Else Earth: The Corporate World

[Enforcer84]

Welcome to another in the ongoing thinking out process of my Else Earth Campaign setting. In today's thread, to beat the heat I'm staying indoors and working on some companies that move and shake in my world. 

 

So Far I've got these. More or less.

 

Table of Contents:

• Blacksmith Enterprises (BSE) – prop weapons and armor for entertainment industry
• Clockwerk Sun Inc (CLKW) – Aerospace and Defense
• Crucible Industries (CI) – Super Soldiers/Metahuman testing and Medical
• Deitech Unlimited (DEIT) – Genetics, Cybernetics
• Elite Enterprises (EIN) – Many things
• Epic Entertainment (Not traded publicly)
• Hollister Arms (Privately Held) – Firearms, Robotics, Powered Armor
• Hyperion Institute - (HHQ)
• Magewerks (MAGE) - Technology
• Omniware (OMNI) – Information Security. 
• Orion Technologies (OT) – Genetics and Biology
• Pulse Tech (PULS) - weapons
• Utopia Institute (UI) – Think Tank
• Vulcan Industrial - Technology Holding Company

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Blacksmith Enterprises

 

TSX Symbol: BSE

Trading at: ($2.50/Share -1.03 from December 2010)

 

Motto: Forging Fantasy For Real

Joke Motto: Renfaire Inc.

 

History: Blacksmith Enterprises was founded in 1893 in Calgary, as a steel works foundry. With a name harking back to pre-industrial times to evoke a hard-working group of men, Blacksmith did decent business for about almost 50 years and then found themselves in a rivalry with Canam Steel.

 

As the newer company proved entirely too capable with their structural steel and building endeavors, Blacksmith was losing ground. In a coup, the board of directors were replaced and the newly elected decided to go a new direction; harkening back to their namesake, they became makers of prop arms and armor for the exploding film industry. 

 

That symbiotic relationship has enabled Blacksmith Enterprises to survive if not thrive to the modern day. Their artists and designers have branched out into other costume genres, jewelry, and accessories. They are wildly popular with cosplayers and have branched out into other costume technology. 

 

 

The main scandal is that a prop sword company is publicly traded. 

 

Blacksmith Enterprises is also home to a gadgeteer to the super-stars. Vanessa DeClerq started working at Blacksmith when she was in college as she loves (LOVES) costumes and superheroes. This gave her a chance to play in that world. After finishing her engineering degree, she began a side project of creating actual gear – grappling guns, shock gauntlets, light armor with radio and sensory equipment. She’s not quite up to powered armor but she’s close. 

 

Not quite brave enough (yet) to suit up, she enjoys the challenge of designing superhero gadgets and has worked with a few Canadian heroes in the past. 

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Clockwerk Sun

 

NYSE Symbol:  CLKW

Trading at: $147.32/share -2.63 from December 2010

 

Motto:

Joke Motto

 

History: Founded in 1968 Clockwerk Sun was made up of “idealistic” European scientists and technologists who had been working on various reverse engineering of captured Hyrn technology after the invasion in 1948. Brought together by Norwegian tech millionaire Dag Strand, the scientists began working on a privately funded series of rocket tests. 

They encountered resistance from both NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries and experienced an almost alarming amount of corporate espionage and sabotage in the 70’s and 80’s before righting their security ship in 1996. 

 

In 2000, they scored a Coup by providing much of the technology and infrastructure for Briget Arkholme’s privately funded space mission. This successful launch provided them with the clout and allies in the superhuman community when Arkholme’s mission provided her and her crew with super powers and made them instant metahuman celebrities. 

 

In 2013 Clockwerk Sun found itself losing ground to Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the public eye as well as on the technology front. Given that Space X didn’t rely in alien technologies this has been seen as damning evidence that Clockwerk Sun might not be innovators. 

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Crucible Industries

 

NASDAQ Symbol: CI

Trading at: ($25.5/Share +1.23 from December 2010)

 

Motto: The Fires of Evolution

Joke Motto: Where America Buys Its Superheroes

 

History: Founded in December of 1945 by the various disparate heads of America's war-time Super Soldier projects, Crucible Industries of Delaware made its name as the most unorthodox of defense contractors. In the age of the Super-Men, CI sees itself as Prometheus, giving the US Government (and a few other Nations trusted by the board of directors) the gift of fire to even the battle field. 

 

The original projects CI worked on, powered armor, cybernetics (They called them "Bionics" in the early days), biochemical enhancement (super steroids!) and low grade radiation treatments (regrettably consistent only in making the test subjects ill) have become mainstays. CI is a glorified (and patriotic) think-tank, they own patents on super-materials, cyberware, medicinal drugs, treatments, and monitoring systems. Their labs have consistently produced innovations over the last six decades and they are considered something of a controversial national treasure. 

