In 1920, the supernatural and extraordinary returned to the world. Magic stopped being a thing of myth and legend as it slowly returned while individuals found themselves manifesting superhuman abilities. With their new powers, some became heroes, others became villains and some blurred the line or just got on with their mundane lives.
That was four years ago. Humanity has always been good at adapting to new and unforeseen circumstances and so the world adjusted to account for superheroes, supervillains and superpowers. Superpowered crooks and thugs established a new order in the underworld, often overthrowing the old in the process. Heroes rose to the challenge and fought both supervillains and regular criminals, doing so with or without powers of their own.
Seeking to retain their legitimacy and authority as superpowers grew increasingly common, national governments began to draw these empowered individuals in 1921 and at the start of 1924, every government had some super powered individuals at their disposal. These so-called superheroes blurred traditional lines as they answered to the law over morality and governments would often take in criminals or other individuals of a more villainous bent. In many cases, morally upright vigilantes would clash with the not so heroic 'superheroes' that answered to the legal authorities.
A prominent example of this was in Great Britain. While the British government gathered several superheroes into their Kingsmen, the heroism of every member was questionable at best with the sole exception of their leader, the Fairy Knight. Meanwhile several vigilantes had formed the Order of the Round Table, superhero organisation designed to invoke Arthurian symbolism and whose members hold themselves to what is right over what is legal.
This brewing conflict would come to a head in 1923 where the callous imperialism of the British Empire caused an open fight between Britannia of the Kingsmen and Galahad of the Round Table. Under orders from her handlers, Britannia attempted to violently deal with Irish protesters who continued to baulk at British rule. She found herself fighting Galahad who opposed her government-backed murder of civilians.
Weeks later, the two would clash again in Africa, where Galahad stopped Britannia from exterminating a village that was resisting British rule that was becoming increasingly firmer and harsher. Then it would spread beyond Britannia and Galahad as the Witchfinder was beaten senseless by the Round Table after the government instructed him to uncover their secret identities while Fairy Knight's former apprentice, the Sapphire Squire fought Lady Morgan in the streets of London.
As the new year rolls around and the number of super powered individuals continues to rise, conflict between the government and the country's vigilantes becomes increasingly likely. While other nations suffer their own unrest, the empire on which the sun never sets has battlelines between those who seek to use superpowers to enforce its rule and those who seek to do what is right.
***
Born to fling that an officer in the Royal Navy had with a native woman in Samoa during his time in Polynesia, Kamea Armsworth was taken home with her father after deciding that he could provide her with a better life than her mother. Brought to Lyndhurst by her father, she was raised by her stepmother alongside her half-siblings.
Kamea grew up helping around the family…
[] Farm. Kamea assisted her family around their farm, doing some manual labour in the fields and helping look after their animals amongst other things.
Strength and Stamina increased. Athletics and Perception increased. Gain Animal Empathy.
[] Pub. Kamea lent a hand around the pub despite her youth, befriending the regulars and learning how to pump information out of them.
Dexterity increased. Insight and Persuasion increased. Gain Connected and Contacts.
[] Shop. Kamea would aid her mother and siblings in running their family shop, learning how to assess potential customers and convince them to buy their goods.
Presence increased. Deception, Expertise: Business, Insight and Persuasion increased.
Yet while her family accepted her for who she was, everyone else was a different story. As she grew up in Lyndhurst, Kamea found herself being unfairly judged for her looks, sex and parentage. All things she had no control over and yet they were all things that she was judged
over. Nevertheless, Kamea strove to ignore them and with the support of her family, she did her best to live a full life.
When she had the spare time, Kamea would spend it… (Pick three)
[]
Studying the world and history. The legends and tales of the past always excited Kamea and she would spend hours with her nose in a book if she could get away with it.
Intellect increased. Expertise: History and Expertise: Politics increased.
[] Playing sports with her half-siblings and their friends. Joining in the games of her half-siblings, Kamea grew up to be athletic and physically impressive beyond what she would otherwise be.
Strength, Stamina and Agility increased. Acrobatics and Athletics increased.
[] Seeking out the friendship of others. Despites the prejudices that she suffered, Kamea enjoyed the company of others and would attempt to befriend those that she could, improving her social skills greatly in the process.
Presence increased. Deception, Insight and Persuasion increased.
[] Avoiding those who bullied her. Kamea would do her best to avoid those who would pick on her for the way she was born, learning how to
Awareness increased. Insight, Perception and Stealth increased.
[] Learning about science and technology. Kamea found herself fascinated by the wonders of science and technology, learning what she could about it and gaining a deft hand when it came to it.
Intellect increased. Expertise: Science and Technology increased. Gain Inventor.
[] Spending time in the forest. With the New Forest right at hand, Kamea would spend plenty of time in it as she enjoyed nature and going on short adventures.
Agility increased. Acrobatics and Perception increased. Gain Favoured Environment: Forest and Tracking.
***
First of all, no plan voting. There will be plan voting in the future regarding character growth, but right now, Kamea's character is still in flux. With that in mind, I want to encourage people to join it by letting them pick whatever they want without having to worry about picking a plan. So if you just want to vote for the family business or a single growing up option, feel free.
This quest will be a superhero quest set in 1920s New Forest and will be run using Mutants and Mastermind 3rd Edition. I was inspired to run it by
this quest over here and taking a cue from it, I decided to run a semi-sequel quest to
my old superhero quest where we are in the same setting, but following a new budding superhero.
The character's name, origins and powers are decided, but aspects of their background are undecided so while you won't be choosing Kamea's name or powers, you can choose what her family does and what things she did growing up. And no, I won't be telling you what her powers are before this vote is over. It will deny you the chance to min-max, but I'm okay with that because narrative, Kamea didn't know what her powers would be when she choose what she did growing up.
Beyond punching criminals and stopping conventional supervillains, politics will be prominent, especially regarding the British Empire and its future. The British Empire was not a moral thing, but it was popular and supported by the British public in this period despite its atrocities and waning power. It was also enforced and upheld by the government, who have grown worse after getting access to super powered individuals of dubious morals.
I feel this leads to some interesting situations to explore such as if someone who fights against an imperialist power via breaking the law and battling the government is a villain or if someone who works for the government and upholds the laws of a colonial empire is a hero or not. The British Empire is popular and seems strong, but its power is waning and that leaves the question of whether British superheroes should try to save it? Or should they let it collapse and salvage what they can? Is there anything worth salvaging? Perhaps it might be more moral to help bring about its downfall.
Furthermore, in the time skip between this quest and the last one, this is all coming to a head as the government-backed Kingsmen and the vigilante Order of the Round Table begin to clash over their differing morals. While she won't involve Kamea straight away, she will eventually have to make a choice on how to deal with an increasingly tyrannical government as its false 'heroes' clash with the true heroes in the country.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.