The Protectorate

[Chimpira]

I was originally going to post this in the animated character thread but did not want to bog it down. This is an idea that I played around with. I will post the premise and characters and then some drawing that I did that are kind of cartoony. Hope you guys like it.

[Chimpira]

The Premise:
The Protectorate is a privately owned organization with one goal: the protection of earth from forces within and without. The story revolves around a group of five teenaged super agents in a world of super powers and superheroes. The founder of The Protectorate, Michael Foster and a privately employed teacher, Rosa Flores, supervises the teenagers of this covert agency. In this world, the word superhero is a common phrase but has lost most of its meaning as commercialization and the allure of fast money has replaced the diehard heroes of the past with the glamour heroes of today. No soul and less substance. The agency was formed to fill this void. The agents will risk life and limb to protect the world and the inhabitants. Not for money or glory, but because it is a job that needs to be done.

The Protagonists:
Jason - Super strong and resilient with vision that allows him to see in the dark, Jason is the natural leader of the field team. At sixteen years of age, he is very good looking and charming with dark hair and bronze skin. Although nowhere in the league of Chen when it comes to tactics or as brilliant as Petra, Jason is the heart of the team with the ability to get everyone to work together. He is, also, the most understanding and listens to most of the group's private thoughts. A shoulder to cry on or a friend to back you up to the bitter end if need be.

Malik - Super speed does not even begin to cover it. It has been theorized that the only thing limiting Malik is his own perception, for while he may move at super speed his mind does not. Some believe that this will change, as Malik grows older than his current fourteen years. Malik needs to consume mass quantities of food to fuel all the energy that he uses up while being super fast. Where Jason may be the heart of the team, Malik is the soul. He believes in everyone and treats all the others as family. He is plagued by nightmares of his late brother and holds a dislike for "superheroes".

Chen - Dangerous. She was a genetic experiment by a military splinter organization. Bioengineered to be fast and strong but not into the superhuman realm, it was her mind that had the most tinkering. Chen is a repository of most known military knowledge from tactics to weaponry. She is a master of many forms of martial arts and armed combat. If it has to do with covert activity this fifteen-year-old will most likely know it. Chen is distant and not trusting of others.

Petra - She is a genius of epic proportions. This fifteen-year-old girl from Aachen, Germany is one of the top ten minds in the world. She is fun loving and somewhat of a prankster. It was her invention that makes it almost impossible for one of the team to be filmed or photographed. As a child protégé brought up by an abusive "uncle" who claimed credit for her work, Petra had been sheltered her whole life. She has finally come out into the light and is enjoying every moment of it.

Stone - Dark, brooding, and powerful would be the best way to describe Stone. Through the use of a mystical gem on his forehead, he is able to command the very elements. Stone is the master of fire, earth, air and water. He looks to be in his mid teens but does not tell people his age. Or much of anything else concerning himself. In truth, Stone is an immortal more than two thousand years old. The problem is that he was made an immortal and not born to be one. His brain was not geared for it. He has memory overflow and has trouble recalling anything that has occurred earlier than the last fifty years. He does not remember the names of the ancient empires that he ruled or all the enemies he has made in his long life. He finds it hard to make friends because they will vanish with time.

Michael Foster - The mysterious financier of The Protectorate. Mr. Foster hangs back on the sidelines making sure that the team gets all the financial support that he can bring to bear. Mr. Fosters’ primary source of revenue for this is Daedolus Enterprises, where he is CEO and chairman of the board. His love for the team is only just overshadowed by his belief in their capabilities. Mr. Foster is, also, the only one, of the team, whom currently knows Stone’s secret.

Rosa Flores – A good, if not conventional, teacher. Michael Foster approached Rosa, after she had graduated from college and she immediately accepted her current position as the teacher of Jason, Malik and Chen. She did not know about the powers until later. At first shocked, Rosa grew to see how useful the children are and how passionate they are about keeping the world safe. She still worries about the team and constantly counsels Mr. Foster against sending them into dangerous situations.

Corbin – He oversees the day-to-day activity at the beach house, the ultra tech facility that is the home of The Protectorate. Corbin is easygoing but not flighty. There are certain rules of the Beach House and he makes sure that group adheres to them. His tanned surfer boy looks hides a past of Special Forces training and covert spy activity.


The Antagonists:

A comprehensive list of all the enemies that would crop up in these stories are too numerous to put down in this brief overview. What follows is a brief summary of the persons most influential on The Protectorate universe.

Lazarus Dane – A human of immense power. He has a history with Stone. Dane is an immortal but unlike Stone he was born to be one and has access to all his memories. He is always immaculately dressed in a dark business suit. Some of his abilities are Mass teleportation, Super Strength, Flight, Invulnerability, Energy projection and the list goes on. Lazarus Dane is perhaps the strongest paranormal on earth. His goal is nothing short of world domination. This is what is known. What is not known is that Dane knows of a coming evil that could wipe out the world if the earth is not prepared for it. Dane believes himself to be the only one truly capable to combat this threat. This knowledge he does not share with anyone, leery of spies from the evil force. Dane has created a team to do his bidding as the overuse of his power leave an energy trail that his enemies can follow.

