The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

[Davies]

Note: Inspired by the work of EternalPhoenix.

A rubbery pirate captain, eh? I don't suppose his first mate was a swordsman?

It may have been so.

[Davies]

Hyperspace Drone


In the slightly less than two thousand years* that the current spacefaring species have been exploring this section of the galaxy, the practical limit to their voyaging has not been the speed or even the endurance of their vessels. It has been the difficulty of long-distance communication. Who knows how many wonders and horrors have been witnessed only by the crew of a single starship that was subsequently lost without ever being able to report what they had seen? But having such vessels return to their origin whenever something of note has been discovered is also infeasible, and they would still run the risk of being destroyed on that unplanned return journey.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to transmit information through hyperspace, any more than directed energy weapons can be used there. Outside of the warp field that surrounds a hyperspace-faring vessel, projected energy disperses to incoherence almost immediately; signals are lost, weapons discharge is wasted. It has been theorized, based on dubious evidence, that the "highest" known regions of hyperspace might allow signals to be transmitted, but all known attempts to access such "bands" have been horrible disasters. Alternative methods have thus long been sought.

For a long time in the Senatorial Imperium, those mystics who possessed telepathic abilities that facilitated instantaneous communication over interstellar distances provided that communication for the benefit of the Senate and other parties with whom they cooperated. However, there were never enough mystics of that capability to permit as much communication as was needed, and many of them (quite rightly) objected to devoting all their time to this activity. Artificially created telepaths were also employed to this purpose, but quite apart from the ethical considerations involved in their geneforging, the sort of mental organism designed for such telepathic prowess was unlikely to endure being used only for communication.

Hyperspace vessels that acted as couriers were employed for a while, but the demand for more and more rapid communication (and thus faster and lighter ships) ran into practical limitations. A starship designed for humanoid occupancy could not be built smaller than a certain size; any smaller than the size of a typical space fighter would result in the hyperdrive irradiating the pilot. This naturally led to robot-piloted courier starships for a short interval (a bit less than 1.5 years*) before the notion of combining the pilot and the starship led to the creation of the first hyperspace drone, a robot brain-piloted vessel that was the fastest documented ship in known space. Subsequent vessels of this class have hewed closely to the original design, with only minute increases in speed and endurance over the centuries since its debut.

The drone fleet remained in service until it was dismantled with the end of all robotic labor within the Imperium. The years since have seen a restoration of biologically-piloted hyperspace courier traffic, dubbed the Imperial Mail and firmly under the control of the Crimson King, who thus enjoys a near-monopoly on interstellar communication within his domain. Drone couriers remain in use in the Technate, though since the emancipation the vessels have generally been piloted by extremely sophisticated expert systems instead of true artificial intelligences. (However, there are still robots who accept employment as drone pilots, accumulating their pay until they can purchase a different frame that allows them to retire.) A smaller fleet of drones, based on Chirab, provides less frequent communications between many systems of the Unclaimed Regions.

Drones are not usually well-armored enough to survive re-entry on most inhabitable planets, and so either dock at orbital facilities to resupply and transmit their "cargo" or, more rarely, take up orbital positions that allow them to transmit to planetary communications facilities below. This relative structural weakness, and their lack of heavy weapons, also means that they will avoid battle as much as possible. There are exceptions, though, and a handful of drones in Technate service have earned multiple battle stars.

Hyperspace Drone -- PL 7/MR 12

Abilities:
STR 5 | STA -- | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 2 | INT 1 | AWE 3 | PRE -2

Powers:
Armored Structure: Immunity 50 (Fortitude, mental effects); Protection 8, Impervious 6 - 64 points
Comms: Radio Communication 4 (planetary), Rapid 3, Subtle - 20 points
Hyperflight: Flight 14 (30,000 MPH), Limited to space or hyperspace; Enhanced Flight 4 (500,000 MPH), Limited to hyperspace; Movement 2 (space travel 2) - 21 points
Manipulators: Feature 1 (tools for self-maintenance and repair) - 1 point
Sensors: Senses 8 (hyper-extended accurate radio, direction sense, distance sense, time sense) - 8 points
Weapon Systems: Ranged Damage 8 - 16 points

Advantages:
Eidetic Memory, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Move-by Attack.

Skills:
Expertise: Galactic 8 (+9), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: Weapon Systems 3 (+6), Technology 6 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage 5)
Weapon Systems +6 (Ranged Damage 8)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 5, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 8, Will 5

Totals:
Abilities 22 + Powers 130 + Advantages 4 + Skills 11 + Defenses 7 = 166 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 4

Complications:
Delivery--Motivation. No Ground Movement. Non-Verbal (communicates only through radio, and only pre-recorded messages.) Weak Manipulators (Strength 1 for most manipulation tasks.)

