Sodality of Gerosha

Sodality of Gerosha 0 5840 61170 61169      2019-06-05T23:39:08Z IvanRider 3545644 wikitext text/x-wiki This article requires some rewrites.

The Sodality of Gerosha ("Sodality " for short) is a superhero team in the Cataclysmic Gerosha universe of The Gerosha Chronicles, a part of Dozerfleet Comics. It is comprised of most of the heroes that survive to season 3 of Sodality. It is somewhat comparable to Marvel's Avengers or DC's Justice League, though its size and scope are usually smaller. The Phaelite-themed organization that serves as their liaison with the government is known as SCALLOP.

History
See also: Sodality (series)

The Sodality first referred to an organization of ministry outreach to Phexos and Marlquaanites, established by the core founders. It was based in Houston, TX. In 2018, the dissolution of the United States led to four countries: Toklisana, Ameristan, Chimerica, and Netheel. The Hebbleskin Gang took control of Netheel, while the Muslim Brotherhood took control of Ameristan. Several registered Toklisanans who wound up on the Ameristan side of the border were promised safe passage to their new homes. However, Affadidah's regime betrayed those Toklisanans. He elected instead to destroy their hometowns and kill them all. A group affiliated with this early Sodality became a modality known as the Exodus Agenda, led by a few men trapped in Ameristan that included Imaki Izuki. Meanwhile, the Hebbleskin Gang sent Don the Psycho to Toklisana to stir up trouble. He managed to abduct Miranda Kanla for Duke Arfaas' grand scheme in Houston. This infuriated Miranda's boyfriend Jack Mercreek, who personally declared war on Don. After Candi and Dolly make it across to Toklisana, at the expense of Donte being captured and Imaki killed, they soon reveal to Jack that they too have a bone or two to pick with Don.

The three of them end up being the Founding Elites of a new league. That league later gets to have Dolly join the front lines in a suit of her own. Milp's murder of Darius Philippine results in Dolly becoming the "Earwig" to help Ciem and Jackrabbit fight back. Things get worse when it's revealed that Dolly's husband Jeraime was captured so he could be turned into the Phexo slayer named Musaran. The team acquires Botan the Plant-Man to their ranks to deal with Musaran, and then ends up gaining Mukade and Meerkat to help them finish off Milp and Don.

Their adventures result in the ruining of Arfaas' plans for Houston. However, new threats emerge. Captain Aardwulf requires the Sodality to team up with MSS agents Black Rat and Stung Hornet to defeat him and destroy the Ming-Yo. This gains them allies in the form of Candi's sister Miriam "Sniperbadger" Flippo and scientist Steve McLaine. The arrival of Judge Terry Beliah and his antics, as well as his teaming up with the Phaletori to create True Centhuen armies, requires that the Sodality rescue those he has captured before his plans for genocide can be realized. This results in the Founding Elites discovering the "Legends," and adding them to their number.

The Gray Champion, Mapacha, Pilltar, Strawberry, Extirpon, Navyrope, and their surviving allies are all added to the greater organization. As the original organization's members age and move on with their lives, they prepare the way for a second generation to take over for them.

Phexo Quartet
The Sodality is supported by the Phaelites and by the Toklisanan military. As such, they have intimate ties with those groups' history in The Battle for Gerosha. They have been taught to honor their history, and that includes their predecessors. Before the Sodality, made up of Phexos and Marlquaanites existed, there was a team called the Phexo Quartet. The story Experiments and Offspring documents the exploits of that first heroic team; which consisted of Centipede Charlie, Becky Ryba, Anarteq, and Arrowfrog.

Centipede Charlie would have been counted as a Legend, if he would have lived long enough to actually join the Sodality. The same would have been said for the others. Charles "Centipede Charlie" Hammerstein, however, holds a special place in the hearts of Centhuen Prototypes everywhere for his bravery and sacrifice. Since many Centhuen Prototypes are in both the first and second generations of the Sodality, this rings especially true.

Founders
The True Founders are those who inspired the idea, but don't hold a place on the superhero team. They are inventors and spiritual / religious leaders. The three of them worth noting are Rev. Tyler Kilmington, Rev. Wilbur Brocklyn, and inventor Imaki Izuki.

Founding Elite
The Founding Elite are those heroes who centrally form the Sodality before they are able to recruit the "Legends." They are the main cast for all intents and purposes of Sodality. They conduct field missions the most often, and are the go-to team for most of the series.

From a meta perspective, the primary qualifier for being part of the Founding Elite is if they are based on counterparts that debuted in any version of the Ciem trilogy. Ciem, Emeraldon and Earwig all debuted in the 2005 version of Ciem. Botan the Plant-Man debuted in the 2007 version. Meerkat and Mukade debuted in the 2009 version of Ciem 3. Jackrabbit debuted in the 2010 canceled novel Ciem: Vigilante Centipede.

The class of "Founding Elite" gives way to the class of simply "Elites" in the Second Generation. This new classification includes the heirs of Legends as well as of Founding Elites.

