Worm

by John Mccrae Wildbow

  Assault wears body armor with a visor covering the upper half of his face and a streamlined design, a reversal of his madcap costume, which had a grinning mask that covered the lower half of his face and featured bulky, spike-studded padding.

  Triumph, Rory Christner – Described as having the ability to emit shockwaves from his mouth, punching holes through concrete, rending steel or simply throwing opponents across a room. Tertiary benefits of his power have rendered him rather strong, with an optimized physique. The son of ex-mayor Roy Christner, he got his powers from Cauldron. Triumph wears a costume that blends gladiator armor with a lion motif, with a helmet that emulates a roaring lion..

  Adamant – A durable cape who showed up following the Echidna arc. Wears a black costume with metal plates chained together.

  Sere - A cape capable of drawing in moisture with violent force, wears a white robe and hard white mask, wreathed with pale clouds of ambient moisture.

  Defunct/Deceased Members:

  Armsmaster, Colin (Retired) – Once leader of Brockton Bay’s Protectorate chapter, he was ‘retired’ to house arrest after employing a scheme to try and set up a situation where he could fight Leviathan one-on-one, ultimately getting several participants in the fight killed. His power allows him to condense and interweave technology to create devices that are highly efficient and take up less space than they should. Armsmaster sported a costume in midnight blue and silver, with a high-tech halberd packed with technology. See Defiant, below, for his current identity.

  Battery (Deceased) - Had the ability to pause to let herself charge up energy, expending it to trade each second of time spent charging for several seconds worth of invulnerability, super strength, super speed and electromagnetic repulsion/attraction. Acquired her powers from Cauldron, and was ultimately asked to assist the Slaughterhouse Nine as part of her contract with them. She was going against her orders when she was slain by one of Bonesaw’s spiders. Battery wore a skintight costume with a ‘circuit board’ style pattern on it that glowed as she charged up.

  Dauntless (Deceased) - Armsmaster’s unwitting rival. Had the ability to empower items with a gradual, cumulative degree of power. Bore a spear with devastating arcs of electricity, a shield that generated forcefields and boots that let him fly, with other abilities not outlined in the story.

  Velocity (Deceased) - Had enhanced speed at the cost of a lowered ability to affect the world. Slain in the Leviathan arc.

  The Wards

  If you’re under eighteen, have superpowers and aspirations of being a superhero, odds are good that you’ll apply to the Wards. Essentially the same operation as the Protectorate, but is specifically for underage superheroes. Same funding, same requirements, same restrictions, but the young heroes are less likely to be deployed to the truly dangerous missions. Again, Brockton Bay’s team of Wards is only one of many spread across the United States and Canada.

  Clockblocker, Dennis – Current leader of the local Wards. Puts objects and people on ‘pause’ by touching them, freezing them in time for an indeterminate period. Frozen objects are rendered unable to move or be moved. Something of a rebel, he picked his name as a way of thumbing his nose at his superiors. Has struggled with a dad who had leukemia, the shifting leadership structure of the Wards and the local superhero teams as a whole, and his own perception of the teams in general.

  Wears a white costume with clock faces set across it, some animated, and a mask with a flat, opaque white pane. In his civilian guise, has red hair and blue eyes.

  Vista, Missy – The youngest member of the local team at thirteen years of age, Vista can bend, stretch, compress and distort non-living matter, effectively warping space. Missy has been heavily affected by the recent, intense and tragic events to strike the city and the local superhero teams, feeling the loss of her first crush and teammate Gallant in particular. Vista wears a teal and green costume with a short dress, leggings and panels of body armor, including a breastplate. Has a green visor across her eyes.

  Kid Win, Chris – A ‘tinker’, Kid Win has the ability to invent things well beyond current levels of technology. After a long period spent struggling to find his niche, he discovered his powers didn’t center around laser guns as he’d thought, but around modular equipment. Initially modeling his outfit and his weaponry on Hero, the first tinker, Kid Win is in the midst of finding his identity. Wears a costume of red and gold, with red lenses and a characteristic red glow where he uses antigravity gear. As a tinker, his costume and gear change on a regular basis.

