James Barrett

James Barrett is a well-educated, early thirties man raised to respect the earth and observe the Old Ways. His love for the old ways grew into an interest of ancient cultures, art, fantasy literature, Pink Floyd, and eventually as his mystical powers manifested, psychotropic drugs. 

Around the age of nine James began to see auras on old items and sometimes people, but the auras on people were always dark and full of woe.

The aura-reading talent waned for a time until five years ago, in 2013 while completing graduate studies, the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim attacked Greenwich England. The Dark Elves wished to restore their dominance during a convergence by using the Reality Infinity Stone over a Ley Line. Thor fought the dark elves and won the day, but attack shook the surrounding neighborhoods, caused major damage, and introduced strange magical creatures to Earth. It also had a profound effect on James that shifted his focus to the pursuit of magic.

James’ parents saw his shift in attention and the return of his mystic senses and eventually shared the family secret.

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Stories say that for a time the Asgardian Freyr spent some time in England 250 – 500 years ago. Freyr supposedly traveled the countryside working the fields. Everywhere Freyr went favorable weather, bountiful crops of grain and a healthy crops children followed. 

In 1772 Francis Barrett was born of a human mother and an Asgardian father many believed to be Freyr.

Francis was a science student, eventual occult philosopher and ley line warden. Before his death Francis published a book called The Magus in 1801. It was a collected system of occult philosophy, rituals, and his personal handbook on mysticism and super-natural practices. 

Francis Barrett

In his writings Francis maintained that such expanded mystical knowledge only came with the regular use of certain psychotropic mushrooms. This was necessary Francis wrote, to understand, observe, and manipulate mystical forces. Francis also warned that such understanding of magic also brought nightmares and infernal visions; the medicinal drugs were also a way to abate the visions and dreams.

What James’ parents said was that he was in fact a decedent of Francis Barrett- an Asgardian blooded sorcerer who, was hunted down and killed by the Ordo Seclorum for his occult practices.

After completing graduate studies that year, James found work as an online language tutor and became a self-published fantasy author publishing stories about magic and dark elves (of all things). James then began the arduous search for The Magus.

James ventured to Europe and eventually discovered that in 1802 a Catholic priest named Mortigan Goth, for fear of being cursed, did not destroy the Magus when Francis died but separated and scattered the tome hiding chapters of the book in sacred libraries of Catholic Churches. Thus began a tour of all the active churches from that time.

Late last summer while in Spain, James met Xandu of ClanDestine. An irritating but charismatic jinn with blonde hair, emerald eyes and a fey-like smile- and a Sorcerer of the mystic arts. With delight Xandu affirmed much of what James already knew about magic and mysticism. Xandu was obviously smitten with him.

Xandu excitedly explained about how he and other Sorcerers of the Mystic Arts defended Nexus locations against encroaching diabolical and supernatural threats. James was intrigued.

With his permission Xandu opened a portal to the London Sanctum where he assured James he would be formally trained. However, that promise was short lived as the steward of the London Sanctum, Sol Rama- for reasons unknown- refused to take on James as a student.

This upset the normally cool Xandu but did not deter him; while Xandu was forbidden to formally tutor James, he would nonetheless help James find the lost sections of the Magus.

John Proudstar “Thunderbird”

John Proudstar or “Thunderbird” is a Navajo native from New Mexico. He is a fit and well-spoken man with a deep well of determination and honor. 

John was born with super-senses that afforded him the ability to sense enhanced or gifted individuals. 

This ability attracted the attention of SHIELD and in 2011 John’s name was added to the INDEX. The INDEX was a SHIELD database of enhanced and-or gifted individuals flagged for observation and evaluation as potential threats. 

John was soon recruited and 2012 John was sent to New York City and assigned a SHIELD agent handler whom he took orders from: Agent Genevieve Wolfe. A beautiful and capable woman John would eventually fall in love. 

Their first case was investigating a man named Janus Silvini. Silvini was a small-time weekend TV news personality who reported on community stories. John confirmed Silvini exhibited a subtle, yet unknown ability. Agent Wolfe opened a case. 

