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A world apart Utopia Isle is a landmass and area of seawater, concealed by dimensional folding from the inhabitants of Earth. It is located roughly in the vicinity of the famous Bermuda Triangle, the dimensional manipulation a major cause of technological failures, vanished craft and persons over the ages. It and most its people are a remnant of the ancient Atlantean civilization, refugees who survived the Cataclysm that sank their home continent and Lemuria, stronghold of the remorseless Serpent People. Isolated from the rest of the world, they have had over a hundred millennia to develop and refine their understanding of science, becoming one and all masters of physics, biology, philosophy, mathematics and technological development. After the drowning of Atlantis thanks to mystical overreach the Utopians have foresworn magic and the imperialism of their ancestors, devoting themselves to the peaceful study and contemplation of life and the universe. Thanks to this, every Utopian is a pinnacle of humanity. Strong, wise, unaging after maturity and unaffected by decay or disease. A history of mystery Because of their strict policy of isolation from the outside world, Utopia Isle is largely unknown outside the supers community. Its most famous child, the Envoy who ventured to the United States during the Second World War, claimed to be from a nebulous foriegn country and volunteering no information about his home, though he freely gave some of the wisdom the Utopians had learned in an attempt to end the global suffering. Unsurprisingly, he failed, and after the war the Envoy returned to Utopia Isle, his stories about the Earth he had seen strengthening the resolve of the Utopians not to emerge. Other, more secretive Utopians had gone out to explore the world like Envoy, but all were recalled after his return. Nevertheless, there has been occasional traffic with Utopia. Sailors, aircraft passengers, shipwreck survivors and more have washed up on their shores, some preferring to stay and join the calm and peace of the Utopians rather than return. Others go back, though only after swearing not to reveal the location of the island. Even the sole known wicked Utopian, Karai, father of the peerless assassin Keira, never betrayed his people. Some encounters between regular humans and Utopians beget children, though thanks to Utopian science only by choice. Of those children the highest in Earth's hierarchies is Chalcedony Jones, born in love by the Utopian explorer Auriana and head of covert operations for the United Nations International Superhuman Oversight Network. While she isn't a native of the island and her heritage is unknown to others, Jones has championed its values of harmony and compassion even while leading the fight against international villainy. A little world of wonders Utopia Isle is home to untold miracles of science, with technology powerful enough to easily provide for the needs of the inhabitants. Futuristic, soaring architecture and humble structures older than modern humanity festoon the tropical island, blending thousands of years of development in a seamless, fantastical whole. While its horizons are small, and every blade of grass has been counted, it's a world where greed and hate are unknown and a well-honed mind is counted the most valuable possession. Though lacking the powers of their northern cousins, the Ultima of Thule, the Utopians can replicate practically any power through science and are practically immortal, letting generations of learning and wisdom raise Utopia Isle to paradisiacal heights. A ticking clock Utopia Isle's one true flaw is the Utopians' belief that they can evade detection forever. The longer they avoid it, the greater the risk that the people who find them won't care about their philosophy, seeing only treasures and skilled slaves for the taking. With the kinds of villains that haunt the world of Freedom, this is only a matter of time.

Emerald City, Washington Gem of the Columbia A child of the natural wealth of the Columbia River delta, Emerald City, WA started life in what is now the district of Islandview, nestled in the rich farmland at the foothills of the Atlas Coastal Range. Over time, as its sister city to the south grew, so did the northern town, until it now stands as a smaller but still prominent city occupying the northern delta. Comparatively new, it has a more common Euro-American style and less glamorous image abroad, which has started to change after it became the center of an Archetech branch. It has a remarkably large military presence, given its size and location. Emerald City, Oregon The Facet City Originally a fort and trading post on the bank of the Columbia River built by members of the famous Stanley-Malory charting expedition 1809, Emerald City, OR is now a thriving port town and technological development center. Always friendly and welcoming to new things, the city is dramatically different from most others in the United States, with architectural, social and cultural influences from hundreds of countries across the globe and high technology made commonplace. Despite this, and its population that rivals Portland, the city suffers from a strong colonial cringe in regards to its lumberjacking, fishing and mining past, begrudging it and the kitsch culture surrounding its nominal ties to The Wizard of Oz. Districts, North: Hookville: The location of Fort Brewer Naval Base, and the