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  1. The Immutable Betsy Brooks Power Level: 10/12 (182/210PP) Unspent Power Points: 28 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Slumming noble daughter of a magical family hunts monsters in the bayou. Catchphrase: "I wouldn't do that sweetie!" Theme: Power by RoxXxan Alternate Identity: Elizabeth Brooks Identity: Public Birthplace: London, England, United Kingdom Residence: Vibora Bay Base of Operations: Vibora Bay Occupation: Supernatural Bondwoman Affiliations: Mostly Independent Family: Lady Jacqueline Brooks (Mother) Eric Warrens (Father) Description: Age: 35 (DoB: 31th October 1984) Apparent Age: early 20's Gender: Female Ethnicity: Black, dual British / American citizen Height: 5'9" Weight: 120 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Despite being quite beautiful she's never really been concerned with following fashions and fade, dressing simply for comfort and utility. In her earlier day she dressed in a more punkish style, but she's toned this down to maybe her hair and the occasional band t-shirt. Whilst she needs to wear sunglasses in bright sunlight, a problem in her where she chooses to live right, it does give her a certain air of effortless coolness. She doesn't have a costume per se, but she does have her kick-ass coat, a long black coat that she brings out when she's going to deal with real problems. One of the only things she has from her father it holds a special place for her. Her powers don't seem to have any obvious effects, which is a shock when she shrugs off a hail of gunfire or a were-gators crawls. It take real skill to notice that she has anything betraying but it is there, her canines are a little larger and more pointed than most. History: In her younger day a wild and carefree days Jacqueline met and fell for a dashing young African-American man. There torrid romance was brief but it resulted in a the little surprise of Elizabeth. Because she was born out of wedlock, and from a very traditionally white family, Elizabeth was made very aware that she wasn't ever going to inherit the family title, though her mother loved her dearly and made sure she was given the best education money can buy. The real inheritance was from her father who was the descendant from a rare and unusual breed of African Vampire. As she grew she developed beyond human abilities and due to a unique combination of genetics she was immune to all supernaturally based abilities. This didn't help her rebellious nature, and quite a few times her family connections were used to keep her from being expelled from the school. Leaving school she was at a bit of loss as to what to do, she didn't need to work due to a small stipend from her mother, but she wanted to do something productive. She tried the armed forces and a very brief stint on a UK hero team, but her rebellious nature quickly meant she was gentle encouraged to move on. For a while she drifted from job to job not lasting long due to her willful nature and general inability to take people crap. After that she decided she should do something about finding out about th American side of her family, and find out quite why she had these bundle of abilities. Using her duel nationality she moved over to the states and track down her father in Vibora Bay and he introduced to the wild and wonderful world of the supernatural creatures that lived in the area. They never got close, and he quickly moved on with some kind of beef with vampires, but she found kinship with the supernatural local. Choosing to stay in the City for a while, she set herself up as a sort of sherif for them all, being immune to most of methods of coercion. Acting as part detective part bondswoman she offers her services to them, and sometimes others, whenever the needs arises. Personality & Motivation: Betsy has always been stubborn and willful, something that's only gotten more prevalent as she's gotten older. She doesn't suffer fools gladly and will happily let you know if she thinks your out of line. This is tempered somewhat by her manners and way of speech, some of her schooling stuck despite her best efforts over the years. Despite her brusque manner she actual care about people and tries when she can to help them, especially those that she feel aren't given the attention they deserved by everyone else. One thing she really helps is bullies, and woe betide if you act that way when she's around. Really she's a bit of a soft touch, though she normally manages to hide it very well. Finally she had a bit of an anarchic bent to her, often thumbing her noise at any authority figures, her family history not really helping in thus manner. Powers & Tactics: Trained in the toughest place in the world, a public Girls School, Betsy knows how to look after herself in a fight. She often gives the opponent a chance to fight fair, but if they don't she will fight down and dirty. Truth be told she's not a fan of fighting, though she knows she's modestly shes good at it, and will try her best to get her opponent to stand down. In fact she often manages to talk her opponent down before the fight even begins. Power Descriptions: Betsy's body has inherited her powers from her, distant, vampire heritage. Whilst she is still alive her flesh is stronger and more resilient than normal people and she doesn't seem to he effected by any poisons of pathogens, she also seems to be aging much more slowly than normal people. She's also apparently immune to all abilities possessed by supernatural creatures, for instance she can't be mesmerized by vampire or infected by lycanthropy, it's a totally passive ability and she's not always aware that her power is protecting her. On the counter it's also impossible for her to benefit from helpful supernatural abilities, however hard she tries. It also counters any effects they have to disguise supernatural creatures, in fact she can detect the presence of some purely on sight though she may not know quite what they are just that the person there looking at is supernatural in some way. Complications: Sunglasses after Dark: Betsy hasn't inherited many weaknesses from her vampire heritage, but she does have photosensitivity when in sunlight. Not a massive deal back home, but in the bright Florida skies it can cause her problems. Normally she wears sunglasses to counter this,but if by any chance she looses them she can suffer from mere irritation to almost blind depending on the GM's choice. The Red Urge: Betsy doesn't normally have any urges to consume blood, she loves her food thank you very much! But in certain circumstances large amount of blood the smell bring on well buried instincts. Which the GM can decide is enough to distract her from noticing things. Bloody Stubborn: Willful to a fault Betsy is very reluctant to give up on any problem until there no other options, and sometimes even beyond that. The GM can choose to say that Besty will continue on a course of action regardless of the circumstances. Credit to her kind: Betsy is well know as a defender of supernatural creatures living in and surrounding Vibora Bay, which is a double edged swords. Some "normal" people will flat out refuse to deal with her, despite how charming she can be (and she can be very charming). On the other sides supernaturals will often come to her to ask for help from trouble, and despite her sometime brusk nature she will try to help out if she can. Abilities: 10 + 4 + 10 + 2 + 6 + 8 = 40PP Strength: 20/30 (+5/+10) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 20/30 (+5/+10) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +6 Base, +10 Melee Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +15/+23 Knockback: -2/-10 Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 4 = 8PP Toughness: +5/+10 (+5/10 Con [Impervious 10]) Fortitude: +5/+10 (+5/+10 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +7 (+3 Wis, +4) Skills: 112R = 28PP Bluff 5 (+10) Diplomacy 1 (+5) Gather Info 11 (+15) Intimidate 11 (+15) Skill Mastery Investigate 9 (+10) Skill Mastery Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 9 (+10) Knowledge (Current Events) 9 (+10) Knowledge (Popular Culture) 9 (+10) Knowledge (Streetwise) 9 (+10) Languages 6 (French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Romanian, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Stealth 8 (+10) Feats: 16PP All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Benefit (Bondsman) Benefit (Wealth) Dodge Focus 4 Power Attack Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Investigate, Notice, Sense Motive) Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Well-Informed Powers: 10 + 10 + 1 + 22 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 66 PP All powers have the Supernatural Inheritance descriptor Enhanced Constitution 10 (to Constitution 30 [+10]) [10PP] Enhanced Strength 10 (to Strength 30 [+10]) [10PP] Immunity 1 (Aging, Sleep Flaw: Half Effect) [1PP] Immunity 22 (Disease, Poison, Supernatural Effects) [22PP] Impervious Toughness 10 [10PP] Super-Sense 2 (Darkvision) [2PP] Super-Strength 3 (Effective Strength 45; Heavy Load: 6 tons) [6PP] Supernatural Awareness 3 (Sight based Awareness) [3PP] True Sight 4 (Counter Concealment and Counters Illusion, both Sight based; Flaw: From Supernaturals only) [2PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed w/no Powers Touch DC 20 Toughness Damage [Physical] Unarmed Touch DC 25 Toughness Damage [Physical] Totals: Abilities (40) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (8) + Skills (28) + Feats (16) + Powers (66) - Drawbacks (0) = 182/210 Power Points
  2. Speed Demon Power Level: 12 (built as PL10) (180/181 PP) Unspent Power Points: 1 Trade-Offs: -5 Tou/+5 Def In Brief: Speedster possessed by a spirit of chaos and flame Catchphrase: Theme: Alternate Identity: Anthony Jones Birthplace: New Orleans, LA Residence: Vibora Bay Base of Operations: Weston Occupation: Courier Affiliations: Family: A sister he never speaks to Description: Age: 25 (DoB: August 16th, 1994 Gender: Male Ethnicity: African American/Caucasian Mix Height: 5'9" Weight: 16” Eyes: Black (Sometimes red) Hair: Black Anthony is a young man with mocha skin and dark eyes. His hair grows in thick, loose dreadlocks that hang to his chin if he lets them hang. He usually has at least a five oclock shadow, though he does try to keep it shaved. His body is composed of compact, lean muscle. He has numerous tattoos on his upper body, usually concealed, including his dad's name on one shoulder. He has pierced ears and a pierced eyebrow. He has a huge collection of cheap t-shirts, usually rock and metal bands. He prides himself on never wearing a shirt for a band he hasn't listened to. He prefers loose, comfortable clothing and doesn't bother with the latest fashions. He moves with assurance and confidence, and in the right mood, a little bit of swagger. He has a quick and easy smile. His costume consists of a short sleeved bodysuit in light gray and orange, with a general flame theme and a flame symbol on his chest. He has a simple domino mask that covers his eyes. While using his powers, however, his appearance changes significantly. The whites of his eyes turn pitch black and his irises look like burning embers. His hair looks like smoldering ashes, pale gray with streaks of glowing coal. History: Anthony spent his early years in New Orleans, a late born younger brother of a ten years older sister. His dad worked construction, his mom worked at a restaurant, and everything was fine. That was, at least, until Katrina hit. They moved when he was almost thirteen years old, to Vibora Bay. His dad had a job waiting, and they were soon in a new apartment. His sister had gotten married and moved out on her own, and the three of them lived comfortably in an apartment. His mom got another job, and his dad got good construction gigs. Things were fine for a while. They weren't wealthy, but they were comfortable enough to make ends meet. A big part of his life was music. His dad taught him the guitar like his dad had taught him, and much of Anthony's time was spent perfecting it. Then the news came one rainy night. His dad had died in a car accident. It was instantaneous, and he distinctly remembered his mom calling his sister to tell her. When the funeral came, his sister was nowhere to be found. Anthony's mother never recovered from the loss, and passed away two years later. Anthony was eighteen, with his parents' life insurance money as his sole source of money. His mom had barely spent what she'd gotten from his dad. He knew that if he blew the cash on nonsense, he'd be destitute