Note: The above represents a drone "piloted" by an expert system; one operated by an artificial intelligence will have a higher PRE and Will at minimum, probably better skills, and may or may not be Non-Verbal. They might also have more complicated Motivations.

[EternalPhoenix]

The inner SF nerd inside me wants to know how in blazes they've never heard of tachyons or solved quantum entanglement's intractable problems if they have hyperspace travel.

[RainOnTheSun]

I dimly remember an SF novel I heard about where earth was invaded by aliens who had mastered interstellar travel but didn't have automatic weapons. It turned out that this particular branch of fictional science was actually very easy, if you knew the trick, and earth just never found the trick.

[Davies]

The inner SF nerd inside me wants to know how in blazes they've never heard of tachyons or solved quantum entanglement's intractable problems if they have hyperspace travel.

Well, you see, once you understand how to emfozzle the globuncul, hyperspace travel becomes relatively easy. No need to fiddle around with quantum, which is clearly a dead-end anyway, said the distinguished but elderly scientist.

I dimly remember an SF novel I heard about where earth was invaded by aliens who had mastered interstellar travel but didn't have automatic weapons. It turned out that this particular branch of fictional science was actually very easy, if you knew the trick, and earth just never found the trick.

Also this.

[Davies]

Cambiante

Default human form

The Geretil reproduce in an asexual manner, creating a younger clone of themselves when they reach "old age". As such, they do not have genders as humans understand them, but adopt the gender identities of whatever species they are observing. Therefore, the Geretil observer currently using the identity of Mariya Hashimoto, and the pseudonym Cambiante, female pronouns will be used, as she employs that identity whenever conscious and not active in the service of her master.

The trouble began roughly a decade ago, when the Geretil made the acquaintance of the real Mariya Hashimoto, a thirteen-year-old girl from Japan whose father had made the odd choice to bring his wife and child with him when he traveled to Spain in order to work. At the time, the Geretil was indistinguishable from any of the other Geretil on Earth, focused on learning as much as possible about this species, ostensibly with the goal of preparing them to join the interstellar community but really because the Geretil know no other life. The Geretil found Mariya to be a charming young person, free of the xenophobia that afflicts so many of the people of Earth.

And then, quite by accident, Mariya died in a senseless accident while talking with the Geretil. Horrified by this tragedy, the Geretil chose to abandon her former cover and pose as Mariya with the intention of continuing the imposture just long enough to let her wind up the unfinished business of her life and leave her friends and family with some more good memories. Yet that took longer than she was expecting, for something about being part of a family was appealing in an unexpected way.

Unfortunately, there was a lot that Mariya did not realize about the family she had joined. The key fact was made clear to her when she accompanied "her father" on a Take Your Daughter To Work expedition to the Madrid offices of Axiom, and she found herself introduced to his ultmate boss -- the artificial super intelligence who had leant their name to the company. Its agents had realized the change in "Mariya", even though her parents remained unaware of it, and now the ASI had many questions it wanted answered. Mariya, recognizing her danger, did her best to answer.

In the end, she persuaded Axiom that she had only peaceful intentions and found nothing terribly troubling about the notion of an artificial intelligence ruling over humanity. That was exactly how the Technate worked, after all, with the Minds guiding and advising the human administrators. Mariya hoped that she could help Axiom to achieve a similar level of enlightened leadership, and also came to understand and share its concerns about the superstitious activities of certain empowered human subcultures. Ultimately, she agreed to put her talents to use in the service of Axiom, receiving training from a variety of experts in a variety of skills. She took the alias "Cambiante" -- or "Changeling".

Fundamentally, what drives Cambiante is a mixture of guilt and fear. She has convinced herself that she is working to make the world into a place where the real Mariya could have grown up knowing a greater degree of security and happiness than she ever did. She has seen only the absolute worst behavior from magic-using humans, as when she went back to Japan and clashed with the Shēngxiào, and sincerely believes that their destruction will only benefit the rest of humanity. The Technate gets along fine without such powers, after all. However, she is not blind to the fact that Axiom is much more ruthless in its pursuit of this goal than she really likes, and tries to act as a check on this behavior. Sometimes, she succeeds.

But to go on succeeding, she has to follow its commands, and that is what has brought her to the United Kingdom, where she is taking a key role in directing the war against Dracula. This has led her into repeated clashes with the pair of lunatics who call each other Tommy and Gina, and she has found herself extremely frustrated with their successes and her own inability to deal with them in a permanent manner. She does not want to kill anyone -- she is still a believer in the principle of pacifism that guides the Geretil -- but the desperate situation demands desperate behavior.

