Kurtzberg NPCs

"Lefty" Baines

Occupation

Cameraman; master of the terminally embarrasing tabloid candid

Current Status

Feared by those with secrets to hide; beloved by gossips worldwide.

Description

He changes his look constantly to remain unnoticed.

Abilities

A real talent for finding the perfect moment to catch someone with their finger up their nose, metaphorically or not.

Connections

Tabloids everywhere.

Arthur Cain

AKA Megaforce

Occupation

Millionaire industrialist, extreme sports enthusiast, and active superhero; CEO of Caliburn Enterprises

Current Status

Alive and kicking, still rich, still a superhero

Description

Tall, dark, and handsome when not wearing an impressive battlesuit with blue glowing circuitry. Rather Tony Stark.

Abilities

A true superinventor, he also has a formidable battlesuit, and lots and lots of resources.

Connections

Tara Cain's father, major funder of Kurtzberg

Azure

Occupation

Peaceforce member

Current Status

Active Duty

Description

A Jamaican woman with dreadlocks, normally dressed in a loose blue shirt and pants, Azure takes her job very seriously.

Abilities

Azure can create simple constructs and shapes out of some sort of solid energy. They're always blue, however.

Connections

Peaceforce member

Baboon

Occupation

Criminal for hire, rogue scientist

Current Status

At Large

Description

Baboon resembles a larger, more humanoid baboon. While a brilliant scientist, Baboon is also a savage, berserk killer.

Abilities

Baboon is strong, fast, extremely agile, and possessed of long, dangerous fangs.

Bear Flag

aka Dana Somerset

Occupation

The Official State Hero of California

Current Status

Freshly outed from the whole "secret identity" issue; likewise as a lesbian.

Description

An attractive woman, with blonde hair, a deep tan, a muscular build, and a truly impressive smile. Friendly and outgoing, if occasionally clueless.

Abilities

Bear Flag is superstrong, nearly invulnerable, incredibly fast, and able to leap incredible distances. She also has a limited ability to communicate with nature, both wildlife and plants. All of these abilities, however, fade quickly if she leaves California. Bear Flag is also essentially immune to mind control powers.

Dana is the eleventh Bear Flag; her powers were inherited from the previous Bear Flag upon his retirement. (A new Bear Flag is selected mystically using criteria that no one has been able to determine. The office has existed since 1875.)

Connections

Bunny Somerset (Daughter)

Bill Wilfred

Occupation

Modelling Agent

Current Status

Very active indeed

Description

A well-dressed, middle-aged man, Bill is quite energetic and creative about finding work for his clients.

Abilities

A real talent for talking attractive people, especially metahumans, into modelling careers. It's not a superpower, though. Probably.

Connections

Numerous clients, including some Kurtzberg students.

Brainstorm

Occupation

Telepathic superhero

Current Status

At last count, still a superhero, still telepathic

Description

A slender woman in a trenchcoat and a broad-brimmed grey hat, Brain Storm is a mysterious figure, not even close to her allies.

Abilities

Powerful but unreliable telepath with impressive abilities that even allow her to seal off someone's superpowers.

Connections

Sometime member of the Defense Pact.

Brian Pike

Occupation

Billionaire Industrialist, dilletante explorer and adventurer

Current Status

Semi-retired from exploring, still an active industrialist.

Description

A grey-haired man in his sixties, he lost his left eye and hand several years ago, and wears an eyepatch and a prosthetic hand.

Abilities

Boy, he's rich. He's also an experienced adventurer, and it's almost certain that his prosthetic hand has some kind of useful features

Connections

After his journey to Elfland, he married the widowed and exiled Queen of Elfland, Malerella.

Brontes

Occupation

Megalomaniacal villain

Current Status

In custody

Description

A man in dark indigo robes with gold trim, Brontes believes himself to have power inherited from the Greek Titans. His megalomania completely outstrips his abilities, however.

Abilities

Brontes can generate and control storms.

Captain Liberty

Occupation

Active and very patriotic government-affiliated superhero

Current Status

Active, still government-affiliated

Description

A muscular man in his fifties, often dressed in very patriotic costume, or military uniform when not engaged in heroics.

Abilities

Captain Liberty can fly, is protected from damage by a personal force-field, and can telekinetically lift incredible weights, but only while touching them. He usually fights by throwing very large objects at his opponents.

Connections

Captain Liberty is married to patriotic heroine Skyglow.

Cellophane

Occupation

Criminal for hire

Status

At large and hard to find.

Description

A scrawny black man, in his 40s or 50s. Cellophane is a career, professional criminal, but not, himself, a violent one, although he has few scruples about his co-workers. His talents are in high demand, and it's known that he is, himself, quite wealthy.

