World of Project VIGILANCE Factbook

Some setting notes…

• The ‘Vigilance’ Act of 1971 – passed under the Nixon Administration, this Act was in response to increased Metahuman activities across the U.S., both costumed vigilantes and villains. The act created two federal agencies; the Federal Office of Metahuman Control (FOMC) and the Federal Investigations and Security Headquarters (FISH), who were tasked with creating a coordinated response from so-called ‘masked heroes’. FISH would sponsor teams of superheroes in major cities around the country. In agreeing to responding U.S. government requests for aid (if available and capable), FISH would provide these semi-independent teams with money for a base of operation and equipment (basically the ‘team’ will get so many Equipment Points for free that could be spend on a Headquarters, Vehicles, and minor equipment like communicators, night goggles, etc). FISH would also then provide these team legal representation and insures to cover any expenses they might incur while acting on the governments behalf. Team members are allowed to maintain a secret identity, only need to file their ‘supers’ name with the government. Those metahumans who do not register with the government in this way are subject to fines, incarceration, revelations of their true identities if apprehended and are denied access to government faculties and resources in all cases.

• FOMC – Federal Office of Metahuman Control is based out of Washington DC and coordinates metahuman laws and legal issues. They present detailed reports every quarter to a Senate Subcommittee on Metahuman Activity over the last quarter, budget issues for themselves and FISH, and response and research any laws or bills dealing with metahumans.

• FISH – Federal Investigations and Security Headquarters is the elite federal agency that deals mostly with the metahuman community most directly. Their operate off of one of three Super-Flying Carriers code-named Hammerheads (think of them as Marvel’s SHIELD, and the Flying Fortresses). Headed by General Marcus Hammer, the agency projects stability to the general population of the U.S. in controlling (or at least containing) the metahuman population (and they also run the various federal metahuman prisons in the U.S.). They also have offices in Washington DC and every city where there is a Project VIGINANCE sponsored team. They can provide access to federal databases and files on known meta-villains, along with agent support in cases of emergency.

The five other FISH sponsored super teams, the members and their locations…

• the Crusaders – based in L.A., they are lead by Manta-Man (super-science; battlesuit. An advanced SCUBA suit that also allows him to fly and fire electrical bolts). Other members include Evergreen (elemental? Has powers over Plants, is very resistant to damage and as a poisonous venom), Enforcer (accident. Former super-spy who can create powerful force fields), Dreamer (psionic. Powerful illusionist), Blizzard (mutant. Cold Controller), and LaserFire (empowered, alien force? Controls fire and light elementals).
• the Protectors – based out of New York City, team leader is Captain Cold (accident. Cold Control). Other members include Empress (empowered? Magic and Hellfire? Control), Archangel (empowered, or alien. Winged flight, low-level super strength, carries a ‘magic’ flaming sword), and the Blue Knight (super-science; battlesuit. Advanced power armor that looks like Medieval plate-and-chain armor and carries a battleaxe that can project energy bolts).
• the Centurions – bases out of Washington DC, lead by Action Man (mutant, super-science. With limited Cosmic Energy control – fires blasts and heightened awareness, he also wears an advanced combat battle suit). Other members are Avenger (accident. Super-strength and limited invulnerability), Magnetic Man (mutant. Magnetic control), Micro-Girl (mutant. Shrinking powers but retains her original weight and gets stronger the smaller she shrinks), Morning Star (super-science; battlesuit. Wears an advanced combat powered armor with two heavy ‘mace’ weapons that can extended out from each arm up to 100ft), and Raven (skilled. Trained athletic, with superior fighting skills)
• the Guardians – based out of Miami, has no dedicated team leader. Members include Jane-Be-Quick (accident. Super-speedster), Mammoth (mutant. Super strength, who looks something like a big-foot), the Mouser (skilled. Olympic gymnast, with superior fighting abilities), and the Pharaoh (empowered. Carries the magical ‘Staff of Ra’ that grants him various powers including flight, magical energy control, force-field projection.
• the Seekers – based out of Chicago, has no dedicated team leader. Members include War bird (super-science and skilled. Older hero whom wears a special suit that provides him winged flight, super-strength and limited resistance, and is very skilled combatant), Big Chill (mutant. Super-strength and Cold Control), Portal (accident. Portal teleporter), and the Magnus (magic. Sorcerer from Earth past, magic wielder)

Seattle WA facts you might not know (as they are unique to the World of Project Vigilance)…

• the Seattle of this world has a population of 8.6 million (in real world today, the greater Puget Sound region has a population of 2.2 or 2.3 million), with the downtown core spreading north through the Downtown core, Belltown, the Seattle Center, Capital Hill, the University District, Queen Anne and Fremont.

• the Seattle Monorail encircles much of the great Puget Sound region, originating in downtown Seattle, heading south through Sea-Tac (international airport), to Tacoma, then back north east through Renton, Belleview and Redmond and all the way north to Everett and finally back south into Seattle. There is also an East-West line from Seattle to Belleview, across Lake Washington over I-90.

• 20 years ago, Jeff Dee, billionaire, inventor, CEO of Newtronics Corporation (world-leading computer technology company) and one-time super-hero (Gauntlet) helped found the creation of the Seattle Space Needle Elevator. Built on the grounds of the Seattle Central and replacing the old Space Needle that was built back during the 1961 Worlds Fair. Completed in just four short years, it transformed Seattle into a world destination for cargo and travelers wishing to visit space at a reasonable price! Today Seattle has one of the most important seaports are tons of cargo is set up and down the elevator every day. Newtronics Corporation ran daily operations for the elevator for the next 11 years until CWI out bid them. There was another Space Elevator built just south of Tokyo 5 years ago, and plans for additional ones in China, and the EU. This has also lead to a fairly large number of space stations located in near earth orbit around these elevators, and the International Space Ring, which houses over 100 scientist and staff.

• Cross World Industry (CWI) was founded 15 years ago by Randall Cross, who took his small family owned business (Puget Power Systems, a small power provider with geo-thermal heat sinks into Mount Rainer) into a world spanning company that is involved in hundreds of industries. Cross purchased the rights to operate the Space Needle from Newtronics Corporation and the US government 5 years ago and moved his company’s headquarters into the new constructed Sky-City Towers [[1]] (based on Tokyo Sky-City idea) located in Belltown about two miles away from the Space Needle Elevator).

• MacroWorks (MW) is an outgrowth of Microsoft Corporation, headed by former employee Andrew Works. Located in downtown Seattle they have revolutionized wireless computer communication and are a world leader in this field. (i.e. the MircoWorks™ Headware Microcomputer™ allows you to buy rank 1 of Datalink with equipment points)

• the Seattle Institute for the Criminally Insane (SICI) is based on the old US Navy Hospital [[2]] (the Pac-Med Building, which of course in the real-world today this is the Amazon corporate headquarters in Seattle, but it was a US Navy Hospital) it has housed such notorious villains as the Beekeeper, Mother Superior and the Comic Zoom (all non-powered villains). There is a 4 meter stone wall, topped with razor wire that surrounds the building in addition to the latest advanced prison security system around.

• the location for the newest Project VIGILANCE headquarters is going up in Seattle own Smith Towers [[3]], and said to be opening to answer the call of the