in less than a year. If he had been less clever, less charismatic, it would have been over there. As his mother's condition deteriorated, Anthony took over a lot of the duties in the household. She managed to keep up at work enough to keep her job, but she stopped functioning as soon as she got home. He invested the life insurance money, and turned it into a tidy nest egg that he leveraged into a modest apartment, keeping him going a lot longer than the two bedroom apartment his family had rented since they moved to Vibora Bay. However, that was a meager income, and it wouldn't last too long. So he invested it in other things. His biggest supply of money was as a courier. People would pay him to take things from one place to another, and he was reliable. He was fast on his feet and faster on a bike, and whatever needed dropping off would get there. He also got delivery jobs through various delivery services. He learned three rules. Keep your nose clean, never ask what was in the packages, and never stick your neck out for anyone. Then, one day, he broke the latter two. He stumbled across a strange sacrificial ritual. He moved to save the sacrificial victim and brandished the knife he kept for protection. When he gave a warning slash, blood dripped on the floor and he was consumed in flame. The flames didn't hurt him or anyone else, but he suddenly felt a presence in his mind. It was telling him to destroy, to ravage, to rampage. The victim and the cultists fled from him. The flames faded instantly, and he found that his flesh was glowing with heat. Things got chaotic. The house burned down and everyone inside died. He and the victim both managed to get out of the house, and he ran, a blazing trail out of the city. He woke up outside the city, curled into a ball and clutching the book, which was unharmed by the heat. He soon discovered that his was not the only presence in his mind. Now he had a being that called itself a spirit of Chaos and Flame. It gave no name, but it expressed delight at Anthony's actions. The destruction of the house in particular amused it. Anthony studied the book, and learned that there were benefits to hosting the spirit. He would be supernaturally fast and gain power over heat and flame. So he struck a bargain with it. He would take on the evils of the city, and with that slake the spirit's thirst for chaos. Personality & Motivation: Anthony is likable, charismatic and good at talking his way out of trouble. Yet Anthony is already deeply cynical at 25 years old. His history has given him little hope or faith in people. Yet, even during his less savory moments, he kept his head above water. He detests bullies and anyone who uses power to hurt or exploit others. The spirit of chaos and flame feeds on this sense of injustice and pushes him to fight. His sense of justice usually outweighs his cynicism. Anthony's real passion is music, though. He's spent years in front of his amplifier with his guitar, honing his craft, listening to music and copying what he hears. It's the biggest thing that connects him with the legacy of his father. He knows he's good enough to leverage his skills into a music career, but that's not why he plays. Powers & Tactics: Anthony was never all that great in a fight before he got his powers, and his powers haven't encouraged him to stand and trade blows. He has, however, started training and has improved significantly. His first course of action is to look for people who need to get out of trouble, then to try to talk his way out of trouble, and if that fails, go in swinging. Even then, he'll pelt his opponents from a distance with flame or close distance and pummel them. He takes full advantage of his speed and never takes a hit if he can dodge one instead. One thing he does not do is use his heat touch on living targets. If pressed, he might do so if his target is too durable for other methods of attack, but that is a last ditch effort. Power Descriptions: Anthony's flames are mundane colors, mostly reds, yellows and oranges. While using his heat touch, the flesh on his body glows, he can generally decide where it manifests. He mostly just does this to his arms, but he can do it elsewhere if needed. If he uses extra effort to boost his powers, the glow grows more intense, and can even look like his flesh is turning into coals and embers. Complications: Fight Fire With Fire: Anthony is decidedly not immune to fire other than damage. He could conceivably convince someone that he is, but if he's ever caught out by an enemy, that could be trouble. Master of Puppets: The spirit of chaos and flame wants him to fight, and it's always trying to convince him otherwise. Youth Gone Wild: Anthony spent much of his teenage years running with the wrong crowds, this could cause problems for him. Am I Evil?: Speed Demon's powers may register as dark magic to those who are sensitive to it. While a lot of heroes have dark powers, this could be problematic. Cry Out for a Hero: Anthony is not just new to being a superhero, but to having heroic ideals. He wants to do the right thing, he just doesn't know what that means at all times. Abilities: 4 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 8 = 32PP Strength 14 (+2) Dexterity 18 (+4) Constitution 16 (+3) Intelligence 14 (+2) Wisdom 12 (+1) Charisma 18 (+4) Combat: 12 + 12 =24PP Initiative: +20/+8 Attack: +6 Base, +10 Melee, +10 Fire Control Defense: +15/+10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus, +5 Enhanced Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 Knockback: -2 Saves: 2 + 6 + 5 = 13PP Toughness: +5 (+3 Con, +2 Protection) Fortitude: +5 (+3 Con, +2) Reflex: +15/+10 (+4 Dex, +6, +5 Enhanced Reflex) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5) Skills: 68R=17PP Bluff 8 (+12) Climb 3 (+5) Diplomacy 12 (+16) Skill Mastery Notice 12 (+13) Skill Mastery Perform 6 (Stringed instruments) (+10) Search 3 (+5) Sense Motive 12 (+16) Skill Mastery Stealth 12 (+16) Skill Mastery Feats: 21PP All Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Attack Specialization (Fire Control) 2 Dodge Focus 4 Evasion 2 Improved Initiative Instant Up Move-By Action Power Attack Skill Mastery (Diplomacy, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Takedown Attack 2 Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 8 + 5 + 2 + 6 + 6 + 15 + 24 + 5 + 3= 74PP Descriptors: all Magic. The fire control array except autofire are all Fire. The rest are all Prowess Enhanced Feats 8 (Dodge Focus 5, Improved Initiative 3) [8PP] Enhanced Save 5 (to Reflex +15) [5PP] Protection 2 [2PP] Quickness 6 (x100) [6PP] Speed 6 (500 MPH, 5000' per move) [6PP] Speed Array 6 (12PP, Feats: Alternate Powers 3) [15PP] BE: Enhanced Quickness 6 (to Quickness 12 [x10,000]) + Enhanced Speed 6 (to Speed 12 [50,000 MPH, 500,000' per move) {6 + 6 = 12/12}BE AP: Affects Others 6 (on Quickness) + Affects Others 6 (on Speed) {6 + 6 = 12/12} AP: Damage 6 (Extra: Area [Targeted, Shapeable; 5' cubes x6], Flaw: Action [Full]) {12/12} AP: Environmental Control 6 (Extreme heat), 25ft) (6/6) Fire Control Array (20PP) Feats: Alternate Powers 4 [24PP] BE: Damage 10 (Extra: Autofire) (20/20) "Rapidfire Fisticuffs" AP: Corrosion 6 [18/18] AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Ranged, 100ft increment) (20/20) "Fire Blast" AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Area [trail], 100ft) (20/20) "Fire Trail" AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Area [Burst], 50ft radius) (20/20) "Fire Burst" Immunity 5 Fire Damage [5PP] Super-Movement 3 (Wall-Crawling 2, Water-Walking, Flaw: Limited [While Moving]) [3PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unpowered Melee 17 TOU Damage Area Damage 6 cubes 21 TOU Damage Corrosion Melee 21 FORT/TOU Damage/Fort save drain Autofire Punches Melee 25 TOU Damage Fire Blast 100ft 25 TOU Fire Damage Fire Trail 250ft 25 TOU Fire Damage Fire Burst 50ft rad 25 TOU Fire Damage Totals: Abilities (32) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (17) + Feats (21) + Powers (74) - Drawbacks (0) = 180/180 Power Points
  3. Cheval Power Level: 14 (Built as PL12; 200/212PP) Unspent Power Points: 12PP Trade-Offs: -5 Defense / +5 Toughness In Brief: Celebrity hero of the people empowered by the loa Ogoun. Catchphrase: "I am iron, I am covered in iron." Theme: Unstoppable - The Score Alternate Identity: Marcus "The Iron Horse" Dumont (Public) Birthplace: Vibora Bay Residence: Weston District, Viboary Bay Base of Operations: Weston District, Vibora Bay, Occupation: Celebrity Hero, former Middle-Weight Boxer Affiliations: None Family: Michael Dumont (Father, deceased), Gabrielle Dumont (Mother, deceased), James Dumont (24, younger brother, attends University of Florida Vibora Bay), Nana Dee (Maternal grandmother, retired) Description: Age: 29 (DoB: 1990, August 10th) Gender: Male Ethnicity: African-American Height: 6'3'' / [God of Iron] 7' Weight: 167 lbs. / [God of Iron] 1.336 lbs. Eyes: Black / [God of Iron] Metallic black Hair: Black, shaved bald Tall and strong, Marcus' physique clearly shows off his history as a former professional boxer. Standing at 6'3'' and 167 lbs. of muscle, he is not easily intimidated of stopped. Despite his size and muscles, he is lean and athletic, the kind to dance around other, heavier boxers. His black hair is usually shaved bald, with a neatly trimmed black beard. He tends to wear dark red dress shirts and black slacks, often with a black tie. As Cheval, Marcus wears a dark red and black bodysuit, which leaves his arms and face exposed. While primarily dark red, the suit is black on his sides, from under his arms and stretching to his feet, where he wears black boots with dark red soles. The upper part of the costume is in a black down pointing triangle that reaches his solar plexus, leaving a red stripe between the black triangle and the black parts of the costume on his side. When ridden by Ogoun, Marcus grows in size to 7', his weight increasing to 1.336 lbs. His skin becomes metallic, like iron, and his eyes turn completely white. His beard becomes metallic, while remaining black. If he is wearing his costume, it grows to his size to continue being a perfect fit. He bulks up considerably, becoming even more muscular than normal. History: Marcus Dumont was born to Michael and Grabielle Dumont in Vibora Bays Weston District. While his parents did all they could to provide for their son, his grandmother Nana Dee took care of the young Marcus. A firm believer in the loa, Nana Dee told the young Marcus, and later his younger brother John, stories of the loa, their actions and their beliefs. To the young boys, it seemed like it were but fairy tales, but part of it stuck, particularly the tales of Papa Legba and Ogoun. While their parents loved both sons, the family could barely afford more than survival, and Marcus dreamed of one day becoming rich, so he could provide for his family, the way they had taken care of him. Where Marcus was strong and fast, John was clearly the smarter son. Easily bullied, John relied on Marcus to defend him, a task that the older brother took up with no complaint. The brothers loved each other dearly, that much was true. Everything came tumbling down when Michael and Gabrielle died in a car accident 2009. While Marcus had already moved out, he took John in, and took up boxing to provide for his younger brother and pay his college tuition. Marcus had long since accepted that his brother had a much greater chance of becoming someone, but he could at least do the one thing he knew how: Use his fists. Marcus quickly proved to be a natural. Marcus "The Iron Horse" Dumont rose through the ranks, earning greater and greater prizes, becoming well known in Weston, his fame slowly spreading through the rest of Vibora Bay. Marcus was happy. He was finally making something of himself, and he could take care of his brother. . Marcus discovered a fondness for rum, one that some thought might prove troublesome, even if he did not turn to alcoholism. Then, hurricane Michael hit Vibora Bay. John disappeared in the chaos, with Marcus frantically searching the streets for weeks to find his brother in the aftermath. He hunted every rumor, every path he could. He had to find John, he was sure that he was out there somewhere. Destitute and stressed, his fondness of rum slowly grew, and Marcus was rarely seen without a bottle of rum on his person during this time. One dark evening, he finally found him. The Mayombe, a sinister cult devoted to the darker sides of the loa, had used the chaos of the hurricane's arrival to make their way into Vibora Bay. Fading in power, now but a shadow