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Thanks guys! I like Brujo a lot so I’m glad he resonates well with you all
I was reminiscing the other day, back to my high school days when I used to make up adventures about my friends and I in other-worldly situations as colorful characters with odd abilities and personality quirks, and I decided to dredge up an old concept. So indulge me, if you will.
THE INSTITUTE – The Institute is a facility, in a facility miles underground, with no records of existence anywhere. It operates outside the influence of any government, working towards only its own ends, pursuing them through whatever means necessary. The main goal of the Institute is the generation of living posthuman weapons. The staff both creates life and twists it, using a combination of illegal cloning and experimentation on sequestered individuals. The facilities are divided into three divisions, each deeper underground than the next.
Tech Division – Works on the fusion of human physiology with advanced technology, dabbling in the development of responsive artificial intelligence.
Genetics Division – Works to unlock the full potential of the human genome, altering genetic sequences and recombining DNA chains to produce posthuman mutations, as well as splicing non-human genetic material into normal genetic tissue to produce radical physical alterations.
Psy Division – Works to unlock the potential of the human mind. Sometimes combines work with the genetics division to alter the brain to make it more likely to express psy-talent.
Two characters for now:
THE MAN
Just… The Man
Bio: A product of the Genetics Division, The Man was grown from treated stem cells, manipulated from the moment of conception on the genetic level. Carried to term by a surrogate grizzly bear, his embryo treated with hyper-androgens and given a healthy regimen of mysostatin-blockers since puberty. When anger problems and unchecked physical growth made him hard to control, the Institute paired him with a patient from Psy Division, a reality warper, codename Bender. She would use her energies to pacify his raging emotions and manage his physiology. They formed a special bond together, and became romantically involved prior to the escape.
Abilities: The Man possesses an incredibly enhanced physiology. His strength/speed/stamina are unparalleled. Every part of his body is incredibly tough and resistant to damage. His super strong vocal chords and respiratory system also allow him to scream in sharp supersonic bursts.
BENDER
Record Erased
Bio: Once a quiet young girl from Psy Division, she was experimented on at an early age and eventually her brain and nervous system were intrinsically linked to a subcutaneous quantum reality that exists and permeates our own. The magnitude of her abilities has put a strain on her sanity, and at times Bender hears strange voices and hallucinates figures that compel her to harm herself and those around her.
Abilities: Bender’s mind can breach into a quantum reality and use it to re-write the physical plane of existence however she sees fit, but only within a radius of fifteen feet to her person. She can negate the laws of physics, break atomic bonds, turn your skin to wax paper, turn your blood into fire, etc. She is limited only by her imagination.
Thanks guys! Here’s a third member of our runaway posthuman weapons experiments:
CY
Record Erased
Bio: A very shy young man. He was a lower-level posthuman in Tech Division, a recent arrival. Cy was a young computer programmer. With a bit of a mischievous streak, he began hacking into government databases or shutting down federal websites. His pranks went too far one day and he found himself inadvertently hacking into the ultra-secure undernet utilized by the Institute. Within five minutes his home was invaded, his family murdered, and all record of their existence was wiped. Cy’s skills were considered useful, so he was enrolled into Tech Division. Weeks of experiments increased his brain’s computing power and he had most of his body replaced with cutting edge biotechnology. He was due to have his mind erased and turned into a drone the night that the mysterious drummer Ritmo escaped with Bender and the Man, cutting a swath of destruction through all divisions. When they came by his holding cell, Cy strapped to the Lobotomizer, Ritmo took pity on him and took him with them.
