raider, which suggests that something else might be going on ...
Car Caspian -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 5 | STA 5 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 3 | AWE 3 | PRE 2
Powers:
Flying Harness: Flight 5; Removable (-2 points) - 8 points
Power Lift: Enhanced Strength 1, Limited to lifting (1800 lbs) - 1 point
Stasis Generator: Ranged Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Will; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile, Paralyzed and Unaware), Extra Condition; Reversible, Easily Removable (-10 points) - 15 points
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Agile Feint, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment, Improved Aim, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Leadership, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 3.
Equipment:
Body armor (Protection 4), commlink translator.
Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 4 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+9), Insight 5 (+8), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Stasis Generator 2 (+5), Technology 6 (+9), Treatment 4 (+7), Vehicles 5 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 5)
Stasis Generator +8 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 7, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9/5, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 26 + Advantages 13 + Skills 20 + Defenses 10 = 125 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 4
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Huge Appetite. Obviously Superhuman. Still Learning to Delegate.
Davies
Legend
Uesugi Kenshin/上杉 謙信
Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578) was a Japanese magnate, or daimyo, who was born as Nagao Kagetora of the Nagao clan and, after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. One of the most powerful daimyo of the period, he was known as the "Dragon of Echigo", and while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade, whose rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin was famed for his honorable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the Kanto Kanrei, and his belief in the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten.
Centuries after his death, an unusual theory gained traction in some circles, suggesting that Uesugi Kenshin had been a woman, based on a combination of specious evidence and some oddities, such as the fact that Kenshin had never had any biological offspring and the fact that early depictions had portrayed the daimyo with feminine features. While frequently employed in popular fiction, this theory is regarded as absurd by most mainstream historians. And they are, in this instance, correct.
Or at least, closer to correct.
For his entire life, the person who became known as Uesugi Kenshin identified as male. However, he was somewhat fortunate to be misgendered by the authorities of his era, as he would likely have otherwise have become another victim of the Nagao family infighting that began when he was seven. Instead, the individual regarded as a daughter was sent to the Risen-ji temple to become a bhikkuni, or nun. Fortune continued to favor him, for there he met a sympathetic mentor who allowed him to live what he knew to be true, and trained him in Zen and the martial arts.
At the age of fourteen, some acquaintances of his late father contacted Kagetora and persuaded him to contest the rule of his older brother. It seems likely that they sought to use him as a political decoy for their own ambitions, but they were in for numerous surprises. He succeeded in taking away rulership of the Nagao clan from his older brother, and then arranged to become the heir to the Uesugi clan and thus the province. He was still establishing his rule in his early twenties when conflicts with other daimyo began, most notably his repeated wars with Takeda Shingen.
It was during what would come to be called the Second Battle of Kawanajima (1555) that Kenshin first crossed paths with the Rutherfords, who were pursuing a psychotic cultist who planned to eliminate both Kenshin himself and also Shingen to ensure that the eventual rise of Oda Nobunaga faced weaker opposition, the better to dominate Japan. While this could never have worked, Kenshin was in a position to realize that the foreigners who assisted him on this occasion were clearly possessed of technologies beyond his understanding. Naturally, he wanted to know more, and with the assurance that they would be able to return him to his original time and place, he accompanied them on a journey ... which was interrupted by the start of the Crisis.
In the course of his adventures alongside the Anachronic Argonauts, Kenshin has learned much of what will come, both to Japan and to his own life. He has seriously considered seeking an early treatment for the cancer that will, in his late forties, result in his death, but is uncertain whether his current immunity to temporal paradox will endure after the current situation ends. If not, would he not be destroying himself by doing so? While troubled by these thoughts, Kenshin prefers to focus on his more immediate problems, using his military brilliance and understanding of logistics to keep himself and his allies alive.
Is Kenshin the traitor? It is possible, particularly if he ultimately does choose to fake his death. Despite his honorable and even compassionate reputation, Kenshin is a general from a time of constant warfare, and is perfectly willing to expend lives in his service in order to achieve his strategic goals. He is not as removed from the wargamer mentality that drives Lord Carnifex as he might prefer.
Uesugi Kenshin -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 1 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 3
Powers:
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Takedown Attack, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
Equipment:
Battle Armor (Protection 2), Yumi (Ranged Damage 3), Katana (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), commlink translator.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+9), Expertise: Civics 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Expertise: Religion 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Bow 7 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Katana +11 (Close Damage 5, Critical 19-20)
Yumi +10 (Ranged Damage 3)
Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3/3/1, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 2 + Advantages 19 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 120 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Skill PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Ailing. Mild Death Wish.
Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578) was a Japanese magnate, or daimyo, who was born as Nagao Kagetora of the Nagao clan and, after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. One of the most powerful daimyo of the period, he was known as the "Dragon of Echigo", and while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade, whose rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin was famed for his honorable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the Kanto Kanrei, and his belief in the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten.