of what she once was, the cult's leader, Lady Mamba, sought to commune with the loa Dinclinsin and Mademoiselle Charlotte in a bid to restore herself. To do so, they had prepared a sacrifice: John Dumont. As the Mayombe sang to the loa, Marcus acted to save his brother. He fought his way through cultists as best as he could, until he finally broke under their numbers, and was thrown into the interrupted ritual. Lady Mamba was delighted. Another sacrifice. The ritual resumed, the song continued, and Marcus remembered Nana Dee's teachings. He sang out to Papa Legba. Suddenly, he was elsewhere. Standing at the crossroads, he saw an old man with a crutch and a wide-brimmed hand. The old man removed the pipe from his mouth, and blew smoke rings. He asked why Marcus had sung out to him. He asked what he wanted. He asked what Marcus would offer. Marcus needed help. He needed the power to save his brother. He needed the power to stop the Mayombe. And he offered a bottle of rum, held high before Papa Legba. The old man smiled, waved his hand and called forth a man with a sword, dressed in a red sash: Ogoun. For a short time, they talked. Marcus would become Ogoun's cheval, being ridden by the loa in return for great power. Great power that he would use to do good. Marcus accepted. He had to save his brother. Marcus returned to the ritual, but something was different. He could feel the presence of Ogoun, and his body was far heavier than before. He was iron, he was covered in iron, and Ogoun pushed him on. With power far beyond what he had ever experienced before, Marcus fought the Mayombe, freeing his brother. As Cottonmouth the serpent man joined the fray, the battle spilled into the streets of Vibora Bay. Through power and skill, Marcus prevailed. His brother was saved. The Mayombe was pushed back, for now. As he stood victorious, his powers faded, and soon, he was recognized as the Iron Horse. He became an instant celebrity, revelling in his newfound fame. Sponsorships and more came through, and Marcus thought he had it made. He could provide for his brother and himself. He was barred from boxing, since no one knew if powers would resurface and give him an edge, but who cared? He stayed in Weston, he stayed in touch with the people on the street, he gave back to the community, and he had a good time. Three weeks after the fight, the voice started talking to him. Ogoun was not done with Marcus yet. He was his cheval, and there more good to be done in the world. Marcus found the powers that he had briefly possessed returned. He required little persuasion from Ogoun. As Cheval, he would fight for the people. Personality & Motivation: Friendly and affable, Marcus Dupont does much to combat his initial appearance as that of a muscular thug with his behavior. He is good with fans and kids alike, the two categories often overlapping, treating them with respect and talking to them as equals. Dedicated to his family and community, Marcus is determined protect everyone that he can. A former boxer, Marcus used to win over the crowd with his showmanship, which he continues to display even as the hero Cheval. Marcus' drive to be a hero comes from multiple sources. First and foremost, he wishes to protect his community. This is driven both by his own personal belief in protecting others when he can, as well as a constant push by Ogoun to use the powers he has been granted for justice. Having used his deeds to become a celebrity, Marcus has found himself driven to fight on for the sake of his fans, those that believe that he will show up to save the day, and, of course, the wealth that he has begun to amass from various endorsement contracts and the like. While he is aware of the contradictions and is determined not to let his newfound fame and wealth change him, time will tell if a he will succeed or not. Greatly dedicated to his younger brother James, Marcus first started boxing to support his studies, and still uses a sizeable amount of his wealth to take care of his brother, letting him pursue his dreams. Powers & Tactics: Marcus is a boxer at heart. His initial solution to most problems are to try to punch them, usually to great effect, given his powers. Given his near indestructible body, he will usually try to protect others, placing himself between them and blows, pushing them out of the way, or simply trying to take down an opponent before they can reach others. While often a bit of a showman, and known for showboating, Cheval will drop all pretense and fight without any showmanship, should the situation call for it. Power Descriptions: Marcus' powers come from being Ogoun's cheval, being ridden, or possessed, by the loa God of Iron and Fire. To have Ogoun's power enter his body, Cheval must be able to speak the phrase "I am iron, I am covered in iron", upon which he rapidly grows in height and mass, his skin becoming divine, living iron. In this form, Cheval is impervious to most forms of damage, gains incredible strength, and his fighting skills are enhanced by Ogoun, allowing Cherval to fight at far greater skill than what he would normally posses. Cheval can channel Ogoun's power into a number of different strikes, which he had dubbed the Break Strike, Drain Strike and Flame Strike, allowing him to break through defences, drain foes to heal himself or create a burst of fire. Through the divine power of Ogoun, Cheval's iron body is even able to touch and strike ghosts and spirits. Ogoun's power has left its mark on Marcus, even when not being ridden by the loa. Even when in his normal mortal form, Marcus is able to see and communicate with spirits. Complications: Famous: Before gaining his powers, Marcus was well known boxer in Weston, with many believing he could be a contender, many still recognizing him from that time. Now, as Cheval, he has become known throughout Viboray Bay, both as Cheval and Marcus Dumont, which, while it offers benefits, can come with its own trouble. Hero of the People: Ogoun drives Cheval to be a hero, a warrior and a protector. He cares deeply for the well being of the man on the street, focusing on keeping them safe above all else. Cheval can be distracted by putting someone in danger. Iron Horse: Though Ogoun leaves Cheval in control when he rides him, the God of Iron will sometimes take full control, if his objectives differ from Marcus'. Knight of Shining Armor: When Cheval is powered up, his mass and weight increases drastically to more than a ton, which can cause drastic issues if he is somewhere that cannot support his increased mass. Rogues Gallery: Cheval has faced his share of foes, already starting to build an impressive array of foes. He has so far managed to earn the scorn of the Mayombe, Maitre Carrefour and the loa Mademoiselle Charlotte and Dinclinsin. Showboating: Cheval's tendency to showboat can put him at an disadvantage in a fight, giving enemies chances to prepare, avoid blows that could have taken them out or the like. You Know My Name: While he usually goes by Cheval, Marcus' identity was outed during the incident where he gained his powers, leaving him little choice in whether he wanted to keep a secret identity or not. Abilities: 8 + 8 + 8 + 0 + 6 + 6 = 36PP Strength: 18 (+4) / [God of Iron] 34 (+12) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 18 (+4) / [God of Iron] 36 (+13) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 8 + 6 = 14PP Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Attack: +4 Base / [God of Iron] +12 Melee (+4 Base, +8 Attack Focus [Melee]) Defense: +4 (+3 Base, +1 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed / [God of Iron] +7 (+3 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +8 (+4 Base Attack, +4 Strength) / [God of Iron] +27 (+4 Base Attack, +8 Attack Focus [Melee], +12 Strength, +1 Super-Strength, +2 Super-Strength from Density) / +33 (+4 Base Attack, +8 Attack Focus [Melee], +12 Strength, +1 Super-Strength, +2 Super-Strength from Density, +6 Super-Strength) Knockback: -2 Toughness / [God of Iron] -16 (-12 Impervious Toughness, -2 Toughness, -2 Immovable from Density) Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 9 = 9PP Toughness: +4 (+4 Con) / [God of Iron] +17 (+13 Con, +4 Density) Fortitude: +4 (+4 Con, +0) / [God of Iron] +13 (+13 Con, +0) Reflex: +4 (+4 Dex, +0) / [God of Iron] +6 (+4 Dex, +0, +2 Enhanced Reflex Save) Will: +12 (+3 Wis, +9) Skills: 44R = 11PP Climb 0 (+4) / [God of Iron] (+12) Diplomacy 7 (+10) Gather Information 4 (+7) Intimidate 7 (+10) Knowledge [Arcane] 5 (+5) Knowledge [Popular Culture] 1 (+5) Languages 2 (English [Native], French, Haitian Creole) Notice 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Swim 0 (+4) / [God of Iron] (+12) Feats: 17PP Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Benefit 1 [Fame] Benefit 1 [Wealth] Dodge Focus 1 Improved Initiative 1 Improved Throw Interpose Luck 4 Move-by Action Paralyzing Attack Power Attack Attack Ultimate Effort [Toughness Save] Enhanced Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2 [On Unarmed] Attack Focus [Melee] 8 Dodge Focus 3 Improved Critical [Unarmed] 2 Powers: (25 + 18 + 2 + 2 + 11 + 9 + 7 + 3 + 27 + 3 + 4) + 2 + 1 = 114PP Has Divine and Iron descriptors except where noted Alternate Form 22.6 ("God of Iron"; 111PP Alternate Form) [113PP] Density 8 (Extras: Duration [Continuous], Unstoppable 2; Flaws: Permanent; Feats: Buoyant) (Strength +16, Toughness +4, Impervious Toughness +4, Immovable 2 [w/ Unstoppable], Super-Strength 2, Mass x8) [27PP] Enhanced Constitution 18 [18PP] (Prowess) Enhanced Traits 2 ("Cold Iron"; Add to Unarmed: Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2) [2PP] Enhanced Traits 2 (Reflex Save +2) [2PP] (Prowess, no Iron descriptor) Enhanced Traits 11 (Attack Focus [Melee] 8, Dodge Focus 3) [11PP] (Prowess, No Iron descriptor) Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9PP] Impervious Toughness 8 (Drawbacks: Noticeable [Iron Skin]) (+4 ranks from Density 8: Total rank 12) [7PP] Leaping 3 (Leap distance x10: Running 220 ft.) [3PP] (Prowess, No Iron descriptor) Power of Ogoun Array 12 (24PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 3) [27PP] (Prowess, No Iron descriptor) BP: {12 + 12 = 24/24} Knockback Strength 12 ("Might of Ogoun") Add (Feats: Knockback 12) to Unarmed [12PP] Super-Strength 6 (+2 ranks from Density 8, +1 rank from Super-Strength 1: Total rank 9) (Total: +45 STR carry. Heavy load 716.8 tons) [12PP] AP: Autofire Strength 12 ("Break Strike") Add (Extras: Autofire, Penetrating 3; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Knockback 7) to Unarmed {24/24} AP: {12 + 12 = 24/24} Vampiric Strength 12 ("Drain Strike") Add (Extras: Vampiric) to Unarmed [12PP] Drain Toughness 12 (Extras: Linked to Unarmed) [12PP] AP: Damage 12 ("Flame Strike"; Extras: General Area [Cone]) (Area: 120 ft. cone) {24/24} (Fire) Speed 3 (50mph, 440 ft./round) [3PP] (Prowess, No Iron descriptor) Super-Strength 1 (Feats: Groundstrike, Thunderclap) (+2 ranks from Density 8: Total rank 3) (Total: +15 STR carry. Heavy load 11.2 tons) [4PP] (Prowess) Comprehend 1 (Comprehend Spirits) [2PP] (No Iron descriptor) Super-Senses 1 (Spirit Awareness, Descriptor Frequency: Uncommon, Sense Type: Visual [Default Extras: Accurate, Acute, Ranged]) [1PP] (No Iron descriptor) Drawbacks: (-3) = -3PP Normal Identity ("Must recite: 'I am iron, I am covered with iron' to active God of Iron alternate form"; Frequency: Uncommon; Intensity: Major]) [-3PP] DC Block Name Range Save Effect Attack bonus Unarmed Touch DC19 Tou (staged) Damage +4 Unarmed - Might of Ogoun Touch DC27 Tou (staged) Damage +12, Affects Insubstantial 2, Knockback+12 Unarmed - Break Strike Touch DC27 (staged) Damage +12, Affects Insubstantial 2, Autofire, Penetrating 3, Knockback+7, Crit 18-20 Unarmed - Drain Strike Touch DC27 Tou (staged) Damage +12, Affects Insubstantial 2, Vampiric DC27 Fort (staged) Drain Toughness Linked to Drain Strike Damage effect Flame Strike Area, 120 ft. cone DC22 Ref (staged) Reduce Damage effect to DC21 Area DC27 Tou (staged) Damage Groundstrike Area, 120 ft. radius DC22 Ref (staged) Halve Trip effect Area Trip roll vs. Strength Check Tripped Thunderclap Area, 60 ft. radius DC22 Ref (staged) Halve Auditory Dazzle effect to DC16 Area DC22 Ref (staged) -> DC22 Fort (staged) Auditory Dazzle Totals: Abilities (36) + Combat (14) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (11) + Feats (17) + Powers (116) - Drawbacks (3) = 200/212 Power Points
  4. So we've got our first four VB PCs approved, and hopefully more to come soon. Any ideas what kinds of stories we want to tell? I for one am very intrigued by the swamp just North of town.
