Toxica - Former Villain

[Inquisitor D]

Name: 'Toxica'

Concept: Haunted Brawler
Aspirations: Short Term
Make a friend outside of Utopia
Come up with a more 'family friendly' codename.

Long Term
Defeat my father in an even fight

Origin Path: Child of a KillerSkills; Close Combat, Medicine, Larceny, Culture

Edges; Eufiber •••••, Safe House, Hair Trigger Reflexes, Iron Will •••, Forceful Martial Arts •••, One Against An Ocean ••,

Access: Criminal Hangouts,

Contacts: Sargent David Walker, known fence and black market supplier. Informant (•)
Role Path: Amateur InvestigatorSkills: Enigmas, Empathy, Humanities, Persuasion

Edges; Patron •••, Photographic Memory •••, Tough Cookie ••, Speed Reading, Swift, Keen Sense, Adrenaline Spike ••, Lightning Calculator ••,

Access: Investigation Kit

Contact: Miss Blitz, Esports professional, Influential (•)
Society Path: Utopian WardTeam Tomorrow Path

Access: T2M Central Headquarters
Contact: Doctor Pacifica Ivy, Therapist, Well Connected (•)

Powers: Toxica's abilities focus around acid, generating colourful short range high pressure liquid lances that follow her hand movements. With training she might be able to cover much wider ground with them, for now she's basically a poison clawed unarmed fighter.

Background

It takes talent to stay on the Most Wanted list in the Nova age. Team Tomorrow are very good at taking down individual criminals, and they're a high priority for the heroes of Project Utopia. No one likes a wandering maniac: it's good PR, and they've got methods of investigation baseline police officers can't match. You want to show the benefits of Nova intervention, this is the easiest way to do it.

But there's still a few rogues out there who've managed to slip through Utopia's grasp. The Hollow Heart Killer is one of them. Their first recorded crime is easily the most notorious: devastating the mining town of Lahzenstadt. First responders found the entire settlement destroyed, the inhabitants, and the mine collapsed. A simple message was left at the town hall, written neatly on clean paper on the desk of the town's mayor, right next to her dead body. It was a pretty simple manifesto, one that was kept out of the news media as much as possible. The first line circulated on the OpNet thanks to an injudicious reporter, but the killer's chosen pseudonym remains relatively unknown.

An Indictment

"If a man knows no fear, and strives for nothing, his heart is hollow."

"That is the curse of the Nova Age. Nothing to fear, when the man in the sky will save you. Nothing to strive for, when only the golden few can make real progress. Humankind are on the path towards stagnation. Rank after rank of wound up toy soldiers, playing out miserable little lives in the shadow of their wealthy super-powered masters. This is a pathetic, miserable end for the human race."

"Hail the conquering superheroes. Between Utopia and the Teragen, our only option seems to be domination."

"I doubt I can correct this trend. But I will try to strike a blow against the rising tide. I start with Lahzenstadt, a dying town that never held the strength to change or adapt. The people here were trapped in a decades long cycle, slaved to an unprofitable mine, without the opportunity to expand their horizons or the will to challenge the status quo. No Nova was going to bother to change this place. Too busy fighting each other, or showing off for the cameras. And the mine? They just got handed a new contract for Vitruvium raw ores. Not enough to improve the town, but enough to keep this iniquity going while the owners bled the people dry."

"So I took action my way. This was a mercy to those locked in the grip of stagnation. It will happen again. If that prospect scares you, please, make a plan to defend yourselves. That is all I ask of anyone. To fear, to grow, to move."

"But don't leave it to Utopia. They won't keep you safe from me"

Nadir

The killer's travelled across the world since then, and has kept their MO extremely varied. Sometimes the targets are isolated, small settlements in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes it's an apartment floor or a nightclub in the middle of a bustling city. Once or twice, it's been a ritzy penthouse apartment. Always though, there were no witnesses prior to discovery of the scene and the same calling card left behind: a neatly written message, musing on the philosophy of humankind versus Nova, and signed with the killer's pseudonym.

It was clear that this 'Nadir' was himself something other than a regular human, likely a Nova with enhanced intelligence that let him orchestrate these 'zero witness' scenarios. He wouldn't be the first to great Eruption by doubling down on self loathing. But there was significant variance both in method and style of attack. Some were slain with relatively conventional weapons. Others clearly bore marks of Quantum infused executions: bodies ripped apart from the inside out, or burned internally. Analysts were struggling to figure out what made Nadir use his powers only half of the time.

