Ultimaid
AKA Kar-Zol, AKA Karrin Solomon
Born just a handful of decades after her cousin Kal-Zed, Kar-Zol was a far more typical example of her people. While the idea of striding the world like a god did appeal to her, as it obsessed him, it was more based on a desire to experience the outside world than a need to be worshipped. After the arrival of the German expedition to Ultima Thule, she even lost that desire -- from what they revealed, the outside world seemed to be a horrid place! She was glad when they were sent away, but then Kal-Zed disappeared as though he'd followed them.
For more than a decade, Kar-Zol fretted over this, wondering what had happened to him. (Her elders elected not to tell her about Kal-Zed's misdeeds as Ubermensch. At her mother's request, she was even spared seeing the mental movie of his activities in Poland.) She didn't want to go out into the world -- horrid place! -- but at the same time she did want to know what had happened to her cousin. (She had a bit of a crush on him, you see.) Finally, in 1959, she secretly ventured out of Ultima Thule ... and promptly got lost in a terrible blizzard. She was found and rescued by the Centurion, and proved the agent of introduction between him and the Ultima. Soon after, she would help him in a battle against his foe Superior ... and discovered, to her sorrow, what had happened to Kal-Zed.
Over the next few decades, Kar-Zol would go out into the world quite a few times, having adventures with Centurion and other superheroes. She variously called herself Centuria and Vesta, and among those who were unaware of the Ultima's existence, she would sometimes claim to be Centurion's cousin or little sister. All the while, she nursed a deep crush on her rescuer, and while she sometimes showed romantic interest in other heroes -- such as the young Jack Wolf -- she always held onto the hope that Centurion would one day return his feelings. But he never did, even after his wife passed away.
And then Centurion died. Kar-Zol went into a decade-long period of seclusion and mourning, from which she only emerged in 2005. Soon after, Ultimaid arrived in Freedom City, and attempted to join the Freedom League. Unfortunately, Captain Thunder strongly disapproved of her use of a variation on Centurion's costume, even though she tried to explain that he'd tacitly given his permission years before. Upset, she continued to fight crime and hoped that the League would reverse the decision when they saw how effective she could be.
During the Grue Invasion, Ultimaid met and fought alongside the Patriot, impressing him enough that he invited her to join the Arsenal of Democracy when it passed from the Department of Defense to AEGIS in early 2006. She adopted a more "America"-themed costume in the process. Ever since, she has served as a trusted member of the Patriot's team, long after most of the original membership of that team has retired to find work for private military contractors.
Ultimaid was surprised when the daughter of the Centurion arrived on Earth and began calling herself Centuria, using the same costume she'd originally worn. There was more than a bit of envy mixed in with that surprise, for Centuria was more powerful than she was and seemed to be growing more powerful as time passed. The same could be said of Charlie Graham, whom Kar-Zol had introduced to her Ultima heritage. And yet Kar-Zol herself remained "plateaued" at her current level of power, just as she had for decades, and it didn't seem likely that she would grow even more powerful for decades or centuries to come. Still, she resolved to do what she could with what she had available to her, rather than getting angry or jealous over the matter.
But then, soon after Centuria joined the Freedom League, Superior sought the daughter of the Centurion out to make her a proposition. This was soundly refused, but Superior wasn't inclined to take no for an answer. The Arsenal was dispatched by AEGIS to assist the Freedom League in their fight against the rogue Ultiman.
Ultimaid's greatest fear had always been the possibility that she might have to face Superior in battle. She was present when Centurion banished him to the Zero Zone, and though she was the only one to weep for Kal-Zed's fate at the time, she knew that he would try to kill her. That wasn't the frightening aspect; what terrified her was the possibility that in order to stop him from killing her, she'd have to kill him. Could she do that -- kill her cousin, her first love?
When thinking of this, it had never even once occurred to her that when she confronted Superior, he would completely ignore her as irrelevant in the battle at hand, showing no signs of recognizing her at all.
Something snapped in Kar-Zol's heart and mind that day. She has become the spokesman for a faction among the Ultima, small but vocal, who argue that regardless of whether they should leave Earth behind or remain there, their responsibility to the world demands that they hunt down and execute Kal-Zed, regardless of the cost. It is not a popular viewpoint, which makes her rather angry. She has begun training fanatically, in order to gain enough power to be able to do it herself, if need be.
What will become of this love to hatred turned?
Ultimaid -- PL 10
Abilities: STR 12 |
STA 14 |
AGL 1 |
DEX 4 |
FGT 6 |
INT 0 |
AWE 1 |
PRE 3
Powers: Levitation (Flight 7),
Telepathy (Mental Communication 2; Comprehend Languages 2),
The Power Primeval (Array: Ranged Damage 12, AP: Continuous Transform 6 [any inanimate object to any inanimate object], Tiring),
Ultiman Invulnerability (Immortality 5; Immunity 12 (aging, life support, sleep); Impervious Toughness 4; Regeneration 10).
Advantages: Attractive, Close Attack 2, Jack-of-all-Trades, Power Attack.
Skills: Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Bureaucracy 6 (+6), Expertise: History 8 (+8), Expertise: Politics 4 (+4), Investigation 8 (+8), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+7), Ranged Attack: Power Primeval 4 (+8).
Offense: Initiative +1, Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12), Power Primeval +8 (Ranged Damage 12).
Defense: Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude 14, Toughness 14, Will 6.
Totals: Abilities 82 + Powers 89 + Advantages 5 + Skills 21 + Defenses 8 = 205 points.
Complications: Vengeance--Motivation. Responsibility (the Arsenal).
Secret.