Although Britain was still very much a male-dominated and class-conscious society in the 1880's, with the appearance of Overmen among both sexes and all social groups the British government made the difficult decision that they should recruit and treat all British Overmen equally, regardless of sex or social class. This enlightened decision soon proved its worth and the Royal Elite Guard grew to be the largest Overman organisation of its day, especially when the related Royal Indian Guard were taken into account. The members of the Royal Elite Guard were :
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Born in Somerset in 1864, Margaret married John Hector, a farmer in late 1879. In early 1882 she spontaneously began to lose her hair and begin to grow sharp spines in its place and also along her forearms and calves. She also became much stronger and faster. Having heard about the Royal Elite Guard John informed them of his wifes new powers, and talked her into the idea that joining them would be the best idea (partly for patriotic reasons and partly for the improvement in their lifestyle it would bring). Margaret noticed that since her transformation John had been much colder and less loving to her, and started to dislike her 'inhuman' condition. She and John moved down to London and she began to work with the Guard while John enjoyed life in the city. In training she discovered that she could fire her quills at ranged targets and also use them to hit things hand-to-hand. It was in training that another aspect of her powers was discovered - she had a tendency to go into a berserk state in combat or if injured, and in that state to be vastly stronger, tougher and strong willed, but less intelligent than she normally was. The discovery of this limited her usefulness somewhat, but she still remained a member of the Guard. Margaret and John grew more and more distant from each other and in 1888 they divorced in a far from amicable separation. She threw herself more and more into Guard activities after this, seeing them almost as a substitute family. Like the rest of the Guard she went to war in 1895. Unfortunately her berserker tendencies proved to be her downfall and in an attack near Tashkent she was killed by howitzer fire storming an enemy position while berserk. Although little of her body remained she was buried in the churchyard of the parish where she was born in Somerset, with full military honours.
Margaret was a short, attractive woman with grey-brown quills in place of her hair and along her forearms and calves. She had blue eyes and a fair, freckled complexion. In later years she tended to be fairly quiet and depressed due to her marital problems.
Avalon in Champions terms.
Played by David McNally
From a British middle class background, he went into philanthropic charity work among the poor after leaving university. At the age of 22 he was inducted into the Order of the Silver Twilight as a low-level member. From his actions within the Order it was obvious that he wanted to rise higher within the ranks, and so in early 1883 he was approached by Patrick Vandaleur, the head of the Order. He offered to assist Jason's rise within the Order, but only if Jason would aid him in return. Foolishly Jason agreed to his proposal, and in a terrible magical ritual he was transformed into the form he now has - a tiny 12 cm tall featureless black mannequin with darkness powers. Patrick Vandaleur explained that if Jason did what he said he would be returned to his human form. Unbalanced by the horror of his transformation Jason refused, and escaped by teleporting off.
For a time Blackjack, as Jason now called himself, lived on the streets fighting crime, recruiting a band of street urchins to help him. In 1883 he met the Royal Elite Guard when he helped to foil the Order of the Silver Twilight's plot to kill the Royal family and replace them with a puppet ruler, and for a time he joined them. However his inhuman condition preyed upon his mind and in mid-1884 he vanished from the Guard and although rumours of his presence turned up from time to time, he wasn't seen again until 1905, when Abyss, James Vandaleur, unleashed an army on monsters on London in an attempt to destroy the capital and take over the country. When the Royal Elite Guard arrived to battle this menace they found Blackjack there before them, fighting with maniacal fury. He moved through the monsters, killing many, and eventually confronted Abyss, whose powers seemed to have grown immensely over the years. He attacked Abyss without regard for his own life, and although he badly injured Abyss he was killed and Abyss managed to escape by teleporting away. He was buried with full military honours and posthumously knighted for his actions in saving the capital.
Blackjack in Champions terms.
