《 H.E.R.O. Archives: An Abbreviated History of Superheroes 》 Greetings, prospective hero. My name is ALISA and I will be guiding you through the application process here at HERO. First, a brief lesson in our history is in order.> > > Year 1764: The Beginning < < <
300 years ago, to the date, one of the strangest scientific anomalies in history occurred. A massive meteor jettisoned towards Earth at breakneck speeds, only to dissolve as soon as the meteor entered the atmosphere. What astronomers of the time prophesized as a bringer of doom to the human species appeared to have just been a simple near-miss. Life went on for a short while, until the scientists, and people all around the world, realized that the meteor, termed the 《 X-200 Meteor 》, had left something in its wake.
The meteor, upon dissolution, had released clouds of purple dust that had caused mutations in select numbers of fauna, flora, and most importantly, humans. These genetic mutations gave this specific group- only about 5-7% of the world's population, at the time- what is called the "Hero Gene." The Hero Gene runs in families and grants all sorts of superpowers. Some people grew wings, some people could spit fire, some people could cause countries to experience earthquakes, and some people could cause yeast to rise faster. All sorts of new powers came about from this revelation, and it led to one of the greatest paradigm shifts humanity has ever seen.
> > > 1770 - 1790: Formative Years < < <
The new class of "superhumans" came to recognize the implications of their newfound abilities much faster than the world governments did. The first "villains" and "heroes" were just superpowered crooks and ragtag groups of superpowered neighborhood watchmen, essentially. Small bands of these heroes duked it out with the early iterations of supervillains, and also did battle with "Leftovers," a blanket term for the creatures that had become affected by the X-200 meteor and had adopted (often hideous) super-mutations of their own. This kind of rampant havoc was troublesome, to say the least. Representatives from the major world powers of the time held a summit to determine how to address this new problem. The 1791 Austria Convention would reshape how the world thought of this new term of “superheroes.”
> > > 1791 - 1879: Heroes Gone Global < < <
The 1791 Austria Convention laid down a method of organizing the new “superhero” groups. The world was carved into regions, where each respective area would be responsible for administering a “hero company,” a governmental division of superheroes that worked for the government and fought to preserve the peace. All the hero companies would be linked to a single entity known as ICOSA, the International Council on Superhuman Affairs, centered in Vienna, the first real transnational governing body in human history.
This original convention was, in short, a failure, or at least, it wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been. The world was rife with tensions, and as such, the powers bestowed upon ICOSA were incredibly weak, with most of the power given to the individual nations. These individual nations used their respective hero companies less to police supervillains and more as cudgels for their enemies. Because of this, heroes were rarely around to actually help fight villains and more often that not doing battle against Napoleon or helping quash rebellions or pillaging villages in the Scramble for Africa. Superheroes, at this point in time, were not viewed very well, and would continue to be viewed poorly by the general public for almost a century. This was a dark period of superheroes, and after a coordinated series of supervillain terrorist attacks in the 1870s, combined with atrocities committed in the Crimean War of Europe and American Civil War, the international community reconvened for a second conference, this time in Geneva.
> > > 1879 - 1945: Reform and Readjustment < < <
The 1879 Geneva Convention moved the meeting grounds of ICOSA a thousand kilometers west to Geneva, Switzerland, and established new rules and legislation that redefined superheroism. Superheroes were no longer to be tools of the military, and were limited in their parameters to solely be guardians, not soldiers. Hero companies were forbidden from going to war and ICOSA enacted a series of hefty guidelines that every HERO company had to follow, lest they be punished by ICOSA. ICOSA was still a mostly laissez-faire organization, giving individual companies a great deal of autonomy and freedom to run things as they so choose, but finally began to crack down on the usage of superheroes as tools of war. From this point on, the public image of superheroes began to improve dramatically. Though Switzerland’s neutral position in both world wars meant that there were no superheroes to be serving on the frontlines, the imagery of the spandex-covered superhero finally began to take hold of the public. When the world emerged from World War 2, there was one image that remained untainted by the cynicism of the world, and that was of superheroes.
> > > 1945 - 2050: The Golden Age of Superheroes < < <
The next century or so is considered the golden era of superheroes. Trust in superheroes was at an all-time high, and for the first time since the inception of hero companies, civilians began to not only feel comfortable around superheroes, but openly followed them. Powerful superheroes, handsome superheroes, cool superheroes, funny superheroes, all of them began to grow in popularity with the public, and once the snowball started rolling, the hype only increased. By the 60s and 70s, consumerism centered around superheroes began to keep pace and even exceed at some points the fan obsession with actors and musicians, and becoming a superhero with a hero company not only became a viable career path, but a very lucrative one at that. Local and international funding guaranteed that no matter where in the world you are, signing your name with a hero company promised a good salary, plenty of benefits, and a ton of clout.
