FlumpPod
New Member
In 1991 an asteroid threatened to destroy life on earth, but it was stopped with minutes to spare by a group of people below it who had gained supernatural powers minutes before it would have landed. The bulk of its destructive force was lost, but what remained still destroyed the area below. The remains of the asteroid rained down on Los Angeles and wiped it from the map, leaving just 6% of the people there alive afterwards.
The people gifted with new power were mostly pulled into government service, though some slipped through the cracks. 5 years passed and the Bureau of Powers was established in the US while the UN created the the Global extra-normal Service as people around the globe were gaining powers, though the rates in the US and Mexico far surpassed the global rate. The prevailing theory was that the asteroid had been carrying something that was causing these changes, but analysis was unable to determine what, if anything, was causing this. Regardless, the people with powers were studied and eventually the term of "extra-normal" became their official moniker, with the average people calling them some variation on extra or x.
The US had gained an enormous boost to its might with the addition of the extra-normals to their ranks coinciding with the world's nuclear arsenal being depleted in an effort to stop the asteroid. Thankfully the strongest of these extra-normals, a woman now going by Sol Glory after her radiant powers, was a peace advocate and managed to prevent war from breaking out during this time while the world adjusted to this new paradigm. A golden age of peace and prosperity seemed just around the corner with the new extra-normals lifting up society with their strange gifts. The city of Arcadia was built on the site of the ruined LA and became the center for extra-normal activity.
The uneasy peace was broken in 2001 when a 2nd asteroid was spotted in the skies above Shanghai. The extra-normals mobilized and saved the day with a much lower casualty rate, but this tipped the balance of power as the extra-normal population exploded overnight with eastern Asia now having an estimated number of extra-normals almost double that of the combined rest of the world. In part due to higher population densities and largely due to the lower casualty rate of this event. Hostilities nearly boiled over many times over research rights and citizenship status for the new extra-normals as everyone in the area wanted them for themselves.
A third asteroid in 2006 threw the world into further chaos when it appeared over Kabul and a pair of new extra-normal children were able to completely turn it away with help from Sol Glory and destroy it with no casualties. Estimates placed this as the largest one so far and through the power of the previous strongest,Sol Glory, and these 2 new faces, Myth and Legend, the world waited in fear for what they would choose to do with this new power. The answer was to sue for peace once more; Myth through charm, Legend through force. Myth asked the world to unite and work together, when the world ignored her plea and a multi-front war exploded across the middle east between every faction and their allies Legend destroyed every weapon on the continent and in the surrounding seas. Peace treaties were signed before the fires were put out.
The media decided to put a poetic spin on things and refer to the 3 asteroids as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Fall, noting that we rose up stronger than before after each one. The world waited for next disaster theorized to strike in 2008, but the time came and went. New timelines were proposed and 2011 seemed next most likely, but still nothing. The world relaxed and waited for the 10 year mark in 2016 but still nothing. When the clock rolled around to 2022 around the globe most people agree that we've made it through all the trials and no longer need to worry about another asteroid like those. They choose to focus on the present and let those terrible times stay in the past, they've got the strongest things on the planet forcing peace to be kept and so many others are working to make life better around the planet, we've arrived at the doorstep to a golden age at last.
It's not perfect yet, there is still crime and corruption; some say the extras made things worse because they can't be stopped by normal means like a baseline human can. Others say that we're following false idols and are doomed to burn with them. Yet more complain about the forced peace and lifting impoverished countries and peoples up to stand as equals with the rest of the world. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 31 years under the efforts of those gifted advanced intelligence and inspiration. Law enforcement has had a rough time adapting to the surge in unpredictability the extra-normals caused leading to teams of "heroes" helping out with law enforcement and disaster management.
Each of the 3 landing sites have become local hubs for extra-normal activity, but no one can deny that Arcadia is by far the most interesting since it has a completely new culture built around the extra-normals. Everyone that helped rebuild it had some connection to the old LA or had survived the first asteroid, the world was indebted to those few that had saved the world and they wanted to repay their efforts and honor their memory. The older folks tend to view the extra-normals with a sense of awe and respect. Those growing up around the time of the 1st asteroid tend to see them as more of a novelty if they never directly interacted with them. And the youngest now feel entitled to be given everything the extra-normals can provide since they have the power to do anything they should do everything. Of course individuals exist and people will be people, but that seems to be the general breakdown.
