The Institution - Background
Within the Ziggurat prison facility of Brickstown in Paragon City, circles of villains often formed. Usually they found ready allies - the Freakshow, the Council, the Hellions and the like each tending to stick together, watching each anothers backs against the rivalries that flared up between such disparate groups.
Those who did not belong to an organisation from the outside found other reasons to form a clique, formed around their foreseen origins, or powers, albeit those abilities dampened by the security protocols put in place in the prison. Mad scientists, animalistic mutants, aliens from worlds elsewhere in the galaxy, criminals from other dimensions, earthbound demons and more, each huddled in their own little private turfs in the canteen or enclosed exercise yard.
Few dared to remain alone in such a closed, hostile environment - those who did usually paid the price before long. There was always someone who would seek to advance their infamy by stepping over another villain's corpse. Honour amongst thieves was a foolish notion to believe in if you found yourself in such a place.
Some cliques formed up based around mutually shared grudges - if not outright hate - they had against particular heroes or hero supergroups. Such supergroups as the Freedom Phalanx, of course, have their share of villains wishing them ill-health, though there was not a single hero who appeared on the reinforced TV screens in the recreation rooms of the Ziggurat who would not raise angry jeers from the inmates watching there.
One such gathering of villains was founded on the animosity each held against heroes and heroines who called themselves the Intrepid's, who had brought about their arrests or been a proverbial shiv in the side for too long.
When Arachnos made its first breach of the Ziggurat and broke out a large number of villains, both mundane and superpowered, this Intrepid-despising clique was amongst them.
Once brought to Mercy Island in the Rogue Islands, the escaped convicts of Paragon City discovered that it was, if anything, at least as hostile an environment as that of the Ziggurat they had left behind, and the internecine rivalries known to exist within the upper hierarchy of Arachnos did not help engage their trust, despite many of them having been broken out from lifetime sentences by that organisation.
Once again, those villains who held the Intrepid's accountable for past failures banded together, but this time, not just for mutual protection.
This time they had a goal in mind. Revenge. The Intrepid's would pay.
Yet they did not suffer from blind vengeance. Patience could be a virtue, even for a villain bent on destroying his nemeses, and the Intrepid's had become an effective force for 'good' in Paragon City.
Calling themselves the Institution, this initially small core group of villains soon recruited more refugees from Paragon's prison cells, many sharing their distaste for the Intrepid's, and established a base of operations in the Rogue Islands.
As the Overlords of the Institution laid out their plans, their scope widened. Given their combined strengths, they realised they could achieve more than the eradication of the Intrepid's as their goal, though that would obviously still be a major focus of their attention.
In the crucible melting-pot of the Rogue Islands, villains either perished, or grew stronger. The Institution flourished, their infamous reputation rising, and they have faced off against the Freedom Phalanx and even against their previous rescuers from incarceration, Arachnos, amongst others. Statesman and Lord Recluse alike have had to concede a measure of defeat against members of the Institution as long months passed by.
Recruitment - We are looking forward to the release of the next issue and the increase in the Supergroup size limit, as currently space is very limited. If you are interesting in joining the Institution, you can reach us via a number of means, and hopefully we can fit you in or at least make your acquaintence before I11:
1) Firstly, if you run into one of our members, then just ask them and they can point you towards the global @chathandle of one of the Overlords.
2) Check out our forums located [u]
here[u] where you can make an enquiry in the appropriate section.
3) Use this command in-game:
/chanjoin intrepids-institution to pop in to our joint hero-villain supergroup channel and have a chat with us. You'll usually find at least several of us online at any time. Thursday evenings is currently our 'villain night.'
About us, the players - Hey! We are a primarily english-speaking supergroup. L3wtsp34k is something we don't encourage - unless you are playing a character with a Freakshow background. Full sentences and politeness go a long way in our books, as they should anyone elses. Our main agenda is to have fun, of course, as this is a game, so rude and obnoxious behaviour is something we will not tolerate.
Although we have been active since the launch of City of Villains, initially formed from a core of our players within our hero supergroup the Intrepid's, we more than welcome new players as much as the old. We have quite a number of long-standing veteran players whose knowledge on the game, its background, archetypes and their various powersets is quite encompassing, and you are more than welcome to ask questions.
Several of our players participate in roleplaying, though its not a requirement.
About us, the Supergroup: "Chaos conquers!"
World domination is a lofty goal, but not one to be rushed. Consolidate a powerbase. Make allies. Crush opponents when opportunities make themselves. Manipulate the weak and foolish to our bidding.
The Institution has an established well-equipped and maintained base of operations within the Rogue Isle's. Our policies are generally relaxed and just common-sense. Rank is a reward for playing and participation, not prestige earned.
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Hope to hear from you, and whether you join us or some lesser villain Supergroup
- have fun!
