Science City - Background Document
Like most of my campaign intro documents, this is a massive multi page (22) monster. I loaded it with useful hints and status updates. I wasn't expecting any of my players to read the whole thing, but I wanted them to get useful leads from any sections they did read. If you want the formatted version, a copy exists (here).
1947
Iron Heroes Primer – Save Science City
Overview – The War is Over, Welcome to the War
World War II is over; there are no more bullets flying, the bombers are being converted to fly civilian cargo, and Detroit (the Arsenal of Democracy) is cranking out cars and refrigerators. In Paris and Geneva, the last of the peace treaties are being finalized and signed.
Superheroes have had their powers rated; those above two stars (of a five star system) must belong to one or more of three leagues (Pan-Atlantic, Pan-Pacific, or Indian Ocean). Lesser heroes, or those not permitted into a league for criminal activity for personal conduct, are not permitted out of their native countries. The Leagues are overseen by the United Nations Superhero Enforcement League, or UNSHEL.
But all is not calm in the world. Communist Governments exist in Russia and China, subjugating smaller nations in Eastern Europe and Asia to their will. That they can do so without military force has led to rumors of the “Iron Wolves” – a new, stable breed of psychics, able to control not only their own minds but also the minds of others.
The Millennium Group, the remnants of the Nazi regime, are still attempting to run their worldwide operations from the Jungles of Brazil. (And Failing.) Youth groups for various politically subversive causes exist openly, in spite of efforts by the FBI to curtail their activities.
The war having been won, America still struggles to return to the “even keel” that people remember from before the war. There are a number of innovations, not all of them beneficial, being developed by engineers and soldiers returned from the field. In particular, the progress made on “walking tanks”, the battle suits of science fiction, defies expectations.
Social groups contribute to the conflict. In the streets of Washington DC, neo-nazis and neo-Davidians clash in public brawls. Groups like the Black Panther Society revitalize old racial issues, once believed to have been addressed by the public at large. New issues, such as the mistreatment of Japanese and German Americans in the internment camps, defy the bounds of what Americans believed possible.
With the acknowledgement of nearby space empires that Earth’s new United Nations (Office of Outer Space Affairs, or UNOOSA) represents a “fledgeling government”, the real governments of the world engage in a race to establish the first footholds beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The rocketry involved has also been turned to military use; for the first time, humanity is capable of burning itself from the surface of the planet.
Also of concern are the potential economic changes. The first space trader, a vessel owned by the mysterious crystalline entities known as the Ch’myyr, is expected in orbit next year with a cargo of “industrial crystals” and “molecular circuitry”. UNOOSA is trying to agree on an equitable division of the prospective cargo among the world’s nations.
UN-SDI (Space Defense Initiative), anticipating less friendly alien involvement in Earth affairs, is petitioning governments of the world to donate to a picket ship to form the basis of a Solar Space Navy.
Character Upgrade Notes
Level 5
Characters are now level 5, with 150 character points. Max skill ranks are 10, max bonus from stats is +5, total bonus is capped at +10, and so on.
No Luck
The feats Lucky and Extra Lucky are replaced by Heroic and Extra Heroic, which must be earned in game through heroic behavior. Everyone who currently has these feats or their equivalent must sell them back.
All characters begin play with one (1) hero point.
(Exception: Participants in Detroit on Fire adventure have earned Heroic.)
Free Reputation
All characters publicly acclaimed for their heroism in Detroit have a +1 reaction from law-abiding citizens and -1 from criminal elements.
The OSS has become the CIA
The CIA operates only overseas. Characters must choose an American-based career to participate in the 1947 campaign.
The world is less militant
Those wishing armed minions should look at the MINIONS and SUMMON powers, which are still on the restricted list.
The world is less trusting of each other
Add +4 (sometimes +2) to any cold approaches to new citizen factions.
Corruption is the norm
Expect 40% (1-8 on a d20) of all public figures to have been bribed or otherwise suborned by the criminal element.
Brief History of Science City
What Price Progress?
Science city was founded as Fort Santiago, by Spanish conquistadora Isabella Santana Ilsa Santiago, where the fortress served as her base while she searched for the legendary fountain of youth. (Which would actually be found and destroyed by the more famous Ponce de Leon in 1521.) Due to the lack of facilities, the fortress was visited only occasionally by freighters seeking other Spanish ports. (By virtue of being at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula; most freighter captains were willing to delay a week or so, and visit the more accommodating Cape Sable colony.)