Arcadia looks forward to seeing how you choose to interact with it.
- Hero
-
Name: Hero
Identity: unknown, status: deceased
Age: late teens to mid 20's
(theorized)
Strength: 20
Damage: 0
Durability: 12
Mobility: 0
Intellect: 0
Perception: 0
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 0
Nothing is known of the man who stopped the 1st Fall from becoming the extinction of mankind and most other life on Earth. He was in Los Angeles at the time and was able to save Sol Glory directly after being moved to the asteroid by an unknown techie's device. - Sol Glory
-
Name: Sol Glory
Identity: Katherine McGraham, status: alive
Age 93(appears ~60)
Strength: 6
Damage: 6
Durability: 13
Mobility: 7
Intellect: 0
Perception: 0
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 1
Telekinetic radiance allowing for flight and projectiles. Also creates telekinetic barriers and has enhanced personal strength through telekinesis. While not using her abilities she appears as a normal 93 year old woman with no exceptional traits. While using her abilities she appears roughly 30 years younger, at the time of her gaining extra-normal abilities she was 63 but appeared roughly 30 while using them, theorized to have a somewhat boosted lifespan due to this, but no way to verify. Her normal form appears to age at a constant rate, but her alternate form appears to only age while in use.
She was a volunteer nurse's aide through WWII and a Field Nurse during the Korean War and the Vietnam War until 1966. Her husband was KIA in 1953, she never remarried. She continued work as a nurse until 1989 when she retired. In 1991 she became Sol Glory during the 1st Fall and has been working as an extra-normal leader and peace activist since. Part of both the Bureau of Powers and Global extra-normal Service. Widely considered the strongest extra-normal in the world for her performance during the 1st Fall in particular, but she has been a pivotal person in all 3 Fall events and many others. Criticized Legend's forceful approach towards peace talks. Overjoyed that Myth should be able to take her place when the time comes. - Red Force
-
Name: Red Force
Identity (secret), status: alive
age 54(appears ~25)
Strength: 10
Damage: 0
Durability: 10
Mobility: 9
Intellect: 0
Perception: 5
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 1
Enhanced vision and hearing; flight; enhanced speed, strength, and durability. Has not visibly aged since gaining extra-normal abilities.
A citizen of Los Angeles during the 1st Fall, he was among those evacuating normals. After Hero imploded the asteroid Red Force punched a great deal of the falling debris into the ocean from above those evacuated and greatly contributed to the 6% survival rate of civilians in the area. Currently working alongside Sol Glory as an extra-normal leader within BOP. A fan favorite alongside Sol Glory and later Myth for his unflinchingly positive attitude and his seemingly perfect control over whatever situation he intervenes in. - Myth
-
Name: Myth
Identity: Angel Yarlown(public), status: alive
Age 24
Strength: 8
Damage: 6
Durability: 15
Mobility: 5
Intellect: 1
Perception: 12
Control: ██ 5
Power: 10
Other: █ 0
Winged flight and telekinetic flight, precognition, telekinetic barriers as well as attacks and environmental manipulation, able to understand all forms of language and be understood regardless of language barriers, can directly enhance the powers of other extra-normal individuals for a duration based on the individual it seems to be more effective and longer lasting on those with stronger powers, █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████. She appears not to know about or consciously be using the ████████████, appears to affect anyone who sees her or an image of her, suspected strong telepathy/empathy but cannot be verified, may be part of the precognition. Can induce a regenerative effect on those near her capable of healing most things.
