Equilibrium Society

Genesis - Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

No tenet more aptly explains the state of the world today. Metahuman conflicts and grasps for power have evolved from their own community, to the world stage. The geopolitical balance is now in disarray, no politician or government could ever be prepared for a single individual or group to ever wield such personal power and resources. One needs only to glance at every recent event to see that it's genesis resides in one of the select few attempting to force their rule or beliefs on the world, with or without their permission.

As the power base of the metahuman community has grown, so have the stakes and devastation left behind in the aftermath of every private war. If left to their own devices it is only a matter of time before the aggression of a single entity forces the hand of either the United Nations or remaining superpowers. How long can the worlds governments find themselves backed into the corner by a power left unchecked too long before taking a stand?

In response the Equilibrium Society has been created to proactively act as a check and balance for the metahuman community. Their sole purpose is to monitor and intervene as needed should any single person or group gains too much power or influence, and to tip the scales to counteract them. Their agents are specifically chosen from varied backgrounds and prior allegiances to allow for the perspective of all sides when deciding on an action.

The organization has no ties to any government or agency, and even their funding and benefactors remains a mystery. All that is known for sure is that they are beholden to no one and will stand up to any threat deemed worthy, no matter the danger, no matter the cost.

Organizational Structure

Guardian – The Guardian is the closest thing the Society has to a leader. While responsible for the entire organization, their powers are purposely limited so as to not allow them to exert too much influence on operational decisions. Command in field operations is theirs to assume or delegate to an Executor as needed, but they only vote on an action in the event that a 2/3rd majority cannot be reached.

Executor – These are the decision makers and elite field agents of the society. Each member has equal say and voting power in any potential action under discussion, no matter their seniority or power level. Each member was brought into the organization for their unique perspective as much as their abilities. All members have a unique callsign that is used independent of any other alias in use while on business related to the Society.

Libra – These are the nameless and faceless proxies hired to perform the numerous back office logistics to allow the Executors to focus all their time on the big picture. None of the Libras actually know who they are working for, all personal and financial transactions are done through a web of existing agents and front companies making tracing anything back to the organization virtually impossible.

Headquarters

The group only maintains a single dedicated headquarters, stationed on a private island off the coast of Ontario, Canada. Field offices and safe houses are set up and maintained as needed by the Libras based on current needs and situations. The main house is only used for recreational or social functions, as it is only used as cover for the much larger sub-complex underneath that holds all classified materials and equipment. Each member has a secured living quarters assigned to them to which no other member has access to in respect to privacy.Members are not required to live on-site, but have access to the facility and their quarters whenever they choose.

The organizations vast funding and access to unheard of technology makes the HQ all but invisible to any form of detection. Whatever equipment not already stored within it's walls is only a phone call away as one of the legion of Libras will be assigned to procure whatever is needed. As a smart building all functions are automated and the facility has no staff whatsoever. The Society is set up to operate in a self-sufficient state for months without outside assistance and operates completely independent of any national grids.

Members

Guardian - Rain Eclipse Ves / Victor Cardenas

Little is known of the man who currently assumes leadership of the Equilibrium Society. All efforts to delve into his background by those who know of him have come up with nothing, as if he never existed up until the past few months. All that is known for sure is that he is a metahuman with undefined energy manipulation abilities as his field activities have yet to be monitored or recorded. He maintains a very low profile and is fiercely protective of his privacy, the reasons for which remain unknown.

Team Commandments - OOC

1 - Thou shalt PM at will with questions

2 - Thou shalt interact with team members to promote real character growth

3 - Thou shalt work together to develop ideas and share the workload

4 - Thou shalt not use this thread for .gif wars, only RPG related

5 - Thou shalt do as much as possible IC

6 - Thou shalt put quality over quantity

7 - Thou shalt take this seriously but not personally

8 - Thou shalt feel free to speak your mind respectfully

9 - Thou shalt want to do something exceptional or do not apply

10 - Thou shalt leave your ego at home, this is a team effort

6 slots available

Greys preferred, Blues or Reds considered as long as the character leans towards the middle and not extreme one way or the other

If I do not respond, blame it on the post count lock, or just PM me

Bump

Victor sat alone, his eyes peering wearily at the cleanly organized grid of pictures in front of him. The nearly empty second pot of coffee and the deep stubble that covered his usually clean shaven face testament to how long he had been at work without end. The ornate and oversized chair offered little comfort at this point, one could only spend so many hours in one position before the most supple of leather began to feel like concrete. The popping of his joints as he finally stood echoed throughout the empty house, making him suddenly aware of the total silence that he had been working in. The tired figure allowed himself a single extended stretch before slumping back into the chair, his sullen eyes focused again on the faces staring back at him.

