Agents of Freedom Design Journal #6: SHADOW
With the Agents of Freedom sourcebook off to print, this week, we look at part of SHADOW’s sinister black heart: the Penumbra. The Penumbra is SHADOW’s advisory council. The full Penumbra is forty-nine members strong; it consists of twenty-two cell leaders from around the world, seventeen regional administrators, and the Council of Ten, Overshadow’s chief advisors.
The Penumbra coordinates the day-to-day activity of SHADOW cells and keeps the organization running as a unified whole. The Penumbra usually corresponds by a secured transmission, the Internet, or (in extreme situations) through telepaths like those of Project Mimir.
The seventeen regional leaders and twenty-two cell leaders run SHADOW cells in major cities and world capitals. They are usually ex-military or disgraced law enforcement officers, or descendents of Kantor’s old Nazi and Thule Society associates.
The ten advisory members of the Penumbra are not cell leaders; they are people whom Overshadow views as valuable advisors or allies, even though he is mindful that many come with their own agendas. These include:
Dr. Sin: Years ago, Dr. Sin came to Overshadow with a challenge: whoever lost a game of chess would become the other’s servant. Overshadow agreed and won the game, but agreed to be “magnanimous” (that is, he wanted to keep Sin at arm’s length while still keeping an eye on him), so instead of forcing Sin to work as his servant, he brought him in as an “advisory” member of the Penumbra, treating him as a respected ally.
Dr. Sin is the de facto head of SHADOW and Overthrow in Asia, promoting and protecting their cells (except, of course, when it conflicts with his personal agenda). Sin, abiding by the letter of his deal, handles the cells with exceptional efficiency (though not kindness; if anything, he seems to enjoy heaping abuse on clone troopers). Within SHADOW, Dr. Sin is known as the Scourge Emperor (if the PCs encounter SHADOW in the Far East, they won’t recognize the true master of the hands of darkness until a suitably dramatic moment).
Taurus: Another supervillain considered an ally and not a full member of the organization, Taurus sees SHADOW as a useful ally and a good source for guinea pigs. Like Sin, he uses his position with SHADOW to keep the agency from interfering with his personal schemes, and when Overshadow makes his next move, Taurus’ loyalty is by no means assured.
However, Taurus and Overshadow are willing to leave that confrontation for the future. For the moment, they are collaborators; Taurus has shared samples of his genetic brilliance with SHADOW, helping to develop some of the short-term mutations SHADOW uses to turn clones into mutates. In return, SHADOW does not interfere—and occasionally assists—in the Labyrinth’s schemes.
Nacht-Krieger: Not particularly respected for his intellect, the Nazi villain is SHADOW’s preeminent symbol of terror, absolutely loyal to Overshadow. His presence on the Penumbra reinforces the archvillain’s control of his agency. Sometimes, other members of the Penumbra employ Nacht-Krieger as an assassin, though no one really enjoys working with him. The Crimson Mask, who knew him and liked him in the old days, is surprisingly cold toward him; the Mask knows there are powers in the Shattenwelt that could corrupt even a servant as loyal as Nacht-Krieger, and worries that even if he is loyal to SHADOW now, the forces of that dimension might find a way to use him as their puppet.
Hilda Reinholdt: The head of the Directorate, she is an Overshadow loyalist. See her description in the Directorate section.
The Crimson Mask: The current head of the Thule Society, and is also an Overshadow loyalist. See his description in The Thule Society section.
Prince Vultorr the Cruel: The greatest of SHADOW’s allies among the Serpent-People, this inhuman creature pays lip service to the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, but serves only himself. He is the Serpent-People’s appointed ambassador to our world (who view SHADOW as the only thing in our world worthy of diplomatic contact).
Vultorr’s sole interest in SHADOW is using it for personal gain: especially gold, jewels, comforts, and magical artifacts. Vultorr is a powerful sorcerer who uses his powers and his alliances to open a foothold into our world. Unsurprisingly, he is a rival of the Crimson Mask, as he covets the Mask’s magic and occult connections.
Beyond this, Vultorr’s game stats and his background are being left deliberately vague, so the Gamemaster can customize him as best fits his plots. See the Serpent Person template in Freedom City for details.
Dominic Ashe: The head of Overthrow, his opinions probably garner even less respect than Nacht-Krieger’s. Even so, he uses bluster and bravado as a cover for more insidious plans, and is one of the few members who might someday lead a revolt against Overshadow. See his description in the Overthrow section.
Franklin Folkes: Once the enfant terrible of SHADOW, this aging public relations master spends most of his time on Capitol Hill, where, under the guise of a leading political lobbyist, he cultivates crooked politicians and works against major law enforcement agencies, particularly AEGIS. As cunning as he is corrupt, he has become even more adept at not taking the fall than he was back in the 1980s. He is loyal to Overshadow, but would abandon him if it looked like he was about to be deposed. He is currently in charge of the Midnight Invective.
Ragnarok: Kantor’s prodigal “breeding experiment” and former adversary, Ragnarok has reconciled with his father and now sits on the Penumbra. He is being kept in reserve as a high-grade enforcer. See his description in Chapter 5 of Agents of Freedom.
The Tenth Man: This is the name given to the mysterious and final (tenth) member of the Penumbra. He is so mysterious, in fact, even this book’s author has no idea who “the Tenth Man” is; only the Gamemaster knows his true identity (or what mysterious influence he holds over the organization and Overshadow). In other words, this spot is for the GM to fill as desired.
The Tenth Man might be another clone of Wilhelm Kantor (maybe he is the “real” Overshadow, ruling from behind the scenes), a host body possessed by Zeitgeist, the time-traveling Nazi mastermind (see the Golden Age sourcebook for details), a pawn of Dr. Sin or Taurus, or whatever else you would like.
