Welcome to TiddlyWiki created by Jeremy Ruston, Copyright © 2007 UnaMesa Association
''Ingredients:''
* 4 strips bacon, coarse chopped
* 1 medium onion, coarse chopped
* 8 oz red potato, coarse chopped
* 2 ears corn, kernels removed
* 1 Poblano or Anaheim chili pepper, deveined and seeded, coarse chopped
* 14 oz chicken broth
* 2 large thyme sprigs (At least 3" long)
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
''Production:''
* Place the bacon in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until light brown.
* Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings.
* Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion just begins to soften.
* Add the potato, corn kernels, and chili pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring continually.
* Add the chicken broth and cover. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.
* Add the thyme and salt, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
* Increase the heat to medium, stir in the cream, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
* Remove the thyme sprigs and serve with crusty bread.
All written material presented in //''Black Hats And White Capes!''// is copyright (C) by Jack V. Butler, Jr. unless otherwise specifically noted.
All artwork presented here is copyright (C) by Storn Cook unless otherwise specifically noted. Artwork is used here with permission from the artist.
In this exciting issue of //''Black Hats And White Capes!''//
*[[The Global Guardians Campaign]]
*[[Who's Who In The Butlerverse: Achilles]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "The Chinese Breeding Program"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "The Damocles Directive"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "The Delta Clipper"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "The Delethai"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "Dopplegangers"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "Excalibur"]]
*[[Encyclopedia Entry: "The Flower Lady"]]
*[[Time Capsule: Exact Date Unknown]]
[[Welcome, Hero!]]
[[Current Issue]]
With the establishment of proof of the alternate timeline theory, and the physical existence of persons from those alternate timelines, the word "doppelganger" has come to mean a person from an alternate timeline who has a counterpart in this dimension. Often, a person is unaware that his doppelganger has arrived from another dimension. The doppelganger's life story is usually identical, or at least closely similar, to the "original" person.
''Excalibur'' (real name Brian Lewis, June 9 1939 to November 4, 2001) was the original leader of the Global Guardians. Excalibur's powers stemmed from an enchanted suit of armor and a magical sword he claimed was Excalibur, King Arthur's legendary sword. He served as the leader of the Guardians from their initial inception in 1962 until 1970, and was succeeded in command by Apollo. After retirement he returned to his home in Bristol, England to spend more time with his children. Excalibur was 62 when he died of a heart attack in 2001.
In 1995, the United Nations uncovered evidence that the People's Republic of China had, for the previous 24 years, been following a program of breeding together metagene-positives. The ultimate goal of this program was to create a virtual army of superhumans, all trained and answerable to the Chinese government. The subjects of the program were bred together using the same processes by which dog or horse breeders improve their stock. The ultimate success rate of this program is unknown, but it is suspected that it wasn't as high as the Chinese government expected. Tales of unknown superhumans rampaging through small Chinese villages and of unexpected military purges have been escaping China since 1976.
All attempts to sanction the Chinese government were vetoed by various members of the UN Security Council.
The Damocles Directive was created by executive order by Ronald Reagan in the aftermath of the Xorn Invasion. The Directive authorized the recruitment of "specialized agents" on a temporary basis for the purpose of undertaking missions and activities that could not be openly performed by regular agents of the government, and that could never be acknowledged by the government either.
The "specialized agents" in question were imprisoned superhumans, who were given the option of performing a task on behalf of the government in exchange for their freedom or, in the case of death-row inmates, commutation of their sentences to life without parole. Control over the prisoners is maintained through use of the infamous Deathlok device.
The Delethai (pronounced "deh-let-hi") on Earth are one species of former slaves brought to earth by the Xorn during their invasion of 1984, and who were freed or had escaped during the war. The Delethai are seen as "gentle giants", being generally very powerful in body but also quiet and philosophical in attitude. The Xorn used them as heavy labor: porters, diggers, miners, loggers. Whenever some job required enormous strength, the Delethai were tasked to accomplish it. All Xorn medium to large ground expeditions had at least one Delethai slave.
Over twice the mass of Earth with a surface gravity of 1.8 G, Zh'koi (the Delethai homeworld) has six continents with a wide variety of climates. Its surface is only fifty percent water, making it a relatively dry world, though the Delethai do well with what they have. Because of a relatively low occurrence of asteroid activity (approximately 2 order of magnitudes less than that of Earth) and a relatively higher temperature range, biological gigantism on Zh'koi has developed.
When the Xorn invaded their homeworld, the Delethai were an agrarian society on the cusp of industrialization similar to that of Earth in the mid-1800s. The combination of a large technology gap and a generally pacifist population made the conquest fairly simple.
While their massive physical strength might make them highly sought as warriors, all but the most vicious Delethai would rather meditate through a problem than fight. The Delethai are a quiet, contemplative people with a strong tradition and rich history of art, music, poetry, philosophy, and other artistic endeavors. While these are their most passionate pursuits, Delethai have also produced highly noteworthy botanists, criminalists, linguists, psychologists, and research physicians, among others. Most Delethai observe one of six major religions, all of which are peaceful and contemplative in their philosophies. There were a few violent sects and cults, but they were quickly destroyed by the Xorn.
Though roughly humanoid in general appearance, the Delethai are large despite being heavy-worlders, standing ten feet on average with extremely stocky builds. Their general appearance is like that of Humans, except for the heads; their noses and ears have a rugged, fleshy look to them, and their foreheads are adorned with three bony knobs. These knobs, originally evolved as a means for the brain to dissipate heat. However, the knobs later evolved further into both sexual displays for courtship as well as weapons for both defense and for courtship battles.
On Earth, there are mixed feelings about the Delethai. Some humans fear the large, powerful beings, while others find them to be friendly and hard workers. Still others admire them for their artistic and thoughtful nature. At times they have tried to spread their religions to earthlings, with varying levels of success.
The Delethai have six different primary languages each of which has many dialects tend to adopt the language of wherever they reside. Because of this diversity, Delethai on Earth tend to use English as it is globally the most widespread language.
The Delta Clipper is the common name of the Doherty SSTO Orbital Transport shuttle. Constructed and operated for a fraction of the cost of the original space shuttle model, the Delta Clipper is now the workhorse of the US Space Program.
''The Flower Lady'' (real name Roseanne <nowiki>DiTillo</nowiki>, December 6, 1908 to October 10, 1995) was a frequent guest on //Late Night With David Letterman// (and then on //The Late Show With David Letterman// when the comedian/talk-show host moved to CBS). She was a low-powered superhuman who could create sprays of whatever flower petals she wished (even mixed sprays made from the petals of multiple flower types) out of thin air.
The Flower Lady and her family (three children and eleven grandchildren; her husband predeceased her) was featured in the August 1995 issue of //People// magazine, only two months before her death (from natural causes). She had a small but loyal fan base that remains active to this day.
