Power-House

Power-House
Player: @CeeGee
Origin:	Science
Archetype:	Brute
Threat Level:	'
Server:	Confidential
Personal Data
Real Name:	Margaret "Maggie" McGuire
Known Aliases:	'
Species:	Enhanced Human
Age:	25
Height:	6'6"
Weight:	545lbs.
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Strawberry Blonde
Biographical Data
Nationality:	'
Occupation:	Former waitress, villain-for-hire
Place of Birth:	Port Oakes, Rogue Isles
Base of Operations:	Mobile
Marital Status:	Single
Known Relatives:	none
Known Powers
Super Strength, Invulnerability, Leaping
Known Abilities
Street fighting
Equipment
'
'

Origin

Margaret “Maggie” McGuire was born small in a place that devours the small.

Premature, underdeveloped, and never quite able to keep weight on, Maggie grew up learning the geography of pain early—schoolyard fists, mocking laughter, the casual cruelty of people who sensed weakness and pressed into it like a bruise. By the time she reached adulthood in the Rogue Isles, she had learned to keep her head down, her mouth shut, and her expectations low. Survival was the only victory she believed she could afford.

She scraped by working long shifts in a grease-soaked diner near the docks—serving smugglers, mercenaries, and would-be tyrants who barely noticed her existence except to snap their fingers for refills. Maggie told herself invisibility was safety. It wasn’t.

Opportunity finally came wearing an expensive coat and a professional smile.

The man called himself The Middleman, a power broker with fingers in half the illegal enhancement operations in the Isles. He saw Maggie immediately—not as she was, but as what she could become. To him, she wasn’t a waitress; she was a proof-of-concept. A walking demonstration of what his cadre of black-market scientists could achieve.

The offer was simple and horrifying: volunteer for an experimental enhancement procedure, and walk away transformed. Maggie didn’t ask about the risks. She didn’t hesitate. Anything was better than being small, unseen, and afraid.

The process nearly killed her.

Her body was torn down at the cellular level and rebuilt—bones reinforced, muscle fibers hyper-densified, skin layered with subdermal impact-absorbing lattices. Pain followed her into sleep and greeted her when she woke. When it was finally over, Maggie no longer fit in the room she’d entered.

She stood over six and a half feet tall. Solid. Massive. Untouchable.

For the first time in her life, the world had to look up at her.

Confidence flooded in with the strength. Maggie laughed louder. Walked heavier. Stopped apologizing for taking up space. She crafted a costume that celebrated her new form and took the name Power-House, a living battering ram of science and steel. At The Middleman’s side, she became a spectacle—demonstrating strength by folding reinforced doors in half, shrugging off gunfire, and smashing armored targets into scrap. Clients were convinced. Deals were made.

And Maggie loved every second of it.

The pay was good, the attention intoxicating, and for the first time in her life, fear belonged to someone else. When The Middleman’s operation grew too large—and too volatile—Power-House struck out on her own. The separation was amicable; she still answers the occasional call when a client forgets to pay or needs a reminder of what they bought. But Maggie no longer needed a handler.

She had become the product.

Now Power-House sells her services as a villain-for-hire across the Rogue Isles. Smash jobs. Intimidation. Enforcement. If it requires brute force and unbreakable resolve, she’s the one they call. She’s loud, confident, and unapologetically intimidating—someone who enjoys throwing her weight around because she remembers all too well what it felt like to have none.

Yet beneath the bravado and bullying swagger, Maggie hasn’t forgotten who she used to be. She has a strange, unspoken code: she won’t hurt people who remind her of her former self. The weak. The overlooked. The ones trying to survive in a world stacked against them. Anyone else, though? Anyone who preys on them?

Power-House hits first—and she hits like a freight train.

She refuses to be a victim ever again. And anyone who tries to make her one will learn exactly why the Isles whisper her name with equal parts fear and awe.

