China

China is an ancient land of millennia-old traditions, languages, and identity, with myths and legends suggesting it had many super-beings throughout its history. Tales of the wuxia clans, of enchanted items, and of the Eight Taoist Immortals all have the feel of modern superhumans. It’s clear the Middle Kingdom produced at least its share of exceptional individuals over the centuries.
China, however, has been lacking its share of super-beings since at least the 1960s. Only the elite of the Central Commission know why, though a few individuals outside of China suspect something close to the truth. Rumors claim the nation is executing super-beings to support the Party line that all Chinese are born equal, and to prevent cults of personality that seem to spring up around successful super-beings from compromising loyalty to the government. The truth is even more bizarre.
THE CENTRAL POWER COLLECTIVE The Central Power Collective (or the Collective) is an independent organization that grew out of a conspiracy within the Central Military Committee, and operates without oversight so as to not be influenced by the government. The Collective has a nearly unlimited budget acquired by hiding costs within other projects and uses it to monitor the population for super-beings. When it finds one, Collective forces bring that person to their headquarters in Shanghai where he or she is subjected to an alien artifact known as “gai Suipiàn”, or “the Shard”.
The Shard was discovered in the mass confiscations of art and artifacts during the Cultural Revolution. Found in the basement of a library, it was barely rescued from the burning which awaited the rest of the library’s collection. It is a jagged piece of unidentified metal about three-anda-half feet long, blue, and cold as ice, but lacking any sort of obvious power source. It glows faintly when touched.
Its origins are a mystery even to those who know how to wield it, which is restricted to a small number of handlers who have been chosen for their loyalty and disciplined nature. Contact with the Shard is limited to these few handlers on penalty of death. Each handler attunes him or herself to the Shard the first time they touch it. Afterwards they are able to activate the Shard as long as they are in physical contact with it.
When brought into contact with a super-powered being and activated, the Shard drains those super powers in a process a Collective Director dubbed “flatlining.” The victim is rendered mundane, able to return to life as a normal member of Chinese society. The Shard also absorbs the former superhuman’s memories of their powers, which keeps the existence of the Shard secret, but has resulted in a number of very confused ex-superhumans—some of whom may be looking for answers to the holes in their memories.
The Shard can, when directed by a handler, grant anyone any of the powers it has drained. The subject can use that power until it is revoked by a handler, which can happen even if the subject isn’t in contact with the Shard. There is apparently no upper limit to the number of powers the Shard can absorb or grant, but a single person can be given a maximum of six powers at any one time (without exploding messily within 60 seconds).
Members of the Collective and (the very small number of) others who know of the Shard’s existence may petition in writing, with a series of follow-up interviews, to receive a power for a few days or up to a year at a time if the need is determined to be worthwhile and important to the well being of the country—political pressure or bribes can speed this process or corrupt it. Typically these agents keep their power long enough to accomplish a mission, then return to normal life with the thanks of the Collective. Agents assigned to specific missions are usually well-trained and may have been given powers by the Shard multiple times in the past.
Although some superhumans have their own powers and operate independently of the Collective, they must always be on guard against them. Due to the Collective’s influence, no independent supers stand out in China. It is, for the most part, a nation of equals, though some—from time to time when the need and interests of the Collective dictate—become temporarily more equal than others.
Powers that have been absorbed by the Shard and often lent to approved agents include a wide range of abilities, some of which are a single power with no other special abilities, while others are suites of powers that fit within a given concept. There are a number of powers, such as telepathy, mind control, and other mental effects, that are almost never granted to agents. Because the Shard has absorbed powers from many people, it has access to a wide variety of abilities, but it’s the simple, straightforward powers that are requested and granted most often.
It doesn’t happen every time, but a number of people who’ve been given powers by way of the Shard have reported remembering things they’d never experienced. In some cases this has allowed them to use their powers more efficiently, while in others it has caused disorienting flashbacks.

Type

Geopolitical, Country