Secret Nazis

In 1938 the SS Ahnenerbe (Nazi Ancestral Heritage Society) founded two expeditions; one travelling to Tibet and the other to Antarctica. In both cases they were seeking evidence of Thule, the long-lost capital of Hyperborea- homeland of the Aryan People and the first civilization on the planet. While the details of the Tibet expedition, any evidence the Antarctica expedition was hidden on their return. The Antarctica expedition was something of a success and its results were terrifying. To contain and desperately attempt to understand the discovery, the Nazi party built Lager Funf (Camp Five).

From the research conducted at Lager Funf comes the EPG (Experimentelle Projekt-Gruppe - Experimental Projects Squad); a special team whose purpose it is to field test the occult discoveries of Camp Five. Organized publically as Gestapo Department F, but given no identified purpose, it has fallen to the EPG to protect German forces from the weird of the Second World War. Today the EPG exist as soldiers without rank, citizens without known identity; the EPG have become known to the Allied Forces, the Secret Nazis.

Elite Gamers Guild

Several years ago, game manufacturer Cyperstar (a subsidy of Labour Corp.) purchased some robotics research that had come out of Dome Six. They wanted to develop a game system using remote controlled bio-mechanical constructs as avatars. Unfortunately, the potential cost versus profit projections showed that the project, while cool, would not yield a return. However, one Labour Corp. executive, Marcia Fuller, took the research into a new direction. She founded the Elite Gamers Guild. Customers of the Elite Gamers Guild pay money for a number of hours in which they use their avatars to hunt targets, specifically defined by the Guild. The more risk to the Guild, the higher the cost. But the higher the cost, the more in-game rewards are unlocked for success (or penalties imposed for failure). So far, Superheroes are the highest costing game.

The Elite Gamers themselves operate from major cities, but their Avatars are active all over the world. The closer to the player’s the higher the cost, and thus more rewards for success.

Sonya Carline

Sarah Carline is special. Young, attractive, wealthy successful; people wonder what she’s doing single and living in a rust-bowl like Orphicten. The young Magistrate with Special qualifications in Superpower law says she’d dedicated to cleaning up the city.

Doctor Magic

Philip Graw always new he was special and when he decipher the a bad translation of an arcane tome; granting him magic powers. He became a Superhero under the guise of “Doctor Magic”. Unfortunately; being a Superhero or Sorcerer doesn’t pay well and when Philip Graw couldn’t cover his bills, he began hiring out “Doctor Magic” to television shows and corporate events. Eventually, Doctor Magic stopped being a Hero entirely, becoming a talk show host and New Age author.

Projects 23 & 24

During the Second World War the United States attempted to counter Hitler’s ever-grown collection of Supers through the mass-manufacture of Super-soldiers. Project 23 was initially deemed the most successful, and quickly followed by Project 24. Project 23 successfully blended Owl DNA into Human subjects. The Owl DNA had undergone a RPT (Rapid Evolution Treatment). After a few days of tests, Project 23 had taken a handful of volunteer soldiers and turned them into a unit of winged commandos. There was one side effect, due to the RPT regular treatments were required to stop the transformation at the optimum time. With the 1st Winged Company (the Owlmen) in the air, the United States government enacted Project 24. Using the same data as 23, 24 was designed to eliminate the need for regular anti-RPT treatments. It was hoped that the use of caterpillars would achieve this. Project 23 did produce the 2nd Winged Company (the Mothmen), it did not eliminate the need for treatments. After the end of World War II, the Mothmen and Owlmen returned to society only to find themselves growing increasingly immune to the treatments. The result was monstrous predators which stalked the mid-western United States for decades to come.

Emerald City

Located in Australia’s top-end, Emerald City- sarcastically referred to as the City of Oz –is named for a dimensional rip on which it is built. The only physical sign of the rip is a slight over-emphasis of the colour green, for which the city is named. The presence of extradimensional energies has made Emerald City Australia’s alternative energy/lifestyle/culture capital.