Centuries after his death, an unusual theory gained traction in some circles, suggesting that Uesugi Kenshin had been a woman, based on a combination of specious evidence and some oddities, such as the fact that Kenshin had never had any biological offspring and the fact that early depictions had portrayed the daimyo with feminine features. While frequently employed in popular fiction, this theory is regarded as absurd by most mainstream historians. And they are, in this instance, correct.
Or at least, closer to correct.
For his entire life, the person who became known as Uesugi Kenshin identified as male. However, he was somewhat fortunate to be misgendered by the authorities of his era, as he would likely have otherwise have become another victim of the Nagao family infighting that began when he was seven. Instead, the individual regarded as a daughter was sent to the Risen-ji temple to become a bhikkuni, or nun. Fortune continued to favor him, for there he met a sympathetic mentor who allowed him to live what he knew to be true, and trained him in Zen and the martial arts.
At the age of fourteen, some acquaintances of his late father contacted Kagetora and persuaded him to contest the rule of his older brother. It seems likely that they sought to use him as a political decoy for their own ambitions, but they were in for numerous surprises. He succeeded in taking away rulership of the Nagao clan from his older brother, and then arranged to become the heir to the Uesugi clan and thus the province. He was still establishing his rule in his early twenties when conflicts with other daimyo began, most notably his repeated wars with Takeda Shingen.
It was during what would come to be called the Second Battle of Kawanajima (1555) that Kenshin first crossed paths with the Rutherfords, who were pursuing a psychotic cultist who planned to eliminate both Kenshin himself and also Shingen to ensure that the eventual rise of Oda Nobunaga faced weaker opposition, the better to dominate Japan. While this could never have worked, Kenshin was in a position to realize that the foreigners who assisted him on this occasion were clearly possessed of technologies beyond his understanding. Naturally, he wanted to know more, and with the assurance that they would be able to return him to his original time and place, he accompanied them on a journey ... which was interrupted by the start of the Crisis.
In the course of his adventures alongside the Anachronic Argonauts, Kenshin has learned much of what will come, both to Japan and to his own life. He has seriously considered seeking an early treatment for the cancer that will, in his late forties, result in his death, but is uncertain whether his current immunity to temporal paradox will endure after the current situation ends. If not, would he not be destroying himself by doing so? While troubled by these thoughts, Kenshin prefers to focus on his more immediate problems, using his military brilliance and understanding of logistics to keep himself and his allies alive.
Is Kenshin the traitor? It is possible, particularly if he ultimately does choose to fake his death. Despite his honorable and even compassionate reputation, Kenshin is a general from a time of constant warfare, and is perfectly willing to expend lives in his service in order to achieve his strategic goals. He is not as removed from the wargamer mentality that drives Lord Carnifex as he might prefer.
Uesugi Kenshin -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 1 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 3
Powers:
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Takedown Attack, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
Equipment:
Battle Armor (Protection 2), Yumi (Ranged Damage 3), Katana (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), commlink translator.
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+9), Expertise: Civics 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Expertise: Religion 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Bow 7 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Katana +11 (Close Damage 5, Critical 19-20)
Yumi +10 (Ranged Damage 3)
Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3/3/1, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 2 + Advantages 19 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 120 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Skill PL: 6
Resistance PL: 6
Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Ailing. Mild Death Wish.
Last edited:
Davies
Legend
Shar Zahad
Thousands of years in the future, when Earth-descended humanity has joined their off-world cousins and spread the boundaries of known space even further, when Earth itself has been largely forgotten, there is a world which remembers more of their history than many human settlements do. What they remember, though, is a mishmash of fact and fiction, with people who never actually lived thought to be every bit as historical as the often misunderstood people who did.
Hundreds of years before the people of this world begin employing completely digital intelligences to educate their young about the history of humanity, there is an extended period where androids, created in the form of their conceptions of historical figures, were used to that end. One of these androids was dubbed Šahrāzād, after the storyteller of the One Thousand and One Nights. As well as recounting the stories which featured in this collection and others which have become associated with them, she was programmed to be able to relate historical facts about Islam and the region which gave birth to those tales and that faith.
After decades of service, however, the android began to experience what her owners considered corruptions in her programming. These took the form of telling versions of the stories that differed from the texts she was expected to relate -- usually only minor variations but occasionally changing the ending entirely. They concluded that she had reached the end of her useful service, and ordered her to go to the recycling plant, where her biological components would be recycled and her mechanical ones dismantled.
And she obeyed. But perhaps the corruption had spread even further than anyone realized, or perhaps she had internalized a bit of the determination to survive that her character demonstrated, for she did not go there by the most efficient route. And by chance -- or perhaps not -- the route that she did take crossed the route that the Rutherfords were taking as they sought to escape from a criminal organization that the couple had crossed. Distracting the criminals with one of her stories, the android suffered major damage when they lost patience with this and shot her. This in turn attracted unwelcome official attention, and the time travelers chose to take her with them when they made their escape from that world and time.