Janus Silvini

What followed was a month of deception, love, and betrayal. Silvini possessed some kind of power of influence or suggestion, and Genevieve quickly fell to his influence. She fell for Silvini’s advances while John struggled to convince Genevieve that she was being manipulated. She evaded John’s attempts to dissuade her from seeing Silvini.

John was devastated as the woman he loved and wanted to protect was now beguiled into sleeping with the target.  

Then the Chitauri attacked New York causing untold damage and loss. The Avengers eventually won the battle of New York, but Genevieve was killed in the incident while Janus Silvini escaped in the chaos. 

John searched in vain for Silvini for the rest of that year then in January of the next year SHIELD found John and Agent Lucien Fosta became John’s new handler- with a new directive, hunting down Hostile Extremis subjects from Hyrdra’s foiled Project Centipede. 

John and Agent Fosta had a rough working relationship that lasted for a little over a year until the Hydra uprising in 2014. 

That day Agent Fosta revealed himself as Hydra by betraying John and shooting him, leaving him for dead. 

On the cusp of life and death, with his last breath John spoke to the Navajo ancestors. 

Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí, the Navajo ancestral deity appeared before John. Haashchʼéé stood like a giant with a great warrior’s headdress, decorated deerskin pants and fine colorful moccasins. A loose tunic vest was worn over his colorfully painted and tanned well-muscled torso. A thickly wire-wrapped hematite stone hung from his neck. The god’s face shifted, instead of eyes- stars and galaxies showed. The world around them was blurred and only Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí was in focus. 

A low voice spoke in John’s head: 

I require a servant, a warrior-avatar to serve me on this mortal plane. Thunderbird, you will be that for me. 

John was subjected to horrific images. He saw unfettered atrocities visited on children and the defenseless. Evil that occurs frequently and without due punishment around the world. 

This angered John so deeply that he did not even suspect Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí manipulating him into accepting his offer as Avatar. 

When John accepted, Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí handed him the hematite stone from around his neck. It was one of five elemental Touchstones on earth- the Spirit Touchstone. The Touchstone would be his connection to Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí and the source of his bestowed power. 

Days later upon waking John realized that the Hydra uprising meant that John was working for the enemy all along!

How many enhanced individuals, how many innocent lives was John guilty of damning to unknown atrocities and abuse at the hands of Hydra? 

In the four years since becoming the Thunderbird, John has fallen to substance abuse while being an instrument for Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí, tracking down individuals (enhanced or otherwise) who use their power to victimize, hurt or to exploit others. 

Marcus Aleksandr Makhailov

Marcus Aleksandr Makhailov is a twenty-eight-year-old, cultured and well-spoken son to one of the oldest noble families in Sokovia. 

Raised as an only child Marcus received the best Catholic education and martial training at the most opulent and expensive private schools in Eastern Europe. A graduate from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Marcus enjoys cars, classical music, plays the piano, and likes cooking authentic Sokovian cuisine.

In 2012 after the attack on New York by alien Chitauri forces. So it was no surprise that Marcus joined the Sokovian military. It was a time when many nations took a critical look at their military budget and defense posture. In the Sokovian service he was promoted regularly, rose to field agent, and in two years became a covert special forces operative. 

Then in 2015 Ultron targeted Sokovia killing hundreds and laying waste to his homeland and the stability of Eastern Europe. Marcus stood helpless as he watched on television as friends, family, and lands were lost to an insane robot intellect intent on killing the Avengers and reducing the world’s population.

Distraught, Marcus returned to Sokovia and gathered what resources he could find and unintentionally unearthed his family’s dark connections with Hydra and the true origins of his family’s wealth.

Marcus learned his family had deep ties with Hydra and supported The Red Skull during WWII and his innovative experiments with the Tesseract. Marcus also discovered it was also his family who smuggled Chitauri tech out of New York. As well as extra-terrestrial assets that included a leviathan carcass his family shipped across the Atlantic for Von Strucker of Hydra.