Myth claims to have been a normal girl until the Third Fall in 2006 when she grew massive white wings reminiscent of a dove's wings. She was able to assist Sol Glory in turning the asteroid away while someone later identified as Legend destroyed it outside of Earth's gravity well. Then 8 year old Angel was the youngest extra-normal person inducted into the GES and BOP. Mind reading shows that she has no memories before the 3rd Fall event when she supposedly gained her powers. No record of her previous identity can be found, her given name of "Angel" is just what she decided to use as it is the first thing she can remember being called(by Sol Glory during the 3rd Fall event). Married to Legend, T Yarlown. Currently stationed in west Africa in anticipation of the 4th Fall, based out of Arcadia. The #2 hero right behind her mentor, Sol Glory. She is a gentle soul who prefers to prevent damage rather than stop an aggressor. - Legend
-
Name: Legend
Identity: T Yarlown(public), status: alive
Age 25
Strength: 16
Damage: 15
Durability: 20
Mobility: 23
Intellect: 9
Perception: 9
Control: 12
Power: 12
Other: 4
Full extent of powers to be determined. Uses dynakineticism to manipulate energy around himself, claims to need to be able to "touch" the energy in order to manipulate it though anecdotal evidence suggests this isn't true. The fastest extra-normal on record, durability rating is impossible to accurately gauge(20 by default for known feats), able to manipulate the environment on a molecular level even when not in direct contact, can manipulate his own appearance and form at will, can amplify energy sources he is "touching" allowing physical strikes on par with warheads(permitted force ██ megatons), perfect awareness of █████████████ area around him(renders mind reading impossible from information overload), appears to be able to copy powers that he sees or "touches" can also entirely suppress powers he "touches" for as long as he chooses(see case file 2003.12.09.119a), theorized that █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ no way to test.
Legend claims to have been the result of a genetic experiment from Dr. Ronald Yarlown, aka Dr. Mutation. When the doctor was found there were notes indicating that to be the case, but the doctor had long since passed under mysterious circumstance and could not verify. Claims to have been present for the 2nd Fall over Shanghai in 2001 which matched Sol Glory's description of the asteroid's destruction that a toddler blasted in from the west and broke her barrier along with vaporizing 90% of the asteroid before disappearing beyond the horizon. Dr. Yarlown's research journals mention the highest level of success from subject T on the same date without further elaboration. Completely vaporized 3rd Fall asteroid outside of earths gravity well alone. Joined GES and BOP shortly after Myth and the 3rd Fall over Kabul in 2006. Those who work with him for long periods report being extremely unnerved by him, Sol Glory and Myth do not report this though this ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████. Sol Glory also feels younger near him. Stationed alongside Sol Glory in Arcadia in light of this. - Baohu
-
Name: Baohu
Identity: (secret), status: alive
Age: 47
Strength: 7
Damage: 0
Durability: 0
Mobility: 0
Intellect: 9
Perception: 2
Control: 9
Power: 0
Other: 0
Fabrication of large scale machinery allows modification of environment and potential for large scale strikes.
Baohu gained his powers shortly before the 2nd Fall and began constructing the largest of all his machines to date, the Protector 001 on the northern edge of his native Shanghai. After a month of construction it was finished just hours before it would catch debris from the destruction of the 2nd Fall's asteroid. He had already joined the GES and had been leaning heavily on them for materials and extra builders. He is credited with the high degree of alertness that the GES was holding in the days before the 2nd Fall and for the the extremely low casualties sustained. He has since constructed other Protector units across the globe in anticipation of other disasters, primarily shield generators to protect against tsunamis. When asked he claims he was sure that he needed to build [unit] 001 right where he did but he can't give any reason beyond that he knew he needed to. Speculation that he has precognitive abilities were laid to rest while he was building [unit] 043 in southern India during the 3rd Fall and did not have any reaction to the event until it was already being broadcast. Refuses to allow mind reading to determine the truth of this. Currently working on [unit] 783 in Arcadia. A very private man and no-nonsense on the job, well-regarded by the public but not well-liked by his peers. - Blue Falcon
-
Name: Blue Falcon
Identity: (secret), status: alive
Age: 26
Strength: 8
Damage: 0
Durability: 8
Mobility: 6
Intellect: 0
Perception: 3
Control: 3
Power: 0
Other: 8
Transforms into a blue energy state that is able to harmlessly deflect most things up to ████████ in weight. While maintaining this form the energy absorbed from deflecting something is stored and able to be released on contact. Small amounts of the energy are able to be carried while not transformed, but it cannot be released. Minor shape-changing as well as release of energy is able to achieve limited flight while transformed.
