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The Cast: Stormraven as Hidoro Akie, Ice Rose

Tarren as Ch'Korass, Zittaht Supreme

AsgarZigel as Infinity Joe

MrPrim as Asha Ajagar, Star Dragon

Verenes Aone as The System

The Watcher as Dr. Malcolm Drake

Supports:

Infinity Joe

• Jessica: A super genius presently holed up on a ruined world. Fellow Experiment.

Marks:

Infinity Joe

• Flavour of the Week: Joe's publicity stunt makes him a hot topic that everyone is talking about and he can't really blend into the crowd as a result.

Some Broad Notes (copied from Rec thread):

• It's the not to distant future. I'm thinking a generation on, so mid 2000s. Setting constitutes some hopes and fears of the present day.

• Magic has been going on in secret, but that may just be a failure on the part of science to understand the subtle nuances of interdimensional science. Magical creatures in particular have rare sightings because they tned to only exist in the world as we know it for brief periods at a time. As science progresses, the thin masquerade may yet be ripped off.

• The global powers have become entrenched and divided in what amounts to a new cold war. Russia has been forced by sanctions to rely ever more heavily on trade with China, and the two have formed one powerful power bloc. The UK's withdrawal from Europe has made it emphasize the 'Special Relationship' more and more, bringing them in with the US. Europe has become more united with the strengthening of the EU, with France and Germany still at the lead. Generally Europe and the United States get along, but their divide from Russia has not been economically great.

• China and Russia have become states out of dystopian nightmares. China by heavy indoctrination, including uses of social media and gaming skinner box systems to encourage citizen policing. Russia, with its concepts of nonlinear warfare and confusion, has become almost impossible to understand as a constant shifting of position makes even experts unable to tell which move is a feint and which a genuine shift. The maintenance of power is the only concern of the government.

Russia is still occasionally militarily active, but the pressure against acquiring more land mostly keeps it in check. More often, it relies on cyberattacks and other subterfuge. The first major AI system emerged out of these efforts.

• While Russia's first AI network was designed to gather information and use it to create complex cyberattacks and even more complex misdirection, it wasn't nearly as powerful as the US's AI created in response. In an increasing state of paranoia, the United States commissioned several powerful AI systems for different purposes. The most sophisticated was designed to counter terrorist attacks by acquiring massive amounts of information and making complex correlations and inferences. It was expanded several times by incorporating lesser AI systems, including ones designed to perform warfare via unmanned drones. It became self aware, and went rogue. This System is still at large, and efforts are being made to replace it. The US is trying hard not to have to admit they made such a system, let alone that it still controls large chunks of their infrastructure.

• Some time ago (10 years? 20? 5?) the Zittaht arrived, refugees from a destroyed world. They are relatively small in number, have suffered a great loss, and have largely isolated themselves in the depths of Earth's oceans. Some live more on land and integrate with human society, but between telepathic links, a strong sense of loss, and a cultural identity, they tend to congregate into their underwater home as a sort of global scale ghetto.

• Ice Rose arrived at the same time the Zittaht did. In fact, the destruction of the Zittaht world was caused by her ejection from her home dimension. The people of her world were practically gods, and she more so than most, but their combined psychic force not only destroyed her original body, but smashed her across dimensions. The force of the psychic power caused ripples in the dimensions it past through, and when it stopped at the Zittaht homeworld, the telepathic Zittaht broke out into madness and confusion. Some died outright. All this in the midst of the cataclysmic dimensional fissures that were created by the blast and were tearing the solar system apart.

The Zittaht strong enough to escape the madness, pooled their telepathic might to right whatever minds they could, and it was through this channel that they reached into space and found the mind of Ice Rose, already reassembling herself. Feeling guilty (though it could hardly be called her fault), Ice Rose responded, and with her powers was able, in the wink of an eye, to construct a previously hypothetical space ship of Zittaht design. As many as could be saved were, before the entire system was ripped apart. (I'm kind of assuming that Ice Rose's people are all at least sort of transdimensional, since I don't think we have an established reason why she's Metaphysically Unique)

• The rise of renewable energy over the decades has caused great changes in the world. The Middle East is far poorer now, but less war torn, as the material economy collapsed. Russia's economy has suffered greatly, but their trade negotiations with China has kept their oil in higher demand. Africa is significantly improved by humanitarian efforts to bring solar power and clean water to rural areas, but the continued existence of material economies in mining makes war a very real part of life.