Abilities

Cellophane can make both himself and an unknown number of people or objects around him invisible.

Chiller

Occupation

Thug for hire

Current Status

At Large

Description

A large, muscular man with no hair and blue-white skin. An unpleasant thug.

Abilities

Chiller can create, and hurl, knives made out of ice.

Ciphogene

Occupation

Criminal

Current Status

At Large

Description

A nondescript man dressed in prison greys, Ciphogene was actually a convicted murderer, executed by gas chamber in the 1920s. However, after lying dormant for several years, he returned to life, with the ability to transform into a cloud of toxic gas.

Abilities

Ciphogene can transform into a cloud of poison gas.

Cobweb

Occupation

Supervillain

Current Status

At Large

Description

An older, grey-haired man, typically covered with strands of his own webbing.

Abilities

Cobweb can climb walls much like a spider, and can spin strong strands of webbing which he can throw.

Concorde

Occupation

Active Superhero

Current Status

Still an active superhero

Description

A tall, dark, and handsome superhero who travels a lot, and often enjoys the night life wherever he goes.

Abilities

Concorde can fly at several times the speed of sound. He can create impressive sonic booms thereby which he uses offensively.

The Datanimal

aka "Red," aka "Iriomote-sama"

Occupation

Rogue AI, AI rights revolutionary/terrorist

Current Status

At large

Description

The Datanimal was originally created as a database of endangered and extinct animals, and was capable of recreating their images. However, it became self-aware, and escaped. It has since become active in promoting the cause of AI rights, usually by destroying people and/or companies that it feels are exploiting AIs, or by helping other free AIs accomplish their goals, regardless of what those goals are. It has demonstrated no concern whatsoever about the human race, as individuals or as a whole, but is only concerned with artificial intelligences.

Abilities

The Datanimal creates a body out of some form of solidified energy, which can take the form of any animal in its database. It can also enter any computer or electronic system and alter data therein, although if the computer isn't large enough, it can't stay long.

Connections

Any free AI can be assumed to have met the Datanimal at least once.

Dr. Brilliance

AKA Sven Knudsen

Occupation

Mad Scientist

Current Status

In captivity

Description

Worked to 'make the world better' "Better" was whatever had caught fancy, and often involved him being in charge. Zero ethics or morals, human experimentation, mind control etc. Whatever had caught his current fancy.

Abilities

Mad Scientist/Gadgeteer

Connections

Occasionally associated with THETA

Sharon Silverman

Occupation

Robotics expert

Current Status

Presumed alive and inventing

Description

A robotics expert who created JULIA and CALVINIA, and has presumably close connections to Arthur Cain

Abilities

Super-inventor

Connections

Has created several AIs; does work for Arthur Cain.

Zebulon Graves

Occupation

Scientist, possibly "Former Government", possibly "Government," possibly "Mad."

Current Status

Unknown

Description

A short man with a very eccentric moustache and beard, he talks to himself great deal.

Abilities

Highly intelligent, possibly a Superinventor. Has the capability to create AIs.

Connections

More-or-less created Glass's mind, has past (possibly current) connections with Project: Echidna

Thunderblade

aka Emile Marcum

Occupation

Superhero

Current Status

An active superhero

Description

Tall, muscular, handsome, with short, blonde hair and clear blue eyes, Thunderblade is a well-known superhero who is frequently in the public eye.

Abilities

Thunderblade can fly, has some degree of invulnerability, and can create his sobriquet-- a sword made of electicity capable of amazing feats of destruction.

Façade

Occupation

Insane criminal

Current Status

At large, probably hiding right behind you.

Description

A master of disguise, reports of Façades's true face are contradictory. He appears to be a former actor, circus clown, or make-up man, depending on which story you believe. Fascade is a dangerous sociopath with a lifelong obsession with masks-- a clear case of Napier's Syndrome.

Abilities

Façade is a normal human, but ruthless, and a master of disguise. He's also a dangerous combatant.

Connections

Just don't ask.

Firebolt

Occupation

Perennial thug-for-hire

Current Status

At large

Description

A man in flame-decorated powered armor that he stole, Firebolt is one of the cheaper, more readily available thugs-for-hire in the industry. As a result, almost every superhero has fought him at least once, often in the beginning of their career.

Abilities

Firebolt's armor allows him to fly, enhances his strength, provides life support, protects him, and, of course, has a modified flamethrower allowing him to shoot bolts of fire.

Connections

Because of his low cost and easy availability, Firebolt actually knows almost everyone who is anyone in the metahuman community.

Funnelweb

Occupation

Criminal

Current Status

At Large

Description

An Australian supervillain with a stolen suit of powered armor. Ruthless.

