Switzerland

Banks, mountains, neutrality, and chocolate create a simplistic caricature of Switzerland, but there is much more to the country. Many international institutions have their offices in Geneva, and Switzerland is one of the most militaristic countries in the world. A majority of its young men are conscripted and undergo military training. Militia members keep personal weapons at home as part of their military obligations, so Switzerland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world. Switzerland is also a country of science and research and is the home of CERN (European Council for Nuclear Research), which operates the largest particle accelerator in the world, the Large Hadron Collider, near the French border.
Despite a couple of major hostage crises in Geneva in the 1990s (an attack on the UN office by Overthrow and an attempted plane hijacking by The Power Corps), Switzerland exhibits almost no paranormal activity. The Oath Fellowship (Eidgenossenschaft), the country’s only super-team, was formed in the 1980s, but disbanded due to inactivity after only a few months, its three members returning to civilian life. In terms of superhuman activity, the country is eerily quiet. There are no local superheroes and there are no supervillains, not even the occasional visiting foreigner, despite the country being one of the richest in the world. Most of the Swiss attribute this tranquility to the efficiency of their police, the presence of the UNISON Garrison in Geneva, and, to a lesser extent, the existence of private militias employed by Swiss corporations.
The truth is far more unsavory. It is well known that the Nazis once hid a large part of their stolen gold in the Swiss banks protected by the legendary secrecy and neutrality of Switzerland. When Wilhelm Kantor fled Germany after World War II, he used this money to finance the creation and operation of SHADOW. That organization is only one of the criminal organizations secretly using Switzerland as a place to consolidate power and money. The various mafias, Overthrow, rogue states and their petty dictators, criminal masterminds… none of them is dumb enough to draw attention or cause trouble here. The criminal underworld came to a consensus that is still in effect today: “Leave Switzerland alone or face retribution.” Most of the criminal operations taking place in Switzerland are conducted the old-fashioned way: in expensive suits. No noisy super-battle has occurred in the Swiss Alps in decades.
While the agreement in the underworld to leave Switzerland alone explains the lack of super-criminals in the country, it is still odd the country lacks any superheroes. Yet Switzerland hasn’t attracted any heroes as permanent residents or defenders. The reason for that is The Labyrinth.

ENTER THE LABYRINTH

From his lair near Zurich, Taurus controls his “organization,” and the last thing he wants is to dodge heroes flying above his home. It is estimated that Taurus controls or can exert pressure on almost 30% of the Swiss economy through infiltrated agents, dummy corporations, proxies, favors, and so on. The Labyrinth has agents scattered throughout the country. Most are informants reporting any unusual activity (economic or otherwise). If superhuman activity is suspected, Taurus sends a team of special investigators. If the problem is confirmed, it is dealt with discreetly and efficiently. The old bull is extremely careful with these operations. Any mistake could bring unwelcome attention to his base.
In the late 1540s, while disguised as a normal person, the man-bull met the seer Nostradamus in Venice. The immortal was intrigued by the predictions of the astrologer who claimed that a time would come when economics would be the true power in the world, surpassing royalty and politics. Nostradamus also foresaw the coming of beings whose great power dwarfed even the heroes of ancient times. Stealing a book of the man’s prophecies, Taurus abandoned his vendetta against Daedalus and used the cryptic quatrains contained in the book to take over the world from behind the scenes. The man-bull schemed and plotted over the next four centuries, creating cults and secret societies devoted to him—such as the Illuminati and the Carbonari—and infiltrating others—such as the Freemasons and the Thule Society. He accumulated vast wealth and influence. In the 1910s, Taurus finally settled at his current home in Switzerland, overseeing the small country’s rise to financial power.
In the 1930s, Europe saw the rise of the first modern superheroes. Taurus understood that the age of heroes Nostradamus told him about was beginning. He also understood very clearly that he had to control such beings, direct them, and even create them if needed. The first two he recruited became the German agent Doppelganger and the French vigilante Belphegor. When France surrendered, Taurus simply ordered Belphegor to switch sides and join the Axis. The Allied powers won the war, but Taurus was still in an excellent position: Europe was mostly empty of super-beings and he had plenty of time and resources to extend the Labyrinth internationally.
Today, the Labyrinth has influence in almost every part of the world, especially the United States. Taurus still keeps a close eye on Western Europe, however, due to his Zurich base. He has agents and allies in every country. He trades with the Morlocks and Serpent People in Ondersdam. He has infiltrated organizations like NATO and the UN. He has even infiltrated some European hero teams to stay ahead of any initiative against the Labyrinth.
The conflict with Overthrow in Munich is annoying to Taurus, but manageable. So are most of the superhero teams on the continent. The worst enemy of the Labyrinth, however, is MENACE. The two organizations look similar as they both rely on misdirection and conspiracies, but their goals are opposite each other. MENACE wants to obliterate modern society and rebuild something new from the ashes. The Labyrinth wants to subvert—but maintain—the system to its own ends. The Labyrinth has no use for unchecked bands of ravaging super-beings, and MENACE has no room for a rival in its schemes for world conquest. So far the conflict has remained covert, but matters could easily escalate into a full underworld war.