[[Credits]]
[[Current Issue]]
[[What Is The Butlerverse?]]
<!--{{{-->
<div class='header' macro='gradient vert [[ColorPalette::PrimaryLight]] [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]]'>
<div class='headerShadow'>
<span class='siteTitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteTitle'></span>
<span class='siteSubtitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteSubtitle'></span>
</div>
<div class='headerForeground'>
<span class='siteTitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteTitle'></span>
<span class='siteSubtitle' refresh='content' tiddler='SiteSubtitle'></span>
</div>
</div>
<!-- horizontal MainMenu -->
<div id='topMenu' refresh='content' tiddler='MainMenu'></div>
<!-- original MainMenu menu -->
<!-- <div id='mainMenu' refresh='content' tiddler='MainMenu'></div> -->
<div id='sidebar'>
<div id='sidebarOptions' refresh='content' tiddler='SideBarOptions'></div>
<div id='sidebarTabs' refresh='content' force='true' tiddler='SideBarTabs'></div>
</div>
<div id='displayArea'>
<div id='messageArea'></div>
<div id='tiddlerDisplay'></div>
</div>
<!--}}}-->
A Champions APA for the Clobberin Times! by Jack Butler
Black Hats And White Capes!
/*{{{*/
/* a contrasting background so I can see where one tiddler ends and the other begins */
body {
background: [[ColorPalette::TertiaryLight]];
}
/* sexy colours and font for the header */
.headerForeground {
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];
}
.headerShadow, .headerShadow a {
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];
}
.headerForeground, .headerShadow {
padding: 1em 1em 0;
font-family: 'Trebuchet MS' sans-serif;
font-weight:bold;
}
.headerForeground .siteSubtitle {
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryLight]];
}
.headerShadow .siteSubtitle {
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];
}
/* make shadow go and down right instead of up and left */
.headerShadow {
left: 1px;
top: 1px;
}
/* prefer monospace for editing */
.editor textarea {
font-family: 'Consolas' monospace;
}
/* sexy tiddler titles */
.title {
font-size: 250%;
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryLight]];
font-family: 'Trebuchet MS' sans-serif;
}
/* more subtle tiddler subtitle */
.subtitle {
padding:0px;
margin:0px;
padding-left:0.5em;
font-size: 90%;
color: [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];
}
.subtitle .tiddlyLink {
color: [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]];
}
/* a little bit of extra whitespace */
.viewer {
padding-bottom:3px;
}
/* don't want any background color for headings */
h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {
background: [[ColorPalette::Background]];
color: [[ColorPalette::Foreground]];
}
/* give tiddlers 3d style border and explicit background */
.tiddler {
background: [[ColorPalette::Background]];
border-right: 2px [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]] solid;
border-bottom: 2px [[ColorPalette::TertiaryMid]] solid;
margin-bottom: 1em;
padding-bottom: 2em;
}
/* make options slider look nicer */
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel {
border:solid 1px [[ColorPalette::PrimaryLight]];
}
/* the borders look wrong with the body background */
#sidebar .button {
border-style: none;
}
/* displays the list of a tiddler's tags horizontally. used in ViewTemplate */
.tagglyTagged li.listTitle {
display:none
}
.tagglyTagged li {
display: inline; font-size:90%;
}
.tagglyTagged ul {
margin:0px; padding:0px;
}
/* this means you can put line breaks in SidebarOptions for readability */
#sidebarOptions br {
display:none;
}
/* undo the above in OptionsPanel */
#sidebarOptions .sliderPanel br {
display:inline;
}
/* horizontal main menu stuff */
#displayArea {
margin: 1em 15.7em 0em 1em; /* use the freed up space */
}
#topMenu br {
display: none;
}
#topMenu {
background: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryMid]];
color:[[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];
}
#topMenu {
padding:2px;
}
#topMenu .button, #topMenu .tiddlyLink, #topMenu a {
margin-left: 0.5em;
margin-right: 0.5em;
padding-left: 3px;
padding-right: 3px;
color: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryPale]];
font-size: 115%;
}
#topMenu .button:hover, #topMenu .tiddlyLink:hover {
background: [[ColorPalette::PrimaryDark]];
}
/* make it print a little cleaner */
@media print {
#topMenu {
display: none ! important;
}
/* not sure if we need all the importants */
.tiddler {
border-style: none ! important;
margin:0px ! important;
padding:0px ! important;
padding-bottom:2em ! important;
}
.tagglyTagging .button, .tagglyTagging .hidebutton {
display: none ! important;
}
.headerShadow {
visibility: hidden ! important;
}
.tagglyTagged .quickopentag, .tagged .quickopentag {
border-style: none ! important;
}
.quickopentag a.button, .miniTag {
display: none ! important;
}
}
/*}}}*/
''GM:'' Jack Butler
The Global Guardians campaign was a high-powered PBEM campaign featuring the adventures of the Earth's premiere hero team. The player characters were the cream of the crop of the superhero world. There were a succession of players in the campaign, more coming in and older players dropped out. In addition, the players themselves retired old characters and brought in new ones on a regular basis.
''Team Members:'' Achilles, Aurora, Avro, Bandit, Barrier, Bungie, The Court Jester, Diamond, Doctor Archeville, Guardsman, Gunmetal, Los Hermanos, Menagerie, Samsonite, Slave, Stone, Tachyon, Turbine, Vindicator, Warlock, and Wave Rider.
''The Story So Far:'' In the wake of the Cuban missile crisis, the United Nations Security Council unanimously decided that the world had come far to close to global thermonuclear war, and that it was the duty of the United Nations to do something about it. The Security Council authorized the creation of two special enforcement bodies: Checkmate and the Global Guardians.
Local Relations: The Global Guardians are respected by nearly every law enforcement body on the planet as an effective team of crime-fighters. There are occasionally hard feelings regarding the Guardians mandate to fight crime everywhere, regardless of jurisdiction, but in general full cooperation is given by the national and local governments.
* ''Importance of the Player Characters:'' Very important. Not only are these characters fighting world-threatening villains, non-combat character development and interaction will be a major part of the game. Players should expect to have several turns be nothing but their characters talking to each other and living/working together in non-combat scenarios. It should be noted that not all scenarios will include all of the Player Characters at the same time, and sometimes multiple scenarios will be playing out with multiple groups of players simultaneously. The characters will not exactly find themselves saving the world every other adventure, but their successes will always mean the world to somebody, no matter how insignificant they might seem.
* ''World Description:'' The Butlerverse is a four-color comic book world full of larger than life characters. Technology is more advanced that the real world, and magic is real. Aliens and creatures of legend roam the earth.
* ''Morality:'' Global Guardians is stereotypical four-color campaign, and for the most part the morality of the campaign will be four-color as well. However, there will be some crossover between good and evil, and thing will not always be black and white. Characters will find themselves making difficult decisions, but should always try to be good guys.