Abilities: Cy’s enhanced brain gives him almost infinite memory storage, a flawless eidetic recall system, greatly enhanced reaction time and processing power, and a slight immunity to telepathic assault. At first glance his biomechanical parts don’t seem to offer him any enhancements, but there is a subroutine within his components that will activate when his life is threatened. Cy calls this Safe Mode. Upon activation, Safe Mode reconfigures all of Cy’s biomechanical components. They envelop his body in an incredibly strong and hyper-durable armor system with a variety of weapons systems and a sensory array that can tap into and commandeer operation of any nearby computer systems. In this mode, Cy’s rational mind is completely overwritten with an overwhelming Fight/Flight response that drives him to eliminate any perceived source of his danger or escape, by any means necessary.CY
CY – SAFE MODE
Fourth member of our little band of super-soldiers, an immortal percussionist modeled after myself (forgive the teenage vanity, I did create these guys in high school after all…)
RITMO
Diego
Bio: The percussionist of his group and youngest of the brethren, having been alive for only one Gathering. He is the most optimistic and human-minded of his group, not jaded by his agelessness as some of his other siblings. The loss of his family has been especially hard on him and he feels guilty for escaping the Institute and leaving them behind. His only goal in life now is to set them free, to unite the Orchestra once more and finish their Symphony, lest the power to shape the destiny of humanity fall into the wrong hands.
Abilities: Ritmo possesses percussive resonance. He can hear the rhythm of the universe around him and manipulate it through the beats he plays. He can channel this ability through his body, but uses drumsticks to help control its application. Every note he plays creates a powerful force shockwave on his environment, with louder percussive strokes causing more powerful blasts. If he plays double-stroke rolls he can charge up the energy at his disposal, releasing it with a final single note.And about that Orchestra of immortals he’s supposedly a part of…
WINDS
Naomi
Bio: Born during the dawn of civilization, in what would become Kenya, Naomi (one of many names she has gone by) is the eldest of the brethren. Her specialty is winds, and she still possesses the first hollowed out reed she used all those centuries ago. She’s the matriarch of the group, the others look to her for leadership during troubling times.
Abilities: Naomi can affect the atmospheric state of her immediate vicinity, she channels this ability through the use of woodwind instruments. Depending on the particular melody or the notes she plays she can perform a number of feats: convert noxious fumes into breathable air, produce bursts of powerful gale-force wind, whip up cyclones, etc.
STRINGS
John
Bio: A Native to the Americas, John was the most talented archer of his tribe, his bowstring thrumming in harmony with each target. He survived the colonization of the continent, the genocide of his people, the latter giving him a solemn edge to his boisterous nature. He is the only one of his brethren save for Ritmo who can channel his gifts without the use of an instrument, creating his own strings from the energy of universe around him.
Abilities: John is a virtuoso in all stringed instruments.can see the quantum threads that tie all living things, all matter, together. This gives him a highly accurate sense of intuition and an extrasensory perception that allows him to empathically read other individuals. John can coalesce the quantum threads into bright searing energy strings that project from his finger strips. He can pluck or strum these strings as he would a physical instrument, producing a reality resonance shockwave that wreaks havoc on the physical plane.
KEYS
Ivory
Bio: The only one of the brethren to ever use their gifts for fame and notoriety, Keys enjoyed a wildly successful career as an androgynous alt-rock superstar. He is decadent, indulgent, using his immortality to amass a fortune for himself. Keys seems selfish, but when it comes to his family he will fight to the death to project them
Abilities: Keys is the pianist of the Orchestra, using a rhythm based energy akin to Ritmo’s channeled through whatever he finds available, although lately it’s been the signature fuschia synth from his musical career. Keys abilities approximate a wildly powerful form of telekinesis, with finer and higher-pitched melodies allowing for intricate and complex manipulations and slower lower-tone melodies used for brute force.
BRASS
Siegfried
Bio: Has never revealed very much about himself to his brethren, he is of German origin, at least a few hundred years old, but with a mirth that outshines the weariness of immortality. When the Institute attacked the Gathering, Siegfried stayed behind to fight them off, buying his siblings some time. He attempted to use his power to destroy himself along with their assailants, but only resulted in severely injuring himself. The Institute put him back together, fusing his body with his instruments along with technological enhancements throughout.
Abilities: Siegfried’s ability is an explosive one. He can channel powerful bursts of sound through his instrument that explode outward in all directions. These bursts range from quick bursts, to massive earth-shattering explosions.Bonus shot of BRASS before his disfiguration/tech enhancements:
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