Additional findings revealed the Makhailov family also helped fund human experimentation combining alien technology with Hydra’s Project Centipede in recent years. 

It seems that himself may have been groomed for eventual induction into Hydra. 

Feeling the weight of atonement for his family’s atrocities Marcus turned to prayer

Marcus eventually settled in a decommissioned safe house over a coffee shop in Rome, Italy. Here Marcus works as a café barista in the day. At night Marcus protects the streets of Rome as the vigilante “Morning Star” while he searches for former Hydra agents and their victims.

Marcus has been decoding a list of Hydra war-criminals and a smaller list of test subjects he can hopefully find answers for. It has been an on going process.

---

 

Currently Identified as Hydra 

Dr. Scarabeus

Dr. Scarabeus (Project Scarab) 

Dr. List 

John Garrett (the Clairvoyant and the first prototype Dethlok)

Wolfgang Von Strucker RIP

Daniel Whitehall RIP

Matteo Salvini

Douglas Ramsey

Lucien Fosta

Janus Silvini

Experimentation Subjects:

Wanda Maximoff

Pietro Maximoff 

Daniel Jermain 

Janus Silvini 

Mathew Casamonica 

---

Since the beginning of the year there is an uptick in smart tech smash and grabs in Rome. Mostly AIM  smartphones, but what is concerning for you and your continued work is these smartphones use the same charging component as your tech. This puts a strain on this already rare resource. 

You have been investigating these thefts outside the law and have not made much progress. Last night was the most recent robbery- the second in a week. The AIM Store at the Roma Termini.

---

Power Ratio Duration

Charging components           Charge Time (hrs)                                  Use Duration (hrs)

16 (Current)                            8                                                              1

32                                           4                                                              2

64                                           2                                                              4

128                                         1                                                              8

Ellie Morgenthau (The girl)

Ellie is a young mischievous woman raised by a single mother from the poor area of the Bronx. A loving mother who never scolded her. 

Ellie never knew her biological father who, according to her mother, was a strong, handsome circus performer. A lover full of charisma and personality who promised to one day come back for her. It was a fanciful story Ellie thought; just a faerie tale told to her at bedtime.

Ellie’s storybook life changed in 2012 when the Chitauri attacked New York killing dozens including her mother when a car flipped over on her. Steve Rogers made an impossible choice and saved Ellie but could not also save her mother. 

After the attack Ellie survived by living in Central Park with several other displaced individuals for the next few weeks. Her mischievous side emerged around this time as Ellie found herself in and out of temporary private shelters. 

Ellie was eventually fostered by a married couple who were actively involved with international outreach programs and humanitarian affairs after the Incident. The couple were associates for International Genetics and Healthcare (IGH), a company that specialized in global stem-cell, organ and blood donations and transplants.

Ellie’s foster parents were Doctors from Italy and would often speak at length about their homeland. Several times they promised to take her there one day. Her foster parents provided for Ellie in ways she couldn’t imagine; they made sure she was in good health and received yearly vaccinations and doctor visits. Every opportunity seemed available to Ellie. 

Ellie enjoys animals, volunteering at the zoo, competing in track, listening to Nirvana and 90’s grunge. She enjoys online gaming and is active on most social media platforms mostly to reunite owners with their missing pets. Ellie had an edge to her personality and a strangeness to others that kept people from getting too close therefore she did not feel like she fit in among her peers.

Around the time of her blossoming Ellie received a letter claiming to be from her biological father. It coincidentally had a return address of Italy. Her father seemed to carry on in the letter as if letters were a normal occurrence from him. The promise of potentially meeting her real father excited Ellie. 

However. her foster parents where not optimistic. 

Her coming of age also brought the emergence of her (mutant) powers. 

It started with the ability to alter her voice, then she was able to morph into a familiar appearance. Eventually her ability evolved into being able to mimic traits and physical talents. Ellie endeavored to keep her ability a secret to all but her real father when she meets him. 

This year her foster parents fulfilled a promise and took Ellie to Italy with them where they were to be keynote speakers at the IGN Health and Wellness Conference. 