* ''Realism:'' Strong. Action sequences will be cinematic and descriptive. Characters won't die unless they take excessive risks or are going out in a blaze of glory. How you role-play the character will do a great deal to determine the realism of the game, so please put some soul into your characters. Try to make your descriptions as detailed as possible.
* ''Outlook:'' While the outlook will be mostly positive, there will be many dark moments and many challenges outside of combat. The characters will start out as "the greatest heroes on Earth". It will be up to them to remain that way.
* ''Seriousness:'' While the overall tone of the campaign will be very serious, there will be time for a certain amount of light hearted banter, or comic relief. The heroes will be the world's best defense against the direst of situations. This does not mean that there is no room for humor. Witty repartee, creative use of powers, and the way you play should provide plenty of humor in the midst of even the direst situation.
* ''Continuity:'' The game will be entirely serial. Player actions in one scenario will have effects on later scenarios and continuity will be enforced. Adventures will move linearly through time. Bad guys will remember who you are and what you did to them, and the press will print your exploits for the world to see.
Powers taken by the player characters had an active cap of 75 points (Variable Point Pools were excepted as long as none of the powers available in that pool exceeded the cap). However, each character was allowed a single power that could be built on up to 90 active points. Each power so taken was unique to the individual character. (For example, if someone took 90 active points of Energy Blast, no other character was permitted to take 90 points of Energy Blast.) Not all the players availed themselves of this opportunity, but most did.
''Exact Year Unknown:'' The previous incarnation of the Universe collapses into a single point singularity. It remains in that state for an unknown and immeasurable amount of time.
''Circa 15,000,000,000 BCE:''
* The "primal egg", the single point singularity composed of all matter in the universe, explodes in an event that will eventually be called the "Big Bang" by scientists on Earth.
* Matter coalesces out of the expanding energy wave of the Big Bang.
''Circa 12,000,000,000 BCE:''
* The Milky Way Galaxy forms.
* The individual who later refers to himself as U'tua the Gardener, comes into being. U'tua is the first sentient being in the galaxy. Shortly after coming into being, U'tua begins his search for other sentient beings.
* Within a few million years of each other, the H'ch'wee, Lada, Essver, Il'th'm, P!k, Mmesti, Krang, and the Pua (referred to by later species as the Progenitor Races) species evolve, build technological societies, discover space flight, and begin to explore the Milky Way Galaxy. They are the first sentient species to inhabit the galaxy.
* The Lada Civil War begins. Lasting for 20 years, the war destroys almost every Lada colony as the species annihilates itself in a blaze of thermonuclear destruction. Only a few thousand Lada survive, and within three centuries of the War, all of the descendents of the survivors are dead themselves. The entire lifespan of the species is two hundred thousand years.
* U'tua the Gardener brings the representatives of the remaining Progenitor Races to a meeting on a planet near the Galactic core. Noting that in the billions of years since the rise to civilization of the Pua (the youngest of the Progenitor Races), no other sentient races have evolved, U'tua proposes a plan to spread the seeds of intelligent life across the Galaxy.
* The P!k begin traveling the galaxy in "gardening ships". When they find a planet with life, they experiment on likely species in an effort to foster the eventual evolution of a sentient species.
''Circa 8,000,000,000 BCE:'' The Pua complete the galaxy wide network of hyperspatial 'corridors' that will one day be referred to as 'the tramway'. This network of artificial wormholes allows starships to travel nearly anywhere in the Galaxy. After the Pua retreat from the Galaxy two million years later, the tramway will continue to be used by several other races.
''Circa 4,600,000,000 BCE:''
* Sol, the star that will one day be known by people on earth as "the Sun", ignites, beginning the formation of the Terran solar system.
* Almost a billion years after its sun ignites, the planet Earth forms from masses of gas, dust, and rock.
* A large body, most likely a planetoid left over from the formation of the planets, strikes the earth causing a massive amount of rock and dust to enter orbit. Most of the rock and dust falls back to earth, but a small portion of it remains in orbit. This small portion eventually aggregates into the Moon.
''Circa 2,000,000,000 BCE:''
* A civilization of technologically proficient beings calling themselves the /thr arises on Earth. The civilization builds floating cities in Earth's primordial oceans, and begins to send mechanical probes into the atmosphere, and then into outer space.
* A Chirpsthritha trading ship discovers and trades with the ocean-born civilization on Earth.
* Stromatolites (blue-green algae) evolve on the surface of Earth's oceans. These photosynthetic, single-celled plants produce oxygen as a waste product. Within twelve thousand years, this algae can be found in all parts of the ocean, spilling tons of oxygen into the atmosphere every year. This oxygen begins to oxidize the iron content dissolved in Earth's oceans, a phenomena which prevents the build-up of toxic levels of oxygen.
* Iron in Earth's oceans is depleted, beginning the build-up of oxygen in the atmosphere. Oxygen is poisonous to nearly every species of life on earth at this point. A global catastrophe begins which results in the extinction of nearly all anaerobic life on Earth.
* The Chirpsthritha rescue the last ninety thousand /thr from Earth, taking them to another planet. Unfortunately, differences in biorhythm cycles cause the /thr to go extinct. On Earth, the last of the floating /thr cities falls prey to oxidization, breaks up, and sinks to the bottom.
* Except in certain unusual environments, such as in the methane-rich brine pools found at the bottom of the ocean, at deep-ocean geothermal vents, in land-bound geysers on the surface, and deep within the crust of the planet, the Earth has been scoured of anaerobic life. Species capable of processing oxygen begin to spread across the planet.
''Circa 650,000,000 BCE:''
* Complex lifeforms capable of processing oxygen and begin to spread across the planet.
* Trilobites arise on Earth.
* Earth's first super-continent, called Rodina by modern geologists, begins to break up into individual continents.
* Coral reefs appear for the first time and spread throughout coastal areas.
''Circa 543,000,000 BCE:'' Exact Date Unknown: The "Cambrian explosion" begins. Ninety percent of the animal phyla present on modern-day earth appear. Animal life spreads rapidly, filling every corner of the planet.
''Circa 490,000,000 BCE:''
* Earth's landmasses reconstitute into the supercontinent called Pangea by modern geologists.
* Squid and octopi arise on the Earth.
''Circa 417,000,000 BCE:'' The first true fish appear on Earth and spread to all aquatic areas (fresh and oceanic) on the planet within only a few hundred thousand years.
''Circa 395,000,000 BCE:''
* Plants and animals begin to colonize Earth's landmasses.
* Insects and arachnids arise on Earth.
''Circa 248,000,000 BCE:'' The first known "Great Extinction" occurs, wiping out 90% of all animal and plant species on the Earth. The cause for this extinction is unknown.
''Circa 245,000,000 BCE:''
* Modern gymnospermic plants, such as pine and fir trees, arise on the Earth.
* The earliest types of true dinosaurs arise on the Earth.