But women’s equality had not yet come to pass; when the conquistadors were granted their fiefdoms in the new land, and the conquistadoras not, she sailed home, leaving behind only such personnel as she felt had not earned their trip home. The next ship to visit the port was the Aqua Fria, which found the natives had burned the settlement to the ground. And that would be that, except that those same natives had left the Spanish flag unsinged, and covered in a number of unmistakable brown stains.
King Charles of Spain was furious, and commanded war against the native Calusa tribe. But, because there was more glory in the wars being fought in Europe at the time, only the idealistic conquistadoras were available. When they stood firm, demanding the lands they felt their houses had been denied in the new world, the King instead offered the Church any lands they could “liberate” from the natives. Pope Adrian accepted, and that, to King Charles, was that.
But the conquistadoras weren’t done yet. Pope Adrian was left in a quandary, as one thing the Vatican’s Alexandrite ministry lacked were vessels with which to make the crossing. Conquistadoras Santiago and Mendez met with the pope before he could resolve this issue with an offer; they would lend their forces (and their ships) to this effort, in exchange for the lands the King had cheated them out of (though several of them would have to settle for similar lands in Florida) and a pardon for their “sins militant”. (This pardon would later be denied them.)
So the first Reconquista of Florida set forth. They would start at the ashes of Fort Sanchez, and proceed northward along the Peninsula, saving the souls of the natives as they went. This was to be the start of two and a half decades of brutality and genocide, which saw the outlet the fort had originally been built on expanded to accommodate the large number of soldiers, clergy, laborers, and colonists who arrived, as well as the dredging of a deep water port. This would be Adrianopolis, which would later be re-named Alexandria, then Science City.
Adrianopolis would be one of the urban centers of contention during the Florida purchase. The Spanish claimed, in turn, that being its own islet, that Adrianopolis, and its famous shipyard, remained Spanish property, and later that it technically belonged to the church. Both of these were debunked in turn, and in 1821 Adrianopolis became one of the ports of debarkation for immigrants who chose the Florida territory to make their homes at.
And so Alexandria continued to grow, thriving even during the Prohibition. It was during this time that the moniker “Science City” was bestowed upon it, as the city was chosen over Philadelphia (which was embroiled in Mafia wars at the time) to host the 1926 World Fair. So successful were the publicists in associating this nickname with the city, that many foreigners believed this to be the city’s actual name. The fair was a huge success, and the fairgrounds of Tomorrow Way remain operational to this day.
It was a time of optimism, and hope. Radium Heights was also renamed at this time, before people knew the negative effects of radiation. Sadly, the town’s prosperity has begun to ebb. Supplying the Great War has taken its toll, and the evidence of a large Fifth Column organization in Highmark has tarnished the city’s reputation. With rumors that the Navy will stop ordering ships made at the Locks, the economy of Science City first stalled, and then began sinking into “the little Depression”.
In this time of uncertainty and poverty, crime has risen across the city. Unemployment is at record numbers, as the soldiers are released from the armed forces in numbers only precedented by the end of the first world war. Whether the racially violent Sunset Boys (of Four Corners), or the hooded cultists of Radium Heights, Science City has become synonymous with greed, corruption, and the loss of destined greatness. There have even been jokes told in the Florida senate of selling the city back to Spain.
Science city was, until a few months ago, fated to sink into obscurity. Chosen by the Iron Gayle as her second “clean this up or I’ll destroy it” project for the Trans-Atlantic League, Science City has once again come to national attention. The task is near impossible; the Trans-Atlantic League has already said its resources are committed in Monaco, and repeated that they will never negotiate with terrorists.
The city desperately needs heroes; you are the only ones available.
Good luck, heroes! The hopes of today’s America ride on your shoulders!
Timeline of 1947 (To August 1st)
January
Al Capone, infamous mafia gangster, dies of natural causes.
Elisabeth Short, actress, is found murdered in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Pan-Pacific League detectives are stymied by the FBI, leading to rebuke of America by the United Nations for obstruction.
Largest blizzard in recorded history affects all northern nations, particularly Russia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Iron Gayle announces that the Trans-Atlantic League will “clean up” the city of Morocco by the end of February or she will destroy it. The Trans-Atlantic League of Heroes announces that it will never allow terrorists to dictate their actions.