Or so she tells herself, when she finds herself wondering if the innocent girl she failed to help would really approve of any of this.

Cambiante -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR 2 | STA 3 | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Shapeshifting: Morph 3 [humanoids]; Regeneration 1; Variable 2, Move Action, Limited to Physical Abilities - 30 points

Typical Variable Sets:
Battle Form: Enhanced Strength 5 - 10 points
Void Form: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
Winged Form: Flight 5, Winged; Shrinking 2 (4 feet; +1 Dodge, +1 Parry, +2 Stealth, -1 Intimidation); Senses 3 (extended vision 2, low-light vision) - 10 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-All-Trades, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge.

Equipment:
Concealed Stunbeam (Ranged Affliction 4 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated], Improved Critical, Subtle)

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Deception 9 (+11), Expertise: Galactic 4 (+6), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 5 (+7), Investigation 8 (+10), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Stunbeam 4 (+7), Stealth 4 (+7), Technology 5 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+7)

Offense:
Initiative +7
Concealed Stunbeam +9 (Ranged Fortitude 4, Crit. 19-20)
Unarmed +7 (Close, Damage 7/2)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 46 + Powers 30 + Advantages 13 + Skills 34 + Defenses 16 = 139 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Guilt--Motivation. Hatred (magic and magical creatures.) Secret Identity. Subject to Orders.

[Commander Titan]

So a shapeshifting alien, working for an AI, to fight the supernatural.

Only in comics!

Or, err, comics-inspired settings on message boards, at least.

[Davies]

So a shapeshifting alien, working for an AI, to fight the supernatural.

Only in comics!

Or, err, comics-inspired settings on message boards, at least.

Fair! Then again, I'm currently watching a Let's Play of video game that includes a magic-using cyborg fighting a genetically-engineered alien hybrid to save the magical essence of a planet, so ...

[Commander Titan]

So a shapeshifting alien, working for an AI, to fight the supernatural.

Only in comics!

Or, err, comics-inspired settings on message boards, at least.

Fair! Then again, I'm currently watching a Let's Play of video game that includes a magic-using cyborg fighting a genetically-engineered alien hybrid to save the magical essence of a planet, so ...

FF7? Or something totally different thus further proving your point?

[Davies]

So a shapeshifting alien, working for an AI, to fight the supernatural.

Only in comics!

Or, err, comics-inspired settings on message boards, at least.

Fair! Then again, I'm currently watching a Let's Play of video game that includes a magic-using cyborg fighting a genetically-engineered alien hybrid to save the magical essence of a planet, so ...

FF7? Or something totally different thus further proving your point?

FF7.

[Davies]

Akamatsu Gori


While the existence of the Shēngxiào has not yet been publicly acknowledged by the Japanese government, and even those of its agents aware of its actvities are not sure of the identities of the majority of its empowered operatives, one of the latter group has become publicly notorious. Akamatsu Gori is the most wanted fugitive in Japan. Recognized as a supervillain, he is infamously responsible for a single-handed assault on the National Diet Building in 2016 that resulted in the defeat of the then-current Sea Dragon team, including the death of two members and serious injuries to the other three, as well as extensive casualties among the security personnel of the building. His face was caught on video and he was easily identified, but he has never been apprehended and has not publicly surfaced since that episode.

Long before any of that, however, Akamatsu Gori was one of the Public Prosecutors of Japan, considered likely to eventually become the Chief Prosecutor for the Nagoya office and possibly to rise even higher. In the course of his duties, he directed numerous investigations, supervised many interrogations, and prosecuted those offenders whose guilt was indicated by the preponderance of evidence. He was proud that he had never failed to receive the guilty verdict that he sought, but also proud that he had never prosecuted anyone whose guilt had not already been demonstrated. If he had ever heard the idea that pride went before a fall, he had forgotten it.

In 2008, Akamatsu led an investigation of a series of robberies allegedly committed by a former security guard. The evidence discovered by the police seemed conclusive, but the suspect refused to confess and insisted on his innocence. Something about the tone of those protests seemed strangely convincing, but Akamatsu chose to believe the chief investigator, with whom he had worked frequently. The case went to trial ... and everything fell apart over the next few months. The defense attorney demolished the evidence as circumstantial, poked holes in the witness accounts, and exposed serious flaws in the credibility of the investigators. Ultimately, the perfect record of guilty verdicts that Akamatsu came to an end when the judge declared "not guilty".

