List of Characters in Heroverse

Superhumans
"Superhuman: n. A person of assumed mortal origin, born with remarkable abilities."

Silver Shield
The younger of a pair of super-powered twins, Kolya's powers awakened him after a freak accident nearly took his and his brother's lives. Awakening afterward, he found he could repel projectiles, attacks, even people with a press of his will and his hands. This was just the beginning of his supernatural development, which progressed well into adulthood. After a falling out with his twin over the use of their powers, Kolya decided (unhappily) to part ways with him, and started putting his abilities to use as a hero: Silver Shield.

Though often thought of as stoic, the manifestation of his powers stands as proof of his great empathy, and he uses them nightly to defend those who cannot defend themselves. His status as a superhuman causes him to withdraw from the people around him, for fear of inviting trouble. He feels his parting with Boz could have been avoided, if he had been strong enough to help him accept their gifts. The guilt of this is a constant reminder to why he shouldn't be with anyone, at all.

Kolya's power over gravity give him the ability to cast protective barriers from his palms, at a maximum size of three meters across, and a distance of fifty feet away. Any farther risks the failure of the barrier or 'shield'. The resulting energy walls he casts repel oncoming objects, and are fire- and explosion-resistant. He is also able to focus the energy to propel himself away from the ground, giving him a limited type of flight. Each hand can only produce a single barrier, and larger barriers require both. The ability to project his barriers and control their size allows him to launch disks of concussive energy that knock back anything they strike. While they cannot inflict harm themselves, the result of being thrown by one can be damaging.

In his civilian guise, Kolya does everything he can to distance himself from his alter ego. When he speaks at all, it's in a false accent; he wears all-concealing clothes, and fails to make eye-contact. He works as a columnist for the local paper, writing editorials for the less adventurous sections. The frequency with which he sees news of his other self is starting to grate on his nerves.

Rebellion the Russian Racer
The discovery of his powers was a revelation for Boz, who could only think that the gifts he and his brother received were a form of repayment from a God who had otherwise abandoned them. With these powers, he felt, they could have anything they wanted. And for a while, they did--they used their powers to take whatever they chose...until Kolya saw the effects Boz's powers had on him, and decided that living like criminals with their powers was not worth the cost of his health. This led to their eventual division--something that broke Boz's heart, and shoved him closer to the edge of his already fraying control.

Rejecting the heroic beliefs of his brother, he decided to continue to use his powers for his own benefit, stealing and taking vengeance on anyone he decided deserved it. But without Kolya to tell him to stop, his abuse of his powers continues to spiral out of control, leading to more and more lapses in his sanity. Like a drug addict, he can only feel the effects of what he's doing to himself after he's come down off them, but having little else to do with his life, he doesn't concern himself with it--or the fact that the mania lasts longer every time he reaches it.

Like Kolya, Boz's powers rest on his ability to manipulate the gravitational field around him, allowing him to lift and hurl objects of varying size with the force of his will; the more elated he is, the more powerful the attack. When focusing this on himself, he is able to lessen the dragging effects of gravity on his body, allowing him to move and run at speeds several times that of a normal human being, an effect he calls 'blurring'. Using his powers for short bursts has no effect on him, but extensive overuse results in the blurring effect inundating his brain, causing his thoughts, emotions, reactions, even his metabolism and heart to kick into overdrive. This leads to a false sense of rush and urgency, followed by a sense of immortality, and eventually to complete insanity as he loses touch with the 'stable' world and spirals out of control, his mortal brain unable to compensate for the overload of power. When angered in the blurred state, he acts on knee-jerk reactions, attacking whoever he sees through sheer manic instinct.

Despite his denial of the hero mantle, Boz is not above helping others, especially those he unknowingly endangers. Those moments are the few he feels himself in control. He desperately misses his brother, but refuses to claim responsibility for their parting. When he isn't abusing his powers for the high, he is often drunk, finding no pleasure or comfort in the many things he steals.

Privately, Boz fears that the strain of his powers might wear out his heart--or that they might send him insane. He continues to use them anyway. Unfortunately, he's right on both fronts.

SILENCE
As a teenaged Paris slowly suffered the loss of his hearing, he discovered an inexplicable ability developing in its place: the power to  inflict his condition on others. This allowed him to seemingly pass the  building silence lurking around him to other things, muting voices and  deafening normal ears. As a side-effect, his deafness became complete  and permanent, due in part to the controlled, vacuum-like aura created  by his own powers. Though he mourned the loss of his hearing--and with  it, the loss of music--he found in his power a way to relieve his  suffering...by inflicting it on those he felt had earned it. Refusing to  pity himself, he trained to hone his senses to inhuman levels, allowing  him to feel motion, gestures, even speech in the air. After the death of his mother, Paris disappeared, and SILENCE  became a murderer for hire...shortly after the 'untimely' death of his alcoholic father.