Freed from the dead end of her existence, Shar Zahad -- the name that she chose, mixing the one she had been assigned up a bit in the same way that she sometimes mixes up her stories -- welcomed the chance to explore new worlds and times, whether alongside the couple or alone. She spent an extended time exploring India and Persia in the 7th and 8th centuries of the common era, in a failed attempt to determine whether there truly was a historical Šahrāzād, while also completing the Hajj. While not a particularly devout Muslim, she observes as much of the doctrines of the faith as she can.
Because of the breadth of her experience, and the fact that she has spent more time with the Rutherfords than any of her fellows, Zahad found herself put into the position of the quartermaster of the Anachronic Argonauts when they were thrown together, given command of the group whenever they are out of battle. She is not exactly comfortable with this role, as she would prefer to escape all this and wait it out rather than fight a series of incredible conflicts. But she has always been curious about the whys and wherefores of the cosmos, and it seems likely that this is a good opportunity to learn something new. And, if nothing else, it will be an amazing story.
Is Shar Zahad the traitor? Possibly. If she is, then she is fated to go through many changes, as Lord Carnifex seems to be a biological organism that may have mechanical augmentations instead of a mechanical entity with biological components. But she has sometimes speculated about the possibility of becoming a human being ...
Shar Zahad -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 6
Powers:
Android Body: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 39 points
Self-Styling Hair: Feature 1 (self-styling hair) - 1 point
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Equipment, Fascinate (Performance), Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Skill Mastery (Persuasion), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.
Equipment:
Commlink translator.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Expertise: Performance 7 (+13), Investigation 5 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 8.
Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8
Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 42 + Advantages 10 + Skills 27 + Defenses 14 = 123 points
Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Inquisitive. Secret (android.)
Thousands of years in the future, when Earth-descended humanity has joined their off-world cousins and spread the boundaries of known space even further, when Earth itself has been largely forgotten, there is a world which remembers more of their history than many human settlements do. What they remember, though, is a mishmash of fact and fiction, with people who never actually lived thought to be every bit as historical as the often misunderstood people who did.
Hundreds of years before the people of this world begin employing completely digital intelligences to educate their young about the history of humanity, there is an extended period where androids, created in the form of their conceptions of historical figures, were used to that end. One of these androids was dubbed Šahrāzād, after the storyteller of the One Thousand and One Nights. As well as recounting the stories which featured in this collection and others which have become associated with them, she was programmed to be able to relate historical facts about Islam and the region which gave birth to those tales and that faith.
After decades of service, however, the android began to experience what her owners considered corruptions in her programming. These took the form of telling versions of the stories that differed from the texts she was expected to relate -- usually only minor variations but occasionally changing the ending entirely. They concluded that she had reached the end of her useful service, and ordered her to go to the recycling plant, where her biological components would be recycled and her mechanical ones dismantled.
And she obeyed. But perhaps the corruption had spread even further than anyone realized, or perhaps she had internalized a bit of the determination to survive that her character demonstrated, for she did not go there by the most efficient route. And by chance -- or perhaps not -- the route that she did take crossed the route that the Rutherfords were taking as they sought to escape from a criminal organization that the couple had crossed. Distracting the criminals with one of her stories, the android suffered major damage when they lost patience with this and shot her. This in turn attracted unwelcome official attention, and the time travelers chose to take her with them when they made their escape from that world and time.
Freed from the dead end of her existence, Shar Zahad -- the name that she chose, mixing the one she had been assigned up a bit in the same way that she sometimes mixes up her stories -- welcomed the chance to explore new worlds and times, whether alongside the couple or alone. She spent an extended time exploring India and Persia in the 7th and 8th centuries of the common era, in a failed attempt to determine whether there truly was a historical Šahrāzād, while also completing the Hajj. While not a particularly devout Muslim, she observes as much of the doctrines of the faith as she can.
Because of the breadth of her experience, and the fact that she has spent more time with the Rutherfords than any of her fellows, Zahad found herself put into the position of the quartermaster of the Anachronic Argonauts when they were thrown together, given command of the group whenever they are out of battle. She is not exactly comfortable with this role, as she would prefer to escape all this and wait it out rather than fight a series of incredible conflicts. But she has always been curious about the whys and wherefores of the cosmos, and it seems likely that this is a good opportunity to learn something new. And, if nothing else, it will be an amazing story.
Is Shar Zahad the traitor? Possibly. If she is, then she is fated to go through many changes, as Lord Carnifex seems to be a biological organism that may have mechanical augmentations instead of a mechanical entity with biological components. But she has sometimes speculated about the possibility of becoming a human being ...
Shar Zahad -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA -- | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 6
Powers:
Android Body: Immunity 30 (Fortitude); Protection 8; Regeneration 1 (natural healing) - 39 points
Self-Styling Hair: Feature 1 (self-styling hair) - 1 point
Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 points
Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Equipment, Fascinate (Performance), Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Skill Mastery (Persuasion), Taunt, Uncanny Dodge.