February
Venezuela applies for a League of South Atlantic Heroes, and is publicly derided for their “self-serving splinter movement”.
Revolutionary uprising in Burma threatens a Chinese delegation; China sends in an army to keep the peace. It is May before the Trans-Pacific League, bolstered by UN troops push them back across the border. China withdraws from the Trans-Pacific League, but remains active in the United Nations.
A group of blind mutant humans is found living in the sewers of Rio de Janeiro. Efforts to re-integrate them into society fail, but their ability to repair and maintain the sewers is near legendary.
Taiwan suffers civil disorder, 5% the total population is killed in the military reprisals that follow. Over protestations by China, the United Nations begins discussing whether Taiwan should be recognized as its own nation.
March
Casablanca is leveled by an earthquake; the Trans-Atlantic League is still rendering humanitarian aid to the current day.
International Money Fund begins to operate.
The Soviet Union reveals that General Pyotr Czimza (the cryo-hero General Winter) was responsible for the recent ice storms. He has been living on the Arctic ice shelf with three stolen nuclear warheads. They petition the Trans-Atlantic League for a strike team.
(American) President Truman declares his resolve to stop the spread of Communism with his self-named doctrine.
“Mr. Munchy”, the albino alligator recovered from Detroit’s sewers, lays her first batch of fertile eggs in the Detroit Zoo. Attempts by local newspapers to rename her “Mrs. Munchy” are defeated by a grassroots campaign to keep her original name.
Diplomats sent by the Trans-Atlantic League of Superheroes verify that General Winter has a military base complete with soldiers, vehicles, and multiple nuclear warheads. They also bear his request for political asylum to the United Nations.
Iron Gayle announces that the Indian Ocean League will clean up Singapore by the end of April, or she will destroy the city.
April
Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran Caves becomes known to the world.
International Civil Aviation Organization begins operations.
Largest known sunspot eruption disrupts radio communications worldwide.
Multiple tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. No superhuman involvement is uncovered.
Cargo of ammonium nitrate from France explodes in port city of Texas City, Texas. Over five thousand are injured; of the 500 slain, over a hundred are never found, and 63 are unidentifiable.
Term “Cold War” first used to describe the tensions between the US and the Communist Nations.
British Royal Navy sets off 6800 tons of explosive to destroy the fortified island of Heligoland in the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
May
Public announcements that Singapore is now crime free mocked publicly; Singapore is destroyed in a massive tsunami which miraculously causes only minimal damage elsewhere. The Dragon Palace, untouched atop its mountain, announces it intends to rebuild the city.
The Sicilian mafia stages a “freedom strike” against Italy during a Labor Day parade. Vacationing members of the Indian Ocean League have the gang’s leadership behind bars by the end of the day. They are released after a jurisdictional challenge by the Trans-Atlantic League.
“Iron Mountain” in the Congo is revealed to be the remains of a crashed star ship. The inhabitants, resembling the Greys of mythology, are exterminated by the Congolese army. That night, a third of the army is killed in their sleep. This repeats the next night, although at reduced rates. As the army of the Congo withers, its neighbors invade. The region becomes a war zone even though thousands of soldiers are slain every night. No formal investigation of Iron Mountain is possible.
The Truman Act clears Congress, stepping up the Cold War by sending a staggering half million dollars of military surplus equipment to Turkey and Greece. Rumors of a military alliance of the free nations of Europe against the communist menace cannot be verified at the current time.
Iron Gayle announces that the Trans-Pacific League will clean up Vladivostok by the end of June with the usual threats.
June
Introduction of the Atomic Doomsday Clock.
UN offer of political asylum for General Winter stalls when he refuses to disarm his nuclear missiles unless his men are also granted asylum and amnesty. Nonetheless, his wife and children are successfully relocated to the United States.
First public announcement of the Marshal Plan, which proposes to rebuild and revitalize the national economies. Proposal for global policy are denounced by the national governments.
An Olympian ambassador to the United Nations (Hestia) arrives, the defensive systems of her courier vessel swatting aside missiles and fighters launched at it. Offering “advice” to the fledgling government, she is quickly confirmed as a foreign advisor. She announces that the Valhallans and the Sassanak (the two other major nearby space empires) also have ambassadors on the way.
First confirmed encounter with the “Men in Black”, after six UFOs are encountered near Puget Sound, Washington. Later congressional inquiries reveal this organization to be “Black Book”, a rogue group of OSS agents formed during the second world war.