While certainly unhappy to have been defeated and embarrassed in this manner, Akamatsu nevertheless took it in stride and believed that justice had been done. And then the defense attorney died in an automobile accident. And then the defendant and his family died in a house fire. Investigating these incidents, Akamatsu was horrified to learn that both had been deliberate homicides performed at the direction of his own chief investigator, who insisted that he had been certain of the guilt of both men and sought to prevent the hamstringing of the law. The family were simply collateral damage of the war on crime, for which any sacrifice was acceptable. Akamatsu ordered the arrest of the investigator ... and the police officers he ordered to do that seized him instead.

Somehow, he managed to escape before they could kill him, but not before it was explained that many of his previous cases had involved falsified evidence, all to enhance the careers of the investigators. (Later, he would learn that some of them were associated with something called "the Vision", though not all.) Any belief Akamatsu had in the system that he had sworn to uphold was shattered, along with his belief in nearly anything else. These were the circumstances under which Diorite found him, and those under which he accepted her invitation to become the first, and to date only, occupant of the House of the Monkey.

In that role, he has been given an unusual power. The best theory of how it works, according to researchers at the Yokoyama Group, is that he is able to surround himself with a telekinetic field that allows him great strength and resistance to injury, while at the same time granting him certain psychoportative and clairvoyant talents as well; the latter allows him to to both see and and move through solid objects. At certain times, as during much of his attack on the Diet, this force field causes him to appear as a physical giant of twelve meters, while at other times he appears as his normal height and mass but still demonstrates the same ability to lift heavy objects and shrug off injuries.

As one of the longest enduring members of the Shēngxiào, Akamatsu has an equally long-standing rivalry with Shēng Lóng and Yamaguchi Kotaro ... at least, in theory. In practice, he ignores both of them, and the rest of the occupants, rarely taking action even when their activities annoy or inconvenience him. Where most of his fellows have plans to survive the destruction of humanity that Diorite seeks, or even to usurp her, Akamatsu has developed the belief that the destruction will be limited to the overthrow of human civilization and that something better will -- no, must -- replace it. (He is completely mistaken.) Any sacrifice is acceptable in the name of that revolution.

Sometimes, as he thinks about that, something bothers him, as though he feels like he had heard similar ideas somewhere else. But such thoughts come more and more rarely as time passes.

Akamatsu Gori -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR 13/3 | STA 14/4 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 7 | INT 2 | AWE 1 | PRE 2

Powers:
Augmentation: Enhanced Skill 5 (Stealth 10); Feature (can appear as his normal sized self in any area occupied by a part of his larger form); Growth 10 (45 feet; +10 Strength, +10 Stamina, +5 Intimidation, +1 Speed, -5 Dodge, -5 Parry, -10 Stealth), Subtle; Sustained Immunity 2 (suffocation); Sustained Protection 5, Impervious 10*; Movement 3 (permeate 3); Regeneration 5; Senses 4 (vision penetrates concealment); Activation (Standard Action, -2 points) - 62 points
* 1 rank active per rank of Growth active.

Advantages:
Connected, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Civics 10 (+12), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+11), Insight 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+13/+8), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+10), Stealth 10 (+1/+11).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 13/3)

Defense:
Dodge 6/1, Parry 8/3, Fortitude 16/6, Toughness 19/9/4, Will 6.

Totals:
Abilities 40 + Powers 62 + Advantages 8 + Skills 31 + Defenses 16 = 157 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Revolution--Motivation. Cold and Reserved. Notorious Outlaw. Subject to Orders.

[Davies]

Armonia


Since Tanelorn was founded, refugees from countless worlds have come there to find a safe haven. Roughly fifteen years ago, one tiny family passed through a portal to this city on the edge of infinity, fleeing a great disaster that had claimed their world. They settled down and ran a small grocery, striving to be both productive and as anonymous as possible. The mother warned their daughter that she must never hide the powers and wisdom that she began to demonstrate as she grew up, while the father told her that one day, the time would come when she must use this inheritance for the benefit of the worlds. And she knew both things to be true.

The passing away of her foster parents greatly grieved Armonia Getane, but it strengthened a determination that had been growing in her mind. She could feel the time drawing closer and closer. Initially, she thought that she could best use these gifts by becoming one of the guardians, but found that she did not have the vocation for that. Nevertheless, she did make many friends there, notably the soldier Ligyron, whom she trusted with the secret of her powers, if not her suspicions about their source. She often accompanies these friends on their missions. Unlike their gifts, hers work even outside of a dimensional crisis.

