The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

[RainOnTheSun]

After my last run at gamemastery, I'm sure that no one would be interested in taking part in that, and I can't blame them at all.

FWIW, I'd take another shot at it. I'm not sure if I was an ideal player last time, but the game and the future city interested me, and I'm a little disappointed we'll never get to see more of it.

[Davies]

FWIW, I'd take another shot at it. I'm not sure if I was an ideal player last time

... you were great!

[RainOnTheSun]

Oh! Well... good! I'm glad! Somewhere in the back of my mind, there's a Genevieve in St. Louis.

Edit: St. Louis in this world, that is. Although statistically I'm sure there are some Genevieves in St. Louis, too.

[Davies]

Selkie


In her youth, as far as Nora knew, the world consisted only of the island where she and her father lived and the endless icy sea surrounding it, and it was populated only by herself and him. She had a dim set of memories of other people, and her father admitted that her mother had left them long ago, taking her son -- not 'our son', never 'your brother' -- with her. That tiny admission ensured that one day Nora too would leave their tiny world for whatever lay beyond it -- since saying that they left meant that they had to have gone somewhere else, which meant that somewhere else existed -- but for a time she was content to dwell on the island and swim in the sea, learning to use the command of water that she had inherited from him.

The time came when she was fifteen years old, in the year that she would learn was 1964. It was an accident, really; she was playing with a storm and it blew up into something beyond her ability to manage, and so she found herself lost at sea. Swimming faster and further than she ever had before brought her within sight of a different island -- Newfoundland, specifically. She rested there awhile before continuing to swim down the coast she'd just discovered, to Nova Scotia and then to Maine. That chanced to be where she rescued another child who'd swum too far, bringing him back to Old Orchard Beach and being bewildered by the strange language that everyone was speaking.

Eventually, they found someone who spoke Scots Gaelic, and Nora started to learn English from the Adams -- the people whose son, Ryan, she'd saved. They took her in when it became clear that she had no one else in the world save a father whose exact location was something of a mystery. It took her a while to get used to the idea that most people were not aquatic, not as strong or as tough, and could not command water at will, but as she did, it became clear to her that she had to use these talents of hers to be useful to the people around her or else they wouldn't put up with her. So she began patrolling the coastline, sometimes swimming as far south as Montauk, where she made the acquaintance of fisherman Frank Mundus.

It didn't take long for her to be invited to join the Institute -- who, like most everyone else, were under the impression that she was an adult instead of a teenaged girl -- though her participation in the group's activities was usually quite limited. She needed to remain hydrated, and quite a few of their cases took place far inland. Even beyond that, she was a shy person who rarely spoke up during meetings, generally abstained from voting, and didn't seek the society of her fellows. There was an exception to that, as she was initially quite fascinated by Protius of the Primal Pattern, whom she thought might have some connection to her. That turned out not to be the case, but they remained somewhat distant friends until the end.

Her survival during the Battle of Vietnam was something of a miracle. She used the water of the Mekong River to ambush Stardust, but he proceeded to boil it and her. Nora later claimed that Protius had actually survived the Primal Pattern's apparent demise, and sacrificed himself to save her, though she was unclear about how he'd managed this. Regardless, she spent most of the next year isolated from her friends and fellows, though she ultimately did return to take part in the Institute's last cases.

After the Institute shut down, Selkie finally managed to find her way back to the island where she'd grown up, only to find it long abandoned. What had happened to her father remained a mystery that she was never able to solve. While swimming north of the island, she had a confrontation with some would-be pirates and took a serious injury in defeating them. Her unconscious body was caught by an Icelandic fishing vessel, captained by one Árni Einarsson. Grateful to him for saving her life -- while she couldn't drown, she could easily have found herself consumed by an oceanic predator if she'd remained adrift -- she also enjoyed how he made her laugh for the first time in quite a while.

They were married a year later, and their son born in 1979. The rest of the story has already been told. Nora Adams lies buried in a Reykjavik cemetery, beside her husband.

