Editing The Protectorate

{{Infobox/Worm/Team
|name           = The Protectorate
|image          = [[File:Protectorate_ENE.JPG|thumb]]
|imagecaption   = Brockton Bay Protectorate by [https://www.deviantart.com/yun-yun-hakusho/art/Protectorate-ENE-692508968 YunYunHakusho]
|leader(s)      = [[Triumvirate]] and Others
|alignment      = [[Heroes|Hero]]
|allies         = 
|alliedOrg      = [[The Guild]], [[The Suits]]
|status         = Dissolved
|web serial     = [[Gestation 1.4]] (Introduced)
[[Gestation 1.6]] (Full detail) 
|location=[[United States of America|USA]], [[Canada]]}}{{cleanup}}'''The Protectorate''' is a government-sponsored superhero organization that spans the [[United States of America]] and [[Canada]]. It works under the [[Parahuman Response Team|Parahuman Response Team.]]

<!---https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/28679743-->
==Structure==
===[[Triumvirate]]===
[[File:Triumvirate by YunYunHakusho.JPG|thumb|292px|Illustration by [https://www.reddit.com/user/YunYunHakusho YunYunHakusho] on Reddit|alt=]]
The Triumvirate, consisting of [[Legend]], [[Alexandria]] and [[Eidolon]], formed the core leadership of the Protectorate for most of the story, with [[Legend]] being the official leader. In addition to leading several teams, they were the first responders and ''de facto'' leaders of every fight against [[S-Class]] threats across the globe.

Due to sensitive information becoming public knowledge during the Echidna attack, all of the members of the Triumvirate retired from the Protectorate. While they still participated in all Class S fights following this, they no longer took leadership positions. [[Legend]] was eventually replaced by [[Chevalier]].
===Top Tier Heroes===
These are the cream of the crop among the Protectorate. Typically powerful heroes who lead their own departments or have some other major presence in the community. In superhero team posters that advertise the Protectorate, posters will typically include the Triumvirate in front, followed by [[Myrddin]], [[Chevalier]], [[Cinereal]], [[Narwhal]] (leader of the [[Guild]]), [[Rime]], [[Exalt]] and [[Armsmaster]], with [[Dragon]] (another member of the Guild) in the back represented by a Dragon suit with its wings extended.<ref name="SBWoh"> Parahumans IRC said:<br>Wildbow: Armsmaster appears in the posters and such of the top Protectorate heroes.<br>Wildbow:When they do the image of everyone standing in a 'v' formation<br>
Parahumans IRC said:<br>Wildbow: Nah. Legend in front, Alex and Eidolon to the left and right, respectively. Then Myrddin, Chev, Cinereal, Narwhal, Rime, Exalt, Armsmaster, Dragon suit silhouette in the background, wings echoing the wings of the PRT logo over their heads. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/21173580/ IRC conversation archived on Spacebattles]</ref> 
===Regional Protectorate Teams===
Each PRT department has a corresponding Protectorate team. These teams operate out of the local Protectorate Headquarters (PHQ), maintaining regular patrols and responding to reports of villain activity. Leaders will have likely spend time with the Triumvirate before being trusted with their own teams.<ref name="R1.3.1">It's not a hard and fast rule. Some teams find leadership in other ways. But before a cape really gets branded and presented to the nation at large as 'leader of [city]'s Protectorate', they'll be vetted and tested and given time with the Triumvirate. Until then, it'll often be something along the lines of... sure, you're in charge of the team until someone says different, but don't go saying you're in charge and if someone asks you if you're leading the team, deflect or be sure to say it's temporary.<br><br>Because they ''really'' want to vet people and make sure things are a good fit. - [https://redd.it/5ezjhd Protectorate Heroes typical Day] ([[Wildbow]], [Reddit.com], 2016-11-26)</ref>
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<ref name="R[1].3.1">
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<ref name="R1.[3].1">
third post by WB on that page
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<ref name="R1.2.1"> - [https://redd.it/5ezjhd comment by WildBow on Reddit]</ref> 

look into Chev's page

Chop up the below and add 
<ref name="R2"> - [https://redd.it/cu7i6h comment by WildBow on Reddit]</ref>
In terms of responsibilities:

'''Crisis Points''' - New Protectorate members and Wards will go with other capes to visit locations of disasters, reported cases of assault, gang violence, hospitals, and such, with the intent to both show their faces, indicate they care, open avenues for communication for anyone who triggered, and/or just find people with powers. This is pretty mind numbing and a lot of stuff gets lost in the shuffle, but for new members it can play into serving the community and keeping an eye on what's going on. Older and non Junior/probationary Wards may go with police and no cape supervision. Experienced Protectorate members can go alone. Very rare that something actually happens.

'''Patrols''' - Loop through this area, look for crime, show your face, try to look cool. May work in conjunction with police, especially in areas where crime or problems are rampant - that one street downtown with tents set up side by side, homeless packed in, street corners where beefs over drugs are common. Just being around tends to reduce the crime rate. These are often tied into crisis points - half the workday might be just visiting one crisis point, talking to someone, going out on patrol, looping back to the site of another crisis point, going back to the department to write up any paperwork, then going home.

'''Contact''' - Ties into Patrols. Not all capes out there are heroes and villains. If you've got a group of teenage anarchist women's rights activist capes who hang around the College, the PRT is going to want to keep tabs, so they send a hero around once in a while, to watch, talk to one of the capes, check there aren't any problems. Same for other ideologues, mercenaries, rogues, the naive kid capes who don't know how to cape and end up fumbling around, the corporate teams, the monsters and dregs.

'''Intel gathering''' - more the province of experienced capes, others may be brought in when 24/7 observation is required (long stakeouts, etc -the rookies get the quiet/boring times of day). Can be a patrol with less roaming and more crouching on a rooftop & watching. Tends to be around points where a specific villain or gang is active. Intel gathering is often a prelude for...

'''Operations''' - Anywhere from once every few days to once a month, depending on the scene, there'll be a big operation where the team acts in concert. Information is gathered first, and then the villain HQ or supply line is raided at the most opportune time (most inopportune for the villains).

'''Emergency response''' - Something happens, capes go there. Fires, disaster, police.

'''Events''' - once every week or two, some capes will be doing something public-facing, with capes taking turns for the lesser stuff. Can be visiting a school, giving a speech, or playing a part in major festivals and events (Christmas, Easter, Pride, Marathons).

'''Out of Town Trips''' - Less for Wards, a larger department might send members out to smaller towns in the periphery to check in, train Police in classifications and typical responses, handle minor villains, do a compressed & very full schedule of all of the above. Given how intensive this is, is either a full time job for a specific cape of a certain skillset or is followed by vacations. For capes in smaller towns and events, the opposite may occur - they'd make a trip into the larger cities for training, Branding meetings re: costume and icon, and to help with the aforementioned stuff (especially as extra feet on the ground for major missions).

'''Paperwork:''' For all of the above.

'''Classes & Training:''' Depends on the department, but yeah. The best capes are ones who improve over time, oftentimes by studying law, psychology, powers, civil service, etc.


expand all of this section using these links





Information on Patrol routes
https://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/dth19j/how_do_patrol_routes_work/
So to get into how, you have to look at why. A protectorate hero wants to do a few things:

Establish a presence - there's something of a push-pull with local villains, and by establishing a presence, heroes discourage the villain 'brand' while encouraging their own. This involves being known to patrol an area, walking in visible locations at higher-traffic times. This is very different from the kind of patrolling you do when trying to impact crime rates. At best, it makes villains scramble to run and take a lower profile, and makes it harder to run protection rackets. Repairs the impression of 'broken windows' (as per broken windows theory).

Community - This is more 'feel good', but just conveying the image of hey, we're around, we're doing stuff, we're yours. Works to combat the 'I.T.' phenomenon of "If we do our job right and get rid of criminals, then we're seen as unnecessary, but if we do our job badly then they wonder why they keep us around"; if there's a 'sports team' feeling or a 'if you hang around downtown at rush hour you might see Cavatina or Semifinal' kind of attachment.