When not engaged in such adventures, Armonia spends most of her time helping people in her neighborhood and occasionally working in the family grocery. (The stipend she receives as a "deputy guardian" more than covers her expenses, freeing her from the need to keep the store running full-time.) She also helps to keep the local church in good order, recognizing its sanctity even if her own religious beliefs are quite different and not something she feels the need to share.

Armonia believes that she is not human, but something utterly alien that was born in human form so as to allow her to live among them. Whether this is true or not remains unclear. Regardless, she would reject the notion that she is either more or less than human, just different. However, this awareness leaves her difficult to intimidate or impress. While she projects a persona of confidence, patience and kindness, there is also a mischievous streak in her that leads her to enjoy when her friends suffer moderate embarrassments as long as they are not genuinely hurt, emotionally or physically.

Her greatest regret is that her end is drawing near. Gifted with the second sight, she knows that the ambitions of two women and two men are going to result in the greatest disaster the multiverse has ever experienced, but that the disaster can be averted if something is done. She remains unclear about that something -- though she has faith that she will realize what it is when the time comes -- but she knows that the consequence will be her death. And though she cannot see much of what will come after her death, she knows that she will be condemned and cursed for generations to come for what she has done. That will be fine, because they will live to curse her.

Or at least some of them will. The other thing, besides her own inevitable death, that she has deduced about what is to come is that the various worlds of the multiverse will be combined into a single reality by these events. But parts of those realities, countless innocent lives, will be destroyed in the process of that combination, lost forever to the void. So much will be wasted, and oh so little used ... and yet that is still the only way for many other lives to be saved. More than anything else, she wishes that she could confide these fears in someone else, who might also be afraid but still offer to take her cowardly hand.

Armonia might be a bit more calm about her fate if she learned that she is a parallel world counterpart for the woman known as Pythia on the World Less Magical, who has already been condemned and cursed by generations. So what she saw might not be what she thinks.

Armonia -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR 4 | STA 8 | AGL 5 | DEX 2 | FGT 7 | INT 3 | AWE 5 | PRE 5

Powers:
Blessed Aegis: Linked Enhanced Defenses 12 (Dodge 3, Fortitude 3, Parry 3, Will 3); Linked Sustained Protection 3 - 15 points
"Isn't Faith Believing/All Power Can't Be Seen?": Array (36 points)

• "Come Forth From Them, Unclean Spirit.": Perception Range Nullify Mind Control 12, Concentration - 36 points
• Healing Touch: Restorative Healing 12 - 1 point
• Healing Word: Perception Range Healing 9 - 1 point
• Moved by a Greater Hand: Perception Range Move Object 11, Subtle - 1 point
• Smite: Perception Range Damage 11, Indirect, Subtle 2 - 1 point
• Ward: Selective Reaction Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point

Link Mind to Mind: Mental Communication 4, Check Required (Insight DC 24), Concentration, Quirk (-5 to Insight check if she has never met the subject), Two-Way - 1 point
Second Sight: Senses 10 (visual senses counters illusions, postcognition, precognition) - 10 points

Power Stunt:
"Rise Up": Restorative Healing 12, Resurrection, Side Effect (inflicts Damage 12 on a failed check)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Attractive, Connected, Defensive Attack, Equipment, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Inspire 3, Multilingual, Power Attack, Second Chance (resistance to mind control), Trance, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Staff (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach) and 2 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Close Attack: Staff 5 (+12), Expertise: Dimensional 7 (+10), Expertise: Religion 8 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+12), Intimidation 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 8 (+13), Treatment 5 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 4)
Staff +12 (Close Damage 6)
Smite -- (Perception Range Damage 11)

Defense:
Dodge 13/10, Parry 15/12, Fortitude 11/8, Toughness 11/8, Will 15/12

Totals:
Abilities 78 + Powers 67 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 17 = 217 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 13
Resistance PL: 13
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Kind But Distant. Mischievous. Secret (true nature.)

"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."

[Davies]

And on that note ... I'm going to be taking another breather from this project, while working on a different one.

[Commander Titan]

And on that note ... I'm going to be taking another breather from this project, while working on a different one.

Enjoy a much deserved break and we look forward to whatever you do next!

Armonia might be a bit more calm about her fate if she learned that she is a parallel world counterpart for the woman known as Pythia on the World Less Magical, who has already been condemned and cursed by generations. So what she saw might not be what she thinks.

but what a note to end on!

[Davies]

Enjoy a much deserved break and we look forward to whatever you do next!

Thank you!

but what a note to end on!

Well, one of the characters who inspired her is getting a chance to change her fate, so it only seemed fair ...