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199Chapter 13 New Corinth

NEW CORINTH TODAY

New Corinth is a roughly pentagonal city nestled in the Miatanka River Valley in
Cochran County. It houses approximately 650,000 people within the city limits,
while the greater metropolitan area has approximately 2.3 million citizens. New
Corinth is bounded by Interstate 44 along the southeastern side, Interstate 622
along the northern side, and the Miatanka River along the western side.

In the 1990s, New Corinth experienced a sizable upswing as relief money
from the federal government contributed to several urban renewal projects.
Unfortunately those projects began running out of funds at the turn of the cen-
tury, leading to many incomplete projects and empty, abandoned buildings.
Due to the recession of the early 2000s, the funds seem unlikely to return at any
point, which has left parts of New Corinth a literal ghost town. Of these aban-
doned buildings, the most notable is the 135-story Blackstock-Miller Building.
Though it towers above the city skyline, its offices sit at only one-third capacity,
as much of the interior still needs additional work.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...THE BLACKSTOCK-MILLER BUILDING

Most people know the Blackstock-Miller Building as a marginally successful gov-
ernment project that houses some corporate offices and a handful of unimportant
bureaucrats. Few know the actual reason it was built. Its creator, Ryan Blackstock,
had a dire purpose in mind when erecting this massive skyscraper.

Ryan Blackstock was the wealthy scion of a French nobleman who had
traced his genealogy back to the First Crusade and, with it, the formation of the
Knights Templar. When Pope Clement V dissolved the Templar order in 1312,
many of the charges—sodomy, blasphemy, and apostasy—were trumped up,
but one charge was appropriate: witchcraft. The Knights Templar had delved
into numerous texts while in the Holy Land, using the occult knowledge and
incantations to supplement their already dangerous warrior training. The Tem-
plars had claimed that around the world lay several “founts of God,” which serve
as gateways into Paradise, Purgatory, or even Hell. They sought to use those
“founts” to achieve what no man had ever done: walk directly to the Pearly Gates
of Heaven.

Blackstock’s ancestors, of course, were members of the Knights Templar,
but they had escaped Clement’s wrath via a fleet of ships docked at La Rochelle,
France. Over the years, the Blackstocks passed down their arcane knowledge
from father to son, all the while amassing a sizable fortune. When Ryan’s father
learned of a possible fount in New Corinth, the family emigrated immediately.
And, as any canny financier does, the Blackstocks used government funds—a
substantial portion of the “urban renewal” money from the federal govern-
ment—to purchase and build upon the site of the “fount.” And now, with the
building in hand, Nicholas can complete the dream of the Templars…by boring
a hole directly into the afterlife.

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The current mayor of New Corinth is Elizabeth Dalton, who had previously
served as deputy mayor under her predecessor, William Herrmann. Dalton
runs the city with the assistance of her cabinet, as well as five city aldermen:
Dr. John Somerville, Sarah Behrens, Alexander Bazley, Diane Sauer, and Marcus
Newman-Tipton. Dalton’s term as mayor is almost up, and she’ll be running
for reelection next year. Her main challenger is Landon Schultz, whose fiscally
conservative policies have earned him much favor with the low-wage, blue-
collar workers of the city. While Dalton has done her best to foster a “society of
mutual aid,”New Corinth has faced major budget crises several times in the last
decade, as Dalton’s policies often require substantial taxation, which puts a bur-
den on the poor. Schultz has taken advantage of this in many of his speeches
and campaign commercials, catering to the underclass and hoping to under-
mine Dalton’s political base.

New Corinth, on the whole, tends to be fairly politically moderate, if only
due to the extremism on both sides. Both liberal and conservative rhetoric are
spewed constantly over talk radio and cable news programs. Of all the shows,
the most popular are “The Firing Line,” hosted by fiery conservative Lisa Sum-
mers, and “Knight Errant,” hosted by ex-Greenpeace operative Colin Knight.
The pair have often appeared together on debate-style programs and nearly
came to blows at one point during a particularly heated argument over New
Corinth’s welfare programs. While Summers has thrown her considerable influ-
ence behind Landon Schultz in the coming election, Knight has been hesitant
in endorsing his former mentor, Elizabeth Dalton, for unknown reasons.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...THE ELECTION

Elizabeth Dalton does not face any mere politico in Landon Schultz. In addition
to being a privately wealthy lobbyist, Schultz prowls the night as The Big Sleep, a
gun-toting vigilante and maniac who’s devoted his life to clearing out the Num-
bers Gang and the Rebel Yell from the poorest districts of New Corinth. The Big
Sleep has a penchant for extreme violence and overkill, and is prone to fits of utter
rage over even petty slights. Exposing Schultz’s secret would immediately polar-
ize the community concerning his candidacy, allowing Dalton to win the election
easily.

However, Dalton’s campaign manager and deputy mayoral candidate, Gary
Wagner, already knows Schultz’s secret, but he’d rather make a profit off of it. Wag-
ner intends to anonymously blackmail Schultz throughout the election, collecting
as much money as possible from the night-stalking politician. Then, a week be-
fore the election, Wagner plans to reveal Schultz’s identity anyway, thereby caus-
ing him to lose the election and, hopefully, take his frustrations out on the newly
elected Dalton. With Dalton hospitalized or worse, Wagner would assume control
of New Corinth and make a killing off of Schultz’s embarrassment as The Big Sleep
is caught and heads to trial.

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NEW CORINTH—THE CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

On the surface, New Corinth seems to be a cultural melting pot, with people of
all colors and creeds. However, these cultures certainly do not live in harmony.
Instead, New Corinth is fractured and dissonant, with frequent clashes between
social classes and ethnicities.

New Corinth is divided into eight major districts: North Arlington, Grey’s
Park, Derry, Marwick Heights, Belle Marne, Carriage Hill, South Arlington, and
The River Flats.

NORTH ARLINGTON

If the vast majority of New Corinth lives in relative urban squalor, North
Arlington provides the exception. Property values north of Interstate 622 nearly
triple, as the homes in North Arlington reflect the wealth and opulence of its
old-money citizens. Massive, sprawling homes litter the hillsides here, all with
impeccably tended yards and landscaping.

Nearly every major player in New Corinth has their home in North Arling-
ton. An unspoken truce between the major crime families keeps outright war
from breaking out in the “nice parts,” though rumors continually swirl about
black vans breaking into homes in the night and whisking so-and-so away for
reasons unknown.

North Arlington lies just south of the Miatanka State Forest and Wildlife
Preserve, which includes almost 22,000 acres of woodland. Every year, thou-
sands of tourists flock to its campgrounds and trails, though few actually stop
in New Corinth proper. Notable, however, have been the numerous disappear-
ances surrounding a popular tourist spot known as “The Dryad Grove.” Forest
rangers and law enforcement agents have warned tourists about sinkhole ac-
tivity, though that does little to explain the strange bonfires in the depths of
the forest and the severed fingers washing up along the shores of the Miatanka
River.

At the beginning of each summer, North Arlington welcomes the season
in high fashion. On the second Saturday of June, Mr. Edward Garland holds his
annual Summer Gala in the style of a southern cotillion. Garland is an elderly
bachelor, living in a massive mansion by himself. Garland’s wealth comes from a
European railroad concern, and he takes great pride in holding these cotillions
for New Corinth’s elite and well-to-do. Nearly everyone who’s anyone attends,
and New Corinth’s movers and shakers always use the occasion to make back-
room deals.

Another favorite haunt of the wealthy and powerful is the Burdock Bar and
Grille, owned and run by the recently Michelin-starred chef David Jarvis. The
Burdock specializes in nouveau French cuisine, accompanied by an extensive
wine selection. What few know is that the Burdock’s success comes not from
its food and drink but rather the flow of cocaine and crystal meth sold out of its

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storeroom. While Jarvis often laments being at the beck and call of his unseen
masters, he does not complain about the accolades he’s received through their
support. The Burdock is always full, and reservations for the restaurant have a
four-month waiting list.

Towering over the mansions of North Arlington is one of city’s oldest edific-
es, St. Ignatius Cathedral. The largest Catholic church in the region, St. Ignatius
boasts a top-of-the-line parochial school, an active group of parishioners, and a
historical marker commemorating the death of Sister Mary Alexis and the ratifi-
cation of the Nornsby Act, detailed on page 224. Each year on the anniversary
of Mary Alexis’s death, a mysterious black-clad figure visits the marker, pouring
out a bottle of communion wine and leaving behind ten spent shell casings on
the sidewalk. While the enigmatic figure has often been questioned and even
detained by police, no explanation or identity has ever been released.

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THE RIVER FLATS

No one ever wants to go to The River Flats. The River Flats are a stagnant, dying
husk of New Corinth’s industrial and shipping past, constantly fought over by
gang lords and mafiosi. By day, this industrial district is dangerous at best. At
night, it becomes an urban war zone where rival gangs alternate smuggling
illicit goods and gunning one another down in back alleys.

The White Russian’s men are the dominant force in The River Flats, though
they constantly clash with the Genoveses, who have begun steadily encroach-
ing on the White Russian territory via North Arlington and Grey’s Park. The ship-
ping docks along the Miatanka River provide the White Russian an easy means
of transporting smuggled cargo in and out of the city, and few police are willing
to intrude into such heavily gang-controlled territory. The White Russian and his
men often hire hands from the Numbers Gang, whose members roam from the
east side of The River Flats into the outskirts of Marwick Heights and Belle Marne.

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Though he and his men frequent the docks, the White Russian’s true base of
operations is the Grand Marquess casino at the northwest corner of The River Flats,
in an area known as the New Corinth Waterfront. Piotr Zakrevsky’s penthouse at
the top of the casino’s hotel serves as his primary residence and headquarters,
though he maintains homes in Carriage Hill and Marwick Heights as well.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...THE GRAND MARQUESS

It’s no secret that the White Russian’s headquarters are within the massive hotel
and casino. Anyone even remotely affiliated with a gang or crime family in New
Corinth knows this, and knows that the casino is off limits.

In a daring move, however, the Genoveses have hired (through a proxy, nat-
urally) Morrigan, the Celtic-themed metahuman who makes a regular habit of
torching White Russian warehouses in The River Flats. Morrigan has begun assem-
bling a series of other metahumans, including Carrion, to raid the Grand Marquess
during the annual New Years’ Eve celebration.

Morrigan, naturally, has no compunctions against harming innocents, and
the casino’s Near Years’ celebration is among the most heavily attended functions
of the year. Hundreds of lives will be in jeopardy if all-out war takes place amongst
the slot machines and roulette tables.

Although the danger posed by these elements is hardly to be taken lightly,
there are more formidable threats along the Miatanka River than thugs and
smugglers. Numerous homeless and marginalized citizens have taken up
residence in the river’s abandoned warehouses as squatters. Sometimes seen
among them are metahumans, replete with dangerous powers. It is not un-
common for these citizens to react violently when approached, resulting in
destructive fires and armed conflict throughout the district. Four times in the
past year, the NCPD riot squad has been called out to The River Flats to deal
with gunfights, which have caused seven officers to perish in the line of duty.

Unfortunately, The River Flats still serves as New Corinth’s major industrial
district, meaning that many of the city’s biggest companies—Mastek Fabrica-
tion, Genelogic Systems, and almost every other industrial player—has produc-
tion facilities here. Numerous innocent civilians commute through the urban
war-zone each day; they withstand carjackings, muggings, and more. City of-
ficials have long debated adding a new passage to New Corinth’s infrastructure
to ensure some degree of safety for the employees but, like most social issues
in the city, plans are tied up in legal and bureaucratic paperwork.

GREY’S PARK

Something of a suburban district, the northerly Grey’s Park is home to Adams
College, a moderately sized liberal arts college with a rising focus on biochem-
istry and genetics. Adams College boasts several experts in molecular biology,
using lucrative grant money to peel genetics and pharmacology experts away
from other universities, including the University of New Corinth. Chief among

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these is Dr. Marion McDonald, a Johns Hopkins–educated geneticist who be-
lieves she is about to crack the “metahuman enigma.”

Grey’s Park derives the latter half of its name from the green space lining
the southern side of Adams College’s campus. The park is regularly patrolled by
police, but this has done little to stop petty crime against the college students
here; mugging and theft are common. Despite this, cheap housing and numer-
ous ethnic small businesses have kept Grey’s Park an appealing location for
college students, both from Adams College and the University of New Corinth.

Of all things, Grey’s Park is most notorious for its club scene, which has
gained national recognition in the underground circuit. Dance clubs with music
ranging from Top 40 to techno to hip hop and everything in between populate
the district. During the academic year, the ever-present bass thump provides a
rhythm for the otherwise dreary nights.

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The true purpose of certain nightclubs is obscured by the sweat-soaked
dance floors and hypnotic beats. Illegal drug sales are common, and gang ac-
tivity is pervasive. Smaller gangs like The Shades and Tech Support stick tight to
Grey’s Park, for fear of getting in the way of the Numbers Gang, the Rebel Yell,
or the Rojo Bastardes. One club, Ashes, celebrates occult and gothic-themed
debauchery. Ashes provides private rooms for known members of The Shades,
while simultaneously recruiting into the Cult of Zalgo.