In the midst of a global obsession with superheroes, one company stood out- HERO, an American HERO Company that covered the Northeast and part of the Atlantic coast. HERO was known for being highly destructive in their superheroism, but for always getting the job done in the midst of one of the most populous and villain-infested cities in the world, Castleburg, New York. HERO had some of the strongest, cunning, caring, and oftentimes oversexualized and overhyped heroes in the world, and it earned a reputation as being chaotic but exciting, a hub of hero activity that many flocked to.
> > > 2050 - Present, The Decline < < <
After a hundred years of popularity, the advent of the future caused superheroes to tumble from the top- robots.
Robots have a lot going for them- effective, obedient, cool, and much less volatile than actual humans. In the late 2040s into the coming decades, police forces from around the world began implementing robotic divisions, known creatively as e-Police or Ekops..Their incorporation and effectiveness diminished the popularity of heroes. Hero companies are still around, and are still prevalent and heavily sponsored, but they aren’t quite the same as they used to be, with much of the public feeling more comfortable around the productive and efficacious Ekop than the humans that spit fire from their mouths.
Looming in the future, though, there are distant threats to Castleburg and the world, threats that a bunch of pieces of tin can’t stop. It’ll be up to the heroes to reassert themselves once again to keep the city- and the world at large- safe, like heroes have always done at the end of the day.
> > > TL / DR < < <
After a meteor hit Earth 300 years ago, some people developed superpowers. These superhumans were grouped up into regional, acronym-based companies all managed by a global organization called ICOSA that functioned as the UN of superhumans. Eventually, after being used as tools of war for many years, ICOSA forced superheroes to be superheroes, and they went from being viewed in disdain to being idolized as celebrities and role models for the 20th century and first half of the 21st century, when the rise of electronic policing has begun the decline of superheroes as a paragon of justice.
《 The City of Castleburg 》 Let’s now shift our scope from the world at large onto the bustling futuristic metropolis of Castleburg, New York, one of the world’s three largest cities and the home of HERO. Castleburg is a bustling metropolis located in New York State. A thriving city on the cutting edge of the future, Castleburg is the home of more than 20 million people and is the center of HERO, the Heroic Egalitarian Rescue Organization, a hero company that covers much of the Atlantic Northeast of the United States, though its main branch is in Castleburg, a city that with its great population also has a great number of supervillains looking to bring the mighty city to its knees.
Castleburg is divided into 7 different boroughs. The largest borough of Castleburg is called 《 New Athens 》, the bustling central district of Castleburg that's home to much of Castleburg's largest business and commerce centers. New Athens is home to many museums, galleries, and other cultural hotspots along with the towering skyscrapers of many industries. At the center of New Athens is the Center Olive Park, a gorgeous city park featuring a zoo and more, along with the Belfast Building, one of the world's tallest buildings, and a Castleburg monument. To the north of New Athens is 《 Kingsdale 》, an upper-class city district with row after row of nice restaurants, theaters, and more. Kingsdale is an entertainment hub in the city, and it's where the action is at. Kingsdale is also home to pricey residences and posh penthouses. To the east of New Athens and Kingsdale is the 《 East Flank 》. The East Flank is still an urban area but is considered to be a much more affordable area to live compared to New Athens and Kingsdale. The East Flank is home to much of Castleburg's middle-class population and many Heroes, and though it hosts its own galleries, restaurants, et cetera, is mostly viewed as residential.
Those three boroughs make up North Castle Island, while South Castle Island is made up of two distinct boroughs. Perhaps the polar opposite of Kingsdale, 《 Brookside 》 is a much more lower-class area of Castleburg, located across the Blue River south of New Athens. An area with crime rates much higher than that of the other portions of the city and featuring a much more slum-like atmosphere, Brookside is a common location for regular street crimes. Adjacent to Brookside, 《 Watervale 》 is a small borough composed mostly of residential areas. While generally higher socio-economically than Brookside, Watervale is known for its organized crime presence, and it's believed some supervillains have set up camp here as well. Watervale is also the home to several ethnic communities, most notably Castleburg’s Chinatown neighborhood.
To the east of North Castle Island is 《 Passenger Island 》, a mostly suburban area of Castleburg. It's a sleepier area of Castleburg in general, not as much going on here most of the time. Some of the more boring heroes live here. Passenger Island stands as a relic of the old way, a living memory of the early 21st century with few moving sidewalks, bullet trains, and hovercars zooming about.
