Shofet

Alright, I've made some alterations to comply with what you've asked for. Added in a more detailed explanation of how exactly her powers work under the re-added Power Descriptions subheader, and then shuffled around some details from powers and tactics while also fleshing that out more, and Was less sure on how to do descriptors for the protection and immunity based powers, but I tried my best by including the 'superscience' descriptor. Does that look good? EDIT: Noticed I didn't add my strength bonus to unarmed damage, corrected that as well. SECOND EDIT: Changed superscience and biological to "mutation" as discussed on the Discord.

Corona Power Level: 10 [11] (150/172PP) Unspent Power Points: 22 Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage In Brief: Ex-teen supervillain trying hard to set a good example for her teenage daughter. Theme: Black Sheep - Metric Alternate Identity: Serena Mustafic (Secret) Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey Residence: Freedom City Occupation: Retail Worker Family: Mia Markov (daughter), Pete Markov (ex-husband), Ahmed Mustafic (Father) Description: Age: 40 (DoB: August 17, 1978) Apparent Age: Mid-20s Gender: Female Ethnicity: Bosnian-American Height: 5’04” Weight: 155 lbs Eyes: Grey Hair: Black Serena is not a large woman, standing only 5’04”, but she manages to stand out anyway. Her heart-shaped face is surrounded by lengths of wavy black hair that falls down just below her shoulders, and is marked by almond-shaped grey eyes and a slightly crooked nose. Her eyebrows are thin and arched, with the left having a noticeable split from a scar, while her ears are dappled with earring holes running up and down the lobes. Her skin is olive-coloured, occasionally broken up by colourful tattoos, like the full sleeves on her muscular arms. She looks younger than she is, appearing to be a woman in her mid-20s rather than someone in her 40s, though most just assume she has aged very well. In her day to day, Serena tends to go for jeans and button-up shirts, favouring flannel. She sometimes gives in and wears band-shirts, but is worried they make her look young and not likely to be taken seriously. Her choice of footwear are a well-worn pair of Doc Martens with smiley-face laces. As Corona, she wears a grey set of tights with black trunks, fingerless gloves and combat boots. On her chest is the symbol of a three-pointed star, also in black. She accessorizes this relatively drab costume with a beat-up leather motorcycle jacket that is covered in old pins on the lapels and the faded remnants of a “KORN” patch that can still barely be made out on the shoulderblades area of the back despite the clear attempts to remove it, with the same three-pointed star in white stitched in on back. She also has a pair of acetylene welding goggles to help with the brightness of her powers. History: Serena’s life got off to a rough start. When she was only 5 years old, her mother passed away from meningitis, and her dad did not feel remotely equipped to raise a child on his own, and so gave her up to the foster system. She bounced from home to home, never quite fitting in or finding her own place. She fell into illegal activity at a young age, starting with shoplifting and petty vandalism. By the time she reached her teens in the early 1990s, no one really expected much of her. She was disinterested in school, increasingly anti-social and a habitual runaway. Combined with her criminal activities, this made her the ideal target for an organization that was looking for pliable candidates they could mould to their whims. One day, while tagging a random alley in Jersey and having run away from her foster home for about 3 days, Serena was surrounded by men who wrestled her into a van and blindfolded her. When the blindfold was removed, she found herself in the laboratory of Dr. Will Wu, who made her an offer - he would give her superpowers, as long as she did a few minor errands to pay him back. He told her he knew she had a hard life, and that he wanted to help her. Being a dumb teenager offered superpowers, and getting the distinct sense refusal would be bad for her health, Serena agreed. The young woman found herself strapped down to a table, injected with all sorts of serums, bombarded with rays and run through a battery of tests. She didn’t understand most of it, but what she gathered was that her skin had been made tougher and fire-resistant, and