Worm

by John Mccrae Wildbow

  Bambina – A young, violent cape who makes only a brief appearance, wearing a frock. Powers unstated.

  Barker – A shorter, narrow cape who converts any sound he creates into a gas, which he can in turn convert into concussive explosions, temperature, lack of temperature and so on.

  Bastard – A wolf cub in Bitch’s custody.

  Bastion – A major figure in the Protectorate, leader of the team in San Jose, capable of creating a variety of forcefields and deflector fields. Recently got in some trouble for making racist remarks that were caught on camera and posted online.

  Battery - Member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate team. Wears a skintight costume with circuit-board stylings, can charge herself up, trading each second of charge for several seconds of enhanced speed, strenght, invulnerability and electromagnetic manipulation.

  Behemoth – A forty-five foot tall horned abomination with dynakinesis.

  Bentley – An English Bulldog in Bitch’s custody.

  Bitch – An acerbic and violent villainess, member of the Undersiders. Likes dogs, and can give them the ability to grow to monstrous size, with armor plating, horns and exposed musculature.

  Biter – A tall, muscular cape with a homemade costume sporting a bear-trap jaw plate and spike-studded pads. Can distort parts of his body to increase their size.

  Blasto – Takes his name from the Latin prefix, meaning germ or seed. A Boston-based tinker who works with plants and plant-animal hybrids.

  Bonesaw – A cheerful young tinker who works with medicine, sports golden curls and an apron to hold her medical equipment. A member of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

  Brandish – Member of New Wave, mother of two. Wears a white costume with orange symbols. Can fashion weapons out of energy and transform herself into a nigh-invulnerable, sphere, but can’t move of her own volition while transformed.

  Brooks – One of Coil’s soldiers, a mercenary, has experience in hacking, communications, medicine and field medicine.

  Browbeat – A cape with biokinesis, limited to his own body. Can alter his own body, healing himself and making himself stronger simply by willing it. Also has telekinesis, but at point blank range, limited to within an inch or so of his body, effectively granting himself durability and super strength.

  Brutus – A Rottweiler in Bitch’s custody.

  Bryce Kiley – A skinny dark-haired boy, Sierra Kiley’s brother.

  Burnscar – A pyrokinetic who can teleport through flames. Favors wearing red and has cigarette burns running down her cheeks. A member of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

  Butcher XIV- The latest in a line of capes, leader of the Teeth. Since the original Butcher, shares of the powers and consciousnesses of each Butcher have been passed on to the one who kills them. Butcher XIV is a tall Asian woman who once went by Quarrel. Has the ability to guarantee her attacks to strike foes.

  Cache - A New York cape working under Legend, Cache wears a black costume, and can force objects into an extradimensional space, or remove them from one.

  Chariot – A young tinker with a specialty in mobility, movement and transportation, he joins the Brockton Bay Wards. He wears a home-made powersuit with rollerblades and a jetpack.

  Charlotte – A dark haired sixteen year old initially seen in the custody of the Merchants.

  Cherish - An amoral emotion detector and emotion manipulator who uses her powers to find targets for her group, the Slaughterhouse Nine. Twenty, she sports a stripe of violet in her dark hair.

  Chevalier – A major member of the Protectorate, heading the Philadelphia branch. Wears an ornate suit of knight’s armor and carries a trademark cannonblade, which is both a bastard sword and a gun. His power lets him grow and/or condense his gear, rendering it larger or more durable, while he ignores any alterations in weight or scale.

  Circus – A cat burglar, she sports an array of powers including enhanced balance and coordination, a pocket dimension she can use to deposit items and limited pyrokinesis.

  Citrine – Member of the Ambassadors, a woman who wears a yellow mask and evening gown, with a plethora of gemstones, her namesake. Powers unstated.

  Clockblocker - A member of the Brockton Bay Wards, wears a white skintight costume with body armor. Has flat, featureless pane over his face to serve as a mask and clock faces studding the armor. Can freeze something in time for an indeterminate period on touching it.

  Coil – A secretive and wealthy crime lord initially seen battling Kaiser over Downtown Brockton Bay.

  Contessa – A dark haired young woman seen wearing a black suit and sometimes a fedora, she serves as a bodyguard to Doctor Mother, though her powers remain unknown to even those who interact with her regularly.

