| SAND, JACOB
Identity: Ahasuerus Affiliations: The Ascended, Avatar I, the Higher Power Has operated from ???? - ???? AD. A highly mysterious adventurer of possible middle-eastern background. First appeared in New Auckland in early 1916 with his companion Lady Gothica. They became the most effective crime-fighters in the city. Later that year, Sand invited all of the city's heroes to a meeting atop the Meags Building. He suggested that a team should be formed of the cities' heroes in order to combat crime more effectively. He told them that some amazing things would occur over the next half-century and that their role in the struggle that was to come was to act as inspiration. Avatar was born, with the Swashbuckler serving as its leader. Sand was well-known for his resourcefulness and power of suggestion, which some claimed could shape reality itself. He was very secretive about his past. The only possible clue ever provided about his past may have come from an old blind man who, upon coming into contact with Sand, called him "the Jew." In 1924, a visiting Englishman named Bizmarck seemed to know something about him, as did a middle-aged woman called Omega. After Avatar I split in 1927 he and Gothica left New Auckland for Tibet. In 1932, they returned to the states with a man called Drenn. After visiting Swashbuckler I briefly, they left and have not been seen on earth, to anyone's knowledge, since. Some time after this, Sand, Gothica and Drenn, along with fellow Ascendant, Kindred Spirit, decided to do something about the abuses of power going on among the various cosmic agencies and decided to start with the Ascended. Enlisting the help of Omega they formed the Higher Power. Current whereabouts are obscured by legendary history destabilizer ray. (See: Higher Power for further information. Also see: Omega/Madam Z, The Ascended, Mologox, Jacob Sand, Lady Gothica, Kindred Spirit, Calhoun, Drenn, Avatar I, Avatar III.) |
| SANDMAN, THE
A supposedly extra-dimensional being who appears to reside in a dimensional realm that is tied directly into the dreams of humanity. Though rumored to be quite powerful, he was somehow imprisoned by a being called the Bogeyman and appeared to be freed only through the intervention of Avatar III and Madam Z. (See: Bogeyman, Avatar III, Jacob Sand, Madam Z.) |
| SCARLET
KNIGHT
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: The Ten, The Mastermen Status: Deceased The Scarlet Knight was an immense Eleventh Century warrior and member of The Ten. He was banished to a limbo-like existence by a group of Eleventh Century wizards with the stipulation that he would be bound "until fish, bird, beast and man are one." Scarlet Knight found himself released during the late 1980's due to the fact that Xandar McDougal was able to transform into a bear, bird and shark. He pledged to serve Xandar, and did so until his own death in early 1995 when he was killed by a demon summoned by Philip Durmont. Scarlet Knight wielded the mace and breastplate, weapons of The Ten. (See: Mastermen; The Ten; Chess; Xandar McDougal; Durmont.) |
| SHADE
Identity: Clint Scrivner Affiliation: Avatar III Clint Scrivner is the cousin of Marcus Vowell (Wavefront.) His immediate family were members of a Satanic Cult who used their knowledge of the dark arts to attain sinister powers. Clint was thus empowered. However, he did not follow his family's evil views and broke away from them, dedicating his power to the cause of good under the guise of Shade. Using his inherent power and power derived from mystical objects, Shade is able to teleport from any shadow, see within complete darkness and project illusions. (See: Glide, Avatar III) |
| SHARP, BOLIVAR
Affiliation: Forty Thieves A near legendary fence of stolen goods. He was once a member of a group of eight criminals calling themselves the Forty Thieves. They split in 1970. He currently lives on the nineteenth floor of the Alighieri Plaza Hotel where he deals exclusively with stolen paintings and only ones of the highest quality. (See: Forty Thieves) |
| SHELLSHOCK
Identity: Mike Keogh Affiliation: Eastern Angels Operated from 1969-Present. Originally based in Baltimore, Maryland, Shellshock was one of the earliest heroes to wear mechanized armor. His first suit was large, clunky and severe problems with sustaining power for more than a half hour. It was equipped with a machine gun, a gun loaded with armor piercing rounds and a grenade launcher. He continually made adjustments to his suit, improving it vastly with each new version. In 1972 he was invited to join the Eastern Angels in New Auckland, Virginia. The team lasted only a year but he formed a friendship with fellow member Dogfight and the two of them became a team based in Washington D.C. after the group split up. (See: Eastern Angels; Dogfight.) |
| SHILLELAGH
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: The Ten Operated from 1982-Present. Protestant superhero based in Belfast, Ireland. Has teamed with Catholic superhero, Leprechaun as examples of Protestants and Catholics getting along. He aided Avatar III in early 1995 as they battled the Durmont Collective to save other members of The Ten. He possesses the shillelagh and the neck circlet, weapons of The Ten. (See: Leprechaun, The Ten, The Durmont Collective, Avatar III.) |
| SIDEARM
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: SILO Special Operations Unit A member of SILO Labs Special Operations team, based in Albuquerque, NM. Carries a gun. |
| SILO LABS