Selkie -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 9 | AGL 5 | DEX 3 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Aquatic: Immunity 3 (cold, drowning, pressure); Impervious Toughness 6; Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation-Aquatic); Senses 7 (Accurate Extended 2 Tracking 2 Hearing (Only when submerged), Low-Light Vision); Swimming 8 (120 MPH) - 23 points
Maritime Empathy: Comprehend Animals 2, Limited to Aquatic Animals - 4 points
Water-Mastery: Array (18 points)

• Hard Water Objects: Create 9 (hard water) - 18 point
• Move Water: Perception Range Move Object 9, Limited to Water - 1 point
• Stormy Weather: Environment 9 (impede movement 1, visibility 1) - 1 point
• Water Blast: Ranged Damage 9 - 1 points
• Water Snare: Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless), Extra Condition, Limited to Two Degrees - 1 point

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Diehard, Favored Environment (underwater), Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Languages (English, [Scots Gaelic is native].)

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+10), Ranged Combat: Water Control 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8)
Water Blast +9 (Ranged Damage 9)
Water Snare +9 (Ranged Affliction 9, Resisted by Dodge)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 10, Toughness 9, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 49 + Advantages 7 + Skills 13 + Defenses 9 = 152 points

Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Friends (Adams family of Maine.) Shyness. Weakness (lack of regular exposure to water.)

[Davies]

Weekend off, then Monday I'll be back with the sagas of Diane Fortune and, at long last, the Primal Pattern.

[greycrusader]

Is Selkie a take on the obscure Dolphin character from DC? If so, yours is a good bit more realized.

(Honestly, I think the ONLY reason she is remembered is the beautiful artwork which marked her early appearances).

And the Iconoclast? Started out similar to certain familiar characters, even evoking Green Lama, the original Daredevil, or The Human Thunderbolt, but went into a clever inversion. Am I correct about the character's roots?

All my best.

[Davies]

Is Selkie a take on the obscure Dolphin character from DC? If so, yours is a good bit more realized.

No, Havfrue is my take on Dolphin as well as the Little Mermaid (both Disney's and DC's.) To the degree that Selkie is based on any extant character, it's probably the Mermaid, mother of the Inferior Five's Awkwardman, mixed with a bit of Miranda from The Tempest. (Also, he remembered belatedly, Arisia of the Green Lanterns.)

And the Iconoclast? Started out similar to certain familiar characters, even evoking Green Lama, the original Daredevil, or The Human Thunderbolt, but went into a clever inversion.

Yep, especially that last one, there, and a certain character he inspired. (I pretty much just revised my build for Optimus, here.)

[Davies]

Diane Fortune


According to the official biography she provided to the U.S. State Department during her naturalization procedures, facilitated by her membership in the Institute, Diane Fortune was born in Salisbury at the end of September, 1946, nine months after the death of her so-called previous incarnation. More than one question was raised about this, as these interviews took place in 1964 and she seemed somewhat older than seventeen or eighteen years of age. However, as she had already helped to save the United States from several disasters, these questions were overlooked at the time.

Three decades later, Richard Lawson would conduct his own investigations into the matter, and discovered much of the true story. Margaret Lambkin was born in 1941 to a respectable middle-class family in Glastonbury; her father was a shop-keeper and her mother a housewife. A precocious child, she discovered Dion Fortune's writings in her early adolescence, and became enchanted with them, striving to develop mystical abilities as a result. Her parents discouraged this, and so she ran away from home in 1957.

Among the things that Lawson did not discover was that Margaret soon formed a partnership with another runaway, Benjamin Herschlag, and accompanied him across the Atlantic. Their partnership did not long survive their arrival in the United States, as she was intent on pursuing her own dreams and had no interest in 'Johnny Master's" criminal ambitions. Margaret began calling herself Diane Fortune in 1960, not long after she took up with one Nicholas Ashe, who facilitated her access to his family's archives.

In 1962, Diane gave birth to her only offspring, listing Nicholas as the father. Lawson was not able to discover what had become of the child, largely because the House of Ashe blocked all of his inquiries. Uninterested in motherhood, Diane allowed Nicholas' family to take charge of their descendant, despite the fact that Nicholas was estranged from them. This marked the end of any friendly or intimate relationship between the two of them, and also the beginning of Nicholas' career as Diavolus, Diane's most recurrent foe.

Indeed, Diane largely joined the Institute in 1963 to take shelter among its membership from Diavolus' attempts at revenge, as well as those of other mystics whom she had offended or outraged in her pursuit of power. While a loyal member of the organization who provided its members with intelligence about the mystical community and support, her priority was very much on gaining as much magical knowledge for her own uses as possible. Her stated goal in doing so was to use that wisdom to make the Age of Aquarius a utopian one, but how much of that was self-justification is hard to say.

