This series draws from supers campaign I put together almost
ten years ago, "Bloodlines." That focused on inherited super-powers
limited to certain bloodlines around the globe. This material sets up some of
the groups in the setting. You can see the first post here which lays out the general
concept. Once again you'll see a combination of new material and published
ideas, primarily used to add color to the background. This has some of the set-up bits I used in the campaign. You might find some useful ideas for plots or how to present certain things. This is news I used for a session.
NEWS FROM SESSION TWO (10-21-04)
Dateline: Pierre, SD:
In the news, government officials are still trying to determine what occur last
week in an explosion that cost the lives of dozens of superheroes and their
Anarch foes. Three days ago media and other observers were removed from the
area, citing security concerns due to Lockdown nearby. Warden Tomas Fischer
spoke to the press recently, confirming that all systems were stable within the
superpowered facility. While they had experienced a small power fluctuation,
the reserve systems had caught up nearly immediately. A thorough head count,
conducted in cooperation with the DPHD confirmed that all prisoners had been
accounted for. The DPHD also announced that they would be handling investigation
of the Zero Moment site, in cooperation with the FBI in order to better
ascertain precisely what happened. Despite the EMP which took recording devices
offline with the explosion and the subsequent energy burst, witnesses on scene
have confirmed the basic details reported earlier. While some have expressed
concerns, readings on site have shown no appreciable fallout radiation or other
energies.
Dateline: Chicago:
Police are warning pet owners in Northern Chicago to keep their animals indoors
following a series of assaults. At least a dozen animals have been killed in
the area. Animal Control officers believe that a pack of animals possibly
infected with rabies may be on the loose. A number of local parks have also
been closed following the discovery of animal tracks and damage to facilities.
Dateline: Seattle:
Following services held in Redmond, Washington, Bill Gates announced an
aggressive campaign for recruitment to the Microsoft superhero organization
Vision. “We believe that Vision has an important role to play, in bringing
light to the world and being available 24/7 to deal with disasters and help the
weary to rise to their feet after them.” Pressed further as to how he planned
to conduct the recruitment, Gates declined to answer, stating only that the campaign
was being worked on and would be rolled out within the next several weeks.
Dateline: Chicago:
Chicago city officials confirmed negotiations and general acceptance of a new
superteam today after several days of sustained questioning. Mayor Richard Dankin
stated that following the Zero Moment incident they had been contacted by an
independent group offering to assist the city with its notorious Anarch
situation. “We have tentatively accepted the offer and hope for the best,” was
the limited statement the mayor would make on the record. Representatives of
the new group, to be known as the Untouchables, gave a small press conference
without the members present. “We have spoken with a number of city officials
and worked out most of the details for our operations here in Chicago. They’ve
given us tremendous cooperation and we looked forward to living up to their
expectations.” Pressed as to the identities of the members of the group, the
representative avoided answering. “Right now, we’re getting our operations in
order, once everyone has had a chance to settle in, we’ll let them speak for
themselves. I can tell you, they all have tremendous talents with a devotion to
doing what is right.” A-SWAT commander, Karl Rhody, spoke briefly to the press
following an Anarch related incident in which the Untouchables were involved
(see below). “We’re curious about how long these Untouchables will last. They
almost didn’t last the day, since our department wasn’t informed until just
before go time that they were not Anarchs. With so many of these freaks on the
streets you can never tell, and especially not in Chicago.” Asked to elaborate
on his remarks, the commander declined.
Dateline: Boston:
The DHPD shut down a scientific conference at MIT this weekend, citing security
risks directly related to the publication of several technical papers. Specific
details regarding the scientists taken into custody remain thin. David Myers
Syzmanski, representative for the Syzmanski family and one of the co-sponsors
of the conference, New Research in Energy Field Studies, protested the closure,
joining together with protests from the ACLU and the American Council of
Academics. The DHPD refused to answer any questions regarding the seizure as
has the Secretary of State.
Dateline: Chicago:
Witnesses and officials have confirmed the first known action involving the new
local independent superhero group known as The Untouchable. The team-- only
hours after the Zero Moment-- managed to foil a bank robbery and dispatch the
Aanarch group known as The Enforcers. Shortly before closing a well-armed gang
entered into the 4th National Bank on Rosemont, taking dozens of patrons and
workers hostage. Within minutes, the Untouchables arrived, shattering the
bulletproof front windows and taking the robbers by surprised. Within seconds,
all had been dispatched easily. However, the Anarch group The Enforcers,
apparently intending to rob the robbers arrived soon after and were engaged by
the Untouchables who took them down quickly. Property damage was minimal and
apparently only one of the superhero team suffer any significant injuries.