Gather Information - Applies both in the sense of getting to know an area and getting to know the people in that area. Can apply to both the 'riding down main street' and the 'patrolling back alleys at 2am' patrols - in the former it's the chance for the barbershop owner to say they've seen more trouble around their neighborhood. In the latter it's a chance for a guy to walk up and volunteer information, becoming a C.I.

Stopping Crime - Organized criminals will tend to have people who can call or report to the higher-ups when a hero is in the area, keep an eye out, or whatever. Then they pack up shop or make themselves scarce. Having to do this is kind of a pain (playing into the first bullet point, above), but also means heroes won't run into serious gang activity in a regular patrol unless an area is doing really badly. Most of the time the criminals a cape runs into while patrolling are going to be the dumb and reckless ones. Chalks up wins for the good guys, keeps villains on their toes.

Reassurance - Areas that have recently seen crime might feel vulnerable. Showing your face and being active can both reassure the populace and prevent follow-up predation.

Building Rapport with law enforcement. Ride-alongs with police let the hero get info, help with the tougher stuff, and just build goodwill with the locals. This also helps tie the hero to the image of law and order.

Patrols will tend to be fairly public during the day hours (and may favor active downtown areas, commercial areas), while targeting the back alleys, rooftops, and other places where crime might happen during the quieter times. Teams will organize (typically using computer programs that track other member's patrols, their previous patrols, and stick them over a heat map of recent incidents) to shake things up. Having too much of a routine can be self-defeating, as can sticking to the same routes.

Patrols may start, stop in at, or end with a few crisis points - these are recent incidents which fit the criteria for trigger events happening, and tend to be the newsworthy stuff, but also include cases where nursing staff at hospitals or teachers might signal that they're worried about one case or another. Kid reportedly had a bad experience at a party and stopped going to school for a while? Heroes pay a visit under the guise of a 'stay in school' sort of thing, maybe a bit more personal. Pastor mentions a woman is having a really hard time after accidentally killing her husband and infant twins, heroes swing by. These might interrupt a patrol: an attempt to emulate a sciencey internet personality leads to a kid being scarred with chemicals, heroes get called out of patrol to make a detour and see how he's doing.

They may also go to places where weirdness is reported, or where villains are reported as having been seen/being active. They tend to know what to look out for.

Patrols will also vary depending on the cape. Front-facing capes with good public rapport and impressions might get more of those daylight-hour moments, while the less likable or niche capes might get the 'patrol the dark alleys and rooftops' things.
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Parahumans could request transfer to specific locations,<ref name="7.x">[[Interlude 7]]</ref> or simply be transferred to a new location.<ref name="7.x"/><ref>[[PRT Quest]]</ref>

Known members include:


{{The Protectorate Navibox}}

===Wards===
{{main|Wards}}
The [[Wards]] are a parallel organization to the Protectorate that underage parahumans can join. If a cape is still in the Wards by the time they reach eighteen, Wards can be reassigned to a Protectorate team, but are generally kept in one city.

==PRT Response==
The PRT administrates and reins in the Protectorate. They will withhold persecution of villains who join the Protectorate,<ref>[[Interlude 12.5]]</ref> though this was not a fact that was well known to the public.<ref>[[Cell 22.6]]</ref><!--
Keep in mind that the numbers provided by the PRT documents are for baseline, bare minimum pay. That's the 'you're a fuckup, you're not really contributing, but you're cooperating and staying on Protectorate or Wards roster' type pay, or doing an Edict and Licit type thing where you're one of two capes in a small town (But even for those two they've got prior experience and you don't tend to get a downgrade in pay, even with a downgrade in station). The majority of capes are going to go higher and negotiate for such, and as stated in the documents, stuff gets upgraded to match the cost of living for more expensive areas.