While many college students flirt with the occult and amuse themselves
over tarot cards, Grey’s Park is home to New Corinth’s most renowned occultist
and metahuman: Conjure. Though few believe that this middle-aged, diabetic
storekeeper could truly be a magician, Douglas Roderick has owned a “curi-
ousities” shop in Grey’s Park for ages. Most citizens believe he’s simply highly
skilled at stage magic and prestidigitation. Roderick, though, claims to chan-
nel strange energies from a plane he calls only “The Great Fundament,” which
is in constant peril due to events in our world. While Roderick has no designs
on becoming a vigilante, his claims have certainly made him enemies in the
metahuman community.

CARRIAGE HILL

Carriage Hill lies at the northeast corner of New Corinth, at the junction of In-
terstates 44 and 622, and is divided into two smaller suburbs: Cherry Creek
and Carriage Run. The areas along these two interstates make up Cherry Creek,
while the more residential interior of Carriage Hill is referred to as Carriage Run.

Cherry Creek was once one of the wealthiest suburban areas in New
Corinth, as various restaurants and stores along the interstates benefited great-
ly from the traffic and the relative distance from The River Flats and Marwick
Heights. College kids from Grey’s Park frequented the area, spending money
they didn’t have on luxuries they didn’t need.

Unfortunately, since New Corinth’s utter economic collapse, the Cherry
Creek area is a shriveled skeleton of its former self. The Miatanka Valley Mall,
once brimming with 150 shops and restaurants, now holds just over 50; an
entire wing sits barren and empty. Mall owner Bashir Kaddoura has been fight-
ing an uphill battle in his attempts to lure in new businesses; he offers an entire
year rent free, provided the store stays on for an additional, agreed-upon pe-
riod of time. Kaddoura is a perennial optimist, trying to bring back the prosper-
ity that he and so many once held. However, Kaddoura faces a greater threat
than the economy: continued clashes between the Rebel Yell and other gangs
(usually the Numbers Gang) have made businesses reticent to move in.

Carriage Run, in contrast, has never been a wealthy area, but it has pro-
vided a home to many of New Corinth’s (now less than) middle class workers.
However, since the downturn, countless homes have been foreclosed upon,
and entire streets remain empty at night.

On the other hand, Carriage Run also holds more than its share of church-
es, the most notable of which is the massive New Corinth New Church of Christ,

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led by Jeremiah Riggins. Riggins’ concept of faith is utterly deplorable to many,
though he always seems to manage to fill the seats and have means for expan-
sion. Riggins actively blames the economic and social issues in New Corinth
on any scapegoat he can find: African Americans were a sure draw in years
past, though lately Riggins has refocused his ire toward Hispanics, persons of
Middle Eastern descent, homosexuals, and the “vigilante problem.” Riggins has
been rumored to go so far as to hire on members of the Rebel Yell to assault
minorities and other groups, but Riggins is quick to deny any allegations of his
involvement—he’s far too powerful to actually get caught acting on his words.

Riggins is not the only preacher in Carriage Hill engaging in illegal activity.
Rabbi Joseph Steinman—whose Miatanka Synagogue has itself been a target
of Riggins-inspired Rebel Yell violence—has his own secret: he currently har-
bors Sarah Childers, the knife-wielding vigilante Razor’s Edge. Childers uses the
synagogue as a place in which to patch herself up and rest when she’s not near
her own Belle Marne apartment, as Steinman is an old childhood friend. Rabbi
Steinman feels great turmoil over his actions, because Childers has become
cold and calculating in her methods and shows no mercy to her foes.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT: A MATTER OF FAITH

Jeremiah Riggins’s hateful sermons are legendary, and when a proposal for a
mosque reaches the New Corinth City Planning Commission, he won’t rest un-
til it’s shot down. Riggins’s political reach is strong, due to his vast wealth and
numerous contacts, but when architect Kari Lehman began receiving death
threats, she didn’t cave. Rather, she decided to seek assistance from the vigilante
community.

If they take up her cause, the Heroes must juggle defending Lehman’s life and
searching for proof of Riggins’s duplicity. The protests surrounding the mosque
site are numerous, and participants are primarily normal, average citizens
whipped into an anti-Islamic frenzy by Riggins and his flunkies. The unpopular-
ity of Lehman’s project may serve to intensify the backlash against the vigilante
community should her defenders’ actions be discovered. And their meddling
may do little but to cause the populace to fall deeper into the embrace of the
Right Reverend Riggins.

MARWICK HEIGHTS

Though New Corinth verges on insolvency, one might not realize it among the
corporate bustle of Marwick Heights. Skyscrapers stretch far into the sooty sky,
and the wheelers and dealers of New Corinth keep money and goods changing
hands. Mastek Fabrication, Genelogic Systems, and nearly every other major
corporate player in New Corinth has their headquarters here, though their ac-
tual production facilities are usually elsewhere (Belle Marne or The River Flats,
in most cases).

Marwick Heights also serves as home to both Miatanka Valley Community
College and New Corinth’s Police and Fire Academy. While MVCC has experi-

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enced a great deal of success through offering numerous associates’ programs
and reasonable financial aid, the Police and Fire Academy has not experienced
a full graduating class in almost six years. While there has been significant out-
cry from the citizens about the lack of emergency personnel on the streets,
additional funding levies have continually failed.

Also in Marwick Heights are New Corinth’s major government centers, in-
cluding the New Corinth Regional Courthouse, the mayoral and city council
offices, and the central police dispatch. The majority of these offices lie along
William Pearce Avenue, which may be the safest, best-patrolled area in all of
New Corinth. The law offices of Stearns, Warren, and Associates are located at
642 William Pearce Avenue, allowing the enigmatic Gerard Warren and his op-
eratives to conduct business in almost complete safety from violent reprisal.

Relatively few people actually live in Marwick Heights, though the area
surrounding Portland Street has become a small cultural center in the heart of
the urban sprawl. The Portland Lofts have become known as a haven for young
urban professionals, particularly those in technology-based industries. Rumors
of gang activity, particularly that of Tech Support, has been on the rise as the
Portland Lofts expand.

DERRY AND BELLE MARNE

These two districts of New Corinth are almost always paired together, as each
acts as a horrific reflection of the other. Both Derry and Belle Marne are chiefly
slums, with only the barest nods toward commerce and business. Nearly all of
the districts’ houses and apartments are in some state of disrepair, while some
have been outright condemned.

The biggest difference between Derry and Belle Marne lies in population.
Belle Marne is home primarily to black and Hispanic persons, while Derry’s
population is mainly white, with some Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants.

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Few people have a real explanation for this divide, though some attribute it to the
proximity of Belle Marne to The River Flats, as the Numbers Gang territory covers
both areas. Derry remains relatively free of most gang influences due to the Warren
Group’s increasing number of real estate purchases in the area. Few have ques-
tioned these purchases, though it seems that something big may be in the works.

The most pervasive organized crime in these districts appears to be that
controlled the Genoveses, who claim to rule over Belle Marne and Derry with
an iron fist. But in actuality, Genovese influence in this area is quickly dwindling.
Both the Numbers Gang and the Rojo Bastardes in Belle Marne openly defy
Genovese-set “boundaries,” and Umar Waitimu, leader of the Numbers Gang,
has gone so far as to call for a bounty on the head of Genovese underboss
Luciano Bagarella for some perceived slight.

Belle Marne is, however, home to several lights in the darkness. One of
the great success stories of New Corinth has been Carmela Gutierrez, a restau-
rateur and businesswoman whose Latin-themed “Sopapillas” restaurants have
become a local favorite. The Sopapillas restaurants’flair for well-prepared, inex-
pensive food and their friendly atmosphere have endeared them to the popu-
lace. However, not everyone seems to be happy with Gutierrez. The Genoveses
have singled out the business owner for her outright refusal to cave in to their
protection racket. Luckily, the Latino community in Belle Marne has all but of-
fered Gutierrez its undying love, protecting in the streets against any slight.

Even in the midst of the slums of Derry, some degree of culture still exists.
In fact, New Corinth’s most notable museum, the New Corinth Museum of the
Arts and Sciences, lies right in the center of Derry, surrounded by abandoned
houses and run-down apartment complexes. The NCMAS boasts one of the
world’s largest collections of technological artifacts, ranging from functioning
pieces of NASA satellites to one of Eli Whitney’s original cotton gins. Recently,
the museum has opened an exhibition focusing on ancient Babylon. The exhi-
bition has been eagerly anticipated by many scholars, but it has also been the
target of several mysterious vandalism attempts.

SOUTH ARLINGTON

A small district on the outskirts of the city, South Arlington has only has the bar-
est pretensions to the wealth of its northern counterpart, having much more
in common with Belle Marne and The River Flats in terms of population and
poverty.

South Arlington is home to Stonegate Federal Penitentiary, the largest
prison in the NCPD jurisdiction. Visible from the highway as one drives up Inter-
state 44, the black bars in Stonegate’s windows provide a bleak site for anyone
driving around the city. The prison, however, is not run by the GCPD—rather,
Warden Grace “The Tank” Tancretti takes orders directly from the Department
of Justice. Tancretti plays hardball in every sense of the word, encouraging la-
bor details (read: chain gangs) and even adopting a strategy once used in the
Southwest: forcing inmates to wear florescent pink jumpsuits.

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Tancretti’s greatest failing, however, may be in terms of prison-based
violence. Beatings, prison rape, and even outright murders are fairly com-
monplace and, with increased enforcement of the Nornsby Act, metahuman
involvement in that violence has exponentially increased. While a prison fight
is dangerous, it’s an entirely different beast when inmates can conjure balls
of fire or walk through walls. While Warden Tancretti has lobbied for federal
funds to build a “metas-only” wing with technology built specifically to de-
tain known metahumans, tax revenue has never seemed to materialize to
construct her vision.

South Arlington is also home to the headquarters of Kosar Shipping Lim-
ited, a major shipping and distribution hub. Kosar Shipping’s CEO, Joshua
Brining, has been under constant pressure to sell his business to Benson and
Hedges Holdings, a front corporation for the White Russian. No fewer than four
times in the last six months, unexplained fires have occurred at Kosar Shipping
fuel depots and warehouses; Brining swears the fires are linked to the White
Russian’s men and his own continued refusal to sell.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...KOSAR SHIPPING’S REAL PROBLEM

What Brining doesn’t know, though, is that his company’s continued environmen-
tal violations have earned the ire of the pyrokinetic vigilante known as Morrigan.
None truly know why Morrigan has suddenly taken up an environmental stance,
after having spent most of her time torching gang safe houses and pursuing Rebel
Yell and Numbers Gang thugs.

Morrigan’s efforts against Brining have yet to provide any real change, as Brin-
ing continues to blame the White Russian for the fires. Were the Heroes to find out
the truth, naturally, they would have some difficult decisions to make…

NEW CORINTH—THE SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE

While New Corinth’s heyday of manufacturing is long over, several major cor-
porations still remain within the city. Building space is cheap in New Corinth,
and the knowledge that the city’s politicians accept bribes and engage in graft
make New Corinth an appealing location for less-than-moral corporations.

One of the largest firms in New Corinth is Takahama Industries, a com-
puting and robotics group headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Takahama is run by
President and CEO Yasunori Sakai, a ruthless businessman and technological
genius. While typically focused on industrial products, Takahama has recently
broken into the market for consumer electronics, debuting a tablet computer
priced significantly below those of its competitors.

In the last several months, Sakai has been aggressively buying up property
along The River Flats. This has earned him the enmity of the Genovese family
and the White Russians (see pages 217 and 216, respectively), who both view
The River Flats as their territory. However, Sakai has been able to afford the best

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lawyers and private security agents that money can buy. Sakai simply does not
concern himself with “petty mobsters.”

Directly next door to Takahama Industries is Genelogic Systems, headed
by CEO Dr. Marcus Inkrott. Inkrott founded Genelogic as a group of geneticists
and molecular biologists determined to crack the last parts of the human ge-
nome project, but was stymied when another firm completed the sequencing
first. Since that failure, Genelogic has been refocusing their efforts into other
areas, including stem cell research—which has earned the enmity of the New
Corinth New Church of Christ—and understanding the ongoing metahuman
“phenomenon.”

Genelogic is headquartered in Marwick Heights, but also has laboratories
in Carriage Hill and Grey’s Park. Genelogic has been a major contributor to
Adams College, and often takes graduates as interns or even full-time em-
ployees. Inkrott is a major donator to Adams, and is viewed as a generous
philanthropist.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...GENELOGIC SYSTEMS

Many have wondered what exactly kept Genelogic Systems afloat after their failure
to crack the human genome. While Genelogic’s research did not bear fruit in the in-
ternational community, the Warren Group was paying close attention to its various
experiments, particularly those regarding potential metahumans.

The Warren Group approached Genelogic about the possibility of creating a
metahuman from a “willing” volunteer, done completely off the books and intend-
ed to create the perfect corporate spy. Project Cerberus, as it became known, in-
volved the genetic manipulation of nineteen Adams College interns over four years,
altering their genetic codes to grant incredible abilities of coordination, reflex, and
intellect. Of the nineteen test subjects, only one survived. And he’s got a few issues
to discuss with his creators…

The largest employers within New Corinth are two rival manufacturing consor-
tiums: Atchinson-Mueller Manufacturing and Mastek Fabrication. Both com-
panies have several plants throughout the greater New Corinth area, and their
methods and policies are equally vicious and exploitative. Atchinson-Mueller is
headed by CFO and President Randolf Mueller, who negotiated a hostile take-
over of Atchinson Plastics by his company, Mueller Manufacturing, eight years
ago. Mueller, known for his temper and for his utter greed, is constantly seeking
to reduce overhead and skirt safety regulations simply to save a few cents on
the dollar. Atchinson-Mueller is continually at loggerheads with the Mayor’s
office, due to numerous safety violations at the company’s plants as well as an
ongoing three-year hiring freeze handed down by Mueller himself.