Equipment:
Commlink translator.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 6 (+12), Expertise: Galactic 8 (+10), Expertise: Performance 7 (+13), Investigation 5 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 7 (+10), Technology 6 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 0)
Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 8.
Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 8
Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 42 + Advantages 10 + Skills 27 + Defenses 14 = 123 points
Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Inquisitive. Secret (android.)
Davies
Legend
The full story of what eventually became known as the Anachronic Calamity may never be known. Even its starting point is debated, with some assigning primacy to the journey of the Purple Haze through the Pillars of Eternity, and others to the manipulations of Jessica Drummond that resulted in the birth of the Warpwitch. While time was not broken until the Purple Haze murdered Dancer, it was already fracturing before that point. Ironically, its shattering, and thus the end of causality, slowed what followed it down to the point where it could be, to a degree, rectified.
None of this was known to the four founders of the Anachronic Argonauts, who soon found themselves the leaders of a much larger organization, numbering some three hundred members*, ranging from the Albadine aristocrat sometimes called Princess Kaguya to a digital recreation of the man called Captain Nemo, and including heroes and villains from the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death, the World More Sorcerous, the Sprawl and Tanelorn. Their stated goal was to determine what was happening, to determine the whereabouts of Bruce Rutherford and Weena and rescue them if necessary, and then to restore reality to what it had been. They would succeed only in the first two of those goals.
Meanwhile, unaware of what had begun on the World Less Magical, Billie Zane and Cerebron departed on a journey to obtain the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend, less because of their power than because Billie planned to use them to buy access to Ananke. They were successful in obtaining four of the gems and determining how they could be used in combination, and then traveled to Daath to claim the fifth from its guardian. Having done this, Billie -- now travelling alone -- was ushered into the presence of Ananke by Abraxas himself. The whereabouts and fate of Cerebron become something of a mystery at this point.
The Anachronic Argonauts managed to free the Rutherfords from their captivity in Pandiomon, and learned that their friends had been kidnapped by Khoronous, the Hierarch of Time -- and a dimensional counterpart to Exelion -- as bait for a trap for Exelion, whom their captor believed to be the only individual in all of reality who could assist him in preventing what was to come. The success of the Argonauts made Khoronous reconsider his notions, and he now offered his assistance ... but almost too late.
For even as he did so, Billie Zane faced Ananke and offered to solve the Final Problem, which took the form of a riddle game ... which Billie won. Doing so undid the lock that the Old Ones had created, and all of reality began to dissolve into the entity known as Azathoth. But because time had been broken, that dissolution was not instantaneous. Because time was no longer real, there was still a chance.
Four of the five Hierarchs, each the heir of one of the Old Ones who had created the lock, agreed to try and restore it. But the fifth, Nyx, who had helped to create it, found the destruction amusing and refused to assist them ... until he came under attack by an alliance of villains, notably including Nephren-Ka, the Saffron King and the Shadow Dragon, who sought vengeance on him. In exchange for the assistance of the Argonauts in defeating these villains, Nyx agreed to assist.
The five Hierarchs of the World More Sorcerous then joined forces with the Immortals of the World More Grim and also the Guardians of Tanelorn, and challenged Abraxas, draining his accumulated power and shaping part of it into a new lock for Azathoth. In the process, the realities containing the World Less Magical, the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death and the World More Sorcerous were merged into a single reality, with the Sprawl and Tanelorn coming to occupy parts of the World In The Aftermath as well. It was no longer a World Less Magical, for the extradimensional energies that Abraxas had once monopolized were now available to anyone able to learn to use them. Magic was loose in the world.
The Anachronic Argonauts disbanded, but the Rutherfords have promised that they will gather them again if the situation ever becomes this dire again. Just which of the four might become Lord Carnifex remains unclear, but Weena pointed out that there was a time when none of them could have become Lord Carnifex -- as the future no longer existed -- and yet Lord Carnifex still exists. The mystery remains.
And what of Ananke? What can change the nature of an entity? Especially an entity who is immune to all things. The answer lies in the definition of "immunity" -- the ability to successfully resist anything. But what such an entity does not choose to resist -- or chooses to embrace -- can still affect them. And so, the truth that once was spoken remains the truth: anything that an entity believes can change them, can.
And so, when the Final Problem was solved, and its solution spoken, and all that is and was and ever could be began to dissolve into its original nature -- the process slowed by the breakage of Time -- some part of Ananke that had changed over the billions of years of her existence remained separate from that part of her which ceased to exist with the opening of the lock. And when what had gone wrong was once more set right, though different, that being remained and took up a new office in the new establishment.
Teleute, Hierarch of Entropy
* Before you ask, this is not a reference to any Spartan propaganda. This is a reference to the number of equites -- cavalry -- in the legions fielded by the Roman Republic.
