Organizations

## Law Enforcement Agencies

#### **UNTIL**

In 1963, a UN exploratory committee concluded that supercrime was on the rise and becoming a global threat. While some nations had the resources to combat supervillains, and some of those could properly contain superpowered felons in special prisons, most nations could do neither of these things and found themselves at the mercy of villains who could cross their borders with impunity. The UN committee devised a radical solution to the problem: a proposed international police force, dedicated to fighting supervillains and the criminal organizations that profited from super-crime. Funded by all participating nations and answering to the United Nations itself, this police force of agents and specially-vetted superheroes would operate across international borders, providing relief to nations that could not otherwise defend themselves from rampaging villains.

The proposed plan was audacious, to say the least, and caused a major uproar in the General Assembly. But as the idea began to gain traction, several major nations and dozens of minor ones decided it was in their best interest to back the proposal and sign the original charter. For smaller nations, it gave them security they could not otherwise afford, and larger ones realized that the monetary cost of joining the charter was far less than that of operating their own specialized police forces to combat supercrime. After much debate, drafts, failed proposals, and rewrites, the Tribunal Treaty was signed on November 27, 1965, formally establishing the United Nations Tribunal on International Law-- or UNTIL, for short.

Not every UN member nation signed the treaty. Notable exceptions included the United States, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China, all of whom decided to deal with the problem of supercrime in their own way. Even without the support of these major nations, however, UNTIL established a remarkable record for opposing supervillains that would be maintained for decades. Its agents, recruited from all member nations, were dedicated, brave, and intelligent, and operated with the best of training and equipment. In 1980, UNTIL began establishing its own superprisons, most notably the International Superhuman Correctional Facility on an island in the North Atlantic.

In 1992, Dr. Destroyer attacked the United States, leveling the city of Detroit in a demonstration of his newest and most deadly weapons. Despite having a large response force just across the Canadian border, UNTIL was unable to respond as they still could not operate on US soil. When the dust settled and the staggering death toll was revealed, public outcry was so great that the United States government had no choice but to finally sign the Tribunal Treaty, formally joining UNTIL and allowing its agents to operate unhindered in America's borders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, UNTIL gained the right to operate there as well, though to this day it remains barred from China's borders.

Despite its flaws, UNTIL is recognized around the world as one of the greatest forces of good ever assembled, and the public often has greater faith in its agents than in any other law enforcement organization. For decades, UNTIL has been keeping the world safe from the likes of VIPER, Dr. Destroyer, and hundreds of other pernicious threats to mankind.

## Criminal Organizations

#### **The Iron Corps**

The Iron Corps was founded in eastern Europe during the early 1970s. When a VIPER base in Ankara was exposed and assaulted by UNTIL forces in 1969, a great deal of dangerous tech was left unattended in the aftermath. Before it could be properly recovered by UNTIL, the Turkish army seized a large cache of low-grade power armor from the ruined facility. While the legality of this action was still being debated at the UN, that armor disappeared from the Turkish government's care under mysterious circumstances. A unit of the elite Turkish Special Forces Command was suspected of stealing the armor, but no proof could be found.

Less than a year later, a small team of supervillains wearing the plundered armor began to wreak havoc in nearby Romania. Although their technology was strictly of a low-tier sort, they succeed in several high-value heists thanks to excellent teamwork and tight military precision. This string of heists impressed Maverick, a Romanian supervillain and himself a power-armor pioneer. Knowing that the group would need special facilities to maintain their armor, Maverick offered the new villains the opportunity to join forces and make use of his hidden base. After a short negotiation, the offer was accepted and the ten of them officially formed the Iron Corps.

Originally comitting crimes as a normal supervillain team, the Iron Corps' mission has changed over time. The Corps now acts as a military contractor, operating in the shady realm of semi-legal mercenary work that always seems to be in demand in Africa and the Middle East. Maverick and the original nine are long gone, either retired, imprisoned, or dead, but their power armor still serves new wearers in the Corps. The organization has expanded to over fifty villains with nearly four times that many suits of power-armor at their disposal. These excess suits are often leased to outside criminal contacts at exorbitant prices, and also serve as backup for any Corpsman whose gear is damaged in the field.

The current head of the Iron Corps is Sabaton, a supervillain with a talent for business dealings that has seen the Corps expand exponentially in the eight years of her leadership. They now operate out of several permanent bases across Europe and Asia, each of which can repair, equip, or fabricate power-armor for a whole squad of Corpsmen.

## Superhero Teams

#### **The Northern Guard**

Canada is a vast territory, and has fewer superheroes than its southern neighbor. In order to provide adequate defense against threats that the Canadian military is not equipped to combat, an officially sanctioned team of superheroes was organized by the Canadian government in 1978. Called the Northern Guard, it would be composed of Canada's most powerful heroes, but more importantly, it would be able to respond to threats anywhere in the country at a moment's notice, even far from civilization in the forests or tundra of Canada's unsettled north. Thus it emphasized mobility over strength in its membership, and particularly prized those heroes who could sense danger at a great distance.