Blue Falcon Gained his powers in 2010 and rose through the ranks in the GES for his clever use of his powers and natural leadership ability in commanding various other extra-normal comrades in a variety of situations. Field commander of the crisis response units in Arcadia. Well-liked among his subordinates and peers, some in the public feel that he didn't earn the position and question why it didn't go to the far more effective Legend. He says it doesn't bother him, but he is starting to make riskier calls in the field lately. - Luminous
-
Name: Luminous
Identity: (secret)
Age: 25-35
Strength: 0
Damage: 1
Durability: 2
Mobility: 3
Intellect: 0
Perception: 1
Control: 1
Power: 0
Other: 1
Luminous can run around 45MPH with a long jump to match and a high jump around 40 feet. She can also perform various tricks with light, such as illumination, illusions, and lasers; as well as momentary force-fields or structures like ramps or platforms. Can see in the dark.
Luminous joined the BoP in 2016 and has served a supporting role in innumerable operations. She does regular patrols alone due to her enhanced speed, acting as an eye-on-the-ground-scout for slower members. During conflicts she uses hit and run tactics to hamper and distract her targets while alone and switches to a distraction/shield role when she has backup. Works extremely well with Blue Falcon, both deny claims of anything beyond a professional relationship. She hasn't had many interviews in part due to the media perceiving her powers as boring and her lack of any controversy or conflict with her team as hopelessly boring. - Biggle
-
Name: Biggle
Identity: (secret)
Age: 34
Strength: 2-9
Damage: 0
Durability: 2-9
Mobility: 4
Intellect: 0
Perception: 3
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 5
ability to alter own size gaining strength and toughness with increased size or stealth and evasion with decreased size, regeneration, jet pack assisted flight
Biggle puts in overtime as he can be both a scout/spy and a frontline responder to nearly anything. He is a very naturally large man at 6'10" and 320lbs. He prefers being smaller than his natural height since "it saves energy" in his words. He really enjoys working with youth camps and the like in his free time and has said that he would have been a scoutmaster or youth counselor if he'd not been extra-normal. He was often a cause of controversy in his early career by anti extra-normal activists claiming he would seduce kids in his smaller form, despite him starting his career at 13 he looked too large and it took him growing a beard for that scandal to be put to rest. After that, he pushed himself below the radar and tries to avoid media attention as much as possible, even turning down interviews to publicize the charities he's working with. - Cyb-ruiser
-
Name: Cyb-ruiser
Identity: (secret)
Age: 31
Strength: 7
Damage: 0
Durability: 7
Mobility: 4
Intellect: 0
Perception: 5
Control: 0
Power: 4
Other: 2
cybernetic enhancements include: strength, toughness, speed, night vision, and thermal vision. extra-normal abilities include: boost to nearby allies physical capabilities, telepathy, and power sense. Power sense allows her to "see" those that have extra-normal abilities as well as a general grasp on how strong those abilities are and what they are. Certain individuals are able to mask the strength of their abilities, her cybernetics show up as abilities to this sense.