  Flechette, Lily – A crossbow-wielding cape that originally hailed from New York, joining the Brockton Bay Wards as a temporary member in the wake of recent disasters. A Japanese-American girl, she wears a deep purple costume with a visor, quiver, and narrow, platinum-white armor panels that flare out at the upper edges and taper at the bottom – mimicking the vague shape of an arrow or darts. Her power allows her to imbue nonliving material with the ability to ignore select laws of physics, to the point that they can pass through virtually anything, including Endbringers and forcefields, among other defensive powers. She carries an Arbalest, a large, two-handed crossbow, to launch needles as long as her arm – needles that carry the effects of her power, ignore gravity, and benefit from her secondary power of enhanced sense of timing. In a relationship with Parian.

  Defunct/Deceased Members:

  Shadow Stalker, Sophia Hess (Jailed) - Once a cape with a vigilante bent, Shadow Stalker was caught after having nearly killed a man, pinning him to a wall with her crossbow bolts, and chose to join the Wards as a probationary member rather than be sent to juvenile detention. Capable of shifting herself into a ‘shadow state’, she can pass through walls, is lightweight, and passes these benefits on to her equipment, including shots fired by her crossbow bolts. Was accused of violating probation shortly after arc 10. In reality, Shadow Stalker was one of Taylor’s tormentors while in her civilian guise. See Sophia Hess’ entry for her description.

  As Shadow Stalker (in costume), she wears a heavy black cloak and a black bodysuit with black painted metal plates and mask. Her mask was originally a modified hockey mask, but after joining the wards it modeled a woman’s face with a stern expression. Carries two crossbows, with both lethal and tranquilizer ammunition.

  Chariot (Missing) - Rookie member of the Wards, a tinker specializing in all types of mobility, from suits that move at super speed to devices that grant flight and teleportation. An undercover agent working for Coil, Chariot’s role was known by the Wards, and he remained on the team only so they can feed him incorrect information. Disappeared after the attack on the town hall. His costume was a power suit focused more on mobility than durability and hitting hard, complete with single-wheels at the toe and jets that allowed him to move at blinding speeds.

  Weld (Left Group) – See Irregulars, below.

  Aegis (Deceased) - Powers included flight and an augmented physiology that lacks any weak points. Onetime team leader of the local Wards team. Wore a rust and silver costume with a shield emblem. Perished in the Endbringer arc.

  Browbeat (Changed cities)- Onetime rookie member of the Wards, Browbeat had a very short range telekinesis as well as a form of biokinesis that lets him gradually alter his biology and physique. Moved away and quit the Wards program after the Endbringer arc.

  Gallant (Deceased) - Generates concussive blasts of energy that alter emotions in addition to packing a punch. Boyfriend of Glory Girl. Wore a silver and gunmetal powersuit that was being maintained by Armsmaster. Perished in the Endbringer arc.

  New Wave

  Originally the Brockton Bay Brigade, this group of heroes briefly became the subject of national attention when they unmasked publicly, rechristening themselves New Wave. Advocating superheroes without secrets and full accountability, they attempted to start a movement that stalled when a team member was murdered in her civilian identity. The team consisted of two related nuclear families, who have all become celebrities of a sort, wearing costume
s without masks or helmets, each white with an emblem personal to the member.

  Disbanded, though many members remain in Brockton Bay, some operating individually while others have retired from a life as a cape.

  Lady Photon, Sarah Pelham - Arguably leader of New Wave, wife of Manpower, mother to Laserdream and Shielder, sister of Brandish. Known to most as ‘Photon Mom’, to her annoyance. Has the powers of flight, the ability to create a personal forcefield bubble, with various lesser applications, and ‘hard light’ blasts from her hands. Wore a white bodysuit with a starburst motif in an indigo-purple gradient, complete with a tiara.

  Manpower, Neil Pelham (Deceased) - Lady Photon’s husband. Had an electromagnetic augmentation allowing for superstrength and durability. Wore a white and yellow costume with a lightning bolt motif, but perished in the Endbringer arc.

