Minerva
As with all the beings worshiped as gods along the Cosmic Coil, her origins are somewhat obscure. Was she in truth born full-grown and in armor from her father's head? Or is one of the other, lesser-known myths of her beginnings true? It is even possible that she was not the same goddess who aided Odysseus on his long voyage home, that that goddess of battle cunning fell in the Gotterdammerung of the sixth century and was replaced, in the aftermath, by a younger goddess promoted into her place. Perhaps that is why she favors her Etruscan name rather than the Greek.
Be that as it may, the modern history of Minerva begins far more recently. In 1948, a professor of philosophy at Emerald City's Malory College looked out upon the students beginning their education under his care, and despaired. What good would a classical education do these children in a world where cities could be destroyed in an instant, where super-men walked and even flew the skies? The world had gone back in time to an age before the flowering of philosophy, to a time of myth. With that in mind, the professor gazed at the bust of Pallas on his shelf of books and offered a sincere, genuine prayer to the goddess of wisdom, if she existed or had ever existed, to grant him the understanding to teach the students what they needed to know.
And Minerva answered, in person. She first assured the professor that he had not taken leave of his senses, then proclaimed that the basis of a classical education remained valid even in a decidedly non-classical era. To prove this claim, in answer to the professor's summoning, she would remain on Earth to guide both him and his students. Through her godly powers, she created the identity of Mary "Minnie" Verde, the professor's new secretary, privately acting as his advisor and counselor. She also assured him that she would protect the entire academy from harm from the strangeness in this new world.
So things remained for quite some time. Minerva wasn't a superhero as such -- she didn't fight crime or prevent disasters. While many of the students at Malory College caught glimpses of her over the years, most just assumed that they were imagining things. A very few knew better, but they kept their protector and champion a secret, remembering occasions when strange mystical forces had threatened them and been beaten back by the woman with the spear and the shield. In her secret identity, Minerva happened to cross paths with the Centurion of Freedom City in
his secret identity, but neither encountered the other on more formal occasions.
In 1960, however, Hades invaded Freedom City, far to the west. Horrified, Minerva took flight to join the battle against the god of death, yet the conflict ended before she arrived on the East Coast. Further, in doing so she drew the attention of Zeus to her own presence on Earth-Prime, long after the summons she answered should have passed. After condemning Hades to the Underworld, Zeus commanded Minerva to return to Olympus. Obedient to the will of the Father of Gods and Men, she did so, sending a brief farewell to her now-elderly professor. For a brief while, as gods reckon time, Minerva turned away from Earth, not wishing to witness what the passage of time would do to those mortals she had left behind, and fearing the worst for their world.
And then, in 2008, Olympus came under assault by mortal criminals who sought to steal the powers of the gods for themselves -- and worse, succeeded in doing so! Minerva took up her arms again to battle against these madmen and -women, and joined forces with the mortal Captain Thunder, who had been granted a portion of Zeus' own might. Awed at this man who bore up under the weight of such power, her interest in the mortal world was once more rekindled. In a world with such souls in it, what else might be possible?
To return to Earth, however, would require her to once more be summoned by a mortal agent, and the odds did not seem good that such a miracle would happen twice. Minerva remembered then that she was the goddess of
scheming, and devised a plan. After obtaining the help of Morpheus, god of dreams, she was able to strip herself of her immortality and much of her might and magic, placing them in a gem which she left in Morpheus' possession. Thus dispossessed, she no longer counted as one of the gods whom the Pact held back, and she was able to travel to Earth, arriving once more at Malory College, in the year 2011.
She found that it remained what it had been when she left ... and despite being (until very recently) an unchanging goddess, that unsettled her. Mortals and the institutions of mortals were meant to change and grow, and Malory College had done neither. Thanks to her preparations, she was able to take the identity of Minnie Verde, as a namesake of the woman who'd been a secretary there generations earlier. However, her efforts to become an advisor to the professors she worked for came to naught. What times
had changed, they did not seem to have improved.
Yet she did find a handful of students who seemed to have the potential for true wisdom, and some of them became her friends -- most notably a slightly insane young woman named Yuuki Yukimura, who somehow stumbled on to Minerva's true identity within a few days of their first meeting. Yuuki encouraged Minerva to take flight as a true superhero, which Minerva found herself somewhat reluctant to do. Surely protecting the college and its students would be meritorious enough without seeking the public's regard.
After only a year of this, however, things started to go wrong. Yuuki was expelled from the college when it became clear that her family was not the wealthy benefactors the registrar had believed. Disturbed by this, and still somewhat uneasy with the stultification of the college she'd once loved, Minerva abandoned Malory College herself. She managed to arrange for Yuuki to receive a scholarship to study at Saint Martin's University, and offered to travel there with her. The offer was gratefully accepted by Yuuki's parents.
From there, it was just a matter of time before Yuuki's pleas for her to embrace superheroism broke down Minerva's defenses, and she debuted as a superhero protecting Olympia and the entire state of Washington. Recruited by the Freedom League, she gratefully became a member. When the Silver Storm broke out in Emerald City, Minerva briefly returned there to reveal that the wicked goddess Eris was fanning the flames of madness, and joined forces with the Sentinels to oppose her. She has accepted an honorary membership with the team, sometimes called upon when their full membership isn't quite up to a challenge.
Of course, the fact that she has walked away from Olympus does not mean that Olympus has walked away from her, and Minerva is frequently drawn into the intrigues of her family. She must walk a careful line with them, since she no longer enjoys their immortality, and matters which would be only a momentary trouble for the other Olympians would bring about her end. But there are occasional benefits, such as the warnings she receives from Harmonia when Eris begins her schemes ...
Minerva -- PL 12
STR 10 |
STA 12 |
AGL 4 |
DEX 4 |
FGT 8 |
INT 5 |
AWE 7 |
PRE 5
Powers: Aegis (Enhanced Defenses 8 [Dodge 4, Parry 4], Immunity 17 [critical hits, electrical damage, flame damage, magic damage], Easily Removable),
Doru (Strength-Based Damage 3, Improved Critical, Reach 1), Easily Removable),
Magic Helmet (Immunity 5 [emotion effects], Removable),
Might of the Immortals (Impervious Toughness 12, Immunity 11 [aging, life support], Power Lifting 2),
Rides the Wind (Flight 6),
Speaks The Truth (Comprehend Languages 4).
Advantages: Attractive, Close Attack 3, Defensive Attack,
Improved Critical (doru), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Jack-of-all-Trades, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ritualist.
Skills: Expertise: Magic 8 (+13), Expertise: Philosophy 17 (+22), Intimidation 8 (+13), Insight 12 (+19), Investigation 8 (+13), Perception 13 (+20), Persuasion 12 (+17).
Offense: Initiative +4, Unarmed +11 (Close, Damage 10), Doru +11 (Close, Damage 13, critical 19-20)
Defenses: Dodge 12/8, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 12, Toughness 12, Will 12
Abilities 110 + Powers 71 + Advantages 10 + Skills 34 + Defenses 9 = Total 234 points
Complications: Responsibility--Motivation. Family (the Olympians).
Friends (Yuuki Yukimura).
Secret Identity. Truthful.