Spoiler
Unlike the venerable Davies and EternalPhoenix, I’m not much for doing actual character builds - I've only played with the M&M system once or twice. So I’m gonna post bios and backgrounds here, for now. Maybe if I find myself in possession of more free time, I'll do some builds...)
Ember Point is one of the major American cities, situated in the Pacific Northwest. It is located a little ways inland, lying along the Goodwitch River, up against the river’s source in Lake Carson, and extending up to and a ways up the enigmatic Mount Alexandra.
It is perhaps best known in the present for three things - being a major air transportation hub (and the indisputable capital of North American airship travel); being the home of the reformed Battalion super-team (one of the world’s major superhero teams); and being the origin of the modern vampire rights and integration movement.
This of course believes a long history - Ember Point was founded in the mid-1800s, and the area has been inhabited by Native Americans for centuries longer. It was home to the early electrical experiments of the pioneering scientist Aurelia Vondrák (hence why the VE power company is still baked there), as well as several members of the distinguished legacy of Captain Scorpion. There are rumors that the unconquerable Trongo! has deep-time connections to fossils in Mount Alexandra, and rock and roll music would never have been the same without the contributions of local grunge band the Dead Mutants.
The city’s history itself is notable: the Three Gs (Glorioso, Grendel, and Goldilocks) defined heroism in the 1960s, before several ignominious developments. The widely-beloved hero Bolt, the Electric Swordsman and his sidekick Sparky (better known today as the vampire hero Bloodbolt, leader of the Sanguine Sentinels) came to prominence in later years, and of course the city is now arguably the center of American superhero culture ever since the Battalion were reformed there in 2007.
Ultimately, Ember Point is a lens to look at the world of superheroes, supervillains and superhumans. Like any vantage point, it is simultaneously revealing and limiting. Not every major figure is tied to the city (though a surprising number are). But it is a valuable and valorous place to start.
Guide to Ember Point
The Neighborhoods of Ember Point - Overview
The Eastside
- The Lakefront
- The Greco
- BGH (Burnglenhurst)
- Cookchester
- Port Roy
- Summertide
- Stadium Point
- Hartley
- Tin Hills
- Mulligan
- Barleford
- Saint André
- Fengate
- Lowgrove / "Lowgrave"
Character Index
Heroes
The Three Gs - Not really a team, but associated 60s contemporaries
- Goldilocks [Penny Patrick] & the Banshees [Carol Garcia, Alix Schuyler, Marilyn Chidi, and Gene Turner]
- Grendel ["John Smith"]
- Glorioso, the Hypnotic Detective [Leonard George] (Fallen Hero)
- Captain Scorpion I [Dr. John Jennings] (1930s-40s)
- Captain Scorpion II [Luna Church] (1970s-80s)
The Battalion - This World's Greatest Heroes
Revival (Ember Point) Era: 2007 - Present
- The Bronze Rider (Intro | History) - (Re-)Founder
- Professor Devil [Isla DeVille] - (Re-)Founder
- Giga-Mantis [Palmer Young]
- The Bronze Rider (Intro | History) - Founder
- Captain Scorpion II [Luna Church] - Founder
- Gatorman [Dickie Summers] - Founder
- Miss Terrific [Teresa Curie] - Founder
- Troubadour [Eduardo Curtis] - Founder
- The Volunteer [Dean Wilkerson]
- Stingray [Tomo Hirota]
- Fireball [Alison Larkins]
- Grendel ["John Smith"] (Full Bio) | (Battalion History)
- Jeannie Appleseed [Jeanette Thomas]
- Passkey [Erika Edwards]
- Urania [Regan Raffles]
- Greystone [Duror]
- Agent Tin Man [Harlan Brock]
- X-Nihilo [Boris Berezin]
- Bolt, the Electric Swordsman [Joseph "Joe" Zhi] (Full Bio | Battalion History)
- Sparky [Veronika Vondrák]
- Callista [Callista Delbridge]
- Giga-Mantis [Palmer Young]
- The Finalist ["Lee"]
- The Extinguisher [Cooper Judson] - Founder
- Harfang [Gwendolyn Bell] - Founder
- Belle Canto [Isabel Harmon] - Founder
- Aya Newton - Founder
- The Wretched - Founder
- Man-or-House ["Moe"]
- Sin-Eater [Cedric Chung]
- Victor Stark
- Wichita [Kristin Cobb]
- Count Conjuro [John Castro] (Villain-turned-Hero)
- Bolt, the Electric Swordsman [Joseph "Joe" Zhi]
Villains
The Sportsmen / Bad Sportsmen / Bad Sports - Sports-themed jobbers