The origins of SILO Labs stem back to a 1950's technological research firm called Technodyne, begun by Dr. Vernon Stewart. Among its early developments were a light-weight, bullet-proof fabric that the military refused to buy due to allergic rashes developed by most who wore it. By the late seventies the company was near financial ruin and when Vernon Stewart died, ownership passed to his daughter Glennis, (alias Bluebird.) Instead of selling it, as she was advised, Glennis Stewart closed its doors and redesigned it from the bottom up, hiring top of the line scientists such as Dr. Duncan Reed, (alias Spider Bat.) She used her considerable inheritance to buy an abandoned missile SILO, near Seattle, from the U.S. Government and after renovations she debuted her new company SILO Labs in 1978. The original company specialized in robotics and cybernetics. Soon she had the capital to purchase more SILOs around the country. SILO Labs now has branch installations in Seattle, Washington (mechanoid suits and cybernetics, 1978,) New Auckland, Virginia (energy and chemical research, lead by Dr. Duncan Reed, 1980,) Albuquerque, New Mexico (weapons technology, lead by Dr. Barrett Falstaff, 1982,) Huntsville, Alabama--the only base not housed in a missile-SILO (semiconductors, 1986,) Ames, Iowa (Genetics, 1988,) and their newest, located deep in the wilderness of Alaska ("Project Dream", dimensional spanning, 1991.) Scientists in SILO traditionally wear light blue lab coats. In 1994 SILO began a special operations force composed of employees and recruited citizens with technical powers. In the summer of 1995, SILO's security chief, Lennard, was kidnapped, presumably by Chess in order for them to infiltrate Project Dream. This lead to Dr Glennis Stewart's declaration of war on Chess. (See: Bluebird, Spider-Bat, Lt. Col. Samuel Jenkins, Dr. Sylvia Nelson, Stanley Perkins, John Brown, Chess, Project Dream.) |
| SILO
SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT
Operated from 1994-Present. Members include: Sidearm, Impact, Slob, Gizmo, Quartz. |
| SINBAD
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: The Ten Status: Deceased Hero who possessed the weapons of the Ten called the sword and sash. These were the same weapons wielded by Aladdin of Avatar I. He was killed in early 1995 by a demon summoned by Philip Durmont to destroy the members of The Ten he had captured. (See: The Ten; Aladdin; The Durmont Collective.) |
| 6THMATTER
Combination of illicitly-gained 5thMatter and a SILO Labs synthesis of 5thMatter that mixed during an explosion at the SILO Labs Albuquerque base. The mixture was inhaled by one of the cleaning-staff whose entire body was subsequently converted into this matter. He went on to become the hero known as Slob. (See: 5thMatter; SILO Labs; Barrett Falstaff; Slob; Juice: The Energy Guy.) |
| SKITSO
Identity: James "Majik" Martin. A.K.A. Prodigy, Maniac, Bruiser, Impulse, Gauge Affiliation: Avatar III (See Gauge, Avatar III) |
| SLOB
Identity: Irwin Michaels a.k.a.: The Believable Slob Affiliation: SILO Special Operations Force After the 1992 Calhoun Incident, Dr. Barrett Falstaff, of SILO Labs: Albuquerque managed to gain access to a sample of Juice's 5thMatter through as yet unexplained means. SILO was never able to reproduce the sample exactly, but found a hybrid form that they called 6thMatter. This new substance had the multi-form properties of 5thMatter but could only assume them once, permanently, and was thus of no more use than many modern synthetic polymers. As an added bonus, it smelled incredibly bad. Their original 5thMatter sample had almost entirely diffused and a new method of feeding it was attempted in which the sample was subjected to varying levels of electrical energy. Through circumstances not clear at this time, the experiment resulted in an explosion of both the 5thMatter sample and the 6thMatter samples in the same room. A janitor at the lab heard the alarms sound and rushed to aid the gas-masked scientists within. He managed to pull two of them to safety before being over-come by fumes. Over a period of two weeks, the combined 5th and 6thMatter gasses he inhaled congealed in his lungs and began to convert his living cells into a hybrid of the two matters. Within a week he had been completely converted but was still alive and cognizant. He quickly learned that he had the ability to shape-shift into just about anything or anyone of equal mass. However, he could not change color and smelled abominably. He joined the SILO Special Operations Team out of the belief that he should use his powers to the good of man. In 1995, the Special Ops forces were called in by Glennis Stewart to aid in her war on Chess. Some of Slob's teammates noticed that when Slob was in the presence of Juice: The Energy Guy, he did not stink. (See: Juice: The Energy Guy; SILO Special Operations Unit, 6thMatter.) |
| SNIPE
Identity: Unknown Known Alias: Max Reynolds Affiliations: The Mastermen, The Ten Status: Deceased. Snipe was a member of The Ten, carrying the crossbow and mystic amulet, weapons of The Ten. He also had the ability to change his appearance and used the guise of roving reporter Max Reynolds, working for the New Auckland television station, WLAB. A predecessor of Snipe's was defeated by Hopscotch when Avatar traveled back to the dark ages, leading to enmity between all bearers of their specific weapons since. He and other members of The Ten were kidnapped by the Durmont Collective in early 1995. Snipe killed by a demon summoned by Philip Durmont, who wished to destroy the members of The Ten he had captured. (See: The Ten; the Mastermen.) |
| SOARING
DOVE, SHILOAH