* The earliest types of true mammals arise on the Earth.
''Circa 210,000,000 BCE:'' Dinosaurs reach their greatest diversity, populating not only the land mass where they arose but the oceans and even the air.
''Circa 208,000,000 BCE:'' The single great landmass on the Earth begins to disperse into what eventually will become the planet's modern continents.
''Circa 65,000,000 BCE:'' A nickel-iron asteroid 8.23 kilometers in diameter strikes the Earth near what will be called the Yucatan Peninsula. Enough dirt and ash is thrown into the upper atmosphere to block 75% of all sunlight reaching the surface, triggering the extinction of the dinosaurs and the end of the Mesozoic Era.
''Circa 62,000,000 BCE:''
* The first of the terror-bird species, Gastornis, arises on Earth.
* Mammals spread rapidly across the earth, becoming the dominant land animals.
''Circa 5,000,000 BCE:''
* Ardipithicus ramidus, the last ancestor that apes and humans have in common, arises on Earth.
* A P!k "gardening ship" lands on Earth and begins experimenting with a handful of Terran species, including species in the Ardipithicus, Canis, Elephas, Maximas, and Ursus genuses. Their efforts eventually concentrate on Ardpithicus, with the intention of giving the species a boost on the path to eventually evolving into a sentient species.
* Australopithicus afarensus appears in Africa, marking a divergence between the species that will eventually become humans and the species that will eventually become the great apes.
''Circa 3,000,000 BCE:''
* Taa, a member of the Zilliphi species, is recruited by the Elder Being known as U'tua the Gardener and becomes the first Guardsman in the Milky Way Galaxy.
* After building the Guardsman into a force of over two hundred thousand individual members, U'tua the Gardener retreats from the Milky Galaxy.
''Circa 2,300,000 BCE:''
* Homo erectus ("upright man") arises on earth. This is the first species of hominid that can be said to be recognizably human.
* The Chirpsthritha become extinct as a species.
''Circa 1,000,000 BCE:''
* Many of the plant and animal species present on modern Earth appear.
* Homo habilis ("handy man") arises on Earth. Unlike previous human species, Homo habilis is a toolmaker, a trait which speeds up the evolution of future human species.
''Circa 350,000 BCE:'' Exact Date Unknown: Homo neanderthalensis ("man of the Neander valley", named after the place in Germany where their fossils were first found) arises on Earth.
''Circa 200,000 BCE:''
* Homo sapiens ("thinking man", or modern man) arises on Earth. The original group of true Homo sapiens is a single tribe in south-western Africa. Eventually, the descendents of this tribe will spread out to conquer the entire globe.
* Homo habilis becomes extinct as a species.
''Circa 50,000 BCE:'' Shem, the first true city on Earth, is founded almost precisely on the site that would later be present-day Damascus.
''Circa 37,000 BCE:''
* The Empire of the Sun, which would later become the basis for the legends of Lemuria, is founded by the Warlord-Sorcerer Harrnidak on a large volcanic island in the Southern Pacific.
* Lemurian sorcerers begin using their magic to prevent the constant earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that threaten the Empire of the Sun. The spells do not stop the seismic activity, but merely suspend it indefinitely, a fact which will come back to haunt the Lemurians later.
''Circa 27,000 BCE:''
* The last "pure" Homo neanderthalensis dies. The species thus becomes effectively extinct, having been assimilated into the Homo sapiens species through interbreeding.
* Modern Tautiq arise on the fourth planet in the 20 Leo Minoris system.
''Circa 24,000 BCE:'' As the Earth's mana cycle hits a low point, the spells preventing earthquakes in Lemuria fail, releasing forty thousand years of seismic energy in one afternoon. The Empire of the Sun is swallowed into the depths of the Earth. In the subsequent seismic shifting, the Pacific Ocean flows over the land that once held Lemuria.
''Circa 12,000 BCE:''
* Drawn by the call of a powerful mage, large numbers of magic users and their assorted dependants arrive on the island of Atlantis. Having tired of the continual loss of magical knowledge by mages too afraid to share it, Atlant founds a school of magical learning in the highly magical island. A town quickly springs up around it, forming the basis of Atlantian civilization. Magic progresses as each generation learns from the previous generation and adds to the body of knowledge.
* A Chemoshlosh city ship arrives at earth. After close to a year of careful surveys looking for a place out of the reach of the primitive sentients they find on the planet, the city ship descends, landing in Lake Vostok (in central Antarctica). The Chemoshlosh then begin converting their starship into a colony base.
''9217 BCE:'' Khun Annuk of Atlantis becomes the Earth's first Archmage.
''7000 BCE:'' With magic waning and its defenses weakened, Atlantis is deliberately sunk beneath the ocean waves to protect it from invasion from various barbarian tribes seeking its magical wisdom and power. Various tombs and scrolls from Atlantis remain the main source of mystical learning in fragmented forms. The only other source of mystical power and learning comes from higher (and demonic) powers.
''1500 BCE:'' Giants, dragons, et al that roam the Earth reach their peak population, and heroes such as Jason, Beuwolf etc begin confronting them as human civilization expands. The heroes then kill and mount the magical creatures over various fireplaces, altars, and other locations. They also use the body parts for cures and aids, and in general slaughter and hunt them down beginning a 1800 year slaughter that sends most of the species into extinction or at least a long slow terminal decline that finishes up in the 300 AD.
Welcome to the sixth issue of //''Black Hats And White Capes!''//, currently the online home of the Butlerverse, my homebrew Champions campaign world.
Since the last issue, the entire world has changed, for good and ill... but it's beginning to look like it's going to be more good than ill.
My computer had a total meltdown. The hard drive burned out and burned out hard. As a result, I lost all of the Butlerverse files. Lucky, I had a backup copy. Unfortunately, it wasn't a complete backup copy, and as such my continual posting of the villains attached to TAROT is pretty much as an end, because I lost the entire roster. Until I can get the character files recreated, I'm going to be limited to Encyclopedia Entries and the Timeline, unfortunately.
Christmas was fun... I got to cook for my closest relatives. All 40 of them.
Jared (my seven year old) loves the hamster he got for Christmas. He named it Walnut. Walnut is not your standard Syrian teddy-bear hamster, because all of the pet stores I went to were out of those. Instead, Walnut is something called a European Black Giant Hamster. Imagine a hamster the size of a guinea pig and you've got the right idea. The good thing is, she's friendly, she likes being held and petted, and she's attentive when Jared talks to her. (Well, she waddles over and looks up at him when he does.)
As for Zachary, my seventeen year old, he finished his big gift (Fallout 3 for the [[X-Box 360]]) in about a week, but tells me he's going to go back and replay it because he knows he missed a bunch of stuff.
I got myself a new hard drive for Christmas. Heh.
Now for the sad stuff...