Professor Jonathan Gale, a member of the All-Seeing Order’s guiding council, considers himself an anthropological mage of the Ranwold (a pre-WWIII scholar who argued for historicity in regard to the occult) School. He realizes the danger is posed by an environment that combines superpowers, a dimensional rip and naive supernaturalism and considers it his duty to guard (and eventually seal) the otherworldly gate on which Emerald City sits. However, with a horde of extra-dimensional horrors on one side of the gate and a city of ignorant worshippers on the other, the task is titanic.

A special message...

The Party of Justice has pledged to clean up Orphicten...

Urban Jungle Girl

Lady Cynthia Hart was born to a family of British nobility. Her parents were on a diplomatic mission to Orphicten when the bombs fell. Suddenly marooned in the urban jungle, they made their mark amongst the street gangs of Orphicten. For the first fifteen years after the wars’ end, the fought tooth-and-pistol before being killed by savage native criminals. Their infant daughter was left abandoned. Found by the sentient motorbike, Zuba, and raised in the ways of the urban jungle. As it stands, Lady Hart knows herself solely as Urban Jungle Girl.

Marv Smalltown

Barry and Mary Smalltown moved to Orphicten during the war to take advantage of the city’s booming war industry. After the war they wanted children, but found themselves unable to conceive; so some years later they adopted an infant orphan named Marvin. But the world had moved on and Orphicten was rusting. Like most people employed by the war industry, Barry and Mary hadn’t earned enough to save and couldn’t move on. But Barry was struggling to find work. While they were raising Marvin to believe in right and wrong, Barry was doing odd-jobs for the Mikos Family. Marven was ten when he found out, and never took money from his father again, instead getting whatever odd jobs he could. Arguments were frequent between Marvin and Barry in those days. In his mid teens one particularly savage argument resulted in Marvin striking his father in front of some colleagues. His father was knocked unconscious in an instant. When his father’s colleagues stepped in Marvin beat them all. More came later, and left after Marvin threw a car at them. Marvin had left the Smalltown home by the time Barry had returned from the hospital; setting out to clean up Orphicten. Now in his late twenties, Marvin Smalltown has been living on the street for nearly a decade. He’s tried and is still trying to clean up Orphicten. But the criminal is clever and Marvin is ever-idealistic. They’ve drawn him into their web and learnt to work around him. He takes out individuals, even the big bosses. But every one he misses scales up the ranks. One day Marvin Smalltown may clean up Orphicten, but that day is decades off.

Detective George 'the Yank' Washington

With allegations of ties to the Mikos Crime Family, brutality, and drug running left Detective Washington with only two options for his career. One; early retirement or two- join the Villain Squad. The Villain Squad, a colourful name for Orphicten’s SCU (Special Crimes Unit, handles Supers). So George ‘the Yank’ Washington chose the latter.

Arcane Armoury

Jonathan Gale Jr. is the son of one of the worlds’ mightiest mage’s. While Jonathan senior holds a seat on the Council of the All-Seeing Order, John Jr. displayed no magical ability whatsoever in his youth. In fact, John has always displayed an inability to practice or be affected by arcane energies of all kind. Described by his father as a magical ‘black hole’, John was the reason his mother- an arcane partitioner herself –left John senior when their son was an infant. Moreover, John has been regarded by his father’s colleagues as an aberration at best, a monster at worst. Still, John has studied long and hard to work even the simplest spells. But while weak, John was clever and over many long months he weaved minor spells after spell together, creating a suit of arcane armour. From the armour, John could pluck any combination of the hundreds of spells weaved into it, essentially channelling them into a solid conjured item. While the other mystics have yet to stop treating John with scorn, they have come to treat his with the respect an equal deserves.

Snatch

Snatch’s real name is unknown, though her alter-ego is dubbed Debby B-Cool. Allegedly, Snatch had her real identity stolen by Wulpurga and now must serve her infernal mistress in order to earn it back. Every now Wulpurgis Night, when Wulpurga walks the earth, she will give Snatch a new task. But until Wulpugris Night, Snatch is a free agent. Either way, the twenty year old hip-hop chick is known as a high-class thief.