 

 

Crucible Industries has offices in Delaware (Home office), San Francisco, Denver, Mexico City, and Berlin, they have been working on a site in Toronto for the last two years but have received some push back from a few Canadian-based human rights groups who want their testing methods researched before allowing it.

 

Their detractors call them "Monsters Inc." 

 

There are a few skeletons in the closets of CI. 

 

Surprisingly, CI is on the up and up and has had a marvelous track record on the "Creation of Superhero to Supervillain" ratio. Their volunteers are subjected to rigorous psychological testing and their procedures are rigorously tested prior to any live tests. CI does not believe in cutting corners on safety. 

 

In reality, they haven't produced many Superbeings in the last 60 years, either. The bulk of their work has slowly gone to the testing and research technology. Many superheroes have turned to CI when they encounter strange chemicals or energies. 

 

 

• The Board of Directors are by and large the same men and woman who started the company in the 1940's One of their most rigorous endeavors has been extending their lifespans. They have publicly given over their positions to proxies, children, or proteges but nine of the original twelve are still alive and active, 1 has retired and two passed away despite their treatments.

• Crucible Industries has long been working for the US (and a few other countries) gathering information on meta-humans. They have kept identities secret but the information often includes possible weaknesses and behaviors.

• The bit about Supervillians and Monsters is true - CI has only two black marks in their existence: the first was Calvin Bishop, briefly known as the Berserker, and the reason for their testing procedures. Calvin went insane and destroyed the original CI labs complex and much of the local area before he was slowed down by the Science League of America and died of a heart attack during the fight; the second was a former high ranking researcher named Dr Tobias Palmer who later joined the Iron Crusade and on his way out stole much as much technology and information as he could.

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Deitech Unlimited

NYSE Symbol:  DEIT

Trading at: $123.11/share +2.93 from December 2010

 

Motto:

Joke Motto

 

History: Founded in 2001 by the “God of Health” Apollo, Deitech Unlimited was a privately held drug and health company involved in testing, disease prevention and curing, genetic testing and enhancement, and later personal robotics, cybernetics, artificial organ and limb replacement.

 

Though Apollo Rinaldi is considered an eccentric genius and loveable blow-hard in the media his company has grown leaps and bounds thanks to divisive Trade Agreements that skirt EU regulations in certain countries and the sustained boom in the US Drug Market.

 

Deitech went public in 2010 and has been a consistent earner ever since.

 

 

 

Apollo Rinaldi isn’t just an eccentric fitness/health guru who plays guitar in various bands and has modelled in the past. He’s the “doppleganger” of the Greek God who shares his name. One of the so-called “Fallen” Olympians lead by Jupitor the Usurper; Apollo is a slightly tarnished copy of the original. Quite powerful but exceptionally down to earth for a one-time worshiped being, he’s worked with his siblings Vulcan and Diana to create a corporate empire. The other two lending expertise on cybernetics and mental health.

 

Rinaldi doesn’t bear his clone much ill will after all this time, and the latter doesn’t see him as a threat. Though he does watch with interest, if Deitech Unlimited were to start causing wholesale harm, Apollo the True would probably step in and try to stop it. 

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Placeholder for Elite Enterprises

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Epic Entertainment

 

Not Publicly Traded

Motto: Super-Hot Action

Joke Motto: League of Lube

 

History: Started in 1978 in Las Vegas, Epic Entertainment is an adult entertainment film company that uses “superhero motif” actors and actresses. Their original features gained popularity despite being no better written or acted than anything else out there, but they did at least try to do something different.

 

Epic caught fire in the video market of the 80’s and early 90’s and reacted quickly to the internet. As porn on the web became easier and cheaper to create, Epic stood out as a company still willing to time and effort on plot and dialog. They also won a landmark case regarding their “Parodies” of actual super teams, and then announced that they’d stick to original superheroic themed work.

 

In 2000 they made a splash (and history) by signing three actual metahuman on screen talents; Jake Irons, Demonica Deis, and Hans Morecochs (stage names)

 

Jake Irons is a low end brick with superhuman physical attributes, strength, speed, and, most important for his new career, stamina and endurance. He specializes in long uncut scenes and reverse gang bang movies. He is a handsome African American man with a chiseled, but still human physique. He is actually a decent actor too.