Legend Class
The Legends are those who had their own heroic bases of operations and functionality in the days before there was a Sodality. While Meerkat and Mukade could technically count, they didn't become widespread rumors outside their respective regions. Each of the Legends became so due to widespread rumors of their arrival. The Gray Champion, for example, took his name from Hawthorne's short story. This made him a legend by default, especially since his mannerisms reflected behavior the original Gray Champion might have engaged in. Mapacha's story became known throughout Florida and rumors made their way all the way to Cuba, as well as to drug cartels as far away as Mexico and Belize. Pilltar and Strawberry became known across Iowa and also in Minnesota. "Navyrope" became the name of a movement, as opposed to being just the identity of Vince Finton. Extirpon became feared globally. The exception is Botan, whose antics weren't always very heroic.

In meta, the key factor in determining whether or not a character is a "Legend" is if they have had significant characterization outside of the original Ciem webcomic trilogy. Ciem wasn't a part of anything until the 2005 Ciem webcomic. Neither was Emeraldon. Mukade and Meerkat were created originally for Ciem 3. Botan the Plant-Man was created for the 2007 Ciem webcomic, as he was an excuse to experiment with the PlantSim life state in The Sims 2. Jackrabbit was created for Ciem: Vigilante Centipede. Therefore, he doesn't count as a Legend no matter what he's done before the Sodality timeline. The Sapphire King was coined for the first time as a last-minute character for Emeraldon and Ciem to fight at the end of the 2007 Ciem webcomic.

However, Gray is considered a Legend because the first story bearing John Domeck in it dates back to 2001, in Uber-Proto-Gerosha (Earth-G0.) Mapacha was also part of that universe at one point in time. Extirpon and Navyrope were created in 2009 specifically to bring diversity to The Gerosha Chronicles by having more heroes that existed explicitly outside of the boundaries of the Ciem trilogy. When Classic Gerosha gave way to Comprehensive Gerosha, Pilltar and Strawberry were added for that same reason. In-story justification for the term "Legend" was added later, as it was also a meta justification for the pack of volumes concerning those heroes to be dubbed Gerosha Legends.

The Legend class remains an open option for Second Generation new recruits, if they can be deemed "Legends" in some sense of the word. However, heirs of legacies from First-Generation Legends are classified in the Second Generation as Elites, along with the legacy heirs of Founding Elites.

Support / Mission Control
Essential to operations is a mission control crew, which can relay information back and forth amongst the heroes whenever one or another is outnumbered or makes a discovery. The mission control staff usually operate on ham radios or other similar equipment, out of residential homes or college dorm rooms. Secrecy is critical to success, especially since they get insights from Darius and Lex's SCALLOP security drones in trouble spots that cannot be easily shared otherwise. In effect, the Support division gives the Sodality extra ears - and eyes in the back of its head. Due to the age at which many become Support Staff, the position fluctuates. Members are sworn to secrecy about field agent identities.

Equipment

 * Zeran wardrobes: Standard for members, especially those who have complex suits and no other convenient way to hide them.
 * Zeran teleporters: Standard for members, but especially those that cannot leap long distances or fly.
 * Gray Champion's sword: Modeled to be similar to a John Bailey War Sword. This is Gray's signature weapon.
 * Navyrope's various devices: Essential, since he has no offensive abilities without them.
 * Pilltar robots: Critical components of Ron and Stephanie Barrin's arsenal. Each comes with a few offensive maneuvers built in, along with a variety of gadgets.
 * Night vision goggles: Particularly in Ciem's masks, but also some of Jackrabbit and Mukade's suit options.
 * Centileg patches: Located on the suits of most Centhuen Prototypes.
 * Twin sais: Standard with Mukade's arsenal.
 * Daggers: Part of Mapacha's arsenal.
 * Fireproof clothing: Worn by Mapacha, as she catches fire when running.
 * Energy concentration suits: Worn by Emeraldon and Sapphire King.
 * Utility belts: Several members have these, most prominently Ciem.
 * Remotach pills: These come standard for female members, in case they are captured and the Hebbleskins try to execute them.
 * Guns: Gray Champion Next is fond of using shotguns and M1 Garands where appropriate. He can also wield a sword like his predecessor.

Usage
The term "sodality" as it applies to the Sodality of Gerosha is the social anthropology definition. Being a member of the Sodality of Gerosha essentially means believing in the general causes of Stan and Shalia Flippo, and/or being a Phaelite, a Phexo, a Marlquaanite, or other who is sympathetic to the mainstream Phaelite cause that SCALLOP was created around. "Sodality" as a term is used in a more religious sense to refer to the pact that was formed by Imaki Izuki, Wilbur Brocklyn, and Rev. Tyler Kilmington to form a mission outreach to Phexos and Marlquaanites. Meethexos that renounce the Hebbleskin Gang are invited to join also, though few have ever attempted to do so.