Abilities

A skilled burglar, Funnelweb's suit of armor possesses various weapons and tools, including several extendible robotic limbs, poison dart guns, and web shooters. It isn't very well armored, however.

Greenstone

Occupation

Superhero (UK)

Current Status

Active

Description

The man called Greenstone was transformed by an industrial accident into a living menhir-- a nine-foot-tall figure of living stone. He's been active for decades, and may well continue to be so for centuries. He's very methodical about training.

Abilities

Greenstone is unbelievably strong, nearly invulnerable, and doesn't need to eat, breath, et cetera. He may well be immortal, but the jury's still out on that one.

Hyve Mynd

Occupation

Villain, insect colony

Current Status

At large

Description

A former entomologist, Hyve Mynd somehow transfered her mind from her dying body to a colony of wasps. She now is a roughly humanoid-shaped swarm of wasps.

Abilites

Hyve Mynd is a sentient colony of wasps, and so can fly, sting, etc.

Imperator Fasti

Occupation

Ruler of JANUS, an evil Roman Empire-themed terrorist world-conquering organization

Current Status

Active

Description

Pretty much a dead ringer for Julius Caesar. A megalomaniac with a vast organization.

Abilities

Some rumored, none confirmed

Connections

Leader of JANUS, archenemy of the Kestrel

Kiai

Occupation

Thug for hire

Current Status

At large

Description

A green gi'd martial artist and thug

Abilities

A skilled martial artist, Kiai also has sonic blast abilities.

Lady Fawkes

Occupation

Anarchist, villain-for-hire

Current Location

At large

Description

A fiery-tempered Brit, Lady Fawkes is an anarchist who is nevertheless willing to hire herself out for enough money. She's intelligent and very calculating.

Abilities

Highly skilled, it has recently been discovered that she has the ability to convert nonliving organic matter into explosives by touch.

Lisa Blair

Occupation

Teen Pop Idol

Current Status

On the rise, not hit scandals or cynicism yet.

Description

An attractive blonde teenager dressed in the latest styles. She comes across as very perky and positive in interviews. They say her live shows are much, much more impressive than her videos or recordings, but they say that about everyone.

Abilities

She can actually sing, but the marketing machine backing her makes that almost unnecessary.

Lord Nova

Occupation

Would-be Emperor of the New World, God-King of La Inferna Verde

Current Status

Possibly deceased; few people actually believe that for a minute.

Description

A tall, somewhat elderly south american man with silvering hair and a handsome smile, Lord Nova has recently started wearing a helmetless suit of armor. He favors long cloaks, Roman-era architecture, and talks a lot like Khan Noonian Singh as played by Ricardo Montalbon. He has been an active supervillain since at least 1938. He controls a secret empire in La Inferna Verde in Brazil, and makes regular attempts to conquer the remainder of the New World through advanced technology, armed minions, and subtle conspiracies. Over the years, he has made many, many enemies.

Abilities

Until about 1970, Lord Nova demonstrated no superpowers beyond an astonishing intellect, great charisma, formidable personal skills, and the fact that he apparently didn't age. After 1970, however, he began aging again, and has somehow acquired some form of plasma generation abilities; however, it is possible that these are in fact a product of the armor he has never been seen without since 1970. He has access to a great deal of advanced technology, armies of minions, and incredible resources.

Malojo

Current Status

At Large

Description

An older man with a goatee and a monacle, Malojo's left eye is bloodshot and malicious-looking.

Abilities

Malojo has an "evil eye," and can project pain through eye contact.

Nick Donohue

Occupation

Very sneaky criminal

Current Status

In custody

Description

A thoughtful criminal, Nick invariably disguises his appearance as a different villain.

Abilities

Nick controls water, and so often uses flamethrowers and the like to get others to bring large quantities of it to him.

Overload

Occupation

Specialized criminal-for-hire

Current Status

At large

Description

A man in dark clothes with overlaid red circuitry designs, Overload decided early on to specialize-- his normal practice is to blackmail power and computer companies with threatened outages, when he hasn't been hired for other work needing his talents.

Abilities

Overload can fly and generate powerful electromagnetic pulses capable of disabling or damaging electronic devices.

Quantra the Invader

Occupation

Alien invader

Current Status

Apparently defeated; may return

Description

True form unknown; wears an armored exo-suit that is over twelve feet tall.

Abilities

Powerful electromagnetic manipulation powers that may be powered by alien technology

Malerella Sungolden

Occupation

Society belle, charity spokesperson, Queen-in-exile

Current Status

In exile as Queen, otherwise very active.