 

Demonica Deis is an obvious metahuman, she has low level enhanced physical attributes but superhuman agility and flexibility. Her main draw is her uncanny resemblance to a succubus-like race of a popular video game: she has dark blue skin, purple pupil-less eyes, horns on her head, cloven hooves rather than feet, and a tail. A skilled actress and dancer, she is exotic and has a huge following.

 

Hans Morechochs is a shapeshifter. Capable of looking like any species, he can also sprout multiple limbs. He is a live action tentacle rape film waiting to happen. He is, surprisingly, the least accomplished actor of the three and doesn't really get much better. He also refuses to “play a chick”. He is a passable mimic, and has portrayed celebrities or famous public figures, but they universally go after him legally for it (as a side note: several “Celebrity Sex Tapes” have been attributed to him. Though some of the films featured a female celebrity which contradicts his publicly stated refusal to act as a woman. However, he has settled out of court for undisclosed sums in many of these cases. In truth he is the one taking the money, the agreements generally make it look like he's creating the mischief as part of his trickster personality and the celebrity in question can bask in the attention without seeming to be a sexual deviant)

 

The three first appeared together in the Epic Entertainment feature: Captain Hardcase and the Silver Idol; still one of the highest grossing adult films of all time. The scene between Irons and Deis had to be edited considerably due to length; later the scene was released in its entirety as a three-hour feature.

 

Since then Epic has signed no less than twenty meta-humans to contracts. The company has done very, very well and even ventured into standard films starring some of the meta-human talent. These have been reasonably successful and Epic has become a fair sized fish in the entertainment pond as a whole and a leviathan in the Adult Entertainment end of the pool.

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Placeholder for Hollister Arms

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The Hyperion Institute

 

NASDAQ Symbol: HHQ

Trading at: $225.75 +11.25 since 2010

 

Motto:

Joke Motto:

 

History: Founded in 1973 by Halsten Nylund as a low profile think tank that specializes in self-actualization and the benefits of higher schools of thought; the Hyperion Institute has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to his business acumen and you know, mentalism. The Hyperion Institute proper is not a corporation however there is a Holding Company that handles their assets and it is publicly traded. Nylund is on the Board of Directors. 

 

The companies held by HI are numerous but focus on publishing, academia, testing, and social and medical services. They are based in Sweden but have offices all over the world. Nylund is a well known figure and rumors of metagene abound considering he's really not aged since entering the public eye. 

 

Officially they are among the leaders in the study of the mind. Unofficially, they are a group of incredibly powerful (politically, and psionicly) mentalists. Halsten Nylund is considered by his fellow mentalists to be Earth's premier telepath. His goals are not so much world conquest as a nice, orderly, psionic community that moves mankind ahead without controlling them. However, he very much sees himself as the only one fit to control the mentalists. 

 

He tends to separate Mentalists and non-mentalists in all his endeavors. The organization is subtle and not overtly malevolent. Kind of a cross between Men in Black and PSI, working behind the scenes to protect its founder's version of reality.

 

And they ALL have mental defense. 

In addition to their numerous Education Centers across the world they run an accredited school for gifted children. It’s an intense academic curriculum along with the testing, study, and education of young mentalists. 

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Magewerks

 

Euronext Symbol: MAGE

Trading at: (€12/Share -.1 from December 2010)

 

Motto: Exploring the Magic of Technology

Joke/Derisive Motto: The Disney Store

 

History: Magewerks is a new international think-tank turned technology company that has produced a number of eclectic patents in fields such as electronics, chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, and novelty items/children's toys.

 

Their biggest impact has been using crystalline based power cells, putting them in somewhat competition with American corporations Exxon Energy, Vulcan Industries, and Bryce Engineering.

 

Magewerks is most well-known for its eccentric leadership, four men and two women from about Europe who joined forces in the British countryside to create their dream of a no-holds-barred investigation into all things tech and "magic," they often refer to themselves as the Clarke's Law Six. 

 

The big secret behind Magewerks is not really a secret at all, it's just not believed. The Clarke's Law Six are practicing Technomages - very rare and often seen as very dangerous devotees to both high technology and magical research. 

 

Though the Six are by and large beneficent in outlook, they do have more than a little "Mad scientist" lurking in their good-nature and silliness. 

 

Magewerks has contracts with the British Government's Ministry of Arcane and the US's Bureau 13 as well as many of the major players in the magical world by providing IT services, and serve as an extra-dimensional Internet Service Provider.

 

They also function as a magical research facilitator.

 

Finally, they can provide NPC/PC supers. In my world, Magewerks has created a number of "elevated" artificial beings (just to see if they could) they then try to study them - and all the unpleasantness that entails.