Shadow

Shadow isn’t a villain. It’s a drug that creates them. Shadow’s growing popularity is attributed to its side effects. Not only does anyone under the influence of Shadow gain the Overconfidence Hindrance, it also grants the user powers. Specifically these are Altered Form and Dark Vision. A hit of Shadow causes the users eyes to film over with a strange black liquid. This liquid additionally coats their limbs, generally from the knee and elbow down; giving them their stretch effect. Shadow junkies are generally easy to spot, as the more they use it the blacker their limbs and eyes become stained, with some of the most hardcore being permanently pitch.

Owlman

Project 23 was a long time ago. But the Supervillian, Chimera, managed to dig up its research. Super-science had come a long way since World War II, and so Chimera assumed he could iron out a lot of the kinks and problems in the Owlman process. All he needed was a test subject. Robert Blake was a gambler deep in dept to the Mikos family. Going with Chimera turned his luck around. Becoming Owlman gave him a job as a Supervillian for the family. Now doing special jobs for the Mikos family, chiefly handling the Supers when they come calling, Owlman is a real life urban legend. Owlman is good friends with the other Mikos super-thug, Mothman.

Mothman

When Chimera perfected Project 23, the Mikos family were happy wit the result of Owlman. One in particular was Steel Armstrong. Born at the end of the war, Steel’s parents had been active participants in Power Culture. Believing themselves to have Superpowers, they renamed their family name Armstrong and dubbed their newborn son Steel.

All his life, people assumed Steel had Superpowers. Everyday his parents bugged him about when his Powers would manifest. They’d argued over what origin he’d have, and made him wear ridiculous costume after costume. For that reason, Steel made sure he fell in with the Mikos family. Hating Superheroes and volunteering for every opportunity to take down a cape, Steel saw the potential Chimera offered the family. He didn’t even care what this ‘Project 24’ business would do to him, only that it’d bring more capes. Since becoming Mothman, Steel’s hatred of Supers has lessened somewhat- as if filling the psychological gap in his soul by becoming one -and Steel has even become fast-friends with Owlman.

The Helm of the Unseen

While not a Villian, the Helm of the Unseen does create them. This plain black, full-face helmet is quite famous on the Superhero scene and anyone with the Arcane Background (Superpowers) can make a Common Knowledge roll to recall its history. It was first documented in Republican Rome between 249 and 207 BC, wielded by the underworld kingpin Lucius Pullo who claimed to be the son of Pluto. By all accounts, the Roman Senate made unprecedented efforts to honour Pluto between those years. In more recent times it showed up in Nazi Germany worn by the supervillian, Death’s Head. After falling into communist hands it emerged again with the Russian Mafia boss, Benek. Eventually Benek was put down by the State and the Helm of the Unseen lost until Australian-allied troops fighting in Russia found it.

Deimos

Derik Moses had a superpower. He was a super junkie. He could do drugs more often and in vaster quantities than any other junkie on the planet. For all his efforts; Derik got nothing but a killer addiction. When Shadow hit the streets, Derik was the first and hardest to use it. In fact, Derik used so much Shadow that his flesh and bones dissolved and his mind melted into his shadow. Slowly, Derik Moses took on the persona of Deimos- Greek god of dread. Without a body, Deimos was immune to all the old narcotics which once dominated his life. The big time junkie became a small time dealer of Shadow. While at the bottom run of the ladder now, Deimos has the potential to claw his way to being a real problem if left unchecked.