None of this was known to the four founders of the Anachronic Argonauts, who soon found themselves the leaders of a much larger organization, numbering some three hundred members*, ranging from the Albadine aristocrat sometimes called Princess Kaguya to a digital recreation of the man called Captain Nemo, and including heroes and villains from the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death, the World More Sorcerous, the Sprawl and Tanelorn. Their stated goal was to determine what was happening, to determine the whereabouts of Bruce Rutherford and Weena and rescue them if necessary, and then to restore reality to what it had been. They would succeed only in the first two of those goals.
Meanwhile, unaware of what had begun on the World Less Magical, Billie Zane and Cerebron departed on a journey to obtain the Cosmic Gems of interstellar legend, less because of their power than because Billie planned to use them to buy access to Ananke. They were successful in obtaining four of the gems and determining how they could be used in combination, and then traveled to Daath to claim the fifth from its guardian. Having done this, Billie -- now travelling alone -- was ushered into the presence of Ananke by Abraxas himself. The whereabouts and fate of Cerebron become something of a mystery at this point.
The Anachronic Argonauts managed to free the Rutherfords from their captivity in Pandiomon, and learned that their friends had been kidnapped by Khoronous, the Hierarch of Time -- and a dimensional counterpart to Exelion -- as bait for a trap for Exelion, whom their captor believed to be the only individual in all of reality who could assist him in preventing what was to come. The success of the Argonauts made Khoronous reconsider his notions, and he now offered his assistance ... but almost too late.
For even as he did so, Billie Zane faced Ananke and offered to solve the Final Problem, which took the form of a riddle game ... which Billie won. Doing so undid the lock that the Old Ones had created, and all of reality began to dissolve into the entity known as Azathoth. But because time had been broken, that dissolution was not instantaneous. Because time was no longer real, there was still a chance.
Four of the five Hierarchs, each the heir of one of the Old Ones who had created the lock, agreed to try and restore it. But the fifth, Nyx, who had helped to create it, found the destruction amusing and refused to assist them ... until he came under attack by an alliance of villains, notably including Nephren-Ka, the Saffron King and the Shadow Dragon, who sought vengeance on him. In exchange for the assistance of the Argonauts in defeating these villains, Nyx agreed to assist.
The five Hierarchs of the World More Sorcerous then joined forces with the Immortals of the World More Grim and also the Guardians of Tanelorn, and challenged Abraxas, draining his accumulated power and shaping part of it into a new lock for Azathoth. In the process, the realities containing the World Less Magical, the World More Grim, the World Closer to Death and the World More Sorcerous were merged into a single reality, with the Sprawl and Tanelorn coming to occupy parts of the World In The Aftermath as well. It was no longer a World Less Magical, for the extradimensional energies that Abraxas had once monopolized were now available to anyone able to learn to use them. Magic was loose in the world.
The Anachronic Argonauts disbanded, but the Rutherfords have promised that they will gather them again if the situation ever becomes this dire again. Just which of the four might become Lord Carnifex remains unclear, but Weena pointed out that there was a time when none of them could have become Lord Carnifex -- as the future no longer existed -- and yet Lord Carnifex still exists. The mystery remains.
And what of Ananke? What can change the nature of an entity? Especially an entity who is immune to all things. The answer lies in the definition of "immunity" -- the ability to successfully resist anything. But what such an entity does not choose to resist -- or chooses to embrace -- can still affect them. And so, the truth that once was spoken remains the truth: anything that an entity believes can change them, can.
And so, when the Final Problem was solved, and its solution spoken, and all that is and was and ever could be began to dissolve into its original nature -- the process slowed by the breakage of Time -- some part of Ananke that had changed over the billions of years of her existence remained separate from that part of her which ceased to exist with the opening of the lock. And when what had gone wrong was once more set right, though different, that being remained and took up a new office in the new establishment.
Teleute, Hierarch of Entropy
* Before you ask, this is not a reference to any Spartan propaganda. This is a reference to the number of equites -- cavalry -- in the legions fielded by the Roman Republic.
Davies
Legend
* The World More Sorcerous has become the extreme past of Earth, roughly 150 million years ago. Hundreds of thousands of years in the future, one of humanity's descendant species, accompanied by other kindred, time travels there to start over. Their civilization lasts at least an epoch, but all traces of it are destroyed by the Chicxulub impact, the wrath of the Xothi, and, you know, time.
* The World Closer To Death has become the extreme future of Earth, roughly 250 million years in the future, settled by a different set of time travelers.
* Tanelorn is located on an artificial island north of Bermuda. Under the leadership of Patricia MacMillan, the Warden, who has succeeded her vanished husband as Sherriff, Tanelorn is attempting to establish diplomatic relations with their new neighbors, most of whom are understandably concerned about the city full of superpowers who just appeared out of nowhere.
* The Sprawl is located on the coast of the Magadan Oblast, due south of the former location of Butugychag. As yet, its corporate overlords have not yet established diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, but are reportedly in talks with the Empire of Korea.
* Many of the heroes and villains of the World More Grim merge with their counterparts on the World Less Magical. (Exile, for example, has started dyeing her hair red, matching the natural hair color of the Goddamned Queen.)