What can I say about my good and dear friend Andy Mathews? I've known him since forever. There's a wide, empty hole in my life where a man who I considered a brother used to be, and I'm still not quite done dealing with it. Time heals all wounds, they say, and I'm sure this one will too, eventually. Andy and I talked constantly. Constantly. We talked about life, and faith in God (something we shared, though he was much more demonstrative about it), and rough childhoods, and barbecue sauce, and fatherhood, and food, and music, and politics, and comic books, and business, and being married, and children, and movies, and parents, and school, and technology, and pretty much everythign else. Andy talked me down from a suicidal period, and talked me into getting help for my bipolar disorder. Its because of him I'm still alive. Its because of him that I can think straight.
So here's to Andy:
//With you a part of me hath passed away;
For in the peopled forest of my mind
A tree made leafless by this wintry wind
Shall never don again its green array.
Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,
Have something of their friendliness resigned;
Another, if I would, I could not find,
And I am grown much older in a day.
But yet I treasure in my memory
Your gift of charity, and young hearts ease,
And the dear honour of your amity;
For these once mine, my life is rich with these.
And I scarce know which part may greater be,--
What I keep of you, or you rob from me.//
-- George Santayana
Anyway, here is another exciting issue of //''Black Hats and White Capes!''// Hope you all enjoy it.
And because you demanded it, antoher recipe: [[Corn Chowder With Chiles]]
The Butlerverse is a roleplaying gameworld used in several different Superhero Roleplaying campaigns over the course of about 24 years. In it's last major incarnation, it was a series of 25 superhero PBEM campaigns all taking place in the same shared world. In all cases, it used the the Hero System, published by Hero Games, as a rules base.
The Butlerverse is a parallel world, quite similar to our own in some ways, and in others very different. The geography is almost identical. Life developed along the same lines. Wars were fought, and nations rose and fell, all like they did in the real world. Historical events and notable individuals are usually identical to those you find in the real world. The biggest difference between the Butlerverse and the real world is the existence of people endowed with powers and abilities far beyond those of common mankind. And their influence is readily apparent.
The Butlerverse is simultaneously as realistic as possible while also as four-color as possible. My aim was to recreate some of the best elements of comic book "reality" in a gameworld while acknowledging that the real world is a pretty neat place as well.
[img[Achilles|http://legendspbem.angelfire.com/achilles.jpg]]
''Achilles'', Leader of the Global Guardians
''Real Name:'' Joshua Wilson
''Archetype:'' Martial Artist
''Hair/Eye Color:'' Brown/Brown
''Height/Weight:'' 6' 6"/235 lbs
''Nationality:'' American
''Date Of Birth:'' 18 August 1975
''Place Of Birth:'' Baltimore, Maryland
''Played By:'' Andy Mathews
''Created By:'' Andy Mathews
''Characteristics''
|!Cost|!CHAR|!Value|!Roll!|!Notes!|
| 20 | ''STR'' | 30 | 15- |''Lift:'' 1600 kg ''Dice:'' 6d6 ''END:'' 3 |
| 60 | ''DEX'' | 30 | 15- |''OCV:'' 10 ''DCV:'' 10 |
| 36 | ''CON'' | 28 | 15- ||
| 10 | ''BODY'' | 15 | 12- ||
| 13 | ''INT'' | 23 | 14- |''PER Roll:'' 14- |
| 16 | ''EGO'' | 18 | 13- |''ECV:'' 6 ''Mental Defense:'' 9 |
| 10 | ''PRE'' | 20 | 13- |''PRE Attack:'' 4d6 |
| 3 | ''COM'' | 16 | 12- ||
| 6 | ''PD'' | 12 ||''rPD:'' 0 |
| 6 | ''ED'' | 12 ||''rED:'' 0 |
| 0 | ''SPD'' | 7 ||''Phases:'' 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 |
| 0 | ''REC'' | 12 ||''Running:'' 9" (18" Noncombat) |
| 0 | ''END'' | 56 ||''Leaping:'' 6" (12" Noncombat) |
| 0 | ''STUN'' | 44 ||''Swimming:'' 2" (4" Noncombat) |
|!180|!CHAR Cost|!|!|!|
''Powers''
|!Cost|!Powers|!END|
| 87 |//''Perfect Training:''// Variable Power Pool (50 Points) - Powers Can Be Changed As A 0-Phase Action (+1), No Skill Roll Required (+1)(125 Active Points); Only Powers On The Following List Or Martial Arts Maneuvers (-1)| N/A |
| (6) |1) //''Awareness of His Surroundings:''// +4 With All Sense Groups (12 Active Points) | 0 |
| (6) |2) //''Calming the Pool:''// Healing 1d6 - Any Characteristic One At a Time (+¼) (12 Active Points) | 1 |
| (8) |3) //''Combat Training:''// +2 With All Combat (16 Active Points) | 0 |
| (4) |4) //''Defensive Roll:''// +5 PD/+5 ED - Costs Endurance to Activate (-¼) | 2 |
| (4) |5) //''Dive For Cover:''// Teleportation 1", Position Shift - Safe Blind Teleport (+¼), Trigger (+¼)(10 Active Points); Only to Where He Normally Could Have Moved (-½) | 1 |
| (4) |6) //''Expert Climber:''// Clinging (10 Active Points) - Costs Endurance (-½), Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼) | 1 |
| (8) |7) //''Expert Lockpick:''// Desolidification (40 Active Points) - Can Only Pass Through Walls Guarded By Locks (-2), Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1) | 4 |
| (10) |8) //''I'm Much More Intimidating Than You Think I Am:''// +20 PRE (20 Active Points) | 0 |
| (9) |9) //''Knowledge Of The Streets:''// Mind Scan 10d6 (50 Active Points) - Only to Achieve a "Location" Effect (-2), Cannot Attack (-1), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼) | 5 |
| (10) |10) //''Leaping And Bounding:''// Leaping +15" (69" forward, 35" upward), Accurate (20 Active Points) | 2 |
| (10) |11) //''Sprinting:''// Running +10" (19" total)(20 Active Points) | 2 |
| (10) |12) //''Stealthy:''// Invisibility to Sight and Hearing Groups (25 Active Points); Requires A Stealth Roll (-½) | 2 |
| (1) |13) //''Superior Lung Capacity I:''// Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per Minute) (2 Active Points) | 0 |
| (1) |14) //''Superior Lung Capacity II:''// Endurance Reserve (10 END, 1 REC) Reserve: (2 Active Points) - Only For Holding His Breath (-1) | 0 |
| (4) |15) //''Swimming:''// Swimming +8" (10" total) (8 Active Points) | 1 |