The group's record has been spotty, as the team, even with its powerful members, is usually spread so thin that it can only spare one or two heroes to respond to any particular crisis. This leaves it heavily dependent on UNTIL support, and the two organizations work together very closely. The Guard also coordinates with local teams in the major cities of Canada, lending their strength as necessary when the hometown heroes request it.

The group has broken up and been reformed several times in its history, but the Northern Guard is considered a point of patriotic pride for Canadians and the name has never been idle for long. The team has fluctuated from as few as four members to as many as ten; currently the roster boasts seven capable and highly-mobile heroes. The current leader of the team is Forceknight, a skilled leader and powerful fighter striving to live up the legacy of past Canadian heroes who bore the same name.

#### **Tiger Squad**

Established in 1967 to fight growing super-menaces inside its borders, the Tiger Squad is the official super-team of the People's Republic of China. China has always had a harsh policy regarding superhumans: in China, it is illegal to use *any* superpower, no matter how harmless or mundane, without the government's express authorization.

The Communist Party does not tolerate vigilantes, and any reports of superhumans operating in the country result in field agents being sent to identify and detain them. Those who are so detained are often simply sent to hardened prisons in the Chinese hinterlands, but those who seem useful or truly loyal are instead given the offer of joining the Tiger Squad and thus evading imprisonment. Few turn down this offer, as the alternative is very unpleasant. But some superhumans do evade the government, preferring to fight crime as outlaws rather than join the Squad, and in particular the independently-minded heroes of Hong Kong stand in defiance of this policy.

With over 60 members, the Tiger Squad is by far the largest superteam in the world, though it rarely gathers its full strength in one place. Typically the team operates in "cells" of three to six members, patrolling major cities and responding to threats near and far. There is a strict hierarchy in the Tiger Squad, as its members are all ostensibly members of the People's Liberation Army special forces, and they are expected to carry out orders without question. Several members of the Tiger Squad have pro-Democracy leanings, and it is rumored that some of them actively take measures to hamper the Chinese government's crackdowns on activists and protesters.

Despite the strong presence of mutants on the roster (seventeen of the current members are mutants), the general disdain for mutants among the Chinese public and high-ranking Communist Party members has prevented the inclusion of non-humanoid mutants. The Tiger Squad's current leader is Eight-Paths Lightning, a powerful superhero who combines incredible energy projection, speedster powers, and masterful kung-fu.

UPDATE: After the events of the Plutonian-led mutant uprising, the loss of Eight-Paths Lightning, and the deposition of the existing Chinese government, the Tiger Squad has been radically changed in both roster and function. All mutants have been expelled from its ranks, including diehard Chinese patriots who have committed no disloyalty. Some of these have left the country, while others remain as (carefully watched) members of the civilian population. These changes have left the Tiger Squad's strength vastly diminished, and the Chinese government is desperately scrambling to acquire more non-mutant talent before the next major catastrophe strikes. To this end, they are very interested in recruiting mystic heroes, and there are rumors of a government-run magicians' school being hastily founded near Beijing.

### The Sentinels

Toward the end of the second world war, the Axis power tried increasingly desperate measures to bring supernatural might to bear against the Allies. Armed with scraps of ancient lore and a great deal of dumb luck, the Nazi's "paracausalists" unleashed scores of spectres and zombies to rampage on the battlefields of Europe, little caring that they were as much a danger to the German army as they were to their enemies.

Knowing that the Nazis must be foiled before they summoned something truly unstoppable, Amazing Man conned his way into the project's facility by pretending to be a master mystic. Quickly realizing that he was in over his head, he reached out to Black Rose and Diadem, two heroes he'd heard of through his underground contacts. Amazing Man was delighted to find that they already shared his goal of stopping the Nazis. Banding together, the trio sabotaged Hitler's mystics, destroyed their equipment and research notes, and fought their way out of the arcane complex, defeating a cadre of SS Troopers and the Austrian superhuman Blitzableiter on their way out.

The mission went so well that the three heroes decided to stick together for the remainder of the war. They dubbed themselves the Sentinels, dedicating themselves to protect the world from the threat of black magic. The war soon ended but the Sentinels had no shortage of work to do: the Crimson Circle was ascendant in this time, and their druidic covens sowed chaos across the globe. The Sentinels invited Obsidian to their ranks in 1951, grateful for his strength and mage-hunting abilities, and began methodically disassembling Crimson Circle encampments wherever they lurked.

Amazing Man retired from heroism in 1985, though he still consulted with the team and aided them however he could. They brought Nyx aboard in the early 2000's to help combat an alarming wave of demonic possessions that was sweeping Europe at the time, and despite his moody nature he proved himself invaluable with his infernal skills. Finally, in 2015 the elderly Amazing Man found a protégé who met his incredibly high standards and Amazing Man the 2nd was born. The young hero immediately joined the Sentinels, rounding out the team once more.

Despite their efforts to protect mankind, the Sentinels have a terrible reputation they've struggled against since their formation. The mystical world can be very prejudiced, and each member of the team looks at least a little evil to a casual magical inspection. But the non-magical world is more grateful for their efforts battling mystic threats, and the Sentinels have a great working relationship with UNTIL. Although not officially sanctioned by the UN, the Sentinels enjoy a free exchange of information with their UNTIL contacts and frequently call on the agency's assistance.