These are the architects of nearly every metahuman disaster in recent years, like a disease left unchecked and allowed to become pandemic, completely and utterly out of control.

He shook his head and rose from the chair again, stomping his feet to awaken his near numb limbs as he poured the last of the gourmet coffee into his cup. Taking a moment to stare out the window and onto the horizon, only the slightest hints of the coming sunrise apparent. Victor tried not to turn his gaze, but the monitor in the corner of his eye continued to beckon him, his work was not done. Reluctantly he settled down again, but decided that he had obsessed over targets he was nowhere ready to take on long enough. Before switching to the next file he allowed himself one last glance at a single picture, the one set nearly dead center on the screen.

When are you ever going to learn? Of all the architects here, you are the single biggest disappointment.

With that final thought he moved his attention to the next file, and a completely different set of pictures. These were the long list of potential recruits as Executors, those he hoped would become one of his six initial agents of balance. Most of them had little to nothing in common, many had even fought on opposite sides at one time for another, or in other words, perfect.

When one wants to keep no one agenda from growing too influential, one must make twice as sure they do not develop an agenda of their own.

Such an array of varying backgrounds, experiences, personalities, all providing him with what he needed most, perspectives that varied from his own in every conceivable way. Victor did not need drones or yes-men to feed his ego like these others craved, he needed strong wills and minds to challenge him and each other to make sure their actions were necessary and not motivated by any personal vendetta or grudge. The last thing he could afford or allow, was to let himself somehow become that which he despised.

The only question is where to start, and with who?

The sun finally made it's presence fully known as it shined in through the panoramic windows, there was still much work to be done, but it was not going to get any further tonight. A single tap of his finger and the screen went blank, his tired body once again leaving the seat, this time for the night. The long walk down the hallway to his room allowed him ample time to let the endless possible combinations run through his mind until his head finally hit the pillow, blissful sleep now only moments away. The same doubt continued to linger in the back of his mind.

Will anyone actually stand up to them, or will I have to go it alone?

4 and 10 are deal breakers :P

@Gambler said:

4 and 10 are deal breakers :P

The interview would be priceless to RP, I see no way it does not end in either a furious debate, or a throw down causing the destruction of wherever it took place.

4 and 10 are deal breakers :P

Victor sat on the patio outside of the Society's headquarters, staring out into the water as he found himself lost in thoughts that simply would not go away. The tray with his dinner of homemade lo mein with black bean sauce sat neglected beside him all but forgotten. Only minutes ago he had finished another long session of reviewing his files for potential Executors, a single nagging trend repeating itself in his head, impossible to ignore.

Where have all the heroes gone?

While there was no denying the world had becoming a darker, far more dangerous place in the past few years, the acceleration of this new reality was shocking to say the least. Stalwarts such as the Champions of Peace and We Are Legend had been inactive for so long they seemed destined to become no more than footnotes in the history of a world lost to time. The closest successor at the moment was the recently created Trinity Progression movement, too far into it's infancy to do anything more than speculate based on their ties to the ashes of the Trinity Foundation.

After watching the Foundation's implosion in monumental fashion, it's going to take a lot to convince me this iteration is any less a problem, much less part of the solution. At least there isn't a country of civilians caught in the crossfire this time around.

Victor's thoughts then turned to the flip side of the coin, and how the self serving megalomaniacs had somehow managed to unify themselves into power at a scale no one could have ever imagined. The single largest advantage, the ability to put aside individual differences for the greater good, had not only been lost, but co-opted by the enemy and to an embarrassing level of effectiveness. What was left was unwilling or unable to mount any more than a superficial response, which only emboldened the wicked into operating with impunity.