Affiliations: FBI, Avatar II Operated with Avatar from 1961-1973. Operated with FBI from 1957- 1992. A member of the dwindling Yukitsu tribe, Soaring Dove was raised from infancy to become the next shaman of his tribe. His teacher, Son of Owl, raised him on tales of the evil spirit Bakotal, who had come to menace their tribe in the late 19th century, and who possessed a local army captain named Calhoun, who then ordered his army troops to decimate the Yukitsu's numbers. Soaring Dove was told that Bakotal would one day return and it would be his task to destroy it. After college, he went to law school and eventually joined the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Division in order to find the serial killer deemed Calhoun, whom Soaring Dove believed was the spirit Bakotal. His work toward this means brought him into cooperation with the super-team Avatar II and the mysterious Madam Z. Calhoun was not destroyed, but was imprisoned, much to Soaring Dove's dismay. However, he did accept Avatar's invitation to join them following their battle with Calhoun and his FBI superiors, who weren't very open to having an Indian in their department, allowed him to. He remained with Avatar until they disbanded in the early 1970s. In 1992, Soaring Dove detected Calhoun's return to earth and set out to destroy him once and for all. Again, he came in contact with Avatar, in its third incarnation, but most of them were unwilling to help him kill Calhoun. The only member who would, Pinpoint, aided him in tracking Calhoun to his apparent next target, but was double crossed with Calhoun evaded capture by possessing Pinpoint and using the hero's powers to blast Soaring Dove. When last seen, Soaring Dove had been hospitalized in critical condition. Known Powers: Seems extremely aware of his surroundings at all times. Has been observed to fly on strong gusts of wind. Can sometimes foresee future events through dream interpretation. (See: Avatar II, Avatar III, Calhoun.) |
| SPEARHEAD
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: The Ten Seattle-based hero and member of The Ten. Possessed the spear and girdle, weapons of The Ten. (See: The Ten.) |
| SPECTRA
Identity: Ramona Fairchild Underwood Affiliations: Avatar IV, Avatar III (in that order) Spectra-- (Secret Identity: Ramona Fairchild Underwood. Avatar IV, Avatar III.) Brought to our dimensional reality from an alternate future earth, 2010 AD, Spectra was a member of Avatar IV, fighting valiantly against the last vestiges of a massive alien invasion that had ravaged the earth. Avatar IV was created years earlier after almost all superheroes and supervillain of the earth were killed by the aliens while congregating to discuss their strategy against the invading force. The only hero that remained was Mobius, who was in a coma following a period of insanity due to having lost his sight in an explosion during the late 1990's. The invasion itself had ended due to the efforts of a collective of alien races, including The Tentriconians, who had been pursuing the invading aliens to avenge past attacks on their peoples. Spectra came into contact with Avatar III when they arrived in her dimension on a mission to rescue their lost member Quartz. After aiding her and her comrades in defeating an attack from alien mechanoids, Spectra learned who they were and told them that they were an inspiration to the war-effort of her time. She mentioned that Hopscotch, whom she called The Prophet, had predicted the invasion years ahead of time but that no one had believed him. Hopscotch had later been killed in the same explosion that had blinded Mobius. With Spectra's help they were able to find Quartz and fight off a second alien attack. After the fight was over, Spectra returned to our dimension with Avatar and became their newest member. She and teammate Thud eventually fell in love and were married. (See: Avatar IV, Avatar III, Thud.) |
| SPIDER-BAT
Identity: Dr. Duncan Reed Affiliation: Avatar II, SILO Status: Retired Operated from 1948-1965. An engineer/gadgetteer. Created glider wings and a wire/net gun to fight crime. Used a variety of other gadgets during his years as a crime-fighter. Wore a light-weight plastic armor suit. Threw explosive plastic spiders onto opponents. He actively protested the war in Vietnam and was branded a communist by members of the local media, (among them, Fred Franheur.) He left Avatar of his own volition shortly after this. He went to work for Glennis Steward, (formerly Bluebird,) and eventually became the regional director of the Wellington/New Auckland branch of her company, SILO Labs where he remains today. (See: Avatar II, SILO.) |
| SPIRIT
SYNDICATE
A.K.A.: The Wise Ones Cosmic organization that is remarkably similar in structure and style to the Scicilian Mafia. Whether they were influenced by the Mafia or the Mafia influenced by them is not fully known. What is known is that the Spirit Syndicate was originally a splinter faction of the Ascended who no longer wished to abide by the strict rules associated with that cosmic organization. They continue to keep their activities a secret from the Ascended "authorities" as it were. The Spirit Syndicate's influence has been known to extend to earth on occasion. The first recorded incidence of this was in Italy around the time the original Scicilian Mafia is thought to have begun. More recently, they returned in the early 1980s to aid one of the dwindling old crime families, the Riscilis, resume control of the New Auckland area. This effort was short-lived, as the Spirit Syndicate seemed to abandon Riscili heir apparent, Martin, at his moment of greatest need. The Spirit Syndicate is known to use large cat-like creatures and equally large hulking thugs called Guidos as enforcement tools. They have also been known to rent such "protection services" to others. |
| STACEY
Fred Franheur's perky, blonde, female assistant. |
| STONE