Mastek Fabrication, meanwhile, has been more than welcoming in taking
on as many workers as possible, earning the good will and full support of the
New Corinth City Government offices. In particular, Mastek’s CEO—Michelle
Bowers—has been focused on providing opportunities for the city’s unem-

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ployed and migrant workers, offering reasonable wages for relatively low-
skilled labor. What’s more, Mastek never seems to lack for work—the Mastek
Fabrication plants have taken on multiple shifts, and the facilities have been
running nearly nonstop for years.

Michelle Bowers has been a New Corinth native since birth and is seen by
many as the best and brightest the city has to offer. When she assumed control
of Mastek Fabrication, the company’s stock sat at a dismal $6 per share. Current-
ly, it’s being traded at $25 per share, and has split twice in the last three years.
Bowers herself has become incredibly wealthy. Known for her philanthropy,
she continues to patronize various organizations and projects throughout New
Corinth, particularly in the fine arts, education, and theatre.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...MASTEK FABRICATION AND MICHELLE BOWERS

There are any number of horrible possibilities that a creative GameMaster can at-
tribute to Mastek Fabrication and its lovable CEO, Michelle Bowers. Never seeming
to lack for work, Mastek makes for a fantastic mob supplier, perhaps providing raw
materials and chemicals to the Genoveses for illegal street drugs or to the White
Russian for armor-piercing ammunition. Alternatively, Bowers could be beholden
to the Warren Group or even one of the cults of New Corinth, such as the Morning-
star Assembly of Illumination.

The real horror surrounding Mastek is the fact that Bowers and her company
are so well connected and respected. Bowers has the ear of the city government,
and they’re more than willing to bend over backwards to keep Mastek’s facilities
churning, if it means more jobs in the area. Further, if the Heroes take down Bow-
ers, it means dooming New Corinth to another decade or two of total economic
collapse, as the company will surely drop into freefall without their charismatic,
visionary leader. Thousands will lose their jobs, and the nights in New Corinth will
continue to darken.

One of the few other illuminations in New Corinth’s scientific and industrial
scene has been the burgeoning medical center, which shines like a beacon in
the middle of Grey’s Park. University of New Corinth Medical Center (UNCM)
has slowly become the area’s premier health care provider. Branches of family-
owned medical practices and other medical partnerships have slowly been
absorbed into the UNCM umbrella corporation, leading to a medical conglom-
erate that currently has a stranglehold on the health care field in New Corinth.

This conglomeration has proved to be something of a double-edged sword
for New Corinth. While the two primary hospitals in the city—New Corinth Cen-
tral and Miatanka Medical—are consistently rated among the best in urgent
and emergency care, the UNCM has gained a reputation for utterly refusing
extended care to patients without insurance. Due to the high unemployment
rates, thousands of people are commonly forced into overcrowded, unaffiliated
clinics. These clinics often are unable to afford basic supplies and medicines
which places them in constant threat of buyout and forced takeover by UNCM.

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213Chapter 13 New Corinth

Further, while UNCM employs many people within New Corinth, these
employees are amongst the worst-paid and most overworked amongst hospi-
tals nationwide. UNCM has cited New Corinth’s economy for their low wages,
though employees continue to grow frustrated. While UNCM considers itself
to be “at-will” employment, rumor of a forming medical workers’ union have
begun to surface, though any associated with such an organization are fired
posthaste.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...UNIVERSITY OF NEW CORINTH MEDICAL

The rumors are true. An underground union has emerged at University of New
Corinth Medical, and a massive walkout is in the works. The union is being led by
an angry young janitor named Michael McCormack, who has worked at Miatanka
Regional Hospital for six years. If the walkout and strike go as planned, UNCM will
be crippled as nearly half of its workforce dissolves.

What no one knows—not even Michael McCormack himself—is that the
would-be union leader is a metahuman, with a latent genetic anomaly allowing
him to control light. McCormack has been present at several “unexplained inci-
dents” that were a product of his untrained, uncontrolled mutant ability. Triggered
by intense emotional response, these incidents have grown in frequency over the
past few months as McCormack’s frustrations with UNCM have reached the boil-
ing point.

As such, the Heroes could face not one but two meltdowns—the dissolution
of New Corinth’s premier health network and the emergence of a powerful me-
tahuman with a grudge against his employers. And the longer it takes to get the
fledgling union to the table with the UNCM executives, the more lives are lost as
McCormack attempts to regulate his ability.

Between the numerous cults, the massive health issues, and the lack of funding
for human services in New Corinth, mental health in the city is a particularly
pervasive concern. While the national average for people with mental illness
sits at approximately 9.5% of all adults, New Corinth’s average approaches 15%.
However, because of New Corinth’s teeming unemployed and uninsured popu-
lation, the actual average may be significantly higher.

University of New Corinth Medical has a relatively small mental health wing,
which is constantly overworked and underfunded, more so since the executives
at UNCM began squeezing out smaller clinics and mental health centers.

The largest current independent mental health center in the greater New
Corinth area is the Lincroft Institution for the Mentally Disturbed, known col-
loquially as Lincroft Asylum. Lincroft looms over the the hills of North Arlington,
providing a stark contrast to the Georgian architecture of the area’s mansions
with its neo-gothic spires and wrought iron fences.

The chief physician at Lincroft is Dr. Gerald Sult, a renowned expert in phar-
macology and extreme mood disorders. His prestige, garnered from working
with high-profile metahuman cases, has brought numerous donors to Lincroft,

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which has kept the institution’s doors open. However, continual funding issues
and a geriatric board of directors have kept Lincroft on the verge of closing for
nearly a decade.

Lincroft is the closest thing that New Corinth has to a metahuman con-
tainment facility, as nearly every incarcerated metahuman who fails a psycho-
logical evaluation seems to end up here. Breakouts are rare, though, thanks to
the diligence of armed guards, maze-like grounds, and the iconic wrought iron
fences. Warden Matthew McFarland has done his best with an ever-dwindling
budget and the devotion of his men. However, the sheer volume of dangerous
metahumans, former vigilantes, and psychotic killers being rehabilitated at Lin-
croft makes for a frightening scenario, should a breakout occur.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...A FAILED SOCIAL EXPERIMENT

The continual lack of funding for Lincroft has led to some desperation on the
part of certain doctors, who have begun conducting some “unorthodox” ex-
periments at the request of shadowy donors. One of these secret experiments
has been Sophia, a young girl who was brought to the asylum and kept in its
maximum security ward, to be observed only by a specific rotation of guards
and Dr. Joanna Breckenridge.

Sophia has exhibited almost animalistic behavior in her time at Lincroft, as
if she had not been raised in any sort of civilized society. Breckenridge has been
attempting to “socialize” Sophia using an intense pharmacological series, electro-
shock therapy, and other more radical treatments.

However, Sophia has exhibited the traits of a metahuman, particularly one with
the Surge power. And if she breaks free, her rage will be nothing short of bestial.

NEW CORINTH—THE CRIMINAL PERSPECTIVE

With unemployment hovering near 14% and desperation high, New Corinth
has effectively become a den of thieves, with crime rates consistently ranking
amongst the highest in the nation. New Corinth is ranked first in the nation in
frequency of organized crime activity, aggravated assaults, graft, and gang-
related activity, and it is in the top five in several other notable categories.

LAW AND ORDER

As in most cities, New Corinth’s first line of defense comes from its stalwart
police force. The New Corinth Municipal Police Department currently operates
under Police Commissioner Philip Howard and Chief of Police Eric Emerson.
While Howard is a grizzled veteran of the force, having served twelve years as a
beat cop before his promotion to lieutenant, Emerson is a young idealist, only
recently having moved to New Corinth from Erie, Pennsylvania. This has earned
Emerson the nickname“Babyface,”due to his youthful looks and his sometimes
naïve views on the organized crime situation in the city.

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The vast majority of New Corinth’s police force operates from the central
dispatch center in Marwick Heights. Approximately 3,200 officers are on the
force; of these, about 1,400 are on duty at any given time. The majority of these
officers patrol in Marwick Heights, Grey’s Park, and The River Flats. However, pa-
trols can be found in any district in the city. Emergency and 911 service in New
Corinth is fairly efficient, bringing forth officers and University of New Corinth
Medical ambulances within an average time of 13 minutes.

Of the 3,200 officers on the New Corinth force, approximately 300 are
trained in military-style SWAT maneuvers and can be dispatched for advanced
operations. Many in the city have cried out for additional SWAT-trained officers,
but funding and bureaucratic tieups have kept the force from procuring the
necessary materials.

What’s worse, the police force has been asked to freeze officers’ pay for
three of the last four years. While morale has been maintained, by and large,
due to Emerson’s continued direct involvement and jovial nature, Howard be-
lieves that many of New Corinth’s officers are “on the take” from the various
gangs and crime families within the city limits. Howard isn’t far from the truth,
as third-party analysts believe that two out of every five of New Corinth’s po-
lice officers could be brought up on charges for corruption, given sufficient
evidence.

In terms of prosecution, New Corinth’s district attorney is utterly corrupt
and debauched. Current District Attorney Anthony Stiller—an appointee of
former mayor William Herrmann—heads New Corinth’s prosecuting attorneys,
and may well be the easiest man in the city to buy off. Nearly every criminal

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organization in New Corinth has funneled funds into Stiller’s offshore accounts,
making Stiller and his cohorts into incredibly wealthy men.

In contrast to the corruption of District Attorney Stiller’s office, the New
Corinth Municipal Police Department provides a vigilant force against crime
in Smoke City. Head of Internal Affairs Amanda Barton leads a corps of nearly
400 police with the express goal of cleaning up the department. Barton has an
unabashed resentment of Stiller’s corruption, though she has had little success
in finding hard evidence as to Stiller’s monetary investments. Several leads,
however, have led her toward Gerard Warren and other members of the War-
ren Group.

However, for all of Barton’s good intentions, many of her subordinate of-
ficers seem to resent the continual internal investigations. Chief among these
is Police Commander John Parham, head of the NCPD SWAT forces and Anti-
Terrorism unit. Parham is a twenty-five-year year veteran of the NCPD, having
been stationed all over the city. Parham has little tolerance for vigilantism, and
he instructs his officers to treat would-be superheroes or rogue metahumans as
any other criminals. After having spent twenty-five years on the force, getting
shot at by carjackers and worse, Parham is quick to take matters into his own
hands. Parham has little patience for Barton’s continued internal investigations,
and he resents questions of loyalty posed to him or his SWAT agents.

ORGANIZED CRIME

Currently, three major criminal organizations vie for control of New Corinth, each
with sharply differing methods and philosophies regarding criminal activity.

The White Russian—an albino immigrant from Georgia named Piotr Za-
krevsky—is believed to be the de facto leader of the criminal underground
within New Corinth. Zakrevsky is an ex-KGB operative who was drummed out
of Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union; he is now among the CIA’s
and NSA’s most wanted international targets. Using his numerous smuggling
contacts, Zakrevsky arrived in New Corinth ready to create a new following tak-
ing advantage of the taint and corruption he discovered in the city.

Zakrevsky’s criminal organization is structured in an almost feudal manner.
Baklany (normal, street-level operatives) report to pakhan (street bosses), who
in turn report to vor v zakonye (lieutenant-level leaders), who report directly
to the White Russian himself. Zakrevsky’s criminal focus lies with international
shipping and smuggling, which is done primarily through a “legitimate” British
company known as Benson and Hedges Holdings. The White Russian is notori-
ous for dealing with illegal narcotics shipments and Soviet-era weaponry, both
of which have flooded the streets of New Corinth through black market deals.

As a former KGB operative, Zakrevsky knows the value of intelligence, and
he keeps his vor v zakonye on a very short leash, requiring daily updates on
distribution, sales, and resistance. The White Russian also uses numerous tech-
nological measures to keep tabs on both other criminal elements within New
Corinth and on his foes, particularly metahumans and vigilantes. Zakrevsky

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excels in surveillance, and he has a penchant for using high explosives and
strange, esoteric weaponry developed during the Cold War.

The White Russian’s main rival remains the Genovese family, a true-to-life
Sicilian crime family that split off from the Cosa Nostra during the mid-1950s.
The Genoveses claim to be the oldest criminal organization within New Corinth,
having emigrated from Sicily in 1886. The original Genoveses were known for
their ruthless tactics and “take no prisoners” attitude, which led to a massive
crackdown by federal marshals in the 1930s. With the family in disarray due to
multiple incarcerations, New Corinth was ripe for other gangs to move in.

However, since the 1970s, the Genovese family experienced a resurgence
in power that none saw coming. Focusing more on“social”crimes such as extor-
tion, money laundering, and protection rackets, the Genoveses grew more and
more powerful, until only the White Russian had enough influence to signifi-
cantly challenge them through the 1990s.