| (10) |16) //''The Trained Mind Is The Prepared Mind:''// +4 With Intelligence Skills (20 Active Points) | 0 |
| (10) |17) //''Trained Nose:''// Tracking with Smell/Taste Group (10 Active Points) plus Discriminatory with Smell/Taste Group (10 Active Points) | 0 |
| (7) |18) //''Vanishing:''// Teleportation 10" (20 Active Points); Requires A Stealth Roll (-½), Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-¼) | 2 |
| | | |
| | | |
| 15 |//''Combat Reflexes:''// Elemental Control (30 Point Powers) | N/A |
| 9 |1) //''Dodging:''// Energy Damage Reduction 50%, Resistant (30 Active Points) - Must Be Aware Of Incoming Attack And Must Be Able To React (-1/2), <nowiki>Non-Persistent</nowiki> (-1/4) | 0 |
| 9 |2) //''Dodging:''// Physical Damage Reduction 50%, Resistant (30 Active Points) - Must Be Aware Of Incoming Attack And Must Be Able To React (-1/2), <nowiki>Non-Persistent</nowiki> (-1/4) | 0 |
| 9 |3) //''Lightning Reactions:''// SPD +3 (30 Active Points) | 0 |
| | | |
| | | |
| 14 |//''Body Armor:''// Armor (+8 PD/+8 ED) - OIF: Body Armor (-1/2), Activate 15- (-1/4) | 0 |
| 32 |//''Sixth Sense:''// Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees)(32 Active Points) | 0 |
| 6 |//''Sprinter:''// Running +3" (6 Active Points) | 1 |
| 5 |//''Strong Willed:''// Mental Defense 5 Points (5 Active Points) | 0 |
| 5 |//''Strong Willed:''// Power Defense 5 Points (5 Active Points) | 0 |
|!225|!Total Powers Cost |!|
''Skills''
|!Cost|!Skill|
| 5 |+1 DCV |
| 3 |Acrobatics 15- |
| 3 |Analyze Combat 14- |
| 3 |Analyze Superpowers 14- |
| 3 |Breakfall 15- |
| 3 |Computer Programming 14- |
| 3 |Cryptography 14- |
| 10 |Defense Maneuver I-IV |
| 3 |Demolitions 14- |
| 3 |Electronics 14- |
| 0 |!Everyman Skills |
||Acting 8- |
||Area Knowledge: Baltimore, Maryland 11- |
||Climbing 8- |
||Concealment 8- |
||Conversation 8- |
||Deduction 8- |
||Language Skill: English (Native) |
||Paramedic 8- |
||Persuasion 8- |
||Professional Skill: Soldier 11- |
||Shadowing 8- |
||Stealth 8- |
||Transport Familiarity: Small Ground Vehicles |
| 3 |Forgery 14- |
| 3 |!Global Guardians Package |
||Criminology 14- |
||Deduction 14- |
||Knowledge Skill: Known Superhuman Criminals 14- |
||Paramedics 14- |
||Perk: international Police Powers |
||Perk: Team Base Donation |
||Perk: Team Communicator |
||Hunted: TAROT 8- (More Powerful, NCI, Harshly Punish) |
||Monitored: News Agencies Around The World 11- (More Powerful, NCI, Monitoring) |
||Social Limitation: Celebrity (Frequently, Minor) |
| 3 |Interrogation 14- |
| 3 |Inventor 14- |
| 9 |!Linguist |
||Language Skill: Arabic (Basic Conversation) |
||Language Skill; German (Fluent Conversation) |
||Language Skill: Japanese (Fluent Conversation) |
||Language Skill: Russian (Fluent Conversation) |
||Language Skill: Spanish (Fluent Conversation) |
| 3 |Oratory 14- |
| 7 |!Scholar |
||Knowledge Skill: Chess 11- |
||Knowledge Skill: The Criminal World 15- |
||Knowledge Skill: Current Events 14- |
||Knowledge Skill: History of the US Marines 11- |
||Knowledge Skill: The Mercenary/Paramilitary/Terrorist World 11- |
||Knowledge Skill: Military History 11- |
| 3 |Science Skill: Metahuman Physiology 14- |
| 3 |Security Systems 13- |
| 3 |Stealth 15- |
| 3 |Streetwise 14- |
| 3 |Systems Operation 14- |
| 3 |Tactics 14- |
|!99|!Total Skills Cost |
''Disadvantages''
|!350+|!Disadvantages|
| 20 |Hunted: Lord Doom 8 - (More Powerful, NCI, Harshly Punish) |
| 10 |Hunted: Sigfried 8- (As Powerful, Harshly Punish) |
| 15 |Physical Limitation: Fated To Either Redeem His Father Or Replace Him (Infrequently, Total) |
| 15 |Physical Limitation: Weird Biochemistry Requires Special Medical Care (Frequently, Greatly) |
| 20 |Psychological Limitation: Devoted To Justice (Common, Total) |
| 15 |Psychological Limitation: Doesn't Scare Easily (Uncommon, Total) |
| 20 |Psychological Limitation: Will Not Kill (Common, Total) |
| 15 |Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Joshua Wilson) (Frequently, Major) |
''Character Cost Summary''
|!Characteristics Cost: | 180 |!Base Points: | 350 |
|!Powers Cost: | 225 |!Total Disadvantage Points: | 150 |
|!Martial Arts Cost: | 0 |!Total Experience Points Earned: | 29 |
|!Skills Cost: | 99 |!Experience Points Spent: | 4 |
|!Talents Cost: | 0 |!Experience Points Unspent: | 25 |
|!Perquisites Cost: | 0 |!Total Points: | 504 |
|!Total Cost: | 504 |||
''Background:'' //''Twelve Years Ago. The Virginia Military Institute.''//
"Yes. I received the application. I’m not sure he’s VMI material." The General said to the voice on the other end of the line.
"General Minnick, I understand your … hesitation. But, Joshua Wilson is special. Have you seen his test scores? He’s off the charts. All boys get into trouble when they are young – Joshua had a troubled youth. I think he’s ready to turn over a new leaf." The lawyer replied.
"Troubled youth!" The General said with incredulity. "He has two convictions for assault; and one for grand-theft auto. It was only because he was 14 at the time that he did not go to the state pen." The General held in his hand sealed state records for Joshua Henry Wilson. The records were sent to him by the lawyer on the phone. Youth records were sealed by court order and should have been destroyed when this boy reached sixteen. Still, he had them in his hands. Minnick had never doubted the power of the man he was indebted to – but he had always assumed that it was personal power – not political power. He had underestimated this man. Still, why all this effort for some hoodlum from Boston?
"General, that is in the past. He needs your school now – make him into a better man. But either way, this is the way that it has to be." The line was silent for a moment.
"This… this is what it costs?" The General asked. "I’ve worked all my career for a position like this – and now, you’re requiring this of me? Why! I must know why."
"General, when you needed the help of my employer – he helped you. Period. No questions. When you needed your ‘allies’ dealt with – that was handled as well. And now, my employer needs you."