  5. Sagrado Corazon Power Level: 10 (186/201PP) Unspent Power Points: 15 Trade-Offs: ±0 Attack / ±0 Damage, +5 Defense / -5 Toughness In Brief: Preacher if Jesse was a better person Catchphrase: Theme: Don't You Worry Child, Born This Way, Alternate Identity: The Saint, El Santo (public), Cristóbal (Chris) De La Cruz (private) Birthplace: Tampico, Mexico Residence: Weston, Vibora Bay Base of Operations: Weston, Vibora Bay Occupation: DJ, Waiter, Bartender Affiliations: None Currently Family: Maria Guadalupe De La Cruz (mother) Description: Age: DoB: September 21, 1998 Apparent Age: Youthful actual age Gender: Male Ethnicity: Latino Height: 5'9" Weight: 153 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown, blonde highlights Chris has a compact and lithe gymnasts build of middling height. A dimpled smile and certain practiced intensity has earned him larger tips on more than one occasion and he's not above taking full advantage of that. His hair is neatly coiffed in a neat fade with the top just long enough to cover an eye when allowed though usually is swept back and cleanly styled into a subtle wave with blonde highlights to it's natural deep mahogany tones. Deep chestnut eyes sit beneath a delicate brow, clean shaven with fine cheekbones Chris' golden caramel skin tone is often augmented with a light touch of make up to best smooth his complexion and highlight his features. He cuts a handsome figure and is well aware of it setting off his civilian looks with well fitted dress shirts or skin tight tees as the situation demands paired with fashionable jeans or shorts depending on the locale. His costume consists of a fitted iridescent silver/white full coverage bodysuit with integral boots blending seamlessly into his calves. A criss crossing ribbon in red runs over the bodysuit with a matching short laced vest over his chest. The suit comes up to the bottom of his jaw but leaves his head uncovered with a matching thin lensed domino mask covering his eyes. The overall image is akin to a cirque du soleil take on superhero design. History: Chris was born to a single mother. The youngest daughter of a conservative and upwardly mobile family in Tampico on the gulf coast. He's never met them and has no intention to. He and his mother were removed to an illicit convent hidden in the hills of the eastern Sierra Madre. Despite the formal organizations having been outlawed as part of reforms separating church and state in the twenties some few underground orders remained serving the devout. His family had connections to one such and thus a place to send their 'sinful' daughter and her bastard. He was raised in equal parts by his mother as the sisters of the hidden order, it was not an unpleasant childhood but neither was it particularly warm and loving. His mother never took her vows, a point of contention with the abbess, and did her best to take an active role in her sons life as the orders strictures allowed. He was well educated in matters both civil and religious and given all he needed to grow into a healthy young man. Shortly after his twelfth birthday while trying to come to terms with his budding sexuality in the relative isolation of the convent he was found by one of his tutors while experimenting with his mother's carefully hoarded make up. the sisters response was swift and harsh. They attempted to switch the deviancy from him to his mother's grave protests. His mother fled with him that night making for the coast knowing they'd expect her to strike north for the United States. In hindsight Chris realized she must have long been prepared for when they would have to flee though he still has no idea why. Unknown to him and only barely understood by his mother, the order and his family along with others hidden throughout the church believed her family to be a repository of the bloodline of the messiah. Thus her 'sinful' pregnancy and worse her sons 'deviancy' was a dire threat to their carefully curated program to keep the line alive and pure. Once they made it to the coastal communities his mother managed to arrange transport across the gulf eventually landing in Vibora Bay and requesting asylum. It was not a swift process but they managed to navigate the bureaucracy and gain entry and eventually citizenship. While they waited his mother worked many jobs to support them, eventually managing to become a supervisor of hospitality at a nearby beach resort. Chris attended public school and made middling grades. Life for a queer immigrant on the panhandle led him into more than a few fights in his early days, his mother fearing for their asylum claims was firm in him following a path of peace. Not acquiescence but peace. Eventually it sunk in and Chris is now effectively a pacifist violence begets violence as his mother would say. Teach, show them, be the better man. Most days he likes to think he succeeds. It likely helps that modern Vibora Bay is more welcoming than many places to his existence. Upon graduation Chris knew there was no money for college and knew even more so his struggles in scholarship would not get him far. Like many of his generation he bounces from job to job' living with his mother and helping with the bills. His dream is to make it big as a DJ though he recognizes even local fame is unlikely. In the meantime he works waiting tables or bartending where his looks and charming demeanor cna earn him spending money and taking what DJ gigs he can supplementing with driving for UBER or Lyft and delivering for one gig economy app or another. Things changed last fall. He was out with friends at a local club that catered to the younger LGBT latino community. Chris had just arrived and was lingering just inside the club looking for where his friends might be when there was some kind of altercation in front. There were slurs shouted, threats, then a sharp crack of a gunshot outside, screams barely audible over the thumbing beat of the nights mix. The gunman stepped in, the few others near enough to see started to scatter, Chris stared at the man almost in confusion as the barrel began to rise. His memory is foggy of what happened next. He demanded the man drop the gun, there was an almost blinding light from behind him, the rifle fell to the floor and the gunman met Chris' eyes his gaze full of so much hate then sorrow as he fell to his knees sobbing and begging forgiveness. Chris ran. That was when the Voice started, his glorious purpose, his destiny, his fate. And Chris couldn't run from the Voice. His mother thought his moodiness was shock from the near shooting, or maybe drugs. She told him to tell her when he was ready. He doesn't know if he ever will be. But he does know he stopped something terrible that day, and times since. He of course has a choice, everyone does, but not helping is hardly any choice at all. So he swore a designer he knew to secrecy and got a disguise, a costume, and now he tries to make the world a little less frightening. Personality & Motivation: Chris is young and a little scared. He still is trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up and he has a voice in his head telling him he about duty, destiny, and hinting at dark futures he may have to stop. As he puts it, "It's, Alot." The worst of it is that Chris won't walk away. He knows he can help, and that if he doesn't it won't get done or worse fall to another to help, possibly at greater cost. He's not certain if he's losing his mind, and not sure if fixing that would take his powers. He's not sure if he might want that. So he lives his life full out with a certain heedless abandon where tomorrow is not promised and does what he can to make the world a better place in the meantime. He's given to private crises, but outwardly is gregarious, flirty, and carefree. Powers & Tactics: Still ingrained in his methods is his mothers teaching of how many problems are solved by violence (zero). Chris is at the core a pacifist. And his powers lend themselves to this. He speaks with divine mandate and the world obeys his commands. He can disable, disarm, and command weaker minds and overwhelm even strong ones. He usually keeps his commands simple and short, 'Stop!', 'Sleep!', 'Freeze!' etc. will stop many in their tracks at least long enough for them to be restrained. More complex commands can be used in less strenuous circumstance of course and he has been known to march those bound to the Voice into a police station to turn themselves in. A situation the police accept with dubious care, where mind controlling supers fall on the spectrum of fourth, or fifth amendment rights is sufficiently unclear to make such tactics questionable. When facing foes not affected by the Voice directly he'll concentrate on defending innocents and doing what he can to aid or bolster allies. Power Descriptions: Much of Chris' powers are internal, the advice and warnings of the Voice can reveal much when it's in a talkative mood and will warn him of dangers. As well his existence is to put it tritely, blessed, fate bends to the will of the Divine and the Divine wishes him intact. His active powers consist mostly of the Voice of the Divine overwhelming the weak minded. His commands must be obeyed when he puts the power of the Voice behind them. Beyond the ethereal presence of the Voice and it's direct effects it is difficult to notice, people simply obey his command. When used with subtlety it can go unnoticed entirely while shouting short commands as in most fights are a more obvious use mostly due to the immediate reactions. Chris is also able to peer into the psyche of an enemy and force upon them visions of how their actions harm others or similar regrets of ill lived lives. Such revelation can be overwhelming. Lastly he can perform miracles, manna from heaven, heal the sick, mend the broken, even if it is so willed raise the recently fallen. Performing such miracles even on a small scale is not subtle invoking a divine glow at the very least and manifesting a blinding halo, or even the chorus celestial upon grander use. Complications: The Voice: There is a Voice, God, Angel, or madness Chris doesn't examine too closely. It speaks of his duty and the needs of the world as well as some future fate. The Voice may demand action or inaction of Chris listening to it may earn HP, the voice may also be distraction either with demands or overwhelming him at key moments earning Chris HP for such setbacks. Pacifism: Though he's willing to use his powers to stop people he draws a line at harm. When the situation calls for direct violence and his refusal limits his options chris will earn HP. The Covenant: The self styled Covenant of the Blood believes that it has a sacred duty to guide and preserve the lineage of Christ and that Chris is a scion of this august line. Attracting their attention could become problematic in many ways. Pure of Heart: Those who have committed no wrongs upon others may be immune to the visions he conjures with Empathic Visions earning him HP. Abilities: 4 + 8 + 10 + 4 + 20 + 10 = 56PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 30 (+10) Charisma: 20 (+5) Combat: 0 + 10 = 10PP Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Attack: +0/+4 Melee, +0/+4 Ranged Defense: +5/+15 (+5/+10 Base, +0/+5 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed Grapple: +6 Knockback: -2 Saving Throws: 0 + 6 + 5 = 11PP Toughness: +5 (+5 Con, +0) Fortitude: +5 (+5 Con, +0) Reflex: +10 (+4 Dex, +6), Evasion 2 Will: +15 (+10 Wis, +5) Skills: 80R = 20PP Acrobatics 6 (+10) Bluff 5 (+10) (+14 Attractive) Concentration 5 (+15) Diplomacy 10 (+15) (+19 Attractive) Gather Information 5 (+10) Intimidate 5 (+10) Knowledge: Current Events 3 (+5) Knowledge: Pop Culture 3 (+5) Knowledge: Streetwise 3 (+5) Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 3 (+5) Language 2 (Spanish:Native, Latin, English) Notice 10 (+20) Perform: Percussion 5 (+10) Perform: Keyboards 5 (+10) Sense Motive 10 (+20) Feats: 18PP Attractive Connected Contacts Evasion 2 Improved Defense 2 Improved Initiative Luck 3 Quick Change Skill Mastery (Diplomacy, Gather information, Notice, Sense Motive) Inspire 5 Powers: 23 + 1 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 37 = 71PP Enhanced Traits 15 (Guardian Angel; Base Attack 4, Base Defense 5, Dodge Focus 5) [23PP] (Divine, Fate) Enhanced Traits 2 (Voice of the Divine; Well Informed(1), Gather Information 4(1);Flaws: Uncontrolled) [1PP] (Divine, Inspiration) Super Senses 2 (Voice of the Divine; Danger sense(mental)(1), Uncanny Dodge(mental)(1)) [2PP] (Divine, Inspiration) Super Senses 8 (Voice of the Divine; Postcognition, Precognition; Flaws: Uncontrolled) [4PP] (Divine, Inspiration) Variable Pool 1 (5 PP Pool, 1 Power(Alteration, Miracle) at a time; Miracles;) [4PP] (Divine, Miracle) The Voice 16 (32 PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 5)[37PP] (Divine) Base Power: Mind Control 10 (Voice of Command; Extras: Duration(sustained), Conscious; Flaws: Sense Dependant(Auditory); Feats: subtle 2) {32/32} (command) Alternate Power: Deflect 15 (Deus Ex; Projectiles(fast and slow); Extras: Area; Flaws: Distracting; Feats: Selective, Subtle) {32/32} (Fate) Alternate Power: Emotion Control 10 (Inspiring Command; Extras: Area(General, Perception-Auditory), Duration(continuous-lasting), Selective Attack; Flaws: Range(touch) -2; Feats: Reversible, Subtle) {32/32} (oration) Alternate Power: Nauseate 10 (Empathic Visions; Extras: Alternate Save(Will)+0, Mental +0, Range(perception)+2; Flaws: Sense Dependant(Visual); Feats: Reversible) {31/32} (Regret, Despair) Alternate Power: Paralyze 10 (Halting Command; Extras: Range(perception)+2, Mental +0; Flaws: Sense Dependant(Auditory); Feats: Reversible) {31/32} (command) Alternate Power: Stun 10 (Sedating Command; Extras: Alternate Save(Will)+0, Mental +0, Range(perception)+2; Flaws: Sense Dependant(Auditory); Feats: Reversible, Sedation) {32/array cost} (command) Drawbacks: -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Inspiring Command Perception DC20 Will (Staged) Emotion Control Empathic Visions Perception DC20 Will (Staged) Nauseate Halting Command Perception DC20 Will (Staged) Paralyze Sedating Command Perception DC20 Will (Staged) Stun Totals: Abilities (56) + Combat (10) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (20) + Feats (18) + Powers (71) - Drawbacks (0) = 186/201 Power Points