Played by David Riddle
Born in a middle-class suburb of York in 1861, Cecil was a fairly intelligent child. When he was eighteen his parents persuaded him that he should become a lawyer, and after three years, in 1883, he qualified with flying colours. While in the final year of his degree he had suddenly manifested Overman powers while on a long cross-country run, completing it in minutes. However, he kept these abilities secret, but did come up with a name for himself - Northwind. He had moved down to London in order to gain experience at the Bar when he became involved with the Royal Elite Guard after Pendragon was kidnapped by a group of Russian Overmen. Although the government pulled strings so that his career did not suffer from the time he spent in this operation, Cecil's eyes had been opened. He resigned from his position and took up a career as a roving crimefighter. Because of his generally somewhat unorthodox methods, and a number of assaults of Police officers in the course of his operations, he soon became a fugitive from the law. Because of this he expanded his operations to cover the mainland of Europe, although he had a number of close scrapes with various European Overman teams. In WWI he was responsible for breaking up a number of spy rings, and for this received a pardon for his previous actions. By this time his views on crime and the legal system had changed somewhat, and after a period of retraining he resumed his career as a lawyer, often in conjunction the Royal Elite Guard. In WWII he did volunteer to fight, and like so many others died in the Russian nuclear attacks of 1917.
Northwind was capable of running at over 600 kph, and was much faster and tougher than a normal person. In addition, if he hit a target while moving he was capable of doing a great deal of damage to it. Cecil was 5'6" tall, with blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and a thin, wiry build.
Northwind in Champions terms.
Born in 1850 in Sheffield to upper-middle-class parents, John followed in his fathers footsteps and became an engineer, joining the family business at the age of eighteen and working his way quickly up from the shop floor. As the years passed he met and married an upper-class girl, and over the course of time they produced three children, two girls and a boy. In late 1881 John noticed that he seemed to be becoming more intelligent, and began to make great strides forward, inventing a number of innovative new devices. One night early in 1882, while working late in the factory, there was an accident and John became trapped under some collapsing machinery. He should have been at least badly injured, but in fact was barely scratched. However, he was trapped. Desperately wanting to free himself he felt something happen, and suddenly two duplicates of himself appeared! The duplicates helped him to free himself from the wreckage then were somehow re-absorbed into himself. He staggered home in shock, and told his wife what had happened. She was surprised, especially when he demonstrated his duplication ability, but reacted calmly, and helped him to calm down. The next day John telegraphed the Royal Elite Guard in London, offering his services to them. Without hesitation they accepted, and he and his family moved down to London (his father continuing in charge of the factory). Although not very good in combat John's intelligence meant that he was capable of producing many useful devices in the laboratory. He was kidnapped by the Russians late in 1883, who wanted access to his skills, and only after two years did the Guard manage to track him down and rescue him. He worked hard for the Guard, usually in the background, producing many inventions which benefited the British Empire and the world in general. He did not fight in WWI, supporting the Guard from behind the lines, and in 1901 was knighted by Queen Victoria for his services to the Crown. In 1916 he died peacefully in his sleep at the ago of 66.
With practise John was able to produce sixteen duplicates of himself at once, all effectively identical. Unlike some other individuals with duplication powers John's duplicates had no telepathic link between them. All the duplicates were slightly stronger, fitter and faster than an average person, but nowhere near superhuman levels. However he did have a perfect memory, could do mathematics in his head instantly and read much faster than a normal person. Also his body was much tougher than a normal persons, and was capable of resisting bullets. His intellect was truly staggering. However John did have a somewhat patronising attitude towards foreigners and the lower classes and was loud, opinionated and jingoistic. However he followed orders well, and had a great respect for the upper classes. In his prime he was about 5'4" tall and fairly attractive with light brown hair and blue eyes.
Pendragon in Champions terms.
Originally an officer in the British cavalry, in combat with rebellious Egyptians in 1882, supporting Excaliber, when he was downed and disarmed he discovered that he had the ability to generate powerful electric shocks on touching a target; he had also become much stronger, tougher and faster. He was immediately recruited into the Royal Elite Guard by Excaliber, and eagerly joined. Since then he has always been in the front line of combat, often letting his arrogance (due to upper-class, public-school upbringing) and over-confidence get the better of him. He is also a fanatical patriot, and fairly protective of women, not believing they should be in the Guard at all. He also has a fairly hot temper, especially is he is insulted, or if someone on his side is downed. His powers make his more vulnerable than normal to water-based attacks, and even immersion in large amounts of water alone can cause him pain.
Pharos is about 5'11" tall, with blonde hair, dark brown eyes, an athletic build and a generally striking appearance.
Pharos in Champions terms.
