FICTIONAL COUNTRIES ETC.
This page is partially just to enlighten the unfamiliar, but also to decrease potential toe-stepping by listing the PCs (player characters) involved in aspects of the game setting, so that people know who to talk to before they make assumptions about things!
Basically, if you're going to app a character from a made-up Marvel country, you might want to check with other people playing characters from there before you decide it's a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland ... or you might want to check that it isn't already a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland before you give your character a comfortable middle-class family there.
You shouldn't make significantly setting-altering assumptions about real-life elements. We don't expect people to have to check that France, for example, is not a totalitarian dictatorship before apping a French character.
Anyone who has a character from or heavily involved with a fictional location is assumed to have a stake in its status in this AU. We've listed them here; if you want to do anything with one of these locations, you should check with the people who play the characters listed as involved before assuming anything. If there are no listed PCs, you can do what you like with it (within reason).
If you have a character from or heavily involved with a fictional location that you want us to add, or if we've gotten anything wrong, leave a comment on here saying so and we'll fix it.
Amparo
A small South American nation that is in no way based on Columbia. Located in the heart of the Amazon, Amparo is famous for its lush rainforests and its plentiful produce, including but not limited to coffee, bananas and, oh yeah, cocaine. It's cleaning itself up with a little help from the United States government, though. Powerful drug lord Javier Hidalgo used to run his Sacred Snakes crime syndicate from his mansion nearby the village of Mixcoatl, but the organization has fallen into a power vacuum following Javier's death in an unfortunate gigantic mutant plant creature thing accident.
Involved PCs: Manuela Hidalgo (napalmblood)
Biohazard Security Assessment Alliance
International law-enforcement organization under the jurisdiction of the United Nations and paid for by the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium. B.S.A.A. agents are elite former military and police officers trained in the handling and disposal of biological weapons, pathogens and gigantic freaky monsters alike. There are branches of the B.S.A.A. in Europe, North America, South America, East Africa, West Africa, Middle East, Far East and Oceania.
Involved PCs: none
Celeste
A far-off planet ruled over by a race of massive dragons with the cooperation of a more conventional human-sized, human-like people. Despite a rocky past involving enslavement and selective breeding (resulting in super-powers, natch), they are generally peaceable, but due to their checkered history possess advanced technology and a large military force. Their ruling class, the Celestials, has fallen into decline over the last quarter-century thanks to the malevolent machinations of one of its Imperial family, Lung Tien Lien. Due to an alarming propensity for time-travel, the politics of Celeste are complicated to the point of total incomprehension, even to those currently involved.
Involved PCs: Iskierka (fuckyeahburning), Levitas (fuckyeahawkward), Lung Tien Lien (fuckyeahrevenge), Ruth (fuckyeahbetween), Lung Tien Xiang/Temeraire (fuckyeahmaths), Volatilus (fuckyeahcows)
Genosha
Genosha is a relatively prosperous island nation located north of Madagascar. It has recently come to media attention following its ongoing detainment of American press agents who tried to enter the country, and Magneto seems to have some kind of interest in it ...
In the online flash game Contagion IV, Genosha is notorious for closing its ports far more quickly than is reasonable.
Involved PCs: none, but Genosha is involved politically with mod-controlled plot, so please seek mod permission before assuming anything about it or making your character from there.
Inhumans
The result of experimentation on early humans by the alien Kree (they were trying to create super-powered cannon-fodder to throw at the Skrulls), the Inhumans, ruled by Black Bolt, live a secret existence away from humanity in their hidden city of Attilan. They are granted superhuman powers by Terrigen mists.
Involved PCs: none
Kijuju
A territory in southwestern Africa. Plagued by poverty and a rumored hotbed for bioterrorist activity, it is nonetheless rich with minerals and oil, a fact that several international corporations have taken advantage of by building outposts nearby. It is also, fortunately, an outpost for the Biohazard Security Assessment Alliance's West African branch, who do their best to keep law and order in and squiggly awful things out.
Involved PCs: none
Kree
A militaristic alien race whose empire encompasses the Large Magellanic Cloud. They are ruled over by the Supreme Intelligence, an ancient computer, and have been at war with the Skrulls for longer than most of their people can remember. Although Earth's location between their empires makes it strategically valuable to both Kree and Skrull races, only the Skrulls have made any invasion attempts.
For now.
Involved PCs: Noh-Varr/"Marvel Boy" (kreecockroach)
Latveria
An isolated, rather backwards country bordered by Hungary, Serbia and Romania. Due to its ruler being the supervillain and dictator Doctor Doom, who enjoys its diplomatic immunity during his infamous exploits, it has a bit of a bad rep. Doom generally prefers his populace under full control, and enjoys nothing more than anti-American propaganda.