  6. Persephone Alternate Identity: Camellia Blume, M.D. Base of Operations: Vibora Bay Concept: "Moonstone meets Poison Ivy, with a dash of Venom, and side helpings of Elle Woods and Blanche Devereaux" Table of Contents Allies, Associates, & Enemies Costume & Appearance Current Role & Hooks Design Notes Headquarters History Personal Life Personality & Motivation Powers & Skills Timeline Reputation Allies, Associates, & Enemies Allies Brother & Sister-In-Law Camellia's younger brother J.B. is her fraternal twin, born a few minutes after her. He entered the workforce, got married, and started a family several years before Camellia did, only staying in school long enough to get his MBA. He and his wife, Pamela, have two small children, Abby and Alan. Pamela was Camellia's sorority sister and best friend in college. Camellia set the two of them up in the first place. She adores her niece and nephew, and the feeling is mutual. Parents Camellia Blume’s parents, Lena and Bernie, met while they were both students at Sinclair University. Lena was a cheerleader, and Bernie played football. They both stuck around long enough to earn Master’s degrees, hers in interior design and his in engineering. After graduation, she started her own design firm, while he went to work for Vibora Petroleum. He started as an engineer, but he quickly ascended to upper management. Her family also owns dozens of rental properties and restaurant franchises, in Vibora Bay and across north Florida. Her father and grandfather have both been members of the elite Mahogany Club since before she was born. Camellia is their little princess and there's nothing they wouldn't do to indulge her, but she tries her best to stand on her own two feet. Associates City of Vibora Bay As one of Vibora Bay's official municipal defenders, Persephone works directly with the city government. A small handful of city officials, including Mayor Richenda Barker, even know her secret identity. Extended Family Camellia maintains contact with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of her family. Professional Contacts & Sorority Sisters Camellia was one of the vice-presidents of her chapter of the Omega Beta Gamma sorority at Sinclair University. She worked as a model and pageant contestant in her teens and early-to-mid-twenties, including during her year in Paris. She spent four years at the University of Vibora Bay School of Medicine, the most prestigious medical school in the state of Florida, and another four years completing her psychiatric residency at the world-renowned UFVB hospital. She's maintained all of her contacts from those worlds. Her Christmas card list includes models, photographers, newspaper and magazine editors, fashion designers, university professors, doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and dozens of women who went on to become and/or marry some of the wealthiest and most influential people in every walk of life on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Enemies The New Shadows The pack of vampires Camellia destroyed on her first night as Persephone were affiliated with the New Shadows gang. The gang doesn't know that Camellia is Persephone, but they have figured out that Persephone is the one who killed their comrades. They haven't put a bounty on her, because, as a matter of honor and reputation, they want to be the ones to avenge themselves. But they are offering a reward for information about her and her whereabouts. The changes the alien symbiote has made to Persephone's biology make it unlikely that vampires would derive nourishment from her bodily fluids or that they would be able to transform her into another vampire, but they do intend to make her suffer and die for her affront against them. If repeated attempts to capture or kill her fail, then they may swallow their pride and seek outside assistance. If the gang got word of her presence in a particular place, then they could show up and make a bad situation even worse. Costume & Appearance A friend once described Camellia as “Grace Kelly’s head on Kate Upton’s body”. She has brilliant blue eyes set into a heart-shaped face, framed with a mane of shiny and thick platinum blonde hair which falls down well below her waist. She has the kind of hourglass figure that usually requires aggressive corsetry, and most of her substantial height is in her long legs. Her voice is heavy, breathy, and deeper than most people expect, with a slight Southern drawl. She carries herself with the calm, quiet confidence of someone who’s accustomed to being welcome everywhere she goes. She has a big smile, and it gets a lot of exercise. When she uses her powers, her skin turns green, and her eyes and hair both turn purple. Her hair grows even longer, almost touching the ground, and it takes on a life of its own, gently floating and swaying as though she were underwater. She is a skilled seamstress, an asset she had already made extensive use of on her normal clothes before she ever got superpowers, altering them to better fit and support her body. After she became a superhero, she altered them further, fastening them with magnets to make them quickly and easily removable (a trick stage productions use to facilitate frequent costume changes). Her superhero costume is a leotard composed of thousands of overlapping leaves growing out of her own skin. When Camellia turns into Persephone, she triggers the pigmentation changes, grows the leaves, and snaps her civilian clothing off. She has the whole process down to less than a second. When it's time for Persephone to turn back into Camellia, she just snaps her civilian clothing back on, changes color, and lets the leaves fall off. They quickly dry out once they're no longer attached to her. There's usually a flower in her hair, growing straight out of her head. She can also release luciferns and their catalyzing enzymes into parts of her body, causing them to glow. She does this most often with her hair and eyes. In her civilian life, Camellia has an extensive wardrobe; more than one person has joked that they’ve never seen her wear anything twice. Her personal style, heavily influenced by the Vibora climate, consists mainly of above-the-knee sundresses in bright colors and floral prints, paired with some kind of ornate sandals, more often than not with 4-5 inch heels that make her tower over most of the people around her. During the couple of months a year where the weather in Vibora Bay dips below 70F, she’ll switch to sweater dresses with higher necklines, swap out the sandals for closed-toes or boots, and add some heavy tights for extra warmth. In more casual settings, she sometimes trades the dresses for crop tops paired with denim short-shorts or short skirts, and on the beach, which she visits every chance she gets, she rocks the bikini. She loves jewelry; pearls are her favorite, and she owns pieces in every color of the rainbow. Outside, she’s rarely seen without both oversized sunglasses, some kind of a large, floppy-brimmed straw or silk hat with a bow or flower on the ribbon, varieties of which she also owns in every color. In professional settings, she wears decorative glasses with clear lenses, mainly in the hope that she’ll be taken more seriously once the “smart people have poor eyesight” stereotype cancels out the “dumb blonde” trope, but also because it gives her another accessory to play with. Current Role & Hooks Even when she was an independent superhero, Persephone tried to make herself available for any crime-fighting or disaster relief opportunities which presented themselves in the Vibora Bay metropolitan area. Now that she's one of the city's official municipal defenders, she has not just a moral obligation to do so, but a legal obligation as well. As far as she's concerned, there's no problem too small for her to help with. At one point she literally used her powers to bring a stuck kitten down from a tree, and she still considers it her best superhero moment. She lacks the power to cover a larger region, and even within the city, her mobility is limited. She can command local plants to ferry her around like a sort of relay race of ski lifts, but at only 25MPH, it's usually faster for her to just take her car. She would rather be loved than feared. She always tries to resolve a situation peacefully, and if things get violent, she always uses the minimum force required, and she's quickly becoming known for that. Even when she was an independent hero, she would gladly stick around long enough to make any bystanders feel safe, and to talk with and assist rescue workers, police, and the media. Design Notes Persephone is an exercise in taking tropes normally reserved for villains and making a hero with them instead. Her color scheme is the green/purple/orange combo colloquially known as "Secondary Color Villain", to contrast with the "Primary Color Hero". She's a blonde, blue-eyed white girl from the South. She used to be a cheerleader and a sorority sister. Her powers include Emotion Control, delivered by what is basically poison. She's a traditionally feminine and unashamedly sexual adult woman who wears a revealing costume and fights indirectly through what are basically summoned minions. Normally, all of those things would scream "villain", or, at best, "Character it's OK to kill", in any genre. Persephone is as far outside my own wheelhouse as I've ever strayed as a role-player, an exercise in embracing and playing with tropes I used to avoid like the plague. She's both a Southerner and a "basic white girl", two types of people whom I used to hate, mock, and write off at first glance. I also used to look down upon any feminine and/or sexually alluring RPG characters, dismissively calling them "GM's Girlfriend PCs". Persephone was born out of the cultural and emotional evolution I've felt happening both in the larger geek culture and in my own life. A lot of us have been doing some growing up and waking up all at once to the nuanced truth that the declaration of all things soft-feminine to be "bad" is rooted in misogyny. What's "bad" is making one thing, whether it's one type of femininity or masculinity or anything else, the only available option, and forcing people to adhere to rigid stereotypes which don't fit them. Tomboys shouldn't be mocked or punished for not being girly-girls, but the reverse is also true. We're waking up to the fact that the whole idea of the "Mary Sue" character archetype in RPGs and genre fiction is rooted in that same misogyny, so, in defiance of that, I went ahead and gave Persephone several "Mary Sue" traits, like the infamous purple eyes. Similarly, while it's a problem when every female character in a work is forced to be titillating for an assumed hetero male audience, it's not an innately bad thing for a female character (or anyone else) to be "sexy", and cheesecake can be fun without being creepy, although everyone has their own boundaries when it comes to that sort of thing. Headquarters Camellia lives in a rented two-bedroom house in Atwater, one of the better neighborhoods in the worse half of the city. She could afford to live in Easton, where she grew up and where the rest of her family lives, but she's trying to save money, dip as little as possible into her trust fund, and achieve some semblance of independence. Like most Floridians, she has a small pool in the backyard, and both the back and front yards are dominated by her extensive flower gardens. At any given time, there are also multiple vases filled with fresh flowers in every room inside the house. She uses her second bedroom as a mixed home office, sewing room, and walk-in closet. The walls are covered with framed photographs of family and friends, occasionally broken up by art prints, mostly Monet and Van Gogh. She also rents a studio apartment in Far Weston, not as nice as Atwater but far from the worst neighborhood Weston has to offer. She uses the apartment as an office, so that she doesn't have to see clients in her home. It's her attempt to force some work/life balance, and to keep a professional boundary between her and her patients. The apartment-office is as filled with flowers as her home. It is furnished with a couch and several plush chairs surrounding a coffee table, a desk where she keeps her notes and her work computer locked up, and a mini-refrigerator she keeps stocked with a couple pitchers of sweet tea she always offers to her patients. Framed copies of her university and medical school diplomas and other credentials adorn the walls, along with some more Monet and Van Gogh prints. History Camellia Blume's family has roots in the east side of Vibora Bay going back at least as far as her great-grandparents on both sides. Her family are all wealthy, highly educated professionals, with real estate holdings across north Florida. Camellia beat her “little” twin brother J.B. into the world by a few minutes. She grew up in a Cluet Farms mansion, immersed in luxury and privilege. Her teens and early twenties were a hurricane of private schools, cotillions, debutante balls, modeling jobs, and beauty pageants, just like her mother before her. Like her mother before her, she was the queen of her high school. Unlike her mother, she was a benevolent queen, who never tolerated bullying. She attended Sinclair University, a legacy admission, like her parents before her. She joined the same sorority her mother had belonged to. She was a cheerleader like her mother before her. She even spent a year studying abroad in Paris, like her mother had at her age. But ultimately, she decided that, while dancing and modeling were fun, they weren't a fulfilling career. She wanted to spend her life helping people in a more direct manner. So after she graduated college, she applied to UFVB's prestigious medical school. At first, her parents did not approve, though they knew well enough to cloak their objections with polite euphemisms. But as far as they were concerned, a mostly-black school on the west side of the city, even a nationally renowned one, may as well have been another planet. Camellia stood firm. In 22 years, it was the first time she ever made a real decision for herself instead of just following in her parents footsteps. Her parents refused to pay for it, and even threatened to cut off her trust fund. But she'd saved enough of the money she'd made from a decade of modeling jobs and pageant prizes to take a big bite out of the tuition, and she was willing to take out loans to pay for the rest. The idea of their little princess taking on debt horrified them more than the idea of her living in Weston or going to school with black people, so they relented. After four years of medical school, Camellia chose psychiatry as her specialty, combining her academic prowess and her social skills to make the world a better place, one person at a time. After another four years, she completed her residency and obtained her medical license. She rented an apartment in Far Weston (separate from the rented Atwater house she lived in), and started her own practice out of it, living off of her trust fund until she accumulated enough patients to make her practice self-sustaining. Her refusal to charge patients more than they could afford, or to limit her clientele to the wealthy, slowed that process considerably. Camellia kept a garden at home, and her office space was filled with flowers. This caused one of her first patients visible distress. But he wasn't floraphobic. Instead, he seemed to be suffering from auditory hallucinations, or some other delusion. He claimed that one of his wife’s plants was talking to him. No one else seemed to be able to hear the voice, but it was growing louder and more insistent, while not making any sense, and he was convinced it was coming from the purple orchid his wife had brought home a few weeks prior. After a few weeks of talk sessions and a prescription for anti-anxiety medication failed to yield any results, he brought the orchid in question to his session, and refused to bring it back home with him. She didn’t think it would help his recovery to force the issue, so she let him leave without it, intending to return it to him later. The orchid was sitting on the front seat of her car during her commute home. That commute was interrupted when she drove by what appeared to be a mugging or assault taking place in an alley just off the street. She pulled off into the alley, flashed her lights, honked her horn, and shouted that she was calling the police, hoping to scare away the attackers. But the attackers were a pack of vampires affiliated with the New Shadows gang, and they weren’t mugging their victim; they were about to feed on him. They used their superhuman strength to flip her car over, trapping her in the alley. But as they started to drag her out of the wrecked car, she heard a woman's voice inside her mind, and it seemed like time froze. The voice offered Camellia power, the power she would need to survive this ordeal and many like it. But she could only give Camellia that power if they were “bonded”. Camellia decided that, whatever that meant, it was better than letting herself or that poor man be killed, so she agreed. Time started passing again, and the orchid started moving under its own power, shattering its pot and pressing itself against Camellia. The flower somehow phased through her flesh and bone, sinking into her chest. She felt its roots expand throughout her body. It occurred to her that this should have been painful or terrifying or disgusting, but instead it was invigorating. Leaves and bark sprouted from her flesh, covering every inch of her skin. The vampires were shocked when they reached for a human but pulled out a humanoid plant-monster. Their claws and fangs couldn't pierce her bark-armor. Acting on instinct, she summoned plants to her aid, and they responded. Roots from a nearby tree stretched and snaked through the dirt before bursting bursting up out of the ground, breaking through the concrete like it was glass. The roots hardened into spears and impaled the vampires, who all collapsed into piles of ash. As soon as the danger had passed, the leafy armor dried up and crumbled off of Camellia’s skin. She used her cell phone to call an ambulance