Shortly after Diane accepted the petition of another young mystic to become her apprentice, she was caught up in the Battle of Vietnam. She chose to avoid the frontlines, instead using her astral projection as a means of reconnaissance, passing intelligence through her apprentice to those who needed it. When Stardust finally retreated, she was observing in astral form and let out a sigh ... that turned to a choke as she realized that her physical body was being smothered. Unable to return to it in time, Diane Fortune joined the ranks of the fallen, and her apprentice, later to be known as Gertrude Gallowglass, stole off with all her collected arcane lore.

Diane's child, later known as Jodie Crowley, has no notion of their mother's identity, and would not care if they did know.

Diane Fortune -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 0 | AGL 1 | DEX 3 | FGT 2 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 4

Powers:
Mystic Awareness: Senses 3 (analytical radius mystic awareness) - 3 points
Mystical Talents: Array (24 points)

• Astral Projection: Remote Viewing 8 (Auditory, Visual), Quirk (physical body is helpless), Subtle - 24 points
• Ghost Hands: Perception Range Move Object 7, Precise, Subtle 2 - 1 point
• Maddening Blast: Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Will - 1 point
• Phantasms: Illusion 4 (All Senses), Area, Selective, Resisted by Will - 1 point
• Suggestion: Hearing-Dependent Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) - 1 point

Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 8, Limited to Mental Effects - 4 points

Advantages:
Attractive, Defensive Roll 2, Languages 3, Ritualist, Trance.

Skills:
Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: History 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+8), Investigation 5 (+7), Perception 5 (+9), Ranged Combat: Magic 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 3 (+6), Stealth 6 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 0)
Maddening Blast +8 (Ranged Damage 8, Resisted by Will)
Suggestion -- (Perception Range Will 8)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 5, Fortitude 3, Toughness 5/0, Will 10

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 35 + Advantages 8 + Skills 26 + Defenses 18 = 119 points

Complications:
Discovery--Motivation. Enemy (Diavolus.) Mystical and Enigmatic. Secret (true origins.)

[Voltron64]

Shortly after Diane accepted the petition of another young mystic to become her apprentice, she was caught up in the Battle of Vietnam. She chose to avoid the frontlines, instead using her astral projection as a means of reconnaissance, passing intelligence through her apprentice to those who needed it. When Stardust finally retreated, she was observing in astral form and let out a sigh ... that turned to a choke as she realized that her physical body was being smothered. Unable to return to it in time, Diane Fortune joined the ranks of the fallen, and her apprentice, later to be known as Gertrude Gallowglass, stole off with all her collected arcane lore.

Diane's child, later known as Jodie Crowley, has no notion of their mother's identity, and would not care if they did know.

All that squandered potential and legacy...

There's even more significance and at stake with Blakestone and Jodie Crowley's enmity than we thought.

And Dame Beatrice knows all about this, doesn't she?

[Davies]

And Dame Beatrice knows all about this, doesn't she?

She has well-founded suspicions.

[RainOnTheSun]

Huh, this is the first I've ever heard of Dion Fortune. Interesting stuff.

[Davies]

Huh, this is the first I've ever heard of Dion Fortune. Interesting stuff.

I first encountered her through the contemporary fantasy novels of Katherine Kurtz, particularly Lammas Night and the Adept cycle which follows on from it, one of which was The DaVinci Code before The DaVinci Code. And that's that for the educational portion of our show!

[Davies]

Antaeus


Born in Greece in 1938, Demetrius Panagakos' name was Anglicized to Steve when he and his family fled their homeland and came to the United States as refugees. Settling in upstate New York, Steve led a fairly normal life, which included a football scholarship at the University of Michigan thanks to his strong build and aptitude from the sport. However, although he gave the team his best effort, football was not his passion. That was given to his scientific studies, particularly geology, which had fascinated him for his entire life.

After completing his Bachelor's Degree, Steve continued to pursue post-graduate studies in the Earth Sciences. While conducting a solitary research study in southwestern Montana, he chanced to discover an undocumented cave system. Normally, he would have simply noted the cave's existence and possibly returned later with a group of spelunkers, but for some reason he felt compelled to examine the caves personally. Before he had gotten very far, the cave entrance collapsed, leaving him buried alive.