Cyb-ruiser was cyberneticly enhanced by Augmenteer after one of Dorgan's rampages left her at death's door. At the time she'd been training as a field scout due to her natural extra-normal abilities, she has since completed training as a field commander and is 2nd in command of the BoP field teams after Blue Falcon, on paper at least; BF will regularly defer to her judgment of situations and the two consider themselves equals. Has a close working relationship with many of the extra-normals working for BoP. Enjoys a stiff drink but is an extreme light-weight from lacking a liver. - Augmenteer
-
Name: Augmenteer
Identity: secret
Age: 31
Strength: 6
Damage: 0
Durability: 4
Mobility: 5
Intellect: 8
Perception: 3
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 0
perfect memory, physical booster suit, jetpack flight, telepathy
A tech-genius specializing in portable power sources, he laid the groundwork for a technological renaissance for modern convenience, the most impactful being either the replacement of internal combustion engines for automobiles, or powered cybernetics. He is more focused on the cybernetics at the moment; no doubt due to Cyb-ruiser's reliance on them, and him. Currently frustrated at the limits placed on what he is allowed to do with his cybernetics, being constrained to non-combatants and Cyb-ruiser, as anyone else in need of cybernetics is generally handled by a healer or traditional medicine. Works with Baohu and Wild Wire though he doesn't get along with either of them due to Baohu's stubbornness and Wild Wire's condition. - Allacuros
-
Name: Allacuros
Identity: none
Age: unknown
Strength: 7
Damage: 5
Durability: 9
Mobility: 6
Intellect: 6
Perception: 6
Control: 5
Power: 0
Other: 0
enhanced strength, speed, toughness; paralyzing glare; fire breath; can become fire; deep archaic knowledge; command of what appears to be magic; clairvoyance through fire and felines;
Allacuros was raised in a cult and awoke to powers not unlike the chief power in the cult. Whoever he was before is apparently gone and he will not allow telepathic intrusion for fear of "mortal minds." Regardless, he has been a force to be reckoned with since he awoke, originally a rogue working in his cult's own self interest Myth was able to convince him to work with BoP, his cult assimilated into various fields around Arcadia in an effort to stay close to him. He stands at a massive 8'9" and 636lbs. He appears as a humanoid feline, with a mane of fire and dark gray fur with black stripes and glowing orange eyes with the elliptical pupil common to cats. His hands and feet are all massive clawed appendages that he can use to great effect, though they still have all the finesse and dexterity as a normal hand. He does not clothe his upper half, letting his fur deal with the elements, and unwittingly increasing his popularity online and strengthening his cult.
- Dorgan
-
Name: Dorgan
Identity: Calvin Bakers
Age: 42
Strength: 8
Damage: 0
Durability: 11
Mobility: 6
Intellect: 0
Perception: 4
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 0
enhanced strength, speed, toughness, and perception; flight, regeneration
Dorgan claims to be an ancient god using Calvin to fully break his seal and manifest fully. Calvin has turned himself in numerous times following a crime spree by Dorgan, but inevitably Dorgan resurfaces and escapes by unknown means. Calvin appears as a pudgy but otherwise average middle-aged man in middle management; Dorgan is a hulking 9ft monstrosity with a scaleless snake face, a 300lb muscular right arm, a pair of leathery wings in place of his left arm, and hundreds of writhing blue tentacles in places of legs. Calvin doesn't know what caused Dorgan to appear nor what triggers either of them to switch to the other one. Dorgan claims he can only manifest for so long until he breaks his seal, though he once rampaged for 3 weeks in 1998, ending only when Red Force and Sol Glory had corned him. He fled by ripping his own head off and throwing it past the two and into the dark of night. - Burninator
-
Name: Burninator
Identity: unknown
Age: unknown
Strength: 0
Damage: 8
Durability: 7
Mobility: 2-9
Intellect: 0
Perception: 0
Control: 4
Power: 0
Other: 0
control of fire, fires projectiles capable of burning through most material, can also create fire bombs that explode with variable force capable of stunning an average person or blowing a vault door through a reinforced wall, generates a force field capable of deflecting energy-based attacks and incinerating normal projectiles, capable of becoming fire and teleporting through flames
Burninator has made it a habit to rob banks and cash-based businesses, he typically leaves a fire somewhere else to make a getaway and is usually unable to act on the rare rainy days Arcadia sees. He rarely injures bystanders and non-extra-normal responders preferring to threaten and frighten them instead. He does not share such kindness with his fellow extra-normals culminating in the death of the hero Lunar Rabbit in 2009. Legend was able to follow his movements but was forced to give up the chase when a gas line under the city was ruptured. A subsequent chase in 2011 saw Legend banned from chasing Burninator after the criminal went out of his way to set gas stations on fire in a bid to escape, leading to 23 dead and hundreds injured. Burninator does immediately flee if Legend or Blue Falcon arrive, but any other BOP/GES member responding is met with fierce resistance before he will flee. - Golem