Things are structured for Wards so they get their full paycheck by default (held in trust with lots of paperwork to fill out to withdraw any, limits on withdrawal) and the remainder is something of a bonus, given as more immediate spending money (as arbitrated by parents). Bonuses are far more freeform as far as employment law goes and employers can award or deny as they see fit. - [https://redd.it/o2yskq Wildbow on Reddit]</ref>

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==History==
===Background===
The formation of the Protectorate was initially suggested by [[Alexandria]] to [[Eidolon]], [[Hero]] and [[Legend]] as part of a larger plan to integrate parahumans into the [[United States]] society.<ref name="I15.z e1">'''May 1st, 1988'''<br>[...]<br>“No.  Because I’d like to propose a solution.  A way to assert control.  I want to band together.  Form a team.”<br><br>Legend leaned against the wall.  “There are teams forming already.  Yes, we’d be powerful, influential, but I don’t see how that addresses the problems.”<br><br>“Simple.  We do what the government’s been pushing for.  We regulate.  We bend to the government’s yoke, all four of us together.  We follow their stipulations and regulations.”<br><br>“That sounds like a horrendously bad idea,” Eidolon spoke.  “''Why''?”<br><br>“Because if it was us four, together?  We could afford to push back if they pushed too hard, and they’d know that.  And just by being there, we could make the project attractive enough to bring others in. [...] The post-baby boomer generation is growing up.  Couple that with the explosion in parahuman numbers, and this situation threatens to get well out of control.  We need structure and organization if we’re going to keep things intact.”<br><br>“There’s no guarantee your plan will survive contact with government,” Legend said.<br><br>“There’s ''one'' guarantee.”<br><br>“What’s that?”<br><br>“I’m estimating that it will take at least five years to establish this plan nationwide.  In that span, we’ll start with only a few groups in the largest cities, we’ll gradually and gratefully accept involvement and oversight from government and law enforcement.  We’ll also create a sub-group for minors with powers, so we can strictly structure their environment and development.  Those are the key points. [...] I expect we’ll be able to employ the remainder of the plan, the eight-stage integration of parahumans with the public, because ''I'' will be in a position of power in the government.  I, my civilian self, can be in charge of the government-sponsored superhero teams within eight years. [...] I will content myself with working to guide legislation to where we need it.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/interlude-15-donation-bonus-3/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 15.z]]</ref> Alexandria herself had outside backers for the plan,<ref>Absent Cauldron's meddling, there's no [[PRT]] for one thing. There's no [[Suits]], no [[Red Gauntlet]], no [[Elite Sentai]] group or whatever I called them, no [[Elite]]; all groups that Cauldron set up or supported. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/15024820 Wildbow on Spacebattles]</ref> who influenced the development of both the plan and subsequent organization.<ref name="I27.x">“You asked me for my trust, I gave it.  You asked me for loyalty, I gave that to you as well.  You asked me for sacrifice, and I gave that.  I was content to be second place in the Protectorate, because it’s what you needed.”<br><br>“What Alexandria needed.”<br><br>[[Eidolon]] shook his head.  “Let’s not pretend.”<br><br>[[The Doctor]] paused, then nodded slowly.  “Fair enough.”<br><br>“When the shit hit the fan, when [[Ignis Fatuus|my clone]] divulged the ugly details to the public, I made sacrifices there too.  I walked away, so the Protectorate could stand.  Gave up ''everything''.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/interlude-15-donation-bonus-3/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 15.z]]</ref>

After the appearance of [[Behemoth]], the formation of the organization was hastened.

On January 18th, 1993 [[Alexandria]], [[Eidolon]], [[Hero]] and [[Legend]] were sworn in by the President of the United States under the PRTCJ as the founding members of the United States' Protectorate. It was the first in a long series of steps that led to the formation of the PRT, the Protectorate, and the organization of heroes worldwide.<ref name="I15.z e2">'''January 18th, 1993'''<br><br>“I, Alexandria, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the director appointed over me, according to the regulations of the PRTCJ.”<br><br>Applause swelled around her.  As far as the eye could see, there were crowds and flashing cameras.  President Griffin extended a hand and she shook it.<br><br>He leaned close, “You do us proud.”<br><br>“Thank you, James.  I’ll give my all.”<br><br>He squeezed her hand and moved on.<br><br>“I, Eidolon, do solemnly affirm…” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/interlude-15-donation-bonus-3/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 15.z]]</ref> In exchange for government funding and legitimacy, the members agreed to follow a special set of laws laid out for capes, to accept bureaucratic oversight and cooperate with local authorities.

