Encyclopedia
This directory contains all other useful information -- everything from new street drugs to sites where superpowered fights have taken place.
Conspiracies
This directory contains all unproven theories of world-domination, secret projects, alien abductions, and so forth. While many are paranoid, it must be admitted that some theories once thought fanciful have, in the age of superhumanity, been proven accurate beyond our once wildest dreams.
Secret Cult Bids for World Domination
With the millennium coming and going, hundreds of strange little cults came to surface, each with their own wacky belief in how the world was going to end and how to control it, prevent it or -- worse yet -- bring it about. Not to mention the pervasive cults that have been around for decades: the Moonies, the Krishna, you name it. Most of them just want to control your pocketbook, but who knows? Maybe some of them want something more.
Secret Freemason Bids for World Domination
Almost since their inception, the Freemasons have been a favorite target for conspiracy nuts.
No one except the Freemasons are exactly sure what the Freemasons do. They are a woldwide fraternal organization, whose members share a common belief in a Supreme Being (although not necessarily the same Supreme Being among all members). They are an esoteric society, and keep much of their rituals secret, but are also responsible for civic behavior and charity.
No one is exactly sure where the Freemasons come from. Various sources alleged them to be any and all of the following: an outgrowth of the medieval guilds of stonemasons; descendants of the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" (the Knights Templar); offshoots of ancient mystical schools; the administrative arm of the Priory of Sion; the evolved descendents of the Roman Collegia; the Comacine masters; and/or the intellectual descendants of Noah. Much less accepted, although most likely more accurate, is that the Freemasons date back only to the late 17th century in England, and have no real connections to earlier organizations.
Do they rule the world? It seems unlikely.
Secret Mutant Bids for World Domination
The number of emerging superheroes and supervillains seems to be dramatically on the rise lately. Where are they all coming from? Is some malevolent force behind it all? Some benevolent cosmic force? Or are they all just a freak of evolution? Is non-superpowered humanity doomed for the path of the neanderthal?
Government Genetic Mutation Programs
One favorite conspiracy theory is that various world governments are sponsoring black-ops projects to try to fully understand the genome that creates superpowers and create their own superhumans.
While it is possible that some of the superhumans and supervillains claim their genesis in various chemical or scientific accidents, no secret projects of this nature have been proven to exist.
Natural Disaster = Mutants
The world seems more and more certain that not only do genetic mutations exist -- as long-term fallout from scientific accidents at the very least -- but that they are more beneficial than previously realized. Moreover, crises and periods of intense stress do have a tendency to bring laten superpowers to the surface. To date, this has not led to any known instigation of disaster in an attempt to create superbeings, but it is probably only a matter of time.
As an example of this train of thought, the following appeared in Britain early in 2005, showing a drastic deviation from conventional thought about nuclear accidents:
Secret Nazi Bids for World Domination
Ever since the end of World War II, rumors have circulated wildly about rogue, active pockets of Nazi troops and scientists who moved their bases underground -- according to some rumors, quite literally -- and continued working toward the Fourth Reich.
Some sources argue that they are trying to breed genetic supersoldiers, while others allege that they have indeed frozen Hitler's brain and are building it a new cyborg body.
This topic is particularly in vogue right now. However, it must be admitted that neofascism does seem to be on the rise again.
Secret Ninja Bids for World Domination
Everyone knows that the ancient art of ninjitsu is alive and well in the 21st Century. Why, even now, there could be shadowy clans in far off Tibet or Katmandu, practicing their arts on an unsuspecting world in a bid for, well, world domination. Because ninjas are like that.
Secret Russian Bids for World Domination
Whacked-out fundamentalists like Jack Van Impe claim that the Cold War never ended, that the "collapse" of Communism was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated sham to catch the United States off-guard.
While it's true that Russian spetznaz are still active, they appear to be no more so than similar special forces of the United States, China, Britain, and so forth.
ProsVyat
ПроÑ?Ð’Ñ?Ñ‚ (ProsVyat, short for Project Svyatogor) is believed to be a secret Russian genetics project designed to understanding and manipulating the genomes that control superhuman powers.