Occasionally, it is covered by a giant plastic dome.
Involved PCs: none
The Morlocks
A society of mutants living in New York's sewers who feel that above-ground society has forsaken them. They are little more than a rumour to those who have not encountered them.
Involved PCs: Turanga Leela/"Clobberella" (leastmutated)
The Savage Land
The Great Valley, pretty much. Created by aliens millions of years ago as a sort of nature reserve or something, the Savage Land is a valley in the Antarctic whose climate is kept at a dinosaur-inhabitable level by advanced alien technology. Besides containing an array of prehistoric life, the Savage Land is also home to Tarzan knock-offs and is a popular vacation spot for supervillains.
Involved PCs: none
S.H.I.E.L.D.
An international espionage and law-keeping organisation operating under the jurisdiction of the United Nations. It is based out of the Helicarrier, a vast flying aircraft carrier, and its director is Nick Fury, who is the subject of the popular internet meme "Nick Fury facts".
The name stands for ... something. Shut up it's classified.
Involved PCs: Matthew/"Flicker" (fuckpicasa), Mia/"Astra" (likesherswords), Orlando Hale/"Agent Orange" (agentmarmalade)
Skrulls
Ruled by the warlike Emperor Dorrek VII, the empire of the shapeshifting alien Skrulls sprawls across much of the Andromeda galaxy, and has for thousands of years held an aggressively pro-conquering policy in its doings with other planets. They have made occasional attempts to invade Earth but have been repeatedly thwarted, especially by the Fantastic Four. They have been at war with the Kree for, like, ever.
Involved PCs: none
Transia
A European country located between Romania and Serbia and evocative of Transylvania. Its most notable geographical feature is Mount Wundagore, home to the Knights of Wundagore and possibly the prison of some kind of evil god or something. Apart from that, Transia has uranium mines and werewolves and does not get much tourism. If you want to assume pitchforks and flaming torches, this is where to do it.
Involved PCs: none
Wakanda
Africa's Mary-Sue. Wakanda is home to an indomitable fighting spirit and significant deposits of vibranium, a metal with unusual properties found nowhere else on earth. It has never been invaded due to being too hardcore and is home to all kinds of rad technological advances that it doesn't want to share with anyone else because the rest of the world aren't good enough for them. It is ruled by warrior king T'Challa, the Black Panther.
Involved PCs: Ororo Munroe/"Storm" (stopitstorm)
Basically, if you're going to app a character from a made-up Marvel country, you might want to check with other people playing characters from there before you decide it's a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland ... or you might want to check that it isn't already a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland before you give your character a comfortable middle-class family there.
You shouldn't make significantly setting-altering assumptions about real-life elements. We don't expect people to have to check that France, for example, is not a totalitarian dictatorship before apping a French character.
Anyone who has a character from or heavily involved with a fictional location is assumed to have a stake in its status in this AU. We've listed them here; if you want to do anything with one of these locations, you should check with the people who play the characters listed as involved before assuming anything. If there are no listed PCs, you can do what you like with it (within reason).
If you have a character from or heavily involved with a fictional location that you want us to add, or if we've gotten anything wrong, leave a comment on here saying so and we'll fix it.
Amparo
A small South American nation that is in no way based on Columbia. Located in the heart of the Amazon, Amparo is famous for its lush rainforests and its plentiful produce, including but not limited to coffee, bananas and, oh yeah, cocaine. It's cleaning itself up with a little help from the United States government, though. Powerful drug lord Javier Hidalgo used to run his Sacred Snakes crime syndicate from his mansion nearby the village of Mixcoatl, but the organization has fallen into a power vacuum following Javier's death in an unfortunate gigantic mutant plant creature thing accident.
Involved PCs: Manuela Hidalgo (napalmblood)
Biohazard Security Assessment Alliance
International law-enforcement organization under the jurisdiction of the United Nations and paid for by the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium. B.S.A.A. agents are elite former military and police officers trained in the handling and disposal of biological weapons, pathogens and gigantic freaky monsters alike. There are branches of the B.S.A.A. in Europe, North America, South America, East Africa, West Africa, Middle East, Far East and Oceania.
Involved PCs: none
Celeste
A far-off planet ruled over by a race of massive dragons with the cooperation of a more conventional human-sized, human-like people. Despite a rocky past involving enslavement and selective breeding (resulting in super-powers, natch), they are generally peaceable, but due to their checkered history possess advanced technology and a large military force. Their ruling class, the Celestials, has fallen into decline over the last quarter-century thanks to the malevolent machinations of one of its Imperial family, Lung Tien Lien. Due to an alarming propensity for time-travel, the politics of Celeste are complicated to the point of total incomprehension, even to those currently involved.