Well, he didn't. The more brutal deaths were Toxica's doing.

She doesn't remember a time before Nadir, except in the vaguest terms. She's managed to get some vague impressions back, but it took effort. A home, by the bay. Warmth. Laughter. Then panic, confusion, screaming on a dark night. She'd hid under the bed when he found her. She was scared of him, wanted him to go away. That was when she Erupted. She threw the slender man across the room on a tide of glowing, brightly coloured venom.

But then he got back up. And that's the last bit of that memory she still has. She woke up in a bed with him looking over her, and a hot meal made.

Toxica was with Nadir for a while. He was... sometimes kind. He told her she'd been granted a gift, something that should be put to higher ends. He wanted to push her powers to their limits, viewing them and her as... well, she's not sure. A daughter? An apprentice? A tool? He had kind words for her on occasion, he's the one who trained her to fight. He had a vision of the two of them as some kind of crusaders, bringing drive back to humanity.

But when she didn't measure up... then came another round in the cage. Another 'hunting trip', with an electric shock if she didn't land the killing blow. She didn't have an option other than join in the Great Mission.

So... she followed orders, did what she was told, killed who she had to. Nadir's hunting hound, a Nova pet who could inflict more brutal damage than even he could. The old man even used venom she generated in some of his 'games', giving a few chosen victims a chance at life.

Lahzenstadt wasn't their first 'engagement', Nadir just used that opportunity to announce his crusade to the world. But Team Tomorrow are extremely good at what they do. They did eventually manage to interrupt Nadir and Toxica, during an attack on an OpNet Influencer Conference in Bahrain. This was their first time going head to head against Utopia's finest. Nadir got away, making full use of Toxica as a distraction. But her kind of straightforward threat is something easy enough for Team Tomorrow to take down.

Leaving them with a confused, badly messed up young Nova to try and deal with.

It became clear pretty quickly in interrogation that Toxica was a victim of Nadir in her own way. She was barely able to talk at first: Nadir preferred her silent, only giving the occasional answer to one of his questions. Understanding was more important than speaking. Psyche did a lot of work with her, entering her mind for a more conductive approach to therapy. Thanks to her testimony, Project Utopia was able to get most of the charges against Toxica annulled: an unwilling minor isn't exactly culpable. But that left a question of what to do with someone so... not adjusted for society.

Ultimately, she was made a ward of the project. Toxica's spent the last several years in Addis Ababa, growing up around the men and women of Project Utopia and helping where she can. It's been... good for her. She's been assigned to the Diplomacy Corps, providing some additional security and insight. She's had a lot to work through and untangle, so she's always returned to Nova Health in the central headquarters. She's never put in an application form to join Team Tomorrow, but that's more because she didn't think it was a possibility given her background. Utopia's already been generous and kind to her. They've even got other young Novas, desperate for a spot in the big leagues. She'd never expect something like that.

When she got offered the spot on the Canadian team... well, she couldn't believe it. Literally: Tox actually assumed the order was a prank and went to report it as such to Nova Affairs. Now she's on route, she's extremely nervous. She owes Utopia and Team Tomorrow a lot, and is determined not to let them down. But her confidence is at absolute zero. As far as Tox is concerned, joining T2M Canada is going to be a trial by fire.

Current Sketch: Openly, Toxica's everything you could want of a young Utopian. She's positive, driven and always happy to help. You would not guess her past line of work just by looking at her. If anything, Tox overcorrects - holding back in training to ensure her abilities don't hurt her partner, not speaking up to superiors because it feels disrespectful to offer her opinion on stuff. She's not good at talking or forming personal connections, tending to fade into the background, but it's hard to fault her positivity.

Inwardly though, things are more complicated. Tox isn't sure herself how sincere she is about heroism. She wants, badly, to do good. But how much of that is sincere belief, and how much is desperation for Utopia to not punish her for what she did? Whatever Dr Pacifica says, she did what Nadir said. She killed a lot of people. It feels almost beyond hypocritical for her to blame anyone for anything, and it makes her uncomfortable with being assigned to Team Tomorrow. It's a mark of how much she feels she owes Utopia that she's willing to try this.

