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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
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<blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8358334" data-attributes="member: 30538"><p><span style="font-size: 26px"><span style="color: red">Gloriana</span></span></p><p><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-QDdsSpv/0/f089534c/M/titania-M.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Once upon a time in Battle Creek, Michigan, there lived a man named Professor Henry Sylvester and his wife, Bess. The professor was attached to the biology department of Davenport University, but it had been quite some time since he'd published any original research of his own, rather acting as a supervisor for the work of other scientists. This was viewed as a generally good thing, for his colleagues were well aware that Sylvester was one of those dangerously brilliant types who, left to his own devices, would probably produce abominations in the eyes of God and Man. So he was kept too busy for such things ... or so they thought.</p><p></p><p>In fact, Professor Sylvester quietly maintained a private laboratory in his home where he could give free rein to his imagination, focusing his efforts on the only matter that could possibly concern any thinking human being -- the improvement of humanity. Events, such as the World War, had shown him that humanity could not be trusted to guide its own affairs, and that a superior form of humanity would be needed to rule over them for their own good. Evolution was failing to produce that superior form, so evolution would just have to be helped along, and the Professor believed that he'd found a way to do this.</p><p></p><p>In mid-1939, Bess Sylvester became pregnant. There is some question as to the paternity of the child, as the relationship between husband and wife was cool at best, but it's also the case that the Professor regarded that question as academic. He had been handed an opportunity, and so arranged for his wife to receive an injection of the chemical formula he'd developed, in the belief that it would be passed on to the son developing in her womb. On January 1 of the following year, his wife gave birth, and the doctor congratulated the Professor with three words that turned his life upside down -- "It's a girl."</p><p></p><p>For a while, the Professor dared to hope that he'd made some sort of mistake along the way, and that his only daughter, dubbed Gloria, would not manifest the superpowers he'd hoped to give the son he needed. Not until she was in her mid teens did the horrific truth, that she was stronger, tougher and faster than any grown man, become clear to him. Terrified that the world to come would be ruled by a hysterical overwoman instead of the rational overman he'd imagined, he withdrew her from public schooling as soon as possible, keeping her away from her potential victims. Meanwhile, the Professor grew incautious with his experiments, and in 1958 an accident in the laboratory caused an explosion that killed his wife and left him on the verge of death while his daughter was off playing in the woods. She returned just in time to hear his final words, in which he begged her to use her abilities "in the service of man --"</p><p></p><p>Well, that was never going to happen. For years now, Gloria's parents had both forced her to keep what she could do a secret, and she'd come to realize that they -- her father more than her mother, but both of them -- were afraid of her, making her feel alienated and unhappy. But they were gone now, and though she never would have wished this on them, she couldn't bring herself to mourn either. She was free now, free of any restraint or limit, and she could at last enjoy life as she pleased. She did not really want to hurt anyone in the name of her enjoyment, but if that was the only way she could have fun, that was what she'd do.</p><p></p><p>And so she went out into the world, doing exactly as she wished without any regard for the law, to which the forces of the law naturally objected. Almost nothing that the police could throw at her would do anything, until she started fighting superheroes. They overcame her might with cunning, but no prison could hold her for long. She clashed with almost all of them -- the Futurian, the Meteor, Madame Menagerie, Basilea, and others -- save for Stardust, who apparently considered her misdeeds too petty to be worthy of his retribution. Reportedly, this both annoyed and relieved her.</p><p></p><p>While a member of the first assembly of Agents of Destruction, she found herself disgusted by most of her so-called teammates, and first covertly arranged for the capture of one of the most personally offensive of them, and later refusing the offer to join the second group. In between those events, she had her first clash with the Grim Brigade, in which Janey Quantum tried the unusual tactic of talking to her to see if some common ground could be found. It didn't work immediately, and Gloriana was once more off to prison, with the warden now aware (thanks to Mechano) that adding large amounts of oxalates to her food would weaken her considerably. She eventually found a way to get free regardless, but remembered that Quantum had treated her like a person instead of a menace.