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

[Davies]

Celene

In one moment, so long ago that it might as well have been in another world entirely, there was a woman who had collapsed beneath the weight of her grief and the knowledge that both it and what had caused it were meaningless. In that moment, someone offered her solace in the form of words from a song that would not be written for millions of years. In another moment, a much younger woman, hiding from her father and everything that would come with him when he found her, took a bit of comfort in watching a frankly silly cartoon from the homeland of her mother about a demon hunter. In that moment, she wished, as she watched, that she could be like that. In still another moment, dread Abraxas greeted the red-robed junior Ascendant of Time, whom he believed to be an old ally of his, only to startlingly realize that he had been mistaken when the robe came down and a smiling -- no, smirking -- woman said, "Oy, have you got the wrong supernatural entity."

The same moon watched over all of these events. It would be nice to believe that it will watch over all things, forever, but that would be a mistaken belief. In neither this world, nor any that exist, is there a forever. But there is a "for long enough that it counts."

Sakura Megumi, Megan Excalibur, believed herself to be an empty thing; all of her affectations were meant to cover up that fundamental disbelief in her own value. On meeting a version of herself who was far more like that silly demon hunter who had made the hell of her childhood a little brighter, it was only natural for her to decide that Sakura Motoko deserved to live more than she herself did. If an empty thing like her could bring that about, then, as she said in her last words, "empty things sometimes become useful." And then she died, knowing that she would be forgotten.

Except that certain beings who had not forgotten her had other plans. It is at this point, as is typical of an Ascendant of the Sphere of Time, that her existence becomes somewhat non-linear. She apparently ascended in the moment of her death, and yet Teleute did not grant permission for that ascension until quite a bit after that, following the death of the Mnajimu. She should be only an Initiate of her Sphere, yet she has taken up the station once occupied by one of the Eternals thanks to training and experience undertaken in other times than these. (Or possibly training and experience that she will undertake has been somehow granted to her. It is difficult for beings who only move in two dimensions to understand the lives of those who move in four or more.)

Despite that, the strangest aspect of her new condition is her connection to the enigmatic force that once empowered the guardians of Tanelorn, thought to have been extinguished during the Anachronic Crisis. Her access to that power is limited, requiring the approval of all five Hierarch Ascendants to be fully available to her. As this would require the agreement of a being who would almost rather see the universe end rather than permit the existence of a being more powerful than themselves, as well as that of one about whom there is no almost about the subject, it seems likely that she will never draw on her full power. But perhaps that is not so bad of a thing.

For Celene, as she now styles herself, all of this has forced her to abandon her horrible self-image ... at least a bit. She has seen that she will, or at least might, become something incredible to her imagination, something that brings hope wherever she goes. And if all those people believe in her ... surely she can at least try to believe in her, too.

Her journey will be a long one, full of twists and turns that she cannot yet foresee. Yet the moon will watch over her for long enough that it counts.

Celene -- PL 13/15/18

Abilities:
STR 10/5 | STA 11/6 | AGL 13/8 | DEX 11/6 | FGT 18/13 | INT 6/1 | AWE 7/2 | PRE 10/5

Powers:
Ascendant: Immortality 19 (one round), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 24 points
Blessed: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Defense, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Luck Control 4 - 26 points
Guardian: Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Awareness 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 5; Enhanced Presence 5; Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Limited, Only by agreement* - 40 points
Sense Immortal: Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
Swords of Truth: Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 4, Split Attack** - 10 points

* If two or more Hierarch Ascendants consent, she gains Enhanced Ability 2 and becomes PL 15; in the extremely unlikely event that all five Hierarchs consent, she gains Enhanced Ability 5 and becomes PL 18.
** These are not Removable or Easily Removable, but Celene can use Deception to trick an opponent into thinking they can be disarmed.

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Luck 6, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Seize Initiative, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.

Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Medium; Toughness 14; Features Combat Simulator, Concealed, Gym, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Temporal Limbo 14 - 25 points

Skills:
Acrobatics 9 (+22/+17), Athletics 8 (+18/+13), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+23/+18), Deception 7 (+17/+12), Expertise: Magic 8 (+18/+13), Insight 10 (+17/+12), Intimidation 7 (+17/+12), Perception 14 (+21/+16), Persuasion 7 (+17/+12), Sleight of Hand 8 (+19/+14), Stealth 7 (+20/+15).