Something surged within him, then, and he tore his way out of the collapsed chamber with main strength. In the light of day, he realized that he had been transformed into a being of solid rock, vastly powerful and nearly invulnerable. Steven would soon learn that three other people had, on that very same day, been transformed into bodies of air, fire, and water. Dubbing himself Antaeus, after the monster from Greek mythology who drew strength from the Earth, Steve promptly volunteered to join the Institute and used the team's resources to persuade the other three to join as well.

Despite having taken this initiative, Steve was startled to find himself installed as the leader of what became known as the Primal Pattern, as he believed that he lacked the sort of charisma or tactical brilliance that were the hallmarks of leadership that he'd. But his steadiness and stability, learned from the quarterbacks that he'd known, proved to be very helpful in keeping his teammates on task, and his intellect, while not spectacular by the standards of Hyperbrains, was also a factor in his selection. He was actually elected as the Institute's Chairman in 1966, but only served a single two-year term.

As with all the members of the Primal Pattern, Antaeus met his end in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust employing the various elemental powers of the sub-team against them. Drowned in water and battered with wind, Antaeus' body was reduced to a muddy mess, one of the first members of the group to succumb. He had arranged for his remains to be donated to science in hopes that some method of restoring other individuals who suffered permanent physical transformations could be discovered, ideally benefiting his teammates. As far as is known, no discoveries of this nature were ever made prior to the introduction of power nullification technology in the last decade.

Anateus -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR 10/2 | STA 4 | AGL 2 | DEX 1 | FGT 4 | INT 3 | AWE 2 | PRE 0

Powers:
Strength Tricks: Array (10 points), Based on Strength Damage

• Groundstrike: Burst Area Affliction 10 (Resisted by Fortitude, Overcome by Dodge; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Prone), Extra Condition, Limited Degrees, Limited, targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground - 1 point
• Shockwave: Burst Area Damage 10, Limited, targets and attacker must both be in contact with the ground - 1 point

Transformed Form: Reaction Damage 8 (being struck in melee), Limited to lesser of attack's Damage rank or power's Damage rank; Enhanced Strength 8; Immunity 10 (life support); Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 10, Source (contact with natural earth) - 71 points

Advantages:
Interpose, Leadership, Move-by Attack, Power Attack.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Science 6 (+9), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+6), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Technology 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 10)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 9, Toughness 12, Will 7.

Totals:
Abilities 36 + Powers 73 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 18 = 149 points

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Inhuman Appearance. Very Heavy. Weakness (when separated from the earth by air or water.)

[Davies]

Phoenix


Born in 1936, Sam Farrell sought and found employment as a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department in 1956. He was good at his job, and well-respected by his colleagues for his level headed approach to the tasks of preventing the spread of fire and rescuing its victims. By 1962, he'd risen to the rank of Lieutenant, and was expected to one day fill the role of Battalion Chief or even District Chief. And then his destiny was changed, and not really for the better.

Just what started the fire in the warehouse in Chicago's Fulton River District was something of a mystery. Faulty wiring was blamed, as the warehouse's owner had received a warning on the subject in the past. But in the aftermath, the owner produced evidence that he'd made the required repairs, and was as mystified about the fire as anyone else. Sam would later claim that right before the roof collapsed on him, he'd glimpsed a crate with a weird marking on the side of it, which diagram was beyond his abilities to reproduce.

When he regained consciousness, the fire had been extinguished -- but the other firefighters panicked at the site of Sam moving around. He soon realized that he'd somehow been transformed into a humanoid body of fire, able to make his human features appear on its head with difficulty, but unable to touch anything without exposing it to his flames. He was also, mysteriously, lighter than air and able to fly, which he did to escape the attempts of his former comrades to extinguish him.

A few days later, having hidden out on Northerly Island, Sam was sought out by Antaeus, another recently transformed being, who explained the two of them and two other individuals had all been transformed into representations of the classical elements at roughly the same time. He convinced Sam that there had to be some purpose behind this, and that they should use their powers in the service of humanity as members of the Institute. Sam promptly agreed to this notion, and took the name Phoenix.

It soon became clear that the transformation that Phoenix had undergone had changed his personality as well as his physical form. Gone was the calm and level-headed rescue worker; he had become an impulsive and quick-tempered combatant, frequently sniping at his fellow members of the Primal Pattern. He was probably the most individually powerful member of the team, and never let anyone forget this. It was also noted that he'd completely cut all ties with the friends and family of his previous life, acting as though he'd literally died and been reborn as a Phoenix. However, he still clearly remembered being a firefighter, and frequently advised his colleagues on the best way to handle such situations.