more amazingly, crystals in her blood allowed her to create blasts of superheated plasma. After confirming her powers weren’t going to kill her - something Serena only found was a possibility after the procedure - Dr. Wu and his men introduced her to the rest of her team. It turned out Serena was not the only teenager that Wu’s men had swept up off the street. There were four in total: l Lucas Morgan, codename Heathen. Granted super-intelligence through neural implants and given an array of cyborg bits. l Heather Romano, codename Tantrum. Natural psychic and empath, given cybernetics to help control her powers. l Lester Donahue, codename Beastfreak. Infused with animal DNA to make him fuzzy and give him claws, along with super strength. l Adrian Pike, codename Kombat. Exposed to an alien combat-training AI and given super-soldier serum. Serena, taking the name Revolt, completed the team. Together, Wu informed them, they would perform missions for him to help recoup his losses on empowering them. For a brief moment, they all thought they were going to be superheroes. Then, he told them that their first mission was to rob the lair of a tech-based superhero, which was now ‘abandoned’ after the Terminus Invasion. A few tried to back out, but Dr. Wu made it clear that he had employed fail-safes in case they didn’t comply. So they complied. Serena wasn’t particularly bothered by the illegality of what they were doing. In fact, she found her first outing exciting. She blasted open doors, melted steel and caused havoc. Her confidence emboldened her team-mates, and they were laughing by the time they were out the door, riding away in an armoured van from the police. When they got back to Wu’s compound, they were treated to pizza and shown to their special living space, which was stocked with all the latest consoles, a big tv and all sorts of goodies. It was clear that Wu was buttering them up, but none of them, least of all Serena, minded. Over the coming months, the team performed more and more missions for Dr. Wu, and became more infamous. One media outlet started calling them “delinquents” to disparage them, and the team ended up liking it enough to take it as their own. They also became closer, becoming a sort of family that looked out for one another. When they weren’t on missions, they’d gorge on junk food and play video-games, like normal teens would. Serena finally felt like she had a home. The Delinquents had more than a few run-ins with superheroes once they got some notoriety, though with the aftermath of the Terminus Invasion, there weren’t many. The most common were naturally the Freedom League, to whom the Delinquents maintained a policy of avoiding pitched battle with, but occasionally they ended up in small skirmishes. Infamously, there is a photo of an incident in which Serena punched Lady Liberty in the face. 2 years into her career as a supercriminal, things were looking good for Serena. There had been close calls, especially when they started getting the notice of superheroes, but the Delinquents were doing well. Sure, it seemed like they had to have paid Dr. Wu back for their powers by then and he still kept them working, but at this point they all enjoyed it. Serena’s luck finally ran out one late November in 1995, when she and her team were sent to acquire an alien power crystal from some labs in Freedom City. There was no crystal. It had been a set-up planted in the media explicitly to catch Serena and the rest of the Delinquents. The moment the team entered the laboratory, the building went into lockdown and the superheroes inside went to work to capture them. Desperately, Serena managed to blast a hole in one of the shutters, but only after a lot of effort. The others were able to get out in time, but the heroes caught up with them before Serena could escape. She attempted to hold them off, but even Revolt could not stand against multiple adult superheroes. Unfortunately for her, her efforts were spoiled somewhat when Beastfreak and Heathen stayed behind to ensure she was safe. Still, Kombat and Tantrum managed to get away. Serena was taken in, charged and sentenced to 5 years in prison, the first of which was to be spent in juvie. Thanks to being a minor, her real name wasn’t released to the public. The experience in prison was humiliating, terrifying and sobering for Serena, who decided to make a clean break after her sentence was up. Released to the