Lastly, to the east of Watervale is the newest borough of 《 Atlantica 》, an entirely artificial, man-made island. It was a pet project of a local billionaire to turn a group of abandoned oil rigs into an oceanside paradise. It stands as a sort of mini-Vegas in Castleburg, with glowing neon signs and tall oceantop casinos overshadowing the rampant crime and poverty that festers beneath its gilded surface.
《 Savior Island 》 and 《 Lighthouse Island 》 are both HERO-owned and operated islands. Savior Island holds HERO One, a towering skyscraper that once was the glorious symbol of HERO and that now serves as administrative office space. Lighthouse Island holds Academy for Junior Heroes (see more below).
To be added in the near future.
《 H.E.R.O. Affiliations 》 H.E.R.O. has been Castleburg's vanguard for hundreds of years now, a shining beacon of justice in a city that is all too often clouded with chaos. It is imperative you learn exactly what you're getting into before you join our ranks, and also, who you'll be up against.
A hero company situated in Castleburg, H.E.R.O. is notorious for causing mass amounts of damage to its home city, but the organization is well-respected as an entity for stopping villainy in its tracks. Employing many local heroes to help fight crime, H.E.R.O. is a crime-stopping arm that works closely with police to help fight criminal activity all throughout Castleburg and surrounding regions.
H.E.R.O. runs three separate locations to help facilitate activities. Its “main” HQ, named HERO One, is located just off of Castleburg Bay on an island. Once a bustling center of hero life, HERO One has since become aged and is mostly used as administrative office space. The main hub for hero activity is the aerocarrier Paladin, a high-tech airship that patrols the skys above Castleburg and has been active since the late 2040s. Paladin is accessible through traditional aircrafts and through a beaming system. Paladin is equipped with state-of-the-art quarters and citywide defense systems in case of an emergency. Lastly, HERO operates the Academy for Junior Heroes, a magnet school specifically for young superheroes. It is a public school that accepts promising young superhumans and helps to teach them how to use their superpowers effectively and safely, and is located on Lighthouse Island, far away from where the pubescent metahumans can do any damage.
H.E.R.O. is a very generous employer, and most full-time heroes are satisfied with the paychecks, plus benefits such as medical insurance. Because of that, most heroes that H.E.R.O. employs are full time, though part-time heroes do exist. That being said, H.E.R.O. holds these benefits as a motivator and regularly slashes the paychecks of those who do not comply with H.E.R.O. guidelines and cause excessive destruction.
H.E.R.O.’s 12th executive director is Alexis Montagne, a Quebecois immigrant and former superheroine known as the Black Crow. Her assistant director is Richard Blum, another former superhero known as the Man-Titan.
ICOSA, the International Council of Superhuman Affairs, is a global governing body whose primary goal is to record and research all powers and power holders, issue proper certifications to professional heroes, link and supervise hero companies, and track those that use their powers for nefarious purposes. ICOSA, itself a slow-moving body, relegates a significant amount of authority to the various companies under its jurisdiction, but it still makes sure to continuously inspect said companies to make sure they are complying with all ICOSA guidelines. H.E.R.O., having had a long history of breaking those guidelines, finds itself under constant scrutiny by ICOSA.
The President of I.C.O.S.A. is a Nigerian general named Okoye Akinsanya, a hero in the Pan-African War and a notorious hardline advocate of limited HERO involvement.
The Depths Supermax Detention Center was founded in the year 2035 after a mass breakout at the previous supermax facility for Castleburg, Coldwater. The Depths is located down a massive borehole and is considered the hardest location to escape from on the globe. The Depths’ security detail is incredibly impressive, and the farther down one goes, the more intense the security procedures become. At the base level, which is reserved for either high-level human offenders or low-level metahuman offenders, The Depths is mostly similar to any other prison, albeit one with a number of heavily-armed guards, cybernetic defense mechanisms, and no light- at the very least, inmates get a cellmate, yard time, and visitation.
At the bottom levels, though, reserved for dangerous supervillains, inmates are locked inside specially-designed cells to nullify their specific superpowers and are kept under constant scrutiny. The lowest level of The Depths is called the Omega Level, a location for villains that have committed grave crimes against humanity, and it is rumored that those imprisoned there aren’t even allowed to move, remaining locked-in-place in a semi-comatose state for the rest of their lives. These rumors are unsubstantiated, though, because no reporters are allowed to the bottom levels.
