"Let me tell you the legend. 'Cause that's what it is now. 'Bout thirty years ago, some bloke is spotted drifting over the Atlantic by a satellite. Naked, so far they they could tell. He passed over Africa a week later, then the Indian Ocean, Australia, Pacific, South America... Then when he came to a stop over the South Pole, dead centre of the world, he dropped and punched a hole straight through.
You'd think that would've been the news. Nah. What the news did have was six holes opening up. The Starbursts. Polar ice cracked up in the Arctic, whirlpools in the Galapagos, off the coast of Africa, between India and Indonesia, and between nowhere and fuckall in the middle of the Pacific. They all went straight to the core, but whatever the flying bloke had done had made them shine bright light, not turn to volcanoes.
Then they happened. People with abilities. At first we called them superheroes, as if they were out of the comics. Reports came from Africa, Russia, the East Indies, South America. Even tiny islands in the Pacific halfway to disappearing under the ocean. Humanity had evolved, they said.
But it wasn't just us. The first was a Navy cruiser than got eaten by a turtle big enough to snap the hull. Panthers that walked a foot behind where they were. Bears with beaks and armour. And rats... Rats with arms and hatred overran the cities... All the firepower in the world couldn't hold them off.
The Epics, they were our equaliser. They could find the panthers, kill the bears and stop the rats. But they spent just as much time fighting each other. The Kenyans have a saying; when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. It became the mantra of our age as the normal people suffered under the endless fights of the Epics.
And more and more people kept gaining powers. The US was the only land where they were free of them. Normal people could still live normally. Until the animals, the monsters, spread there too. They had to welcome the Epics in. And it worked. Until the High rose.
Declaring themselves the leaders and most powerful of the Epics. They annexed Manhattan. The entire island fell under their control. Any one of the five High could destroy an army, and the US government had to bend to their will. They rule that island, Epic City, and more Epics arrive there every day. Ironically, it might be the safest place left, as whatever gave people powers arrived in North America with them.
Some say it's only a matter of time until the Epics are the only ones left. And they're getting stronger."
Epic City is the greatest, safest place on Earth. Here, the authority of Those on High has created an order where Epics and normals live in peace. Some epics still play the villain, but they play an uneasy game with Epic City's celebrity heroes. Any villain who causes too much trouble is usually "neutralised" by one of the High. A more constant threat are the Freaks, mutated Epics, and the Swarm, the twisted rat-goblins, both living beneath the city in an endless and expanding nest of tunnels. The anti-Epic terrorists, the Kryptonites, also make their home in the city, fighting for what they see as the salvation of humanity.
Each Epic, even the High and the Freaks, have a single weakness. This otherwise mundane object or concept can strip them of their powers completely, breaking whatever spell they have cast upon them and returning them to normal, for as long as the weakness is around. The Kryptonites exploit this as best they can, but many Epics keep their weakness a closely guarded secret. Telling anyone else your weakness is, for an Epic, a gesture of trust reserved for spouses, lifetime friends, or family.
You're an Epic, either a hero-celebrity, a "villain", a neutral, or even a Freak who tries to adjust as best they can. Many Epics and Freaks adopt, earn or are dubbed with a nickname. Sometimes the press gives you a tag that sticks, or you declare a name that the world should know you by. A few of the bravest Epics declare their real name, feeling more natural as an Epic than a normal. The press and hero-worshippers of Epic City quickly eviscerate anyone with a ridiculous name, though. (Taserface springs to mind - GM)
Powers are essentially magical boons or curses. Many many hours and much currency has been spent trying to understand who and why, but the best they've come up with is "we don't know." Powers, weaknesses and in some cases mutation are entirely unrelated. Though they can match: a flight ability cancelled by granite stone granted to a Freak who resembles a bird in some way, more often they seem random.
Playable "races" and a few character questions:
- Epic: What's your power and weakness? Are you a hero, a neutral or a villain? Do you enjoy the attention your ability may bring you?