public, she entered into the public sphere, got married to a man named Pete Markov, and had a daughter named Mia. Four years later, she divorced her husband. From there, she lived a relatively normal life. Being a high-school dropout limited her options, but she got by doing odd jobs. Waitressing, delivering pizzas, the like. She wasn’t rich, and sometimes she missed the old days, but she figured she was doing pretty well. She managed to reconnect with her father after the birth of her daughter, and got back into contact with Beastfreak and Heathen, who similarly pledged to leave the criminal life. She never did find out what happened with Kombat, Tantrum or Will Wu, but she did her best to set those questions aside. Life threw another wrench when her Mia starting developing powers at the age of 10. At first, Serena thought she could handle it by encouraging her daughter to keep her powers quiet, but that didn’t work out too well for either of them. Being strained in that way made Mia start to act out in subtle ways. Serena didn’t really notice that until she got a call from the local mall letting her know that Mia had been shoplifting from the stores there. Realizing her grave mistake and terrified that she was sending her daughter down the same path she went through, Serena sent Mia to Claremont so she could explore her powers in a safe environment. That wasn’t enough, though. She decided that Mia needed a good example of how someone uses their powers, and thus decided to take up the superhero mantle of “Corona”, taking to the streets to help keep the city safe. Personality & Motivation: It’s safe to say that Serena has made some fairly severe mistakes in her life, something that she is all too aware of. But ever since she got out of prison, she has been doing what she can to grow past those mistakes. She is also determined to see that her own daughter doesn’t mess up her own life in the same way her mother did, which is why the girl’s shoplifting has rattled her so much. Serena was a punk teenager and she’s now a punk adult. She still pretty heavily identifies with the subculture, and carries a lot of its values and attitudes. Even as a superhero, she is pretty contemptuous of authority and still doesn’t fully trust the police to do the right thing. She’s also not fond of rich people and has trouble getting along even with the well-intentioned ones. She’s also a bit of a bleeding heart and works with charity when she can find free time from her job, parenting and superheroics. Being a mother has rubbed off on some of Serena’s behaviour and when around young people, the mom in her sometimes comes out. She tries to look out for people finding their way, even to the point of fussing over them. A massive audiophile, Serena loves listening to and making music. She can bond easily with anyone similarly inclined, though her tastes skew to music from the time she was a teenager. As far as her superheroics go, she is motivated to be a good example to her community, especially her daughter. While still a bit crass and aggressive, she takes steps to not emulate the worst excesses of the era she grew up in. She’s painfully aware many criminals come from similar backgrounds to hers, and does what she can to try and steer the milder ones onto the path of good. On the other hand, her dislike of the rich also means that when they turn to supercrime, she really, really hates them. Powers & Tactics: Corona is generally a distance fighter, preferring to use her leaps to keep herself mobile and away from her enemies as she lets loose a barrage of superheated plasma. Yet she’s more than capable of holding her own should someone close the distance, enveloping her fists in plasma and wailing on anyone dumb enough to get up in her face, usually knocking them back with a detonation and allowing her to resume blasting people from afar. Should her enemies have weapons or other gadgets, she is likely to try and disintegrate them from afar to deny them an advantage. For more conventional fire-arms, she can usually tank the bullets, but she is not willing to risk her enemies shooting anyone else. She'll also make use of terror tactics when she can, trying to frighten her enemies into surrender with displays of her power. Power Descriptions: Corona's powers originate from the alterations done to her biology by Dr. Wu. Her plasma control descends from specialized alien crystals that had been bonded to her