Characteristic
Cost
END
Cost
3
3
3
3
3
0
3
2
3
1
3
3
11
3
3
3
15
25
20
25
15
15
15
20
1
1
1
1
1
20
Sofia Gardeazabal went to college with Samantha Numen of the New Men and the two became room mates in their second year, although it took them a few months to become friends after some initial clashes of personality. Both girls were headstrong and curious, with Samantha pursuing public relations and Sofia studying journalism. Their friendship survived several attempts by Maximum Force to destroy the residence building, a
simultaneous, yet embarrassing in hindsight, infatuation with a college professor and a vacation into outer space.
After graduation, Sofia invited Samantha to stay with her family in Colombia and it was during this visit that an ancient Muzos protector spirit was released from thousands of years of captivity. The spirit was attracted to Sofia and merged with her which led to a severe personality shift, transforming Sofia from a young, fun-loving graduate into an egotistic, power-mad godling. Sofia had no control over her transformation and was lost for several weeks while the New Men battled to free her and several other young Colombian who were similarly transformed by the Muzos spirits.
Samantha returned to the New Men and Sofia tried to settle back into life in Bogota, although she realised that her country was as over run with crime and corruption as it had been before she left for America. She found a job with a government newspaper and settled down as much as she could, although her dreams were frequently over-run by memories of her time under the influence of the Muzos spirit.
The next time Samantha Numen arrived to visit, Sofia found herself kidnapped by anti-government militia. She was taken to a mine in the south-west where she discovered that the militia were being sponsored by a European criminal cartel led by Midas, a gold-skinned conman and uberhuman. While Sofia waited (patiently) for Samantha to rescue her (again), she began to look around the mine complex and even managed to evade her captors to get a better look at the deeper sections.
It was during this exploration that she stumbled across a mystical emerald which had been buried thousands of years before by the Muzos people of Central America. Sofia felt drawn to the powerful stone and as she touched it the stone felt the remnants of the Muzos spirit which had once over-run Sofia's body. The connection triggered another transformation, but this time, Sofia felt herself welcome the energy. Her mind seemed to expand, her thoughts became sharper and faster.
The powers of the emerald were transferred to her and, as well as an increased intellect, Sofia also found herself with green skin backed up with uberhuman strength and durability. If she hadn't been close friends with Samantha Numen, Sofia would have been horrified, but seeing the New Men up close and personal had enabled her to accustom herself to super beings. She embraced the change, assuming it would be fleeting, and headed back towards Midas and his henchmen.
Samantha had arrived as well and the two friends succeeded in defeating Midas and routing the militia.
However, the transformation never reversed itself and Sofia found herself green for a very long time. The emerald had unlocked her intellectual potential as well as preparing her for the study of magic. At first she was reluctant, but after being approached by Witch Hazel of the Southern Knights, Sofia began to train in magic, serving under a sorceress from Chile who gained her power through gem stones. The Sorceress unlocked Sofia's energy and within months Sofia had become proficient in magic, although her spells were tied to the magical properties of emeralds.
With the support of the New Men, Sofia took on the name of Viridian and returned to Bogota where she set herself up as a protector of the people. She had her work cut out for her and found that she needed the help of the New Men and the Southern Knights, especially against the drug cartels and FARC. As the years progressed she became more confident, and well known.
Her recent adventures have pitted her against the eco-terrorists The Elementals, especially the strong-armed Diamond Crusader. The two gem-themed heroines have clashed on several
occasions, although there has been no clear winner. Viridian has managed to curb some of the violence in Bogota and surrounding areas, although Colombia remains one of the most dangerous and violent countries in the world.
Viridian has been endowed with magical abilities by an ancient Muzos emerald, including resistance to injury and uberhuman strength, an
extended life span and the ability to survive in hostile environments. In
addition to this she is also incredibly intelligent: her natural intellect having been heightened by the gemstone. She is fast and a capable fighter, her resistance also complemented with a regeneration factor.
After her initial
transformation, which also turned her skin green, Viridian studied magic and is able to create several magical effects - all of which are associated with the traditional magical qualities of emeralds. She is able to detect lost things, ranging from personal effects to people themselves; she is able to fly and project beams of green energy which resound with devastating force; she is able to boost her resistance to injury; see the future; and delay the effects of storms.
Viridian is an attractive woman with green skin and hair, although she is well known enough now that it has lost most of its surprise factor. She wears her hair to shoulder-length. She has gone through several costume changes, and her latest includes white gloves, shirt and mask, a dark green vest and skirt. Viridian has always maintained a skirt or dress and has been alternately criticized and lauded by uberhuman fashion-observers across the globe for going against the trend.