- Freak: What's your mutation and how does it affect your life? Are you dangerous or just misunderstood? Is your power especially strong?
- Normal: What do think about Epics and Freaks? Were you born in Epic City? Are you related to an Epic and wish you had powers of your own?
You'd think that would've been the news. Nah. What the news did have was six holes opening up. The Starbursts. Polar ice cracked up in the Arctic, whirlpools in the Galapagos, off the coast of Africa, between India and Indonesia, and between nowhere and fuckall in the middle of the Pacific. They all went straight to the core, but whatever the flying bloke had done had made them shine bright light, not turn to volcanoes.
Then they happened. People with abilities. At first we called them superheroes, as if they were out of the comics. Reports came from Africa, Russia, the East Indies, South America. Even tiny islands in the Pacific halfway to disappearing under the ocean. Humanity had evolved, they said.
But it wasn't just us. The first was a Navy cruiser than got eaten by a turtle big enough to snap the hull. Panthers that walked a foot behind where they were. Bears with beaks and armour. And rats... Rats with arms and hatred overran the cities... All the firepower in the world couldn't hold them off.
The Epics, they were our equaliser. They could find the panthers, kill the bears and stop the rats. But they spent just as much time fighting each other. The Kenyans have a saying; when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. It became the mantra of our age as the normal people suffered under the endless fights of the Epics.
And more and more people kept gaining powers. The US was the only land where they were free of them. Normal people could still live normally. Until the animals, the monsters, spread there too. They had to welcome the Epics in. And it worked. Until the High rose.
Declaring themselves the leaders and most powerful of the Epics. They annexed Manhattan. The entire island fell under their control. Any one of the five High could destroy an army, and the US government had to bend to their will. They rule that island, Epic City, and more Epics arrive there every day. Ironically, it might be the safest place left, as whatever gave people powers arrived in North America with them.
Some say it's only a matter of time until the Epics are the only ones left. And they're getting stronger."
Epic City is the greatest, safest place on Earth. Here, the authority of Those on High has created an order where Epics and normals live in peace. Some epics still play the villain, but they play an uneasy game with Epic City's celebrity heroes. Any villain who causes too much trouble is usually "neutralised" by one of the High. A more constant threat are the Freaks, mutated Epics, and the Swarm, the twisted rat-goblins, both living beneath the city in an endless and expanding nest of tunnels. The anti-Epic terrorists, the Kryptonites, also make their home in the city, fighting for what they see as the salvation of humanity.
Each Epic, even the High and the Freaks, have a single weakness. This otherwise mundane object or concept can strip them of their powers completely, breaking whatever spell they have cast upon them and returning them to normal, for as long as the weakness is around. The Kryptonites exploit this as best they can, but many Epics keep their weakness a closely guarded secret. Telling anyone else your weakness is, for an Epic, a gesture of trust reserved for spouses, lifetime friends, or family.
You're an Epic, either a hero-celebrity, a "villain", a neutral, or even a Freak who tries to adjust as best they can. Many Epics and Freaks adopt, earn or are dubbed with a nickname. Sometimes the press gives you a tag that sticks, or you declare a name that the world should know you by. A few of the bravest Epics declare their real name, feeling more natural as an Epic than a normal. The press and hero-worshippers of Epic City quickly eviscerate anyone with a ridiculous name, though. (Taserface springs to mind - GM)
Powers are essentially magical boons or curses. Many many hours and much currency has been spent trying to understand who and why, but the best they've come up with is "we don't know." Powers, weaknesses and in some cases mutation are entirely unrelated. Though they can match: a flight ability cancelled by granite stone granted to a Freak who resembles a bird in some way, more often they seem random.
Playable "races" and a few character questions:
- Epic: What's your power and weakness? Are you a hero, a neutral or a villain? Do you enjoy the attention your ability may bring you?
- Freak: What's your mutation and how does it affect your life? Are you dangerous or just misunderstood? Is your power especially strong?
- Normal: What do think about Epics and Freaks? Were you born in Epic City? Are you related to an Epic and wish you had powers of your own?
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