red blood cells that allow her to exude a gas that she bombards with an ionizing field, converting it to super-hot plasma. Her body's cells have been modified to compensate for this, bombarded with rays and injected with chemicals to drastically reinforce her cell walls, protecting her against direct heat , plasma and even many forms of conventional damage while also slowing her aging exponentially. When Corona uses her powers, the veins and arteries beneath wherever her plasma is being summoned glow for a split second before a blazing white gas flares to life, rippling and coiling around her. While usually localized to her lower arms, when she is especially mad the plasma can envelop her hole body for a brief moment. Even her leaping ability is an extension of her control of plasma, performed by generating a small explosion of plasma beneath her feet to send herself rocketing through the air. A second, smaller explosion helps reduce the impact of the landing, though her unnaturally durable body also helps reduce much of the damage. Complications: Mommy Duty: Serena is the mother of a teenage daughter, and is prone to worry. Occasionally, her daughter Mia will call or text, and Serena feels compelled to answer. The GM can have her daughter call, and Serena has to answer or check her phone or she will be distracted until she can. Bad Reputation: While people may not know her secret identity of Serena Mustafic, most have figured out that Corona is formerly Revolt. Many in the law enforcement and hero community still distrust her for her crimes, giving her difficulties in social interactions with them. Enemies: The Delinquents managed to anger a lot of people, including other supervillains. There are those more than willing to come after Serena to exact their revenge. Semi-Secret Identity: While the general public does not know Corona is Serena Mustafic, the information is out there in government databases and can theoretically be accessed by those with the resources to do so. What they do with the information probably isn’t good. Abilities: 4 + 4 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 4 = 22PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+4) Combat: 16 (Attack) + 12 (Defence) = 28PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +8 Melee, +8 Ranged Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +10 (+8 attack bonus, +2 Str bonus) Knockback: -10 Saving Throws: 5 + 5 + 4 = 14PP Toughness: +10 (+3 Con, +7 Protection) Fortitude: +8 (+3 Con, +5) Reflex: +7 (+2 Dex, +5) Will: +5 (+1 Wis, +4) Skills: 88R = 22PP Bluff 10 (+12/16) Concentration 4 (+7) Diplomacy 8 (+10/14) Drive 4 (+6) Gather Information 4 (+6) Intimidate 10 (+12) Knowledge (Arts) 8 (+9) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 8 (+9) Notice 4 (+5) Perform (Singing) 10 (+12) Perform (Strings) 6 (+8) Sense Motive 8 (+9) Feats: 11PP Attractive Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 3 Power Attack Improved Sunder Skill Mastery (Knowledge [Arts], Knowledge [Streetwise], Perform [Singing], Perform [Strings]) Equipment: 3PP = 15EP · Cellphone [1 EP] · Compact Car [9 EP] · Flash Goggles [1 EP] · Flashlight [1 EP] · Handcuffs [1 EP] · Laptop [1 EP] · Lock Release Gun [1 EP] Powers: 3 + 3 + 5 + 28 + 14 = 53PP Immunity 3 (Ultra-Reinforced Cell Walls; Ageing, Plasma) [3PP] (mutation) Impervious Toughness 3 (Ultra-Reinforced Cell Walls) [3PP] (mutation) Leaping 5 (Plasmatic Rocket Jump; 600 ft running long jump, 300 feet long jump, 150 feet high jump) [5PP] (plasma, mutation) Plasma Control 12 (24PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 3, Precise) [28PP] (plasma, heat, mutation) Base Power: Blast 12 (Coronal Mass Ejection) {24/24} Alternate Power: Disintegrate 6 (Melting Beam) {24/24} Alternate Power: Strike 12 (Supernova Goes Bop; Extras: Penetrating 6, Feats: Improved Critical, Knockback 4 ) {24/24} Alternate Power: Dazzle 12 {Solar Flare; Visual) {24/24} Protection 7 (Roughneck; Extra: Impervious) [14PP] (mutation) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 17 Toughness Damage Coronal Mass Ejection Ranged DC 27 Toughness Damage Melting Beam Ranged DC 16 Fortitude Damage, Drain, Affects Objects Supernova Goes Bop Touch DC 27 Toughness Damage, Knockback, Penetrate 6, Improved Crit Solar Flare Ranged DC 22 Reflex/Fort Sensory Totals: Abilities (22) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (22) + Feats (10) + Powers (52) = 150/172 Power Points