General Norman Minnick’s mind returned to the jungles of Vietnam and his deal with the devil. Norman Minnick had received a rare gift – a second chance with one only string attached. Once — he had been part of a drug ring run from Vietnam. Now — he was out of it. He had just walked away – with the help of one man. Only the arms dealer who had helped him kill his partners (American and Vietnamese) knew the truth about him. His wife and his sons knew him only as an honorable, career military man who had taken his retirement in the Virginia mountains as Commandant of one of the most prestigious private military academies in the world. "Fine … I’ll take him. But if he washes out … no special treatment." The General capitulated.
"No General, he needs special treatment. He’s to be given every harsh assignment and menial task you have. Then, you will expect him to excel at every class and combat simulation you throw at him. He’s to be given no quarter – no mercy. The only thing you need to give him is a special series of vitamins and shots."
"That’s what you want? And then, we’re even? Fine. But, he won’t last under that – he won’t last a week. What’s your game here?"
"My game is none of your business. Still, I will make a wager with you. If he washes out before the end of his second year, I’ll give you $500,000. If he makes it, I’ll send tapes of what you did to those 12-year old girls in Saigon to your wife, your sons and several of your old army pals." The lawyer waited for a moment before continuing. "One rule – you cannot harm him or order that he be harmed in any way. If anything untoward happens to him before year’s end – well, you know who I work for. It will not be pleasant."
This was a sucker’s bet – something was amiss here – who was this kid? No one ever gave anyone half a million dollars for doing anything easy. Still, this was his way off this leash; he way out of a debt to a powerful madman. He trusted his boys and his instructors. He knew what they were capable of when they had the right motivation … no one would be able to last through that. Especially not this … punk. "Ok. You’re on – but first you answer one question."
"He is my employer’s son." And with that, the line went dead.
Lord Doom’s son – my god. There’s no way he’ll last. No way.
//''Twenty Two Months later: VMI, Commandant Minnick’s Home, 0114 hours''//
The Commandant’s house was quiet. The old man was asleep and his wife was away on a shopping trip to Washington. The old man should have know better. He had sent four boys to kill Wilson – they had failed.
"Wake up old man." Joshua Wilson said, "Wake up and pay."
Commandant Minnick awoke with the cold steel of a knife against his throat. His feet and arms tied to the bed. He was going nowhere. Still he struggled. "Son – what in the hell are you doing in…?" The knife pressed more tightly against his throat.
"Only smart questions." Wilson replied. "You sent me out with four seniors, under orders to kill me. Why?"
"What are you…? Arrgh!!" Fingers gently press on the General’s temple and forehead, causing extraordinary pain – leaving no mark. "I had to send them – I tried to make you quit – I kept hoping that you would wash out – nothing worked. You cannot finish the year!"
"Please, I will not ask again, tell me why I cannot finish the year." Wilson’s voice was calm and controlled, his hand never so much as moved the knife edge toward or away from the General throat.
"It was part of a bet. If you wash out, I win a half a million dollars. If you complete the year, my life is ruined. "
"Who was this wager with?"
"A lawyer in New York: Noah Monroe. What am I going to do?"
"What are you going to do? You haven’t even asked about the boys you sent to kill me. Would you like to know how they are? Do you even care!?!? You are a pathetic waste of a man, a hapless leader and teacher of students."
The Commandant could not move, he knew that Doom would come for him if he lived – he knew that his name and reputation would be gone if the boy lived. And he had failed in his attempt to covertly kill Wilson. Minnick felt his arms and legs loosen, Wilson had cut him loose, but still maintained the blade at his throat. "What can I do? Isn’t there some way we can work this out?"
"What can you do?" Wilson said as he hopped up. "Here." He said as he handed the General his .45. With that, he walked out of the room. After 10 seconds, he heard the slam of hammer into firing pin and the sound of a 185-pound man hitting the floor. "Good choice."
Joshua Wilson graduated from VMI with honors and attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis. There he also finished with honors. As a Marine, he made the rank of Captain as a member of Force Recon. He later served as an instructor at the Marines Warfighting Laboratory.
"Captain," the sergeant said, "I have a letter for you."
"Is it from the Office of Personnel? I’m expecting my re-enlist papers to come through any day now." Wilson said. Walking out of the simulator, Captain Joshua Wilson looked like something from an action movie. 6’3", 225 pounds, dressed in urban camouflage and carrying a silenced MP5SD3, he embodied the Warfighting Laboratory. Quiet, ready, lethal. He had always thought that he would spend a couple of years here before going back to Recon. But after 12 months at the lab, he knew that he had found a home. Wilson opened the letter; it was from a law office in New York.
The letter read: "Captain Wilson, before re-enlisting with the Marine Corps, please meet with me. This matter is urgent. Please contact me at 202-345-2210 at your earliest convenience. Kindly, Noah Monroe."
Not his papers. Normally, he had no use for lawyers – but the phone number was New York and he had not been there in years. It sounded like a good way to spend his leave. Ten days later, Joshua Wilson was in New York.
<Ring, Ring> "Dixon, Riley and Monroe, attorney’s at law." The receptionist said. "How may I direct your call?"
"Noah Monroe, please." Wilson returned.
"May I tell him who’s calling?"
"Joshua Wilson."
Shortly, "Captain Wilson, Noah Monroe, pleased to speak with you. I am glad that you returned my call." Monroe’s voice was cheerful, he sounded old; and he had a breathing problem – probably overweight.
"Mr. Monroe, what do you need to speak with me about and where can we meet?"
"I have arranged a meeting room for us at the Manhattan Hilton. Conference room 3B. Could you meet me there tomorrow?" Monroe said.
"Yes – how about 11 a.m."
"That suits me fine. I’ll meet you there."
Wilson hung up the pay phone and looked across the street at the Dixon, Riley and Monroe office building. It was large – there had to be more than enough conference rooms in there. It was time to seize the initiative. He crossed the street and walked toward the receptionist’s desk. "Hello. I am Gabe O’Toole. I need to see Noah Monroe; is he in?"
After waiting only 25 minutes, an attractive, conservatively dressed woman walked into the private lobby and said to me, "Mr. Monroe will see you now, sir." The receptionist was certainly polite enough – but there was something in her voice he could not place. She was afraid of him.
Was it the way he walked or sat or looked at people when he spoke to them? Or was it something more?
Noah Monroe was a senior partner at Ross, Patterson and Monroe. It was certain that he had very little in the way of walk in guests. Still he was alone and his desk was clean, except for one thin file. It read "Joshua Wilson; 10599-00700" on it. He had been waiting. The office had no visible cameras and Wilson did not hear a tracking motor follow him across the room. Any recording equipment here was state of the art. The room baffled any sound that the outside office might have made. The glass was less than one-half inch thick – but his office was on the 25th floor of this office building. It had one door.
"Joshua Wilson." By way of introduction and he extended his hand.
He took it and replied, "I am Noah Monroe. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Please have a seat."