Since 1978, the Genovese family has been run by Vincenzo Genovese, a
fourth-generation member of the family business. Vincenzo, the epitome of
the “hot-blooded Sicilian” stereotype, abides no disrespect, whether from his
enemies or from his dearest family. Within his family, Vincenzo uses a very
traditional structure, similar to that of the original Cosa Nostra, with his loyal
nephew, James, acting as consigliere. Many believe that James was granted this
position because Vincenzo hopes to groom the young man to take his place
once he passes on.

While James is believed to be the heir apparent to the Genovese family, the
most dangerous member of the group may well be Luciano Bagarella, known
on the street as “Lucky Bags.” An underboss, Luciano is ambitious, ruthless, and
fanatically violent. He runs several protection rackets and loves nothing more
than to get his hands dirty, smearing the blood of a poor shopkeeper across
their own face after bludgeoning them with his favored weapon, a Louisville
Slugger baseball bat. Bagarella resents James for being a “full-blood” and for
already having been “picked” to take over for Vincenzo. However, Bagarella be-
lieves wholeheartedly in the code of omerta, which binds the family together…
at least for the time being.

Though the White Russian and the Genoveses have been content to vie
against each other for control of New Corinth’s streets, another contender has
entered the proverbial ring, opting to vie for control of the boardroom, how-
ever, instead of the back room. A group of influential lawyers and other politi-
cally collected, yet morally bankrupt, members of the New Corinth community
have banded together under the leadership of Gerard Warren, a charismatic
defense attorney.

The principals of the Warren Group, as this organization has come to be
known, are master manipulators of the legal system and are among the best-
connected members of New Corinth’s political and economic scene. Nearly ev-
ery member of the Warren Group is independently wealthy and values power
over any amount of money.

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The Warren Group is truly a criminal syndicate for the new millennium.
Using various legal loopholes and political maneuverings, Warren and his cro-
nies are able to manipulate, extort, pressure, and otherwise influence every-
one from major political figures to the police and military, to rival gangs. It’s
believed that Warren himself has enough accumulated evidence on both the
White Russian and on the Genovese family to put both groups behind bars
permanently. However, Warren’s motives regarding this evidence seem to be
enigmatic at best: he seems to have the tools to crush his rivals, but does he
have the desire?

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...A SMOKE CITY THREE-WAY

Warren’s not stupid. He knows that the cops are in no place to take on the com-
bined might of the White Russian and the Genoveses. However, he also knows
that convictions make for good business, and if he can go down as the attorney
who “brought down the mob,” his firm will be forever be entrenched as the “good
guys”… even if he strays from that reputation from time to time...

Warren instead decides to have his numerous evidence files fall into the hands
of some rogue vigilantes, banking on these masked cretins to do his dirty work
and bring in the heads of the various crime families. With the evidence in hand, the
police will have no choice but to make arrests, taking both the White Russian and
the Genoveses out of the picture. Warren himself, naturally, will prosecute, using his
contacts in the District Attorney’s office to gain access to the case, despite his legal
background as a defense attorney.

Warren will succeed, naturally, due to the overwhelming evidence, and be con-
sidered a hero by all, with the additional benefit of the freedom to reshape New
Corinth as he likes, with no criminal interference and the politicians at his com-
plete beck and call. That is, until a prison riot and breakout at Stonegate Peniten-
tiary, when the White Russian and the surviving Genoveses come back, ready for
blood.

GANGS

Between the massive unemployment rate and the number of poor in the area,
many youths turn to gangs for brotherhood, support, and a way to make a
quick buck.

Many of these gangs are small, localized affairs, rarely stretching beyond a
few city blocks of territory. Gangs like the Rojo Bastardes, the King City Rollers,
and others have limited influence within New Corinth, but they find their own
ways to terrorize the populace. However, some of the gangs have increased in
size and influence enough to rival the more-established crime families.

One of the most dangerous gangs currently operating in New Corinth is
the Numbers Gang, a primarily African-American gang known for its brutal
tactics. The Numbers Gang takes its name from a particularly notorious and
brutal South African prison gang and is led by Umar Waitimu, a New Corinth
native originally named Michael Williamson. After seeing his parents killed in a

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race riot in the 1970s, Michael was filled with righteous rage. Pulling together
several like-minded compatriots, he began leading attacks on the city’s known
racists and Ku Klux Klan members. While the Klan is but a distant, if painful,
memory now, Waitimu has not relented.

Members of the Numbers Gang in New Corinth have a deep reverence for
their African ancestors, though the similarities between the New Corinth and
South Africa gangs begin and end with the Numbers name and their overall
brutality. Many of the higher-ups in the New Corinth gang are known only by
their “real” names, which are often a mix of Swahili and other African dialects.
Most frighteningly, Numbers Gang members have a tendency to use Zulu and
Zande weaponry, such as jagged iron spears and hideously disfiguring throw-
ing-irons, in addition to the more typical street firearms sold to them by the
White Russian.

Waitimu himself is currently in hiding, having killed NCPD Sergeant James
McIlroy during a skirmish with members of the Rebel Yell. If apprehended, he
faces a maximum sentence of life in prison plus twenty years, with no chance
of parole. Waitimu is reviled by the police for this killing, which has led many
officers to actively seek out members of the Numbers Gang and arrest them on
trumped-up charges. Criticized as unethical racial profiling, the detainments
and arrests ratcheted up the racial tension in New Corinth.

Racial issues are further aggravated by a group known as the Rebel Yell.
A reactionary, right-wing, racist group, the Rebel Yell is known primarily for its
white supremacist viewpoints and its abhorrent violence toward minorities,
particularly blacks, homosexuals, Hispanics, and Jews. During the Los Angeles
Rodney King riots in the 1990s, those who would later become members of the
Rebel Yell led violent protests in Grey’s Park that culminated the deaths of three
legal Hispanic migrant workers and one black Adams College student.

While the Numbers Gang has a clear chain of command, issuing down from
Umar Waitimu, the Rebel Yell are much less organized, meeting only at illegal
street races in The River Flats. If anyone could be said to lead the Rebel Yell, it
would be Mark“Jeff”Davis and his cronies Jimmy Harrison and Gary Milsap. Da-
vis is nothing if not wily, but he is seen by many as a boorish loudmouth with a
penchant for shotguns and crystal meth. Davis remains constantly on the move
and rarely pushes the police so far as to make them view him as a major threat,
at least not when compared to more organized outfits. Even still, the Rebel Yell
are looked at by nearly everyone as unconscionable, racist thugs looking for a
scapegoat for the problems of their own lives.

Davis and the Rebel Yell have recently acquired a powerful ally in Reverend
Jeremiah Riggins. Riggins is the head of the New Corinth New Church of Christ,
a “mega-church” in Carriage Hill, and he is an utterly deplorable soul. Known
nationwide for leading hate-filled protests at military funerals and at gay rights
functions, Riggins proves to be a kindred spirit–one who provides substantial
financial backing as well as safe harbor to members of the Rebel Yell on the run.
The fact that Riggins can turn to the gang as a loyal group of enforcers is just

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a bonus for him.
While the aforementioned Numbers Gang and Rebel Yell dominate all

other street gangs in terms of membership, several smaller gangs also have
begun to crawl out of the woodwork. The Rojo Bastardes (a primarily Hispanic
gang from Belle Marne), the Shades (an occult-themed gang located in Grey’s
Park) and the King City Rollers (primarily from Carriage Hill and Derry) are three
such groups, but a fourth—Tech Support—bears particular mention. Found
primarily amid the opulence of Grey’s Park and Marwick Heights, Tech Support
is somewhat odd in that it has an actual motive as well as a specialty used by
the criminal underworld: data retrieval. Tech Support members work together
to steal data from government organizations, major corporations, and even the
criminal underworld, and then sell it to the highest bidder, splitting the profits
among themselves.

Tech Support is the brainchild of disillusioned Gen-Xer Ricky Vasquez, an
Adams College graduate who lost his business, his livelihood, and his life’s work
in the early 2000s, when the “dot-com” bubble burst. Using his knowledge of
the Internet to its utmost, Vasquez began investigating the role of the New
Corinth National Bank in several speculation deals that led to his business go-
ing under. Finding evidence of both insider trading and a massive corporate
cover-up, Vasquez found it easy to blackmail the bank’s board of directors and
make a massive profit from their indiscretions.

Since then, Vasquez has gathered several like-minded individuals to his
side, all of whom have a vague tendency toward chaos and disagree with the
area’s industries. While his true identity has been fairly secret since starting Tech
Support, Vasquez has provided“information acquisition services”to nearly all of
the major players within New Corinth at one time or another, and he remains
on good terms with nearly all of his former “clients.” For unknown reasons, the
White Russian seems to loathe Vasquez and Tech Support, however.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT…LITERALLY

What did Ricky Vasquez do? He discovered the true identity and history of the White
Russian. As a former KGB operative, Zakrevsky regards secrets as his lifeblood, and
knowing some pudgy American geek holds his true identity in his greasy little
hands makes the White Russian livid.

So, how does one eliminate a technology-based gang of wanna-be hackers?
Take out the power. Zakrevsky plans to create an “accident” at Miatanka Water
and Power, driving the city into a blackout for several days. With no power outside
of portable generators and the like, Tech Support will be easy pickings for a hand-
selected group of KGB-trained former Soviet arms dealers.

Obviously, the White Russian isn’t the only one who’d take advantage of such a
situation, though. The Heroes would certainly have their hands full staving off riots
and street violence in the midst of a prolonged blackout. And if they don’t act fast
enough, the White Russian will get his hands on every one of Tech Support’s data
files, and every secret that comes with them.

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“LONE GUNMEN”

Not every crime is perpetrated by a shadowy criminal cabal or a rough-and-
tumble street gang. Most, in fact, are crimes of passion committed by a lone
individual who’s never even met a mafioso.

And these“Lone Gunmen”are just as deadly as their more organized coun-
terparts. Difficult to predict, hard to trace, and malicious beyond credibility,
such individuals have a capacity for evil that often outstrips the petty aims of
wealth and status. One such deranged individual is known only by the handle
given him by a sardonic NCPD beat cop while securing a crime scene, surround-
ed by the aftermath of his foul work: Mr. Kisses.

Mr. Kisses is a serial rapist and murderer known for preying on prepubes-
cent girls, usually between the ages of nine and thirteen. He has been most ac-
tive in the Grey’s Park area, particularly around Adams College, but victims have
also been found in The River Flats and Marwick Heights. In all cases, the victim
has been dressed in a period costume—ranging from the 1600s up through
the 1950s—then raped savagely. Cause of death for each victim has always
come from impalement through the palate and into the brain—a strange way
to die, to be sure.

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Few leads have been available regarding Mr. Kisses. Fingerprints have yet
to be found at any crime scene, and DNA testing via rape kits has been incon-
clusive. Mr. Kisses is believed to still be at large, and his victims’ cases, unfortu-
nately, have become cold cases. Every few months, a new victim turns up, but
little seems to be happening to bring Mr. Kisses to justice.

Not all “Lone Gunmen” view themselves as criminals. The vigilante known
as Razor’s Edge has been patrolling the streets for three years, though she is
seen by the police as a dangerous lunatic capable of serious crime. Four years
ago, former sous-chef Sarah Childers was mugged on her way home from her
restaurant by several members of the Rojo Bastardes. While she managed to
escape before being assaulted, Childers was incensed. As one of the gangers
flashed a hunting knife before her eyes, she knew fear. As Razor’s Edge, she
returns the favor.

Since that day, Childers has taken to the streets, abandoning her job,
her family, and even (some say) her sanity in a wild, blood-spattered crusade
against the gangs of New Corinth. She is currently wanted on at least seventeen
separate charges ranging from aggravated assault to first degree murder, and
she is believed to be party to at least forty-five additional incidents. Childers’
anger has manifested itself primarily against the Rojo Bastardes, the Numbers
Gang, and the Rebel Yell; her flashing straight-razors have also met with the
throats of the White Russian’s lieutenants and even some in the Genovese fam-
ily. Since starting her life as a vigilante, Childers has risen to number four on the
NCPD’s “Most Wanted” list; since hitting that point, she has gone into hiding.

The strangest of Lone Gunmen, however, may be Antonin Dragomiir, an
independently wealthy socialite and eccentric living in North Arlington. Drag-
omiir emigrated to New Corinth from≈ his native Serbia approximately fifteen
years ago. He has since established himself among the New Corinth elite, often
appearing at various charity functions and balls meant for only the wealthiest
moguls.

While Dragomiir claims to be a heir to a financier’s fortune following the
rise of the Euro, he is most assuredly “old money,” owning a private estate in
Romania in addition to his mansion in Carriage Hill. However, the most notable
characteristic of Dragomiir is his deep obsession with Vlad Tepeś, the Carpath-
ian warlord known famously as the inspiration for Dracula. Dragomiir’s fasci-
nation with Tepeś is borderline sociopathic, hinging on outright psychopathy.

Unbeknownst to many, Dragomiir’s quirks go far beyond mere celebrity
appreciation. Dragomiir believes that he is actually Tepeś reborn, reincarnated
into a body for the twenty-first century. What’s more, Dragomiir has several
metahuman abilities, all of which support his claim that he is, in fact, the Im-
paler reborn.