Identity: Unrevealed Affiliation: Avatar II, The Angels Operated from 1949 - 1961 with Avatar II and from 1970 - Present with the Angels. A very strange fellow with the power of invulnerability. He claims this is due to him having fallen into an underground river in Greece as a child. Besides the fact that he could not be killed by any physical means, he was entirely human with absolutely no outstanding abilities other than a keen mind for strategy. He left the group in 1961 due to traumatic events in his life. He spent the next few years wandering the country, sitting on mountain tops and ocean bottoms for weeks at a time. Eventually he snapped out of his mental fatigue and joined the Los Angeles based team, The Angels, in 1970. He became the missions leader of that team. His only physical weakness appears to be the effects of time, which affect him more slowly than it does normal humans. (See: Avatar II, The Angels.) |
| STROMMOND,
DR. ABRAHAM
Status: Deceased Chief of Surgery at New Auckland's Mercy General Hospital during the 1960's. The serial-killer known as Calhoun, then still known only by his real name of Portas, possessed Strommond's body and used it to commit a series of murders over the course of several years. These murders became known as the Calhoun killings due to Portas having carved that name into his first victim. (See: Calhoun.) |
| STURBING, POLK STEVEN
Status: Retired News anchor for WLAB television during the 1960's and 70's. His son, Polk Jr., went into newspapers and currently works at the Meager Mercury. (See: Meager Mercury.) |
| STUTTERSTEP
Identity: Dr. Small Affiliation: Rapier, formerly Chess. Member of the Chess-team Rapier. (Highlight text for SPOILER information.) Stutterstep-- (Secret Identity: Unknown. Rapier.) Stutterstep began his career as Dr. Small, a scientist working for various research corporations for years until one of his closest friends, Lennard, suggested he apply for a job with SILO Labs. Lennard was SILO's security chief and knew that Small's knowledge would be of great service to one of their upcoming projects. Small was hired on to SILO's Alaska branch where his goal was to develop technology to breach barriers between dimensional realities, allowing people from one world to travel not only to other realities but to alternate realities and even alternate timelines. They called this project, Project Dream. Small had made great progress in this, but it was not until he gained the assistance of Avatar III member, Quartz, himself an expatriate from another dimensional version of earth, that his true breakthrough occurred. Using footage of Quartz's own transfer between dimensional realities, as culled from the records in Quartz's armor, Dr. Small was able to make the theoretical leap in logic necessary to accomplish his goal. The prototype was designed to be able to push a subject, be it a human or a recording probe, through the dimensional barrier and then monitor them while they were there and eventually retrieve them via a transceiver cuff on their wrist. Upon finishing the prototype, Dr. Small became its first test subject, stepping onto the dimensional transporter pad and vanishing. However, something went wrong with the transport and Dr. Small found himself infused with energy from between the dimensional barriers. When he awoke, he found himself on a desolate version of earth that had apparently been the victim of an alien invasion. He soon learned that he was able to step through dimensions barriers at will as well as teleport from one point to another within any given reality. However, his control of the reality spanning power was not exact and when he attempted to return to his own time and reality he wound up arriving several years too early. Fearing the effects of two versions of one person existing in one reality, he avoided his earlier counterpart. At some point Small joined with Fury's team Rapier, using the name Stutterstep. He can teleport not only himself but even an unknown number of other persons as well. The range of this is unknown. He has also been observed to have some skill with the detection and neutralization of security systems. (See: Rapier, Lennard, Chess, Quartz, SILO Labs, Project Dream.) |
| SUBTERRANS
A group of mysterious, super-human individuals who live in a series of underground tunnels beneath the city of New Auckland. Avatar III encountered them in 1991 after they kidnapped a number of people. Some of them were seen to be wearing ragged Chess uniforms of the kind used by Chess during the 1970s. Moreover, their leaders, a hulking monstrosity and a sleek mystic-based female, claimed to be the king and queen of Chess. During the battle, Mobius and Juice were turned into stone statues by the Queen and were barely saved by Thud after he collapsed one of the tunnels, apparently burying the king, queen and some of their subjects. The stoney effects of the Queen's spell eventually wore off for Mobius and Juice. Over the course of several years, the SubTerrrans reappeared throughout New Auckland, often times near Champs Stadium. However, the queen and king did not make appearances. Mobius was eventually able to mind-scan one of them learned that the king and the Queen were former members of Chess from the late 60s. The King was actually a lower-ranking Chess agent who was having an affair with the wife of the local Chess branch's Bishop, (i.e. the Queen.) Their affair was discovered by the Bishop, who ordered that her lover undergo one of Chess's early, horrifically-unsuccessful experiments in super-human engineering, changing him into his monstrous form. The Queen then freed her lover and some of the other victims of failed experiments then changed all of the attending scientists into stone and smashed them. (See: Chess.) |
| SUPERCOPS