Monroe set off no alarms. He was easily in his 60s and was in poor physical shape even for that age. He weighed 235 pounds and stood only 5’10" tall. Still, his eyes held a sparkle in them that was not easily dismissed. "Mr. Monroe, I know that you are a busy man. So, I won’t beat around the bush with you. What do you know about me? And please explain a wager that you had with a Norman Minnick."
"Mr. Wilson. Let me be frank with you. I have nothing to hide from you and pose no danger to you." It was as if Monroe was trying to tame a rattlesnake, Wilson was somewhat bemused by the treatment. "I have been watching you since you were born. Where possible, I have helped you – when necessary, I have left you to your own devices."
"That’s all well and good," Wilson interrupted. "But tell me about the Commandant and the wager." Alarms were going off inside Wilson’s head. Monroe had watched him his entire life? This man knew too much. Wilson played along, pretending the comment did not bother him. All the while, considering what it did mean. Who was this man?
"Of course, I’ll answer your questions and then fill you in on any details when you have finished," Monroe replied. "Commandant Minnick needed inspiration to put you through your paces at VMI. I made him a wager that he could not refuse – in the bargain, I procured for you the best military training that is possible. Your first two years tested you mentally and physically. While your body and mind were adjusting to their new capabilities. Please allow me to explain." The lawyer continued.
Wilson sat still in his chair. He remembered the clarity that he started to experience at VMI. He began to recall the way everything started to come easier to him there. Before today, he would have attributed it to the discipline of the Academy. Now, he was just more curious.
"My client in this matter is your father. I know – you have never known a father, or a mother for that matter. Your father contracted with a woman from Ardmore, Texas to donate her eggs. This woman was specially selected for her genetic makeup. Those eggs were inseminated with his sperm and then implanted into the womb of another woman. When she gave birth to you, you were placed in an orphanage. From there, you know most of your story. In and out of foster homes – in and out of trouble with the law. Until you were accepted at VMI."
Wilson took in everything that was being told to him. His mind traveled back to his troubled childhood and his constant questioning about his parents. "Who is my father – what are these new capabilities?" He had some idea what the capabilities were – or at least he knew how they had manifested. He was stronger, faster and smarter than anyone he had ever come in contact with. They made him a nearly perfect soldier – or maybe they made him a perfect predator.
"First," Monroe started, "You are the next step in human evolution. Your genetic code was tampered with by your father and then you were given special vitamins and stimulants while you were growing, these were accelerated while you were at VMI – the shots you took every other week…"
"Yes … I remember those. My father tampered with my genetic code. Tell me more."
"Your father is … was a brilliant man. He worked in several fields – one of these fields was Genetics. You have access to nearly 90% of your brain’s functional power. Your muscles, ligaments and tendons are stronger, flexible and more resilient. Your bones are stronger, more dense and – at the same time – lighter than they should be. Your neurons fire faster and carry more information than mine do. Your metabolism burns fat more efficiently – it also stores fat more efficiently. Your lungs have about 40% more capacity than normal. Your liver works about 60% more efficiently; your body produces about 300% more white blood cells than normal; your red blood cells carry about 45% more oxygen than normal, and your heart is stronger – so it beats more slowly than it should but pushes more blood with every beat. Everything about you is better than most everyone else. This is your father’s gift to you."
Wilson thought. He was not stunned – suddenly, everything made sense. "Who is my father?" That question came out more like a demand than a question, still Monroe seemed unfazed. He opened the folder and handed Wilson a piece of paper. It was old and smelled of wine, wood smoke and leather.
Wilson took the letter.
"My son. You are reading this because you have found my lawyer. I regret that such devices are necessary – but this man is loyal to me and will be loyal to you as well. By now, you have learned of your gifts. You have learned of my role in your creation. You were given every physical and mental edge I could genetically and socially engineer into a person. You are my son – my legacy to this world that has misunderstood everything I have ever tried to give it. Now, I give it to you – if you can take it." It was signed "Your father, Reginald Winssinger".
Reginald Winssinger... Lord Doom. One of the most evil men on the planet -- my father. Wilson thought.
As he sat rolling over the truth that had just been revealed. "Where are the others? Who are they?"
The question took Monroe by surprise. Wilson’s reaction was too immediate to the stimulus. "Others?" Monroe said with feigned ignorance. "What others are you talking about?" How could he know – or guess so quickly. Monroe thought. Just moments ago, he had told the man that his father was one of the greatest villains of the past 30 years. Villains as the world saw him, in fact – Lord Doom is – was a genius and a visionary.
"My father is too smart to not have some back up plan. He could not have trusted his legacy to only one seed. Who are the others?"
"If what you say is true – do you think that your father would have used the same lawyer? Or even the same law firm? I do not have this information for you. I do have this." And Monroe handed him a plain white envelope stuffed with money. "It’s $1,000,000 and a map to a location that you might find helpful. I have nothing else for you – if you have nothing else for me, I bid you good-day."
Wilson stood and walked out of the room – money and map in hand. "Mr. Wilson," Monroe said. "If you ever need my services, please do not hesitate to call. The retainer that your father paid me transfers to you."
"I’ll keep that in mind." The Scion of Doom said as he walked out the door. "I have your card."
The map lead him to Chad where he made arrangements under an assumed name. What he found there was his father’s final gift. An abandoned base – with a weapons lab. Everything he would need to craft an arsenal. It took three months to build his equipment. As he sat in his workshop –weapons, armor and equipment arrayed in front of him – he realized for the first time that he was ready. But, ready for what? Was he going to be Super-hero? Super-villain? Super-mercenary? Doom wanted him to be his good son, his soldier. But he was more than a soldier now – and the only way to be more than Doom’s legacy was to become a hero – to stand against what he stood for.
All control is illusion. No one has control of anything. Still, his father sought to control him. Fighting that control would be pointless – giving into that control would be slavery. Ignoring that control and doing what he thought was right was his only option for success and freedom.
The Marines trained him to fight for the people – not against them. Once a Marine, always a Marine.
''Quote:'' "I sometimes think that the price of liberty is not so much eternal vigilance as eternally wallowing in the dirt."
''Personality:'' Joshua Wilson is an intense, task oriented person; rarely allowing his emotions to interfere with his decision making. He is selfless and dedicated to undoing the wrongs of his father. Achilles is supremely confident in his abilities and his skill – at times to the point of overconfidence.
''Appearance:'' Joshua Wilson is 6’2" and weighs about 225 pounds. He is in near perfect physical condition. He has black hair and blue eyes that seem to move almost constantly. Achilles wears silver body suit with red boots and gloves. Over this, he wears a red hooded tunic, that is belted with a "utility belt".
''Powers:'' Achilles is the product of genetic and social engineering. He is a warrior by both nurture and nature. His physical abilities are all in the lower metahuman range. He adds to this years of training that has honed his body and mind into a fighting machine. He also has created some technology that aids in his crime fighting.
Everybody should have an <nowiki>X-Box 360</nowiki>...