housing and support center for Navy and Coast Guard personnel, families and civilian contractors. Cascadia: The location of Joint Army/Air-Force Base Clark-Gordon and their support and housing for military families, military & civilian personnel, and retirees. Bridgepoint: The center of Emerald City North, a collage of industry, businesses and housing next to the city's major civilian port. Location of Archetech West. Northern Shore: A wealthy suburban development under the shadow of looming Mt. Forge. Home of 'Mini Mumbai', a large Hindi and Punjabi community. Island View: The historic birthplace of Emerald City, rich in farms and ranches, and where most of the local mining interests and workers are. Districts, South: Oceanside: The Outer Peninsula of the Arcadian Peninsulas, separated by the Bronze River, location of the major airport and aerospace facilities. Houses the low-risk prison Arcadia. West Vallee: The Inner Peninsula of the Arcadian Peninsulas, separated by the Red River, a working-class district with a heavy focus on manufacturing. Abutts the middle-class suburbs of Arcadian Peaks. Lakeside: An enclave of the rich, eccentric and reclusive around the shores of the artificial Lake Vallee(pronunciation contested). Many of the city's new tech barons live here. Eastern District: The dense center of Emerald City's East Asian population, with the majority being colorful Jadetown's Chinese and austere Little Osaka's Japanese. Sunset Hill: The lofty seat of Emerald City's old money, home to a large gated community of out-of-town eccentrics. Location of beautiful Overlook Park. Royal Hill: The thriving upper-scale business and housing outside downtown. Location of the famous art-deco Crown Tower Hotel. Riverfront: Emerald City's downtown and birthplace, home of its major businesses, city government, numerous art and culture centers, and the famous Yellow Brick Row shopping blocks. University Hill: Formerly Gallows Hill, the town's execution site, now a sprawling campus for well-regarded Emerald City University. Location of the persistently-innovative Parker Sciences Building. Southern Shore: A sprawling suburb that reaches from downtown to the vast Elysian Forest, site of the mini-Silicon Valley of MarsTech Campus, tech development center. Bethlehem Heights: Another working-class community that used to be the center of Emerald City's lumber and mining workforce. Site of Bethlehem Heights Psychiatric Hospital. The Islands Stepstone Islands: Carry the bridges between Islandview, EC-WA, and Bethlehem Heights, EC-OR Fortress Island: Home of the dour Fortress Island State Penitentiary, the high-security prison. Council Island: Location of an upscale community in the shadow of the Astoria-Megler Bay Bridge, also home of Devlin, a massive rusted-copper green derelict Devestoid from the Devestoid Disaster of 2005. Malory Island: Home of the city's lighthouse. What Needs Doing Thanks to their distance from the major super-human capital of Freedom City the Emerald Cities enjoy a relatively super-crime-free existence. ECS's enormous wealth and access to supertechnology hasn't attracted any superhuman thieves or the likes of even hyper-competitive Dr. Otaku. Its branch of A.S.T.R.O. Labs has this far failed to produce any accidental monsters, madmen or misfits and if any mutations have occurred from the Columbia River's tainting by upriver nuclear plants it has been well-hidden. Even their famous viridian gemstones appear to lack the supernatural qualities attributed to them by superstitious 19th century miners. ECN's military installations and experimental hardware have thus far failed to catch the attention of any would-be worldbeaters. The only supercriminals likely to be encountered are foreigners, most likely hired by the major cartels and mob branches known or suspected to operate in the Emeralds. Despite that, the "mundane" criminal element is still a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of those in their territory, and some parts of the inner Eastern District are nearly impenetrable without an understanding of the power structure of the local Triad or Yakuza. Besides human evil, the Pacific Northwest is quite geologically active and presents many damgers of its own. Earthquakes, while not as common as further south, are still regular events. Living in the shadow of the Atlas Range also puts the cities at risk from mudslides and avalanches, while the Red River Dam and the Columbia River pose significant flooding hazards. Out to sea, the steady shipping traffic and passage of civilian vessels has started to draw the ire of the nearby Umiquan Empire, the warlike fish-people beginning to get very threatening about the pollution, noise and garbage. Closer to home, the Elysian Forest, Atlas Mountains and Columbia have been hotbeds of rumors about strange creatures and mysterious sights, disappearances and inexplicable events since the area was ruled by the Chinook. Any heroes setting up in the region will have plenty of crank calls about UFOs, wingéd shadows and Sasquatches to deal with, long before the conspiracy theorists start to just accost them in the street. The Emerald Cities, especially ECS, have long had a simultaneous problem with a substantial homeless population and human trafficking. The neglect of one has not helped the other, and of all the problems in the city that needs heroes the most, caped or otherwise. But there aren't any local supervillains. There never have been. Honest.