Personality

Power-House is boisterous, confident, and unapologetically physical. She enjoys her presence being felt—heavy footsteps, loud laughter, and casual displays of strength. Years of powerlessness have made her slightly bullying toward anyone she perceives as arrogant or predatory, especially those who remind her of her former tormentors. Despite this, Maggie has a surprisingly protective streak. She has little patience for those who prey on the weak and will sometimes intervene—violently—on their behalf. She masks old insecurities with bravado, but deep down, she still remembers what it felt like to be afraid.

Motivations and Goals

• Never be a victim again

• Accumulate wealth and reputation as an independent enforcer

• Prove her strength is permanent, not borrowed or conditional

• Maintain control over her own destiny—no handlers, no masters

• Quietly protect people who remind her of her former self

Powers and Abilities

Super Strength • Lifts and throws vehicles, heavy machinery, and reinforced structures • Devastating melee strikes capable of shattering armor and concrete • Exceptional grappling and crowd-control ability

Invulnerability • Dense, reinforced musculature and subdermal protection • Highly resistant to blunt force, blades, firearms, and explosions • Can endure punishment that would cripple or kill most opponents

Leaping • Powerful leg muscles allow for massive vertical and horizontal jumps • Uses leaps both for rapid movement and crushing aerial attacks • Can traverse urban environments with ease

Weaknesses and Limitations

• Enhancements are biological, not adaptive—exotic energy types can still hurt

• Overconfidence can lead her to underestimate opponents

• Limited ranged combat options

• Psychological triggers related to helplessness or confinement

• Her enhancements require significant caloric intake to maintain peak performance

Allies

• The Middleman – Former handler and occasional employer

• Rogue Isles scientists and fixers who respect her reputation

• Low-level villains and civilians she has protected or intimidated on behalf of

Enemies

• Enhancement brokers who see her as stolen property or competition

• Heroes specializing in exotic or armor-piercing damage

• Criminals who abuse or exploit the powerless

• Any individual attempting to control or “own” her

Origin Story: Power-House

Port Oakes was never quiet—only different kinds of loud. The groan of cargo cranes, the slap of waves against rusted hulls, the arguments that turned into gunfire three streets over. It was the kind of place where ambition rotted if it wasn’t fed regularly.

The Middleman sat alone in a cracked vinyl booth, steam curling from a chipped mug of coffee. The diner was a dive even by Rogue Isles standards, but it served its purpose: anonymity, cheap caffeine, and a clear view of the desperation that passed through its doors. His scientists were still setting up the warehouse near the docks—sterilizing equipment, calibrating machines, preparing miracles no government would approve of.

He needed clients.

His gaze drifted from the window to the waitress refilling cups at the counter. Small. Not just short, but slight—like someone the world had pressed down on and never bothered to let rise back up. She moved quickly, eyes down, shoulders tense, apologizing even when no one complained.

The Middleman smiled.

When she reached his table to top off his coffee, he looked up at her instead of past her.

“Rough shift?” he asked casually. She stiffened, clearly unused to being addressed as anything other than furniture. “It’s… it’s fine,” she said, though her voice betrayed years of saying the same lie. He didn’t push. Just nodded, took a sip, let silence do the work. When she came back again, he tried something different.

“You don’t look like someone who belongs here.”

That earned him a wary glance. “Everyone belongs somewhere,” she said. “This is just… mine.” “Is it?” he asked gently.

Margaret McGuire—Maggie, she insisted after a while—didn’t open up all at once. She started with safe things. Being born early. Always smaller than the other kids. How teachers said she’d “catch up someday.” How someday never came. Eventually, the words spilled faster: the bullying, the shoves, the laughter, the way predators in the Isles could smell weakness like blood in the water.

“It’s worse here,” she admitted quietly. “If you can’t scare people, they don’t leave you alone.”

The Middleman listened. Truly listened. When she finished, he leaned back and folded his hands.

“What if,” he said, “I told you that fear could be taught?”

She laughed once, bitter. “I don’t have the money for miracles.”

“I’m not selling one,” he replied. “I’m offering you a chance to be one.”