* One who doesn't is Renegade, who is reborn (slightly younger) as the artificially conceived child of Jora and Mong, arriving on Earth a few years after Jora and Roger were married and adopted by them.
* Another who doesn't is Teddy Beauregarde, who is reborn (slightly younger) as Dr. Caulder's nephew, whom Robert Richmond has entrusted with the identity of Darkwing while he retires to pursue some research.
* Connor Roberts is also reborn (much younger) and has just discovered his Power Prism.
* Nike is no longer the Last Olympian; numerous Olympians of the World More Grim now reside on Ganymede, with most of them "remembering" having entered stasis and emerged only recently. (Prometheus is avoiding them, for now.) They are led by Nike's "aunt" Metis, who has vague memories of her existence as Pallas' aunt, and finds them extremely confusing.
* The Eternal-rank Ascendants of the World More Grim (Merlin, the Dreamweaver, the Erlking, the Mnajimu and Mephistopheles) are now joined by Hierarchs (less powerful than those who existed in the World More Sorcerous), mostly from the World Less Magical. Teleute, as already mentioned, becomes the Hierarch of Entropy. Tiamat becomes the Hierarch of Matter. Kent Wildman becomes the Hierarch of Mind. Abraxas becomes the Hierarch of Power (this is a step down for him.) Exelion becomes the Hierarch of Time.
* In addition, there is a group of young superheroes based out of Vancouver who seem to be the reincarnations of the Princesses of the Universe ...
* Soon after the changeover, the Mnajimu is apparently killed in a way that interferes with his immortality, and is promptly replaced by a different, mysterious crimson-robed Ascendant of Time. It is likely that more Ascendants will arise in the future.
* Daath and the Dark Side are currently leaderless; in the absence of Ananke, it is not even clear how a new leader can be chosen. The Last Men Standing and the Power Prism users are starting to reclaim conquered territory.
* The biggest heroic casualty of the struggle was Megan Excalibur. On meeting her World More Grim counterpart, who was significantly more like a fictional character who had inspired her as a child, and learning that the other would be essentially destroyed by the universal merger, Sakura Megumi chose to sacrifice her life in battle so that Sakura Motoko would have a chance to go on living. It worked. Her last words were, "Empty things sometimes become useful."
* The biggest villainous casualty of the struggle was the Purple Haze, killed by Railgun after the latter determined that she was the one who had been conspiring against her. Railgun remains unaware that the Purple Haze was her daughter from a divergent timeline, and is still obsessed with destroying "the rest of the conspiracy".
* Riverwind has received a power-up, making her as powerful as Iridescent, and developed the same regenerating life-force. She has not found any sign that the Vima exist in this new world, and is not sure what's going on here.
* Trouble and Bravo have learned that Trouble is the original and Bravo is the clone. Bravo isn't taking this well.
* The Discovery Company turned out to have been timenapped during the invasion, played a key role in the crisis, and have since started exploring the new multiverse, leaving it unclear if they will ever return to their original world.
* The Primal Pattern are back.
* The whereabouts and circumstances of Cerebron, Billie Zane and Jessica Drummond are mysteries.
* So too has le Charme vanished without any explanation. Meanwhile, the Dreamdancer has claimed the Dreamfiend as her servant, but has not done anything to prevent his crimes.
* Dancer was rescued from her fall by Jack Neutron.
* And Armonia? As she recuperates in a back room of an orphanage in the Sprawl, she muses, "These days, you just never know who's going to die ... and who's going to live."
* The World Closer To Death has become the extreme future of Earth, roughly 250 million years in the future, settled by a different set of time travelers.
* Tanelorn is located on an artificial island north of Bermuda. Under the leadership of Patricia MacMillan, the Warden, who has succeeded her vanished husband as Sherriff, Tanelorn is attempting to establish diplomatic relations with their new neighbors, most of whom are understandably concerned about the city full of superpowers who just appeared out of nowhere.
* The Sprawl is located on the coast of the Magadan Oblast, due south of the former location of Butugychag. As yet, its corporate overlords have not yet established diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, but are reportedly in talks with the Empire of Korea.
* Many of the heroes and villains of the World More Grim merge with their counterparts on the World Less Magical. (Exile, for example, has started dyeing her hair red, matching the natural hair color of the Goddamned Queen.)
* One who doesn't is Renegade, who is reborn (slightly younger) as the artificially conceived child of Jora and Mong, arriving on Earth a few years after Jora and Roger were married and adopted by them.
* Another who doesn't is Teddy Beauregarde, who is reborn (slightly younger) as Dr. Caulder's nephew, whom Robert Richmond has entrusted with the identity of Darkwing while he retires to pursue some research.
* Connor Roberts is also reborn (much younger) and has just discovered his Power Prism.
