The Adepts

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   <default>The Adepts</default>
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<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <header>Information</header> <label>Alignment</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Status</label> <label>Location</label> <label>First Appearance</label> <header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label> </infobox> The Adepts are a group of self-professed magic users<ref name="21.7">Adepts. Self professed magic users. One page of information, listing names and powers. Another page with the PRT’s information on them: a series of codes and symbols I didn’t quite follow, numbers inside colored circles, squares and diamonds. From what I could gather, they had a low threat level, moderate crime rate, moderate ‘engagement’ level, low activity level. Led by Epoch, a time traveler. - Excerpt from Imago 21.7</ref> operating in New York.<ref name="poach">“We do what we’re doing with the Cauldron capes, run her by our thinkers,” Dispatch said. “We can get a more concrete assessment of her now, with a field exercise, than by any amount of talking. If I’m remembering right, a notice went out, didn’t it? A New York group of villains is poaching Wards and Protectorate members?”

“The Adepts,” Revel said. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>

Modus operandi

The Adepts have practices involve the use of charms (called embellishments),<ref>“Wait,” I said. The chain- there were charms on it. “Those charms.”

“My embellishment,” she said.

“Shit!” Jouster said. “Clock!” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> rituals, rites, or chants to acquire a mental state closer to their trigger event and boosting their powers as result.<ref>“Check the surroundings,” Jouster said. “Tools? The group’s practices involve using tools, ritual, rites, chants, and all that crap to try to achieve better control over their abilites.”

“Kind of makes sense,” I said. “Abilities get stronger when you’re in a mental state closer to how you were thinking before your trigger event, so-”

“Wait, what?” Clockblocker cut me off.

“Yeah,” I said. “I triggered while I was in a locker. I’ve been thinking, I get just a little stronger when I feel trapped, or when I despair, or when I feel betrayed. My range extends.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jouster said. “Three of them. No tools?” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> They try to train their people to be more inventive with their powers.<ref>“Annoying,” she said.

“Admirable, almost,” Swoop commented. “This is the sort of thing we hope to train, and she’s already a fair hand at it, isn’t she?” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> They have rules against killing.<ref>I frowned. If I said no, it’d be a black mark in my record, and some of these people were obviously not interested in giving me any slack, unless it was to hang myself with.

“Okay,” I said.

“The Adepts don’t kill,” he said. “If there’s a problem, it’s on you.” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>

While the PRT records described them as a low level threat,<ref name="21.7"/> the Adepts attempted to recruit Wards and members of the Protectorate, attracting their ire.<ref name="poach"/> Tattletale speculated they might be a threat to Brockton Bay at some point.<ref>I moved on to boards of a different color. The red bulletin boards and whiteboards with red writing: Brockton Bay. Potential threats: the Teeth, Red Handed, Heartbreaker, Lost Garden, Adepts, the Orchard, The Fallen. - Excerpt from Imago 21.7</ref>

Structure

The Adepts have organized their fifteen members into five different tiers, with tier one being the highest. Lower tiers can challenge higher tiers to compete for placement, but have to pay a penalty if they fail to beat their opponent. Each tier has one more member than the last, with tier one having one member and tier five having five.<ref name="tiers">“I know the basics,” I said. I’d read the file in Tattletale’s office. “They’re wizards, or they pretend to be, like Myrddin. Led by a time traveller.”

“They’re led by Epoch,” Jouster said, without looking at me. “Group is very organized. Thing you gotta know about New York is it’s bigger. Everything is. So these guys, there’s a lot of them. They’re organized into tiers, and they compete with one another for placement in the tiers, challenging ones in higher tiers, paying a penalty if they fail the challenge. There’s one tier one, two tier twos, three tier threes… all the way down to the tier fives.”

“Fifteen in total,” I said. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> Members have Roman numerals on their sleeves designating their tier.<ref name="sleeves">I noted what my bugs were telling me. “There’s three of them inside. Two men, one woman. The men have groupies with them, I think. In their bedrooms. There might be more, but they don’t have costumes on.”

“They should have numbers on their sleeves. Roman numerals.”

“I can’t really see through the bug’s eyes,” I said. “One second…” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>

The Adepts hold three primary properties in New York, but no territory, preventing conflict with local gangs.<ref name="branch">“This is only a branch,” Prism said, over the comm, “They have three primary properties. They don’t hold territory, so the local gangs leave them be. The idea is to discourage them. Fight only so long as you’re confident you’ll win. Communicate what’s going on, and we’ll step in if need be. With luck, this will be a setback for them, and cause to stop headhunting from our side.” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>

PRT Response

Despite their low threat level and only moderate crime rate,<ref name="21.7"/> the PRT felt action against the Adepts was necessary to preventing them from poaching Wards and members of the Protectorate.<ref name="poach"/> They assigned a group of Wards, including Weaver, to attack one of their properties.<ref name="branch"/>

Members

Name	Description
Epoch	Leader. Can rewind, push forward, or pause both himself and other objects within a ten-second window, moving things to where they were ten seconds ago, moves things to where they're slated to be ten seconds from now, or pauses things for up to ten seconds, releasing them at a whim. Possibly encountered Grue at one point. Got his powers from a Cauldron vial.<ref name="Epoch">Epoch operates by the ten second rule. Rewind, push forward, or pause by ten seconds. Moves things to where they were ten seconds ago, moves things to where they're slated to be ten seconds from now, or pauses for up to ten seconds, releasing at a whim. Bought a Cauldron vial, paying a premium, and got his money's worth - he's leader of a gang in one of the most competitive areas for capes and gangs in America, and is incidentally the reason Grue comments about how much he hates time travel. - Spacebattles post by Wildbow.</ref>
Felix Swoop	Tier 3 member. A Blaster-Master hybrid able to control birds by programming their movements, while also giving them pyrokinesis and protection from flame.<ref>“Felix Swoop, tier three member of the group,” Jouster said. “Master-blaster hybrid. Controls birds, but not as much control as you seem to have. Thing is, he applies fire immunity and pyrokinesis to the birds, programs them with movements. You said he’s distracted?” - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>
Paddock	Female member known to the Protectorate.<ref>Clockblocker followed, stepping forward to touch the woman and freeze her. “Woman is Paddock,” Jouster said, through the earbud. “Caught her,” Clockblocker said. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>
Thirteenth Hour	Formerly known as Standstill.<ref>“It’s Standstill,” Jouster said. He broke into a run, charging her with his lance held ready. “Thirteenth Hour, now,” she retorted. Her eyes flared with light, and I felt my body jolt. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> Can cause her opponents to lose their volition,<ref name="volition">Thirteenth Hour collapsed, going limp in the midst of Clockblocker’s suspended wires. Jouster, mid-stride, did much the same. My thoughts were slowing down, volition gone. The others were the same. My sense of time… I was reminded of a dream I’d had, of being put under a spell by Coil. Scopolamine. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> but this trance can be broken if something jarring happens<ref>Tecton reached out to the doorframe and made the building shudder with enough force that everyone stumbled. Everyone woke, Thirteenth Hour included. The hallucinations stopped. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref> and using her ability effects herself as well as her opponents.<ref name="volition"/>
Unnamed male	Capable of causing vertigo and distortion. Uses a rod and hand signs.<ref>“Stop,” the cape with the hallucination power said. He made a sign with his hands, extending his rod at me. Again, I felt the sensation of things distorting. - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref><ref>“No,” the cape with the rod said. Another mind-affecting power. I could see my spiders getting larger as they crawled, the apartment getting smaller, I felt vertigo… - Excerpt from Drone 23.1</ref>

References

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