Instant Karma

While some costumed crusaders prefer to operate in secret, Instant Karma loves attention. They mug for cameras, hold press conferences, and dispense their justice in as flashy and memorable a way as possible. A recent bank robbery they foiled ended with masked master of mayhem the Black Hole stripped nude, painted pink and duct-taped to the inside face of the bank’s vault door.
Although the early 20-something members of Instant Karma often seem to be kids just having a good time, they are also political activists. Each member is named after one of the five major classes of traditional Hinduism, and by working together they consciously, intentionally send the message that it’s time to leave behind those old and discriminatory ways. They say as much on their Twitter feed regularly.
SHUDRA Shudra is five feet tall and almost as wide, with a shiny bald pate over Bangladeshi features. He hails from Dhaka, born under the name Asman bin Josef, and crossed the border to find work as a bouncer in the growing metropolis of Bandhana City. Shortly after arriving, he met Peter Ahmet and the two began fighting crime together. Instant Karma grew around the two founders. He took the name Shudra and donned a crimson bodysuit emblazoned with the face of a dragon, which is never intact at the end of a fight. The press has noticed that he seems to be trying a new battle cry with each conflict and they are sure to report on them.
BRAHMIN Born Peter Ahmet, Brahmin had a childhood of private schools and rugby. He attended college in the United States on an athletic scholarship, and befriended a brilliant, young inventor there. His friend died of brain cancer before graduation, but gave his prototype battlesuit to Peter before he passed, because he trusted him to do the right thing with it. When Peter returned to India with the suit, he soon saw the need for a new superhero in the country’s newest city.
He met Shudra during his second night on patrol and the pair teamed up to form the core of what would become Instant Karma. Brahmin is short, stocky, and dark, but never shows his face in public. While in his armor, his voice sounds more mechanical and slightly musical.
KSHATRIYA Hattay Moksri’s first competitive experience was in a children’s Muay Thai program in her birth country of Thailand. She fought at the international level and added Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to her repertoire before leaving Thailand to train in Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, and India. She lives to train and compete, and only began using her skills in silat, krabi krabong, durga, and kali after moving to Bandhana to compete in its underground cage-fighting circuit.
When she refused to throw a fight, she incurred the wrath of the local mob. Her first encounter with them was so colorfully one-sided that she received attention from the press and was contacted by Instant Karma the next day. She joined the team half for the challenge and half to have some people with super-powers at her back when the mob returned. Standing nearly six feet tall, leanly muscled, costumed in flowing blue pants, and a thin Kevlar vest, Kshatriya is strikingly beautiful even with knife scars on her cheek. She doesn’t talk to the press, but Instant Karma makes sure she’s featured prominently in film or photos.
VAISHYA With his exotic good looks and muscular body, Prander Thet doesn’t look like a computer hacker, but his skills at manipulating data are almost as good as his social media stream says they are. His origin story is surprisingly simple: he grew up in a middle-class home playing with computers, got a tech degree, and found he had a real a talent for computer and physical security. When it came time to find a job, he saw what Instant Karma was up to and convinced them to bring him into the fold. One form-fitting Kevlar three-piece suit later, he was breaking into the bad guys’ data and spoofing their security systems with the rest of the team. Despite his puissant skill and attractiveness, he is very shy.
THE UNTOUCHABLE If the Untouchable has a name or other identity, no one knows it. He’s of average size, build, and appearance despite his impressive powers. As a member of Instant Karma, he wears dungarees and a light jacket over a simple cotton t-shirt. His pockets are stuffed with tools ranging from spray paint to duct tape. The Untouchable is the public voice of Instant Karma, for the simple reason that he likes being interviewed more than any of his teammates. He has a serious demeanor, but his ideas are the most flamboyant and hilarious compared to the other members of the group.