He introduced himself—not by name, but by reputation. He spoke of science unshackled by ethics committees. Of enhancement, not replacement. Of strength that could not be ignored. When he finished, Maggie stared at her hands, small and trembling around the coffee pot.

“How much would it hurt?” she asked.

“Enough,” he said honestly.

She nodded. “When do we start?”

Two months later, the warehouse near the docks pulsed with light and anticipation.

The Middleman stood before an audience of smugglers, arms dealers, crime lords, and would-be tyrants—people who measured worth in firepower and fear. He spoke smoothly, outlining the services his organization now offered: reinforced bone structures, enhanced musculature, subdermal protection, tailored biological upgrades.

“Science,” he said, “is the ultimate equalizer.”

Then he gestured toward the reinforced doors at the far end of the warehouse.

“Allow me to demonstrate.”

The doors buckled inward with a thunderous crack.

She stepped through the smoke like a living monument—tall, broad-shouldered, clad in crimson and black, a stylized fist emblazoned proudly on her chest. Spikes jutted from her shoulders, boots heavy enough to dent the concrete with every step. Her blonde hair framed a masked face set in a confident, almost daring smile.

“This,” the Middleman announced, “is Power-House.”

Maggie—Power-House—raised one gloved hand and caught a charging Council robot by the arm. Metal screamed as she lifted it overhead and slammed it into the floor hard enough to shatter plating. Another robot opened fire; bullets sparked and flattened against her skin. She laughed—loud, full, intoxicating—and tore the machine apart with her bare hands.

By the time the last robot lay in wreckage, the room was silent.

Then applause erupted.

Power-House stood tall, hands on her hips, chest rising with exhilaration. For the first time in her life, the eyes on her weren’t mocking or dismissive.

They were afraid.

Later, in a quieter office overlooking the docks, the Middleman extended a tablet. His assistant finished typing and nodded. A transfer confirmation flashed across the screen.

“Payment’s been deposited,” the Middleman said. “And Maggie?”

She looked up, still riding the high.

“This,” he continued smoothly, “is just the beginning.”

Power-House smiled—wide, confident, unafraid.

For the first time, the Rogue Isles had to make room for her.

________________________________________________________________

ARACHNOS INTELLIGENCE DOSSIER

Clearance: Web-Red / Eyes Only

From: Operative V-91 “Black Widow”

To: Lord Recluse

Subject: POWER-HOUSE (Margaret “Maggie” McGuire)

Summary Assessment:

Power-House is a science-origin brute asset operating independently within the Rogue Isles. She possesses exceptional physical strength, high survivability, and a rapidly growing reputation among black-market fixers. While not ideologically aligned with Arachnos, she represents a potentially valuable deniable asset—or a localized threat if mishandled.

Origin & Background:

Subject was formerly a low-value civilian: waitress, physically undersized, socially marginalized. Recruited by the enhancement broker known as The Middleman as a proof-of-concept test subject. Underwent illegal biological augmentation with high survivability and exceptional yield. Resulting transformation produced significant physical enlargement, near-invulnerable tissue density, and extreme strength output. Following initial employment as a demonstration asset, subject separated amicably from The Middleman and now operates as a villain-for-hire. No evidence of long-term loyalty to any organization.

Psychological Profile:

Power-House exhibits high confidence bordering on bullying behavior. Displays a strong aversion to perceived weakness in herself, coupled with a paradoxical protectiveness toward physically or socially vulnerable individuals. This suggests unresolved psychological conditioning from pre-enhancement trauma. Subject values autonomy above hierarchy. Attempts at coercion or ownership will likely provoke violent resistance. However, she responds positively to respect, fair compensation, and clearly defined objectives.

Capabilities:

• Extreme superhuman strength; capable of structural damage and armored unit neutralization

• High resistance to kinetic, ballistic, and explosive force

• Exceptional battlefield endurance; minimal observable fatigue

• Rapid urban mobility via enhanced leaping

Subject is optimized for frontal assault, shock tactics, and intimidation operations.