Ellie could not help to hold out hope that she would reunite with her real father. 

It was not until the train crash when Ellie discovered, to her relief, that she could mimic powers. Specifically Luke Cage's powers in order to survive the crash and be strong enough to carry the real Luke Cage and John Proudstar from the burning train wreckage. 

Rome 🇮🇹

 

My Italy Morning News

“Good Morning Italy” June 1^st 2018.

Commercial for AIM smartphones with the ‘Quest’ browser. Only requires 1 hour charge for 100 hours of continuous use. 

World News:

Newly weds Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue on their European Honeymoon tour. 

Dignitaries and Members at the United Nations gather this month in observance of two years since the ratification of the Sokovia Accords.

 Politics:

Giuseppe Conte becomes the new Prime Minister of Italy, leading a cabinet described as the "first modern populist government in Western Europe".

At the Vatican:

The Pope began the year with an apology to sexual abuse survivors in Chile, where he aroused anger by saying he had seen no “proof” against the Bishop accused of covering up for an abusive priest. Source: CNN Article.

Severini

Following the emergency three-day summit at the Vatican two weeks ago, all of Chile’s 34 bishops offer to resign. The simultaneous resignation of all the bishops in a single country is thought to be unprecedented in the modern history of the Catholic church. No Bishop was removed, instead the Pope last week accepted the resignation of several bishops.

Health News:

Nobel Prize winner and philanthropist Andre Severini (IGH) to speak at the IGH health and wellness conference in Rome this week on the subject of genetic research, as well as blood and organ donation programs across national boundaries.

National News:

Paulio Caruso's Circus Maximus begins its spring tour of Italy with its usual cast of colorful misfit characters and a new headliner. 

Italy’s Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini accepts funding for the formation of SED (Special Enforcement Detail). A tactical police unit trained in advanced tactics and methods to be deployed against advanced systems, otherworldly threats, or enhanced criminals.

*In the video news piece are: Matteo Salvini. To his right is the Mayor of Rome: Virginia Raggi and her husband and Nobel prize winner: Andre Severini (pictured above). On Salvini's left is Cardinal Mortigan Goth, Father Janus Silvini and other token members of the Catholic clergy

In the background are several SED agents equipped with advanced riot gear. 

 USA News:

NYC is still reeling from yesterday’s appearance of a 5 story tall “doughnut-shaped” alien ship. Reports say multiple Avengers engaged the vehicle in a short conflict that caused damage over several city blocks

As of this report there has been no official statement from the Avengers, New York officials, or the US Government.

Science News:

Last month NASA launched the space probe InSight to Mars in hopes of finding vibranium deposits. 

This morning starts the countdown to the launch of Project Earthwatch. The Samarobryn is the first AI weather monitoring space station. The advanced AI technology will be able to predict severe weather disasters as well as detect atmospheric threats including pollution hot spots and geological events.

The 15 minute segment is capped by a commercial for a charity foundations to study and protect the Giant Asgardian Eagles- Great Britain’s newest citizen.

(Note: the names and images featured here are used for fictitious purposes and satire. The context herein is not considered to be truthful or factual accounts of these individuals.)

MCU Luke Cage Season Three

Season Three

Following the events of Netflix's Luke Cage Season Two Luke attempted to fill the void left in Harlem’s criminal underworld after the demise of "Black Mariah" Dillard. 

Luke eventually ran afoul with the Rosalie Carbone's Italian goons in possession of advanced weapons. Rosalie operated the Italian Mob in NYC for the Maggia international crime syndicate. Luke learned that before Mariah's death, Rosalie negotiated a deal to acquire the Advanced Hammer-Tech weapons Mariah’s cousin Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes originally brokered.

These weapons, enhanced with alien Chitauri tech, were arguably the beginning of the Stokes' and Mariah Dillard’s downfall. Some say they were cursed. Nevertheless they were the only weapons capable of severely injuring Luke. In the wrong hands the weapons could mean disaster for heroes like himself and potentially countless innocent individuals who could be caught in the crossfire. 