Skills

Athletics	•
Close Combat (Unarmed)	•••••
Integrity	•
Medicine (Autopsy)	•••
Larceny	•
Enigmas	••
Empathy (Prediction)	•••
Humanities	•

Attributes

Intellect ••	Cunning ••••	Resolve ••
Might ••	Dexterity •••••	Stamina •••
Presence ••	Manipulation ••	Composure ••

Skill Tricks: Medical Advantage
Edges: Patron (Cestus Pax)Tox gets along with most of T2M Central: she spent years living in a building in relatively close proximity to the team, and she's met them all at least once. With their famous leader however, things are a little different. Pax was the one who knocked Toxica out during that first fight in Bahrain. She can still remember a scowling, furious hero coming right at her, quantum field flaring bright blue. He was furious with her: nothing makes Pax more outraged than a Nova who willingly kills innocent civilians.

Hearing Psyche's account of Toxica's story though did something very rare. It made Cestus Pax rethink his stance. He did the second interview himself, one on one, taking it slow. And in Toxica's tears, her pain at what her powers had done, he saw something familiar.

While he never made the offer of a Team Tomorrow spot, Pax has been training Toxica personally during her time at Central: offering to spar with her one on one. They've kept that going. Tox, for her part, found the big guy relatively easy to be open with. She was already grateful to Utopia, but it was Pax that sold her on Team Tomorrow's mission, made her proud to be a part of the Project.

They kept talking since then; not always in person, but whenever their shifts lined up they'd meet. Otherwise, they went for a video call. They're very different people, the ever certain paragon of a man versus a young woman still wracked by self doubt. But when Toxica thinks of what being a hero means, it's Cestus Pax she thinks of. ••• Eufiber ••, Fame •, Swift •,

Mega-Attributes: Mega Cunning •••
Mega-Edges: Defence •, Rapid Strike

Quantum Powers: Quantum Attack •••, (Piercing, Poison •• (Injury)) Cloak •
Quantum: ••• (Quantum points - 25)
Transcendence:

Health: Bruised, Injured, Injured, Maimed, Taken Out

Armor: Soft 2, Environmental 1 (Eufiber Costume)
Scale: Durability 1, Leadership 1, Mental 1, Might 1, Power 1, Size 1, Speed 1

Experience Points: 150/150 XP

Quantum 3: 32xp
Mega Cunning 3: 36xp
Defence 1: 12xp
Rapid Strike: 12XP
Cloak 1:12 XP
Quantum Attack 3: 36 XP
Close Combat 5: 5 XP
Empathy 3: 5 XP

Notes:

Tox's powers

Edited March 27 by Inquisitor D (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

Okay, getting a bit more together. I'd appreciate a look over/advice if that's okay? I'm familiar with Storyteller, but Storypath's less my game, so worried I'm missing something/overlooking stuff. I also need to dust off my setting books: rough idea is that she's been rescued from Syndicate run Nova Bloodsports and raised by Utopia. Maybe in the Tomorrow Academy, maybe seperately and folded into Teen Tomorrow later? Either way, she's 'graduating' to full team membership.

[Vecnahand]

Let see math wise, it is fine.

Quantum Attack you have to define it, basically picking the tags with 3 dots, you can pick 3 tags.

Nova bloodsports run by the MegaSyndicate, a possibility maybe but that's still very hard to do, even for the Syndicate. Also a reason why they try to avoid Nova stuff, they have a few Elites nova working for them tho.

As for Teen Tomorrow and the Tomorrow Academy pretty much the first team just got made, so it is all very new to say the least but could the potential of going directly to Team Tomorrow.

 

Edited March 23 by Vecnahand (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

Fixed up! Glad the maths checks out, though I'm more worried if the build in general is okay. I wanted to go heavy on the fighting, a bit of a wild child who is going to struggle doing regular people things, but concerned I've overdone it.

Lorewise, mmm. Yeah, there's a point on that. The Syndicate has Novas, but like you say, this area is a big flashing danger sign for Utopian intervention. Still, there's some precedent. One of those illegal bloodsports rings was what led to the XWF in the old continuity. I may need to rework this. Something small stakes, a bunch of local thugs with one scary 'pet' Nova they can throw mundanes to for fun.

Or take the Cass Cain thing straight. One person's pet project, child, apprentice... may need more of a sheet rework for that.

But... mmm, yeah, okay. Makes sense that they aren't on Teen Tomorrow: they were probably rescued a bit before that. Without a conventional adoption agency, and with her already being an errupted Nova, would her becoming a 'ward' of Project Utopia make sense? She doesn't have anywhere else to go, but not sure how that'd work in practice.