Offense:
Intiative +17/+12
Unarmed +18/+13 (Close Damage 10/5)
Sword of Truth +23/+18 (Close Damage 13/8, Crit 16-20)

Defense:
Dodge 21/16/16/11, Parry 23/18/18/13, Fortitude 14/9, Toughness 13/11/8/6, Will 16/11

Totals:
Abilities 92 + Powers 102 + Advantages 31 + Skills 45 + Defenses 15 = 285 points

Offensive PL: 13/18
Defensive PL: 13/18
Resistance PL: 10/15
Skill PL: 12/17

Complications:
Defense of Reality--Motivation. Bound by Fate. Forgotten by Nearly All. LOVES To The Annoy The Pompous.

You can try to resist
Try to run from my kiss
But you know,
But you know that you,
Can't fight the moonlight.

 

[Davies]

And we're back!

Dralmoi

Yugya, an Earth-like planet orbiting a star in the Unclaimed Regions, was first visited by a Technate space vessel roughly fifty years* ago, half-way through the first ten-year* mission of exploration conducted by the TSV Adventure under Commander Majun Albard. Long before the vessel dropped out of hyperspace, sensor readings indicated that the system was home to at least one space-faring species, and so the crew thought themselves prepared for first contact, with all the attendant difficulties of programming the translators for a new language.

They were completely unprepared to receive radio communications in an antiquated form of Chiraben Standard, even if it did make things easier. It soon became clear that the Dralmoi, a species of elastic creatures who were able to alter their shapes but unable to assume the forms of other creatures, had had friendly contact, centuries earlier, with Chiraben space-farers other than those who had gone on to form the Imperium and later help to create the Technate. (While the Dralmoi were able to give the Adventure coordinates for Vahalatho, the planet that these visitors had settled, that planet would eventually be declared off-limits to Technate vessels due to dangerous powers possessed by its rulers.)

The Dralmoi were friendly and peaceful, preserving both traits despite occasional raids by interstellar pirates. They had worked out the mechanism of a hyperspace drive, but their system was not blessed with the hyperfuels that could power it, and their representatives were quite interested in establishing friendly relations with the Technate in the interests of trading for such substances, as well as cultural exchanges. Excited by this prospect, Commander Albard explained that these matters could be greatly simplified if the government of their planet that counted the majority of their species among its citizens agreed to be annexed by the interstellar body, and urged them to assemble to discuss the proposal.

What happened next was, again, something for which the commander was completely unprepared. Over the course of one planetary rotation, roughly one million Dralmoi -- estimated to be two-thirds of all their species -- gathered in what seemed to be the capital territory of their planet and physically merged into a single being, roughly 125 meters* in height. Once this process was done, the leviathan-like entity declared that it was the government of the majority of the species, and would now consider the proposal put to them.

This took almost no time at all. "No," it said, then began to disperse into its components, a process that took another rotational period. Unfortunately, none of the Dralmoi could individually account for the decision, but they nevertheless considered it binding. Further, such a merger could not again be undertaken for at least two hundred years*. The Technate gained a trade partner and an ally, but not a new member. With regret, Commander Albard and his crew departed the system, moving on to other discoveries and exploits.

In the years since, Dralmoi vessels, equipped with hyperdrives purchased from the Technate, have explored and charted much of the Unclaimed Regions, and visited the Technate as well. As yet, none have visited Earth, but this seems likely to change in the near future, as word of the Technate interest in the region continues to spread.

While fusions of the sort that rejected the proposed annexation can only be created over a great deal of time and require considerable effort on the part of the Dralmoi involved, it is much simpler for a few Dralmoi -- between three and five, usually -- to be able to combine themselves into a larger entity who is much better equipped to face physical challenges than its individual components. This is still not done casually, as it involves a loss of consciousness and identity that they find disconcerting. It is also somewhat disturbing to watch, even for those accustomed to watching Dralmoi manifest limbs from their body as needed or squeeze through any opening wider than a few centimeters.*

Dralmoi Explorer -- PL 5/MR 5

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

Powers:
Elastic Structure: Extra Limbs 3, Continuous; Immunity 1 (strangulation); Insubstantial 1, Continuous; Regeneration 10 - 22 points
Unusual Senses: Senses 4 (acute scent, radius darkvision) - 4 points

Occasional Power Stunt:
Combination: Heroic Summon 12, Quirk 2 (requires a minimum of three Dralmoi), Side Effect (inactive while Summon present)

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Improved Grab, Skill Mastery (Deception).

Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5).