Luke decided these insidious weapons needed to be taken off the streets once and for all. He traced the Italian goons to Rosalie Carbone and the Maggia. With help from NYPD Detective Misty Knight, they discovered the Hammer weapons were shipped out of NYC on a cargo ship. 

---

 

Luke Cage (NG) 

6’ 4” African American Male from Georgia (Enhanced)

Luke is a physically strong, streetwise, intimidating figure with a heart of a true hero. Son of a preacher Luke Cage, born Carl Lucas, was a subject of a sabotaged off the books procedure which left him with increased density, super-strength, and bulletproof skin.

Speaks English and Spanish

Power set (descriptors): Density (Chemical) 

Noteworthy Feats: All out Attack, Benefit (common sense), Cult Hero (street-level), Power Attack, Stunning Attack. 

Complications: Does not kill. Famous (Hero of Harlem). Complicated Past. Presence/existence invites challenge. Responsibility (Doing the Right Thing). 

Drawback: Holding Back (you possess a lot more power than you're letting on, but you won't use it out of legitimist fear) 

Other Descriptors: Biological, Chemical, Earth, Enhanced, Good

---

John Proudstar “Thunderbird” (NG/CN)

6’ Navajo Male from New Mexico (Gifted)

John is a fit and well-spoken wanderer with a deep well of determination and honor. He was born with super-senses that afforded him the ability to sense enhanced or gifted individuals. After a near death betrayal during the Hydra uprising John accepted the offer as the mortal Avatar for his ancestral god Haashchʼéé Oołtʼohí and has served as such since. 

Speaks English, Navajo, and Spanish.

Power set (descriptors): Super-Senses (Gifted), Battle Form (Bestowed) 

Noteworthy Feats: Benefit (enigma), Blind Fighting, Catch Attack (unarmed strike), Power Attack, Inspire, Trance, Tracking (super-sense)

Complications: Substance Abuse (Alcohol). Divine Servant. Insomniac, Enemy (Hydra). Enhanced Nemesis.

Drawback: Recurring Nightmares (you suffer from constant nightmares that haunt your dreams, tormenting you) 

Other Descriptors: Bestowed, Divine, Nightmares, Justice, Hunting, Darkness, Water

---

Marcus Makhailov "Morning Star" (NG)

5’ 11” Caucasian Male from Sokovia. 

Marcus Aleksandr Makhailov is a twenty-eight-year-old, cultured individual; strong in his faith and son to one of the oldest and wealthiest noble families in Sokovia. Marcus is a former Sokovian special forces agent who operates his own inventions along with reclaimed Ultron-tech as a vigilante under the guise of Morningstar.

Speaks English, Sokovian, Russian, Italian, German, Spanish, and French.

Power set (descriptors): Device (Advanced Tech)

Noteworthy Feats: Benefit (wealth), Eidetic Memory, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Mechanical Genius, Salvage, Skill Mastery. 

Complications: Family Secret. Complicated Past. Enemy (Hydra). Obsession (Advanced Tech). Staunch Catholic. 

Drawback: Limited Power Source (your tech requires a rare charging components) 

Other Descriptors: Advanced Tech, Invented, Air

---

James Barrett (CN) 

5’ 10” Caucasian male from England (Asgardian*)

James Barrett is a well-educated, early thirties man raised to respect the earth and observe the old ways. A lover of life, music and psychotropic drugs. Asgardian blooded, and like all Asgardians James is long lived with an enhanced intellect and natural toughness. James is at his soul a magic-user who uses his inherited magical abilities to recover lost items of his ancestry, protect magical creatures (and individuals) as well as places of mysticism.

Speaks English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Sokovian, Greek.

Power set (descriptors): Magic (Telekinesis), Asgardian (Descendent) 

Noteworthy Feats: Artificer, Benefit (enigma), Eidetic Memory, Fearless, Fearsome Rebuke (infernals), Ritualist 

Complications: Substance Abuse (psychotropic drugs). Insomnia (Nightmares). Enemy (Ordo Seclorum). Homosexual. Obsession (The Magus). 