  Crawler – Member of the Slaughterhouse Nine, Crawler is a monstrous figure who heals with incredible speed and adapts natural defenses or augmentations in response to any healing.

  Cricket – A member of Empire Eighty-Eight in her first appearance, Cricket sports a shaved head, a cage-mask over her face and twin kamas – miniature scythes. She can manipulate sounds beyond an audible range, disorienting her foes or serving her as a radar, and has enhanced reflexes.

  Crusader - One of Brockton Bay’s white supremacists, Crusader wears armor and carries a spear. He can create ghostly duplicates of himself and his possessions, which pass through inorganic objects, but not organic ones.

  Danny Hebert - The protagonist’s father, a skinny man who works as union spokesperson and HR for the local Dockworkers.

  Dauntless – A member of Brockton Bay’s Protectorate team, Dauntless can charge objects with his power, granting them permanent benefits. Accruing these benefits over time, he’s created boots that can fly, a spear that can create massive arcs of controlled electricity and a shield that generates forcefields, among other powers.

  Defiant – A power-armor wearer who carries a long spear, a friend and partner to Dragon when she is in the field.

  Dimitri - One of Coil’s soldiers, a sniper.

  Dinah Alcott – A powerful clairvoyant, twelve years old, has straight brown hair.

  Doctor Mother – A dark-skinned, well spoken woman, well connected and knowledgeable about powers. Heads Cauldron.

  Doctor Q – The alias of an old, crotchety, thin-lipped doctor who works with criminals (Coil in particular) in Brockton Bay.

  Dragon – Widely viewed as the best tinker in the world, a member of the Guild and honorary member of the Protectorate, pilots massive dragon-themed battlesuits. Never really leaves her home in Vancouver.

  Echidna – A monstrosity with vague shape and a hodgepodge of features.

  Eidolon – Member of the Triumvirate and head of the Houston branch of the Protectorate. Viewed by many as one of the most powerful capes in the world, can manifest a handful of powers at a time, with virtually no restrictions, automatically gaining whatever abilities he needs to face a given crisis. Wears a green-white costume with a hood, and a glow emanating from both hood and sleeves.

  Emma Barnes - Taylor’s ex-best friend and present-day tormentor, red haired and attractive, a sometime model.

  Faultline – Leader of a mercenary team, Faultline wears a costume with body armor, a skirt and a welding-mask-like face-cover. Can destroy inorganic matter by touch.

  Fenja – Sister to Menja, blonde bodyguard to Kaiser. Styles herself as a valkyrie and carries a sword and shield, can grow to massive size, simultaneously growing more durable.

  Fish - Mercenary and a squad leader serving under Coil.

  Flashbang – Member of New Wave, Flashbang can create orbs of energy that bounce and explode with a measured degree of light and power.

  Flechette – Member of the New York Wards, Flechette carries a large arbalest. Her power lets her charge touched objects, rendering them immune to conventional physics. Tends to augment her ammunition in this way.

  Fog – Husband to Night, subordinate of Purity. Can turn himself into a living, sentient fog of varying solidity that causes catastrophic damage to an
yone who inhales it.

  Gallant – Member of the Boston Bay Wards, wears a costume with pieces of power armor and medieval stylings. Can shoot out blasts of energy that cause little damage but inflict a concentration of whichever emotion he decides.

  Garotte -Inmate at the Parahuman Asylum, a living mass of tentacles with a lethal fight-or-flight reflex. Also goes by Sveta.

  Genesis – A member of the Travelers. Creates and projects a solid body with a form of her choosing.

  Gentle Giant – A monstrous member of the Wards in Houston.

  Glory Girl – Member of New Wave, a teenager with blonde hair and a white costume with gold trim. She has super strength, flight, and invulnerability, as well as the ability to generate an aura of awe around her, encouraging allies and intimidating foes.

  Grace – Member of the Chicago Wards, possessed of enhanced agility and a selective invulnerability that she can apply only to specific parts of her body at a time, with the added benefit of enhanced kinetic power applied to any impacts.

  Greg – A talkative, loudmouthed, socially maladept classmate of Taylor.

  Gregor the Snail – An obese, monstrous parahuman working under Faultline, can generate slime from his skin, with a composition and effect of his choosing.