  Laserdream – Eldest child of Lady Photon and Manpower. Has the same powers as her mother, with less facility with forcefields and stronger flight/laser blasts. Wore a white bodysuit with a comet motif in a gradient of ruby red and magenta, with a red hairband and a coquettish sweep of blond hair over one side of her face.

  Shielder (Deceased) - Youngest child of Lady Photon and Manpower. The inverse of his sister, was a very strong forcefield user, with little to no flight and weak laser blasts. Wore a white costume with a blue shield motif, with blue dyed hair. Slain by Leviathan.

  Flashbang, Mark Dallon - Husband to Brandish, father to Glory Girl and Panacea. Could create bouncing light orbs that detonated with concussive or explosive force. Suffered long term head injuries in the Endbringer arc, but was cured by his daughter. Wears a white costume with a green-yellow icon of an exploding grenade, complete with padding and a helmet.

  Brandish, Carol Dallon - Flashbang’s wife. Civilian identity is that of a high profile lawyer. Has the ability to create weapons and martial shields out of hard light, and can condense herself into a bouncing sphere of hard light, being effectively invincible and untouchable at the cost of all mobility. Wears a costume of white and orange with a crossed-blade symbol.

  Glory Girl, Victoria Dallon (Incarcerated; Asylum) - Possessed of flight, invincibility, and capable of deadlifting over a ton. She radiates an energy that makes her allies more inclined to like, respect and look up to her, while making her terrifying and intimidating to her enemies. Following the conclusion of the Slaughterhouse Nine arc, Glory Girl was altered by her sister, in both mind and body, and was placed in an asylum for parahumans, where she currently remains.

  Panacea, Amy Dallon (Incarcerated; Birdcage) - An adopted member of the family, the daughter of Marquis. She is possessed of complete control over the biology of those she touches, a fact that has led to her incarceration in the Birdcage, where she’s reunited with her father and is coming to terms with what she did. Panacea has freckles and frizzy brown hair, and at least one tattoo, to commemorate her sister.

  Haven

  A Christian superteam popular in the southern states, recently sent three members to Brockton Bay to pursue the Fallen (see below). Few details have been provided, to date. Halo – Leader. Controls a 5-foot diameter ring that generates forcefields and produces lasers.

  Rosary – Member. A young woman in a pink robe with gold leaf decoration. Can break nonliving material down into fragments, control those leaf-like fragments and reconstitute them into the objects or parts of the object.

  The PRT

  If the Protectorate and Wards are the heroes, the PRT are the unpowered individuals who make that all possible. Their role in things ranges from supporting the heroes with strike teams equipped with special gear to administrators, therapists and public relations.

  Emily Piggot – Onetime director of Brockton Bay’s PRT, spoken of as ‘Piggy’ or ‘Ms. Piggy’ to the junior heroes. Rather obese and unable to exercise vigorously after an old injury, Piggot has take on a more tertiary role in the organization. Not fond of capes, ironically.

  Tagg – Current director of Brockton Bay’s PRT. Ex-military.

  Jessica Yamada – A therapist for junior heroes in the New York, Boston and Brockton Bay areas. Travels for work and stays in hotels in off days, but lives in Boston otherwise.

  Supervillain Teams

  Recent events have driven out more established villain teams. Others have attempted to fill the void, bartering or contesting with the Undersiders for territory.

  The Ambassadors

  Led by Accord, the Ambassadors hail from a smaller territory in Boston. Sporting tailored formalwear and ornate masks with brooches and pins rather than spandex and emblems, the Ambassadors are described a team of heavy hitters that even the Travelers weren’t keen on butting heads with. Led by a Thinker to organize them, they’re something of an elite force. After some losses at the hands of the Slaughterhouse Nine in Boston, they’ve come to Brockton Bay in hopes of joining the Undersider’s alliance.

  Accord – A thinker who is suspected to have intelligence that scales proportionately with the size and complexity of a problem, is a masterful counterattaker fond of elaborate traps, a skilled designer and a cunning policitican. Driven to find order by the rigors of his power, he is ruthless and unyielding when confronting any rulebreakers or anyone who might cause chaos and disorder. A onetime associate of Coil. Accord is short in stature – barely over five feet in height, and wears a neat white suit and a complicated mask of overlapping threads of metal that mimics his facial expressions.