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NEW CORINTH—THE ESOTERIC PERSPECTIVE

If crime itself wasn’t bad enough, New Corinth is a haven for weirdness of all
sorts. Metahumans seem to gravitate toward the city, finding themselves on
both sides of the law. In addition, cults and spiritual groups claiming to be able
to harness mystic energies are beginning to gain prevalence, leading many
normal citizens down darkened paths.

THE NORNSBY ACT OF 1983

Metahumans have been part of the backdrop of New Corinth since the late
1930s, when tales of a government-sponsored super-soldier program joined
the city’s rumor mill. Sightings of mysterious experiments and masked men
became commonplace in the years leading up to World War II, though they
soon died out in the face of Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities
Committee interrogations.

During the 60s and 70s, however, masked vigilantes began to police the
streets of New Corinth, particularly during the Police Strike of 1979, as riots
became a daily occurrence during the sixty-seven-day long negotiation. Many
of these vigilantes were simply well-trained martial artists or detectives, though
some used items of high technology. Others were rumored to have strange
powers that defied rational description.

In November of 1982, the vigilante known as Nighthawk—later revealed to be
New Corinth grocery store owner David Moore—was captured following a shoot-
out with undisclosed gunmen outside of St. Ignatius Cathedral in North Arlington.
The shootout left four people dead and six more wounded, including Sister Mary
Alexis Stranzetti, a fifty-two-year-old teacher at the St. Ignatius Catholic School.

Outraged, the general public was out for blood, and the prosecution was
determined to give it to them. Moore’s trial was publicized nationwide and, fac-
ing insurmountable evidence, Moore’s defense offered a plea bargain—guilty
on four counts of manslaughter and six more on aggravated assault. The pros-
ecution wouldn’t budge, and the trial went on.

The prosecutor in the case, Mr. Alfred Nornsby—a close associate of Gerard
Warren at the time—was lauded as a hero for putting away Moore. When the
state legislature submitted House Bill 4354 in early 1983, it quickly became
known as the Nornsby Act, for his valiant defense of the State against a ram-
paging vigilante. Truth be told, Alfred was a quiet, demure fellow, more likely to
use logic and reason to argue cases than grandstanding and emotional appeal.
When he spoke at the trial, however, his every word was met with uproarious
cheers and applause, turning this quiet man from Lansing into an overnight
“expert” and “crusader” on the “vigilante problem.”

Moore, meanwhile, was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
Only three years into his sentence, he was killed by a fellow inmate: a carjacker
whom Nighthawk had put away years earlier.

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224 Cold Steel Wardens

The Nornsby Act, all told, was more for show than practical use. While the
Act did define and prohibit the act of “vigilantism”—making it subject to a
three to five-year sentence at a maximum security facility—it served more as a
reinforcement of already existing laws addressing assault and battery. Still, the
Nornsby Act did newly stipulate that arrests could be made only by federal,
state, or locally sanctioned law enforcement, thereby eliminating the so-called
“citizens’ arrests” often used by vigilantes in the 1960s.

House Bill 4354 passed overwhelmingly in March of 1983. Vigilantism has
yet to slow down.

THE METAHUMAN CONUNDRUM

Metahumans—a collective term referring to individuals with powers beyond
human limits—have existed for centuries. Myths, legends, fairy tales, and hor-
ror stories have had their roots steeped in metahuman abilities, though none
know to what extent.

In modern society, there are three primary schools of thought regarding
metahumans. Most citizens believe that metahuman abilities stem from some
form of high technology: blasts of energy are simply refined lasers, flight is
created through micronized jetpacks or turbines created by some large corpo-
ration or the military, etc. While this is certainly the case in some instances (of
bionic limbs, for example), the theory fails to explain more elaborate powers
and those that don’t seem to have any technological component.

Most scholars—and about 30% of the populace—believe that metahuman
abilities represent an advancement in the human genome, triggered either
through some leap in human evolution or through the taint of some pollut-
ant that alters a metahuman’s genetic code. Adams College’s longest-tenured
professor of molecular biology—Dr. Marion McDonald—has spent the last ten
years of her career in an attempt to crack the metahuman genetic code by
compiling a database of information on metahuman sightings, contacts with
metahumans, and metahuman DNA samples taken from crime scenes. Need-
less to say, this has not endeared McDonald to her peers, who view her actions
as both careless and a waste of her great mind.

The least-accepted theory is relegated to the “crackpots” of the citizenry at
large as well as the so-called experts on the metahuman phenomenon. About 8%
to 10% of people believe that metahumans are gifted their abilities by some out-
side force, usually a higher power (God or Satan, in all their thousands of names).
Though viewed as absurd by many, this idea has been championed by right-wing
televangelist Rev. Dan Wilson, who hosts a“revival hour”on one of New Corinth’s
local cable channels. Wilson believes that these vigilantes are the new incarna-
tions of Hashmallim (pronounced“hah-shuh-mall-EEM”)—a rank of angels within
Christian and Jewish theology who are believed to be the ones who will open the
seals at Judgment Day, bringing forth holy wrath unto the wicked.

The vast majority of the populace utterly loathe metahumans. Viewed as
aberrations, violent sociopaths, or worse, metahumans represent the worst of

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the vigilante scourge to most people. Law enforcement often agrees with this
assessment, as a sizable number of police injuries and fatalities have occurred
during attempts to apprehend metahumans. Many have pushed for the build-
ing of a separate prison facility specifically for detaining metahumans. How-
ever, Mayor Dalton claims that no funding for such a facility exists, and metahu-
mans continue to be incarcerated at Stonegate Federal Penitentiary, guarded
by underequipped officers.

Of all known metahumans, sonly the vigilante known as Morrigan has con-
tinued to elude police. Morrigan—whose real name is still unknown—has been
waging a tireless war against the gangs of New Corinth. A pyrokinetic, Morri-
gan is currently wanted on fourteen separate counts of arson, as well as three
counts of first-degree murder, due to her incineration of Numbers Gang and
Rebel Yell safehouses, often with their members still inside.

Few metahumans make their presence as visible as Morrigan; most tend to
use their powers sparingly, or at least do their best to ensure that their powers
are not recorded or catalogued. One of the most enigmatic is known only as
The Man in the Black Duster. Very little is known about this shrouded figure, and
he can only be called a vigilante in the loosest sense. Appearing to criminals
and innocents alike, The Man in the Black Duster often offers deals or pacts of
mutual benefit: take care of a small problem, and a similar problem of yours
disappears. On other occasions, The Man in the Black Duster simply brings
devastation—a wake of bodies mangled beyond recognition.

Even beyond his enigmatic motives, none know what The Man in the Black
Duster looks like. His eyes and face are obscured by a long-brimmed hat, and
what features can be glimpsed tend to shift from appearance to appearance.
The only remarkable feature that has stayed static between sightings is the
Man’s right hand, which is spattered with a long-dried bloodstain. And, of
course, The Man in the Black Duster always shakes on a deal.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...A CRIMSON HANDSHAKE

The Man in the Black Duster’s motives are always inscrutable. Few know of his
existence, and none know whether he is a force for justice, vice, or something in
between. However, when he showed up at the door of “Lucky Bags” Bagarella, The
Man in the Black Duster offered an unexpected partnership. The Man in the Black
Duster shows him where and how to act, and Lucky Bags takes action, slowly so-
lidifying himself among the ranks of the Genoveses.

That’d be frightening enough, if the figure were actually The Man in the Black
Duster. Rather, it’s an impostor—a metahuman going by the name of Masquer-
ade. Masquerade, as one might imagine, is a master at changing appearance.
Masquerade works for the White Russian to destabilize the Genoveses’ hold in New
Corinth.

When the real Man in the Black Duster gets word of all this? Let’s just say that
there’ll be more blood on those hands…

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Not every metahuman, obviously, acts as a vigilante. Most, in fact, turn their
powers against society, using their powers for personal gain and power. None
epitomize this better than the wanted criminal known as Carrion. Known once
as Jay Bennett, Carrion has taken his powers into the slums of New Corinth, us-
ing them to bring the city down by pieces.

When Bennett’s abilities first manifested, the NCPD attempted to take him
into custodyin hopes of controlling the infections that were spreading from his
unconstrained powers. Able to unleash a hideous, ravaging plague with merely
a touch, as well as to control common vermin, Bennett fled from the police
and began to eke out an existence in New Corinth’s massive sewer system. Still
living below the surface, Carrion fights a desperate battle against police, politi-
cians, and basically anyone worth arguing against, using every filthy trick in his
arsenal to do so.

THE OCCULT

In a city as desperate as New Corinth, it becomes easy to lose faith in justice.
Oftentimes, it’s simply easier to give up hope rather than trudge on through
another day of violence, injustice, and hate. While the numerous churches and
charitable organizations struggle on and provide some solace to the teeming
masses, others turn this desperation for a darker aim.

Cult membership and rites are a major taboo in New Corinth—much like
anywhere else—even though involvement in these groups has significantly
expanded since the 1980s, and they continue to garner attention throughout
the city.

The most noteworthy cult in New Corinth is the Morningstar Assembly of
Illumination, which has its “Sanctuary” in southern Carriage Hill. The Morning-
star Assembly bills itself as a holistic healing and spirituality center, one pro-
viding an alternative to normal religion. Membership is at-will, though nearly
every visitor to the Assembly becomes a regular member. Illumined Speaker
Yusuf Parmenter runs meditation exercises and crystal healings twice a day as
well as providing readings from philosophers, religious scholars, and even his
own writings.

Naturally, enlightenment has its costs. Situated at it is in Carriage Hill, the
Assembly draws its clientele primarily from New Corinth’s wealthy and elite, pro-
viding them with herbal remedies, holistic medicine, and other homeopathic
therapies that encourage spiritual wellness. Many of New Corinth’s elite frequent
the Sanctuary, including Dr. Marcus Inkrott and Alderwoman Sarah Behrens.

THE LIGHTS GO OUT...THE MORNINGSTAR SETS

Anytime this many powerful people converge within the same space, certain trans-
actions are bound to happen. Illumined Speaker Yusuf knows this all too well and
does his best to stay out of things. However, when you have a pharmacology de-
gree and New Corinth’s elite at your beck and call, you’re put in a rare position to
influence others…chemically.

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227Chapter 13 New Corinth

Yusuf’s first foray into psychotropics came years ago, when he experimented
with peyote in Central America. He’s since distilled his own brew, which is dropped
into the occasional drink at Morningstar’s numerous social events. This additive—
nearly undetectable by modern drug tests—makes the user susceptible to sugges-
tion, which is made all the more dangerous by Yusuf’s natural charisma.

However, Yusuf’s intent isn’t to gain personal power. If anything, he could
almost be considered to be altruistic, as he’s used his influence and his chemical
concoctions to drive forward legislation to support the poor, feed the hungry and
homeless, and build additional methadone clinics in Marwick Heights and The
River Flats. But, if word were to get out that Yusuf is manipulating political figures
or if Yusuf’s formula were to be leaked, the whole of New Corinth could spiral into
psychotropic chaos…

Rumors continue to swirl about a different group: one centered on the nihilism
and decay that seem so rampant in New Corinth. The following of Zalgo—calling
it a cult implies organization, and the followers of Zalgo have none—has begun
to creep into the seedy underbelly of The River Flats and into Grey’s Park. Strange
spirals and messages heralding the “Render of the Veils” have begun appearing
on the sides of buildings, scrawled with one common phrase: “He comes!”

Few have any understanding of what this Zalgo may be, but the messages
and cryptic graffiti continue to cover warehouses and buildings in The River
Flats and Grey’s Park. UNCM has no fewer than nineteen separate medical cases
on file in which raving vagrants were brought to Miatanka Medical’s emergency
room, screaming about “he who waits behind the walls.” With few leads to go
on, the NCPD has done little to investigate what exactly Zalgo entails beyond
unsettling messages.

Of all of the nonstandard religious groups in New Corinth, the most toler-
ated is the radically conservative New Corinth New Church of Christ, led by its
zealous pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Riggins. Born just outside of Biloxi, Riggins
represents the absolute worst in southern racism, spouting off hate speech
against African Americans, Jews, homosexuals, and just about anyone else who
doesn’t fit his idea of a“proper American.”Riggins was raised by an abusive and
alcoholic father and was continually immersed in pseudo-Baptist dogma by
his cowed mother. The combination left Riggins resentful and temperamental,
but also self-righteous and intolerant. Those who follow Riggins regularly (and
vocally) protest at everything from pride parades to military funerals.

Riggins and his followers make no bones about who’s to blame for the
crime in New Corinth—he regularly calls out “filthy immigrants” in reference
to the Genovese and White Russian crime families, to say nothing of his ut-
ter contempt for the Numbers Gang. Many have claimed that Riggins often
provides aid to members of the Rebel Yell, using his church as a safe house for
“those derelicts,” though few are willing to testify against a man with as much
influence as Riggins.

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ROGUES’ GALLERY— AN ENTOURAGE IN SHADES OF GRAY

As a GameMaster, you are responsible for creating and controlling the adversar-
ies your Heroes will challenge as they attempt to cleanse New Corinth. Further,
you are also responsible for bringing life to the innocent bystanders, the police
officers, and the conniving politicians of the city.