The Lost World suggestion makes a good deal of sense, and I do think that is something that could be worked with. The only issue I see is that this is a fairly advanced society compared to most of the Lost World, being Alexandrian in technology level. I get what you're saying about the stereotypical girl troubles, but I think her main issue is more that everything down to the body image in the USA is different than what her homeland is. She wouldn't take well to criticism on her appearance based on that criteria, not because she secretly doubts herself, but because she so strongly believes the opposite. Her insecurities would come from, if anywhere, the conflict between maintaining her own cultural standards and allowing the modern world's to affect her. The lack of understanding how the political system works in the USA is just an extension of that, since it also illustrates a vastly different viewpoint: Right now, Kataphrakte's main understanding of the world is that people are born into positions, social mobility isn't a major thing, and social order is maintained through a largely static society. Really, it would play out more socially than politically - Someone is the leader because they are the leader and that is just how things are, not because they are the most well-reasoned or the like.

Oh, I actually had to edit that some since, well, it seemed some of the ideas I had didn't work, but yes, I should explain the stagnation a little more. I'll also think on other examples to prove how it couldn't be Earth.

Player Name: Shofet Character Name: Basilissa Roxanē XXI Power Level: 7 (105/105PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: In Brief: Teen queen out to make a good impression. Alternate Identity: Kataphrakte Identity: Open Birthplace: Alkeidon, Antichthonia. Affiliations: Antichthonian government. Family: Basileus Odysseus III (father, deceased), Phrenē (mother), Orion II (brother) Description Age: 17 (DOB: December 22, 1996) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Helleno-Iranian Height: 5'05" Weight: 155lb Eyes: Ice blue Hair: Curly black Roxy is a striking looking woman, with pronounced features including a prominent chin, high cheekbones, a well-defined mouth and arced eyebrows. She's a bit pudgy, largely from a life of general luxury, but she carries it well. She has a very straight posture, and walks in an a pronounced, dramatic fashion, as befitting her station. Roxy wears her hair long, down to her shoulders, and it is a wild tangle of black curls. Power Descriptions Kataphrakte utilises magic arms and armour alongside minor magical powers. History The tale begins in 330 BC, after Alexander defeated a last stand of the Persian Empire's forces in modern day Iran, in the Battle of the Persian Gate. Alexander, in his drunken glee over his success, burnt down the city of Persepolis. Gennadios, a minor officer serving under Alexander at the time, had finally had enough when he saw such a beautiful city burn at the hands of a drunken lout. Rounding up as many men as he could, from both defecting Alexandrian forces and Achaemenid rebels, Gennadios simply deserted the army, hoping to carve out an empire for himself more worthy than Alexander's, and perhaps to one day defeat the power mad king. The forces were pursued by a small contingent to Armenia, where the forces hid in the caves of the nation's many mountains. There, they escaped into a small unmarked pass to avoid detection and give them time to rally more forces. Strangely, though, the pass went on longer than it should - a faint light drew them further through the caves, to the opposite side, to find themselves in a completely alien location. The climate of the world they exited on was nothing like the cold, mountainous Armenia. The land was lush and green, the air warm and strong. Attempts to exit through the same pass lead to Gennadios' forces discovering that somehow, they had been transported to another world, for walking out the other side of the pass only lead them to the opposite side of the mountain, and not back to Armenia, where they entered from. Further observations confirmed it, the most important being that the sun seemed to rise and set in the opposite direction of Earth. This lead to Gennadios dubbing the strange land "Antichthonia", referring to an old Greek legend of a "counter-Earth" that hid behind the sun, always opposite the planet Earth. The forces soon encountered natives of the world. The natives were a magical sort, strange creatures capable of strong sorcery, who called themselves the "Kalaney". The natives were mystified by Gennadios and his apparent "regal bearing", and much to the officer's surprise, he was offered an "alliance" with the Kalaney. The alliance started out, initially, fairly slow, simply being taught how to survive in the land, but over time, the people of the army began to blend with the Kalaney, and Gennadios was chosen as the "Kakalaneyyir", or "king" by a predecessor who lead the tribes of the Kalaney. Now, fast forward to today. Suddenly, the portal is re-opened, discovered after a young shepherd chased his sheep through. The reigning family is notified immediately. Wanting to make an impression upon the people of the world they left behind, the reigning King, Odysseus II, went through the portal with a contingency