Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Fate of the World Part 4: Mind of a God

Now we delve into the murky world of Channels(...mer...I really do not like that name, I need a better one. Thesaurus don't fail me now...and my thesaurus has failed me, looks like I am stuck with channel for now). Influences four this are Watchmen(Doctor Manhattan), Aberrant(Novas/aberrants), Progenitor(Dark Energy Users), and Steelheart(though more alien and less evil in this version).

Channels
1956, the year everything changed. 1956, the year physics as we understood it left the universe. 1956, the year He entered the world. At a small atomic research station in the middle of New Mexico an accident occurred. Michael Shuster, the labs leading researcher, died. He was disintegrated in a small nuclear reactor accident. Three days later, he body began to rematerialize from the brain outward. The Military quickly stepped in to cover up the situation. Soon they realized they had in their possession the ultimate weapon. Michael could manipulate the Strong Nuclear Force, or he seemed to be able to. For several years they tried to duplicate the conditions and results of his accident. They failed. As the years went on Michael became stranger, more distant. Many feared what would happen when he lost all connection to reality as we understand it.

They began  a program to get him reconnected to this world. He went public, and over the next decade revolutionized technology, becoming a celebrity scientist. The years spent studying him allowed for various avenues of technology that were previously unimaginable. Michael was now connected to the human race again, but that did not make his thoughts or actions any less alien. As the decade progressed he became stranger and more philosophical. In 1967 a group stepped forward, the children of the atom, they worshiped Michael as Divine Made Flesh. Often he would visit these people and discuss things, sometimes denying his divinity and other times seeming to acknowledge it. These discussions were published as The Final Hypothesis. In 1969 Michael left the Earth. His last words were, "I am leaving yet. I must meet myself. Your destiny has been my Fulfillment." Much has been made of these last words. Some say that he had become unhinged completely, others that it was some kind of threat, still others think it a prophesy. No one really knows. That was the last anyone would ever see a being like that. Until 1972.

In Karuizawa, Japan. The United Red Army gathered a over twenty people into a Holiday Lodge below Mount Asama. Their the detonated an electrical device of unknown type, most likely derivative of technology developed by Dr. Shuster. This explosion caused the volcano to erupt. Thousands died, and much of the city was  left in ruins. Three days later a naked woman was seen hovering over the ruins, apparently helping the cleanup. Aoki Fukuko, the worlds second Channel, had arrived. Since 1972 there have been other occurrences, other accidents. Currently the world holds at least forty two Channels. There may be more, some may be hiding their nature.

Channels do not read as different than normal humans on initial inspection. All of their powers stem from their mental ability to control one or more of the four fundamental forces of the universe. So far none have been anywhere near as powerful as Michael Shuster. All of them seem to become more alien as time goes on.

Rules for making Channels in Jadepunk
1. You must have Channel in your portrayal
2. Your techniques are allowed to have any feature or flaw and they must all have the troubled flaw(relating to your inhuman nature and mindset.
3. Devices are unchanged.
4. Your Trouble must also relate to your inhuman nature in some way
5. Allies are not available to you. You have trouble making connections.

And that is my take on Channels. I really do need a better name for them, so any help there would be appreciated. Also any other comments or critiques would be welcome. the next post will be a little bit more history and world building as well as a couple of characters, maybe.



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