《 H.E.R.O. Formal Application 》 With that housekeeping covered, please proceed to the application and complete it to the best of your ability. Pointers For Character Creation < < <
BALANCE IS KEY! I give a lot of leeway when constructing an OC, under the assumption that everybody exercises a degree of reason when making their character. Some characters will be stronger than others, but try to balance power with weakness when making a character.
Third-person is preferred in the character sheet, though I will accept any perspective so long as it is thoughtfully done. Please delete all the turquoise text prior to submitting the character sheet in the OOC first.
You can have as many characters as you can reasonably manage, though I would suggest no more than 2-3 main characters. You can have NPC side characters as much as you want, though please do not godmod anybody else's characters or GM NPCs. If you want any sort of incorporation into the main story, please DM me and/or Canary.
The main character sheet portion and abilities section are both mandatory and can be separated or combined, up to you. If there is a relationship sheet added later, that would be entirely optional.
When in doubt, send me and/or Canary a DM and we'll be more than happy to clarify anything. I am pretty lenient, so any situation should be able to be worked out with a bit of communication.
Though my goal is to work everything out and try and get as many people happily participating in the RP as possible, my word is final.
[ INSERT IMAGE ABOVE ]
HERO NAME
"witty character quote here"
[ NAME ]
Your real name.
[ HERO IDENTITY ]
Repeat it one more time for the folks in the back!
[ NICKNAME/ALIAS ]
Anything you’re called outside of your name and public identity.
[ AGE ]
New heroes can be anywhere from the age of 16 upwards of 40, though the curve tends to fall towards the younger side. Younger people are generally in better shape, have a reduced fear of death, and have less to lose.
[ GENDER ]
Should be fairly self explanatory.
[ AFFILIATION ]
If your intention is enlisting as a full-time operative for HERO, that should be stated here. If, for whatever reason, you are a neutral party or, heaven forbid, a full-time villain, list that particular occupation here as well. Any “side hustles” should be considered here as well.
[ APPEARANCE ]
Describe your physical appearance, in terms of both your physique, casual clothing, and any sort of superhero suit you may want.
[ PERSONALITY TRAITS ]
The Director is not seeking a detailed compendium of every facet of our personality, but rather just a few adjectives that you would use to describe yourself.
[ BIO ]
[ The obligatory origin story. Some depth is required here, as one’s personal history does speak volumes about their character. However, some details may be left out to be discovered later, though it is critical that the Director be directly messaged about said spoiler.
| MISCELLANEOUS |
Any details you would like the Director to see.
[ RANKING ]
Return to this part after having completed the other assessment areas. See "Power Rankings" hider below for more guidance.
[ POWERS ]
A brief description of your powers. Below will be a more in-depth examination of your abilities.
For the below-listed rankings, please rank yourself using the colored and uncolored boxes on a scale of 0-10, with a 2 corresponding to what an average, non-powered human can put out, and provide a brief explanation for the reasoning of said ranking. See "Power Rankings" hider below for more guidance.
■■■■■□□□□□
[ PHYSICAL STRENGTH ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ AGILITY ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ INTELLIGENCE ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ DESTRUCTIVENESS ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ LETHALITY ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ ENDURANCE ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ EFFICACY ] ■■■■■□□□□□
[ SKILLS ]
Any miscellaneous skills/talents that could ever be remotely relevant should be listed here.
[ EQUIPMENT ]
Any equipment that you like to tote around with you should be listed here.
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ NAME ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Your real name.[/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ HERO IDENTITY ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Repeat it one more time for the crowd![/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ NICKNAME/ALIAS ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Anything you’re called outside of your name and public identity. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ AGE ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]New heroes can be anywhere from the age of 16 upwards of 40, though the curve tends to fall towards the younger side. Younger people are generally in better shape, have a reduced fear of death, and have less to lose.[/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ GENDER ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Should be fairly self explanatory.[/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ AFFILIATION ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]If your intention is enlisting as a full-time operative for HERO, that should be stated here. If, for whatever reason, you are a neutral party or, heaven forbid, a full-time villain, list that particular occupation here as well. Any “side hustles” should be considered here as well. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ APPEARANCE ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Describe your physical appearance, in terms of both your physique, casual clothing, and any sort of superhero suit you may want. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ PERSONALITY TRAITS ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]The Director is not seeking a detailed compendium of every facet of our personality, but rather just a few adjectives that you would use to describe yourself. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ BIO ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT][ The obligatory origin story. Some depth is required here, as one’s personal history does speak volumes about their character. However, some details may be left out to be discovered later, though it is critical that the Director be directly messaged about said spoiler. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][b]| MISCELLANEOUS |[/b][/color] [color=Turquoise][indent]Any details you would like the Director to see.[/indent][/color] [/hider]
[hider=Abilities] [color=YOURCOLOR][B][ RANKING ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Return to this part after having completed the other assessment areas. See "Power Rankings" hider below for more guidance. [/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ POWERS ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]A brief description of your powers. Below will be a more in-depth examination of your abilities.[/INDENT][/color]
[color=Turquoise][INDENT]For the below-listed rankings, please rank yourself using the colored and uncolored boxes on a scale of 0-10, with a 2 corresponding to what an average, non-powered human can put out, and provide a brief explanation for the reasoning of said ranking. See "Power Rankings" hider below for more guidance.[/INDENT][/color] ■■■■■□□□□□
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ SKILLS ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Any miscellaneous skills/talents that could ever be remotely relevant should be listed here.[/INDENT][/color]
[color=YOURCOLOR][B][ EQUIPMENT ][/B][/color] [color=Turquoise][INDENT]Any equipment that you like to tote around with you should be listed here. [/INDENT][/color]
Character Help
Now I bet you're asking yourself, "Hitman, what is a ranking?"