History: Part1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Original Run
- Coach (I) [Craig Ruby] - Founder
- #1 - Lineman - Football - Founder
- #2 - Doubleplayer - Baseball - Founder
- #3 - Enforcer - Ice Hockey - Founder
- #4 - Rebounder - Basketball - Founder
- #7 - Gridiron - Football
- #9 - Tripleplayer - Baseball
- #12 - Ghost Goalie - Soccer
- #14 - Shadowboxer - Boxing
- #16 - Foulball [Mason "Sonny" Shaw] - Baseball
- #17 - Discus - Discus
- #19 - Riposte - Fencing
- #21 - Shotgun - Football
- #22 - Bazooka - Baseball
- #23 - Howitzer - Ice Hockey
- #24 - Shooting Guard - Basketball
- #27 - Batswoman - Cricket
- #28 - Batsman - Cricket
- #30 - Pentathlete [Sidney Leon] - Pentathalon
- #00 - Coach (II) [Mason "Sonny" Shaw] - Founder
- #01 - Audible - Football - Founder
- #02 - Racketeer - Tennis - Founder
- #03 - Grappler - Mixed Martial Arts - Founder
- #01 - Point Guard - Basketball - Founder
- #05 - Marker - Darts
- #08 - 8-Man - Rugby
- #10 - Horsepower & BR-0-NK-0 - Rodeo
- #11 - Cooldown - eSports
- Tommaso "Tommy" Magnolia aka "The Grocer"
- Nicolas "Nicky" Magnolia aka "Nick the Knife" aka "Boss Nicky"
- Blackjack [Nero Magnolia]
- Harry Burke - Boss of the Murk
- Colonel Quasar [Nelson Latimer] - Founder & Leader
- The Vandal [Chris Becker] - Founder
- Knight-Flight I [Clifton Fry] - Founder
- Space Angel [Tamara Jensen] - Founder
- Captain Fathom [Edith Rowe] - Founder
- Davey Crockett [David Barlowe] - Founder
- Lady Lock [Lillian Gillespie]
- Scorch [Hester Hopkins]
- The Brutalist [Robert "Bertie" Leland Robben]
- Agent Alpha ["Charlie"]
- Magnum Opus [Hans Wenk]
- The Rose [Ivy Burke]
- Rapidfire [Erin Lloyd]
- She-Zerker [Diana Gamble]
- Windchill [Dr. Walter Quinn] - Founder & Leader
- The Screen Queen
- "Ray Cathode"
Common Morphs - Link
Spoiler
- Mournmouthes
- Hooded Vortices
- Demon Masks
- Gaunt Hunters
- Curious Creepers
- Satan’s Eyes
- Horrorlings
- Grotesqueries
- Fogboys
- Abysmal Centurions
- Meager Mumblers & Baleful Babblers
- Cinderflies
- the Revelatory Beast
Spoiler
- Promising Pupils - Servants of Doctor Hell
- Yellow Berets - Servants of Battlecry
- City-Sinners - Servants of the Metropolitan and inhabitants of Horizon
- Collapsing Giants - Servants of the Metropolitan and inhabitants of Horizon
- Living Shrouds - Servants of Firefly
- Brothers-in-Arms - Servants of the Devil Knight
- The Sly Trader - Saleswoman
- Doctor Hell - Scholar
- Battlecry - Soldier
- The Metropolitan and Horizon, the Hungry City - Sensate
- Firefly - (Former) Superhero
- The Devil Knight / Tyrfang - Swordsman
- The Yellow King - Sovereign
- Grayson Beck - Dickish medium-for-hire, sometimes antiheroic ally
- Choke [Sidney Leon] - Skill-stealing former Bad Sport
- The Grinning Ghoul [Abigail Frances Roman] - power-hungry zomboid biologist
- Mistletoe [Saint Alialace / Ellis Saint] - international playboy and magical assassin for hire from another world
- The Supertanker - giant reforming warbot
- Tyrant [Marko Zane] - mad-scientist responsible for the founding of the Battalion
- Uber, the Quantonic Android - cosmically powerful artificial being
- Willow Wisp - capricious living spell
Independents / Neutrals / Third Parties / Others
FIREBIRD - Rogue magical paramilitary / espionage group. They'll save the world, no matter what sacrifices it takes.
- The Gray Lady - Founder
- The Illustrated Woman ["Lydia"] - High-level operative
- Agent KETCH ["Carlos Mitchell"] - High-level operative
- Andre Wiseman - Birdhouse #25 (Ember Point, USA) - Sample Member
- Margaret Hutton - Birdhouse #67 (Edinburgh, Scotland) - Sample Member
- La Poetisa [Cándida Trueba] - Birdhouse #19 (Santiago, Chile) - Sample Member
- Red Shadow
- Indigo Shadow
- Yellow Shadow - The Animator ["Anton Marionette"]
- Violet Shadow
- Blue Shadow
- Orange Shadow - Professor Devil [Isla DeVille]
- Green Shadow - Jewell Sparrow
Worldbuilding Details
Bonus & Side Content
- A Brief Introduction to “the Three Gs” of Ember Point
- A Brief Introduction to Mount Alexandra
- A Brief Introduction to the Concept of Captain Scorpion
- A Brief Introduction to Vondrák Electromatics (VE)
- Bonus #1 - Appearances of Goldilocks, Grendel, Glorioso, and Count Conjuro
- Bonus #2 - The Top Ten Troubadour Songs (2022 Survey)
- Bonus #3 - The Unspeakables as D&D Casting Classes