Involved PCs: Iskierka (fuckyeahburning), Levitas (fuckyeahawkward), Lung Tien Lien (fuckyeahrevenge), Ruth (fuckyeahbetween), Lung Tien Xiang/Temeraire (fuckyeahmaths), Volatilus (fuckyeahcows)
Genosha
Genosha is a relatively prosperous island nation located north of Madagascar. It has recently come to media attention following its ongoing detainment of American press agents who tried to enter the country, and Magneto seems to have some kind of interest in it ...
In the online flash game Contagion IV, Genosha is notorious for closing its ports far more quickly than is reasonable.
Involved PCs: none, but Genosha is involved politically with mod-controlled plot, so please seek mod permission before assuming anything about it or making your character from there.
Inhumans
The result of experimentation on early humans by the alien Kree (they were trying to create super-powered cannon-fodder to throw at the Skrulls), the Inhumans, ruled by Black Bolt, live a secret existence away from humanity in their hidden city of Attilan. They are granted superhuman powers by Terrigen mists.
Involved PCs: none
Kijuju
A territory in southwestern Africa. Plagued by poverty and a rumored hotbed for bioterrorist activity, it is nonetheless rich with minerals and oil, a fact that several international corporations have taken advantage of by building outposts nearby. It is also, fortunately, an outpost for the Biohazard Security Assessment Alliance's West African branch, who do their best to keep law and order in and squiggly awful things out.
Involved PCs: none
Kree
A militaristic alien race whose empire encompasses the Large Magellanic Cloud. They are ruled over by the Supreme Intelligence, an ancient computer, and have been at war with the Skrulls for longer than most of their people can remember. Although Earth's location between their empires makes it strategically valuable to both Kree and Skrull races, only the Skrulls have made any invasion attempts.
For now.
Involved PCs: Noh-Varr/"Marvel Boy" (kreecockroach)
Latveria
An isolated, rather backwards country bordered by Hungary, Serbia and Romania. Due to its ruler being the supervillain and dictator Doctor Doom, who enjoys its diplomatic immunity during his infamous exploits, it has a bit of a bad rep. Doom generally prefers his populace under full control, and enjoys nothing more than anti-American propaganda.
Occasionally, it is covered by a giant plastic dome.
Involved PCs: none
The Morlocks
A society of mutants living in New York's sewers who feel that above-ground society has forsaken them. They are little more than a rumour to those who have not encountered them.
Involved PCs: Turanga Leela/"Clobberella" (leastmutated)
The Savage Land
The Great Valley, pretty much. Created by aliens millions of years ago as a sort of nature reserve or something, the Savage Land is a valley in the Antarctic whose climate is kept at a dinosaur-inhabitable level by advanced alien technology. Besides containing an array of prehistoric life, the Savage Land is also home to Tarzan knock-offs and is a popular vacation spot for supervillains.
Involved PCs: none
S.H.I.E.L.D.
An international espionage and law-keeping organisation operating under the jurisdiction of the United Nations. It is based out of the Helicarrier, a vast flying aircraft carrier, and its director is Nick Fury, who is the subject of the popular internet meme "Nick Fury facts".
The name stands for ... something. Shut up it's classified.
Involved PCs: Matthew/"Flicker" (fuckpicasa), Mia/"Astra" (likesherswords), Orlando Hale/"Agent Orange" (agentmarmalade)
Skrulls
Ruled by the warlike Emperor Dorrek VII, the empire of the shapeshifting alien Skrulls sprawls across much of the Andromeda galaxy, and has for thousands of years held an aggressively pro-conquering policy in its doings with other planets. They have made occasional attempts to invade Earth but have been repeatedly thwarted, especially by the Fantastic Four. They have been at war with the Kree for, like, ever.
Involved PCs: none
Transia
A European country located between Romania and Serbia and evocative of Transylvania. Its most notable geographical feature is Mount Wundagore, home to the Knights of Wundagore and possibly the prison of some kind of evil god or something. Apart from that, Transia has uranium mines and werewolves and does not get much tourism. If you want to assume pitchforks and flaming torches, this is where to do it.
Involved PCs: none
Wakanda
Africa's Mary-Sue. Wakanda is home to an indomitable fighting spirit and significant deposits of vibranium, a metal with unusual properties found nowhere else on earth. It has never been invaded due to being too hardcore and is home to all kinds of rad technological advances that it doesn't want to share with anyone else because the rest of the world aren't good enough for them. It is ruled by warrior king T'Challa, the Black Panther.
Involved PCs: Ororo Munroe/"Storm" (stopitstorm)