Parahumans

What are Parahumans?

Parahumans are a subset of humanity, appearing in all cultures across the Earth. A Parahuman is a Homo Sapien with unique abilities or mutations not accounted for in their DNA, other than the universal “Parahuman Gene”..

All Parahumans are born “different”; most have unique abilities that can be detected close to birth, but become obvious at around ten years old, while others are born physically different.

These sort of mutations can include:

• Birthmarks
• Strange coloured eyes or hair
• Extra organs
• A higher chance of being born Intersex
• Animal features (or even fully animalistic forms)
• Inorganic qualities like metal protrusions or porcelain-like skin.

Parahuman abilities range from:

• Elemental Control and / or Creation (Fire, Wind, Gravity, Beams of Force, etc)
• Mental Abilities (Telepathy, Telekinesis, Enhanced Intelligence, Precognition, etc)
• Reality Manipulation (Illusions, Casting “Magic”, etc)
• Shape-shifting (Changing between Animal Forms, Changing Faces, Changing Flesh into Metal, etc)
• Enhanced Physical Qualities (Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Toughness, etc)
• Lowkey Abilities (Change an Object's Colour, An Intuitive Understanding of a Subject, Enhanced sense of Taste, etc)

Two Parahumans (previously) had a much higher chance of birthing another Parhuman; 1% as opposed to 0.5% with only one Parahuman parent, and roughly 0.00002% with no Parahuman Parents..

Parents who have been in contact with large doses of “harmful” radiation that does not sterilise them have a larger chance of conceiving a Parahuman.

Parahumans in general are far more likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities and mental illnesses.

Many, but not all, Parahumans age differently to standard humans. Those with inhuman visagess tend to age far slower, as do those with unusual skin, inorganic forms, and shape-shifting abilities.

It is also worth noting that thanks to the strange lives Parahumans lead, it is not unusual for one to come into contact with an event that will slow their aging in one way or another.

Parahumans in History

The term “Parahuman” was coined by Professor Lieber in 1941, originally to describe the many super-powered people who fought on both sides of both World Wars.

It might be obvious to assume that all occurrences of Gods and Heroes in mythology might actually be oral accounts of Parahumans through the Millenia, but this does a disservice to the power of the human imagination and the strength of faith; it is far more likely a large number of these stories were inspired by such Parahumans, but certainly not all.

The origins of Parahumanity are unknown. Perhaps it is merely a mutation that has been present across all humanity since prehistoric times, or perhaps it has alien origins; after all, The Academy has certainly had its interactions with beings who claim to have come from “elsewhere” like The Endless City, and self-declared “Angels” like The Peacock, who certainly claimed to be responsible for Parahumanity.

Parahumans in Society

In the UK, Parahumans are considered a “Protected Minority”.

The following laws exist to cover Parahumnans:

• “The Parahuman Observation Act” requires Parahumans to present Additional Governmental Identification when leaving and re-entering any country or similar border. These “ParaPassports” need to be updated every four years, and take 12 weeks to be processed. Additionally, any Parahuman who has been involved in any Police investigation must meet with the Police once a week to be assessed for their “societal acceptance”.
• “The Parahuman Protection Act” requires Parahumans to have legally enforced quarterly medical checkups, and children under four must have similar weekly checkups. Additionally, Parahumans cannot use the NHS, and instead must use private health services; only one service is provided by the NHS, the Paracea cure.
• Police are allowed to use “additional” force when dealing with suspected Parahumans.

The Lieber Academy publicly became a school for Parahumans in the 2000s, and is now considered a “Parahuman Embassy”; the above laws do not apply to those living at the Academy.

The Government previously employed The ACTAEON company to provide Robots to police Parahumans. ACTAEONs were large, armoured units equipped with many ways to arrest Parahuman criminals, including technology to detect mutations. In the 2000s, the service was abandoned after the robots proved unreliable and dangerous.

The Government previously employed The Collective as a team of “Parahuman Law Enforcement Consultants”. The service was dissolved after The Collective turned on the ACTAEONs.

What is PARIS?

PARIS, Aka Parahuman Reduced Immunity Syndrome, is a virus that was believed to only target Parahumans, causing abilities and mutations to lessen and immune systems to weaken, eventually resulting in death.

The following information has also been discovered, though many of these seem contradictory:

• It was later discovered that the disease targeted entirely random hosts, and it was simply radical coincidence that no humans had yet been infected.
• D claimed the disease was a “spirit” that he had “summoned” centuries before. He claimed it was intelligent and adapted constantly.
• -- Perfect, head of AJAX pharmaceuticals, claimed to be the Sentient PARIS virus riding a human host. However, it’s worth noting that Perfect called themself a bacteria, not a virus.
• PARIS can be cured with Paracea.
• PARIS can also be Cured by powers of La Bete Noir.

What is Paracea?

Paracea is an easily accessible “cure” for Parahumanity, originally developed in India. Taking it destroys the Parahuman Gene, making both Parahuman powers and mutations diminish until completely gone. It is on records 100% successful, though rumours say some have regained their abilities or mutations later.

Paracea can also cure PARIS.

It has come to attention that Paracea was developed from stolen Parahuman bodies, including Alumni. The previously overlooked 1990 vampiric villain Gristle is heavily implicated.

What is the current status of Parahumanity?

Between 1999 and 2010, Parahuman birthrates dropped immensely, before completely ceasing. Due to the proximity to The Peacock's failure and their words about ending Parahumanity, the more superstitious believe that the two events are linked.

In 2014, a single Parahuman was born in Iran, and carefully shuttled to the Academy for protection. European Governments demanded the child be handed over, resulting in a huge fallout between the Academy, and British Parahumanity, versus the Superhero teams of the world.

The little girl, currently in a secret location, is seen as a beacon of hope for Parahumankind.