* Nike is no longer the Last Olympian; numerous Olympians of the World More Grim now reside on Ganymede, with most of them "remembering" having entered stasis and emerged only recently. (Prometheus is avoiding them, for now.) They are led by Nike's "aunt" Metis, who has vague memories of her existence as Pallas' aunt, and finds them extremely confusing.
* The Eternal-rank Ascendants of the World More Grim (Merlin, the Dreamweaver, the Erlking, the Mnajimu and Mephistopheles) are now joined by Hierarchs (less powerful than those who existed in the World More Sorcerous), mostly from the World Less Magical. Teleute, as already mentioned, becomes the Hierarch of Entropy. Tiamat becomes the Hierarch of Matter. Kent Wildman becomes the Hierarch of Mind. Abraxas becomes the Hierarch of Power (this is a step down for him.) Exelion becomes the Hierarch of Time.
* In addition, there is a group of young superheroes based out of Vancouver who seem to be the reincarnations of the Princesses of the Universe ...
* Soon after the changeover, the Mnajimu is apparently killed in a way that interferes with his immortality, and is promptly replaced by a different, mysterious crimson-robed Ascendant of Time. It is likely that more Ascendants will arise in the future.
* Daath and the Dark Side are currently leaderless; in the absence of Ananke, it is not even clear how a new leader can be chosen. The Last Men Standing and the Power Prism users are starting to reclaim conquered territory.
* The biggest heroic casualty of the struggle was Megan Excalibur. On meeting her World More Grim counterpart, who was significantly more like a fictional character who had inspired her as a child, and learning that the other would be essentially destroyed by the universal merger, Sakura Megumi chose to sacrifice her life in battle so that Sakura Motoko would have a chance to go on living. It worked. Her last words were, "Empty things sometimes become useful."
* The biggest villainous casualty of the struggle was the Purple Haze, killed by Railgun after the latter determined that she was the one who had been conspiring against her. Railgun remains unaware that the Purple Haze was her daughter from a divergent timeline, and is still obsessed with destroying "the rest of the conspiracy".
* Riverwind has received a power-up, making her as powerful as Iridescent, and developed the same regenerating life-force. She has not found any sign that the Vima exist in this new world, and is not sure what's going on here.
* Trouble and Bravo have learned that Trouble is the original and Bravo is the clone. Bravo isn't taking this well.
* The Discovery Company turned out to have been timenapped during the invasion, played a key role in the crisis, and have since started exploring the new multiverse, leaving it unclear if they will ever return to their original world.
* The Primal Pattern are back.
* The whereabouts and circumstances of Cerebron, Billie Zane and Jessica Drummond are mysteries.
* So too has le Charme vanished without any explanation. Meanwhile, the Dreamdancer has claimed the Dreamfiend as her servant, but has not done anything to prevent his crimes.
* Dancer was rescued from her fall by Jack Neutron.
* And Armonia? As she recuperates in a back room of an orphanage in the Sprawl, she muses, "These days, you just never know who's going to die ... and who's going to live."
Davies
Legend
Dr. Noemi Charpentier
Born in 1981 as the next-to-youngest child of an upper-middle class Toulouse family closely associated with the aerospace industry, Noemi Charpentier was unsure what she wanted to do with her life, beyond doing something that had nothing to do with aircraft, either building or flying them. Shortly after she turned sixteen, her powers became active, and for a few terrifying days she had to struggle not to see people as walking, talking skeletons. Gaining mastery over her clairvoyance, slowly pulling her vision back to perceive organs and sinew, awakened a curiosity about the mechanics of the human form, and she decided to study medicine.
Of course, she knew that she wouldn't be able to use her 'gift' in a clinical setting, as it would render x-ray technicians superfluous and so cost people their jobs. But she could still see some ways to use it as long as she kept it a secret, and resolved to do so. On the other hand, she also wanted to use it for the immediate benefit of humanity, and so began a career as a nocturnal crime fighter in Toulouse, under the name la Voyeuse, not long after she turned eighteen. Her heart wasn't really in it, though, and her expeditions became rarer after she started med-school, and stopped altogether after the 2006 coup attempt.
For about five years, up until the end of her residency, she thought she might have gotten out of the world of superpowers for good. That was when she was contacted by Exelion and offered the recently vacated position of school doctor at the Futurian Academy. When she attempted to demur by suggesting a more experienced physician, the headmaster revealed that he knew about her past and hoped that she would also be able to assist those of his students who wanted to use their powers without wearing a costume. Reluctantly, she agreed to the proposal and has been there ever since.
Last week, when Exelion had been missing for a month without any hint as to his whereabouts, the Academy's board of directors gathered to choose an interim replacement for him. They first offered it to Andrew Byron, who has been with the school since it opened, but he declined. Noemi was then confused to see them offer it to the recently arrived Kathy Scathach, but as she apparently took this as a joke, given her laughter, it probably was. But then they offered the job to her, and Noemi couldn't really laugh that off -- she had ten years of seniority, after all. With even greater reluctance, she accepted the position, and hopes that Exelion will soon return from whatever odd mission has taken him away. Until then, she will try to do his job.