Played by Andrew Davies
Born in 1853 to upper-class parents in the west of London, Anthony never took particularly well to schooling, always preferring to go out and enjoy himself. He was expelled from several private schools as he grew up for being caught climbing over the wall on his way to or from clandestine assignations with various young ladies. He was nearly sent down from Oxford for similar reasons, and also several occurrences when he was found to be running secret gambling dens. These incidents and their aftermaths, rather than teaching how to refrain from these prohibited activities just taught him to hide them better. Some time after just scraping a degree in 1874 Anthony left Britain on an extended grand tour of Europe, or more accurately its seedy dives and gambling dens. Part of the reason for this was to escape a number of paternity suits. He spent the Christmas of 1882 in Monaco, where he frequented various gambling halls. He noticed that several of these casinos were running rigged games. When he complained he was beaten up and kicked out. As he recovered Anthony noticed that he seemed to have developed a number of Overman powers - invisible telekinesis among them. Using these abilities Anthony cheated the cheaters and broke the bank of the rigged casinos in one stupendous night of gambling. Unsurprisingly Anthony was not very popular after this and left Monaco in a hurry, returning to England early in 1883. He became somewhat involved in the family import-export trade after his return, but still spent most of his time gambling and womanising. He discovered another of his powers when he was confronted by two irate fathers of women who he had made pregnant - he suddenly turned invisible and was able to escape. With practice he found that in addition to himself he was also able to turn one other person who was touching him invisible at the same time. In late 1883 he became involved with the Royal Elite Guard, under the name of Solitaire, after the kidnapping of Pendragon by a group of Russian Overmen, and had a brief romantic fling with Blackheart (Carmen Velasquez). However, he did not remain with the Guard for long, leaving to continue his own interests (i.e. women and gambling). Anthony rejoined the Guard in 1896 and fought valiantly in WWI, then left again. He rejoined the Guard again with the start of WWII, and died in the Russian nuclear attacks of 1917.
Solitaire was about 5'11" tall and handsome with dark hair, blue eyes and a muscular build. Regardless of the circumstances he always dressed impeccably. By WWI he had fathered a number of illegitimate children, and had a number of narrow escapes from a number of irate fathers. His powers consisted of totally invisible telekinesis, invisibility, and the ability to telekinetically throw edged objects with great force, plus enhanced speed and agility.
Solitaire in Champions terms.
Played by Virginia Carrol
Born in 1838 Sebastian was a professor of Archeology (D.Phil at Christchurch) and confirmed bachelor. He gained his powers on an archeological expedition deep into the African jungle in late 1881. His party were ambushed by hostile natives, and while his companions were being cut down left and right the arrows and spears seemed to be bouncing off him. He charged forwards and engaged the natives hand-to-hand, somehow downing many with single blows before the rest fled in terror. Sebastian, and his faithful manservant Cranston were the only survivors of the ambush, but after giving the rest of the party a decent burial they carried on and successfully completed the expeditions goals, Sebastians now-superhuman strength overcame all obstacles. On their return to England Sebastian was lauded in archeological circles, and soon carried out several equally successful expeditions, gaining a reputation for luckiness which unfortunately didn't often apply to any companions other than Cranston who happened to be along. In 1883, under the pseudonym of Statue Esquire (Statue Esq.), he was involved in foiling the Order of the Silver Twilight's plot to kill the Royal family and replace them with a puppet ruler, but he modestly refused all honours and returned to his studies and expeditions rather than joining the Royal Elite Guard. With the outbreak of WWI in 1895 he immediately volunteered for service and joined the Guard, putting in sterling service until the war was over, when he again returned to his studies. With the coming of WWII in 1915 he again rejoined the Guard, still fit and hale despite being nearly 80 years old, and like almost everyone else in the Guard he died in the Russian nuclear attacks of 1917.
In his prime Sebastian was a giant of a man, 6'4" tall, broad shouldered, handsome, bearded and hugely striking. He spoke a number of languages, was a member of all the best London clubs (the Travellers Club, the Athenaeum, the Oxford and Cambridge Club) and moved with the cream of society. He always had a streak of over-confidence which often got him into trouble, was protective of women, smoked like a chimney and had trouble taking foreigners seriously.
Statue Esquire in Champions terms.