“Diary of Anne Frank” first published in Germany.
July
Their efforts foiled at every turn by corrupt authorities, only a partial cleanup of Vladivostok is possible by Iron Gayle’s deadline. The entire Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula breaks at the faultline and falls into the sea.
United States begins a nation-wide effort to eradicate malaria.
The Russian military stages a conventional strike on General Winter’s arctic base. Although casualty figures are never released, none of the nuclear weapons is activated. His troops surrender after the general falls through the ice into the water below. His body is never recovered; the “rebels” are publicly executed in the Red Square of Moscow.
Roswell UFO Incident, and following “cloak and dagger” work. Becomes known as the most violent incident of the Cold War. Eleven spies from four countries lose their lives. The United States government refuses to acknowledge the incident ever occurred.
Reworked with new transistor technology, ten ENIAC computers (now nicknamed “Collosus”) come online. These are the world’s single fastest and largest computer systems, now capable of doing many things faster than humans themselves can. Scientists assure the public the computers are incapable of gaining sentience.
4500 Jewsish Holocost survivors are denied permission to dock at Haifa, Palestine. Although the crew claims technical malfunction, the British Royal Navy boards the vessel and returns the “illegal immigrants” to Marsailles, France.
Iron Gayle announces that Science City, Florida, is her next cleanup target.
August 1st
Quest to save Science City begins. Unable to take official action, the Trans-Atlantic League dispatches a group of potential recruits to resolve the situation.
Knowledge Base
Art
Due to the local surfeit of gold, jewelers shops like American Dreams in Radium Heights are making more and more ambitious pieces.
Zinkmann industries has released an improved electroplating process for applying a layer of gold on top of aluminum, leading to ambitious sculpture projects “surfaced in gold”.
Behavior
Hundreds of citizens were injured during class violence and rioting in Four Corners last month, and the city is still in shock. A nine block area of Four Corners is being rebuilt only slowly, as workers do not feel safe on the streets.
Racial tensions are high, with German, Italian, and Japanese Americans claiming their land and possessions were stolen while they were in internment camps.
The Calusa Native American tribe has gotten legal help and funding to press their tribal claims.
Business
Kelvinator has recently released an electronic icebox that promises to revolutionize home life. These “refrigerators” are already becoming household items.
Detroit is again cranking out automobiles, unable to meet national demands. The US Steel plant in the Crucible is still churning out Jeep vehicles, which are being tested by the police, and embraced by the private security firms of Tomorrow Way.
Although the military is spending less, a lot of the money still passes through Science City. A top-secret project called “Trojan” provides over half of the city’s current industrial employment.
Civics
The average citizen cannot tell the difference between the FBI and the Men in Black; there are motions to expel the local FBI office and remove the alien influence from their city.
Police corruption is at an all-time low, perhaps only four in ten officers are accepting open bribes to look the other way.
Mayor Greenwood ran on a platform of “less crooked than the other guy” – and won.
The Calusa Indian tribes have hired lawyers to veto the city’s original disaster plans, by proving the land for the emergency centers is theirs, not the city’s (and went into a three hour litany of wrongs when accused of lack of human kindness).
Culture
Supermarkets have expanded their inventories beyond what they originally offered before the war; the innovations of greenhouse gardening and refrigeration have vastly increased the numbers of fresh meats and produce that such stores can offer. Smaller stores are not able to compete with variety, but still have large amounts of customer loyalty built up during the time of the War.
The Science City farmer’s market has returned to within the borders of Greymark, and continues to shrink, as more and more people are able to find their groceries close to home, and available on a daily basis. A smaller market for ethnic foods takes place in Four Corners.
For law and order, accept no substitute for Greymark; even wandering homeless pets are kept under control. And they do it without employing corporate security to keep the roads safe, like Tomorrow Way does.
Occult
Rumors of a secret cabal of witches in Radium Heights that control all the politicians continue to persist.
Emma Mae Rothstein, the prophetess who predicted disaster in September of this year, was found crucified among the burned ruins of her home. Neighbors say she had too many cats to verify that they all escaped unharmed.
Calusa Indians don’t leave their reservation without charms to protect themselves from the “evil spirits” of the city.
Physics
In the wake of creation of refrigerator systems, there are proposals for heat rays and geo-thermal power systems. Some of these plans are more practical than others.
Radium Heights and Tomorrow Way are routinely checked for radiation levels, and come back clean.
