The Kallistiverse is a name invented by Kallisti Bronze to explain the phenomenon of the multiplicity of Kallistis that started appearing in Paragon city after Kallisti Gold’s accident with a Rogue Crey Portal generator.
It appears that a mobile space-time rift was created by the exploding portal generator, linked to Kallisti Gold’s DNA that travels across multiple alternate timelines sucking up other versions of Kallisti that have similar genetic identity. From the evidence so far (Dragons, Faries, Alien Hybrids, Boys!!!!), the genetic match doesn’t need to be very close for the rift to select them. It is interesting to note, that relatives of Kallisti who might have a good genetic match have (as far as can be known so far) not be selected.
Both Kallisti Bronze and Doctor Kallisti have been researching the phenomenon and Dr K’s theoretical Physics background is showing useful progress in developing a mathematical theory of what is happening. As it stands they have been able to build a detector that identifies when a new Kallisti arrives to help her orientation. This has proven to be more reliable that Kallisti Gold’s initial “I’ve got an itch, I think another one is arriving” method of identification which was used previously.
Kallistiverse Leadership
There have been some heated, if not violent discussions about who is the leader of the Kallistiverse. Needless to say Kallisti Gold insists she is as she was the original in this timeline. This is disputed by several others including Kallisti Red who’s statement “That airhead bimbo couldn’t lead an orgy in a brothel” seems to sum up her opinion quite succinctly. Others have been more diplomatic in allowing Gold to be the “figurehead” leader of the Kallistiverse while others more capable (Kallisti Bronze, Kallisti the Facilities Manager) actually manage the daily affairs of the group.
Income
The major income source for the group is Kallisti Gold’s publicity, endorsements and sponsorship deals. As a famous superhero celebrity, Gold has a good earning potential from the celebrity circuit. The OnlyFans page is a sideline we won’t go into in too much detail – ahem!
Kallisti Bronze and Doctor Kallisti were eventually able to persuade Paragon University that their PhD qualifications from alternative timelines were valid, although there are currently several court cases proceeding to get their qualifications recognised internationally. Oxford University (where Doctor Kallisti obtained her degree in her timeline) in particular was both helpful and obstructive in equal measure.
Kallisti the Facilities Manager is employed by the municipal authority in Kallisti Wharf and is the major facilitator between the Kallistiverse and the civil authorities.
The legal structure for distributing funds is the Kallistiverse Legal Foundation, also known as the KLF (which amuses Gold). This foundation provides income for the non-villain Kallistis where they lack their own income sources. Those Kallisti who have been able to find their own income also contribute to the foundation.
Residence
The FBSA were initially difficult in arranging residences for the Kallistis but eventually the management of Kallisti Wharf saw an ideal opportunity to enhance the profile of the region by having their own Kallisti reside. Initially a top floor penthouse apartment in Christie Apartments, a prestigious apartment block in sight of the Kallisti Wharf Metro station was arranged for them, but as the numbers of Kallistis grew, further apartments were acquired and now they occupy the top two floors of the apartment block.
Immigration Status
As a British Citizen, Kallisti Gold was originally given special immigration status by the FBSA to remain in the USA. Subsequent new Kallistis posed a large bureaucratic problem in that they were essentially ‘stateless’ as even if the alternate timelines had recognisable countries, they did not have any diplomatic relationship with the USA.
The influx of various super-types from alien worlds and alternate dimensions has meant the US Immigration Service had to create new categories of immigrant and in most cases the Kallistis fall under the category “Dimensional Visitor”.
The Arcanium Timelines
The Arcanium Timelines is the name given by Kallisti Bronze to a set of similar alternative timelines where it appears some kind of magical catastrophe in what would have been the Renaissance era in Europe opened up a rift to a Demon Dimension which allowed an invasion of Demonic forces to conquer large swathes of their respective Earths. As a result, political and technological innovation has been stunted so that it has barely progressed from mediaeval levels. There was never an Enlightenment so science was dismissed in favour of magic and the Catholic church appears to have mutated into an organisation known as The Arcanium.
The Arcanium
This is an organisation derived from the remnants of the Catholic Church of Rome after the initial magical catastrophe enabled the demonic invasion. Over the centuries, it has developed a very authoritarian and dogmatic attitude that does not encourage curiosity or personal development, but rather obedience and faith. It suppresses any dissent and is ruthless in its pursuit of orthodoxy.
Its power structure enables repressive and abusive conditions within its ranks, perpetuated by those who climb those ranks in recompense for their own suffering.
The Martial Order of Norton Folgate
This is a martial monastic order based near the town of Oxford, Albion in each of the timelines we know of so far, which is a major force for defending the surviving human population in that part of the world from the Demonic forces.
The four staff-wielding Kallistis were al brought up in the monastic order, after being orphaned under generally similar circumstances when the village they had been living in near Oxford was attacked and overrun by Demons.
For three of the Kallistis (Friar, Templar and Spirit), the conditions in the monastery were harsh and in some cases abusive. Spirit’s talent for stealth was spotted early and she was recruited into the elite unit of Scouts, but Friar and Templar were both trained as expendable foot-soldiers in the forces of the Arcanium. The corrupt leadership of the Monastery used their youth and attractiveness to garner favour with important individuals and this abuse has left emotional scars in both women. Kallisti the Friar in particular, was exposed to a dreadful level of abuse during her teenage years.
The Schism
In the case of Kallisti the Monk, however, a discovery by members of the Order that showed the leadership of The Arcanium had come to an conspiratorial agreement with the Demonic invasion forces many decades earlier. This agreement was an alliance that allowed the Arcanium to remain in power provided there was a ‘tithe’ delivered to the Demons and that an appearance of a continual war that was actually a stale-mate would persist to keep the leadership of The Arcanium in power. One of the important tools of this status quo was the discovery that contrary to doctrine, the soul-bound quarterstaff of the martial monks was not magically endowed to kill a Demon, but simply to banish them from the Earth for a period. The martial orders had originally been founded with this principle as their main weapon, but they had been betrayed centuries earlier the the leadership of The Arcanium.
This discovery created a schism and an insurrection against the church authorities, led by a revolutionary council from the Order that fixed the fault with the quarterstaff, enabling the martial monks and friars to fight back much more effectively and push back the invasion forces and begin to gain the upper hand. The revolution in the leadership of the Order created a more benevolent and nurturing environment that Kallisti the Monk was introduced to at an early age.