The Age of Wonders Universe

[Phrozen]

That would be preferable.

[Charles Phipps]

I absolutely loved Atomic Punk, Phrozen.

Bravo.

Who doesn't love a good radioactive Wasteland? Now all we need is the characters of Fallout to kill him.

[Charles Phipps]

The World Tree Network

"Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic."

The World Tree Network is a link of numerous pure energy and matter dimensions where the laws of physics are interlinked to thought. It also provides a medium for transmitting thought across infinite distances. This network provides those linked to it with unlimited energy and material for what the World Tree Network's function.

Magic.

The network is managed by thousands of Engels, beings who are effectively hard-light AI and manage the countless requests made daily by the Aeon's followers for miracles. These beings are routinely assaulted by Banes, which are virus-like entities that attempt to disrupt the network and release its energy to other creatures.

The Aeons claim to have created the World Tree but some believe it is a naturally occurring phenomenon that they have simply tapped like an oil-well. The Aeons make use of the Network themselves, giving themselves the power to work miracles while providing their followers lesser access in order to appear like they are a medium.

They are not.

Unlike in Dungeons and Dragons, the World Tree Network is the only real source for magic and it doesn't matter if a god is a source for the sorcery or not. Many sincere believers in Aeons like Marduk or Zeus have been tricked into believing their god is providing miracles only for them to be actually accessing the Network. The World Tree is powerful enough that unlimited access, provided for by anyone who accesses it without Engel support, allows an individual wizard to challenge even the strongest Aeons.

Aeons do their best to restrict access of magic to their followers. Like a computer hacker, it is possible to bypass these restrictions but it risks incurring the wrath of their 'benevolent' masters.

While the easiest method for tapping the network is to be approved by an Engel or Aeon (the former often visiting the dreams of followers in order to recruit sorcerers to their service), any magician can awaken the potential of another. Some individuals spontaneously develop connections to the Network, with some believing Mister Arcane's power derives from it.

He, notably, denies it and believes there are multiple sources of magic in the universe.

The World Tree Network has only recently been opened up to Earth-0. Many followers of pagan religions and magical traditions have found themselves gaining true power at the behest of the Aeons. Even followers of the Abrahamic religions have discovered themselves gaining powers straight out of the Bible. Others have made Faustian bargains with powers aware of the Network for the same opportunities. The Aeons may have overstretched themselves, however, as their saturation of the planet has started to cause numerous follower groups to share information...and power.

[Voltron64]

The Aeons claim to have created the World Tree but some believe it is a naturally occurring phenomenon that they have simply tapped like an oil-well.

Maybe they're both true, perhaps magic is a naturally occurring phenomena and the Aeons managed to create a system that can generate it.

Perhaps it's their version of the Hadron Collider or possibly the Internet.

[Charles Phipps]

Maybe they're both true, perhaps magic is a naturally occurring phenomena and the Aeons managed to create a system that can generate it.

Perhaps it's their version of the Hadron Collider or possibly the Internet.

Very possibly. When I writing the World Tree, I kept thinking of the Virtual Adepts.

Of course, poor Earth-0 is very swiftly becoming a full-blown comic book universe.

[Phrozen]

Maybe they're both true, perhaps magic is a naturally occurring phenomena and the Aeons managed to create a system that can generate it.

Perhaps it's their version of the Hadron Collider or possibly the Internet.

Very possibly. When I writing the World Tree, I kept thinking of the Virtual Adepts.

Of course, poor Earth-0 is very swiftly becoming a full-blown comic book universe.

Then it can cross over with HED!

Some say that the World Tree Network is a tree, others like the Dreamtime, others like a wheel, some see colors, and still others think of it like a ball of.... energy magic stuff.

[Voltron64]

You I figure if the World Tree Network could be comparable to the Internet, then a good way to defeat an Aeon might be effectively a DDoS if you catch my drift.

Also, might there could be a connection between it and the Nexus particle?

[Charles Phipps]

Nexus particles could be raw magic.

Or the science behind it.

As Thor would say, the two aren't that dissimilar after a certain point.

[Charles Phipps]

Bloodscream the Retributive

Distill everything horrible about the 90s into one character.

Bloodscream is, in many ways, Super Dragon Punch Zero's polar opposite. A nerdy comic book loving Geek discovers he has superpowers and decides that he's going to become a superhero. Unfortunately, whereas SDPZ was a relatively well-adjusted guy who genuinely wanted to help people, Bloodscream's definition of heroism more or less begins and ends with, "I am a hero, so everything I do is right."