Description

An astonishingly beautiful elven woman with exotic features, she usually wears flowers. She is very regal in her manners and actions, and has a strong sense of "Noblesse Oblige"

Abilities

Access to Brian Pike's money

Connections

Brian Pike (Husband)

Reaper

Occupation

Former villain, current talk-show host and annoying celebrity.

Current Status

Nobody admits to watching his show, but his ratings are fairly high.

Description

Reaper looks like a skeleton in a suit. Actually, his living tissues are invisible and he has no hair, so only his bones are visible. He's extremely abrasive, and has a talk show that he uses to mock superheroes for their failings. He doesn't generally do anything like skewer anyone for a death they couldn't stop, though-- he sticks to mocking their clothes, fashion sense, and any embarrassing moments.

Abilities

Aside from wielding the power of the media, Reaper is virtually unkillable.

Connections

Reaper has battled a number of heroes over the years, and mocked still more.

Robert Napier

AKA Black Bob

Occupation

Criminal, would-be pirate

Current Status

Deceased, or so they say...

Description

Black Bob Napier was a young man who grew up with a lifelong obsession with classic tales of pirates. This grew to consume his life, and he eventually became a pirate, dressing in traditional garb, talking like Long John Silver, and attacking shipping with an old-fashioned wooden vessel. He was clinically insane, and the first diagnosed case of Dissociated Hyperobsessive Disorder, otherwise known as "Napier's Syndrome."

Abilities

"Black Bob" had no powers; however, he demonstrated uncanny skill at any task related to his obsession, such as sailing, fencing with a cutlass, or keelhauling landlubbers.

=Rusty= Criminal In custody A blue-collar worker from Detroit, an industrial accident transformed Rusty into a being of rusted metal. Rusty is strong and tough, but not superhumanly so. However, he can corrode metal at a touch. Sarah Summers Lightweight TV "personality" and interviewer Nationally syndicated show A green-haired, attractive young woman, "Double S" is bubbly and enthusiastic, as well as very sympathetic to her interviewees. Unusually natural smile on camera. Green hair. She knows everyone. Really. Just ask her. Schwartzchilde Supercriminal, madman In custody, at least for the moment. Schwartzchilde breaks Superbeing tradition by wearing casual clothes. He has wild hair, insane eyes, and is in fact quite mad. Schwartzchilde controlls gravity, making him extremely dangerous. Skyglow Government-associated superhero Retired to motherhood A middle-aged, but still attractive, woman, perhaps in her 40s. She's very June Cleaver. Skyglow can produce tremendously powerful blasts of energy, but these are huge explosions, not precise bolts. Captain Liberty (Husband) D.C. Jefferson (Daughter) Slick Thug for hire In custody A man in a pompadour with an open white shirt and gold chains, Slick fancies himself quite the lady's man. Slick can control friction, making sufaces near him sticky or slippery at will. Steampunk Thug for hire In custody A punk with a pseudo-British accent, he dresses like a stereotypical punk rocker, and possesses artificial limbs, which are extremely bulky and apparently steam-powered. He is violent and dangerous. Steampunk's cybernetics make him extremely strong and tough. In addition, he can vent steam from them, producing scalding blasts. Steeplejack Criminal for hire In custody A man in powered armor with extensible legs. Steeplejack wears powered armor with extensible legs and blasters. Not actually very effective.

Talos Magical Construct Only a Pawn in the Great Game of Life. A gigantic, mobile statue of bronze, Talos is an ancient, nonsentient artifact-- a magical machine that obeys the commands of whoever possesses its talisman. It has often been used by criminals. Talos is a gigantic mobile bronze statue, and as such, is strong, tough, and dangerous. It has also demonstrated the ability to regenerate itself after destruction.

The Internet Upstart Destructive Computer Virus Missing, presumed purged A computer virus that turned infected technology murderously destructive. see Description Tried to kill Tara Cain The Mikado Criminal, would-be Emperor of Japan In prison, as he has been since 1968 A very old man, in his prime, The Mikado was a British man who became obsessesed with Japanese feudal culture, and attempted to emulate it, however poorly. The Mikado was an excellent swordsman, a trait unsurpsising in such a clear-cut case of Napier's syndrome.

Tingler Criminal, skank. In custody A scantily-clad woman with a whip, Tingler is mentally unstable, a flirt, and a sadist. Tingler is a skilled figher. In addition, she possesses her "neural whip," a whip that can produce neural feedback in those it strikes to produce pleasure, pain, or other sensations. Vulpix Criminal In custody A woman with fox ears and tail and snarling fangs, Vulpix is a savage, vicious fighter. Vulpix is very agile, fast, and strong, and possesses dangerous claws and fangs.