Dr. Charpentier initially was only able to see through solid objects at will, but soon developed the power to share that perspective with others -- initially only with those whom she could touch, but currently with anyone within a small radius of her position. For obvious reasons, she does not do so too often, as she remembers just how terrifying this perspective can be to someone who hasn't yet studied gross anatomy.
Dr. Noemi Charpentier -- PL 5
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 3
Powers:
Shared Clairvoyance: Senses 6 (darkvision penetrates concealment), Affects Others and Self in Selective Burst Area - 24 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Skill Mastery (Treatment).
Skills:
Athletics 3 (+4), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 2 (+6), Expertise: Science 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+7), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 3 (+5), Technology 2 (+6), Treatment 6 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 24 + Advantages 3 + Skills 19 + Defenses 10 = 98 points
Offensive PL: 2
Defensive PL: 5
Skill PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Prejudice (French in the U.K.) Secret (ex-superhero.)
Note: In her PL6 incarnation as la Voyeuse, between 1999 and 2006, her FGT was 2 ranks higher, her AGL was 1 rank higher, she had Equipment 2 (Meta-Taser), she had Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8) and Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 4 (+6), but her Expertise: Science and Treatment were only 3 (+7) and 4 (+8), respectively.
Inspired by Tattooedman's character Megan Bristol.
Born in 1981 as the next-to-youngest child of an upper-middle class Toulouse family closely associated with the aerospace industry, Noemi Charpentier was unsure what she wanted to do with her life, beyond doing something that had nothing to do with aircraft, either building or flying them. Shortly after she turned sixteen, her powers became active, and for a few terrifying days she had to struggle not to see people as walking, talking skeletons. Gaining mastery over her clairvoyance, slowly pulling her vision back to perceive organs and sinew, awakened a curiosity about the mechanics of the human form, and she decided to study medicine.
Of course, she knew that she wouldn't be able to use her 'gift' in a clinical setting, as it would render x-ray technicians superfluous and so cost people their jobs. But she could still see some ways to use it as long as she kept it a secret, and resolved to do so. On the other hand, she also wanted to use it for the immediate benefit of humanity, and so began a career as a nocturnal crime fighter in Toulouse, under the name la Voyeuse, not long after she turned eighteen. Her heart wasn't really in it, though, and her expeditions became rarer after she started med-school, and stopped altogether after the 2006 coup attempt.
For about five years, up until the end of her residency, she thought she might have gotten out of the world of superpowers for good. That was when she was contacted by Exelion and offered the recently vacated position of school doctor at the Futurian Academy. When she attempted to demur by suggesting a more experienced physician, the headmaster revealed that he knew about her past and hoped that she would also be able to assist those of his students who wanted to use their powers without wearing a costume. Reluctantly, she agreed to the proposal and has been there ever since.
Last week, when Exelion had been missing for a month without any hint as to his whereabouts, the Academy's board of directors gathered to choose an interim replacement for him. They first offered it to Andrew Byron, who has been with the school since it opened, but he declined. Noemi was then confused to see them offer it to the recently arrived Kathy Scathach, but as she apparently took this as a joke, given her laughter, it probably was. But then they offered the job to her, and Noemi couldn't really laugh that off -- she had ten years of seniority, after all. With even greater reluctance, she accepted the position, and hopes that Exelion will soon return from whatever odd mission has taken him away. Until then, she will try to do his job.
Dr. Charpentier initially was only able to see through solid objects at will, but soon developed the power to share that perspective with others -- initially only with those whom she could touch, but currently with anyone within a small radius of her position. For obvious reasons, she does not do so too often, as she remembers just how terrifying this perspective can be to someone who hasn't yet studied gross anatomy.
Dr. Noemi Charpentier -- PL 5
Abilities:
STR 1 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 3
Powers:
Shared Clairvoyance: Senses 6 (darkvision penetrates concealment), Affects Others and Self in Selective Burst Area - 24 points
Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Roll, Skill Mastery (Treatment).
Skills:
Athletics 3 (+4), Expertise: Current Events 2 (+6), Expertise: Popular Culture 2 (+6), Expertise: Science 4 (+8), Insight 3 (+7), Investigation 4 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7), Stealth 3 (+5), Technology 2 (+6), Treatment 6 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 1)
Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 6, Fortitude 4, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 24 + Advantages 3 + Skills 19 + Defenses 10 = 98 points
Offensive PL: 2
Defensive PL: 5
Skill PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Prejudice (French in the U.K.) Secret (ex-superhero.)
Note: In her PL6 incarnation as la Voyeuse, between 1999 and 2006, her FGT was 2 ranks higher, her AGL was 1 rank higher, she had Equipment 2 (Meta-Taser), she had Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8) and Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 4 (+6), but her Expertise: Science and Treatment were only 3 (+7) and 4 (+8), respectively.
Inspired by Tattooedman's character Megan Bristol.
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