Streetwise
Between the pressures of security companies of Tomorrow Way and from new competitors like the Sunset Boys, traditional crime organizations like the Marcone Family are becoming relics of the past.
Due to recent radioactivity readings, there is a 20% hazard pay increase for wages in the Crucible, which makes them one of the better places for the uneducated to work – as long as you aren’t planning on a long life with lots of children.
Tactics/Military
The Locks contains not only a US Naval base, but also smaller bases for the US Army and US Air Force. The military has confirmed it is not abandoning Science City, but that the Navy will also not stop an operation planned since last year that will have the majority of its vessels on maneuvers in the Gulf of Mexico.
Fifth Column militants are vocal near the Locks, although they are careful not to break the law too badly. They also are not active on the bases themselves, as that still carries penalties decided by the military justice system.
The Pentagon (US military) is focusing on three superweapon projects. These projects, in order of funding are the Manhattan Project (nuclear weapons), Prometheus (unknown), and Trojan (unknown). Only Trojan is being worked on in Science City – the contracts are lucrative enough to keep all of Tomorrow Way and most of the Crucible employed.
Technology
The big noise in technology is the new electronic icebox being produced by Kelvinator, rapidly becoming known by its nickname, the refrigerator. This is just one of many civilian projects that are receiving funding at an increasing rate now that the War spending is winding down.
Military cargo planes are being repurposed to carry civilian goods. Increased civilian air traffic has already pointed out deficiencies in the military GCA system, and innovations in radar and GPS will be required within the decade to keep pace with the civilian desire to take to the skies.
The United States military has openly dismissed the idea of a corps of soldiers in mechanical suits, proclaiming that for the millions of dollars a single such suit costs, they can deploy over fifty thousand regular infantry.
Theology
Catholic churches, especially those in Four Corners, are speaking out against the “outrages” of the Calusa Indian tribe. When asked for comment, chief Sulking Cayman claimed to be unaware of these verbal attacks upon his people.
Violence in Ireland between Protestant and Catholic churches has recently been classified as civil war or terrorism, depending upon whom you believe. Local churches of both denominations are praying for a peaceful resolution.
City at a Glance
Crucible
Advantage: strong history
New Advantages: strong sense of community values
Disadvantages: hopelessness, poverty, crumbling infrastructure
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Don Salvador Marcone (can be redeemed, construction, protection)
The traditional property of the Marcone Family, the Crucible has become the site of poorly maintained industrial complexes. Radium Heights may have the name, but if you really want to find a barrel of glowing toxic waste, the Crucible is where you want to start your search. Most citizens are poor blue-collar workers, angry that the recent victory in the War hasn’t led to the promised prosperity.
Four Corners AKA The Barrio
Advantage: cultural diversity
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: racial division, racial tensions, rampant illegal drugs
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Sunset Boys (drugs, protection, violent), Black Tiger Tong (drugs, protection)
Recent class violence erupting into a riot shocked all citizens; a nine block area was damaged before a combination of police and military troops could quell the violence. Although Mayor Greenburg also called for National Guard assistance, they did not arrive in time to assist. Although Four Corners has no monopoly on violent crime, the most violent of crimes seem to happen here.
Greymark
Advantage: strong police presence
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: aging roads, corrupt cops, police state
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Gang in Blue ( can be redeemed, protection, vice), unknown(anti-mutant, see Highmark)
Greymark is the core district for the middle class. It also happens to be the location of the Block, the largest footprint building in Science City. The Block serves as the stronghold for the “gang in blue”, the police. Due to their presence, crime (other than that committed by the police themselves) simply does not thrive here as it does in the rest of the city.
Highmark
Advantage: civic pride
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: aging infrastructure, corrupt courts (one hit), corrupt government
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: unknown (racial, anti-mutant), Calusa Indians (can be redeemed: grudge, greed)
Once the beating heart of the city, Highmark has become the place where aging skyscrapers threaten to crumble, crushing people who are just going about their business. To date, the threat has remained only that. Common crime doesn’t exist here, but if you needed a mecca for con artists and white-collar criminals, Highmark has no competition east of New Orleans or south of Washington DC.
The Locks
Advantage: military support
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: distant military, martial law (night-time only), street crime
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Unknown (military, anti-mutant)
The Locks is divided into two neighborhoods. Inside the wall are the military bases. Outside the wall are the shops, speakeasies, and brothels where soldiers, sailors, and airmen go to expend their paychecks. Groups of anti-war pacifists, including the Fifth Column, protest the military from across the street of the wall. Some of the groups even have the legal permits to assemble in protest.