The SuperCops program was an experimental project jointly undertaken by the New Auckland/Wellington Police Departments, the Super-Human Activities Commission and SILO Labs. The project's goal was to create equipment that would allow specially trained police officers the capability of dealing with super-human criminals, allowing the police to become less reliant on the cities' costumed crime-fighting population. SILO facilities in New Auckland, Albuquerque and Seattle developed three designs resulting in the SuperCops F.I.S.T., Mace and W.A.S.P. They debuted in March of 1992 as duly deputized police officers under joint jurisdiction of New Auckland and Wellington as well as being reserve S.H.A.C. Agents. The SuperCops are based out of the NAPD's 4th Precinct, which they call The Barn, which was refitted to include the necessary equipment and repair facilities for their needs. The SuperCops have their own dispatcher in the wise-cracking form of Miles Applewhite. In 1995, while assisting Avatar in a fight against the Mercy Gang, W.A.S.P. was attacked by Mercy Gang member Trauma and the resulting fight left him paralyzed from the waist down. He continues to operate as W.A.S.P., as the use of his legs is not necessary for the operation of his armor. (See: Mace, W.A.S.P., F.I.S.T., Miles Applewhite.) |
| SUPER-HUMAN ACTIVITIES
COMMISSION
S.H.A.C. was created in 1948 as a government program designed to keep tabs on the rising "threat" of super-human individuals. During the 1950's they began training agents for what they believed would be an inevitable conflict between super-humans and the government. However, such a conflict has yet to happen. During the 50's, Joseph McCarthy used S.H.A.C. to pressure any super-heroes who were suspected of communist activity. Today S.H.A.C. serves as a watchdog group, that is not limited to non-intervention. They employ a team of super-humans called The Rangers, who are their active hand and there are ties to SILO Labs Special Operations group. S.H.A.C.'s current Residentially appointed head is Stephen Hanna. (See: Avatar II; SILO Special Operations; Spider-Bat; Stephen Hanna; SuperCops; Pandora Project.) |
| SURGE I
Identity: Silas McPhearson Affiliation: The Angels Status: Retired. Operated 1952-1974. Near legendary Southern California hero who was in his prime during the 1950's and 1960's. Had the ability to increase, control and fire bolts of his body's natural electrical currents. He became one of the more successful super-heroes of the San Diego area. In 1962 he accepted membership in the Los Angeles-based team The Angels. He remained with them until 1974 when he retired, married and had a son, Jimmy, who eventually joined his former team as the new Surge. (See: Angels, Surge II.) |
| SURGE II
Identity: Jimmy McPhearson Affiliation: The Angels Operated from 1993 - Present. Son of the original Surge from the 50's and 60's. Like his father he was able to generate tremendous amounts of electrical energy. Unlike his father, Surge II was able to convert his body into electrical energy and move through conductive surfaces in order to travel. Joined the Angels in 1993. (See: Angels, Surge I.) |
| SWASHBUCKLER
I
Identity: Matthew Glass Affiliation: Avatar I Status: Deceased Operated from 1909-1926. Privileged son of a newspaper editor turned hero. Was the first New Auckland super-hero. Swashbuckler wore a colorful cavalier-like costume and used swords, rope, etc. to fight crime. Married Penelope Marter, sister to Gareth Marter (Mister Fear,) and fathered a son, Thadeus. He died of natural causes in 1983. (See: Avatar I, Mentor, Lady Blade I, Meager Mercury.) |
| SWASHBUCKLER
II
(See Mentor.) |
| TACHYON
Identity: Unknown Affiliations: The Mastermen, Chess Status: Unknown Diminutive other-dimensional energy being. He met and accompanied Infinitum during her journey to our dimensional reality. They remained friends, even joining with Xandar McDougal's team The Mastermen. Eventually, Infinitum was killed during a fight with the Canons. Tachyon went berserk upon learning of this and left the Mastermen. He did return to New Auckland some weeks later and sought out Mobius, who he believed was the only one who could communicate with him, (ie, mentally.) He asked Mobius to help him avenge Infinitum, but Mobius would not. Tachyon left in a rage and may have been killed by The Canons. Tachyon had the ability to reflect any direct energy attack made on his person back at the attacker. He could also fly very quickly. (See: Mastermen; Chess, Infinitum.) |
| TEMPO
Identity: Matthew Ellis Affiliations: The Dolus, Avatar III Operated from 1995 - Present. The most recent member of Avatar III, Tempo is capable of controlling time itself to a small degree. He is able to speed up or slow down the time-stream in a limited area. He is also able to create temporal shifts on a molecular level which disrupts the flow of molecules inside matter itself, thus causing minor explosions. He possess a small area around himself which he can slow down all around him with personal immunity. This slowing effect can give him just enough time to move out of the way of attackers or projectiles. Tempo is a young member of The Dolus, a group of beings who have been gifted with the ability to alter time itself. He has yet to learn much of the DOLUS but expects to as his potential, yet currently unknown, powers surface. In his private life, Matthew studies drama at New Auckland University. It is known that at some point in the future Tempo will come to control his Dolus powers and along with Bluestreak will return the African Emerald to the past and attempt to prevent its removal from that era in the first place. (See: Avatar III; the Dolus.) |
| TEN, THE