Through the use of contained energy  vacuums, Paris can still the soundwaves around himself and the things he comes into contact with, imbuing them temporarily with his power. This allows him to fire bullets and throw projectiles that cause  an immediate deafening and silencing effect on what they touch, and the  weapons themselves make no noise as a result, even if striking a surface--or a person. Having few qualms about ending lives, with the  exception of children, he works for the highest bidder, be they good or  evil. Quick, lithe and deceptively strong, he is an expert marksman and a  weaponsmaster, and can aim and fire a gun with either hand, faster than  most other men alive. His skill is such that even other superhumans fear him, as his vacuum aura causes him to move  without making a sound. And it's hard to dodge a bullet you can't hear. The aura of vacuum-energy surrounding him makes him flame-retardant as  well as soundless, as fire--like sound--functions only in the presence of air. For this reason, he can literally walk through flames. Mute as well as deaf, Paris communicates through looks and brief gestures, more often remaining as his name would imply, watching from the shadows.

His neutrality depends entirely on his employer, and once his job is done, so is his part in any conflict. His loyalty belongs to the highest bidder. The only way to gain his service is to have him assassinate whomever he is working for when he comes for you. The bodies of his former employers are invariably found with their final payment scattered across their corpse.

The Traveler
Most Powered people live complex lives, with questionable motives and uncertain futures--and then, there's Fred. Not that he's a person, exactly. Though presenting as a superhuman, the Traveler is by no means human; he (or it) is a being from another reality, broken through the dimensional fabric with one goal: finding Victor Abernathy.

Fred's powers are numerous and difficult to justify, which is all the more reason for him to conceal them. He is entirely impervious to mortal harm, a trait he demonstrates by accident when he finds himself (often unavoidably) in trouble. When pressed, he is capable of flight, unaffected by the usual strain or limits placed on a regular superhuman.

The more subtle of his powers is the ability to socially "cloak". His presence in a universe he does not belong to is seldom questioned, with the people around him simply accepting his presence.

Alterhumans
"Alterhuman: n. A person who develops abnormal features or skills through scientific intervention. Alternatively, a superhuman with artificially augmented abilities."

Reactor
Under the name Alex Wagner, Aleksei worked as a researcher in multiple government projects involving the superhumans. His work on the Titan Project in particular set him apart, and brought him in close contact with people of great power, who more than anything longed not to have it. It was a longing that fascinated him, as he felt the exact opposite: he wanted powers of his own. When the government stopped meddling, he was forced to take matters into his own hands--and in that way, completely by accident, he got just what he wanted.

An attempt to synthesize a hydroelectric compound ended in a catastrophic explosion, with the sociopathic chemist getting caught in the blast. When he regained consciousness, he found himself changed, able to see the very molecules of matter, and alter them at will. With only his eyes, he could cause an object to burst, or to freeze, or even to collapse in on itself. Possessed at once with the knowledge of his own power, Aleksei became consumed with the need of more, ready and willing to push himself and everything around him to the edge to reach his full potential. It was in this way that he became Reactor, a supervillain with the power to wage war against a world he despised--with no limit to the damage he could do.

The accidental infusion of the hydroelectric substance into his body gives Aleksei powerful telepathy, allowing him to glean the thoughts of others and even explore their memories. With no limit to how much he can learn, his documented genius is only increased by this ability. His matter-manipulation abilities are hampered only by his lack of physical strength, which forces him to employ an advanced biosuit for combat scenarios. From a distance, he can tap into the minds of others and force them to act in his stead. The strain of his powers on his body limits their use to small bursts, requiring his operations to be quick and merciless to be fully effective. Matter manipulation requires pinpoint focus, making it deadly on a still target, but nearly useless against a moving one. When cornered, his only defense are an advanced biosuit, and the ability to stun the mind of those in close quarters. In a pinch, he is not above using human thralls as shields to cover his getaway.

It is theorized that his abilities could be used to cause a person to combust, but is has not been tested--and hopefully never will.

Atlas
Vova Koretsov started his life in the gutter, and ended it locked in a safe.

A small-time thief and petty crook, Vova left an abusive home as a teen, and set out with the simple goal of simply living his life. Known in the sideshow as Atlas for his great strength, he was bigger and more powerful than any man he had ever known, and he utilized this gift in everything from circus performances to enforcing for the local gang. He had never bothered to question this fact, or his role in the world--until he stepped between a stalled out car and a train, and stopped the latter cold. He was a superhuman, another Russian mutant immigrant unwelcome and unwanted. One no prison could hold.

When a government agency offered him the chance to change or even remove his powers, he took it. And out of the 60 superhumans inducted into the Titan Project, Vova was the only one to survive, with devastating consequences.