of people. He expected to be treated as a demigod, for his people had innate powers brought on by interbreeding with the Kalaney. Instead, he found that the world was more than used to people such as himself, and the sheer shock of all the technology... Well, it scared him literally to death. Suddenly, the young Roxane, his daughter, was left reigning Basilissa of Antichthonia. However, a curiosity was set in her heart when she heard descriptions of this strange world on the other side of the cave. After a few months, she could bear to hear it no longer, and needed to experience it. Leaving her mother, Phrene, as regent, Roxane insistently pushed out into the new world with her advisor, Solon. After talks with the United States and some very confused Hellenologists, Roxane was able to get herself placement within this new world as a sort of "good will" ambassador to the USA from her home dimension. Immediately, she was infatuated with the idea of superheroes, whom she took to be demigods like in her people's legends. Immediately, she moved to Freedom City, the hub of her fascination. There, she found her sources of inspiration. She decided that she would mimic them; rise to their level and prove herself the equals of the men who inhabited a world that her father's mind could not comprehend. Donning artefacts from her people, Roxane adopted the moniker of "Kataphrakte", and has ever since attempted to emulate the people of Freedom City. In her own civilian life, she had enrolled herself in Claremont in an attempt to understand the culture better, while remaining close to people who have the powers that fascinate her. Personality and Motivation: Basilissa Roxanē fits the idea of a Hellenic queen at most times, being driven to dramatics, large scale consumption and just a bit of brattiness. However, she's a genuinely good person despite her faults, and is compassionate if poor at showing it at times. Her haughtiness and high opinion of herself hide the fact that she genuinely holds the world she is in with awe, and that she sincerely wishes to help people. She's a loving, affectionate soul at her core, and she tends to treat any friends she makes as family fairly quickly, as is custom amongst her people. She's perhaps a little too trusting with her friends, however, and when she is let down she often takes it exceptionally hard. Thankfully, she forgives and forgets fairly quickly. Roxane does have some immediate cultural issues that she hasn't resolved, yet. The body image of the people on Earth is drastically different than Antichthonia's, a fact which still makes her uncomfortable. Additionally, democracy is still something that confuses her highly, and while she'd never impune on someone's right to do it, she considers an aspect of barbaroi. Her largest issue is that royalty is legitimately seen as divine in Antichthonia (she holds that she is a descendant of Apollo), and as such disrespect to her tends to upset her gravely, as she's highly unused to being insulted by anyone. Thankfully, her immediate response to insult is not violence, but instead to get huffy and mostly just try to make the insulter feel bad for doing so. Roxane's motivations are varied: the one that got her started was a desire to emulate the "demigods" of the world, ergo, mimicking the superheroes. She's spurred on to not give up by a compassionate heart and a fairly strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. She also wishes to make a good impression on the Earthers about her people. Powers and Tactics: Kataphrakte makes good use of her winged sandals to give her optimum mobility, while using her bow to take long-distance shots at her opponents. If she's forced into a close fight, she'll use her magical powers to separate herself from her opponents. Conflicted Loyalties: When it comes down to it, Roxy has two loyalties: One to Freedom City, her new home, and Antichthonia, her birthplace. Usually, she finds herself prioritising the latter over the former, unless given sufficient reason to do the former. Spoiled: Roxy lived in a lifestyle of sheer luxury before coming to Earth, and while she's definitely trimmed back, one is moulded by the environment they are born into. She finds dealing with hunger and tiredness very difficult, and is happiest when she is eating something. This makes her come off as a bit gluttonous, as well as frivolous with her finances to the point of detriment. She's also given to trusting people who provide her that sort of luxury. Fish out of Water: Roxy comes from a political system that is near dead on Earth, and her culture is fairly backwards to the modern American, and as such she occasionally has trouble intermeshing. Additionally, she simply does not grasp concepts such as race, instead coming from a culture where one was defined by whom they were ruled by. She can be a bit culturally snobby, though she's more clueless than malicious. New to Technology: Roxy is certainly fascinated by technology and understands it as separate from magic, but sometimes it simply overwhelms her. Making her ride in a car has a chance of putting her in a fit, while putting her in front of a computer will have her fiddling with it for hours. Trusting: Roxy innately assumes people have good intentions, and is often too quick to trust people in that regard.