Skills:
Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+7), Insight 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+5), Stealth 5 (+5), Technology 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initative +0
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 2)
Blaster +5 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 2, Parry 3, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/5, Will 4

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 26 + Advantages 4 + Skills 14 + Defenses 4 = 80 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Physical (no color vision.) Others As Needed.

Combined Dralmoi -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR 10 | STA 13 | AGL 0 | DEX -1 | FGT 7 | INT 3 | AWE 4 | PRE 3

Powers:
Elastic Structure: Extra Limbs 6, Continuous; Immunity 1 (strangulation); Insubstantial 1, Continuous; Regeneration 10 - 22 points
Huge Size: Continuous Growth 6 (21 feet; Strength +6, Stamina +6, Dodge -3, Parry -3, Intimidation +3, Stealth -6); Immunity 80 (Toughness), Limited to Half Effect, Limited to Physical - 50 points
Unusual Senses: Senses 4 (acute scent, radius darkvision) - 4 points

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Improved Defense, Improved Grab,, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Speed of Thought, Startle.

Skills:
Close Combat: Grab 2 (+9), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Galactic 5 (+8), Insight 4 (+8), Intimidation 2 (+8), Stealth 5 (-1), Technology 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 10)
Grab +9 (Close Grab 10)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 14, Toughness 15/13, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 54 + Powers 82 + Advantages 8 + Skills 13 + Defenses 23 = 180 points

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

Complications:
Protection--Motivation. Physical (no color vision.)

Note: A small number of Dralmoi exhibit telepathic powers, never more than PL 6 effects. These are never exhibited by Dralmoi combinations that include them.

 

[Davies]

Koliko

While the conventional historical view is that the Technate became the Technate with the Declaration of Foundation, a few weeks* after the first landing on Muraddin, some have argued that the many stages that the state has passed through since then have changed it dramatically enough that what could be called the current Technate came into existence much later. Dates proposed have ranged from the first activation of the Minds (23 AF) to the conclusion of the Technate-Hazlan Wars (118 AF). The argument that enjoys the most popular acceptance, though, is that the Technate underwent its greatest change following its incorporation of the planet Walgelli, home world of the Koliko, in 57 AF.

Roughly three hundred years before that, the Koliko had been a thriving technological culture right on the verge of developing hyperdrive. And then a disaster, still not fully explained, struck them, devastating their world and decimating their population. Their entire computer network was wiped out by some form of electromagnetic pulse, and a lingering side effect of the disaster filled their atmosphere with particles that interfered destructively with most forms of gravitic thrusters. (The similarities to the situation that pertains in the atmosphere of the planet Peshkera, in the Imperium, have been noted.)

The Koliko had essentially been knocked back to a pre-spacefaring level. Their assembled leadership chose to focus on repairing the environmental damage that the disaster had caused rather than working to rebuild their technology. Recognizing that they had come perilously close to rendering themselves extinct, they resolved that there could be no further conflicts among themselves, and so became a people who would always choose diplomacy first.

(This historical narrative has come into question in recent decades, as archaeologists uncover evidence that suggests that the Koliko favored diplomatic solutions to their problems even before the disaster, and that their "conflicts among themselves" were generally brief. However, many Koliko regard these claims as faintly blasphemous.)

That diplomatic approach served the Koliko in good stead over the following centuries* as Walgelli attracted many visitors from other star systems who tended to become permanent residents of the planet when their ships crashed there. The survivors of these crashes were helped and gently incorporated into the Koliko government whenever possible, generally forming small subcommunities within the larger communities of the majority. Just as the Koliko recognized that they could not suffer further conflicts among themselves, they had no wish to harm others who had been stranded among them.

By the time that a private survey ship from the Technate discovered Walgelli, there were more than twenty species resident on the planet, making it almost as diverse a planetary civilization as Muraddin itself. Fortunately, that private survey ship sent a small contingent of explorers on a shuttle to the planet, rather than entering the atmosphere itself. Most of the shuttle team survived the crash and were able to restore contact with their ship, which was in turn equipped with teleportation gear intended for just such emergencies.

Before they could be retrieved, however, the shuttle team were "rescued" by a group of Koliko first responders, which led to the explorers being interviewed by the Walgelli Assembly. That in its turn led to the explorers learning about the strange properties of Walgelli. Supposedly out of sheer indignation at this hazard to exploration, their commander decided to correct this situation before they moved on, using the sensors of their ship to identify the source of these particles. It worked, and a joint Technate-Koliko team were able to travel to that source and put matters to rights.