</p><p></p><p>By and large, that didn't change anything -- Gloria still kept doing whatever she wanted to do, but sometimes she'd seek out Quantum to have actual conversations. They found that they had a lot in common -- being both daughters of fathers who'd wanted sons (or at least sons other than the one Billy Baldwin actually had) whose powers had separated them from mundane life. But Gloria didn't understand why that hadn't made Janey as bitter as she herself was, why she kept trying to help a society that regarded her as a sometimes useful freak. Janey simply pointed out that she didn't do what she did for public approval, but because it made her happy and was exciting -- like Gloria claimed her life did -- and also because it had brought her friends she could trust -- which Gloria's life hadn't.</p><p></p><p>Gloria was still turning this whole notion over in her mind when the Battle of Vietnam happened. She watched news reports about it through stunned eyes. It was a level of violence beyond anything that she'd ever imagined, and the absolute opposite of anything she could imagine as fun. Was this really what she wanted for the world, no matter how rotten it had treated her? No. It wasn't. So she couldn't be a supervillain anymore. She was going to have to go straight.</p><p></p><p>Of course, to do that, she was first going to have to pay for her crimes. She voluntarily surrendered to the police, took regular megadoses of oxalates, and stayed quietly in prison. She was scheduled to be released in 1989, but when she remained in jail after the Pythons broke everyone else out, she ended up having the rest of her sentence suspended due to extraordinary good behavior, and the hope that she'd assist the forces opposing the Pythons. She was more than willing to do this, and looked forward to working with Janey.</p><p></p><p>That's when she found out about Jane Baldwin's death. She managed to get permission to attend the funeral, and fumblingly tried to express her sorrow to Franklin Zane -- who angrily told her where to go and how to get there, disgusted that this felon was daring to pretend she'd ever been some sort of friend to his late wife. He unloaded every bit of his anger at how much his wife had wasted her life playing superhero at her, never realizing that his daughter was listening to every word that he said. Gloria just took it, and offered her apologies, and then walked away.</p><p></p><p>She never reported for her assignment with the taskforce that was being assembled to deal with the Pythons. There was an attempt at a manhunt, but the resources for it were minimal under the circumstances. There has not been a reliable sighting of Gloria Sylvester since 1982. If she's still alive, she would be eighty-one years old, now, but as she had not visibly aged between 1959 and 1982, it's not possible to say whether she'd look her age.</p><p></p><p><strong>Gloriana -- PL 9</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Abilities:</strong></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 11 | <strong>STA</strong> 11 | <strong>AGL</strong> 2 | <strong>DEX</strong> 0 | <strong>FGT</strong> 7 | <strong>INT</strong> 1 | <strong>AWE</strong> 1 | <strong>PRE</strong> 3</p><p></p><p><strong>Powers:</strong></p><p><strong><em>Brick Tricks:</em></strong> Array (11 points), Based on Strength Damage <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Sucker Punch:</em></strong> Affliction 11 (Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Sunday Punch:</em></strong> Burst Area Damage 8, Activation (Move action), Limited (15 foot burst) - 1 point</li> </ul><p><strong><em>Skin Armor:</em></strong> Impervious Toughness 6 - 6 points</p><p><strong><em>Strong Legs:</em></strong> Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points</p><p><strong><em>Tremendous Endurance:</em></strong> Immunity 8 (aging, cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, starvation & thirst, vacuum); Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 10 points</p><p><strong><em>Tremendous Strength:</em></strong> Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting - 3 points </p><p></p><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><p>Attractive 2, Fearless, Power Attack, Set-Up, Taunt</p><p></p><p><strong>Skills:</strong></p><p>Acrobatics 7 (+9), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+6), Stealth 8 (+10).</p><p></p><p><strong>Offense:</strong></p><p>Initiative +2</p><p>Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 11)</p><p>Thrown Object +6 (Ranged Damage variable)</p><p></p><p><strong>Defense:</strong></p><p>Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11, Will 6</p><p></p><p><strong>Totals:</strong></p><p>Abilities 72 + Powers 28 + Advantages 5 + Skills 23 + Defenses 10 = 138 points</p><p></p><p><strong>Complications:</strong></p><p><strong><em>Thrills--Motivation. Huge Eater. Power Loss</em></strong> (consumption of oxalate, also causes Weaken Strength and Stamina 8.) <strong><em>Soft-hearted.