Drawback: Power Loss (you lose all ability to cast spells if you cannot speak and gesture) 

Descriptors: Asgardian/Bloodline, Telekinesis, Magic, Rituals, Ley Lines, Fire

---

PDF Links: 

Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition Core Rule Book

Mutants and Masterminds Ultimate Power

Mutants and Masterminds Book of Magic

Things to remember..

Attack Roll vs. Defense Roll

Extra Effort 

Hero Points (for the most part accumulated hero points do not carry over from session to session)

There are no attacks of opportunity in Mutants and Masterminds. 

Using the Wealth system for tracking monies. 

House Rules

Earning Hero Points: The Complication Track: some situations, encounters or actions will incur a character complication. Each time this happens a character will make a Will Saving Throw (DC11 + 1 for each incursion to a maximum DC15) or advance along that character's Complication Track. Characters receive a Hero Point each time they incur a character complication. 

Once the character has made four complication incursions (fails the DC15 Will save) the character suffers the consequences related to the character's complication. Some times consequences means (but are not limited to) making a holy confession (Marcus), taking a drink (John), blowing off steam (Luke) or taking a drug to ease his mind (James). After suffering the consequences the character's complication track resets. 

07/13/2023 Virtuous Age Final Session 50: Kron Attunes to the Embassy, Dialing up Coeus, and Sanguine Return

We begin this week’s session with a discussion about what to do for the next couple of hours as Kron continues to attune the Embassy. Eabrossi suggests retreating to the crypts and there deal with the magical seeing eye that keeps our enemies awares. As we descend and Kron opens the crypts and when we do a few magics are affected but to seemingly no effect. Tena intends to rest as does Aevum and Eabrossi.

Come and face your fate or we will defile the pool then move to each gathering of civilization until we find something you truly care about.

We respond with You will meet your doom in two hours. But we are unsure exactly what got through.

Another message- about three minutes later- says that the pool will be defiled before two hours.

Eabrossi calls out the bluff.

Then, noises in the funereal chamber.

About 15 minutes into our respite 6 vrocks magically teleport into the crypts. They were trixie but we are able to dispatch them.

Tena and Aevum come up with a plan using mythic power and Aevum’s portable workshop to be able to recuperate. Another 15 minutes later several fire and air elementals enter though the offering holes in the crypt ceiling. They come in, whip through the crypts and exit just as Tena and Aevum swap using the workshop.

It is about 10 minutes into Aevum’s preparations our characters begin to hear noises above. About two minutes later and for a few minutes longer huge armor plated-fined creatures are summoned and break through the crypt. This immediately kills the summoned creature. A tactic meant to provoke us into action. 

Eabrossi too, uses the workshop and when he is completed we are at the hour mark.

Another 15 minutes go by. 45 minutes now.

Then attunement. Kron immediately feels a deep connection with his Titan bloodline and after a joyous prayer to Stronmaus Kron is able to identify all the giants in his lineage here.

The other characters cast preparatory spells before we eventually dimension door to the Embassy control device. In the distance at the bay entrance we see several dragons waiting outside. Frozen in anticipation of our arrival. 

Kron looks down at the control device, Coeus is number 5 on the dial. While Kron moves the dial, outside are several versions throughout time of Aevum fighting the various enemies giving us precious time. Zaigan will identifies his uncle in the warfare. We all recognize Agamotto’s hand in aiding our escape.

When Kron dials up number 5 and a multicolored bridge extends from the bay to the pool which is now a mercurial quality now.

We descend the bridge and activate several glyphs, one of which is Aevums mother Sanguine's symbol. It is here as we entered the pool Aevum’s mother's soul enters the body of Umseki.

The End?

The Final Results:

Zaigan (RM): 44

Kron (JC): 98 – 1 planar dragon, 1 void dragon (opal), 1 Mythic Hydra (three times), 1 planar (rift dragon)

Virtuous Age Placeholder Post One

Virtuous Age Placeholder Post Two

 To be edited or deleted later.