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Placeholder For Omniware

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Place Holder for Orion Technologies

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Pulse Tech 

 

NYSE Symbol: PULS

Trading At: ($13.23/share +1.11 from December 2010)

 

Motto: Weapons Grade Innovation

Joke Motto: NRAwesome.

 

History: Pulse Tech was founded in Silicon Valley as a communications company in 1975. They developed, rather accidentally, the pulse-technology energy beam as an attempt at laser communications technology. 

 

This discovery shifted their focus from communications to military applications. Since 1979 the company has developed pulse-tech weaponry in all manner of form factors. They are respected in their circles for efficiency, price, and product. 

 

Noted for their strong relationships with several governments and the security industry, Pulse Tech still serves as a poor cousin to traditional arms powerhouses Smith and Wesson Holding Company, and Hollister arms in terms of market share. 

 

 

Not much to say here, Pulse Tech’s original communications roots haven’t been completely shed however, they have been investing heavily in the development of drone technology even before the boom in use in the late 2010’s. 

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Utopia Institute

 

NYSE Symbol: UI

Trading At: ($123.11/Share 12% growth over value in 2010)

 

History: Founded in 1830 as a privately owned and funded "Think Tank," the Utopia Group was the love child of enlightened idealists and men with more money than sense. Charged with finding the answers to mankind's problems on Earth, the institute was for its first 100 years a laughing stock of wasted money, time, and effort. Their findings were regularly denounced (even if later proven correct) and the Institute found itself on the outside looking in at important debates and discussions of the day. However, the money rolled in from dedicated backers and some of their recommendations found homes in important places.

 

In the 1930's however, control of the group fell into the hands of one Warren J Goode and things were never the same. Goode was (as his name suggests) an altruistic man and something of a savant; he could not only see issues and solutions but could express them in a way that put cynics at ease. The "Group" became the "Institute" and never looked back. The private funding also went Public in 1950 and the Institute began a more active role in making a better world; by 1980, the Utopia Institute had its fingers in manufacturing, environmental engineering, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, medicine and hunger relief.

 

Some of their efforts have had to be reined in by superhuman champions: in 1974 they tried to clean the oceans with a trash eating bacteria which mutated into a massive collective and tried to destroy Tokyo; an attempt in 1990 at transforming large swaths of arid desert in Africa into a fertile agriculture belt was more successful but had the unintended consequence of disturbing a number of tombs of former kings who lead an army of undead to destroy the villages and cities involved; (the Kings were later appeased and their burial grounds returned and maintained) and finally their attempt to invite an alien race to join our "peaceful coalition of planets" begat the 2003 Invasion. 

 

Despite these setbacks, and rumors that they're far more interested in profit and influence than saving mankind, UI is considered a force for good in the world and have helped move innovation and ethics forward. They even fund their own team of metahuman champions, the Solution. 

 

In 2000, UI opened their own school in Addis Ababa, the Utopian Institute Preparatory Academy. The school caters to African children with metahuman powers or backgrounds.  

 

GM's Notes:

These guys are more obnoxious than evil. They really do want to save the world but they really think the best way to do that is to be in charge. They're idealistic about the future but play the game with exceptional cynicism. The current board of directors lean slightly to the side of increasing profits in their old age. (Though they all have managed to extend their lifespans quite a bit.) 

 

The Solution is a team of powerful heroes who worry more about "The Big Picture" they show up at disasters and invasions but don't "Play Cops and Robbers" and occasionally intervene in areas they're not welcome

 

Chad's Notes:

The Utopia Institute is very much nicked from White Wolf's Superhero game which I had a copy of back in 1991. They made the perfect backers for my favorite team of obnoxious heroes, "The New Peace Armada!" (exclamation point included) which is a name I got from the random super team name generator in Heroic Almanac 1. It was a name that conjured an image of a team of New Age Hippies who caused as much trouble as villains but were really trying to help. Originally my team consisted of The Champion of the Poor, (Alien Enemies) Titaness, (Enemies Unbound?) Granite, (example character from 4th Edition (Hand to Hand attack IIRC)) and a few characters I made up (A PETA Supporter, A Hippie Druid, An angry and violent pacifist, and a nudist), after Enemies Assembled came out I made Aries their leader.

 

Eventually I changed their name and when I moved away from the official CU I decided to make them a tad more serious. I love Aries but decided I couldn't use him so transformed him into the Green Knight, The Champ became Ultra Woman (my Power Girl Pastiche), the Druid became Silver Druid turned him into a recovering cardboard corporate villain copy, Titaness became Asteriope, I bumped a few others for Jungle Woman, Runaway, and Morningstar. 

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Placeholder for Vulcan Industries.

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Clearly, Alphabetizing will be tougher from here on out.