Some conspiracy theorists argue that nuclear accidents such as the one that happened at Chernobyl were cover-ups for more sinster behavior.
Spetznaz
Spetznaz (Ñ?пецназ) is shorthand for ВойÑ?ка Ñ?пециального назначениÑ? [Voiska spetsialnogo naznacheniya], Russia's special purpose units. Ironically, Russians use the term to refer to special forces of all countries.
Spetznaz are known to have carried out all sorts of secret missions in peacetime and wartime. Most infamous, perhaps, was the assassination of Afghanistan's president in December 1979. They may operate under the direction of the KGB, the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Ministry of Interior (of the police) MVD, and or the military intelligence service GRU.
Although America's CIA and FBI still top most conspiracy theorists' lists when it comes to nefarious underhanded dealings in darkened backrooms, spetznaz operations aren't very far behind. They are widely believed by conspiracy theorists to have their own agenda when it comes to genetic manipulation, including removing any perceived threats from competitors.
As with all governments, the spetznaz have been accused of having their own super-stealth black helicopters, usually referred to as Black Marias (mah-rye-ahs). Ironically, the Russian term for them is черный ворон, literally "black ravens," and the term itself originated from a 19th-century American slang term for police vans. During the Stalinist era, the phrase migrated over to Russia and caught popularity.
Freedom City
Relevant Freedom City businesses, clubs, entertainment centers, city buildings, and so forth.
Clubs & Nightlife
The Midnight Hour
Popular Bands & Musicians
Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, they say. And sometimes to inflame it.
Better Without Yvette
This Freedom City-based goth band got a surge in popularity when they were chosen to open for The Kings in Yellow recently. The genesis of their name remains a mystery.
International Gang of Criminal Bastards
The Kings in Yellow
This alterna-goth band has been developing a growing following nationwide. They've been playing Freedom City since they were mere unknowns on the scene, and return to perform at least once a year.
Law & Order
With great power comes great responsibility, and also greater legal headaches. This category contains all important laws, agencies and institutions relating to supervillainy and superheroism.
Blackstone Special Federal Penitentiary
The Blackstone Special Federal Penitentiary is the special maximum-security federal prison designed to incarcerate criminals with demonstrated superpowers. The Penitentiary, which first opened its doors in 1964, resides about a mile and a half off the coast on isolated Blackstone island; the majority of the facility is underground and under heavy guard at all times.
- Currently Incarcerated at Blackstone
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Lamplighter Statutes
The lamplighter statutes are a series of laws that allow superheroes the right to open avenues of inquiry into matters that ordinary citizens would not be able to access, such as ongoing criminal investigations. These laws do not automatically guarantee access, but they allow superheroes to aid law enforcement officers much more readily, and in fact were originally lobbied for by the Freedom City police force.
Mind-Reading in the Courtroom
During the case The People of California vs. Master Mind, it was ruled that any information gathered by means of mind reading could not be administered as evidence. However, it could be entered as "eyewitness" testimony. To do this, the witness must first prove that they do in fact possess mind reading abilities just after being sworn in, but before providing any actual testimony. Usually this is done by simply asking the witness’ attending liaison from the National Para-Humans Agency if in fact the witness possesses mind reading ability.
This was further complicated during the case of The People of New York vs. The Floating Brain when the mindreading, cyborg hero known as Robotronik produced a video tape of his mental readings that showed that the man being prosecuting was not in fact The Floating Brain, but that The Floating Brain was in fact NYC District Attorney Dan Marsh. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the legality of entering videotaped mindreading sessions as evidence and Dan Marsh currently awaits his day in court.
Even with all of this, lawyers and judges both are loathe to allow mind readers to take the stand. This is not just out of professional paranoia, but due to the fact that any evidence of mind reading during open court is considered immediate grounds for a mistrial. There have been many cases where the opposing lawyer filed for mistrial based on grounds of mind reading when it appeared their case was going to lose. The most famous of these was The People of Maryland vs. Krab King, where the defending attorney successfully claimed that the vigilante Mentallica was using her mental powers against him in order to aid the prosecution. The Krab King today remains at large.