This final chapter focuses primarily on the antagonists that the Heroes will
face, though several other general archetypes, which can be used to represent
any number of NPCs, are also provided. Generally speaking, though, if an NPC
in your game is important enough to have a name, they’re important enough
to have customized stats.

When creating an NPC, feel free to bend or even break the rules. NPCs can
have any number of points assigned to Experience, Powers, Skills, and Vitals,
based on the GameMaster’s need at the time. However, remember to be fair.
Players and their Heroes should always have a fighting chance against any NPC,
particularly NPC villains. Building Mooks with 8 Force and 9 Agility makes even
trivial challenges overwhelming.

MOOKS, MADE MEN, AND MASTERMINDS—THREE FORMS OF NPC

As you run Cold Steel Wardens, you may find that you simply don’t require a full
stat write-up for every NPC that your Heroes come across. Because of this, NPCs
in Cold Steel Wardens are sorted into three primary categories: Mooks, Made
Men, and Masterminds.

Mooks, the most common variety of NPC, are meant to be generic schlubs,
whom the Heroes face off against on a regular basis. A mugger that a Hero
drives off in an alley is most likely a Mook, as are the gangers that the White
Russian sends to shake down a dealer behind on payments.

To start, Mooks are usually given stats only for the three Combat Skills
(Unarmed, Armed Ranged, and Armed Melee) and Notice. Feel free to may
add Skills to accompany these four, but only if the situation requires; Driv-
ing, Piloting, Stealth, and Athletics may all be viable add-ins, depending
on the situation. Mooks do not receive Specialty dice from having at least
3 dice in a Skill. Mooks never have Powers or Masteries. Mooks are only
equipped with items they use daily, usually a weapon. If a Mook hits either
their Mental or Physical Breaking Point, the GM always has the option of
simply ruling that the Mook is downed by the attack, having either fallen
unconscious or fled in sheer panic. Mooks do have one benefit: they can
act together to gang up on Heroes, using the rules found on Page 116.

Made Men are tougher and somewhat rarer than their Mook counterparts,
often serving as leaders or lieutenants. A named gang leader, a particularly
tough mafioso, and a renegade vigilante all are Made Men.

Made Men are given any Skills vital to their existence, though a full Skill
write-up is rarely necessary. Made Men often have at least one Mastery and
may even have a single Power, though the Power is rarely of the complex

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variety: Toughness, Blast, and Sense are the most common. Made Men re-
ceive Specialty dice for having a high Rating in a Skill, though only in their
most important, highest-rated Skills. Made Men use the normal rules for
Strain when they reach their Breaking Point. Friendly NPCs are most often
Made Men, providing specialized services or backup without having the
same gamut of abilities as the Heroes themselves.

The Mastermind, the rarest and most complex form of NPC, is also the closest
to the Hero in its range of abilities. Masterminds should appear rarely in a
given session and should represent a grave threat to the Heroes. Master-
minds almost never appear alone, and they are often accompanied by at
least five or six Mooks. A major underworld figure, a known metahuman
threat, and a cult assassin would all serve as viable Masterminds. Master-
minds have the full range of options given to the Heroes, including Spe-
cialty dice, Masteries, Powers, and a full Skill write-up. Metahuman Master-
minds often have complex Powers, such as Size Change, Alter Emotions,
or even Sorcery. They may even have multiple Powers, combining them to
deadly effect. A Mastermind’s write-up is nearly identical to that of a Hero,
aside from access to Vigilance dice.

All NPCs, regardless of complexity, may be given Flaws, Memories, Motivations,
and Stances. For Mooks, these rarely have much bearing on the game, but they
may become especially important for Made Men and Masterminds, particularly
as the Heroes find ways to take them down.

If you find that an NPC needs to use a Skill that they do not have, consider
that NPC to have an “understood” Skill Rating equal to that NPC’s Associated
Vital. If a Mook needs to make a Persuasion test and that Mook has a Magnetism
of 3, the GM should roll 3 dice for as an “understood” Persuasian Rating. In no
case should this value exceed 5 dice; at that point, the NPC should probably
have a devoted investment in the given Skill.

There’s no hard and fast rule on which NPC type any given NPC should fall
under, though this list is a useful guide:

If the NPC’s name has no bearing on their character or role, they’re prob-
ably a Mook.

Mooks are often only around for one fight or one scene.

Mooks are useful for slightly increasing the difficulty of a battle for your
Heroes.

Made Men usually lead a small group of individuals while reporting to a
higher authority.

A Made Man could have a “schtick”—a Power or a fighting technique that
they always use—but won’t remain relevant for more than a session or two.

If the NPC has the authority to be bribed, surrender, or is worth being held
hostage, he is at least a Made Man.

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231Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

If the Heroes come across an ally willing to accompany them during an in-
vestigation, consider statting up the ally as a Made Man to cut down on
bookkeeping.

Masterminds serve as a major players in campaign-length investigations.
If the NPC is going to appear in several separate game sessions, they’re

likely a Mastermind.
If the NPC has an abnormally high Wealth and Status score, they’re most

likely a Mastermind.
If the NPC has more than one Power or has multiple Masteries that affect

a small group of Skills, they’re likely a Mastermind.

Generally speaking, most metahumans qualify as Masterminds due to the
sheer weight that their Powers carry in the default setting. That said, there’s
nothing wrong with creating metahuman Made Men, particularly as the He-
roes get some XP under their belts. Simple powers like Blast and Artificial Limb
are easy to apply to Made Men. Resist the urge, however, to add powers to
Mooks—Mooks are meant to be quick and easy threats, with none of the com-
plexities of Powers and Masteries.

READING A STAT BLOCK

The NPC’s name
and a brief description of their role.
Vitals: The values of the NPC’s eight Vitals, in MAFIANAP order.
Skills: The Skills in which the NPC has received training. These are written in
a format of Xd+Y. X represents the number of Skill dice the NPC has, while Y
represents the number of automatic hits, which usually correspond directly to
a Vital. For example, if a gunman has an Armed Ranged value of 5d+6, the gun-
man would roll 5 dice, count the number of hits, and then add 6 to the total.
If you find that an NPC needs to roll a Skill that they do not have, either roll no
dice (as an Untrained Skill Test—see page 36) or roll a number of dice equal to
the corresponding Vital (if the Skill is something that the NPC might reasonably
be trained in).
Masteries: Any Masteries that the NPC may have. Mooks never have Masteries.
Powers: Any Powers that the NPC may have. Mooks and most Made Men do
not have Powers. Powers are noted in the same manner as Skills, with Optional
Effects listed.
Gear/Damage: Weapons and other notable gear that the NPC uses regularly,
including ranges and damage for the given weapon. For unarmed combatants,
only damage values are listed.

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MOOKS

Business Professional

A well-to-do businessman/woman working in Marwick Heights

M: 4 Ac: 3 F: 3 I: 5 Ag: 3 N: 3 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 6 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+3); Notice (3d+3); Reputation (4d+4); Persuasion (4d+4)

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 12

Gear: Pepper Spray (Civilian) (3d+0); briefcase

Cultist

A true believer in an unorthodox faith

M: 4 Ac: 3 F: 4 I: 4 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P: 2

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (3d+3);

Notice (5d+3)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 9

Gear: Large Ritual Knife (6d); Light Modern Pistol (5d, 50/100/150), Cult Holy Book

Enforcer/Bodyguard

A burly, unarmed fighter for hire

M: 4 Ac: 2 F: 5 I: 3 Ag: 3 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 8 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+5); Armed Melee (2d+5); Armed Ranged (3d+2);

Notice (3d+4)

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 12

Gear: Fancy suit, Brass Knuckles (6d)

Federal Agent

A plainclothes FBI/CIA/ATF agent

M: 4 Ac: 5 F: 3 I: 4 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 5 P: 4

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (5d+5);

Notice (5d+5)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear: Fists (3d); Medium Modern Pistol (6d, 60/120/180); badge and suit

Gang Member

Generic member of any of the various gangs infesting New Corinth

M: 3 Ac: 3 F: 4 I: 2 Ag: 3 N: 3 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 6 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+3); Armed Melee (4d+3); Armed Ranged (3d+3);

Notice (2d+2)

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 12

Gear: Fists (3d); Chains (5d); Light Pistols (5d, 50/100/150)

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Ganger Underboss

Leader of a small street gang in New Corinth

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P:3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Armed Melee (4d+4); Armed Ranged (4d+4); Unarmed (3d+3);

Notice (5d+3)

Strain: Physical: 14 (BP=6) Mental: 12 (BP=4)

Gear: Fists (4d); Combat Knife (7d); Machine Pistol (6d, 60/120/180, Autofire)

Genovese Mafioso

A standard member of the Genovese crime family

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P:3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Armed Melee (5d+4); Armed Ranged (6d+4); Unarmed (3d+3);

Notice (5d+3)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Fists (4d); Combat Knife (7d); Machine Pistol (6d, 60/120/180, Autofire)

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Innocent Bystander

An average person in New Corinth

M: 3 Ac: 3 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 3 N: 3 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 6 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+3); Armed Ranged (2d+3); Notice (3d+3)

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 12

Gear: Fists (3d)

Ninja

Silent, black-clad assassin with inscrutable motives

M: 4 Ac: 4 F: 3 I: 3 Ag: 5 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 9 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+5); Armed Melee (4d+5); Armed Ranged (4d+4);

Notice (4d+4); Stealth (5d+5)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear: Fists (4d); Throwing Knives/Stars (5d); Katana (7d); Rope and Grappling

Hook; 2 Smoke Grenades

Ninja, Experienced

A master ninja, sent on covert assassination missions

M: 4 Ac: 5 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 6 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 10 Pace: 8

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+6); Armed Melee (5d+6); Armed Ranged (5d+6);

Notice (5d+4); Stealth (7d+5)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear: Fists (6d); Throwing Knives/Stars (6d); Katana (7d); Rope and Grappling

Hook; 2 Smoke Grenades

Police Officer

An average beat cop in the New Corinth Police Department

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (4d+4);

Notice (5d+4)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Nightstick (7d); Medium Modern Pistol (6d, 60/120/180); badge and uniform

Sniper

A long-distance specialist using a high-powered weapon

M: 3 Ac: 5 F: 3 I: 4 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 5 P: 3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Ranged (6d+5); Notice (4d+5)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Silenced Military Assault Rifle with Laser Sight (8d, 120/240/360); Fists (3d)

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Soldier

A member of a standing military or a mercenary-for-hire

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 5 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 9 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (4d+5); Armed Melee (4d+5); Armed Ranged (5d+5);

Notice (3d+4)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Military Assault Rifle (8d, 120/240/360); Combat Knife (7d); camouflage

fatigues

SWAT Officer

A specially trained police officer, prepared for riot control

M: 4 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 5 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 10 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (4d+4);

Notice (5d+4)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear: Nightstick (7d); Combat Shotgun (8/6/4d, 50/100/150); 2 cans of Tear Gas

(8d); Kevlar Vest (-2d to torso); and Riot Helmet (-4d to head)

Terrorist

A gun-toting zealot bent on destruction

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (4d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (4d+4);

Notice (5d+3)

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 12

Gear: Fists (4d); Heavy Submachine Gun (8d, 80/160/240); 2 Fragmentary Gre-

nades (12d, 10/20/40)

White Russian Goons

Armed smugglers working for the White Russian

M: 3 Ac:4 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P:3

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Armed Melee (4d+4); Armed Ranged (6d+4); Unarmed (3d+3);

Notice (5d+3)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Fists (4d); Silenced Heavy Pistols (7d, 70/140/210); Batons (7d)

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Zombie

A slow-moving risen corpse, hungry for the flesh of the living

M: 2 Ac: 1 F: 5 I: 1 Ag: 2 N: 6 Aw: 1 P: 1

DV: 8 Pace: 4

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+2); Notice (3d+1)

Strain: Physical: 21 Mental: N/A

Notes: Zombies are undead and nearly mindless. They cannot be intimidated, per-

suaded, bluffed, or negotiated with. They never take Mental Strain, and it may

even cause backlash if a Hero attempts to use a Power to contact a zombie’s

mind. If a person receives an injury from a zombie’s attack, that person must

make a Nerve test (9) or lose 2 Physical Strain per hour until the injury is cleaned

and treated in a proper medical setting. If a Hero reaches 0 Physical Strain due

to either the injury itself or the subsequent Strain loss, that Hero rises as a zom-

bie within the hour.

MOOKS: ANIMALS

Bear

A large American brown or black bear

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 7 I: 1 Ag: 3 N: 6 Aw: 3 P: 2

DV: 9 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (7d+3); Notice (5d+3)  

Strain: Physical: 21 Mental: 9

Damage: Claws/Bite (7d)

Large Cat

A large, ferocious cat, such as a tiger, lion, or cougar

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 6 I: 1 Ag: 5 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 2

DV: 10 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (5d+5); Notice (5d+4)  

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 9

Damage: Claws/Bite (6d)

Large Snake

A massive snake, such as a tropical python or boa constrictor

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 4 I: 1 Ag: 5 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 2

DV: 9 Pace: 4

Major Skills: Unarmed (5d+4); Notice (5d+4)  

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 9

Damage: Bite (4d); Crush (6d, but only if target is successfully grappled)

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237Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Bird of Prey

A large, meat-eating bird such as an eagle, hawk, or owl

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 3 I: 1 Ag: 6 N: 3 Aw: 5 P: 2

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (5d+6); Notice (5d+5)  

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 9

Damage: Talons (3d)

Swarm of Rats

A large group of rats swarming throughout the sewer system

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 4 I: 1 Ag: 6 N: 3 Aw: 4 P: 2

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+6); Notice (5d+5)

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 9

Damage: Gnashing Teeth (8d)

Notes: Damage dealt to Swarms is reduced by 5d, unless the attack against the

swarm affects an area. Swarms attack everyone within their covered area

with each attack.