Wow, stranger, I'm glad you asked!
HERO uses a ranking system to, very generally, qualify heroes, as well as villains that oppose HERO. The Power Ranking system runs from S to F to rank individuals by power level, with F denoting “weaker than an average human”, while S constitutes a “consistently dangerous threat to the city and its occupants.” Note that while the power ranking is a decent general measure of strength, it is by no means an absolute power level gauge, with individuals with a lower power ranking able to trump higher-ranked individuals with cunning, techniques, and more. The Power Ranking system is just a very general measure of threat level.
The Power Ranking system has been split into 7 sub-categories that heroes are assessed on- physical strength (measuring capacity to exert and withstand pressure with one's body), agility (measuring capacity to move swiftly and avoid attacks), intelligence (measuring application of knowledge and strategical thinking), destructivenesss (measuring ability to cause property damage), lethality (measuring ability to kill humans and/or animals), stamina (measuring capacity to use powers for a prolonged period of time), efficacy (measuring level of control over one's powers and the ability to use one's powers to control others) and morality (measuring the depth of one's moral compass).
S+ ranked heroes are like unicorns- people have claimed to see them, but they likely do not exist- the power levels required would simply be monstrous.
S ranked heroes are extremely powerful and are a consistently dangerous threat to the entire city and require countermeasures in place in case they go rogue.
S- ranked heroes are similar to S ranked heroes in magnitude, but their powers generally have some type of limitation or niche that makes them easily exploitable given the right tools.
All the S ranks make up about 1% of the hero population.
A ranked heroes can do serious damage to the city on their own and can be very difficult to defeat, but are not necessarily a threat to the entire city if let loose. They still possess an impressive amount of power, enough to endanger the lives around them, but not to the scope and magnitude that the S-ranked heroes possess.
All the A-ranked heroes (A+, A, A-) make up about 10% of the hero population.
B ranked heroes can do damage to both infrastructure and human lives and have a lot of potential, but do not possess the penchant for destruction and death that the upper levels have and be managed, though B ranked heroes can put up a very good fight.
All the B-ranked heroes (B+, B, B-) make up about 25% of the hero population.
C ranked heroes have notable and significant enhancements over regular humans and can cause some level of destruction and/or multiple fatalities if given the opportunity, but have enough setbacks that make them fairly managable. They have a good deal of power, though, and should not be underestimated.
All the C-ranked heroes (C+, C, C-) make up about 50% of the hero population.
D ranked heroes have access to metahuman powers that grant some level of strength over non-powered humans. Use of said powers may be able to cause destruction, albeit at insignificant levels at that, and D ranked individuals can be easily managed.
All the D-ranked heroes (C+, C, C-) make up about 15% of the hero population.
E ranking is shorthand for an average human, and F ranking is just a regular insult. Neither are used in an official capacity by HERO or any organization.
Ranking as the name suggests, measures the potential of a given individual’s power, not necessarily an objective ranking of ability in the real world. For example, the Dust Bandit, a D-rank villain with the sole power to manipulate dust, was able to cause multiple fatalities and was able to rob multi-millions from banks across Castleburg, defeating numerous C and B-tier heroes before being taken down.
Also, heroes’ ranking. can improve or deteriorate over time. Heroes are re-evaluated on a biannual basis, though a request for an earlier re-evaluation can be submitted to H.E.R.O. for consideration. It is fairly rare to see a hero move more than a whole rank, however.