Bloodscream appears as, for all intents and purposes, Darth Maul with big shoulder pads, black metal armor, a BIG huge cape-robe hybrid, pouches, Kirby-esque guns, and a pair of electric katanas. His voice is artificially reverbed like Darth Vader except ALSO gravel-like. He also speaks in a really weird way that involves lots of pauses, nonsensical metaphors, and allusions to a nonexistent mysterious past in Parts Unknown.

Yeah.

Bloodscream is an energy-based being who can manipulate his substance to create weird effects that disguise the nature of his power. As opposed to something like Green Lantern, he creates windows that bleed and shadow attacks or sends his cape to strangle or rend people. This is in addition to force-fields, energy blasts, flight, and more.

Thankfully, he's no less vulnerable to being punched in the face or blasted with energy blasts. Unfortunately, he seems to be able to regenerate himself from the nastiest wounds. Even death has no hold for him as his scattered particles will eventually reform. In short, he's a complete IDIOT who happens to have hit the superpower lottery.

Bloodscream funds his lackluster crusade against 'evil' by robbery and terrorizing people. He usually just rips open banks or forces rich people to write him checks that he says he'll kill them if they cancel. Who he kills is pretty random as he's not got the mind for Detective work and considers anyone who opposes him to be evil. Obviously, "corrupt" cops are fair game. You know, cops who oppose him for example. Sometimes, he thinks they're just misguided and must die out of tragic necessity.

OH THE ANGST.

[Voltron64]

Bloodscream the Retributive

Distill everything horrible about the 90s into one character.

Bloodscream is, in many ways, Super Dragon Punch Zero's polar opposite. A nerdy comic book loving Geek discovers he has superpowers and decides that he's going to become a superhero. Unfortunately, whereas SDPZ was a relatively well-adjusted guy who genuinely wanted to help people, Bloodscream's definition of heroism more or less begins and ends with, "I am a hero, so everything I do is right."

Bloodscream appears as, for all intents and purposes, Darth Maul with big shoulder pads, black metal armor, a BIG huge cape-robe hybrid, pouches, Kirby-esque guns, and a pair of electric katanas. His voice is artificially reverbed like Darth Vader except ALSO gravel-like. He also speaks in a really weird way that involves lots of pauses, nonsensical metaphors, and allusions to a nonexistent mysterious past in Parts Unknown.

Yeah.

Bloodscream is an energy-based being who can manipulate his substance to create weird effects that disguise the nature of his power. As opposed to something like Green Lantern, he creates windows that bleed and shadow attacks or sends his cape to strangle or rend people. This is in addition to force-fields, energy blasts, flight, and more.

Thankfully, he's no less vulnerable to being punched in the face or blasted with energy blasts. Unfortunately, he seems to be able to regenerate himself from the nastiest wounds. Even death has no hold for him as his scattered particles will eventually reform. In short, he's a complete IDIOT who happens to have hit the superpower lottery.

Bloodscream funds his lackluster crusade against 'evil' by robbery and terrorizing people. He usually just rips open banks or forces rich people to write him checks that he says he'll kill them if they cancel. Who he kills is pretty random as he's not got the mind for Detective work and considers anyone who opposes him to be evil. Obviously, "corrupt" cops are fair game. You know, cops who oppose him for example. Sometimes, he thinks they're just misguided and must die out of tragic necessity.

OH THE ANGST.

I'm angsting over how annoying and stupid this guy is.

And just like SPDZ, I bet he gets beaten fairly often.

[Charles Phipps]

Yes, Bloodscream is pretty much a jobber.

[Phrozen]

Adonis meet Bloodscream, Bloodscream meet Adonis. Now go pound on each other to see who the real "hero" is.

[Voltron64]

I think people who go on about the questionable sanity of superheroes is probably more better directed at supervillians.

I mean who's more mentally unstable, a guy in a cape fighting crime and defending the public or a guy in a cape robbing banks and murdering anyone who looks at them funny?

[Charles Phipps]

I think people who go on about the questionable sanity of superheroes is probably more better directed at supervillians.

I mean who's more mentally unstable, a guy in a cape fighting crime and defending the public or a guy in a cape robbing banks and murdering anyone who looks at them funny?

Power doesn't corrupt. Power appeals to the corrupt.

[Phrozen]

I think people who go on about the questionable sanity of superheroes is probably more better directed at supervillians.

I mean who's more mentally unstable, a guy in a cape fighting crime and defending the public or a guy in a cape robbing banks and murdering anyone who looks at them funny?

I think most individuals are fundamentally good and when not subjected to societal programming by sociopaths tend to do the right thing. The problem is when a whole culture is hijacked by aforesaid sociopaths and even then their are individuals who resist such programming.