The Movement Against Global Exploitation (M.A.G.E.) Institute is a political thinktank and advocacy group focusing on preventing the impending environmental collapse. Founded in 2032 by Chris Carpenter, the MAGE Institute has been influential in shaping policies and public awareness for the past 8 years.
In the past few years, the MAGE Institute has testified four times before Congress, founded collegiate chapters, and published numerous position papers, pamphlets, op-ed pieces, and television advertisements to raise awareness about environmental concerns. Critics of the MAGE Institute allege that members are involved in industrial espionage and/or sabotage. More recently, there have even been accusations that MAGE is a terrorist group.
In their third appearance before Congress, members of the Institute argued for funding of space colonization efforts as a fail-safe against catastrophic environmental devastation. When their requests were denied, Chris Carpenter began actively recruiting engineers for a private effort.
At her latest Congressional hearing, Chris revealed secret funding links between dozens of key members of Congress and top offender corporations.
Note: some characters can be cast as either male or female. For these characters, we'll refer to them as, e.g. “Jane/John Smith.” There is no canonical or preferred gender for these characters.
Over the past year, two branch factions have emerged within the inner circle of the MAGE Institute. Nicknamed the “Peaceniks” and the “Extremists,” these factions have gathered some support although many core members, including Chris herself, remain unaligned.
The Peaceniks are led by Barry Magdalene and consist of Andrea, Tamasa/Tamas, and John. They advocate strict adherence to the law and progress solely through public education efforts.
The Extremists are led by Jude Fairchild and also include James and Simon/Simone. They believe that, given the magnitude of the threat, direct action is both necessary and proper to achieve the Institute's goals.