Difference between revisions of "The Dark Astoria Foundation (Justice Supergroup)"

Revision as of 20:59, 17 June 2009

The Golden Astoria Hotel, basement

The Dark Astoria Foundation is a role-playing supergroup on Justice server.

Overview

The Dark Astoria Foundation is a role-playing supergroup on Justice server. The group was founded by @Ringwood. It was created to give some back story to Dark Astoria, a zone neglected by official canon and missions.

In-character, the group was created by MAGI-licensed hero and medium Felicity Bane as a non-profit organization dedicated to ridding Astoria of its supernatural curse and to give some peace to the restless souls there. The DAF's secondary goal, if it is deemed plausible or even possible, is to restore the neighborhood so that it may be re-settled by Paragon City's inhabitants.

The DAF is headquartered in a building in Talos Island's New Troy neighborhood. Its previous headquarters, on the 14th floor of the skyscraper near the entrance to Dark Astoria, was destroyed in the Rikti invasion of 2007. The DAF also maintains a stronghold inside Astoria, in the Golden Astoria Hotel. They have a working relationship with the nuns who operate St. Elegius Hospital.

History

The Dark Astoria Foundation was founded by Felicity Bane after her “retirement” from the Myrmidon Agency. She, Julia Wells (a.k.a. Grey Shroud), Amanda Graham (a.k.a. Tielekku’s Hand), and Mikaela LaCroix had worked together to discover the ultimate cause of Astoria’s curse. Once they ascertained the size and scope of the dilemma, Felicity formally founded the non-profit group in October 2007 to generate the revenue and maintain the diverse talent pool needed to make a lasting impact.

The four founding members of the DAF discovered that a pact between members of the Family and the Banished Pantheon in large part kept Astoria under a miasma of haunted darkness, and that the countermeasures employed by the Circle of Thorns further complicated the layers of banishings and bindings littering the neighborhood. Recent incursions by the Tsoo only complicated matters.

The four founding members had their first major breakthrough when they discovered the “genius loci” (or “spirit of the place,” a conscious manifestation of a neighborhood’s personality) in the structure of the art deco Golden Astoria Hotel, once the pride of Paragon City and headquarters for the Frost family syndicate that would eventually become simply “the Family.” The spirit, despite having the demeanor of a fearful child, was able to provide the four sanctuary in the hostile neighborhood as well as access to an expansive library with ever-changing content.

The DAF used this foothold to wage its multi-front war. Julia’s connections with the Circle of Thorns allowed the DAF to forge an uneasy alliance of convenience with the ancient mystics. Mikaela relocated to Salamanca with her patron loa, Baron LaCroix (an aspect of Ghede), to battle with the Pantheon-allied creatures there and sever the line of power being funneled to break the chains holding the Pantheon gods back in Astoria. Felicity and the others assisted Don Sebastian Frost in breaking his family’s blood pact with the Pantheon, denying them another ally and consequently severing the Frost bloodline. And Amanda explored the delicate, interweaving magics of Astoria, the better to understand how they might be undone.

Felicity’s minor celebrity and a few visible victories netted the DAF some public acclaim, and the funding—mostly given by Paragon’s oldest families, who have plots in Moth Cemetery—has rolled in ever since. Before the Midnighter Club again rose to prominence with their creation of a portal to Cimerora, the DAF—with its small but diverse group of combatants and scholars—was one of the premiere magic groups in Paragon City.

Today, the DAF continues its work under its new CEO, Alicia Smith. The Tsoo have been pushed out of Astoria entirely and Mikaela LaCroix oversees an uneasy alliance between the Cabal and the people of Salamanca. Currently the DAF is working to set up safe havens throughout Astoria, usable by both its staff and any ghosts fleeing Pantheon shamans or malevolent spirits. Though the DAF remains focused on Astoria, it often works with other supergroups to quell magical threats and investigate anomalies where needed.

Members

The DAF staffs approximately 40 individuals in various capacities, from the typical field agent to more mundane positions like HR and reception. Listed here are the most prominent figures.

• Chief Executive Officer: Alicia Smith

• Chief of Security: Cheryl Lee, a.k.a. Bulletproof
  • Field Sergeant: Asia Zantosa, a.k.a. Blackbird
  • Field Sergeant: Mikaela LaCroix

• Head Librarian: Geoff Richardson
  • Researcher: Kimiko Inagawa