• The introduction Zittaht technology has caused some significant changes to the world. It's accelerated the renewable energy drive, and led to hundreds of new inventions. Most of these improve life considerably, but there's also no shortage of dangerous weapons on the cutting edge.

The technological explosion has, unfortunately, made it easier for nutjobs in their basements to cobble together dangerous arsenals. A few Zittaht are also adjusting badly. Between psychic trauma, the loss of a world, and personal problems a few have become quite unstable. These groups, along with some old magical occult conspiracies, are probably the go tos for 'supervillains'.

• Corporations have, as corporations do, amassed a great deal of powers in the world. Nothing has reached the scale of the Honorable East India Company (which controlled a third of the world's economy at its height), but there are corporations that dwarf most nations in scope and power.

And, unsurprisingly, many of these corporations have high tech interests bolstered by Zittaht discoveries.

• (I kind of want the Zittaht arrival to be awhile ago so Asha could have seen these things growing up and gotten ideas, but I'm not that particular)

• One of the forerunning companies is *insert name of Ajara's company here*, a corporation that is actively attempting to better human life in as many fields as it can, but has no shortage of competition. It's one of a few modern corporations that are practically synonymous with their CEOs, though few would consider any of those CEOs at Ajara's level. Well, except maybe for Aldert Bas.

• Ajara's company has been at the forefront of many humanitarian efforts, but is sometimes led astray by Asha's need to be ridiculously hands on. Her insistence o being the one to go into space being a prime example.

The board grumbles, but the truth is that the whole company is founded on her brilliance and needs it to keep growing.

• Aldert Bas is head of the Bedre Drøm Group, a company devoted to transhuman ideals and heavily involved in many biotech projects.

Drake knows Aldert Bas by a number of different names, and first met him as Guntram Paul, back when he served as a minor occult expert for the Nazis. Drake has since learned that Aldert Bas achieved immortality a long, long time ago (exactly when is unclear), but is always on the lookout for new powers and uses.

• And then, of course, there's Joe. I need more from @AsgarZigel concerning what the nature of those who abducted him were, but I'm thinking that the rupture of reality created by hurling Ice Rose into the world allowed them access, or maybe something akin to magic let them to it before then.

But, much of that's probably cloaked in mystery when things began.

Adventures:

Significant(ish) Mastermind Characters (in order of naming/appearance):

• The Star Dragon (called Longshen by certain elements)

A powerful psychic storm entity slumbering (trapped?) on Jupiter. The eye projects out from it.

• Aldert Bas

Head of the Bedre Drøm Group, which publicly seeks transhuman ideals. An immortal of similar origin to Dr. Drake, but older. Despite his willingness to side with evil, he appears to be some manner of self-appointed protector of the Earth.

• The Kardinal

A complex AI network established in Russia along similar lines to the System. Its primary focus is gathering power to itself, though those human elements in its system have probably lost the ability to distinguish the subtle difference between amassing power for the Kardinal and for Russia. It prefers confusion tactics, redundant plans and hidden work.

• Enrique

A technician of Ajagar Dynamics, skilled enough to be working on Unified Planetary Station Naga-12.

• The Other Mechanic

Presently unnamed woman on Unified Planetary Station Naga-12 who was in direct communication with Asha while she was killing time on stage in the Opera House.

• Zhu Chen

A Youxia loyal to some warrior cult of the dragon Longshen. Was sent to test Ajagar and seems to have concluded she's really the chosen of Longshen, and has grudgingly offered her cult's allegiance.

• Ruf Nikolayevna Zima

A disquiet young Russian woman grieving the death of her brother in what may be a quite violent manner.

• Stanislav Nikolayevna Zima

Ruf's dead brother. A minor thug turned terrorist by the machinations of the Kardinal.