</em></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Davies, post: 8358334, member: 30538"] [size=150][color=red]Gloriana[/color][/size] [img]https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-QDdsSpv/0/f089534c/M/titania-M.png[/img] Once upon a time in Battle Creek, Michigan, there lived a man named Professor Henry Sylvester and his wife, Bess. The professor was attached to the biology department of Davenport University, but it had been quite some time since he'd published any original research of his own, rather acting as a supervisor for the work of other scientists. This was viewed as a generally good thing, for his colleagues were well aware that Sylvester was one of those dangerously brilliant types who, left to his own devices, would probably produce abominations in the eyes of God and Man. So he was kept too busy for such things ... or so they thought. In fact, Professor Sylvester quietly maintained a private laboratory in his home where he could give free rein to his imagination, focusing his efforts on the only matter that could possibly concern any thinking human being -- the improvement of humanity. Events, such as the World War, had shown him that humanity could not be trusted to guide its own affairs, and that a superior form of humanity would be needed to rule over them for their own good. Evolution was failing to produce that superior form, so evolution would just have to be helped along, and the Professor believed that he'd found a way to do this. In mid-1939, Bess Sylvester became pregnant. There is some question as to the paternity of the child, as the relationship between husband and wife was cool at best, but it's also the case that the Professor regarded that question as academic. He had been handed an opportunity, and so arranged for his wife to receive an injection of the chemical formula he'd developed, in the belief that it would be passed on to the son developing in her womb. On January 1 of the following year, his wife gave birth, and the doctor congratulated the Professor with three words that turned his life upside down -- "It's a girl." For a while, the Professor dared to hope that he'd made some sort of mistake along the way, and that his only daughter, dubbed Gloria, would not manifest the superpowers he'd hoped to give the son he needed. Not until she was in her mid teens did the horrific truth, that she was stronger, tougher and faster than any grown man, become clear to him. Terrified that the world to come would be ruled by a hysterical overwoman instead of the rational overman he'd imagined, he withdrew her from public schooling as soon as possible, keeping her away from her potential victims. Meanwhile, the Professor grew incautious with his experiments, and in 1958 an accident in the laboratory caused an explosion that killed his wife and left him on the verge of death while his daughter was off playing in the woods. She returned just in time to hear his final words, in which he begged her to use her abilities "in the service of man --" Well, that was never going to happen. For years now, Gloria's parents had both forced her to keep what she could do a secret, and she'd come to realize that they -- her father more than her mother, but both of them -- were afraid of her, making her feel alienated and unhappy. But they were gone now, and though she never would have wished this on them, she couldn't bring herself to mourn either. She was free now, free of any restraint or limit, and she could at last enjoy life as she pleased. She did not really want to hurt anyone in the name of her enjoyment, but if that was the only way she could have fun, that was what she'd do. And so she went out into the world, doing exactly as she wished without any regard for the law, to which the forces of the law naturally objected. Almost nothing that the police could throw at her would do anything, until she started fighting superheroes. They overcame her might with cunning, but no prison could hold her for long. She clashed with almost all of them -- the Futurian, the Meteor, Madame Menagerie, Basilea, and others -- save for Stardust, who apparently considered her misdeeds too petty to be worthy of his retribution. Reportedly, this both annoyed and relieved her. While a member of the first assembly of Agents of Destruction, she found herself disgusted by most of her so-called teammates, and first covertly arranged for the capture of one of the most personally offensive of them, and later refusing the offer to join the second group. In between those events, she had her first clash with the Grim Brigade, in which Janey Quantum tried the unusual tactic of talking to her to see if some common ground could be found. It didn't work