Corpse Tiger

As a youth, Yorimoto Kane was a thug doing dirty work for the Yakuza. However, after going toe-to-toe with superhero, Tigerwoman, Kane was deemed worthy of a new position, entering training as one of the Yakuza’s ninjas. What none had realized at the time was that Tigerwoman had contracted a savage virus, sending her powers were into a contagious flux. As such, the battle had left Kane with similar abilities but terminally ill. Slowly and painfully dying, only to find his consciousness trapped in an animated corpse, Kane’s powers are thought to be the only thing keeping his body animated at present. Kane’s torture did not end there. He began to rot and maggots soon infested his flesh. The Yakuza, however, promised treatment in exchange for service and so Kane became Corpse Tiger, undead ninja. Then the bombs fell, destroying nearly all of the Yakuza’s global capital, save their few Pacific holdings. Suddenly, Corpse Tiger found himself without work or treatment and trapped in a rotting corpse! While Kane has learned the secret of his Yakuza treatments, they are far from perfect or cheap. Now a rat for hire, Corpse Tiger will work for whoever pays for the next treatment. Still respected amongst the now ex-Yakuza Ninjas, Corpse tiger occasionally hires his old comrades should the job require them.

Chthonian

Even before become Chthonian, Johnny Mikos hungered for power. Not just any power, mind you, Superpower. A lieutenant in the Mikos Crime family in charge of Orphicten’s Trojan Docks and nephew to Don Gabriel Mikos, Johnny knew the family frowned on Super-criminals. The Don saw them as a fast way to attract the wrong kind of attention, even if they kept a stable of them just in case the ‘capes showed up. Mostly, though, the Family hired them on a job-by-job basis. With Exodus Rock looming over their heads, most Villains would roll on their employer to avoid being tried as a Super-criminal. So the Don figured the less they knew the better. Johnny disagreed. He believed that if you set up a mafia-like structure that included the Supers would help ensure their loyalty. Johnny was researching different was of acquiring powers for years. Not jus the masochism that took place at Spark Parties, but solid origins. Magic texts, Super-soldier experiments and so on. Curious, but cautious, Johnny never took the next step- until Shadow hit the streets. The belief that the Griffins were ‘Powering-up’ led Johnny to take the next step, acquiring the Helm of the Unseen and becoming Chthonian, god of Crime.

Boom-Shock

Herman Greene was a high-school drop out from Albion who moved to Orphicten, wanting to make it big as a boxer. He became a two-bit prize-fighter for a crooked ring. The crooked part of that ring involved break in. One in particular involved busting into a Labour Corp lab working on creating a partner for Corner Stone. Looking for something of value, Greene busted up the lab pretty good. Good enough to cause an explosion. Found dying on the street outside, Greene was charged but found innocent of the robberies due to lack of evidence. It was only later that Greene learnt the explosion had given him the power to create an explosive force. When ignited in the air, it creates a deadly burst of force. When formed in an object it creates fractures. Greene was later freed from his other criminal obligations by the Mikos Crime Family. Giving Greene a costume and the identity of Boom-Shock, Greene joined the family’s stable of villains.

Timito

Somewhere in South America, former General John Anderson- aka Timito -has his base. Despite the name, Timito is a real threat. A time traveller of sorts, Timito can project his consciousness laterally in space and temporally in reverse. In brief; he can visit any time period anywhere on Earth. While he can’t interact with the past, Timito can pluck objects from it.

Serving in World War III United States General Anderson tried desperately to stop the bombs. As Timito, he does the same. While this quest maybe noble, Timito is horribly unbalanced. The current state of South America is the mark of his last attempt to correct the past.

Aryan League, The
Nazi Germany’s greatest heroes were the alluring Blauer Engel, devious Nachtwachter and invincible Ubermensch. As the Aryan League were Hitler’s personal Superteam. Single-handedly, they were made up for losses in Russia and aiding Rommel in North Africa. Just before D-Day, however, Timito visited them; plucking them from the past. Initially angry, they saw a future in which the Reich didn’t even last ten years, let alone a thousand. Now, all accounts say they the League does Timito’s dirty work with the promise of returning to and correcting their past.

The World of Tomorrow

Einstein once said “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones”. The end of World War III proved him half right. On the last day of conflict, the mightiest bombs ever known obliterated the greater portion of the northern hemisphere. China, Russia, the United States; all the worlds great powers crumpled in a single moment.