Limitations:

• Poor ranged engagement capability

• Vulnerable to exotic energy, mental manipulation, or containment strategies

• Displays overconfidence; may underestimate technologically superior opponents

• Not disciplined in coordinated unit tactics

Arachnos Utility Assessment:

Power-House is unsuitable for formal induction into Arachnos command structure. However, she would function effectively as a contract asset for:

• Facility breach operations

• Hero suppression or diversionary assaults

• Enforcement against unreliable third-party contractors

Use of intermediaries is recommended to preserve deniability. Direct oversight discouraged.

Threat Evaluation:

If antagonized, subject could inflict localized damage to Arachnos assets, particularly non-specialized units. Not assessed as a strategic-level threat unless aligned with rival powers.

Recommendation:

Monitor. Maintain favorable relations via controlled contracts. Do not attempt indoctrination or coercive leverage. If neutralization becomes necessary, prioritize containment, not elimination.

Lord Recluse’s Note: “Strength without obedience is a weapon that swings both ways. Handle carefully.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________

LONGBOW INTELLIGENCE BRIEF

Clearance: Gold-7 / Field Command

From: Agent Sarah Kincaid, Longbow Rogue Isles Division

To: Vanguard Liaison / Hero Oversight Committee

Subject: POWER-HOUSE (Margaret “Maggie” McGuire)

Overview

Power-House is an independent science-origin Brute currently operating in the Rogue Isles. She is responsible for multiple confirmed acts of property destruction, assault on criminal targets, and enforcement operations tied to black-market enhancement networks. Despite this, field observations suggest the subject does not fit the behavioral profile of a conventional villain.

Background

Margaret “Maggie” McGuire was formerly a civilian with no criminal record prior to her enhancement. She lived on the margins of Rogue Isles society, working service jobs and avoiding conflict. Her transformation was facilitated by the power broker known as The Middleman, who used her as a living demonstration of illegal biological enhancement procedures. Power-House now sells her services as a mercenary, primarily targeting other criminals. No confirmed civilian casualties are directly attributable to her actions.

Threat Assessment

Power-House possesses extreme superhuman strength and a high degree of physical invulnerability. She is capable of breaching reinforced structures, neutralizing armored targets, and sustaining prolonged combat engagement against superior numbers. In a direct confrontation, standard Longbow squads would be overmatched without specialized equipment. Her lack of ranged capability and tactical discipline presents exploitable weaknesses, but only with preparation and containment strategies.

Behavioral Analysis

Despite aggressive presentation, Power-House exhibits a consistent pattern of intervening when weaker individuals are targeted by criminal elements. She has broken up extortion attempts, retaliated against abusive gang leaders, and allowed non-combatants to escape active engagements. This behavior appears genuine rather than performative. Subject shows a strong emotional reaction to situations involving helplessness or exploitation, suggesting unresolved trauma from her pre-enhancement life.

Reformation Potential

Unlike ideologically driven villains, Power-House operates for autonomy and self-worth rather than malice. Her criminal activity is transactional, not doctrinal. This places her in a category similar to several former Rogue Isles operatives who later defected or entered rehabilitation programs. Agent assessment: With the right leverage—respectful engagement, non-coercive dialogue, and a clear alternative path—Power-House could be persuaded to disengage from criminal contracts or even assist in suppressing more dangerous threats.

Engagement Recommendations

• Avoid direct intimidation or attempts at public humiliation

• Emphasize protection of civilians as shared priority

• Utilize intermediaries or field agents skilled in de-escalation

• If combat is unavoidable, prioritize containment over elimination

Conclusion

Power-House represents a significant localized threat if left unchecked, but also a rare opportunity. She is not beyond redemption—only directionless. If we fail to offer an alternative, Arachnos or other criminal organizations will.

Agent Kincaid’s Note:

“She’s dangerous, no doubt. But every time she steps in front of someone weaker than her, she’s choosing not to be the monster everyone expects. That choice matters.”