Sorry for my disappearance, everyone still up for this?

I do too.

"Nnn, I dunno. I'm not sure we'll be finding anyone like that down here." Bram said thoughtfully. Scratching at his cheek, he scanned around. "Well, I'm ready whenever y'all are..." He looked back at both of them. "And thanks again. I'm really glad to be working with you guys." He turned back. "WELL, before I turn to mush we better make a hustle and decide what to do before some of those demons decide to check out what's going on."

"Well, I can fly." Bram grinned softly. "And I appreciate all the offers. This town's not been too kind to me sometimes, but there's always a few people like yourself who are willing to be nice." He levitated in the air to demonstrate his flight ability. "Not as fast as some folks, but I can go much faster than most cars. Fast as some jets, even." "Oh, by the way, call me Bram. I'm technically the Penitent but I'm not much for using the title, really. Not like I don't stick out like a sore thumb. I don't mind if you're interested in keeping a secret identity, though. I know most people are in our line of work."

IC is posted up, gents.

Noon, August 24 GM The Penitent was not having a good time here in Freedom City. Ever since he arrived, he had been dealing with his friends being harmed, the world mistrusting him, and worse yet, as of today he had been framed for a crime twice. This time, though, the people were sure to make sure that the person committing the crime looked exactly like Bram. It did, but it still wasn't him. Now he had been laying low, but he had been brought of hiding when he had found out that more heroes had been shown to be acting erratically. The first was Jubatus, a super-fast cheetahman. Apparently, the public believed he had gone feral and started prowling the streets and hunting down people. But right now, there was Wave-Eye, and the Penitent had arrived just in time to catch him in the act, assaulting yacht-goers and dragging them beneath the waves. "Wave-Eye, what the heck are you doing! Let go of the nicely dressed man!" The creature that appeared to be Wave-Eye had a man in a white polo and shorts in his grip, who was obviously panicking. "Oh God, he has a demon with him!" "Oh, slow down Skippy. I'm on your side." The presumed Wave-Eye called up to the Penitent. "Go away, you simpleton! This does not concern you! This is a matter for the people of the sea!" "Okay, simpleton? Really?" The creatured tightened its grip around the man's neck and bared its teeth. "I'll kill him if you don't go, Penitent!" The Penitent grimaced. This was not like the Wave-Eye he had met. Yet, if he had been framed... Possibly Wave-Eye was being framed too?

"Gill? I... I don't know. She's not the girl I knew anymore. We didn't really talk much about it... She was mostly just shrieking at me." He sighed, and looked around. "But no, it's just ground sanctified as a church, specifically. So hallowed ground. Includes mosques and synagogues, too. As fer connections... Nope. The role of the Penitent is meant to go it alone. Without help from the Big Guy or the people who bound me, at least." The Penitent looked at the rain pounding down, and then back at Gabriel. "But uh, I guess I'd appreciate a place to rest my noggin'. I normally just walk around the city when it's rainy like this and make up by drinkin' lotsa cheap coffee."

Bram shrugged gently. "Well, I'd say I'm still a man. But more than that, I'm the Penitent. What that means is, uh, I got a thousand souls taking a piggie back on me so I can help them earn their redemption and get them on up to Paradise. In return, I get powers from their combined force, meaning I'm able to help more people. Frankly, I don't know why I look like a demon and if that was always a thing for the Penitents before me, but I learn to deal with it." The rain pounded down around them, and Bram looked around. "Unfortunately, comes with a lot of bad territory. People don't trust you when you look like this, and worse yet... This girl I used to babysit, this girl who was my friend... Hell took her. She's working for them now, as a sort of anti-me. She's not half-arsing it, either," He sighed, and looked at the ground. "Worse yet, can't enter churches or I'll die. This is bad when all I'm trained for is being a priest." He brushed his soaked bangs out of his eyes. "But I deal, I guess."

Bram blinked, and grunted. "Come on now! I'm just trying to give the guy his briefcase fer cryin' out loud!" He gestured towards it, and the cowering man looked at it. Sheepishly, he grabbed the briefcase, and got up. "Th-th-thank you. Sorry for the cross thing." After that, he walked hurriedly off, hoping not to get caught in the conflict. Bram looked at the guy, eyeing him up and down. "Listen, I know how I look but I seriously am not a demon. Trust me." He thought of a way to try and prove it. "Um... Uh. Ah! Ah! Blessed is the one who does not walk in the step of the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight in the law of the Lord." He grinned. "Huh? See?"

