More pre-campaign bits and pieces I distributed to the
players. I released a new "sheet" every couple of days leading up to the campaign. I wanted to give the players something they could quickly and easily read. More importantly I hoped these entries would give them names and ideas they could play off of. They would know if they wanted to find out X thing, they could talk to Y person. That didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped. Part of the problem was that the information remained isolated from them. I think if I were to do it over, I'd write up the NPC lists, but then make the PCs do some relationship mapping. They could pick and choose some characters to have a connection to.
Note: some of these elements/characters are reworkings from other sources.
CURRENT HEROES OF NEW
ORLEANS
Even before the events of Sunder's War, New Orleans was not
rife with superheroes. Other, more notable cities like New York, Chicago and
Opal City drew greater numbers of protectors. Many of those who survived the
war want nothing to do with New Orleans-- mostly from a combination of bad
memories and superstition. Today, despite the greater need for guardians, only
four heroes (or vigilantes as the case may be) operate in the city.
Champion: It is unclear whether the original Champion died or
simply retired from crime fighting. Certainly he has not been seen since
Sunder's assault on Boston. A few months after the war, a woman wearing a set
of armor nearly identical to Champion's appeared in New Orleans to help with
rescue work during a series of fires in now derelict warehouses. Her armor
appears to be a variation on Champion's, but possesses most of the same
powers-- protection, increased speed and the ability to produce energy blasts.
She travels on a modified hovercycle, but also appears to be able to use her
armor for extraordinary leaps. Where the original Champion was legendary for an
unpleasant sense of humor, this version is notable only for an extraordinary
silence. She has only spoken though an artificial voice device-- an even then
infrequently.
Stinger: Gifted with the apparently natural ability to fly and
project bolts of neural energy, this hero has been notable for working
primarily in the suburbs and outer districts of New Orleans. He's worked to
keep crime from spreading into the more stable and wealthier areas of the city.
While his results are unquestionable, he has generated controversy among
certain communities. In a city with already tense race relations, even an
apparently apolitical activity like superheroing can lead to questions. Thus far,
Stinger has given no interviews to the press, but is said to have worked with a
number of sheriff's departments in the outer boroughs.
The Bellman: With an uncertain appearance and even more
uncertain powers, the Bellman is more a figure of legend than a confirmed
superhero. There was a vigilante known as the Bellman who operated in New
Orleans in the 1970's, but he was killed while stopping home a invasion.
Recently rumors have begun to surface among the criminal underworld about a
vigilante who particularly targets the most brutal criminals. As to whether
this is simply an urban legend or an actual person remains unclear. One fact
has pointed towards the Bellman's existence. The DHS: NO quietly issued a
directive to its operatives some months ago that any stories regarding the
Bellman should be reported and that he should be considered a hostile and
potentially terrorist figure.
Hunter Wrath: Less a superhero than a notable public
paranormal, Hunter Wrath came to New Orleans alongside a group of fellow exiles
from Empyre to aid in the battle against Sunder. Most of Hunter's fellows died,
and the few who survived left the city for other parts of the globe soon after.
Hunter remained and has interfered with the activities of super-criminals on a
couple of occasions (but has also notably ignored others). Hunter appears to be
of Sidhe blood-- at least to those who claim to have an understanding of
Empyre-- and has features that, to say the least, make it unclear if Hunter is
male or female. Wrath has offered consultation to local officials on matters
magical, but a general nervousness about the supernatural has meant they have
not taken up that offer (at least publicly).
FIGURES IN NEW ORLEANS LAW ENFORCEMENT
Nancy Belden: Most notable of the current
district attorneys in New Orleans. She’s been involved closely in most recent
high profile criminal prosecutions. She’s notable for not taking lead chair, but
instead helping to oversee and coordinate efforts between the various cases
currently going. In this she’s managed to connect the dots between a number of
cases and add conspiracy and criminal network charges to them. She’s notable in
that after her family moved here as a teenager she made something of a
reputation for herself as a “teen girl sleuth.” While she might have pursued a
career in law enforcement, she ultimately decided to go into law directly. She
graduated from Loyola University’s Law School in New Orleans and made her way
quickly into the prosecutor’s office.
Thomas G. Bradley, New Orleans Superintendent of
Police: Bradley served for many years as a Deputy Chief having come up
the ranks slowly and carefully. During the Katrina crisis and Sunder’s Assault
on the city the following year, Bradley’s office became notable for stability
and management—but at the same time keeping their work quietly handled. When
Superintendent Mitchell retired after the Sunder crisis many expected one of
the flashier Deputy Chiefs to move up into the role. However a series of
reports in the Time-Picayune concerning Bradley’s work drew widespread public
attention, resulting in his promotion. Bradley began with a neutral stance on
the issue of vigilantes and paranormals in the city, but pressure from many
quarters have meant that he’s now taken a harder line. Officers are generally
encouraged not to work with superheroes, though there is no official policy in
place. Within New Orleans there are those who blame heroes for what happened to
the city (despite other who point out what Katrina would have done had they not
been there).
Malcolm Rolff, Chief Enforcement Administrator the
Department of Homeland Security: New Orleans: Despite the unwieldy
acronym DHS: NOLA, this group has significant influence in some
quarters—particularly among certain wealthier segments of the population. There
have been accusations that the DHS has generally acted to support and back up
efforts at gentrification and the elimination of certain “less desirable”
neighborhoods within the city. Rolff’s work deals with law enforcement,
criminal investigation, and tracking terrorism. He has used all the new
authority given him to step on the toes of locals, seize cases for his
department’s ends, and generally carve for himself a potent power base.
Formerly of the now defunct MASS division of the FBI, dedicated to finding a
solution to the super villain problem, he has a certain chip on his shoulder
regarding paranormals. At the same time Rolff has been effective in exposing
the rising tide of organized crime entering the city—the so-called Hurricane
Mafia, Brick 14, the Green Star Triad Axis—but less successful at
generating cases against them.
León De la Sombra: One of the few “supers”
employed by the city (though the exact nature of his powers remain unclear). La
Sombra came to the US along with several relatives after a crisis among the
Super Luchadore’s of Mexico resulted in a splintering of the league and several
notable para-celebrities going rogue. Through family connections he managed to
obtain legal immigrant status and eventually graduated with a degree in
Criminology and several related concentrations in the sciences. Heavily
recruited by the FBI, he instead decided to join the New Orleans Science
Investigations Division (SID). Despite some basis against him, his demonstrated
competency and people skills won him many supporters and he has become a
fixture among the Latino community in the city. Currently he is the supervisory
field agent for the night shift in the division, meaning that he’s often seen
at major crime scenes managing the work.
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