for the bleeding man and a tow truck for her totaled car, and she tended to his wounds as best she could while they waited. She told the police that she’d turned too fast into the alley and flipped over, which must have scared away “the muggers”. The wounded man didn’t contradict her. Camellia spent the weeks after the incident telepathically communing with her new symbiote, learning what little the symbiote knew of her own history, and growing accustomed to her new abilities and the changes the symbiote was making to her body. The symbiote had been part of a race of semi-sentient plants engineered and grown as biological weapons by the humans of another Earth in an alternate dimension. That dimension fell to Omega, and this symbiote happened to be on a part of that Earth which wound up floating in the Terminus instead of being annihilated. When a rift opened up near the symbiote during the most recent Terminus incursion into her dimension, she pulled up her roots and let herself fall through. The symbiote offered to separate from Camellia if she so desired, but Camellia refused when she learned that separation would require intensive surgery which could kill both of them. Instead, Camellia decided to cope with whatever changes might come, and put her new abilities to good use, making the world a better place like she’d always wanted to. Personal Life Camellia invests a great deal of time and effort into maintaining her extensive network of family, school friends, sorority sisters, and coworkers (both from her modeling days and from the teaching hospital where she completed her residency). Once you're part of her world, you don't leave. She calls and sends cards for every birthday and anniversary, and she sends hand-written “Thank You” notes for everything else. Her psychiatry practice and superhero activities take up most of what time remains. When she somehow manages to squeeze a few more drops out of her schedule, she likes gardening, sewing, cooking and baking, and making occasional trips to the beach or to go out dancing at night clubs. She has no regrets about putting her personal life on hold for the sake of her career, but it's not on hold anymore. She has an active profile on ErosUnlimited, where she's hoping within the next few years to find a guy to settle down with, get married and have kids. Personality & Motivation Camellia's behavior comes from a combination of a naturally big heart and being raised in a semi-aristocratic subculture in which tradition was revered and courtesy was paramount. She strives to always be polite, modest, generous, and forgiving. She hates to see people suffer, even when they deserve it. She’s sensitive to the moods of the people around her, and it’s important to her to make those people as comfortable as possible. Her guiding principle in daily life is “Make everybody feel welcome, and never make anybody feel second-rate.” She greets everyone with a warm smile and an opening for as much small talk as they'd like, and she almost never swears or insults people. When someone else commits a faux pas, she’s far more likely to ignore it or attempt to cover for it than she is to draw attention to it or mock them. She values integrity, both in herself and in others, so she won’t lie to protect people’s feelings, but she will distract, deflect, and omit. Every child gets told at some point “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”, but unlike most children, she took that sentiment to heart, leaving the hard truths for one-on-one sessions behind closed doors. She detests bullying of any kind, and she won't hesitate to step in and put herself between the bully and their victim. She loves social interaction and embraces every opportunity for it. Everyone has a story, and she wants to hear them all. She likes attention, which is fortunate, because she’d get plenty of it whether she liked it or not. She doesn’t demand the spotlight, but she’s very comfortable under it. She’s a hopeless romantic who falls hard and fast both in and out of love. She doesn’t expect or demand old school chivalry, but she’s a total sucker for it. Powers & Skills Camellia Blume is a medical doctor with a specialty in psychiatric medicine, fully licensed to practice in the state of Florida. The symbiotic alien plant which fused with her has transformed her body on the molecular level into an ambulatory plant. She looks human on the surface, but beneath the skin, her flesh, blood, and bone has mostly been replaced with cellulose, sap, and wood. Her plant tissues are more durable and resilient than her old flesh, her aging process has slowed considerably, and she can completely regrow any lost body parts. Her body engages in photosynthesis, so she doesn’t need to breathe or eat food, though she still does, both for the pleasurable sensation and because she can derive nutrients from it; it’s the equivalent of spreading fertilizer over crops. She can also extend roots from her body down into soil to obtain water and nutrients, but eating and drinking feels more familiar. The diseases and poisons of animals no longer affect her, although certain chemical fertilizers have effects on her similar to those of caffeine or alcohol when she discreetly adds them to her coffee and cocktails (which also makes those drinks toxic for anyone else). However, as a plant, she is more vulnerable to dehydration and extremes of temperature, her tissues are more flammable, and defoliants and herbicides which would be harmless to a human will kill her in a matter of seconds. But if she is killed, a piece of her corpse can be re-planted like a cutting, and, if it is able to take root and it gets the water, nutrients, and sunlight it needs, then it will eventually regrow her entire body. Through the symbiote, she can psychically detect, communicate with, animate, control, and alter plants. She can make them move and act on her behalf, and she can transform them extensively, shaping them like clay, greatly increasing or decreasing their size, strength, and resilience, and making them sprout flowers which burst open to unleash sedative latex, or psychoactive pollen which can cause hallucinations and render the victim susceptible to suggestion. She doesn't strictly need to take any physical action to alter or control plants, but she uses physical gestures to help herself focus. In battle, she looks like she's dancing or conducting an orchestra. Most of the transformations she causes reverse themselves quickly once she stops exerting the mental effort to maintain them; permanent changes require greater effort. Nearby plants respond to her unconscious desires and survival instincts, moving out of her way, or moving and stretching to protect her, blocking or swatting aside incoming attacks. Her ability to shape plant matter with her thoughts also extends to her own body. She can make plant appendages like vines, thorns, leaves, and roots sprout from her skin, with whatever pigmentation or texture she desires. In battle, she often grows an extra layer of thick bark over her skin, harder than rock. She can release luciferns and their catalyzing enzymes into parts of her body, causing them to glow. In a battle, engaging directly with supervillains is her last resort. Her first priorities are healing the wounded, and using her Create Object and Move Object powers to protect bystanders and other heroes, either by shielding them or by moving them to a safe place. When she does fight directly, she attempts to restrain or incapacitate her foes while doing as little harm as possible. She can create vines to whip or strangle, or thorns to cut and stab, either from her own body or by altering other plants, but she’s so loathe to inflict direct harm that she refuses to do so in all but the most desperate of circumstances. Timeline 1989 Camellia Blume is born in Vibora Bay. 2001 Camellia Blume begins working as a model and competing in beauty pageants. 2007 Camellia Blume graduates from a private high school in Vibora Bay, and begins attending Sinclair University. She joins the Omega Beta Gamma sorority and the cheerleader squad for Sinclair's NCAA teams. 2011 Camellia Blume graduates from Sinclair with honors, and begins attending the UFVB school of medicine. She joins the cheerleader squad for the UFVB Gators. 2015 Camellia Blume graduates from the UFVB medical school, and begins her residency at the UFVB hospital. 2019 Camellia Blume finishes her psychiatric residency, becomes a board-certified physician, and starts her own psychiatric practice. During an attack by the New Shadows, she bonds with a symbiotic plant from an alternate universe and gains superpowers. She becomes a superhero, taking the name "Persephone". Storm of The Century: Persephone teams up with Cheval, The Immutable Betsy Brooks, Sagrado Corazon, Speed-Demon, Torque, and The Woodsman, to repel an incursion by an undead crocodile kaiju and its zombie horde. Rough Draft: Persephone meets with the other heroes from "Storm of The Century" to discuss the mayor's offer to back an official Vibora Bay super-team. Persephone becomes one of Vibora Bay's official city defenders. Dragon's Harvest (IN PROGRESS): Persephone and the other Vibora Bay Defenders meet The Dragoneer at his home. Even The Mere Reports of Such (IN PROGRESS): Persephone and the other Vibora Bay Defenders investigate a haunted house. Thy Golden Stair (IN PROGRESS): Persephone and Cheval meet up on ErosUnlimited. 2020 Deep Runs The Dreadnaut (IN PROGRESS): The Dreadnaut holds Vibora Bay hostage. Transylvanian Mix Tape (IN PROGRESS): Persephone and Sagrado Corazon help The Immutable Betsy Brooks look into the local vampire problem.
  7. In Brief: Moonstone meets Poison Ivy, with a dash of Venom, and side helpings of Elle Woods and Blanche Devereaux. Character: Persephone Power Level: 12 (Built as PL10) Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 180/180 Unspent Points: 0 Alternate Identity: Camellia Blume, M.D. Identity: Secret Legal Status: USA citizen with no criminal record Birthplace: Vibora Bay, Florida Base of Operations: Vibora Bay, Florida Residence: A rented house in Atwater Occupation: Psychiatrist (self-employed, private practice) Affiliations: University of Florida (alumnus), Delta Delta Delta (alumnus), Florida Board of Medicine (licensed physician), American Medical Association (board-certified psychiatrist) Family: Younger fraternal twin brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, parents, several aunts, uncles, and grandparents DESCRIPTION Age: 30 (Date of Birth: 1989) Apparent Age: 30 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Anglo-Germanic Caucasian American Height: 5’10” Weight: 140 lbs. Hair: Human Form: Platinum-Blonde, Plant Form: Purple Eyes: Human Form: Blue, Plant Form: Purple A friend once described her as “Grace Kelly’s head on Kate Upton’s body”. She has brilliant blue eyes set into a heart-shaped face, framed with a mane of shiny and thick platinum blonde hair which falls down to the top of her thighs. She has the kind of hourglass figure that usually requires aggressive corsetry, and most of her substantial height is in her long legs. Her voice is heavy, breathy, and deeper than most people expect, with a slight Southern drawl. She carries herself with the calm, quiet confidence of someone who’s accustomed to being welcome everywhere she goes. She has a big smile, and it gets a lot of exercise. She has an extensive wardrobe; more than one person has joked that they’ve never seen her wear anything twice. She has personally altered most of her clothes, both to better fit and support her body, and to replace the buttons and clasps with magnets, which allows her to get in and out of them quickly (a trick live stage productions use to cope with frequent costume changes). Her personal style, heavily influenced by the local climate, consists mainly of above-the-knee sundresses in bright colors and floral prints, paired with some kind of ornate sandals, more often than not with 4-5 inch heels that make her tower over most of the people around her. During the couple of months a year where the weather in Vibora Bay dips below 70F, she’ll switch to sweater dresses with higher necklines, swap out the sandals for closed-toes or boots, and add some heavy tights for extra warmth. In more casual settings, she sometimes trades the dresses for crop tops paired with denim short-shorts or short skirts, and on the beach, where she goes every chance she gets, she rocks the bikini. She loves jewelry; pearls are her favorite, and she owns pieces in every color of the rainbow. Outside, she’s rarely seen without both oversized sunglasses, some kind of a large, floppy-brimmed straw or silk hat with a bow or flower on the ribbon, varieties of which she also owns in every color. In professional settings, she wears decorative glasses with clear lenses, mainly in the hope that she’ll be taken more seriously once the “smart people have poor eyesight” stereotype cancels out the “dumb blonde” trope, but also because it gives her another accessory to play with. When she uses her powers, her skin turns green, and her eyes and hair both turn purple. Her hair grows even longer, almost touching the ground, and it takes on a life of its own. The coloration shifts to different shades depending on her mood, and the hair moves of its own accord, suddenly when in response to her emotional state, but otherwise gently floating and swaying as though she were underwater. Her ability to shape plant matter with her thoughts also extends to her own body. She can make plant appendages like vines, thorns, leaves, and roots sprout from her skin, with whatever pigmentation or texture she desires. Her costume is made from such appendages, consisting of thousands of overlapping leaves growing out of her skin, and falling away when she switches back to a human appearance. There's usually a flower in her hair, but that's because it's growing out of her head. She can also release luciferns and their catalyzing enzymes into parts of her body, causing them to glow. She does this most often with her hair and eyes. HISTORY Carmellia Blume’s parents met while they were both students at the University of Florida’s Vibora Bay campus. Her mother was a cheerleader and her father played football. They both stuck around long enough to earn Master’s degrees, hers in interior design and his in engineering. After graduation, she started her own firm, while he went to work for Vibora Petroleum, where he quickly ascended to upper management. By gradually invested in dozens of rental properties and restaurant franchises, in Vibora Bay and throughout North Florida, her parents did their part to maintain their family's wealth for another generation. Her father has been a member of the elite Mahogany Club since before she was born. Carmellia beat her “little” twin brother into the world by a few minutes. She grew up in a Cluet Farms mansion, immersed in luxury and privilege. Her teens and early twenties were a hurricane of private schools, cheerleading practices, cotillions, debutante balls, modeling jobs, and beauty pageants, just like her mother before her. She was the queen of her high school, but she was a benevolent queen, who never tolerated bullying. She attended the University of Florida, a legacy admission, like her parents before her. She joined the Tri-Delta sorority, like her mother before her. She even spent a year studying abroad in Paris, like her mother had at her age. But ultimately, she decided that, while dancing and modeling were fun, they weren't fulfilling. She wanted to spend her life helping people in a more direct manner. So after four years of college, she applied to UFVB's prestigious medical school. It was the first time in her life when she made a real decision, instead of just following in her parents footsteps. The modeling money and pageant prizes she’d saved up took a big bite out of the tuition, so she didn’t have to dip too far into her trust fund. After four years of medical school, she chose psychiatry as her specialty, combining her academic prowess and her social skills to make the world a better place, one person at a time. After another four years, she completed her residency and obtained her medical license. She rented an apartment in Far Weston (separate