Feeling the eerie sensation of being watched, but unable to find anyone who might be doing so, Bram flipped the collar of his jacket up, rain starting to beat down harder on him, creating a mild pounding noise on the ground and making it hard to see farther than a few feet. He continued to plod down the street, running his fingers through his soaking wet hair, sighing as his cigarette went out. Suddenly, a man turned out from an ally, and he saw Bram, his eyes going wide. He dropped his briefcase, and began to book it. Bram caught the briefcase skillfully, and blinked as the man sped off. "Hey, you drop--" He grunted as the man continued to rush, and took off into the air, chasing the man with surprising speed. He caught up with the man easily. "Don't hurt me!" the man cried as he tumbled to the ground in a ball, fishing in his jacket. "Man, I am just trying to help you, you dropped your briefcase!" The man pulled out a crucifix and held it up against Bram, who recoiled in pain and covered his eyes as he dropped the briefcase "Oh for Jesus sake why would you do that?!"

Bram blinked. "Huh." was all he could manage in response to that. He looked around, and then conjured a ball of Hellfire, eyeing the burns. Then he took into consideration the throw, and looked at the claw marks. He turned to King of Suits, rubbing the back of his head. "That... Really does fit my powers. But the claws, that's different. I just punch things." He eyed the counter again. "But who would have the same powers as me?"

Quick question -- who wants to start the topic?

I'd agree. Bram would love to see another team like that.

So, mi amigos, when would you guys like to get this started?

Some time after midnight, August 16 GM "Last call." The words echoed throughout the bar, the last few patrons "One last Jim Beam, please. Straight, no ice." Bram said, hunched over the counter. As his glass was filled, Marlow looked at his friend with some concern through his own drunken haze. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Come on, Bram, I know things are tough but they'll turn up soon." Bram downed the whiskey in a quick gulp, then sighed loudly, his tattoed arm slamming the glass down on the counter. He looked at Marlow. "That may be, but I feel like s*** at the moment." Marlow frowned. Bram very rarely swore. "Listen, man, come on home with me. I have the pullout couch. You can't keep spending your nights on the streets, not with this rain. You gotta be easier on yourself, for your own health." "Listen, I appreciate it, but I can't spend time at your place anymore." "Why not? You never had a problem before the Gill incident." "Because before the Gill incident... Well, I had never almost gotten you killed by something from my past." Marlow frowned as Bram got up, and rose with him as Bram paid, all the while Marlow swayed. "Listen, Marlow, I'll be fine... But you gotta call a cab. You can't drive like this." Marlow sighed, looking at the ground. "Fine, Bram... But take care of yourself, alright?" Bram sighed, and gave a weary smile. "Always do." He watched his friend leave the bar, pulling out his cell phone, while Bram got his jacket, and waiting for Marlow to be off, headed out into the street. He walked down the dark streets, his only company the sound of light rain and the cigarette he pulled out and light with a lighter in one hand as he thought more about the situation he was in.

I rather like the idea myself, though I do imagine that a very staunch atheist might butt heads with a very devout Episcopalian like Bram at times, though that would only make things more interesting

Well, Bram's a guy who doesn't live anywhere, likes to drink and has a temper, all the while looking like a demon from Hell. Wave-Eye is a fish-man with a dark past. Jubatus is a cheetah And Starlight... Might be the squeakiest clean one until the Grue thing comes out.

A similar idea to that Arich and I were discussing, and it's essentially the same until the outcome - they're not framed, they've just made a major media enemy. Seeing that they work well enough together, they decide to form a team, all the while this particular media person paints them in the worst light possible. A J. Jonah Jameson for the team, if you will.

The whole ship suddenly started to rumble. "A POINT OF NOTE. WHEN DEALING WITH A GOD, DO NOT TAUNT HIS MESSENGER." A torrent of water surged up from every side of the boat, spraying up with painful intensity, while one by one, the glass on the portholes exploded outward in a razor-sharp cloud of crystalline, powdered glass, lacerating all but Lord Steam, leaving small cuts all over the bodies of the victims. "And I was being nice there!"

I could work with that, Rav. Shady Backer is a possibility, yes. However, we could also have these guys get together out of a sense of "Well, if no one else will take us". I'd like to get a group opinion, if possible.