Guard Dog

A well-trained attack dog, trained to guard an area

M: 1 Ac: 2 F: 5 I: 1 Ag: 4 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 2

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+4); Notice (5d+4)  

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 9

Damage: Bite (5d)

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238 Cold Steel Wardens

MADE MEN

Burgeoning Psychic

A metahuman gifted with untapped telekinetic potential

M: 3 Ac: 3 F: 3 I: 6 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Notice (4d+4); Esoteric (4d+6)

Specializations: Spot Motion (+1d); Psionics (+1d)

Masteries: Defensive Fighter, Jaded

Powers: Telekinesis (6d+5) (Range = 120 yards) (Weight Limit 120 lbs.)

Flaws: Fanatic (finding other metahuman psychics)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 21

Gear/Damage: Unarmed (3d); Telekinetically thrown object (8d)

Ryan Blackstock

Noted entrepreneur and head of the New Templar Order

M: 6 Ac: 3 F: 5 I: 5 Ag: 4 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 10 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Armed Melee (8d+4); Armed Ranged (3d+3);

Notice (4d+4); Social Skills as needed at (6d+4, 5, or 6)

Specializations: Sword (+2d); Pistol (+1d); Ascertain Intent (+1d); Social (as

needed)

Masteries: Lawyer, Contract Negotiator, Improved Block, Fencing, Leap of

Faith, Assets, Hideout

Powers: Healing (7d+4) (may heal others) (may heal Injuries)

Flaws: Psychosis (Delusions of Grandeur); Merciful

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 15

Gear/Damage: Sword (8d); Templar robes; Chainmail Armor (-3 to all damage

rolls); numerous other business assets

Carrion

Sewer-dwelling anarchist and plague-spreading fiend

M: 3 Ac: 3 F: 4 I: 4 Ag: 4 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 6

DV: 9 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (4d+4); Armed Melee (2d+4); Notice (6d+4); Scientific

(6d+4); Stealth (7d+4)

Specializations: Unarmed (+1d damage); Night Vision (+2d); Microbiology

(+2d); Hide in Shadows (+2d)

Masteries: Hideout

Powers: Affliction (Pain and Fever) (7d+5) (Range = 70 yards) (Increased Duration)

Animal Control (Rats) (6d+6) (Range = 600 yards) (Animals act independently)

Flaws: Hunted (on Most Wanted list); Psychosis (Narcissism); Poverty

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 21

Gear/Damage: Unarmed (5d); rags and mask; always accompanied by several

hordes of rats

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239Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Tony Castellano

A lieutenant in the Genovese crime family

M: 5 Ac: 4 F: 3 I: 4 Ag: 6 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 5

DV: 10 Pace: 8

Major Skills: Unarmed (5d+6); Armed Melee (5d+6); Armed Ranged (6d+6);

Notice (5d+4); all Social Skills (5d+4 or 5)

Masteries: Vehicle, Sex Machine, Deadshot

Powers: N/A

Flaws: Nemesis (the White Russian); Coward

Specialties: Shotgun (+2d); Knife (+1d); Spot Ambush (1d); Social Skills as needed

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 18

Gear: Knife (7d); Combat Shotgun (8/6/4d, 50/100/150); Molotov Cocktail (1)

(8 [Explosive], catch fire,10/20/30)

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240 Cold Steel Wardens

Sarah Childers (Razor’s Edge)

Known vigilante and crimefighter

M: 3 Ac: 4 F: 4 I: 4 Ag: 7 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 11 Pace: 8

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+7); Armed Melee (9d+7); Armed Ranged (4d+4);

Notice (5d+4); Criminal (5d+4); Athletics (5d+4); Stealth (6d+7)

Specializations: Unarmed (+1d damage); Knives (+3d); Thrown Weapons (+1d);

Gangs (+1d); Free-Running (+1d); Hide in Shadows and Move Silently (+1d each)

Masteries: Hideout; Weapon Master (Knives); Two Weapon Wielder; Acrobat;

Takedown Expert; Krav Maga

Powers: N/A

Flaws: Hunted (on Most Wanted list); Heroic; Poverty; Intolerance (gangs)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear/Damage: Armored Costume (-1 to damage rolls); numerous Knives (9d +

stun); sous-chef’s uniform

Cybernetic Enforcer

A heavily armed and armored goon, enhanced with a cybernetic arm

M: 3 Ac: 3 F: 5(8) I: 3 Ag: 4 N: 5 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 11 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (6d+6); Notice (3d+3); Criminal (4d+3); Intimidation (4d+3)

Specializations: Unarmed (+2d damage); See Through Disguise (+1d); Knowl-

edge (Organization of choice) (+1d); “The Stare” (+1d)

Masteries: Boxing, Staredown, Tough

Powers: Artificial Limb: Cybernetic Arm (6d) (Retractable Machine Pistol)

Flaws: Limited IQ; Loyalty; Psychosis (Antisocial Pers. Disorder)

Strain: Physical: 24 Mental: 12

Gear/Damage: Cybernetic Punch (10d); Retractable Machine Pistol (6d,

60/120/180)

Mark “Jefferson” Davis

Loathsome racist and leader of the Rebel Yell

M: 4 Ac: 5 F: 4 I: 3 Ag: 5 N: 6 Aw: 3 P: 3

DV: 11 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (5d+5); Armed Melee (2d+4); Armed Ranged (5d+5);

Notice (3d+3); Criminal (5d+3)

Specializations: Unarmed (+1d damage); Shotgun (+1d); Notice Detail (+1d);

Gangs (+1d)

Masteries: Vehicle, Hideout, Improved Dodge, Deadshot

Powers: N/A

Flaws: Uncultured, Coward, Brash

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 12

Gear/Damage: Hunting Shotgun (40/80/120, 8/6/4d damage); Brass Knuckles

(5d); Pickup Truck

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241Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Victor Gavrikov

A high-ranking member of the White Russian’s goon squad

M: 3 Ac: 5 F: 5 I: 4 Ag: 5 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 11 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Armed Ranged (6d+6); Unarmed (5d+6); Notice (5d+4); all Social

Skills (5d+4 or 5)

Specialties: Assault Rifle (+2d); Brass Knuckles (+1d); Spot Ambush (1d); Fine

Manipulation (6d+5)

Masteries: Demolition Man; Quick; Defensive Fighter

Powers: N/A

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear: Brass Knuckles (6d); Assault Rifle (8d, 120/240/360); Grenades (3)

(10/20/30 12 Explosive, Blast Radius)

Illumined Speaker Yusuf

Head of the Morningstar Assembly of Illumination

M: 7 Ac: 3 F: 3 I: 4 Ag: 4 N:3 Aw: 4 P: 6

DV: 7 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Armed Ranged (4d+3); Notice (4d+4); Esoteric

(9d+4); Social Skills as needed at (6d+5, 6, or 7)

Specializations: Pistol (+1d); Ascertain Intent (+1d); Cults (+3d); Social (+2d as

needed)

Masteries: Assets, Hideout, Politician, Smooth Tongue

Powers: Alter Emotions (Euphoria and Despair) (6d+7) (Range = 70 yards) (In-

creased duration)

Flaws: Obligation (Morningstar Assembly); Low-Tech; Merciful

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 21

Gear/Damage: Massive temple, Morningstar Assembly Robes, many underlings

Morrigan

Pyromaniac vigilante and ruthless avenger of the night

M: 4 Ac: 4 F: 3 I: 6 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 5 P: 4

DV: 6 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (3d+4); Armed Melee (2d+4); Armed Ranged (2d+4);

Notice (6d+5); Intimidation (7d+4); Athletics (5d+3)

Specializations: Unarmed (+1d damage); Distance Running (+1d); Detect Am-

bush (+2d); Show of Violence (+2d)

Masteries: Hideout, Marathon Runner, Staredown

Powers: Elemental—Fire (7d+6) (Range = 70 yards) (Blast for 7d damage) (Gen-

erate Flame)

Flaws: Hunted (on Most Wanted list); Brutal; Brash; Truthful

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear/Damage: Armored Costume (-1 all damage dice); several lighters

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242 Cold Steel Wardens

Mystic of Zalgo
A high priest in service to the mysterious Zalgo cult
M: 4 Ac: 4 F: 3 I: 5 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 3 P: 3
DV: 8 Pace: 6
Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Armed Melee (4d+4); Armed Ranged (5d+4);

Notice (4d+4); Esoteric (7d+6)
Specializations: Listening (+1d); Cults (+1d); Sorcery (+1d); Pistol (+1d); Knives

(+1d)
Masteries: Hideout, Hardened, Cult Affiliation (Cult of Zalgo)
Powers: N/A
Flaws: Fanatic (believer in nihilism); Psychosis (pick a few)
Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12
Gear/Damage: Unarmed (3d); Ritual Athame Knife (6d); Medium Modern Pistol

(60/120/180 6d); cult robes and ritual garb

Douglas Roderick (Conjure)

Master mystic and eccentric shop owner in Grey’s Park

M: 4 Ac: 3 F: 2 I: 6 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 5 P: 7

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Armed Melee (1d+4); Armed Ranged (2d+3);

Notice (8d+5); Knowledge Skills (7d+6)

Specializations: Magic, Cults, etc. (+2d)

Masteries: Hideout, Assets

Powers: Sorcery (8d+6) (Blast modified by Psyche permanently) (pool of 12

“virtual” Strain)

Flaws: Heroic, Merciful, Poor Musculature, Old

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 24

Gear/Damage: Robes and other mystic talismans; shop in Grey’s Park;  Un-

armed (2d); Mystic Blast (8d)

Rogue Metahuman

A young metahuman learning to use their awesome gifts

M: 3 Ac: 5 F: 3 I:3 Ag: 4 N: 4 Aw: 4 P: 3

DV: 8 Pace: 6

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Notice (3d+4); Criminal (4d+3)

Specializations: Spot Ambush (+1d); Local Gangs (+1d)

Masteries: Hideout; Quick

Powers: Electric Blast (6d+5) (Range = 240 yards) (Effect:—must test

Nerve 3 or be Stunned)

Flaws: Young, Hunted (by organization of GM’s choice)

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 12

Gear/Damage: Unarmed (3d); Electric Blast (6d + Stun, listed above)

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243Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Ricky Vasquez

Infamous hacker and head of the Tech Support gang

M: 3 Ac: 5 F: 3 I: 8 Ag: 3 N:4 Aw: 3 P: 4

DV: 7 Pace: 5

Major Skills: Unarmed (2d+3); Armed Ranged (4d+3); Notice (3d+3); Research

(7d+8); Criminal (5d+8); Scientific (9d+8); Esoteric (4d+8)

Specializations: Pistol (+1d); Gangs (+1d); Spot Motion (+1d) Internet Research

(+2d); Hacking (+3d); Metahumans (+1d)

Masteries: Hideout, Assets, Hacker, Facial Recognition, Cryptographer, Internet

Savvy

Powers: N/A

Flaws: Poor Musculature, Poor Health, Uncultured, Coward

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 15

Gear/Damage: Light Modern Pistol (50/100/150 5d); beyond-state-of-the-art

computer rig, snack food, energy drinks

Umar Waitimu

Leader of the Numbers Gang

M: 5 Ac: 4 F: 6 I: 3 Ag: 5 N: 5 Aw: 4 P: 4

DV: 10 Pace: 7

Major Skills: Unarmed (4d+4); Armed Melee (7d+5); Armed Ranged (6d+4);

Notice (5d+4); Criminal (7d+3); Intimidation (8d+5)

Specializations: Unarmed (+1d damage); Zande Spear (+2d); Assault Rifle

(+2d); Detect Ambush (+1d); Gangs (+2d)

Masteries: Hideout, Vehicle, Street Fighting, Untouchable, Tough

Powers: N/A

Flaws: Brutal; Hunted (on Most Wanted list); Brash

Strain: Physical: 24 Mental: 15

Gear/Damage: Zande Spear (8d); Military Assault Rifle (120/240/360 8d); Ar-

mored Car; Kevlar Vest (-2d damage dice); numerous thugs and contacts

under his direct order

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244 Cold Steel Wardens

MASTERMINDS

Luciano “Lucky Bags” Bagarella

Age: 39 Height: 5’10” Weight: 190 lbs.