In regards to the Sodality of Gerosha as a team of heroes, "Sodality" is used as a synonym for a league. This is because the word "league" was deemed unfavorable for usage in marketing Gerosha superheroes. Dozerfleet Comics markets its Gerosha heroes as a "Sodality of Gerosha," or "Sodality" for short. This contrasts with Marvel having the Avengers, and DC having the Justice League. Since a sodality is made up of modalities, each modality within the Sodality is comprised of the different factions within said hero league, with the term "sodality" referring to how they all interact to serve a greater common purpose.

The following modalities are recognized as valid structures for the first generation:


 * Core Founders: This group consists of the three patriarchal figures that helped initiate the idea behind there being a Sodality of Gerosha: Imaki Izuki, Wilbur Brocklyn, and Tyler Kilmington. As of season 2, only one of these three old men is still living.


 * Founding Elites: These are those heroes whose coming together became the reason for a "Sodality" concept existing at all. Members include Ciem, Emeraldon, Jackrabbit, Earwig, Botan the Plant-Man, Mukade, and Meerkat.


 * Legends: This is a division within the team that refers to those heroes on the roster that have demonstrated pre-Affadidah prowess at being heroes in their own right. May or may not also refer to their sidekicks, contextually.  This group includes the Gray Champion, Mapacha, Extirpon, Navyrope, Pilltar, and Strawberry.  Hea Pang, depending on context, is sometimes also considered a member of this group.


 * Support Staff: All non-powered heroes who prefer to work behind the scenes rather than doing field work. Miranda Kanla and Laurie Pegol excelled at this position, one which later included Tiffany Sterlie.  When not lumped in with the Legends, Hea Pang also resides in this group.  Pam Marcones joins eventually as well.  Dolly Malestrom used to be in this group, before she became the Earwig.  Emily Cormier works in this division as the primary scientist.


 * Team Gray: When the Sodality is not in session a situation requiring the whole league to function as one unit, it often splits into various factions that focus on specific problems. Dealing with the Icy Finger and villains it creates is a specialty for the Gray Champion and his immediate allies.  This includes Mapacha, Hea Pang, Tabitha Pang, Pablo Ramirez, and Anna Ramirez.


 * Lambrelli Labs: This home security systems industry-based company also specializes in making equipment for neighborhood watch programs. It was founded by Seth Lambrelli, the creator of Pilltar.  It is currently run by Ron Barrin and his daughter Stephanie.  They are able to remote-pilot militarized versions of their Pilltar and Strawberry neighborhood watch drones to aid the Sodality if necessary.  Otherwise, they have taken to letting neighborhood watch programs and police departments use inferior Pilltar models to do their messy work for them.  They try to keep a low profile most of the time, given the bad publicity Stephanie received years ago when she tried to use her Strawberry unit in the streets of Des Moines to stop a band of knockout game thugs.  Originally based in Des Moines and its greater area, Lambrelli Labs relocated in 2018 to the greater area around Oklahoma City.


 * McArthur Estate: The McArthur family in Waco, which became official when Donte "Emeraldon" McArthur married Candi "Ciem" Flippo-Levens. These two were once prominent Founding Elites.  But by season 3, they have downgraded to part time status as Sodality members.  After Frank McArthur is born, he is considered a part of the McArthur Estate.


 * Freneti Estate: This consists of Kyle "Meerkat" Freneti and his wife, Charlotte "Mukade" Yamamura-Freneti. They are referred to by this designation when they are defending their house and their hometown in Louisiana.


 * Team Jackrabbit: The name for Jack "Jackrabbit" Mercreek, his fiancee Miranda Kanla, and their social circles of friends excluding members of the Sodality that belong to other teams.


 * Team Botan: Jeral "Botan the Plant-Man" Cormier, his wife Emily Cormier, and anyone else currently supporting them individually.


 * Navyrope Organization: Initially consisting of Vince Liam "Navyrope" Finton himself and his liaisons with Lambrelli Labs, this network later included Tiffany Sterlie and her son Jordan. Later, it came to consist of a wide variety of anonymous patriots who shared Vince's views - and knack for unusual forms of activism.


 * Team Extirpon: Eric Stanley "Extirpon" Opendi, his eventual wife Pamela Marcones, their son Wilfredo, and anyone else who supports Eric's personal mission.


 * Malestrom Estate: Dolly "the Earwig" Malestrom and her husband, Jeraime Malestrom. They are software engineers and cattle ranchers, with Dolly occasionally finding time to don a powered armor and save the world.  Jeraime was once captured and trapped inside an AI-controlled armor to become the murderous menace "Musaran."  He is since happy to report an end to his life of supervillainy.


 * Sodality of Florence / Florentines: This is a band made up of the Sapphire Gang members Sapphire King and Taterbug, along with Cocklebur and his support staff, Feruga and her support staff, and the lone wolf Purge-Flare. Jordan, Celia, Michelle, and Chris accept Angelo's offer to move to Italy with him and start their lives over as a new Sodality, when they wish to perform their operations without making life needlessly difficult for the Sodality of Gerosha.