During this period the four and others operated out of a singular city, traveling to trouble spots as they appeared.<ref>'''Ridtoria:''' Since the original group has been disbanded/killed, if you would mind bow, how did the Triumvirate+Hero (I guess just Protectorate) function as a team in the early days? Did they stick to their singular cities and occasionally team up for big events, or did they travel around the nation with Cauldron's help to promote themselves in heroics?<br><br>'''Wildbow:''' One city as HQ, traveling to sites as situations demanded. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/47534642/ IRC cloud conversation with Wildbow,] archived on Spacebattles</ref> This was presumably New York.

Following [[Siberian Incident|Hero's death]], the remaining founders became the leaders of smaller teams based in different cities.<ref>Around the time that they were a group, they were simply 'the Protectorate' or 'the guys at the top'. You could say, perhaps, that the loss of Hero splintered the team. They didn't hate each other or resent each other, but it was about time, and served as the catalyst to the group each going to their own individual cities - New York, LA, & Houston. - [https://redd.it/3koqyc Comment by Wildbow on Reddit]</ref> Before PRT Departments were an established presence in most major American cities, the Protectorate maintained several strike teams to deal with problems that appeared around the country in the background.<ref>So [[Armsmaster|he starts]] off with the Protectorate and he gets a chance to shine pretty early on. In a time when there are more heroes than there are departments, he takes on a role as a member of a strike squad. An issue arises, someone calls, and he and his team mobilize to solve the problem. - [https://redd.it/5ngyvn Comment by Wildbow] on Armsmaster's early days</ref> 

The Protectorate and immediately related teams make up 25-50% of the defending side against [[Endbringers]] outside of [[North America]].<ref name="19.y e1">'''►  Miss Mercury''' (Protectorate Employee)<br>Replied on July 5th, 2011:<br>Speaking for someone in the thick of it all, I don’t think that there’s any expectation or assumption that recent events (losing Legend, losing Myrddin, several members leaving) will change the outcome of the next attack.  The Protectorate and immediately related teams only make up 25-50% of the defending side when outside of North America, and North America isn’t a likely target.  There’s been no policy changes or anything of the sort in the Protectorate that point to that degree of pessmism<br>-☿ - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/interlude-19-y/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 19.y]]</ref><!--cite reasources being handed out by the group alex says this-->

The Protectorate also gives out training funding and resources to hero teams around the world who also fight Endbringers.<ref> “-But they’re only picking up for the PRT.  They’re running scared, hemorrhaging members.  They’re falling apart, and they’re big enough in the grand scheme of things that we don’t even know the repercussions if this keeps going on.  Every team that fights the Endbringers relies on the Protectorate for information, for backup, equipment and even periodic training.  But even beyond that, beyond the capes, there are hundreds of millions of people around the world who are watching the Protectorate, looking to them for reassurance.  Our perspectives and feelings are barely a factor in the face of those hundreds of millions of watching eyes.” - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/imago-21-2/ Excerpt] from [[Imago 21.2]]</ref>

===Story Start===
The Protectorate would eventually expand to cover [[Canada]] as well as the United States of America, with talks of covering Mexico.

Strike teams that were previously used before current departments solidified are only being maintained by Alexandria and Eidolon.