A-SWAT arrived on the scene soon after and took the Anarchs into custody.
Details are sketchy about the identities of the Untouchables, but witnesses
confirmed the presence of the veteran hero Cruel Butterfly. This hero has not
been seen in public since his mysterious collapse on the floor of the Tokyo
Game Show several month ago. Fan sites across Japan buzzed with the news of his
return. In a related story the law firm of Sorrentino, Church and Laquedem
agreed to take on the case of the Enforcers. This firm is well known for
representing accused “Anarchs” in court. Lead attorney Gilbert Sorrentino gave
a brief statement outlining his defense. “Our clients admittedly have some warrant
out for their arrest, though in several cases we can show that those warrants
are in bad faith or stem from mistaken identities. Following the Zero Moment,
my clients realized the errors of their ways and were determined to keep the
situation from becoming chaotic. Accordingly, when they saw a group which they
believed were Anarchs outside the site of a bank robbery they took action.”
District Attorney Jacob Weisphaut’s response to Sorrentino’s stated defense was
unpublishable.
Dateline: Boulder:
Trial begins today in Bainbridge, Colorado in the case of Helena and Randy
Colewell. The Colewells, members of the Church of Scientology, are accused of
attempting to kill their six-month-old son, Colvin. The state will present a
case that upon learning that their child carried the Rakepaw gene the Colewells
attempted to smother their child and then left him exposed to the elements. The
Colewells will attempt to show how their religious faith, which condemns
Bloodliners, drove them to the murder. So far the Colewells have issued no
statement, and their Church sponsored lawyer has avoided and media contact.
Colvin Colewell himself was the subject of a brief battle over custody with him
eventually being placed with the family of international singing sensation Ace
Braddock (cousin to the noted Cruel Butterfly).
Dateline: Chicago:
A series of mysterious explosions rocked several scattered an apparently
abandoned sites across the city last night. Preliminary reports indicate a lack
of explosive residue, but rather a strange energy signal in the area. Homeland
security agents, originally scrambled to look into the situation has returned
to Washington after determining the case to be one of Anarch Vandalism. Police
still have no leads on the vandals.
Dateline: Chicago:
Police were called to a division of Wescosa Pharmaceuticals late yesterday to
investigate the vanishing of an entire research department. In the late
afternoon, a fire alarm cleared the building. However in a brief follow up
check revealed an entire department missing. Firefighters called to the scene
made their way into the lab to find it deserted. Police continue to
investigate.
Dateline: Seoul:
Scientists from dozens of countries today decried China’s entry into the group
of countries working in cooperation with South Korea’s World Stem Cell Hub. The
Hub was founded by Chosun University professor Song Chang-hun when he uncovered
a way to artificially created custom-made human embryonic stem-cell lines. Soon
after they created a consortium aimed at giving researchers wider access to
these lines. The Hub has been praised but at the same time there have been
questions about the distribution of scientific techniques and proprietary
genetic information.. China, who has long had an aggressively proprietary stance
towards any and all genetic information, is viewed with suspicion by many of
the current partners of the Hub. One high ranking member stated, “We know that
China’s genetics program involves forced labor, torturous experimentation and
the assassination of those who cross “The Nursery” as it is called. By allowing
them access to this work, we make ourselves party to their horrors.” It has
been suggested that the US’s isolation from the project has given China room to
invest more heavily. Because the World Stem Cell Hub conflicts with U.S.
policies that have limited scientists' access to stem cells only a few US
private firms have been able to do business with them.
Dateline: Chicago:
Breaking local news, a little over 72 hours after the capture of the Anarch
group, the Enforcers, the city of Chicago had arranged a transfer, supervised
by the Chicago PD and A-SWAT team. During a transfer of the prisoners from
local holding to site for Lockdown management, three of the prisoners managed
to escape. In the brief melee which followed, two of the three, Zero Point and
Praetor were killed by A-SWAT members standing by. Though details are sketchy
right now, it is believed that the third, Crasher, a known mentalist Anarch
managed to escape and is still at large.
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