  Grue – An Undersider, Grue can create clouds of sensory-depriving darkness. Wreaths himself in darkness, with a horrifying mask occasionally glimpsed in the midst of it.

  Gully – A monstrous parahuman based in San Diego, Gully has an overabundance of muscle, to the point that she hunches over, and a severe underbite. She can manipulate earth.

  Hadhayosh – Another name for Behemoth (see above)

  Hatchet Face - The bogeyman of the cape community and a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine, Hatchet Face is a large, strong, nearly-invulnerable cape who strips nearby capes of their powers, stalks them and chops them to pieces with his namesake axe.

  Heartbreaker – A Montreal-based cape with dark hair and European features, can affect emotions and has leveraged this to amass a harem of attractive women, and a small army of offspring, some of whom have powers.

  Hookwolf – A white supremacist in Brockton Bay, originally one of Kaiser’s lieutenants, Hookwolf can transform himself into a shifting mass of hooks, blades and other weapons.

  Hunch – A humpbacked cape and friend of Weld, member of Boston’s Wards team. A precognitive with somewhat iffy accuracy, possessed of other powers not yet detailed in full.

  Imp – Wearing a black bodysuit and a horned mask with black lenses, Imp’s power renders her eminently forgettable, even in the midst of a fight.

  Jack Slash – Leader of the Slaughterhouse Nine, can extend the cutting edge of any blade to nigh-infinite range. Sports a trimmed beard and casual clothing, with only a belt of knives and an icy stare to suggest he is anything but normal.

  Jaw – Mercenary and Minion of Coil. A slobby, heavyset figure who struggles to shake off the impression of being a soldier.

  Jessica Yamada – A therapist specializing in caring for parahumans, particularly parahumans under the age of eighteen.

  Jormungand / Jörmungandr - Another name for Leviathan (see below).

  Judas - A German Shepherd, one of the dogs in Bitch’s care.

  Kaiser – Head of Empire Eighty-Eight, a white supremacist and businessman capable of causing metal to sprout from any solid surface.

  Kid Win – A tinker serving in the Brockton Bay Wards, favors laser weapons and a flying skateboard, with red and gold body armor.

  Krieg – A lieutenant of Kaiser, capable of kinetic manipulation over a wide range.

  Labyrinth – A distant, disconnected individual, employed by Faultline. She possesses almost absolute control over her immediate environment. Sports a loose fitting robe with a maze covering the fabric.

  Lady Photon – Head of New Wave, flies, can create lasers and generate forcefields, known to some as Photon Mom. Wears a white bodysuit with a purple/indigo starburst featured as an emblem.

  Laserdream – Member of New Wave, daughter of Lady Photon. Flies, can create lasers and generates weak forcefields, though she is better at the former two than the latter. Wears a white bodysuit with a red/magenta comet icon.

  Leet – Partner to Über, is a tinker without limits, except that the more similar an object is to something he’s created before, the more likely it is to misfire.

  Leviathan - A thirty-foot tall monster with macrohydrokinesis and super speed, among other powers. Durable, strong, and relentless.

  Lucy – A dog in Bitch’s care.

  Lung – Head of the ABB, a gang of Asian-Americans. Tall, with dragon tattoos on his arms. Transforms and gains additional powers and capabilities as long as he’s in a fight.

  Madison – Emma’s friend and one of Taylor’s bullies.

  Mannequin – A tall (nine-foot) man encased in a sealed, protective suit, loaded out with various weaponry. Member of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

  Manpower – Member of New Wave, Lady Photon’s husband. A manipulator of electromagnetism, primarily at point-blank range. The ‘bruiser’ of the team.

  Marquis – A retired crime lord of Brockton Bay, an osteokinetic (a manipulator of bone) and gentleman.

  Matryoshka – A monster with hair and body etched in horizontal lines, can unfold herself into ribbons and consume others, taking on a share of their memories and traits, simultaneously diluting herself.

  Menja – Sister to Fenja, one of Kaiser’s bodyguards. Carries a spear, wears valkyrie-style armor and can alter herself to giant size, simultaneously growing more durable.

  Minor – A mercenary and squad captain serving under Coil.