Such world breaking tragedy was unprecedented. To mark the event, the calendar was reset to the year zero. It is now the year XXXV; and the world is a very different place. The thirty-four years since the end of the third world war saw necessity push the rise of a single global government. United under the Australian Empire, peace and prosperity have returned to humanity.

The Division of Power
While the Australian Imperial Government rules the world on a global scale, its regional grip is far from iron. The islands of the Atlantic and Pacific, along with Africa, are a patchwork of tiny subject nations. Likewise; South America’s beyond control. Complicating matters further is Labour Corp. Building, running and maintaining the Domes has given Labour Corp vast amounts of power; enough to shove when the government pushes.

Power Culture
The Australian Empire has a vibrant Power Culture. Nearly everyone claims to have a power of some kind ranging from amazing (telepathic control of machines) to mediocre (instant mathematical calculation) to subjective at best (lifetime die rolling average of six). Fashion has followed suit in this regard, with most commercial clothing constituting a costume of some kind. Costume stores have even become the number one hangout, containing bar-cafes.

In this unprecedented heroic age, Superheroes pedestaled. The most popular celebrities; every newspaper has a Superhero section and each news program a Superhero segment. Indeed, 90% of all free-to-air television is about Superheroes in some way from numerous reality programs to ‘Breakfast at XI with Toast Man’ and ‘Mystery Tin Man Late Night Chat’ (where guests and audience members bring on unlabeled tins for Mystery Tin Man to guess their contents). Comic books have followed this trend, with ‘reality’ titles dominating the market.


Zero Tolerance
Like any culture, you get extremists. And in Power Culture, you get Supervillians. The term itself is broad, referring to any criminal who wears a costume, has superpowers or both. ‘Supervillian’ defines everyone from hoodlums on the street to mafia heavy’s. Given the current culture, the government currently feels that too much leniency could see things get out of hand. As such, they have adopted a single purpose zero tolerance policy to anyone being found guilty of being a Supervillian is given a life sentence on Exodus rock. There they are forgotten and beyond legal aid. Due to the potential severity of such a sentence, most cases of alleged Supervilliany are tried before a Specialist Magistrates Court. Before going to trial, a Magistrate with Specialist qualifications in Supervillian law must review the case and agree to the defendant being tried as a Supervillian.

Spark Parties
Guessing what’s in the can? Really good at Chess? Those Powers are cute and, for some, kind of sad. The Powers most people in the Power Culture want is laser vision, flight or something equally spectacular. So they hold Spark Parties at the local costume store. That’s where a bunch of folks get together trying to unlock Powers. Loading themselves up on alcohol, drugs and sex they burn, beat, cut and whatever else each other until they’re dead, can take no more or have Superpowers. Most of the time, the first two happen long before the third.

The Dome Project
With the northern hemisphere now completely radiated; the global situation is a delicate one. Limited resources see the southern hemisphere in constant danger of overpopulation. Constructed by the Labour Corporation under contract from the government, the Domes provide answers to the new worlds problems.

Great cylinders of machinery topped by domes of ultra-glass; each dome is part city, think-tank and fortress. Near-fully self-sufficient, each Dome is responsible for one of the government’s major projects.

One of the primary roles of most Domes is to monitor of radioactive materials and their movements. For this reason most are along the Borderland between the northern and southern hemispheres. There are eleven Domes in total.

Dome One (Mexico)
Monitors the situation in South America.

Dome Two (Pacific, south of Hawaii)
Transfers prisoners to Exodus rock, supplies and maintains the Fortress.

Dome Three (Tasman Sea)
Purpose classified.

Dome Four (Africa)
Military academy.

Dome V (Atlantic Ocean)
Purpose classified.

Dome Six (Borneo)
Technological Research.

Dome Seven (Madagascar)
Mass manufacturing and the second Dome not to monitor radioactive materials.

Dome Eight (New Guinea)
Arcane research.

Dome Nine (Marshal Islands)
Global sustainability.

Dome Ten (Pacific, between Hawaii and Peru)
Purpose classified.