In the end, he died in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust employing water to extinguish his flames and earth to smother them entirely. Little remained of his body but ashes, which were subsequently taken into care by the same scientists who claimed the remains of Antaeus. If they learned anything from them, nothing was ever published.

Phoenix - PL 9

Abilities:
STR --/2 | STA 3 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 4 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Fire Control: Array (24 points)

• Fire Blast: Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
• Fire Burst: Burst Area 2 Damage 8 - 1 point
• Flame Flash: Ranged Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
• Open Flame: Environment 6 (Extreme Heat, Bright Light) - 1 point

Transformed Form: Reaction Damage 4 (touching or touched); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Immunity 15 (fire damage, life support); Permanent Insubstantial 3 - 58 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative.

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10), Expertise: Firefighter 6 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+8), Perception 6 (+6), Ranged Combat: Fire Control 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +10 (Close Damage -- plus Reaction Damage 4)
Fire Blast +6 (Ranged Damage 12)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 38 + Powers 85 + Advantages 7 + Skills 17 + Defenses 19 = 166 points

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Hot-Headed (well duh.) Inhuman Appearance. Vulnerability (anything that extinguishes flame also does damage.)

[Davies]

Aeolia


The year 1956 was not just the year that the first age of heroes began; many other things happened that year as well. For Corey Murphy, growing up in Queens, the most important event of that year was the first airing of The Wizard of Oz on television. She'd seen the movie before, sort of, having been taken to the 1949 theatrical re-release when she was five, but she'd fallen asleep partway through and missed the ending. That wasn't a problem this time.

Someone else might have been fascinated by the many colorful characters to be seen in the film, but one thing, more than any other, captured Corey's attention. That was the balloon that the Wizard used to leave Oz. She'd seen drawings of balloons in books, but this was something different, something real. And it was something she wanted to do, now more than anything. And as it so happened, 1956 was also the year that Ed Yost founded Raven Industries, which would create the modern hot-air balloon.

After high school graduation, Corey managed to finagle herself a secretarial job in Raven's South Dakota headquarters, and from there wound up as an occasional back-up test pilot. In 1962, while on a routine flight, Corey suffered an inexplicable blackout at 13,000 feet, and the balloon continued to ascend. By the time that she regained consciousness, the balloon had reached an altitude of 102,000 feet, and after a brief moment in which she was bewildered by the fact that she could breathe unassisted at that altitude, the heating mechanism failed and the balloon dropped like a stone.

Corey herself, however, did not. She had been transformed into a gaseous being, though her initial belief (which never fully left her) was that she'd died and become a ghost. While haunting the offices of Raven Industries, she was contacted by Antaeus, who convinced her of a somewhat more scientific explanation for her condition, and coaxed her into joining the Primal Pattern and the Institute. Her role in the group's operations was that of a scout, primarily, though she was able to use her command of the wind as a potent weapon.

Like all her teammates, Aeolia was killed in the Battle of Vietnam, with Stardust using fires comparable to Phoenix's to ionize the atoms of her gaseous form, a transformation that apparently destroyed her consciousness. However, literally nothing remained of her person in the end ... and some have suggested that this meant that she was not, in fact, actually dead. She was never seen again, though some of the survivors reported feeling a gentle breeze during the memorial service for the other victims of the conflict. It was probably just the wind, though.

Aeolia - PL 9

Abilities:
STR --/1 | STA 2 | AGL 4 | DEX 2 | FGT 4 | INT 0 | AWE 3 | PRE 1

Powers:
Transformed Form: Visual Concealment 4, Partial; Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 6, Parry 6); Flight 7 (250 MPH); Immunity 10 (life support); Permanent Insubstantial 2 - 56 points
Wind Control: Array (24 points)

• Lifting Winds: Move Object 12 - 24 points
• Shearing Winds: Damaging Move Object 8 - 1 point

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative

Skills:
Deception 6 (+7), Technology 4 (+4), Ranged Combat: Wind Control 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+5), Perception 4 (+7), Stealth 5 (+9), Vehicles 6 (+8)

Offense:
Initiative +8
Shearing Wind +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 14/8, Parry 12/6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 34 + Powers 81 + Advantages 4 + Skills 17 + Defenses 13 = 149 points

Complications:
Acceptance--Motivation. Gloomy and Morose. Inhuman Appearance. Vulnerability (temperature-based attacks).