  Miss Militia - A prominent member of Brockton Bay’s Protectorate branch, wears army fatigues with an American-flag scarf and sash, possesses a semisentient energy that can alter itself to take the form of various weapons.

  Mr. G / Mr. Gladly - One of Taylor’s teachers, popular with the popular kids, not so popular with Taylor.

  Mr. Quinlan – Taylor’s math teacher.

  Mrs. Knott – Taylor’s homeroom and computer science teacher.

  Mush – A member of the Merchants, capable of absorbing masses of loose material and debris to form a protective, shapeshifting shell of trash, dirt and other loose matter.

  Myrddin – Head of Chicago’s branch of the Protectorate. Styles himself as a wizard, maintains access to several sub-dimensions with varying effects.

  Narwhal - Head of the Guild and the Protectorate’s Toronto branch. A masterful forcefield user who can create forcefields that intersect (and thus cut) the bodies of nearby opponents. Appears nude, but covers herself in an intricate carpet of tiny forcefields, with a long horn of the same material.

  Newter – A monstrous parahuman with orange skin and dyed hair, has a prehensile tail, can climb on walls and his bodily fluids are potent hallucinogens.

  Night – Wife to Fog, dresses herself in a black cloak and heeled boots. Serves under Purity. When not directly observed, heals herself to pristine condition and becomes a durable monster with enhanced speed and strength.

  Noelle - A member of the Travelers, remains in secure containment.

  Number Man – Serves under Doctor Mother, and operates as a banker to criminal parahumans around the world. Powers not yet stated.

  Oliver – A member of the Travelers, a blond boy who takes a more backseat role on the team.

  Oni Lee – Subordinate to Lung, can teleport and leaves short-lived duplicates behind when he does. Wears a demon mask in the gang colors, and a bodysuit bearing various knives.

  Othala – A teenaged white supremacist supervillain, she wears a red bodysuit with a rune prominently displayed on her chest. Frequently pairs with Victor, using her power to grant others temporary superpowers with a touch.

  Othello – A member of the Ambassadors, a man in a black and white suit and mask. Described as a Stranger-class cape.

  Panacea – Also Amy Dallon, a member of New Wave, can heal or manipulat
e biology by touch.

  Parian - A rogue, or a parahuman who focuses more on civilian life than on heroics/villainy, an aspiring fashion designer, she uses her telekinesis to maintain animated cloth puppets.

  Piggot – Also known as Mrs. Piggy. Director of the PRT in Brockton Bay, managing the police who respond to parahuman threats, the local Protectorate and the local wards.

  Prism – A member of Legend’s Protectorate team in New York, Prism can split herself into three copies, and return those copies to herself for a burst in speed and strength.

  Pritt - One of Coil’s mercenaries, a former child soldier, strict.

  Purity – A white supremacist seen serving under Kaiser in Empire Eighty-Eight. Capable of flight, luminescence and energy blasts of devastating power.

  Raymancer – Member of the Chicago Wards, creates innumerable energy blasts and condenses them to devastating effect with a lens he projects and controls.

  Regent - Member of the Undersiders, wears a white mask and renaissance fair clothing, with a taser-scepter. Can inflict involuntary movements and trigger reflexes in individuals he can see.

  Rune – A powerful telekinetic and white supremacist, she can move nonliving objects she touches, each one potentially weighing several tons. Dresses up as a wizard.

  Sanguine – A red skinned, red-haired cape hailing from San Jose, powers not yet detailed.

  Scapegoat – A cape hailing from San Diego, Scapegoat wears robes and a goat mask with a circlet. Can accept the wounds of others and transfer them to touched foes, in a somewhat drawn-out process.

  Scion – Viewed by many as the most powerful parahuman in the world, golden skinned, with long hair and a beard. The first known parahuman.

  Scrub - Triggered in the midst of one of a grand melee/free for all fighting match provoked by the Merchants. White haired, with a glow emanating from each of his cavities, he generates explosions in his immediate surroundings, annihilating matter they come in contact with.

  Senegal – A mercenary employed by Coil. Predatory, especially around women.

  Shadow Stalker – A cape in the Brockton Bay Wards. She is capable of turning herself into a shadow state, where she passes through walls, is lightweight and ignores most incoming attacks. Somewhat bloodthirsty.