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To further insulate and protect itself, Aethyr willed itself into an other-dimensional universe; the Phantom Zone is the outermost layer of this universe. Aethyr created multiple other-dimensional layers which bounded both the limbo of the Phantom Zone and the outer reality. These realities shift constantly, as they exist at the whim of Aethyr.
During this time, Jor-El invented the Phantom Zone Projector. With the use of the Projector, dozens of criminals were successfully banished to the Zone to serve out their terms.
Unfortunately, the Zoners were able to combine their mental essences in an almost successful attempt to force Jor-El to release them. As a result of this incident, the Science Council decreed that the Zone Projector be launched into space, along with a cache of forbidden weapons that were used by Jor-El's cousin, Kru-El. Krypton was destroyed nine days later. The Projector eventually came to Earth; it has been in Superman's possession ever since.
There have been other Projectors built. One was in use in the bottle city of Kandor until the city was enlarged. Another was created by Zor-El of Argo City, but it was lost along with the domed metropolis. Both Superman and the Kandorians sentenced more Kryptonian criminals to the Zone, and they released those whose sentences had expired.
Recently, dozens of the zone's powered criminals escaped and managed to return to corporeal form on Earth. Over a dozen of the Zone's most deadly inhabitants exerted their combined willpower over the mind of Quex-Ul and switched places with him and Superman. Quex-Ul had been wrongly exiled to the Zone on a previous occasion, but was released by Superman. Shortly after his release he lost his memory and powers when he exposed himself to Gold Kryptonite in order to save Superman. When in the Zone he regained his memory. He was forced to sacrifice his life so that Superman could escape and return the Zoners to their imprisonment.
Of the Kryptonians imprisoned in the Zone, only three have attempted to pass through the dimensions of Aethyr on their own. The first was the priest of Joru named Thul-Kar, who entered the Zone magically on Krypton's last day. For his efforts to pass through Aethyr's realm, Thul-Kar was hideously deformed and sentenced to guard one of the middle realms. The other two were Quex-Ul and Superman.
Although the records are not totally clear, it seems that no Zoner can touch or make a Physical attack on another Zoner. A Zoner can make Mental and Magical attacks that affect another Zoner's Reason, Intuition or Psyche. These attacks may be felt by the victim as actual Physical impacts, as a characters perceptions are altered by the twisted realities of the Zone, but damage is still taken as Psionic or Magical.
The Zone appears to an occupant as a swirling realm of purplish mists. The real world can be dimly perceived from the Zone with a TY intensity Intuition feat roll. Any character in the Zone can travel at CL. 1000 speed. Although Zone occupants don't age, time passes normally for them in relation to the real world.
There are only three means of going into or out of the Zone. The first is through the use of a Phantom Zone Projector. Secondly, natives of an otherdimensional world named Bgtzl, who can turn noncorporeal at will, can enter the Zone. However, the Bgtzl native attempting to enter the Zone must make an EX intensity Reason feat roll. They rarely do this. Also, they will not come into contact with Earth until the 30th Century, the timeline of the Legion of Super Heroes. Legionnaire Tinya Wazzo (Phantom Girl) is from Bgtzl.
The third way is to pass through the various levels Aethyr. It is up to the Judge as what these realms consist of, as they are subject to Aethyr's whims, but the voyager will usually have to pass through 3-5 realms with differing effects. The traveller will be subject to Mental attacks of EX to IN intensity (Judge's discretion). The character will finally have to pass through the core of Aethyr itself, which will make an AM attack against the victim's Psyche. If the traveller remains conscious through this last attack he will emerge into the real universe or the Phantom Zone.
All Zoners acquire AM Telepathy once they enter the Zone; this allows them to communicate with each other. They can attempt to assault and take over the minds of Kryptonians outside the Zone who are particularly weak willed, ill or suffering from amnesia. This is treated as Mind Control and can only work on a Kryptonian of weakened Psyche status (Judge's discretion). The victim receives a +2CS to resist due to the different dimensions.
All of the occupants are criminals except for Mon-El. He was an astronaut from Daxam who was accidentally exposed to lead. Lead permanently poisons Damaxmites like Kryptonite does Kryptonians. He can never emerge from the Zone. He will warn Superman of danger from the Zoners whenever possible, but they are aware of his existence and often find means of blocking his communication.
Mon-El is fated to emerge from the Zone in the 30th Century, when a cure is discovered.
All of the Zone villains hate Superman with a passion. They have sworn vengeance and have come close to success on a number of occasions.
