WELCOME TO THE BOOMTOWN

Its founders dubbed Emerald City the City of Destiny, because for them it was the last stop on the
continents edge. With nothing but the deep blue sea beyond, a man had no choice but to meet his
fate therewhatever it was. Even in the present age of supersonic jets and a shrinking globe, Emerald
City remains the last stop for most who journey there, both for reasons joyous and tragic. Now, its the
heroes turn to come face to face with their destiny.

IN THE CITY
Emerald City is located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States near the Atlas Mountain range, a
quiet, humble neighbor of Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. Founded on Malory Bay, its been best-known
to fish-ermen (by trade and by hobby) and lumberjacks through most of its history. The anglers and all
others who venture there find a cosmopolitan place, befitting a gateway to the Far East, including a
large, old, and influential Asian population who sought refuge from other, increasingly exclusionary,
areas of the Pacific Northwest during the late 1800s. A century later, Emerald City is still graced by a
large Eastern District and a Jadetown area sizable enough to rival San Franciscos Chinatown. Today,
first-time visitors are greeted by twin giants: one a monument of Gods creation, and the other of
mans. The dormant volcanic peak of Mount Stanley has framed the city skyline from the start, and in
1968 was joined by the Emerald Tower, looming impressively towards the heavens (check out the
cover of the M&M Heros Handbook for a shot of the Tower). In the last two decades, Emerald City has
grown almost exponentially, becoming a true boomtown. The city proper is quite large, surrounded by
a number of expanding suburbs and bedroom communities. Driving this growth was the establishment
of MarsTech, Inc. (MSTI on the New York Stock Exchange) by the flamboyant plutocrat and technowizard Maximilian Mars. As MarsTech and other high-tech companies flourished, so did Emerald City,
trans-forming the once-sleepy burgh into a leading center for the computer industry and other hightechnology businesses.

GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

Nothing marks Emerald City newcomers more than making a Munchkin joke in public. They think its
clever, but to longtime residents (and in truth) theyre just being punch-ably obvious and annoying. Its
all an understand-able offshoot of the citys 70-year-long love/hate relation-ship with The Wizard of Oz.
There are many businesses and organizations that work overtime to avoid any association with the
classic stories and legendary film, while others embrace the eponymous association wholeheartedly.
Those who revel in the citys L. Frank Baum connection with the enthusiasm of flying monkeys
successfully lobbied to have the open-air walking mall in the downtown shop-ping district dubbed the
Yellow Brick Row. There, the street is indeed bricked just as advertised, duly painted yellow every year
on the official birthday of the city, August 27th.

A GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND

For years, things in Emerald City were stable, depend-able. Sure, times were tough when the lumber
and paper industries took a hit, and again when fishing and farming suffered, but they got better when
the tech boom arrived, and companies like MarsTech, USNet, and Brande Management brought new
jobs and new opportunities. Rapid development brought its own growing pains but, still, Emerald City
didnt have alien armadas filling the sky, or mad gods trying to turn it into a Hell on Earth. Unlike
Freedom City, Emerald has never had more than a few scattered costumed champions over the years,
and none that stuck around long enough to make much of an impact. To most local residents, its just
one of those things-like how the citys never been able to attract an NBA franchise. When it comes to
capes, however, the truth is far more sinister than David Stern considering Emerald too small
market. Emeralds skies were free of flying figures, but also of aerial battles. There were a few
costumed types now and again, but not so you would really notice