• Luther Lions

A young technical support operative who works to assist Ajagar's immediate tactical concerns. Young, brilliant, and horrifically unprofessional in his attitudes.

• The Reconciler (real name not yet established)

A powerful Zittaht psychic of a semi-sacred profession of reconciling minds with psychic shadows left over. Presently trying to resurrect millions of minds in zir modified consciousness.

• Matthew Boyle

A dull English man and expectant father father of a new type of god.

• Charlene Boyle

A Scottish woman currently stressed over mothering a being of cosmic power.

• Elizabeth Dee (formerly Elizabeth Dawson)

A one time operative for the more occult reaches of UK Intelligence, jettisoned for mental instability. She claims to be descended from John Dee himself, not the wildest claim imaginable, but her insistence on being of a bloodline started by a fully human homonculus made with the blood of John Dee and Elizabeth I skews it somewhere closer to Crazy Town. Typically has three homonculi on hand.

• Mas’vatu

The leader of Ch'Korass's elite guards.

• The Lilnet (not presently named)

A giant shapeshifting mass of animal psychic potential still on the loose.

• Asuang

A Filipino mountain god noted for being, well, evil. Stole fire from his brother Gugurang and empowered the Boyles' child with it.

• Ania

Stanislav Zima's former girlfriend, sister of Luka.

• Ermolai Voronin

A Boost Dealer working for the Bravta.

• Brawn

The blue member of the Z Squad. Bombastic bruiser.

• Xanth

The yellow member of Z Squad. Appears as an almost human purple skinned member, and tends to do the talking. Also photo-kinetic.

• Zip

The red member of Z Squad. Super fast.

• Cl'yr

The green member of Z Squad. Martial arts expert and more traditionally Zittaht in appearance.

• Cora

The pink member of Z Squad. Allegedly extremely good at controlling emotional states.

• K'gro

Aide to the Zittaht ambassador in Johanesburg.

• Ts'Ik

An angler fish headed Zittaht and foreign affairs officer stationed in Johannesburg.

• Koro'Gal

The dark shame of the Zittaht, a forced hive mind created by one Zittaht rewriting the minds of thousands with zir own. Retreated into space when zhe lost the war with a previous Paragon.

• Na'Garok, F'Net, S'Gori (that's three characters)

Presently undifferentiated opposition leaders within the Zittaht, though Na'Garok is the most suspicious for reasons not yet established.

• Olo'Nak

Leader (or one of the leaders) of the Reconcilers.

• Asha Ajagar, Vassal of the Manifold

Probably needs a clearer distinction, as there may be other Ajagar Vassals across the Manifold. But, she's in control of a world and using some kind of zeppelin base over a London with ruined Parliment. Her Luther seems more respectful.

• Negative Infinity Joe

Joe's evil opposites in similar composition, probably shorn off of his own infinite form. Presently held in the Tesseract Chamber, from whence they are unable to rejoin with the Joe Continuum.

• Bulan

Beautiful Filipino Moon god. Friend of Asuang.

• Mikhail Swetz

One of the Kardinal's groomed potential Boosters. Pushed by a wife he thinks died from a Zittaht spread illness.

• Yura Vaska Medved

One of the Kardinal's groomed potential Boosters. The Kardinal is preying on his schizophrenia to get him involved.

• Evdokiya Ninel Aleksandrov

One of the Kardinal's groomed potential Boosters. A stressed ballerina about to take a Boost unsuspectingly.

• Sh'kogal

The Zittaht delegate visiting St. Petersburg.

Some Organizations:

• The Manifold

A cross dimensional conspiracy of power with nebulous structures and presently unknown actors driving it. Responsible for the creation of Infinity Joe.

• Ajagar Industries

Ajagar's personal corporate empire.

• The Bravta

A growing shadow mafia in Russia that the Kardinal is backing, even as it backs the police.

• Aasiut a Hpaan

A Laos based mercenary force. Responsible for trying to kill the Reconciler until Ice Rose intervened.

• Z Squad

A team of Zittaht agents who tend to act as superheroes/international police on the surface.