From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

The KarmicAvenger
Player: Cylar
Origin:	Magic
Archetype:	Defender
Security Level:	50
Personal Data
Real Name:	Jessica Stewart (but she denies this)
Known Aliases:	none
Species:	Human
Age:	21 (20 when she died)
Height:	5'6"
Weight:	135lbs
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Brown
Biographical Data
Nationality:	U.S.A.
Occupation:	Pizza Delivery for Tony's Pizza in Skyway
Place of Birth:	Paragon City suburb
Base of Operations:	Paragon City
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	Mr. and Mrs. Stewart (but they deny this)
Known Powers
Sure shot with a bow and arrow. She can fly!
Known Abilities
Can meditate under almost any conditions. Uncanny ability to ignore reality.
Equipment
Bow and arrows. Lovely green cape.
Footnotes
None

The summer after freshman year at University, Jessica Stewart and some friends went to a yoga retreat in the country. The retreat was owned and run by James Blaunt. Beyond the physical practice of yoga, James was interested in the more metaphysical aspects of Hinduism, specifically the eternal cycle of re-birth. Unbeknownst to the young students who were drawn to him, Mr. Blaunt didn’t know what the hell he was talking about…. He’d read some books, attended some lectures, but only gleaned the most interesting bits. Anyway, he taught those willing to listen, including young Jessica and her friends, everything he didn’t know.

The retreat was for six weeks. A month in, it was learned that the owner of some property adjoining the retreat, had sold out to a developer. Along with some environmental groups, James and the students put together an on-sight demonstration to stop the development. Although they worked quickly, the developers were faster. The protestors arrived after a trail had already been bulldozed for the heavy equipment and a number of trees had been felled. The environmentalists started yelling about pristine ecosystems and the threat to the environment. James started yelling about the souls of the trees that could have been their great, great, great grandparents. The foreman started yelling at them to get out of the way, or they’d get hurt. The environmentalists started yelling about lawsuits and court battles and illegally purchased land. James started yelling about peace and tranquility and the loss of customers. The foreman yelled to someone to call the cops and ordered his men back to work. The environmentalists started calling for reinforcements on their cell phones. James and the students sat in a circle around a tree and meditated. The foreman, when he realized there would be no more work today, went to the trailer for a stiff drink and to call some friends.

Reinforcements, for both sides, arrived before the police. They were followed shortly after by an unusually violent thunderstorm, which only pushed everyone over the edge. Everyone, that is, except Jessica. She really was deep in meditation at the foot of the tree. She had never gotten so far before and was quite oblivious to the chaos around her. The rest of the students were arguing along side the other protestors and James, well, he had taken off when the first angry faces for the opposition arrived. As the storm raged above, violence broke out on the ground. Shouting became shoving. Shoving became punching. Lightning streaked across the sky with an immediate thunderclap. The bolts came in quick succession, more than one striking trees at the edge of the clearing. Most of the combatants fled. A few of the students realized Jessica wasn’t with them and turned back towards the area they just left. They saw the tree they had been sitting around had been struck by lightning; either one mighty bolt or repeatedly. It was a massive, ancient trunk but had been scorched down to the roots. They peered into the woods and one of them saw Jessica. She had been thrown a good 15 feet from the tree. The police finally arrived. They tried to resuscitate her but failed. She was dead.

Jessica woke up two days later in the local morgue. She had been having the most incredible dreams: blackness, bright, multi-colored lights, then shadowy faces and far-off voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but she had the most profound understanding of… everything! She immediately recognized that she had been chosen to help Yogi James spread the true meaning of the universe. She made her way the couple of miles to the retreat. She couldn’t wait to see Mr. Blaunt! However, she found that he wasn’t as receptive to the reincarnated as he had pretended to be. Nor was he as good a person as she had thought. Heartbroken, she returned to Paragon City…

The Green Fire (No, not absinthe.)

After a day (and night) of fighting evil, Karmic Avenger relaxes and starts to meditate. It has become very easy for her to leave the world behind and focus on the one-ness and nothingness of everything. Although, sometimes, she’s not entirely alone. Sometimes there are green flames and strange… faces? She can’t be sure because the flames obscure everything and nothing is quite in focus. Sometimes there are chanting voices. What are they saying? Prayers? She doesn’t know and they sound so far away and quiet it’s not hard to push them aside. She can even get past the flames most of the time. It’s not hard, all she has to do is concentrate and they disappear and she’s back in the void.

However, this time is different. This time the flames just get bigger the more she tries to get past them. This time there aren’t voices but one voice. One, single, menacing voice and it repeats over and over, “Release me!” and Karmic can’t get rid of it. She can feel it clinging to her mind, talking to her. But who is it!? WHAT is it? She’s not holding anyone against their will! She tries to return to the world but she can’t wake up! She’s trapped!

She wakes up a few days later in her own bed.

A few days later Karmic Avenger is helping some fellow heroes save the future by traveling back in time to ancient Rome! Needless to say she was utterly exhausted by the time they were finished and returned to their own time, which is now, well it was then but is still now. Anyway, she fell into a deep sleep. So deep that the voice and the flames found her. This time things were a bit clearer though. Not much, just a bit. She could tell they were in a cave? It seemed all close and lightless like a cave. And the voice! It was angry and mean and commanding. It told her she was a hero now and it was her duty to save it. She had to free it! But from where? Or what? This time she was allowed to wake up.

Since she had been admitted to the Midnighters’ Club, Karmic had been reading a lot of the books in the library there. She now knew that the green flames must be Circle of Thorns. That probably meant the cave she felt she was in was Oranbega. But who was talking to her? It sounded like the ‘it’ was being held against it’s will but how could the Circle hold something so seemingly powerful prisoner? How did it know she was a hero?

She must find a way into Oranbega and confront her assailant. If it turned out they truly needed help she would do what she could. Karmic Avenger would need allies for this, and a map….

Allies

KarmicAvenger is a member of STORM.

Quotes

On Cimerora: "Beautiful, fresh air, warm sunshine, pristine beaches... and plenty of evil to fight before lunch!"