The Walgelli Assembly, as the largest government on the planet, promptly voted to join the Technate. This is considered something of an irony, given that the survey ship was in the employ of a group seeking to secede from the Technate. Nevertheless, the Koliko have become mainstays of the Technate Diplomatic Corps (with many employed by the Cosmic Intelligence Agency) and considered responsible for many of its triumphs of negotiation. Some also serve with the Technate Space Agency, thrilled to no longer be bound to a single world. The Technate might be a different place entirely if not for their perspective.

Koliko Explorer -- PL 4/MR 4

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

Powers:
Adaptation: Movement 1 (environmental adaptation-aquatic); Senses 1 (low-light vison); Swimming 2 (2 MPH) - 5 points

Advantages:
Animal Empathy, Equipment 4, Evasion, Great Endurance, Improvised Tools.

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

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+3), Deception 1 (+3), Expertise: Galactic 3 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 2 (+5), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 5 (+7), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 1 (+3), Technology 1 (+4).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Stunbeamer +3 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 3, Parry 3, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/1, Will 4.

Totals:
Abilities 30 + Powers 5 + Advantages 8 + Skills 12 + Defenses 5 = 60

Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 4
Resistance PL: 4
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Reluctant Combatant. Others As Needed.

 

[Davies]

Dedurga

Art by Anthony Francisco

By the time that the Dedurga people were discovered on the desert planet Ommalafas, the Imperium had been established and the old patron-client relationships between species within it were increasingly irrelevant. Nevertheless, the Dedurga seemed to be largely happy to work for and with the Gebela, stereotypically putting their great strength to work in the Gebela shipyards and other factories. Yet there were also many Dedurga doctors and lawyers and entertainers and others who worked in any of the countless professions that make up a healthy society. And there were also Dedurga who followed the example of the Gebela by becoming explorers, though their greatest discovery would not become known until long after.

After the Schism Wars, some of the Dedurga accompanied the majority of the Gebela as members of the Armada -- but many more did not. This was not due to any loyalty to the mystic order; few among their people had ever pursued either technomancy or mysticism. Those who remained behind did so because they saw an opportunity to rebuild the Gebela home world Hacadikem, devastated in the war and now abandoned. While the project has run into many difficulties over its two century history, especially since the rise of the Crimson King, the Dedurga of Hacadikem still have faith that they will eventually restore the world within a few more centuries. (And as the Dedurga measure time, that is not long at all.)

Meanwhile, the Dedurga of the Technate have generally sought less grandiose goals. On the other hand, those familiar with affairs in both the Technate and the Imperium have often noted how much of the work of expanding the habitable regions of planets like Muraddin has been done by groups largely composed or at least directed by Dedurga. But most of their people pursue simple goals and pleasures, rather than action and adventure and really wild things.

And yet they also take pride in the fact that their people came to the Technate centuries before it was the Technate. When an exploration vessel crewed by Dedurga somehow traveled here, possibly along same route that the Armada would one day follow, and reached the planet Walgelli. There, like so many others, their ship crashed and the survivors were rescued by the Koliko and became part of their community. One of those Dedurga was still alive when the Technate came to Walgelli, and assisted in the negotiations that followed.

And yet there remains a mystery, for legend has it that when this elder was told of the long voyage of the Armada, his initial response was, "Why didn't they just take the shortcut?" Official accounts claim that this was nothing more than a joke, but some have wondered about that ...

Dedurga Explorer -- PL 6/MR 5

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

Powers:
Endurance: Impervious Fortitude 4; Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
Natural Armor: Protection 2, Impervious 2, Limited (only Impervious against attacks from the rear) - 3 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 4, Improved Aim, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Prone Fighting.

Equipment:
Stunbeamer (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated]), and 10 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+4), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+6), Insight 3 (+5), Perception 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+4), Technology 4 (+6), Vehicles 3 (+3).

Offense:
Initiative -1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 3)
Stunbeam +4 (Close Fortitude 5)

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

Totals:
Abilities 24 + Powers 5 + Advantages 8 + Skills 14 + Defenses 14 = 65 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 5
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Heavy. Physical (no sense of smell.) Others As Needed.

Note: A tiny minority of Dedurga possess significantly greater physical strength than this, with the strongest recorded examples having STR 5 and 2 additional ranks limited to lifting. In addition to this, Environmental Adaptation (aquatic) is fairly common among the Dedurga population of Walgelli.