Anshar – The master of Darkness and a sorcerer in his own right. Once a teenage hero himself, Anshar has grown insane and is now a menace that seeks to make the world a place of shadow and sorrow. He attempts to be devoid of emotion and is known, in moments of great pressure, to have arguments with himself.

The Maker – He is a master strategist and inventor. The Maker has assembled a team of paranormals to help in his pursuit of power. He is a mastermind villain and the ‘uncle’ to Petra.

The Glor – An alien race that is comprised of three versions of every individual in their society. The Glor is unique in the universe, because a cross-dimensional calamity caused the dimensional membrane to thin around the planet resulting in the near merging of two other divergent timelines. All three planets would have been destroyed if a powerful space traveler passing by did not halt this process. The Traveler was worshipped like a god by the three planets and took up residence in their sun. He, then, commanded them to travel the universe for conquest. The three planets are identical but for the fact that one is based off of pure science, another magic, and another psionics.

The Stormlords – Named in tribute to their leader Dark Storm, this outfit of paranormal mercenaries got their start as yet another corporate sponsored super team until they were downsized after a corporate merger. Bitter about the loss of their exuberant pay and lifestyle, these former role models turned to a life of crime, taking over a small south pacific island and using it as their base of operations.

Group Interaction:

The team genuinely likes one another but everyone has personal problems that they brought into the team with them. Stone and Chen are standoffish with the group but for two completely different reasons. Stone is hesitant to form bonds with anyone, a defense mechanism that makes his lonely existence more tolerable. Chen was raised to believe that she had a loving family and true friends. That was before she learned the truth about her origins. Everyone that she had grown to trust and love in her small village was a military plant, whom would report her every movement. She understandably has trust issues now. Petra is outgoing and something of a jokester with a passion for knock-knock jokes. Everyone else suffers through them. She tends to overcompensate because she desperately wants to be seen as someone to hang out with. Petra is interested in Stone's power gem and constantly bothers him regarding it. Malik is helpful and very conscious of his speed. He tries not to zip around if he can help it. Malik is one of the only members that would go out of his way to talk to everyone. Malik had an older brother but lost him in an incident with a corporate super team, so he recognizes how much the rest of the team needs a relationship like the one he used to have. Jason is the newest member and the natural leader of the team. The only problem is that he is something of a troublemaker and is easily distracted by girls. He has a good relationship with Malik and the two are often seen together.

The Stories:
The scope of this should be huge with a major emphasis on action and adventure. The story arcs should be grand. These guys were not put together to save kitties from trees and stop bank robberies. They are powerful enough to deal with problems that are global threatening. Some quick ideas of story seeds:

1. The team discovers that the invading Glor has a planet-sized facility for supplying energy to their forces on a large number of captured worlds. The Protectorate locates the energy world, penetrates its many defenses and before freeing the captured divine-like entity that was the secret source of energy, incites the beings on various captured worlds to rise up against the Glor.

2. A few corporations secretly fund an annual no-holds-barred combat event featuring paranormals. They have taken to holding these contests in populated areas to better give the contestants use of cover and subterfuge. The last city that the competition was held had thousands of injuries and needed millions of dollars in repairs. The team has Stone infiltrate the contestants, while Petra pieces together all the clues to determine what Corporations are doing this and amassing evidence against them. The team, then, takes down all the contestants in their secluded bunker.

3. Lazarus Dane has located the Well of the World and invoked the spirits within to reshape the world to his liking. Because of his nature Stone is not affected and seeks out Joshua, one of the guardians of The Segue. Joshua enables Stone to journey back in time before Dane locates the well. The team must overcome Dane's team of paranormals and confront Dane himself in an epic battle to determine the fate of the world.

The stories, also, will have running subplots that affect their world. Who is The Traveler that the Glor worships? What is the coming Evil that Douglas Ash fears? What is Stone and Michael Fosters' connection to Ash?

[Chimpira]

This is Jason.

[Chimpira]

This is Malik

[Chimpira]

This is Chen.

[Chimpira]

This is Stone

[Chimpira]

And this is Petra. Petra was the first character I drew in this style and the first that I learned to ink on so she is kind of eh.

[OddHat]

Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing it.

[Chimpira]

I will draw some more in the future but I just wanted to post this stuff because everyone does such a great job of sharing their ideas and drawings, I felt like a coward not doing the same.

[OddHat]

I will draw some more in the future but I just wanted to post this stuff because everyone does such a great job of sharing their ideas and drawings, I felt like a coward not doing the same.

I like the drawings, and the character backgrounds are interesting (especially Petra and Malik). Are all of these guys being played in a campaign you're setting up, or do you see them as background characters?

[Chimpira]

I like the drawings, and the character backgrounds are interesting (especially Petra and Malik). Are all of these guys being played in a campaign you're setting up, or do you see them as background characters?

Background characters. I have a small group so my players will start off working with them as a part of the group. The setup would be a lot like Justice League Unlimited as these guys would get assignments and certain people would be assigned to the task. So I would have a rotating bin of npc heroes that would be helping out the main players. Plus the backgrounds would lend to a lot of roleplaying opportunities.

[zornwil]

Great characters, I REALLY like the drawings. I will "borrow" these for my campaign - thank you VERY much! Rep for you as soon as my 24-hour period is up.