From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

The "Inverse" was originally intended as the setting of one of several stories about an alternate dimensions of the Virtueverse. At someone else's suggestion, it was further re-tooled to be implemented as an in-game story-line for role-playing purposes. However, for one reason or another, the role-playing never took place. The information itself still remains, as does the Inverse, mostly unexplored, existing as a possible resource of future role-playing stories and ideas.

Synopsis

The world known as the Inverse is one of the infinite parallel universes to Primal Earth. In many ways it is similar in terms of world history, geography, culture, industry, level of technology, and politics. Likewise it features a titanic clash between factions of super powered individuals. The main difference between our world and the Inverse is that many of the key elements making up particular people’s identities in our world seem to have been switched with the traits belonging to another person, and vice versa. As a result, compared to Primal Earth, it seems as if some kind of inversion has taken place between its members, thus suggesting the title of the Inverse for their dimension. Naturally, to this dimension, Primal Earth would be considered their Inverse.

Brief History

The main divergence of Primal Earth and the Inverse took place in 1918 when Marcus Cole and Stephan Richter happened upon the Well of Furies to partake of its life-changing water. In Primal Earth, Cole would inherit the powers of Zeus and become its greatest champion known as the Statesman; Richter would become the incarnate of Tartarus and threaten the world as Lord Recluse. However, in this reality it was Cole who obtained the powers of Tartarus and Richter who received the influence of Zeus. Their role as hero and villain would not change, however, as their intrinsic nature had already been set, and no amount of divine influence would change that.

Richter, empowered by the king of the gods, decided he would likewise rule over the Earth. With his new found desire and ability to lord over all the world’s man made states, he took up a new name reflecting these goals, and was henceforth known as the States-Lord.

On the other hand, Cole, becoming incarnate with the god of the netherworld, received an unfettered perception on life and death, gaining a new peace of mind in the process that he had never known before. He understood both how precious life was, and yet how attempting to achieve immortality through the acquisition of power was a pointless perversion in the face of death’s inevitable conclusion. Thus he came in opposition to Richter’s intent to dominate all others, for in death all men are equal. Cole likewise received strange new powers, in his case the ability to duplicate his body into numerous copies of himself, a reflection of the breath and scope of the infinite beyond. The original Cole would eventually be known as ReMan, and he would become Richter’s primary opponent.

After the two separated, States-Lord disappeared from public view. He would go on to gather a select group of super-powered metahumans loyal to his cause, a faction he would name the Pantheon, in order to achieve his goals. ReMan, meanwhile, intent on countering States-Lord’s inevitable attack, with the power to duplicate himself into a small army, worked through the US government to become a well-equipped paramilitary force.

States-Lord would finally make his move. Word of secret, successful testing at bridging the gap between realities reached his ears. Infiltrating the scientific think-tank in Etoile, Rhode Island, responsible for the Portal Corporation, the Pantheon gained access to a dimensional gate. Using Portal Corp’s research, they located a world inhabited by a race of highly advanced, sophisticated mutated humans, a peace-loving version of the Rikti. States-Lord and the Pantheon entered into this world unchallenged, quickly enslaving its pacifistic denizens and confiscating their futuristic technology, an act remembered by these Rikti as the Human Invasion. Returning to his home world with a new army of Rikti soldiers and war craft, States-Lord made to take total control of the city, and then the world.

Fortunately ReMan and the world’s super hero population was able to fight back to curb States-Lord’s attempt at conquest, costing many innocent lives, human and Rikti alike. Although able to beat back States-Lord’s alien regime, the cost was such that in the end the United States grudgingly offered a truce to the Pantheon, granting States-Lord dominion over that patch of land he had secured and thoroughly entrenched with his forces. This looming threat on America ’s home soil became known as the Rogue City.

In order to ensure that States-Lord’s mad dreams never come to fruition, ReMan’s military faction and a surviving group of heroes dedicating themselves to keeping his forces trapped in his city until his evil could be destroyed completely. This organization would henceforth call themselves Freedom’s Web. For maximum versatility, geographically and politically, this group made its headquarters in the beautiful Atlantic territory known as the Paragon Isles, where most super heroes live today.

Notable Characters

Captain Cor (inversion of Captain Mako and Manticore): Bloodthirsty pirate in service of States-Lord despite his lack of amazing super powers. He is best known for his destructive raids on Paragon's Steel Island (named so for its many steel foundries owned by the Crey Consortium).

Mantiko (inversion of Captain Mako and Manticore): A gifted marksman, Mantiko dresses in a sleek outfit resembling a shark. He employs an assortment of arrows featuring large, saw-like heads that likewise resemble giant shark’s teeth.

Block (inversion of Black Scorpion and the Clockwork King): Another of States-Lord's evil Pantheon, he can create an invincible armor of psionic energy around himself and attack with powerful mental beams, despite not being particularly bright.

Scorpion King (inversion of Black Scorpion and the Clockwork King): Member of Freedom’s Web, a genius, he fights crime and keeps the city clean via his tiny mechanical scorpion robots.