The group deployed in force to [[Brockton Bay]] to save the city from total destruction by [[Leviathan]].
===Post-[[Battle against Leviathan|Leviathan]]===
The combined members of the Protectorate came out of the battle with Leviathan with the lightest casualties from any Endbringer fight.<ref name="19.y e2">'''►  Space Zombie'''<br>Replied on July 5th, 2011:<br>I’m more inclined to think the PRT is making a mistake than to think they’re on the ball.<br><br>My money’s on a big-ass clusterfuck.  This is the first time since Behemoth first showed that we haven’t had all our ducks in a row.  May’s Leviathan attack had the lowest casualty rate we’ve ever had, but I think the next one’s going to hurt us bad. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/interlude-19-y/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 19.y]]</ref>

Legend took a detachment of the [[New York]] Protectorate to deal with the [[Slaughterhouse Nine]] in [[Brockton Bay]]. While there the group followed [[Miss Militia]]'s lead. The Protectorate was unsuccessful but were able to remove several prominent members.
===Post-[[Slaughterhouse Nine]]===
Started committing resources seriously to the hunt for the Slaughterhouse Nine.

Deployed in vast numbers in Brockton Bay to deal with the S-class threat, [[Echidna]]. Several heroes, including leaders such as [[Myrddin]], were killed in action. There was severe damage to morale when a clone of Eidolon, [[Ignis Fatuus]], revealed the Protectorate's history with the shadow-organization, [[Cauldron]].

===Post-[[Battle against Echidna|Echidna]]===
Following [[Legend]]'s resignation, the group went through a reshuffling. The Protectorate shifted to a joint leadership, with Chevalier, Alexandria and Prism each dealing with different crises.<ref>Protectorate is currently being run by a joint team atm.  Chevalier, Alexandria and Prism are each handling different tasks. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/interlude-19-y/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 19.y]]</ref> 

Chevalier would head up a new Protectorate edgier and more honest.
===Post-[[Timeskip]]===
Had recovered from losses and had weathered the two years leading up to the [[The Slaughterhouse Nine-Thousand|Slaughterhouse Nine-Thousand]]. They scrambled to deal with multiple strikes throughout the United States by the Nine.<!--cite harbinger advising JAck on where to carry out strikes. and Weavers mussings on Jacks strategy of diverting resources away from the hunt for him.-->
===[[Gold Morning]]===
The Protectorate were a vanguard in the early days of the event, leading the [[Oil-rig battle|first attack]] on [[Zion|Scion]]. They then coordinated evacuation efforts throughout North America.

The Protectorate and other groups were systematically attacked by Scion over the four days following the start of his rampage. During the final battle in New York, the forces of the Protectorate and others were rallied by [[Chevalier]]. When [[Taylor Hebert|Khepri]] rose, the majority of the Protectorate forces were likely subsumed into her swarm. 

=== Post-[[Gold Morning]] ===
The organization effectively dissolved after Gold Morning, with its members joining multiple successor groups.

==Trivia==
*Taylor on ''Triumvirate'', a biography about the Triumvirate: "Biographies weren’t my thing, and they were especially not my thing when I was suspicious it was all made up."<ref>[[Gestation 1.1]]</ref> This was possibly the earliest piece of clever foreshadowing in the series.
* Members who are cleared for and attend Endbringer fights and other S-Class threats gain a substantial pay raise.<ref name="19.y">Two hours later:  Threat level upgraded to class S.  All Protectorate capes who subscribed to the emergency response measure and accompanying pay increase now forced to get over to Brockton Bay and help. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/interlude-19-y/ Excerpt] from [[Interlude 19.y]]</ref> Attendance is strictly voluntary, however.<!--discord citation---->

==Fanart Gallery==
<gallery navigation="true" widths="185">
Protectorate ENE.JPG
Heroes of the protectorate by lonsheep-dbl59to.jpg|Poster by [https://lonsheep.deviantart.com/art/Heroes-of-the-Protectorate-700645884 Lonsheep on DeviantArt].
Worm protectorate capes wip by neoworm-d9hs3ea.jpg|Illustration by Neonworm|link=https://neoworm.deviantart.com/art/Worm-Protectorate-capes-WIP-574059826
B518xPs.jpg|Illustration by Lonsheep
</gallery>
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