Radium Heights
Advantage: affluent
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: disinterested rich, gold smuggling, white collar crime
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Oriflamme (cult, drugs, gold, vice), Unknown Smuggling Ring (gold smuggling)
Every city has a place where the rich look after the needs of the filthy rich. In Science City, that place is Radium Heights. Police cruisers keep the streets safe at night; their more subdued presence does so during the day. Every store seems to compete to be more exclusive, more ostentatious, more luxurious than the others on its block. If you need to ask how much something costs in Radium Heights, you can’t afford it.
Tomorrow Way
Advantage: affluent
New Advantages:
Disadvantages: corporate domain, corporate security, unpatriotic
Suppressed Disadvantages:
Villains: Zolana Zinkmann (impossible tech, money laundering, private military)
“Restructured” to be the center of the 1926 World’s Technology Fair, the district still bears the name Tomorrow Way. The newer technology companies have moved into the district and funded their own security companies to keep out the Marcone companies. Rough statistics are that for every pair of shiny cop shoes on the ground, two sets of gumshoes are also patrolling the streets.
Although Mayor Greenburg protests, the federal government supports the current level of security, as it protects Project Trojan, one of three top secret projects being conducted by the Pentagon.
Local Landmarks
Airstrip – Tomorrow Way
Alexandria College of Business – Greymark
Alexandria Ledger (Newspaper) - Highmark
Bario – Four Corners
Boardwalk – Tomorrow Way
Bus Station Central - Greymark
Calusa Graveyard – Greymark
Central Park - Greymark
Chinatown – Four Corners
City Hall – Highmark
City Morgue – Greymark
Commercial Docks – Crucible
Conquistadora’s Fortress - Radium Heights
Courthouse - Highmark
Cruise Ship Docks - Highmark
Florida State Prison - Crucible
Florida University – Highmark
Happy Orange Road Chinese Buffet – The Locks
Isabella Park - Radium HeightsJapanese Gardens – Four Corners
Kelvinator Plant (refrigerators) – Tomorrow Way
KWSC Radio Building - Greymark
Library, Public - Highmark
Little Asia – Four Corners
Little Italy – Four Corners
Military Cemetary - Greymark
Panda Pasta Palace – Four Corners
Peppermint – The Locks
Planetarium and Observatory – Four Corners
Police Headquarters (The Block) – Greymark
Power Plant – Crucible
Public Cemetary – Greymark
Purple Palace Theater and Playhouse – Radium Heights
Railway Yard – Four Corners
Science City Herald – Four Corners
Sewage Treatment Plant – Crucible, near Four Corners border
Sports Arena – The Locks, on the border with Four Corners
Theme Park – Tomorrow Way
US Steel Plant (military Jeeps) – Crucible
US Air Force – The Locks
US Army Base – The Locks
US Navy Base – The Locks
Yacht Docks – Radium Heights
Zinkmann Industries – Tomorrow Way
Landmarks by Map Number
Bridges
1 Bertrand’s Gateway (Highmark to Trinity Island, Locks)
2 Conquistadora Bridge (Radium Heights to mainland)
3 Iron Monster (Highmark to Radium Heights)
4 Military Way (Trinity Island to Locks, road just outside the Wall)
5 Steel Sparway (Tomorrow Way to mainland)
6 Victory Bridge (Trinity Island to Midway Island)
7 Zincmann Expanse (Tomorrow Way to Midway Island)
Crucible
8 Commercial Docks (2/3, remainder in Tomorrow Way)
9 Florida State Prison (The Anchor)
10 Power Plant (near Sewage center and Four Corners)
11 Sewage Treatment Plant (near Power Plant and Four Corners)
12 US Steel Automotive Plant
13 Vanity Lake (AKA the Cesspit)
Ferries
14 Raft of Rust (Four Corners and Crucible)
Four Corners
15 Barrio
16 Little Asia
17 Scenic Highway Loop
18 Chinatown (inside Little Asia)
19 Japanese Gardens
20 Little Italy
21 Panda Pasta Palace
22 Planetarium and Observatory
23 Science City Herald
Greymark
24 Alexandria College of Business
25 Calusa Graveyard
26 Central Bus Station
27 Central Park and Riverwalk
28 City Morgue
29 KWSK Radio Building
30 Military Cemetery
31 Police Headquarters (The Block)
32 Public Cemetery
61 Public Golf Course
Highmark
33 Alexandria Ledger
34 City Hall
35 Courthouse
36 Cruise Liner Docks
37 Florida State University
38 Public Library, Central
39 Remington Meeting Center
Radium Heights
2 Conquistadora Bridge (to mainland)
40 Conquistadora’s Fortress / Isabella Park
41 Isabella Monument