### NOVA

New York City has always seen more than its fair share of super crime. Its own population is large enough to support hundreds of native metahumans, to say nothing of those who come seeking the wealth and status that can be claimed there by a villain ruthless enough to thrive in such a competitive environment. The Big Apple is also home to several established superhero teams, but they are all so elite that it can be difficult for a young hero to gain the necessary experience to stand up to the local criminal element. It was a group of eager young do-gooders, all rejected from other super teams, who came together to form NOVA in 1988.

NOVA has had a tulutuous history over its many decades. Heroes tend to join for a while, then 'graduate' to other teams or strike out as solo acts. As a result, turnover is very high, and the team's roster changes almost completely every few years. With this constant change in membership and leadership, NOVA has been by turns virtuous and scandalous, with each generation running things their own way. NOVA's unpredictability has prevented the organization from keeping good relations with law enforcment or UNTIL, though individual heroes on the roster often have better reputations than the group as a whole.

Currently NOVA's star is rising under the leadership of Powerful Bill, who has pushed his teammates into the limelight by bravely confronting some of New York's deadliest villains. In particular they have been harassing New York's Temeraire Club branch for some time, causing significant financial losses to that orgnization and driving down membership. NOVA's previous incarnation was more like a social club, but in Bill's tenure the group is starting to take their duties much more seriously. He is aided by Decibelle, the only member with more seniority than Bill, who happily turned down the leadership role vacated by previous member Arcane. Decibelle actually recruited Bill, as well as Libertine and the Specimen. Numskull, who applied directly to the group, is their most recent acquisition and brings both remarkable powers and some very welcome legal expertise to the litigation-provoking team.

NOVA is headquartered at the Wellsley Building, a high-rise luxury apartment building in the heart of Manhattan. This extremely valuable property was given to the group in perpetuity by a grateful billionaire, whose kidnapped son was rescued by NOVA in 1991. NOVA occupies the top two floors of the Wellsley, and the apartment has been shaped over the years by a jarring mix of decorating choices. Unlike most hero HQ's, the Wellsley doesn't have any high tech security, and the members of NOVA have to do their best to secure their privacy and safety themselves.

### Watchtower

In 2022 the Lustrian Star Empire invaded Earth. The alien crusaders' quest to subjugate humanity's faith saw tens of thousands of churches, mosques, and temples levelled to the ground. The greatest bastion of faith left unconquered on Earth was Olympus, and the final battle for mankind's soul took place at the foot of the Greek gods' golden stair. Extraterrestrial angels and alien troopers clad in blessed power armor swarmed to meet Earth's defenders: servants of the gods, newly invested avatars, and many, many metahumans who had answered the call to defend the world from peril. In the end humanity prevailed, but the victory came at great cost with terrible destruction and loss of life.

One of the heroes left standing when the dust settled was Citadel, who observed the devastation with disgust. His powerful analytical mind had calculated that the battle could have been avoided, and in fact the entire invasion could have been halted in its early stages. But doing so would have required a group of very powerful agents acting without hesitation, restraint, or even respect for Earth's laws and jurisdictions, and no such organization existed. The Contenders had come close almost purely by chance, and Citadel believed that with the right allies he could do even better.

He contacted Gossamer to search for heroes that fit his exacting criteria: they must be very powerful, at least a Delta-level designation; they must be dedicated to putting the good of the Earth ahead of their personal interests; they must be able to work in a democratic team with no single leader; and they must show disregard for the rule of law. Gossamer was able to identify dozens of candidates, and Citadel's simulations showed him what combination of heroes would work best for what he had in mind. His first recruit was Gossamer herself, and she readily accepted his offer in the hopes of doing more to protect the planet than she'd ever accomplished as a lone hero.

With time and careful negotiation, Citadel brought together the rest of his team: the Sentinel, Omnivore, Firebrand, Summit, and Feign. Each one joined for their own reasons, but they were united in their belief that superhumans acting in Earth's best interest were above petty concerns about law and order. This attitude would never be welcomed by the governments of the world, who would almost certainly be nervous about a group of such powerful, rule-flaunting vigilantes, so the only sensible location for their base would be above the Earth itself. Citadel had been preparing such a base during his recruitment drive, and he introduced his new colleagues to the Palisade, a fortified and terraformed asteroid in the outer limits of Earth's orbit. Palisade is a technical marvel featuring the latest and most impressive technology that Citadel's powerful mind and staggering funds could construct, and its long-range teleporters allow the team to return to Earth's surface in seconds, giving them the ability to respond to crises almost anywhere.

So far the team has been busy fending off the ceaseless attacks of Mechanon, whose drones are still causing havoc around the globe. These deadly machines have provided an excellent source of training for the newly-formed team and their impressive successes have already been noted by UNTIL and various governments. Watchtower is only starting to realize its potential but already they have established themselves as a significant albeit enigmatic force for Earth's defense.

## Supervillain Teams

#### **The Midnight Crew**

This Chicago-based team, originally established in Europe, is detailed extensively here.