Played by Jim Wall
Born in 1868 in a Wolverhampton slum to Tracy and John Smith, he grew up to a life of privation and hardship. Although he had to go to school he hated it and played truant frequently although he still managed to pick up the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. However, most of the time he was learning thieving, pickpocketing and fighting - he became very good at fighting in part because of his small size and the spots which marred his appearance, and ended up as one of the youngest bare-knuckle brawlers in the north of England. Kevin also nursed a grudge against the rich because of his poor living conditions and the huge amounts of work his parents both did to keep him and his siblings in poverty, while their employers lived in luxury, and the town was run by people who spent money on fine civic buildings rather than the poor people who really needed it. In 1881, at the age of 13 he began his career as a cracksman, his small size and agility making him very good at it. In 1882 the Police, obviously tipped off by someone, raided the place he and a few other criminals worked from. Without any escape Kevin knew he was in serious trouble but suddenly he felt himself bursting with strength, and was easily able to knock the Police aside and escape. He found that he had become immensely strong, fast and tough and this, combined with his previous knowledge of fighting, made him a formidable combatant. He decided that now was the time to strike back at the rich oppressors, and dressing in a black cloak and mask started to rob the rich and distribute the money to the poor. However he soon stirred Wolverhampton up enough that he felt he was harming the poor there merely by his presence, and so moved down to London instead, living the life of a street urchin. Some time after his arrival in London he was involved in foiling the Order of the Silver Twilight's plot against the Royal Family, and met other Overmen for the first time. After talking with Excalibur and Greymalkin he was convinced that he could do more good for the poor from within the system than by fighting against it from without, and joined the Royal Elite Guard under the name Stormcloud.
Upon joining the Guard Kevin showed an unexpected attitude for strategy and all things military, although he didn't take discipline very well, and in fact temporarily left several times after arguments over this. However, he always returned, and greatly assisted in a number of charitable works and government social improvement schemes, putting his powers to good use as a one-man construction crew. In 1907 he was elected to Parliament as an independent candidate (he wished to stand as a Labour candidate but the Labour Party did not trust his government connections via the Guard) and served his constituents and the nation well, campaigning for social reform. He fought valiantly in both WWI, where he led a large number of men and in WWII (still being only in his late 40's) he was well known for leading from the front and caring for the welfare of his men. However, all his powers could not save him from a nuclear explosion and he, too died in the Russian nuclear attacks which ended WWII. Like Excalibur he was buried in St Pauls cathedral with full military honours.
Stormcloud in Champions terms.
Born in Australia in 1848, to lower-class parents, it was fairly natural for Richard to turn to crime. Although he became a fairly successful safecracker, money always seemed to slip away from him, spent on drink, loose women and the gambling table. In mid-1882 he was cracking a safe in the rich district of Sydney when the Police, somehow alerted to his presence, took him by surprise. He tried to shoot his way out, but failed and was shot by the Police. Although he should have died from his wounds, he instead fell into a coma, and over the next two weeks, while getting very much thinner, proceeded to grow a pair of fully-functional extra arms. When Richard woke up he was shocked to say the least, but soon recovered when he realised he was much stronger than he had been, and could also somehow vibrate his hands so they would cut through almost anything. He also seemed to have become much faster and more intelligent. With his new powers Richard very soon escaped from the Sydney police and went into hiding. After thinking things over for a while he started a new and much more successful criminal career, easily evading the Police. In mid-1882 Excaliber made a flying visit to Australia, showing the flag. The Sydney Police approached him with details of their problem with this criminal Overman, and he agreed to help. After a couple of weeks he confronted Richard in his hideout, and after a short battle defeated him. Taking Richard back to Police Headquarters, he offered Richard a choice - confinement unconscious under drugs until his trial, with imprisonment under the same conditions should he be found guilty (which was almost a given thing under the circumstances), or working for the Royal Elite Guard on probation, and under close supervision from Excalibur.
Unsurprisingly Richard chose the latter of these options, and was returned to Britain with Excalibur. He became something of an outsider within the Guard, but was quite effective. He continued to serve until 1917, gradually becoming more trusted, and gaining his real freedom in 1902, in part due to his service with the Guard. In 1917 he died with most of the rest of the Guard in the Russian nuclear strikes.
Richard was about 5'1" tall, but muscular, with dark hair, striking, but of average looks. Originally he was cool, hardened, over-confident and cynical, especially about the Empire, with no love for anything and little respect for authority, although he obeyed orders because he knew the alternative. He was not averse to stating his opinions, especially when he knew it would annoy someone else. As he got older Richard mellowed considerably although he never lost his womanising ways, and had become quite a likeable rogue by the time of his death at the age of 69.
Widowmaker in Champions terms.
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The colour of the uniform epaulettes is different for each member of the Guard. Gold, as shown here, is used by Excaliber. Those members of the Royal Elite Guard who wish to keep their true identities a secret also wear a black domino mask. Those who wish to wear a sword or gun attach these to their belt. |