42 Marina (Private docks)
43 Purple Palace Theater and Playhouse
The Locks
44 Happy Orange Road Chinese Buffet
45 Midway Island (Midway Mall Complex)
46 Peppermint
47 Sports Arena
48 Trinity Island (Trinity Traffic Circle and Fountain)
49 US Air Force Base and Airfield
50 US Army Base
51 US Coast Guard Base
52 US Marine Corps Base
53 US Navy Base and Shipyard
54 The Wall (a concrete wall with elevated walkway and guard towers between the military and the rest of the Locks, several gate entrances)
Tomorrow Way
55 Rivera Airport
56 Boardwalk/Fairway/Carnival
57 Commercial Docks, (1/3, remainder in Crucible)
58 Kelvinator Plant
59 Zincmann Industries
5 Steel Sparway (bridge to mainland)
60 Railyard (across the tracks from Kelvnator & Zincman
Who’s Who
Mayor: Allen Greenburg ran on the platform of “still less crooked than the other guy” – and won re-election with only minimal vote tampering.
Police Chief: Alicia McCord grew up on the mean streets, and joined the “gang in blue” as soon as she could. She has proven adept at busting heads, and crushing political opposition. Her ability to negotiate with organized crime is one of the factors holding the city together.
The Calusa are the native tribes displaced when the conquistadora Ismaelda Sanchez founded Alexandria (Science City). They are recently organized under Chief Sulking Cayman and are asserting their rights in court. Ace lawyer Dancing Heron (niece to the chief) is the lead on most of these cases.
Hamatsuke, Ally of Justice is a young woman of Asian descent. She is the closest thing Science City has to a teen heroine since Watchman vanished. Her frequent appearance in and near the Locks has led to rumors that she lives there. She has no particular powers, but is extremely competent and athletic for her age.
Marcone Family is a “traditional” crime family, loosely affiliated with the mafia. They have a firm hold on the Crucible, although they are feeling pressure from the Sunset Boys to the south and police pressure from Tomorrow Way to their north. They have lost any semblance of city-wide influence since the end of the war.
Mutants are humans with spectacular powers, but who also have a clear physical difference from the human norm. From a legal standpoint, they are still human citizens of the United States, and theoretically have the same rights. In these racially charged times, they are often treated as the least of the minorities.
Oriflamme is a cult, believed to have been founded in France, that convinces the rich and powerful that for sacrifice now they can have power when magic returns later (soon-ish later, something they believe will come during their lifetimes). Because all members wear masks, only those who already know each other well know who else is in Oriflamme.
The Sunset Boys are also known as the Cuban Cartel. Once little more than a gang for hire, the Sunset Boys have become a power in their own right. Their extreme brutality makes the Four Corners wish for a return of the Marcone Family days.
Watchman was the street name of the city’s premier superhero. His entire group vanished in 1943 without a trace. It is widely believed that the Marcone family captured them and fitted them for cement shoes, and is just keeping quiet about it.
The Watchman was a patriot without powers, but a good deal of skill. He was very much a member of the “crack some skulls” era of vigilantism, but always did his work beforehand to ensure he and his only apprehended people who were actually guilty.
Chromia was an early superheroine, with the ability to coat her body with a layer of silver-alloy that made her resilient to many attacks.
Eyeclops was one of the earliest recorded mutants, with the ability to fling bolts of solid light from his single eye.
Gunsmith was a trick shooter; while not as fit as Watchman, he was incredibly accurate with any manner of firearm.
Orator was a crazed mystic, believing that he had become the modern incarnation of Greek king Midas from mythology.
Powerhouse was an abnormally strong and durable human, able to bend lower grades of steel with his bare hands.
Zolana Zinkmann took over the helm at Zinkmann industries following the tragic deaths of her parents. Under her guidance, Zinkmann Industries has won several military-industrial contracts and is already the premier business of Florida state.
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