Ten mages who were members of the Order Magestic, an early incarnation of London Hill, set out to create ten perfect sets of weapons to aid them in their struggle for balance among the powers of earth. They created the sword & sash, axe & helm, staff & boots, spear & girdle, crossbow & amulet, mace & breastplate, flail & shield, shillelagh & neck-circlet, bow & gloves, and the cloak & dagger. These weapons were passed either to warriors of the time or kept by the mages themselves. The weapons would attract to them a new bearer, one who was not only ideal to carry them but who was also very similar in personality to the previous bearer. Over the centuries some of the weapons have become corrupted by the corrupt users and changing personalities of men. Consequently, all new bearers have been similarly corrupt due to this. It is because of this that the weapons originally fell from the Order's control. In 1994, former London Hill agent, Philip Durmont, began gathering the existing weapons of The Ten by kidnapping their bearers. According to agent Julien Abercrombi, Durmont had planned to use the weapons in a mass ritual to achieve a presumed catastrophic change in the planet. It was theorized that the change would send the planet into a new age of mysticism in which technology would be useless and those with mystic knowledge, such as Durmont himself, would be the rulers. It is uncertain exactly what would have happened, as he was stopped through the efforts of London Hill, Avatar III and the Higher Power. Known members current: Backstab, Barbarian, Hopscotch, Longbow, Spearhead, Shillelagh. Known members past: Weldon, the Huntsman, Aladdin, Black Champion, Scarlet Knight, Sinbad, Snipe. |
| TENTRICCIA
A planet in another star system. Its technology is based entirely on a substance called 5thMatter, a versatile material that can be solid, liquid, gas or plasma or combinations of those when necessary. On Tentriccia, machines exit to form existing 5thMatter into whatever the user needs it to be provided a pattern can be provided for its new form. Thus technology and materials are readily available as long as 5thMatter can be synthesized and established into forms. The Tentriconian Space Program is based on this substance. (See: Juice: The Energy Guy.) |
| THUD
Identity: John Robert Underwood Affiliation: Avatar III During the summer before his Freshman year in college, John Underwood went as an assistant on an archaeological dig to Mayan ruins in Mexico. An antechamber had recently been discovered bearing some interesting hieroglyphics as well as a nine-foot tall statue of a giant rock man said to be the protector of the Mayans. The hieroglyphics had been copied down already and John was taking a last-minute rubbing of the statue's base when he noticed that the statue was looking at him and smiling. Before he could react there was a sudden earthquake and the pyramid began to collapse. The last thing he remembered was the statue lunging toward him. When he awoke he was outside the pyramid. And he also found himself to be nine-feet tall and made of stone. Worried about what the archaeologists would say, he wondered how he would get his body back and suddenly found himself in it again. The transformation was made with a thought, causing the very earth itself to blend with his own body to form the rock-creature's. He also found that he could phase into the ground or any rock-like surface while in his stone form and call forth rock formations from the ground to entangle opponents. That Fall, while in college at New Auckland University, he took the name Thud and began acting as a super-hero. He soon came into contact with other college age super-heroes and they formed Avatar III. Thud constantly worries about hurting opponents. His great strength is difficult to control and he has critically injured many opponents. While fighting the Mastermen and the Canons, Thud accidentally killed the Mastermen member, Infinitum. He blamed her death on Canons member, Wraith and suffered from guilt for years afterwards. He has not revealed the truth to anyone. John briefly attended graduate school in anthropology at William & Mary University, in Williamsburg, Virginia. He returned to the team in 1995 and eventually fell in love with fellow teammate Spectra. The two were married in 1996. (See: Avatar III, Spectra, Infinitum.) |
| TIRE TOOL
Identity: Billy Bruce Busby Affiliation: Gangbusters Operated 1994-1994. Mutant who was the result of 1960's government experimentation on his father, a marine named John Busby. He and his brother, Jimmy, were trained by the mysterious Mr. Ng, a former London Hill operative, who sent them to Langley, Ohio, to find his London Hill associate, Morris Gleason, who would protect them from pursuing government agents who wished to use them for study. Though Gleason was no longer in Langley, the brothers were able to find his replacement, Bizmarck, and the three of them, along with another local hero, formed the core of what would become the Gangbusters. After Jimmy (alias, Plastique,) was captured by the government, Tire Tool attempted to rescue him and was captured himself. However, S.H.A.C. took him from the government agents. During transport, the convoy was attacked by Chess, who had heard about a superhuman being transported. In the ensuing confusion of battle, Tire Tool was able to escape and as a result, both Chess and S.H.A.C. thing that he is in the clutches of the other, and are no longer looking for him. Powers: Due to results of the experimentation done on his father during the 60's, Tire Tool is able to regenerate harm done to him very quickly. He also possesses an uncanny mechanical knowledge. (See: John Busby, Gangbusters; Plastique, Gleason, Bizmarck, Mr. Ng, London Hill.) |
| TOMLINSON, LT. JIM
Police lieutenant for the Huntington, Connecticut PD. Investigated a murder comitted by Calhoun. He pieces this together after gaining some hints from FBI Special Agent Shiloah Soaring Dove. Is later instrumental in Harvey Cunningham becoming aware of the situation. (See: Soaring Dove; Calhoun.) |
| TOPSIDE