M: 7 Ag: 5 F: 4 I: 5 Ac: 7 N: 5 Aw: 6 P: 4

DV: 10 Pace: 7

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 18

Physical Skills: Unarmed (5d+5); Armed Melee (5d+5); Armed Ranged (9d+7);

Athletics (3d+4); Stealth (5d+5)

Physical Specialties: Swimming (+1d); Breaking and Entering (+1d); Pistol

(+3d); Improvised Weapon (+2d)

Investigative Skills: Notice (6d+6); Investigation (4d+6); Research (2d+5); Can-

vass (10d+7); Examination (1d+5)

Investigative Specialties: Spot Ambush (+2d); “Case the Joint” (+1d); Canvass

Underlings (+3d)

Social Skills: Persuasion (6d+7); Deception (8d+7); Intimidation (10d+4); Intu-

ition (6d+6); Reputation (8d+7)

Social Specialties: Bribery (+2d); Fast-Talk (+2d); Threats (+3d); Genovese

crime family (+2d)

Knowledge Skills: Cultural (3d+5); Criminal (9d+5); Esoteric (3d+5); Historical

(5d+5); Scientific (1d+5)

Knowledge Specialties: Music (+1d); Organized Crime (+3d); Metahumans

(+1d); Law (+1d)

Technical Skills: Driving (6d+7); Piloting (2d+6); Mechanics (1d+5); Vehicular

Combat (2d+7); Fine Manipulation (2d+7)

Technical Specialties: Car (+2d)

Flaws/Injuries/Psychoses: Brash; Sinner (Pride/Arrogance); Hunted (on Most

Wanted list); Nemesis (the White Russian); Brutal

Masteries: Deadshot, John Woo, Judo, Friends in Low Places, Mob Affiliation

(Genovese), Staredown, Fearsome Reputation, Untouchable, Hardened,

Unfazed, Hideout, Vehicle, Assets

Powers: None

Major Equipment: Fine Italian Suit

Kevlar Vest (-2d to all damage to torso)

Medium Modern Pistol (2): 60/120/180 7d 10 shots

Light Submachine Gun: 60/120/180 7d 30 shots, Autofire

Baseball Bat (Imp. Weapon): Melee 6d

Background: “Lucky Bags” Bagarella is one of the most feared elements of the

New Corinth underworld. As the consigliore of the Genovese crime family,

Lucky Bags has seemingly limitless resources at his disposal, a horde of un-

derlings and sycophants to do his bidding, and a very nice Italian restaurant

that deals cocaine and crystal meth out of the dry goods cellar. Bagarella

is also majority shareholder in Huxley Shipping, which serves as a money

laundering front for the Genoveses.

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245Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Piotr Zakrevsky (The White Russian)

Age: 42 Height: 6’3” Weight: 220 lbs.

M: 5 Ag: 8 F: 6 I: 6 Ac: 7 N: 6 Aw: 5 P: 5

DV: 14 Pace: 10

Strain: Physical: 27 Mental: 24

Physical Skills: Unarmed (8d+8); Armed Melee (9d+8); Armed Ranged (10d+7);

Athletics (4d+6); Stealth (10d+8)

Physical Specialties: Climbing (+1d); Move Silently (+3d); Unarmed (+2d dam-

age); Pistol (+1d); Rifle (+2d); Improvised Weapon (+1d); Knives (+1d)

Investigative Skills: Notice (7d+5); Investigation (5d+5); Research (3d+6); Can-

vass (6d+5); Examination (4d+5)

Investigative Specialties: Spot Ambush (+2d); Find hidden “stash” (+1d); In-

ternet Research (+1d); Canvass Underlings (+2d); Ballistics Analysis (+1d)

Social Skills: Persuasion (5d+5); Deception (9d+5); Intimidation (12d+5); Intu-

ition (6d+6); Reputation (6d+5)

Social Specialties: Bribery (+1d); Disinformation (+2d); Violent Display (+2d);

Threats (+2d); White Russian Mob (+2d)

Knowledge Skills: Cultural (2d+6); Criminal (10d+6); Esoteric (6d+6); Historical

(6d+6); Scientific (5d+6)

Knowledge Specialties: Organized Crime (+3d); Metahumans (+2d); Law

(+1d); Modern History (+1d); Biology (+1d)

Technical Skills: Driving (7d+7); Piloting (4d+7); Mechanics (1d+6); Vehicular

Combat (9d+7); Fine Manipulation (6d+7)

Technical Specialties: Military Vehicles (+2d); Helicopter (+1d); Mounted Mis-

sile Launchers (+1d); Mounted Machine Guns (+2d); Explosives Use (+2d)

Flaws/Injuries/Psychoses: Brutal; Uncultured; Psychosis (Nihilistic); Nemesis

(Genoveses); Hunted (on Most Wanted list); Sinner (Greed); Injury (Albinism)

Masteries: Sniper; Krav Maga; Defensive Fighter; Homewrecker; Friends in High

Places; Friends in Low Places; Ballistics Analysis; Mob Affiliation (White Rus-

sian mob); Staredown; Unfazed; Hardened; Ruthless Interrogator; Demoli-

tion Man; Stunt Driver; Tough; Jaded; Assets; Hideout; Vehicle

Powers: None

Major Equipment: Kevlar-lined Outfit (-1d damage)

Heavy Modern Pistol: 70/140/210 7d 8 shots

Military Assault Rifle: 120/240/360 8d 25 shots, Autofire

Knife Melee 8d

Background: Piotr Zakrevsky was a Russian-trained special agent in the KGB,

specializing in infiltration, demolition, and assassination. Following the Cold

War’s end, Zakrevsky found himself hunted and fled to New Corinth, where

the various Russian and Warsaw Pact immigrants flocked to his side. To those

not “in the know,” Zakrevsky poses as his own bodyguard, knowing full well

the irony of his skin condition against his title. Zakrevsky is utterly ruthless in

combat and has limitless resources, goons, and wealth at his disposal. He is

not a foe to be taken lightly in any arena.

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246 Cold Steel Wardens

Gerard Warren

Age: 47 Height: 6’0” Weight: 220 lbs.

M: 8 Ag: 3 F: 3 I: 7 Ac: 4 N: 4 Aw: 6 P: 6

DV: 7 Pace: 5

Strain: Physical: 15 Mental: 21

Physical Skills: Unarmed (2d+3); Armed Melee (1d+3); Armed Ranged (3d+4);

Athletics (2d+3); Stealth (3d+3)

Physical Specialties: Hide Item (+1d); Pistol (+1d)

Investigative Skills: Notice (8d+6); Investigation (5d+6); Research (8d+7); Can-

vass (9d+8); Examination (0d)

Investigative Specialties: Spot Motion (+2d); Pick Out Detail (+1d); Internet

Research (+1d); Database Research (+1d); Canvass Upper Class (+3d)

Social Skills: Persuasion (11d+8); Deception (12d+8); Intimidation (8d+3); In-

tuition (10d+6); Reputation (11d+8)

Social Specialties: Negotiation (+3d); Bluffing (+2d); Innuendo (+2d); Taunts

(+2d); Threats (+2d); Upper Class (+2d)

Knowledge Skills: Cultural (6d+7); Criminal (14d+7); Esoteric (5d+7); Historical

(13d+7); Scientific (2d+7)

Knowledge Specialties: Music (particularly opera) (+2d); Organized Crime

(+3d); Gangs (+1d); Metahumans (+2d); Law (+3d)

Technical Skills: Driving (3d+4); Piloting (0d); Mechanics (0d); Vehicular Com-

bat (0d); Fine Manipulation (1d+4)

Technical Specialties: Car (+1d)

Flaws/Injuries/Psychoses: Sinner (Greed); Psychosis (Megalomaniac); Poor

Musculature; Poor Balance; Old

Masteries: Assets, Hideout, Vehicle, Skin-Flint, Contract Negotiator, Smooth

Tongue, Eye for Detail, Veiled Threat, Untouchable, Politician, Lawyer,

Friends in High Places, Friends on the Force, Friends in Low Places, Ask the

Question

Powers: None

Major Equipment:

Light Modern Pistol: 50/100/150 5d 15 shots

Background: Gerard Warren is a well-known philanthropist and owner of the

most successful law firm in the New Corinth area. He is known for his hard-

line stance on organized crime and his tireless defense of New Corinth’s

underclass…or, at least that’s what Warren makes it look like. In actuality,

Gerard Warren may be the most ruthless, most conniving, and most callous

man in a city full of gangsters, mafioso, and thugs. Warren manipulates

people into doing what he wants. He has any asset imaginable at his dis-

posal, and can easily pay off any petty functionary who dares to stand in his

way. Warren wants it all and, at this rate, he just might get it.

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247Chapter 14 Rogue’s Gallery

Jeremiah Riggins

Age: 44 Height: 5’8” Weight: 260 lbs.

M: 6 Ag: 4 F: 3 I: 4 Ac: 3 N: 3 Aw: 6 P: 5

DV: 7 Pace: 6

Strain: Physical: 12 Mental: 18

Physical Skills: Unarmed (2d+4); Armed Melee (3d+4); Armed Ranged (2d+3);

Athletics (2d+3); Stealth (3d+4)

Physical Specialties: Hide (+1d); Improvised Weapon (+1d)

Investigative Skills: Notice (4d+6); Investigation (2d+5); Research (2d+4); Can-

vass (8d+5); Examination (0d)

Investigative Specialties: Spot Motion (+1d); Canvass Parishioners (+2d)

Social Skills: Persuasion (7d+5); Deception (8d+5); Intimidation (4d+3); Intu-

ition (4d+6); Reputation (6d+6)

Social Specialties: Debate (+2d); Bluffing (+2d); Taunts (+1d); Underclass (+2d)

Knowledge Skills: Cultural (8d+4); Criminal (6d+4); Esoteric (2d+4); Historical

(6d+4); Scientific (2d+4)

Knowledge Specialties: Religion/Philosophy (+2d); Gangs (+2d); Ancient/Me-

dieval History (+2d)

Technical Skills: Driving (2d+3); Piloting (0d); Mechanics (0d); Vehicular Com-

bat (0d); Fine Manipulation (1d+3)

Technical Specialties: N/A

Flaws/Injuries/Psychoses: Uncultured; Intolerant (hates all non-white, non-

straight ethnic groups); Coward; Low-Tech; Brash

Masteries: Assets, Hideout, Politician, Veiled Threat

Powers: None

Major Equipment: Religious vestments and Christian symbols

Background: Jeremiah Riggins is a loathsome, foul bigot. He hates nearly ev-

ery group outside of his perfect ideal, and would have fit right in with the

Aryan Nation. Riggins hides his intolerance through his hellfire-and-brim-

stone sermons at his megachurch, which regularly has standing-room-only

services. Riggins is secretly a sponsor of the Rebel Yell gang, offering ref-

uge and supplies to their backwoods-racist members. While not as politi-

cally connected as Gerard Warren or some of the other individuals in New

Corinth, Riggins is a cancer on the face of the city that desperately needs

to be excised.

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248 Cold Steel Wardens

Grace “The Tank”Tancretti, Warden at Stonegate Penitentiary

Age: 38 Height: 5’2” Weight: 120 lbs.

M: 4 Ag: 5 F: 4 I: 5 Ac: 5 N: 5 Aw: 6 P: 5

DV: 11 Pace: 7

Strain: Physical: 18 Mental: 24

Physical Skills: Unarmed (3d+5); Armed Melee (2d+5); Armed Ranged (6d+5);

Athletics (3d+6); Stealth (2d+5)

Physical Specialties: Climbing (+1d); Unarmed (+1d damage); Pistol (+1d);

Rifle (+1d)

Investigative Skills: Notice (6d+6); Investigation (5d+6); Research (2d+5); Can-

vass (3d+4); Examination (6d+6)

Investigative Specialties: Spot Motion (+2d); Quick Analysis (+1d); Canvass

Police (+1d); Ballistics Analysis (+1d); Fingerprinting (+1d)

Social Skills: Persuasion (3d+4); Deception (2d+4); Intimidation (8d+4); Intu-

ition (4d+6); Reputation (3d+5)

Social Specialties: Negotiation (+1d); The Stare (+2d); Police (+1d)

Knowledge Skills: Cultural (2d+5); Criminal (9d+5); Esoteric (3d+5); Historical

(6d+5); Scientific (2d+5)

Knowledge Specialties: Organized Crime (+1d); Gangs (+1d); Serial Killers

(+1d); Metahumans (+1d); Law (+2d)

Technical Skills: Driving (5d+5); Piloting (0d); Mechanics (0d); Vehicular Com-

bat (0d); Fine Manipulation (1d+5)

Technical Specialties: Car/Truck (+1d)

Flaws/Injuries/Psychoses: Brash; Hunted (every mob man or criminal out

there); Loyalty (GCPD); Uncultured; Truthful; Psychosis (Insomnia)

Masteries: Assets, Quick, Defensive Fighter, Jaded, Friends on the Force, Bal-

listics Analysis

Powers: None

Major Equipment:

Heavy Modern Pistol: 70/140/210 7d 8 shots

Military Assault Rifle: 120/240/360 8d 25 shots, Autofire

Background: Grace Tancretti is a woman in a very difficult situation. Appointed

Warden of Stonegate Penitentiary, she is tasked with the unenviable job of

keeping the numerous inmates in line with a budget that continues to be

slashed, outdated resources, and continual downsizing in prison staff. As

the GCPD has continued to enforce the Nornsby Act and round up meta-

humans, Tancretti is tasked with keeping everyone in line. She’s a woman

at her wits’ end, trying to do too much with not enough…

Austin Adams (order #7154603)