immediately, and Gloriana was once more off to prison, with the warden now aware (thanks to Mechano) that adding large amounts of oxalates to her food would weaken her considerably. She eventually found a way to get free regardless, but remembered that Quantum had treated her like a person instead of a menace. By and large, that didn't change anything -- Gloria still kept doing whatever she wanted to do, but sometimes she'd seek out Quantum to have actual conversations. They found that they had a lot in common -- being both daughters of fathers who'd wanted sons (or at least sons other than the one Billy Baldwin actually had) whose powers had separated them from mundane life. But Gloria didn't understand why that hadn't made Janey as bitter as she herself was, why she kept trying to help a society that regarded her as a sometimes useful freak. Janey simply pointed out that she didn't do what she did for public approval, but because it made her happy and was exciting -- like Gloria claimed her life did -- and also because it had brought her friends she could trust -- which Gloria's life hadn't. Gloria was still turning this whole notion over in her mind when the Battle of Vietnam happened. She watched news reports about it through stunned eyes. It was a level of violence beyond anything that she'd ever imagined, and the absolute opposite of anything she could imagine as fun. Was this really what she wanted for the world, no matter how rotten it had treated her? No. It wasn't. So she couldn't be a supervillain anymore. She was going to have to go straight. Of course, to do that, she was first going to have to pay for her crimes. She voluntarily surrendered to the police, took regular megadoses of oxalates, and stayed quietly in prison. She was scheduled to be released in 1989, but when she remained in jail after the Pythons broke everyone else out, she ended up having the rest of her sentence suspended due to extraordinary good behavior, and the hope that she'd assist the forces opposing the Pythons. She was more than willing to do this, and looked forward to working with Janey. That's when she found out about Jane Baldwin's death. She managed to get permission to attend the funeral, and fumblingly tried to express her sorrow to Franklin Zane -- who angrily told her where to go and how to get there, disgusted that this felon was daring to pretend she'd ever been some sort of friend to his late wife. He unloaded every bit of his anger at how much his wife had wasted her life playing superhero at her, never realizing that his daughter was listening to every word that he said. Gloria just took it, and offered her apologies, and then walked away. She never reported for her assignment with the taskforce that was being assembled to deal with the Pythons. There was an attempt at a manhunt, but the resources for it were minimal under the circumstances. There has not been a reliable sighting of Gloria Sylvester since 1982. If she's still alive, she would be eighty-one years old, now, but as she had not visibly aged between 1959 and 1982, it's not possible to say whether she'd look her age. [b]Gloriana -- PL 9 Abilities: STR[/b] 11 | [b]STA[/b] 11 | [b]AGL[/b] 2 | [b]DEX[/b] 0 | [b]FGT[/b] 7 | [b]INT[/b] 1 | [b]AWE[/b] 1 | [b]PRE[/b] 3 [b]Powers: [i]Brick Tricks:[/i][/b] Array (11 points), Based on Strength Damage[list] [*] [b][i]Sucker Punch:[/i][/b] Affliction 11 (Dazed & Vulnerable, Stunned & Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point [*] [b][i]Sunday Punch:[/i][/b] Burst Area Damage 8, Activation (Move action), Limited (15 foot burst) - 1 point[/list] [b][i]Skin Armor:[/i][/b] Impervious Toughness 6 - 6 points [b][i]Strong Legs:[/i][/b] Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points [b][i]Tremendous Endurance:[/i][/b] Immunity 8 (aging, cold, disease, heat, poison, pressure, radiation, starvation & thirst, vacuum); Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 10 points [b][i]Tremendous Strength:[/i][/b] Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to lifting - 3 points [b]Advantages:[/b] Attractive 2, Fearless, Power Attack, Set-Up, Taunt [b]Skills:[/b] Acrobatics 7 (+9), Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+7), Investigation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+7), Persuasion 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Throwing 6 (+6), Stealth 8 (+10). [b]Offense:[/b] Initiative +2 Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 11) Thrown Object +6 (Ranged Damage variable) [b]Defense:[/b] Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11, Will 6 [b]Totals:[/b] Abilities 72 + Powers 28 + Advantages 5 + Skills 23 + Defenses 10 = 138 points [b]Complications: [i]Thrills--Motivation. Huge Eater. Power Loss[/i][/b] (consumption of oxalate, also causes Weaken Strength and Stamina 8.) [b][i]Soft-hearted.[/i][/b] [/QUOTE]
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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
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