from the rented Atwater house she lived in), and started her own practice out of it, living off of her trust fund until she accumulated enough patients to make her practice self-sustaining. Camellia kept a garden at home, and her office space was filled with flowers. This caused one of her first patients visible distress. But he wasn't floraphobic. Instead, he seemed to be suffering from auditory hallucinations, or some other delusion. He claimed that one of his wife’s plants was talking to him. No one else seemed to be able to hear the voice, but it was growing louder and more insistent, while not making any sense, and he was convinced it was coming from the purple orchid his wife had brought home a few weeks prior. After a few weeks of talk sessions and a prescription for anti-anxiety medication failed to yield any results, he brought the orchid in question to his session, and refused to bring it back home with him. She didn’t think it would help his recovery to force the issue, so she let him leave without it, intending to return it to him later. The orchid was sitting on the front seat of her car during her commute home. That commute was interrupted when she drove by what appeared to be a mugging or assault taking place in an alley just off the street. She pulled off into the alley, flashed her lights, honked her horn, and shouted that she was calling the police, hoping to scare away the attackers. But the attackers were New Shadows gang members, vampires, and they weren’t mugging their victim, they were feeding on him. They used their superhuman strength to flip her car over, trapping her in the alley. But as they started to drag her out of the wrecked car, she heard a woman's voice inside her mind, and it seemed like time froze. The voice offered Camellia power, the power she would need to survive this ordeal and many like it. But she could only give Camellia that power if they were “bonded”. Camellia decided that, whatever that meant, it was better than letting herself or that poor man be killed, so she agreed. Time started passing again, and the orchid started moving under its own power, shattering its pot and pressing itself against Camellia. The flower somehow phased through her flesh and bone, sinking into her chest. She felt its roots expand throughout her body. It occurred to her that this should have been painful or terrifying or disgusting, but instead it was invigorating. Leaves and bark sprouted from her flesh, covering every inch of her skin. The vampires were shocked when they reached for a human but pulled out a humanoid plant-monster. Their shock gave her all the time she needed. Acting on instinct, she summoned plants to her aid, and they responded. Roots from a nearby tree stretched and snaked through the dirt before bursting bursting up out of the ground, breaking through the concrete like it was glass. The roots hardened into spears and impaled the vampires, who all crumbled into ash. As soon as the danger had passed, the leafy armor dried up and crumbled off of Camellia’s skin. She used her cell phone to call an ambulance for the bleeding man and a tow truck for her totaled car, and she tended to his wounds as best she could while they waited. She told the police that she’d turned too fast into the alley and flipped over, which must have scared away “the muggers”. The wounded man didn’t contradict her. Camellia spent the weeks after the incident telepathically communing with her new symbiote, learning what little the symbiote knew of her own history, and growing accustomed to her new abilities and the changes the symbiote was making to her body. The symbiote had been part of a race of semi-sentient plants engineered and grown as biological weapons by the humans of another Earth in an alternate dimension. That dimension fell to Omega, and this symbiote happened to be on a part of that Earth which wound up floating in the Terminus instead of being annihilated. When a rift opened up near the symbiote during the most recent Terminus incursion into her dimension, she pulled up her roots and let herself fall through. The symbiote offered to separate from Camellia if she so desired, but Camellia refused when she learned that separation would require intensive surgery which could kill both of them. Instead, Camellia decided to cope with whatever changes might come, and put her new abilities to good use, making the world a better place like she’d always wanted to. PERSONALITY & MOTIVATION Camellia's behavior comes from a combination of a naturally big heart and being raised in a semi-aristocratic subculture in which tradition was revered and courtesy was paramount. She strives to always be polite, modest, generous, and forgiving. She hates to see people suffer, even when they deserve it. She’s sensitive to the moods of the people around her, and it’s important to her to make those people as comfortable as possible. Her guiding principle in daily life is “Make everybody feel welcome, and never make anybody feel second-rate.” She greets everyone with a warm smile and an opening for as much small talk as they'd like, and she almost never swears or insults people. When someone else commits a faux pas, she’s far more likely to ignore it or attempt to cover for it than she is to draw attention to it or mock them. She values integrity, both in herself and in others, so she won’t lie to protect people’s feelings, but she will distract, deflect, and omit. Every child gets told at some point “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”, but unlike most children, she took that sentiment to heart, leaving the hard truths for one-on-one sessions behind closed doors. She detests bullying of any kind, and she won't hesitate to step in and put herself between the bully and their victim. She loves social interaction and embraces every opportunity for it. Everyone has a story, and she wants to hear them all. She make a point of maintaining correspondence with all of her family, former school friends, sorority sisters, and coworkers. Once you're part of her world, you don't leave. She remembers every birthday, and she sends hand-written “Thank You” notes for everything. She likes attention, which is fortunate, because she’d get plenty of it whether she liked it or not. She doesn’t demand the spotlight, but she’s very comfortable under it. She’s a hopeless romantic who falls hard and fast both in and out of love. She doesn’t expect or demand old school chivalry, but she’s a total sucker for it. POWERS & TACTICS The symbiotic alien plant which fused with her has transformed her body on the molecular level into an ambulatory plant. Her flesh, blood, and bone has mostly been replaced with cellulose, sap, and wood, and what remains has little value beyond the cosmetic. Her plant tissues are more durable and resilient than her old flesh. Her body engages in photosynthesis, so she doesn’t need to breathe or eat food, though she still does, both for the pleasurable sensation and because she can derive nutrients from it; it’s the equivalent of spreading fertilizer over crops. She can also extend roots from her body down into soil to obtain water and nutrients, but eating and drinking feels more familiar. The diseases and poisons of animals no longer affect her, although certain chemical fertilizers have effects on her similar to those of caffeine or alcohol when she discreetly adds them to her coffee and cocktails (making those drinks toxic for anyone else in the process). Like an old tree, her aging process has stalled to the point of being imperceptible. With an infusion of sunlight, her body is able to mend most wounds instantly, and even grievous injuries will heal in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks. However, as a plant, she is more vulnerable to dehydration and extremes of temperature, her tissues are more flammable, and defoliants and herbicides which would be harmless to a human will kill her in a matter of minutes. Through the symbiote, she can psychically detect, communicate with, animate, control, and alter plants. She can make them move and act on her behalf, and she can transform them extensively, shaping them like clay, greatly increasing or decreasing their size, strength, and resilience, and making them sprout flowers which then burst open with psychoactive pollen or latex. She doesn't strictly need to take any physical action to alter or control plants, but she uses physical gestures to help herself focus. In battle, she looks like she's dancing or conducting an orchestra. The transformations she uses most often reverse themselves as soon as she stops exerting the mental effort to maintain them; permanent changes require greater effort (power stunts for Continuous/Lasting or Independent versions of her powers). Nearby plants even respond to her unconscious desires and survival instinct, moving out of her way, or moving and stretching to protect her, blocking or swatting aside incoming attacks. Her ability to shape plant matter with her thoughts also extends to her own body. She can make plant appendages like vines, thorns, leaves, and roots sprout from her skin, with whatever pigmentation or texture she desires. In battle, she often grows an extra layer of thick bark over her skin, harder than rock. She can release luciferns and their catalyzing enzymes into parts of her body, causing them to glow. In a battle, engaging directly with supervillains is her last resort. Her first priorities are healing the wounded, and using her Create Object and Move Object powers to protect bystanders and even other heroes, either by shielding them or by moving them to a safe place. Even when she does fight directly, she attempts to restrain or incapacitate while doing as little harm as possible. Technically, she can create vines to whip or strangle, or thorns to cut and stab, either from her own body directly or by altering other plants, but she’s so loathe to do so that she leaves that to occasional power stunts, instead of buying any Damage-based alternate powers for her Plant Control array. COMPLICATIONS Accidents: Her powers are potentially destructive, especially when used indoors. Tree roots might burst up through floors or streets, while tree branches and stretched bushes come crashing through windows and walls. The GM can give her a Hero Point if the use of her powers causes a setback. Perhaps she triggers an effect like Environment Control which hinders her in the rest of the fight. Or maybe she endangers bystanders, and she must try to rescue them while the villain is still attacking. Alternately, the GM can give other PCs a Hero Point in exchange for making her attack powers affect her allies as well as the villains. For example, if she were to use her Fatigue power to spray a villain with a plant-derived sedative, and another hero then used a melee attack against that villain, the GM could declare retroactively that the Fatigue effect had acquired the Contagious extra, and some of the sedative was transferred from the villain to the melee-attacking hero, who now has to save against the Fatigue effect as well. Honor: She will always choose to help bystanders, even if it means letting the villain get away. She always uses the minimum force required to incapacitate a villain, and she will accept any surrender immediately. Even though she’s good at sniffing out lies, cunning villains can manipulate her by telling her what she wants to hear. The GM can give her a Hero Point if this causes some sort of setback, such as a penalty on a Sense Motive check or a free surprise attack against her. Hopeless Romantic: Friends and family have joked over the years that she "falls in love with every man she meets". The GM can give her a Hero Point in exchange for giving her a circumstance penalty on opposed interaction skill checks like Bluff or Diplomacy, or saving throws against effects like Emotion Control (Love), if her opponent is a man with a high Charisma score, interaction skill bonus, and/or the Attractive feat, or if the player and GM agree that he’s “her type”. The GM can also give her a Hero Point if she suffers a setback on account of being distracted by attraction, such as being surprise attacked. Finally, the GM can give her a Hero Point in exchange for forcing her to make a saving throw or skill check to avoid being Dazed or Fascinated, as if the attractive character had and used those feats, even if he did not. Medium (Plant Control): The GM can give her a Hero Point in exchange for arbitrarily deciding that there are no plants close enough for her to use her Plant Control array. At the GM’s discretion, this could 1) deprive her of the power entirely, 2) make it operate at a reduced power rank, since she would have to harvest material for the plant structures from her own body, or 3) make it acquire the Tiring or Side-Effect flaw, for the same reason. Normal Identity: If a villain were to restrain her or otherwise render her helpless, then they could surgically (or violently) remove the symbiote plant from inside her chest. If this were to happen, then all the changes it has made to her body would gradually revert, and she would lose all her powers and become a normal human again. Both she and the symbiote would suffer from withdrawal, and either of them could die, especially the symbiote. If the GM ever caused such a horrendous thing to occur, then giving her a Hero Point would be the least they could do. Phobia (Fire): Fire is one of the few things which can cause her serious harm, and she has an instinctual fear of it. The GM can give her a Hero Point in exchange for forcing her to make a Will save against an Emotion Control (Fear) effect. The GM is free to assign the effect whatever power rank they choose, but it should take into account the size and intensity of the fire (the effective Damage rank) and her proximity to it. Power Loss (Immunity): There are some circumstances in which her Immunity to Suffocation would not apply, such as being caught in a vacuum, or being immersed in water too dark and deep for any sunlight to trigger her photosynthesis. Similarly, if deprived of both food (either animal food or nutritious soil) and sunlight, then she will begin suffering from starvation, despite her Immunity to it. The GM can give her a Hero Point if she is caught in such circumstances and begins suffocating or starving. The GM can also give her a Hero Point when a villain scores a critical hit or a Sneak Attack against her, and suppress her Immunity to Critical Hits, allowing the villain to keep their damage bonus. Responsibilities: She has a large, active social network of family, school friends, sorority sisters, and former coworkers. She’ll drop everything to come to their aid. The GM can give her a Hero Point if a request for that aid comes at the worst possible time. She also has standing appointments with paying clients at her psychiatry practice four days a week, with the potential for emergency calls during off hours. The GM can give her a Hero Point if her day job somehow interferes with her hero work. Secret (Identity): The GM can give her a Hero Point if a potential reveal of her identity causes her some sort of setback, or if a villain learns her identity and then creates a setback for her by going after her friends, family, and/or patients. Soft-Hearted: She doesn’t like to see anyone suffer, even villains. As good as she is at telling truth from lies, she’s still a sucker for a sob story. The GM can give her a Hero Point in exchange for a penalty on checks like Sense Motive to discern the truth behind a wounded-gazelle gambit. Where others may see “A hard man doing a hard job, willing to make the tough choices and do what’s necessary”, she sees only callousness and cruelty which she cannot abide. She’s as likely to come to blows with “grim dark avenger” vigilantes as she is with actual supervillains. The GM can give either her or another PC a Hero Point in exchange for forcing her either to not take a certain action which would harm another person, or else to take a certain action which would prevent harm to another person or end harm they were already enduring. For example, if a villain appeared to already be restrained, incapacitated, or severely weakened, and another PC were still attacking them, or interrogating them in a violent