Topside is the headquarters of London Hill. It is located in a series of catacombs beneath London's Tensington street. The entrance to the catacombs had been located in a publishing house/bookshop called Hills of London since the late 1800's. It underwent extensive damage during the blitzkrieg of World War II and had to be rebuilt following the war. In 1994, the Hills of London company was relocated to Windsor and a pub called Top's replaced it, run by a retired London Hill operative named Newkirk. (See: London Hill, Hills of London, Newkirk.) |
| TOWNSEL, DR. JO JO
Son of Dr. Robert Townsel. Is the graveyard shift coroner at the New Auckland morgue. (See: Dr. Ben Parley; Dr. Robert Townsel.) |
| TOWNSEL, DR. ROBERT
Chief coroner for the New Auckland morgue from 1950-1976, father to Jo Jo Townsel. |
| TRASHMAN, THE
Identity: Rick Patterson Affiliation: Gangbusters A Langley, Ohio, sanitation department worker who disliked crime and discovered that he could uncover information easily during his job. Uses garbage as a weapon. Is of questionable sanity. (See: Gangbusters.) |
| TRAUMA
Identity: Gordon Miller Affiliation: Mercy Gang Operated 1990-1993, 1994-Present. Has unexplained ability to destroy living tissue with a touch. Also possesses slightly superhuman strength and stamina. Probably mute. Took part in the Mercy Gang's assumption of power of the New Auckland/ Wellington underworld. Was captured by Avatar III, though has recently escaped from Citadel Maximum Security Prison. Current whereabouts unknown. (See: Mercy Gang, Avatar III, Citadel.) |
| TRUK
Identity: Theodore Chisolm Affiliation: The Angels Operated from 1983 - Present. Theodore Chisolm discovered his super-human strength during his adolescence on a farm in Nebraska. By the time he was twelve he could lift one end of his father's truck by himself. By the time he was eighteen he could lift the whole truck and hold it there for hours. Remembering his comic book lore, he suspected that he'd been found in a rocket as an infant. Nope, they said, you're ours. You're just damn strong. Having been raised to respect law and order and to help others, he decided to become a policeman but was unable to pass the entrance exam due to his dyslexia. The only alternative in his mind was to become a vigilante. To do so he left for the super-hero Mecca of Los Angeles and eventually fought and nearly beat the members of the Angels, who mistook him for a villain. Seeing his promise they offered him a membership which he gleefully took. He took a liking to the indestructible Stone, who reminded Theodore of his grandfather. During combat he would use Stone as an indestructible human projectile. Truk stayed with the group full-time through 1990 when he began acting in action adventure movies. He is still with the Angels between films. (See: The Angels, Stone.) |
| URSA
Madam Z's dog. Exact breed is unknown, though the word Mastiff does tend to pop into the minds of people who see her. (See: Madam Z.) |
| USELESS UNIT
Dubbed so by the media, this group is comprised of individuals whose super-human abilities are of little use to someone who intends to be a super-hero. Many times these individuals had gotten work protecting small towns as glorified tourist traps, but self-worth proved to be too desirable for them to remain. A group was formed. Still, they persist. When last seen, they had left Manhattan to find a city that fit better. Members: Too numerous and silly to list. |
| VAN DOMELAN DOMESTIC AIRPORT
Airport located in New Auckland. |
| VENDOR: THE ICE
CREAM MAN
Identity: Cecil Milltree Affiliation: Useless Unit Operated from 1991 - Present. A park ice-cream vendor in Los Angeles who witnessed a mysterious volcanic explosion that occurred when a former super-heroine defended herself during a mugging, Cecil Milltree went unconscious after being struck in the head by a small spheroid pendant thrown by the explosion. He awoke to find himself lying in a pool of ice-cream melted from the remnants of his cart. He was shocked to discover that he could create blasts of ice-cream (vanilla, though if he concentrates intensely he has been able to create very small amounts of rocky-road,) and ice-cream cone from his hands and was extremely resistant to cold temperatures. Having no explanation for how he got his powers, he became a super hero. Being particularly uncreative, he called himself Vendor: The Ice-Cream Man. Was turned down for membership with The Angels seven times before he left for the East Coast to be repeatedly turned down by Avatar. Finally he joined the Useless Unit. (See: Volcana.) |
| VOLCANA
Identity: Margaret Thurmond Affiliation: Angels Status: Retired Operated 1962 - 1979. Geologist whose spherical metal charm pendant, given her by her archaeologist boyfriend, began glowing during an eruption she was investigating. It merged with her body just prior to a shower of molten rock from which she miraculously survived, unscathed. She soon discovered that the pendant had been more than a simple charm and theorized it to be of possible alien or mystic origin. She found she could create blasts of lava or hardened magma from her hands and was incredibly resistant to high temperatures. She became a super-hero based in the San Fernando Valley. When Green Scorpion and Lady Blade formed the Angels in 1962, Volcana accepted their invitation to join. As she grew older, her control over her powers diminished and became erratic. Fearing for the safety of her colleagues, she left the group and returned to geology. Years later, while defending herself against a mugger in a park, she accidentally created a massive explosion of lava that resulted in her loss of consciousness. Later she discovered that her powers had left her entirely and speculated that the sphere had separated from her in the explosion. She returned to the park but was never able to locate the sphere pendant. (See: The Angels, Vendor: The Ice-Cream Man.) |
| W.A.S.P.