Vova is the strongest man in the world, able to crush bricks like styrofoam and fold steel siding like a beach towel--and in the Titan Project, that strength was doubled. At the height of testing, he was able to lift and throw an aircraft carrier directly into flight, and take a shot from a cannon at point-blank range without injury. But the process, intending to magnify the power and lessen the will of its victims, had unforeseen side-effects. The metabolic changes removed his body's need for sustenance, and the meddling done with his nerve reactions deadened his physical sense to nothing, so that his rare injuries failed to hurt. Over time, the massive changes to his body fractured his sanity, sending him into a downward spiral of madness that culminated explosively in an event that cost most of the research team their lives, and Vova his freedom.

The last Titan resides in a specially-made holding cell, locked beneath thirty feet of steel plating, a ten-ton globe of lead bearing down between his shoulders to keep him from tearing his bonds. He is kept under guard and heavily medicated to prevent any attempt of his mind to surface from the fugue he exists in. And the only reason they have him at all is because he surrendered.

Inferno
Some people become criminals due to difficult lives forcing them onto a dark path. Others do it simply for the money, or the notoriety that comes along with the territory. And then, there are people like Inferno, who became a villain for one simple reason: he fell in love with the wrong man.

Originally thought to be a combat android, Inferno is in fact an Alterhuman, artificially imbued with pyropathy by the disastrous Project Prometheus. Very little is known about this man, as his appears only in a subordinate role to Reactor, to whom he is bound by a psychic link. His face is concealed behind a metallic visor, protecting his identity while erasing what little humanity could be portrayed. He can summon and cast blasts of fire from his palms, and direct it through a custom-made flamethrower, to devastating effect.

The only word he has been heard to utter is Russian--Ponyal, which simply means "Understood."

Changeling
Born to a rich family in Cambridgeshire, England, Victor Abernathy had everything: money, security, and mental issues in spades. What started as erratic mood swings and minor hallucinations escalated silently, despite his best attempts to control it. In the end, he lost the fight, his family lost their lives--and the Project gained another victim.

Victor was acquired with one goal in mind: determining whether he was a Herculean. The task was more difficult than the Project anticipated, however, as the newly coined Subject 72's health and moods seemed to change by the hour. One day, he would be in peak condition, cheerfully engaging in aggressive banter with those sent to judge him. The next, he would be catatonic, pounds thinner and years older. And then, one day, he appeared with Glasgow scars on his face...and proceeded to dismantle his caretakers. It was soon confirmed that Victor had not one but four sets of powers--an unheard of number to occur naturally--with three of the four bound to one of his "Aspects:" the troubled but non-hostile Patient, the snide and aggressive Hunter, and the murderous Jackal. Each presented in his own form by way of shapeshifting, which happened seemingly at random. This made testing his abilities challenging. Worse still, there was no indication of which was the Prime--and so, there was no clue of who was in charge.

What followed was an attempt at "training," a process that forced Victor to shift between forms to meet tasks. When an Aspect failed to cooperate, other methods were used, the least of which was outright torture. In time, the Aspects became aware of one another, and made a group effort to escape, with the Hunter and Jackal decimating much of the facility on the way out.

Pace: The least harmful of the three is the Patient, so called because of his attempts to help himself, and therefore, all of them. The pilot of "the body" only when the other two are dormant, Pace is a powerful clairvoyant, harrowed by walking visions of things not just of his world, but all the other worlds beyond them. Contact only magnifies this clarity, allowing him to see into the lives of those he touches. While not openly hostile, he is hardly nice, often using his Allsight to terrorize those who menace or bother him. That he is the "good" one says a lot.

Hunter: Deeply immoral and easily bored, the Hunter appears when the Patient is anxious, supplanting his passive personality for an infinitely more aggressive one. Hunter is a sportsman, setting his sights on other Non-Humans, in the interest of collecting. What he intends to collect is unknown, but it's safe to assume the result would be fatal. His telekinesis allows him to launch items at crushing speeds, and to propel himself through the air by psychic grappling. He likes fast cars, fist fights and challenging prey. His penchant for adventure invites frequent injury, however...and injury heralds:

The Jackal: So named for its propensity to cackle, and to rip things apart, the Jackal is the most deadly of the three, strong enough to lift and hurl a tanker truck with the ease of a child's toy. Its hands rend flesh and bone like tissue paper--even its own. At its most deranged, the Jackal utilizes Victor's latent shapeshifting to the fullest, shredding its own body to the horror of anyone near enough to see. Anyone close enough to witness this is doomed to have it be the last thing they see, as the Jackal invariably kills the people it crosses.

S. Credo Santori
An Italian immigrant, Credo came to Gate City with nothing but his clothes and baby brother--and using nothing but his wits, he built a daunting empire.