or threatening manner, then the GM could invoke this complication, force her to put a stop to it, and give either her or the other PC a Hero Point. ABILITIES 32PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 30/18 (+10/+4) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 22 (+6) COMBAT 16PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +4 Base, +10 Plant Control Grapple: +4, +20 Plant Control Defense: +10/+4 Base, +5/+2 Flat-Footed Knockback Resistance: 10/2, 5/2 once Ablative Impervious is gone SAVING THROWS 10PP Toughness: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con, Impervious 10 [Ablative]) Fortitude: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +10/+4 (+2 Dex, +6 Enhanced Reflex, +2PP) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8PP) SKILLS 108R = 27PP Acrobatics 8 (+10) Bluff 11 (+17, +21 Attractive)Distract, Taunt Concentration 8 (+10) Craft (Artistic) 8 (+10) Diplomacy 11 (+17, +21 Attractive)Connected, Fascinate Gather Information 9 (+15)Contacts Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences) 13 (+15) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 2 (+4) Languages 1 (English [Native], French) Medicine 6 (+8) Perform (Dance) 4 (+10) Sense Motive 15 (+17) Swim 4 (+4) FEATS 13PP Attractive Benefit (Wealth) Connected Contacts Distract (Bluff) Fascinate (Diplomacy) Interpose Leadership Luck 3 Quick Change Taunt POWERS 94PP Enhanced Constitution 12 [12PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Plant Body) Enhanced Defense 6 [12PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Animate Plants, Plant Control) Enhanced Reflex 6 [6PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Animate Plants, Plant Control) Environment Control 1 (Light [Level 1], Extras: Action [Move], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [1PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Bioluminescence, Plant Body, Shapeshifting) Flight 1 (10MPH, 100ft per Move Action, Extras: Affects Others, Flaws: Platform) [2PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Animate Plants, Plant Control) Immunity 5 (Critical Hits, Own Powers, Suffocation) [5PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Photosynthesis, Plant Body) Immunity 4 (Aging, Disease, Poison, Starvation/Thirst, Flaws: Limited [Aging Immunity is 1/2 effect; Immune to Diseases and Poisons which affect animals, but not those which affect plants; Immune to Starvation but not to Thirst]) [2PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Photosynthesis, Plant Body) Impervious Toughness 10 (Extras: Force Field [Free Action, Sustained Duration], Flaws: Ablative) [5PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Bark Armor, Plant Body, Shapeshifting) Morph 1 (Broad Group [Humanoids], Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Limited [Plant-People]) [2PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Plant Body, Shapeshifting) Plant Control 14 (28PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 6) [34PP] (Descriptors: Alien) Base Power: [28PP] (Additional Descriptors: Animate Plants) Move Object 10 (Range: 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max, Lifting Strength: 50 [Heavy Load: 12 tons], Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Improved Pin, Indirect 3, Variable Descriptor [Animating plants to either move themselves or to grasp and move non-plant targets]) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Additional Descriptors: Animate Plants, Plant Growth) Create Object 10 (Range: 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max, Volume: 10 5ft cubes, Toughness: 10, Lifting Strength: 50 [Heavy Load: 12 tons], Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Indirect 3, Selective, Stationary [Resists being moved with Strength 50]) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Additional Descriptors: Animate Plants, Flowers, Psychoactive Pollen, Toxin) Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Secondary Effect, Flaws: Range [Ranged, 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max], Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Indirect 3, Mind Blank, Reversible) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Additional Descriptors: Animate Plants, Flowers, Sedative Latex, Toxin) Fatigue 10 (Extras: Range [Ranged, 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max], Secondary Effect, Flaws: Action [Full], Distracting, Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Indirect 3, Reversible, Sedation) [28PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] Healing 9 (Extras: Action [Standard], Total, Flaws: Distracting, Feats: Variable Descriptor [Mending plants directly with florakinesis, or using medicinally enhanced plants to heal non-plant targets]) [28PP] Alternate Power: [27PP] (Additional Descriptors: Animate Plants, Grasping Branches/Vines) Snare 10 (Range: 10 100ft Increments, 1,000ft Max, Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Indirect 3, Reversible) [27PP] Alternate Power: [28PP] (Additional Descriptors: Shape Plants) Transform 10 (Plants, Extras: Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Flaws: Action [Full], Distracting, Range [Touch], Feats: Accurate 3 [+6 Attack], Progression [Mass] 5 [25 tons]) [28PP] Plant Telepathy 2 (4PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power) [5PP] Base Power: [4PP] Comprehend 2 (Plants 2 [Speak To, Understand]) [4PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Psychic) Alternate Power: [2PP] Super-Senses 2 (Postcognition, Flaws: Medium [Plants]) [2PP] Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1 [1 week], Feats: Regrowth) [2PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Plant Body) Super-Movement 1 (Permeate 1 [1/4 Speed], Flaws: Limited [Plants]) [1PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Animate Plants, Plant Control) Super-Senses 5 (Plant Awareness, Descriptor Frequency: Common, Sense Type: Mental [Default Extras: None], Extras: Acute, Radius, Ranged) [5PP] (Descriptors: Alien, Plant Control, Psychic) DRAWBACKS -12PP Vulnerability (Cold effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-2PP] Vulnerability (Dehydration effects, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] Vulnerability (Fire/Heat effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Moderate [+50% Effect Rank]) [-3PP] Weakness (Defoliants/Herbicides, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Moderate [-1 Con], Time: 1/round) [-6PP] ATTACK RANGE SAVING THROW EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Create Object Ranged DC20 Reflex Trapped Dropped Object Ranged/Area DC20 Reflex Avoided DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Emotion Control Ranged DC20 Will (Staged) Calm: Removes all Emotion Control conditions Despair: Shaken/Helpless Fear: Shaken/Frightened/Panicked Hate: Attitude = Hostile Hope: Removes Despair and Fear Love: Attitude = Friendly/Helpful/Fanatical Fatigue Ranged DC20 Fortitude (Staged) Fatigued/Exhausted/Unconscious Healing Touch DC19 Fortitude (Harmless) Healing Move Object Ranged Grapple vs +20 Pinned/Bound Snare Ranged DC20 Reflex (Staged) Entangled/Bound Transform Touch DC20 Fortitude Transformed Abilities (32) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (27) + Feats (13) + Powers (94) - Drawbacks (12) = 180/180 Power Points
  8. Vibora Bay Vibora Bay is a city on Florida’s Gulf Coast, tucked away between Choctawhatchee Bay and West Bay on the Florida Panhandle, known for its unique mix of cultures and peoples. It’s the largest city in Florida, with perhaps eight hundred thousand people in the city proper and more than a million and a half in the greater Walton County area. The waters of the Gulf are shallow and warm here, and millions of tourists come every year to swim in the blue-green waters or bask on the “whitest beaches in the world.” Like much of the South, the city has an uneasy relationship with its past - at once protecting much of its traditional heritage while embracing the future as best it can. In many ways it’s a city of the past as much as a city of the future - and very much torn between the two. Generally speaking, Vibora Bay is split into three districts: the working-class Weston District, the High Street District (a major six-lane highway which roughly splits the metropolitan area down the middle) and the upscale Easton District. There are many, many smaller neighborhoods - but looking at the districts will give you the broad strokes. The Weston District is a working-class area that’s one of the historic heartlands of African-American, Hispanic, and immigrant culture in this part of the United States - or it’s “the wrong side of the tracks”, a less-developed, less-maintained, crime-ridden district that’s only begun to gentrify in the last few years. It all depends on who you ask. Weston has colonial history too, dating back to a free black community built here in the 1730s, and it was where freedmen and women first began carving out homes for themselves in the late 1860s. Weston is home of Vibora Bay’s International Airport, the historically black University of Florida Vibora Bay, and one of the largest Haitian immigrant communities in this part of the United States - it’s also home of the city’s favorite “plucky underdogs” - the Hammerheads, Vibora’s native NFL team and one of the lowest-ranked in the NFL. Having taken in many Katrina refugees, Weston has grown significantly in the last fifteen years. The High Street District embodies the past and future of Vibora Bay perhaps more than any other part of the city. It’s the home of Old Town or “the Tangles”, a carefully curated collection of alleys and twisty cobblestone lanes preserved from development by sheer force of will (and desire for the dollars of tourists looking for the ‘authentic’ local experience) that’s primarily home to obscure shops of all kinds. Old Town does indeed date back to Vibora Bay’s Spanish colonial history, and it’s the best place in the Panhandle to do historic recreation. High Street’s also home to the touristy Waterfront (as opposed to the working piers to its west and east) and the towering skyscrapers of the Financial District. (The tallest, the 50-story South Building, is the highest building in Florida outside of Miami.) The Easton District is the “right side of the tracks”, where the city’s wealth and power is the most concentrated. It’s home to City Hall and the art scene at the Duval Theater, as well as the ACI Forums that hosts the Vibora Bay Copperheads, the city’s championship-winning NBA team. The Forum has just reopened for business in the fall of 2019 after being heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael, but fans are sure the Copperheads (who have been training on U of F Vibora bay’s campus) deserve a win. You can find old money at Cluet Farms, new money in the downtown of Inner Easton, and the brawling, booming working port of Easton Shore. Easton is a bit older, a bit more conservative, and a bit less diverse than the rest of the city. Easton was hit hard by Hurricane Michael, leading to some outmigration, so the region (like the city itself) has recently been in flux. In particular, various underworld figures have taken the opportunity to buy affordable real estate in upscale neighborhoods. Life in Vibora Bay Some people say Vibora Bay is like a cross between New Orleans and Miami - but of course any Viboran (“v’BOR-uhn”) would firmly tell you that no, New Orleans and Miami are like inferior copies of “The Queen City.” It’s a city where the most common greeting on the street is “How are you doing?” and where people take things slow. (Mutterings about “Vibora Time” are pretty common from people outside of the area.) Though there are certainly chain restaurants and other big-box stores in Vibora Bay, there aren’t nearly as many as you’d expect for a city this size - offering something unique from the homogeneity of America’s largest cities has long been at the heart of Vibora’s culture. It’s balanced between the Old South and the New - and good at selling both to outsiders. In October of 2018, Vibora Bay was hammered by Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm that was the single most destructive storm in the city’s history. More than a hundred people died and the once-bustling port of Easton Shore and the previously upscale neighborhood of Far Easton were devastated by the storm. Prompt action by the Cahill administration has allowed most Far Easton residents to return to their homes, however, and the businesses of Easton Shore to reopen - albeit many of them under new management. Both the Vibora Bay Zoo and elite liberal arts institution Sinclair University were able to fully reopen by the summer of 2019. Cahill’s prompt action in dealing with Michael (as well as his administration’s rapid response to Maria a year before) is widely seen as one of the high points of his administration. Local Baddies and Superhero Culture: Vibora Bay has a long tradition of superheroing, going all the way back to the dapper magician Max Pendragon in the 1930s. Its current defenders include Weston’s Brother Thunder and Sister Rain (who both debuted in 2005 just after Katrina) and the somewhat better known Black Mask X and Brother Ka who appeared together (battling the forces of the Serpent People) in 2009. The city’s most powerful defenders are probably the Atlantean-raised “eco-hero” Amphibian and the semi-active Siren II, the long-time Freedom League member who relocated to Vibora in the wake of Michael. The aftermath of Michael means that crime is on the rise in Vibora - whether the mundane crime dominated by bosses like the Sweetland Family, gangs like the Sovereign Sons and the Krewe, mystic threats like the cult of the Mayombe, the Crossroads Conflict between the loa, or costumed criminals like Poison Pen and the Sneak. Between a mystic war between the gods and conflict over who controls the city’s drug trade, there’s plenty for a new generation of heroes to do here. Having said that, Vibora has few resident supervillains for a city its size, but it does have a big problem with “snowbirds” - super-criminals who come south to Vibora Bay for the good climate in the winter and who take the opportunity to do a little crime on the side. This is one reason why Vibora Bay recently passed a municipal defender law, making it one of several cities in Florida with similar legislation. (The city doesn’t yet have a full-time municipal defender; Brother Thunder and Sister Rain see their mission as more local in nature, Amphibian has political objections to the idea, Black Mask X doesn’t want to risk her secret identity, and Siren prefers to remain independent.) Municipal Defenders: Municipal defenders are a legal institution rare in the United States - and even more rarely implemented. (Vibora Bay, Cleveland, Ohio, and Sunnyvale, California are the largest cities with municipal defender laws.) Municipal defenders are superheroes who work directly for a local government, acting as both spokesman and champion. There are many benefits to working as a defender: the pay and benefits are generally quite good, as is the near-guaranteed support of city officials. There are disadvantages as well: the loss of privacy (at least to a city bureaucrat) and the constraints on one’s professional and personal time. It’s not illegal to be an “independent” hero in a city like Vibora Bay - but such heroes find the authorities less than cooperative, and the public a bit suspicious about what this masked person has to hide. Thematic Notes: If you like the comics of Steve Gerber or James Robinson, if you like Swamp Thing and the Jack Knight Starman, Vibora Bay is right for you. It’s a stormy Southern Gothic metropolis, where the gumbo is as spicy as the music, a tourist mecca with a history at once glorious and terrible. Think Opal City with a soupcon of New Orleans. Note: We strongly encourage players to purchase the Vibora Bay book, available in hardcopy through Amazon or online through Drivethrurpg, depending on your preference. Players using the Vibora Bay book should add 15 years to all dates not directly tied to historic events - for example, Mayor Richenda Barker was born in 1969 and has been mayor of Vibora Bay since 2015.
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