  Citrine - One of Accord’s ambassadors, Citrine wears a yellow evening gown with gemstones on her mask and earrings – her namesake.

  Othello – Another of Accord’s ambassadors, Othello wears a black suit and a mask divided between Alabaster and Jet. He is described as having ‘an imaginary friend’ in terms of his power, with no details beyond that.

  The Teeth

  Once a gang in Brockton Bay, they were nearly wiped out by the Slaughterhouse Nine. They re-established themselves as cells in New York and Boston, and have since rebuilt, though turnover has proved high enough that no original members remain – only the name survives. Savage, reckless, willing to do anything for a profit, they aim to oust the Undersiders and use violence to carve out a territory.

  Butcher XIV, Quarrel – The fourteenth in her line, Butcher was once Quarrel, before challenging the leader. Since the original Butcher was killed by a subordinate, both the accrued powers (only a fraction) and consciousnesses of the previous Butchers have been passed on to the one who kills them, the combined voices driving the subject mad if they do not follow the proper procedure of challenging the leader. As such, Quarrel gained a share of thirteen sets of powers on top of her own – the ability to make any attack strike its target, provided they are in range. Is a tall Asian woman with a costume described as stylized samurai armor, festooned with barbed blades, and a string of skulls at one shoulder. Uses enhanced strength to carry a gatling gun that would normally require a turret mount.

  The Fallen

  Based in Southern states, the Fallen are a gang of alleged Endbringer-worshippers, though many surmise this is simply a way of garnering attention. Most members tend toward vandalism and petty theft, with only the more prominent, higher-up members actually committing murder or trying higher-end crimes. Allegedly commit incest to better their chances at giving birth to more capes.

  Valefor - Styled his costume after the Simurgh, to provoke the residents of Brockton Bay who recently suffered a great deal in the aftermath of an Endbringer attack, with mask of a woman’s face, black tattoos around his lips and a white costume with a corset and feathers. Is described as having a dangerous gaze relating to his stranger power.

  Eligos – As Valefor did, altered his costume to style himself after Behemoth. A wind manipulator that creates shearing blades of wind that grow as they travel and can boomerang back to him.

  The Pure

  One of two groups that entered play when Empire Eighty-Eight dissolved. Led by Purity, second hand to Kaiser, the Empire’s previous leader. The Pu
re maintain, or even exaggerate Kaiser’s ‘civilized’ approach. The Pure remain vehement racists and are exceedingly dangerous to those who stand in their way, and have recently left Brockton Bay.

  Purity, Kayden Anders – Leader of the Pure, was Kaiser’s enforcer and right hand man. She is also Kaiser’s ex-wife, single mother to Aster, the child she had with Kaiser, and is in the process of adopting Theo, Kaiser’s son by another woman. Purity falls into the category of ‘flying artillery’, with the ability to create kinetically charged light to move through the air at high speeds while generating light blasts that can level buildings. Formed and took command of the Pure. A mousy woman in her civilian persona, Purity wears a white bodysuit that glows softly with light when her powers are in effect, and has hair and eyes that glow to a blinding degree, giving her a great deal of presence.

  Night, Dorothy Schmidt – Can transform into an inhuman creature with enhanced speed and strength and a nigh-invincible exterior, but only when unobserved by conventional sight. Heals entirely on transformation. Fog’s wife and Purity’s staunch follower. Night wears a black costume with a hood and an array of tools that allow her to blind an enemy, from a cloak embedded with hooks to snare to flashbangs and smoke grenades. Has a liking for high heels, a parallel to the insectile limbs she walks on in her other form.

  Fog, Geoff Schmidt - Has the ability to partially or wholly become a living mist, with solidity varying depending on his wishes and the ability to erode living matter. Can deliver horrific internal damage should a subject inhale the mist that comprises his other form. Night’s husband and Purity’s follower. Wears a costume similar to Night’s, albeit without the accouterments, all in gray.