In a city rife with corruption and crime, populated by crime lords and crooked politicians, few are as influential as the CEO of S.S. Corps--and none have his good press. Perceived by many as a philanthropist, Credo's true business lies in information, which he obtains by any means necessary. It is a level of knowledge that makes him one of the most powerful men in Gate City, and one of the most feared. There is not a criminal power in town with whom he is not on a first-name basis, and many of them perceive him to be one of their own. In spite of his many underworld connections, he has never been tied to a single crime. The few charges that have been brought against him were invariably dropped in response to public outcry and lack of evidence.

To the world, Credo is a philanthropist--an active and outspoken proponent of the poor, in support of civil preservation. To the underworld, he is a figure to be feared, armed with keen insight and a deathly ally kept just out of sight. His wide network of contacts makes him a target of interest to many people, some of whom would seek to take from him more than information. Whatever the truth of his nature, it is clear that he is a man to be reckoned with, and a dangerous enemy to make.

Cristiano Santori
Younger brother to the enigmatic S. Credo Santori, Cristiano (or Criso, as he prefers) is the proprietor of Bianco Rosso, an upscale lounge in White District. Heavily guarded and promising discretion along with its alluring atmosphere, "the Rose" is a popular hangout for influential people with things to hide. Celebrities, politicians, millionaires and mobsters are among the regular clientele, and in Criso's care, they find a quiet moment amidst silk cushions, served wines with four-digit price tags and promised the utmost security. A fleet of cameras and armed guards make certain this safety is not violated.

Flirtatious and witty with a keen intuition, the cherubic Italian boy offers the rich and powerful a moment of respite, in the privacy of a tasteful setting tailor-made to lure them in. His is a life of fine wines, Venetian silk and rose-colored light, spent on the arms of some of the city's most dangerous men and women. It is a life he greatly enjoys. But like his brother, Criso is not so simple as he appears, and those who spend enough time in his company soon realize how expertly his curls and soft features conceal his cunning.

Pavel Shcherbarkov
A former FSB agent, Pavel is a senior inspector representing the Powered Human Regulation Board...and--unknowingly--father to two of the world's most notorious superhumans. A strong supporter of superhuman registration, Pavel started life in the shadow of a Predecessor sibling, whose gifts and the attention they invited brought their simple lives into chaos. When the laws began to change regarding powered people, he found himself and his twin on opposite sides, a fact that cleaved an irreparable gap between them. It is a loss he never recovered from, but one that only stood as proof of the potential damage unnatural abilities could wreak.

Having lost his children years ago and his wife not long after, Pavel is a solitary figure, preferring the safety and silence of loneliness to the dangers of risking further heartbreak. In spite of his advancing age, Pavel remains in his prime, in the way few men ever manage to attain; at over fifty years old, his strength, coordination and speed are unmatched by any other normal human being. This heightened existence is due in part to a rigorous training regimen, the kind only a man with nothing else can sustain. He is highly opposed to the rising trend of costumed superheroes, believing their rampant destruction makes a mockery of the average people who endanger their lives in the name of the law.

Predecessors
"Predecessors: n. The first documented superhumans discovered in the mid-1960s, hailing predominately from Eastern Europe. The standard by which all superhumans are judged."

Solnechnik
Pavel's twin brother and the twins' uncle, Peter Shcherbarkov--formerly known as Solnechnik--was one of the first superhumans, and the first to take up the hero's mantle. Gifted with the power of flight, Peter was able to manipulate solar energy as simply as melting the snow or as harshly as cutting through steel. Though well-known for his work in keeping order, the Soviet government viewed his powers as an undue advantage and socially dangerous, and ordered him confined. His refusal to be captured or to give up his work resulted in the institution of superhuman registration. His fate is unknown, but widely theorized about in the popular comic series, Soviet Hero Solnechnik.

Though named for the Russian coin (its own name a reference to the sun), the word has multiple definitions, referring to the coin itself, a sunflower, and the European john dory. This causes confusion when text regarding him is translated in other languages, resulting in various references to Solnechnik as "Suncoin", "Sunshine", the more preferable "Solarman" and the unfortunate "Sunfish-Man." Most publications don't bother translating it for this reason.

Chernobog
One of the first superhumans, and a major supervillain in Eastern Europe. Named for an evil Slavic god associated with the dark, Chernobog was able to summon and manipulate shadow, coalescing the dark into kinetic forms that could be used to strike, grasp, trap or even impale. Clad in black combat armor with a featureless helmet, his aim seemed only to be the destruction of anything and everything he came across. He was considered a terrorist by the USSR, and famously dismantled an infantry unit sent to take him into custody. A nemesis of Solnechnik. whose powers directly opposed his. His identity remains unknown.

In pop culture, he features prominently in the Solnechnik comics, with the recent series Darklight portraying the two as lovers.

Trivia

 * Heroverse is present in Bubbleverse as a comic series, with the current run surrounding Solnechnik and Chernobog. Boz and Credo are avid readers.