Dome Solitude (Indian Ocean)
Coordinates efforts and correlates information from other Domes.

The Independence of South Africa
When resources were running low in World War Three, the major players all made a dive for Africa’s massive untapped resources. Massively depopulated by some of the most brutal action in the war, Africa is currently divided amongst many and varied suzerainties. While still under the Australian Empire, competition between these tiny kingdoms is fierce. The near-constant conflict across the continent draws more mercenaries than any other place on Earth.

The Americas
The fallout whipped Canada and the United States. But it didn’t go much further south. For the first time in over a century, it was good to be in Mexico. South America, however, forms an interesting problem for the Australian Empire. Blasted back to prehistoric, dinosaur-infested jungle by a temporal rip- the work of the villain Timito –the continent is populated in only small pockets. There is little common ground between the people here and no sense of governmental authority. Similar to the effect that plucked dinosaurs from the past, South America’s population ranges from cavemen to Roman Legions and much between.

Exodus Rock
Formerly Hawaii, Exodus Rock is now the one stop life-sentence prison for all super-criminals. Surrounded by an energy field which removes both radiation and super powers, Exodus Rock has no walls. Rather; only a red line in the earth marks boundary. Nor are their guards beyond the red line. Prisoners can do as they will within Exodus Rock. They can even leave at any time, provided they can survive the radiation. The only real security per say on Exodus Rock lies outside the energy field in the Fortress. Not only is the Fortress the source of the field, but drop off point for prisoners. The Fortress is naturally radiation proofed and should its staff need to step outside, special super-armours are provided.

Australia
On the day the bombs fell, Australia was a minor player. The next, it was the new superpower. Australia’s cities are the biggest and the people within enjoy the best quality of life. It sounds like a utopia, but that’s where the good news ends. Governmental focus is internatal, not national. The cities run, but they’re riddled with vermin. Pest control keeps the rats out of sight, but there are dark corners where the wicked rule and thrive. Outside the cities, it’s the vermin who rule. During the war, the homeland militia act gave rise road gangs and neo-savages, most of which are yet to be disarmed.

Albion
The city of tomorrow today, Albion is a high-tech super-metropolis. Easily the most comfortable and prosperous city in Australia; Albion’s puts a pretty face over her skin, industrial guts. Like cancer, Albion’s criminal element is deeply imbedded but largely invisible.

The high-tech g-man, Iron Horse, is the one-man solution to crime in Albion. Black ops trained, Iron Horse understands that criminals hide behind bureaucracy, process and protocol. Ignoring these things in favour of his own code of ethics, Iron Horse has denied the criminal the protection of law. His impossibly high ideals have also made Iron Horse beyond corruption. So far, Iron Horse’s government clearances have protected his conduct. But the constant tightrope walk is an effort no mortal man can keep up forever.

Orphicten
War industry built Orphicten. When the war ended, so did Orphicten’s prosperity. As the basic day-to-day functions of Orphicten began to break down, cracks appeared. Through the cracks rose the gangs and mobs. Now those cracks mark their territories.

One man who does want to make a difference in Orphicten is Marv Smalltown. The city’s resident vigilante, Marv doesn’t go for costumes or capes. Instead he deals with the mobs in a very open, old fashioned way: busting heads. The ultimate glass is three-fourths full guy, Marv truly believes his efforts will one day make a bad city good again. Scarily for the bad guys Marv is as strong and impervious as iron, able to leap from street to rooftop.

Southern Cross City
Southern Cross City has been the capital of the Australian Empire since the third world war’s end. The city gained its name from government reformation in the year one. Established as the new capital, the wars end saw the raising of the Eureka flag.

Since the late 1930s Australia’s premier Superhero has been the Battler. It’s understood that there have been numerous Battler’s over the years. From the Battle of Crete in World War II to the Siege of Washington in World War III, a Battler has stood for Australia and with Australians. The currently Battler saw no wartime action. But with their sidekick Cazaly, they’re a furious pair of scrappers and the premier icons of Southern Cross City.