How can you not feel for the younger set, those who are supposed to be the next generation, no role models to look up and aspire to. Many must look at their elders as utter failures, and for the most part they are far from out of line.

As he rose from the chair, the chill of a northern evening chasing him to seek the warmth inside the house, Victor finally noticed the forgotten dinner beside him. He reached for the plate to bring it back inside, no longer with the intention to eat it as he found his appetite as lost as his faith in his contemporaries.

Victor sat alone on the patio of the cafe, his eyes darting over the screen of his tablet, the buzz of new activity keeping him busier than usual the past few days. The cafe was set within one of the trendier sections of downtown Toronto, he liked the area, it was modern, vibrant, and most of all not a metahuman hotspot. Most of the tables were occupied with couples or groups of friends discussing their evenings plans, he envied them, his own social life had continued to suffer as the Age of Empires grew further out of control. He had no one to blame but himself, neither fate nor destiny placed him on this course, it was a decision all his own.

I really should go play tonight, clear my head, reevaluate my perspective.

When time allowed he would jam with a local cover band (Better the Second Time), it was a welcome diversion, something he had not done since college, and a tether to a normal life he was getting further from every day. Yet shying away from responsibility, even that which he placed upon his own shoulders, was not something he ever put aside. Things were brewing and the time for significant change was at hand, but only if he was ready to act at a moments notice as the players and events unveiled themselves.

When empires clash, empires can fall, or at least be humbled to the point they lose their grip and let the world run itself again.

The waitress came by and slipped the bill in front of him, Victor quickly noticed the phone number added in violet ink at the bottom. Looking up he met her green eyes, the look on her face showing the nervous anticipation of someone who rarely, if ever, was so forward in these regards. Her appearance screamed that of a struggling college student, he had long ago learned what the eyes of burdened youth looked like from his own. Without breaking the continuing gaze he let his hand shut down the tablet, there was nothing he could do until the wheels in motion revealed themselves, until then he fully intended to delve back into his old self for a brief respite. Slowly he took her hand in his..

" My name is Victor Cardenas, I cannot promise I will not become a mistake or a regret, only that I will be worth the risk"

I can't believe this team doesn't get more peeps.

@Kratesis:

The Vine is fickle, you never know what is going to spur interest and what just fades away. I never expected the PM box to ring off the hook, but even I have to admit puzzlement at the lack of response.

@Rain_Eclipse_Ves: Very true. I think you started it right as some of the more famous peeps started teams as well, and they kinda siphoned off a lot of the available interest.

@Kratesis said:

@Rain_Eclipse_Ves: Very true. I think you started it right as some of the more famous peeps started teams as well, and they kinda siphoned off a lot of the available interest.

I don't blame them, teams led by "names" tend to have the most activity and opportunity for character growth in the canon sense. Many newer teams have went nowhere and skepticism about their future is to be expected. Worst case it gave me something to do while trapped at home sick and fades away like so many others.

@Rain_Eclipse_Ves: True. 'Name' teams tend to burn brightly, and shortly though. They usually experience a big burst of activity and then die off. I think its part of why empires slowly are replacing them. (Although they too have struggled recently)

Huh. Actually looking at it, it kinda reminds me a bit of registration, but unofficial and not related to a single government.

@Zanker said:

Huh. Actually looking at it, it kinda reminds me a bit of registration, but unofficial and not related to a single government.

There is no registration element to it, if there was a new registration act they would likely be against it completely.

It is more that the teams have grown to now be empires, their actions affecting not just the metahuman community, but the geopolitical landscape. No character or organization should have that much sway and needs to humbled, regardless of alignment.

@Zanker said:

@Rain_Eclipse_Ves: Oh, no. I wasn't talking actual registration. More, the people are a little out of control thing.

That is pretty much it exactly, a handful of people hold way too much power.

The other major difference is that even as the creator, the directions and decisions of the team would be made up by the other six members as much or more than my own. Everyone would have a say on direction and not just the I lead, you follow dynamic. I was looking for it to be a team effort in everything.