Identity: Mark Bevil Affiliation: NAPD, SuperCops Operated from 1992-1995. (Wave Amplification & Sonic Projection.) Mark was recruited for the SuperCop program right out of the police academy. He employed the W.A.S.P battle-suit designed by SILO's Seattle branch that allowed him to fly and use a variety of sonic weapons. In 1995, while assisting Avatar in a fight against the Mercy Gang, W.A.S.P. was attacked by Mercy Gang member Trauma and the resulting fight left him paralyzed from the waist down. He continues to operate as W.A.S.P., as the use of his legs is not necessary for the operation of his armor. (See: SuperCops.) |
| WAVEFRONT
Identity: Marcus Vowell Affiliation: former member of Avatar III Status: Due to a change in powers, is no longer known as Wavefront Operated from 1994-1996. See entry for Glide. |
| WEDNESDAY,
RALPH
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: Ascended, Higher Power Protégé of Kindred Spirit. |
| WELDON
Affiliation: The Ten, Order Magestic An acquaintance of Jacob Sand's during the twelfth century. He possessed the Staff & Boots, weapons of The Ten. Weldon was also gifted with the ability to see glimpses of the future in dream, though he did not always interpret them correctly. He foresaw the arrival of two members of the Dolus just before Hopscotch arrived on his time-spanning mission for Xandar McDougal. Weldon and Jacob Sand observed Hopscotch from a distant hill and argued as to whether he was of the Dolus, before Sand pointed out that Hopscotch also had the staff and boots and was the future bearer of Weldon's weapons. As a direct result of Hopscotch's fight with the Huntsman (Snipe's ancestor,) Weldon became the object of the Huntsman's hatred. When challenged to a fight by the Huntsman, Weldon defeated him handily, thus increasing the animosity between their two sets of weapons. Weldon's staff allowed him the ability to teleport and turn invisible. When worn, his boots allowed him to walk unhindered on any surface regardless of its physical orientation. They also gave him the ability to leap great distances. (See: London Hill, The Ten.) |
| WELLINGTON
City in Virginia, founded in 1798. Originally an outgrowth of its sister city, New Auckland, Wellington centralized a government and became a city unto itself in 1798. |
| WHOOPIE, JUDGE JOSEPH A.
Retired New Auckland Judge who, since 1988, hosts WLAB's Citizen's Court. He presided over Juice's endangerment trial. |
| WILLIAM
TELL
Identity: William Douglas Affiliation: Avatar I Status: Deceased Operated from 1916-1927. Expert marksman with a bow. Died of cancer in 1973. (See: Avatar I.) |
| WINSTON CHURCHILL:
THE INFINITELY BAD KITTY
Juice's cat, given to him as a kitten in September of 1991. Infinitely bad. Complains a lot. Likes to piss on stuff. (See: Juice: The Energy Guy.) |
| WLAB TELEVISION
Went on the air in 1947. One of the television stations in the New Auckland/Wellington area. Chief anchorman is Fred Franheur. (See: Fred Franheur; Archie Lummond; James Dowdy; Barbara Carvel; Max Reynolds; Stacey; Karl Simmons.) |
| WRAITH
Identity: Unknown Affiliation: Chess, The Canons One of the members of Chess' long-time team of enforcers, the Canons, Wraith seems to derive his power from mystical sources. Shrouded in shadows, he is primarily used as a Brick Buster for Chess, taking on super-strong opponents with skill and ease. His punches ignite with mystical black fire, burning those he hits on contact. Incredibly strong himself, Wraith is not a villain to be trifled with. He is sought by law enforcement for a number of murders, including that of the Mastermen member known as Infinitum. (See: The Canons; Chess.) |
| ZETA PATROL
A team of four mysterious detectives based primarily in Boston. It is said that they appear out of nowhere, solving problems, helping the helpless or defeating criminals. Little is known about them. |
| A-F | G-L | M-R | S-Z | MAIN |
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