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.

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.