National Para-Humans Agency
The main job of this federal agency is to keep tabs on super-powered being operating within the United States, for purposes of legal tracking. While it is strictly voluntary, all supers are strongly encouraged to register with the agency. Without registration, a super cannot testify in a United States court of law without first revealing their "true" identity (which in and of itself would probably warrant a mistrial).
With registration, a super is assigned to liaison at the NPHA, who takes note of the hero’s identity, powers (if any), and testifies in court that they are who they say they are. This is their primary purpose.
In an attempt to encourage more participation with the NPHA, Congress recently passed legislation exempting registered heroes from costs associated with "reasonable" collateral damage incurred during the arrest of a criminal or supervillain, the costs instead being transferred to the criminal.
Technically speaking, any vigilante can register with the agency, not just those with superpowers. But few non-supers bother with this type of bureaucracy or even the niceties of the U.S. justice system.
People of The United States vs. Devastato
The famous case of The People of The United States vs. Devastato set forth in motion the process by which costumed supers may legally take the stand under the guise of their superhero identity rather than their normal identity. During this case, the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, testified that the man taking the stand was in fact the costumed vigilante known as Black Panther, who had previously saved him and his children during Devastato’s attack.
Having no other clear means of further prosecuting Devastato (aka Richard Hargreaves) without Black Panther’s testimony, the judge made an ad hoc ruling that a costumed super may testify in court under his or her assumed identity (i.e., their superhero name) if an appropriate member of the federal government also testifies that the entity taking the stand is, in fact, the entity in question and if in fact the entity could be considered a U.S. citizen.
In the wake of this trial, the National Para-Humans Agency was created.
Providence Asylum
Built on an indian burial ground and allegedly home to devil-worshippers during at least one point in its checkered past, the Providence Asylum's dark background seems oddly fitting for its current occupation as an insane asylum. Most of the patients there are nothing more than harmless schizophrenics or catatonics, but the Asylum has also played host to some more noteable maniacs. It is one of the few institutions in the United States qualified to treat insane supervillains.
However, last year, several patients and one doctor vanished after a strange assault by a villain calling herself the White Lady and her minions. No explanation for the attack was uncovered.
- Currently Incarcerated at Providence
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Supervillain Victim Rights Act of 1993
This law was passed to protect people who have been forced, through the use of someone else's superpowers, to committing crimes they would otherwise never have taken part in. Under its tenets, people who are arrested as minions of a supervillain and can prove conclusively that they were forced to do so through mental control and domination, or the exertion of similar compelling superpowers, can be exhonorated from the charges levied against them, and the charges instead applied to the supervillain who held them in thrall.
Historically, the courts have sided with reasonable doubt in terms of conclusive proof of mental control.
Notable Places
This category contains data on various locations of importance, from superjails and insane asylums to places where superpowered fights or other historic events have occurred.
Mauna Loa Volcano
In Hawai'i. Location of the genesis of Pele, a female superhuman with the power to control volcanos and fire.
Shambala Vale
Shambala Vale is alleged to be a hidden valley in the Himalayan Mountains, overseen by a council of enlightened masters. Many explorers have sought it, but none have returned to tell the tale.
Tunguska
Tunguska (ТунгуÑ?ка) is a remote region in Siberia, Russia. Now known as Evenkia, the area is largely uninhabited, but still reknown for the mysterious explosion that occurred there in 1908, near the Stony (Podkamennaya) Tunguska River.
Little is acutally known about what has been come to be called the Tunguska Blast or Tunguska Event. What is known is that on June 30, 1908, strange lights were seen in the sky early in the morning. At 7:17 a.m., a massive mid-air explosion (estimated to be between 10 and 15 megatons in strength) occurred. Somewhere in the region of 60 million trees across 2,150 square kilometers were destroyed, and an entire lake was vaporized. Amazingly, no one was killed.
The most common hypothesis to explain this blast is a very large meteorite. However, many details remain anomalous to meteorite impact.