-
Name: Golem
Identity: Clifford Rocky Landstorm(public)
Age: 29
Strength: 6
Damage: 0
Durability: 7
Mobility: 4(10)
Intellect: 0
Perception: 0
Control: 5
Power: 0
Other: 0
Enhanced strength, endurance and toughness; regeneration if allowed to draw in appropriate materials from the surroundings; able to travel through earth and stone at roughly 15MPH indefinitely, this may or may not leave tunnels at his discretion; no need for food, water, air or sleep; can generate localized earthquakes to great effect on structures; able to leap out of earth and stone up to 45ft vertically; containment procedures follow 2B for energy state extra-normals, NOT 2A for hyper-strength extra-normals
Golem is a mercenary based in Arcadia though he has been seen working as far away as Australia. He appears to be a sentient collection of stone arranged into an approximation of a man. He has been captured numerous times but has escaped due to various factors, but primarily his ability to merge into most solid materials that are strong enough to withstand his strikes. He has been able to pull off numerous prison breaks for other high-profile extra-normal criminals. - Geist
-
Name: Geist
Identity: unknown
Age: unknown
Strength: 3
Damage: 7
Durability: 6
Mobility: 6
Intellect: 0
Perception: 9
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 2
perfect memory, telepathy, psionic attacks, telekinetic control of weapons, psychic invisibility, telekinteic force-field, short-range teleportation
Geist made themself known in 2020 during a confrontation caught on film between themself and Red Force wherein they were using their telekinesis to pin Red Force down protecting a disabled city bus full of bystanders. Witnesses and Red Force claimed the weapons were moving on their own, but cell phone video showed what appeared to be a ninja directing the weapons with complex hand motions. An anonymous social media post featuring a new image of the supposed ninja said "call me Geist, like poltergeist. but that sh!t toooo long lol" after the news showed the video. They appear to be connected to a group of other similarly stealthy extra-normals and have been known to frequent a particular area of town as part of a gang, but no other information can be gleaned about them at this time.
Powers and abilities can be loosely categorized into the following labels. The system in power uses a rising numerical scale where 0 is an average human and 10 represents a power that requires a team of multiple extra-normals to handle. 5 represents a power that a team of well-trained normal people or a single trained extra-normal person should be able to handle. Negative values are possible, but rare. If the character has a power that would cover multiple of these categories then they gain appropriate ranks in all those categories, and if they have multiple powers that affect the same category they are scored with the higher value.
Strength - ability to lift/throw weight or strike with force.(hyper fast punches, electrically charged kicks, etc.)
Damage - ability to deal damage through means other than strength.(telekinesis, laser gun, etc.)
Durability - ability to resist or recover from damage.(healing, force field, etc.)
Mobility - speed or other movement based powers(teleportation, flame assisted flight, etc)
Intellect - ability to think and process data.(build robots, unravel a mystery, etc.)
Perception - ability to gather information.(precognitive abilities, x-ray vision, etc.)
Control - ability to control the environment or others(earthquakes, zombie army, etc.)
Power - ability to interact directly with powers(nullification, copying, etc.)
Other - abilities that don't fit into any other category(invisibility, shapeshifting, etc.)
You can put as many or as few points as you please to fit the character concept you want, the ranks are only there for cases where a direct competition may happen in which case the ranks and situation will determine the winner(s). The ranks don't stop at 10, but ranks higher than 10 are rare and often come with problems. Superman's strength/durability would be around 12 on this scale and his problem would be a growing detachment from those around him and an inability to grow close to anyone after a certain point. A common belief is that those with higher ranks tend to become villains faster, a thought that is quickly contradicted with the top heroes, countered by them clearly being exceptions rather than the norm. The only thing that is agreed upon is that higher ranks are problematic for the individual.
After the category rankings will be a quick rundown of the power(s) and any backstory you want to share out of character before the story, or anything that would be common knowledge about the character if they are famous/infamous. Some of the NPCs will have sections blanked out or redacted as their files are public knowledge but many of them aren't fully available. Template follows.
Name:
Identity:
Age:
Strength: 0
Damage: 0
Durability: 0
Mobility: 0
Intellect: 0
Perception: 0
Control: 0
Power: 0
Other: 0
[Description of powers]
[Background information]
You have a blank check on what your characters can be or do and what there is or isn't in the city unless something has already been established by someone else.
Last edited: