Kaiser6012

Vita's mouth dropped open as the room came into view. The classical architecture, the air of peace and tranquility and the feeling of entering into the pleasant warmth of a shining sun took him almost completely by surprise. As he looked and heard Hermes come forward, though, a part of his mind started to stir. Wonder gave way to confusion, then to consternation as Spitfire spoke. Vita closed his eyes and focused on his Adficio's hunger, feeling the webs of energy around him and his unexpected companions. He felt the light, the energy of his surroundings, he felt the feelings of elation and belonging from Scion... but he also felt the emptiness in Hermes. His words spoke of familiarity, of belonging and familiarity, but beneath it all was no connection with his supposed kin. "Spitfire speaks the truth, Scion. These are not those you think of as kin - something is most wrong here. Whoever these people are, you must believe us - they do not have your interests at heart." Vita spoke quietly, but his voice held an edge of urgency. He hoped he could express the full weight of his misgivings - to feel such an emptiness of connection between people claiming to know each other was extremely concerning. Either someone is pulling figures from her heart, or someone has suppressed their bond. Neither is an option that bodes well.

"...Sippy cup?" Vita almost stopped moving at that. His hands dropped slightly and Vita's head pulled back in sheer confusion. "Firstly, I must profess innocence and will not yield. I am no threat, and these people are not permanently harmed. Second, I hope to not pose a threat to you, but should you attack me I will defend myself. Thirdly... Sippy Cup? Truly?" Vita raised his hands in a gesture that seemed purposed to draw attention to his peculiar look. "Of all the things you could dub me, you choose that? It is new, I give you that, but..." Vita trailed off, running a hand through his hair in frustration before refocusing, the darkness wavering slightly around him as he got more distracted. "Either way, you are mistaken. I am no villain, and should you strike out I will defend myself. That choice, as always, is yours to make." Vita gestured to Jill with one hand as if to say "After you", the thought beginning to dawn on him that he might be in more trouble here than he could really handle...

"...Curses, when I'm getting so close..." Vita muttered to himself as the voice rang out across the street. His attention shifted to the young woman as she landed a short ways in front of him, frowning as she called out to him. "Most at least settle for "creepy" or "unnerving". To go so far as monstrosity..." Vita had unconsciously shifted to a defensive posture when he heard the cry from the dark and a shadow had formed around his body, making his exact form slightly indistinct in the gloom. He stood, ready for the first move from the new figure, eyes shifting from her mask to the glow around her hand, though it was difficult to track Vita's eye movements without pupils. "So to whom do I owe this pleasure, then? If I am to be accused, it's only fair I know the accuser, correct?" He inquired in a voice just over a whisper as he inched his way slowly out from the bodies that lay strewn around the street, each footfall landing much softer than one would suspect. He wanted to be clear of the bodies should things take a turn for the worse. Collateral damage is the last thing I need this night...

Vita looked from Frost, to Volcanic, to his father before speaking. "...If this is as serious as you infer, then my fate may be decided by this endeavor. I would have my fate be my charge, not that of others. You have my aid, inasmuch as I may assist." He bowed again. "The Vita Adficio, and he that bears it, is yours to count upon." He stopped to think for a second before speaking again, notebook and pen already jotting down what he had heard and felt. "Are there more we should wait upon before sallying forth? Or are we the champions of which you spoke? Should others be informed of this, or do we lack the time?"

VITA NEXUS They Live! Hell Isn't Good, It's Hell! Freedom's Finest 8: Vital Signs

Vita felt the cold emanating from Comrade Frost as a hole - a vacuum, threatening and maddening as a room purely without sound. The Adficio drew from within, certainly - Comrade Frost was a living being, after all, with friends and allies who respected him - but from his body there was nothing. Vita involuntarily shuddered before regaining his composure, turning back to face his father. "...There are still many inquiries left open, father, but if what you say is true, they must wait." As Vita felt his hand on his shoulder, full of the warmth and energy his father lacked through the last years of his life, he couldn't help but become slightly choked up. "I wish I could have seen you like this more." Was all he could muster as his eyes misted over. He reached up to touch the hand that left him, but stopped just before making contact. Would feeling the cold that surrounded him be the same as he had felt when the roles were reversed - would his father feel, in his heart of hearts, that all hope had been lost in the dark of the Adficio? He instead nodded to his father and stepped away, towards the two new figures. He bowed in respect to the two, bringing a notebook and pen out of his coat as he did so and looking to the two with eyes black and flat as the darkest night. "A pleasure to make your acquaintances. Had we time, I am sure this could be more entertaining, but if this is all true, time is something of a commodity. My name is Vita Nexus, and if you could, please... what is going on?"

"...And with that, we're at fifteen." Vita Nexus shivered slightly at the unnatural cold. The couple who were about to end up as easy pickings for this set of street toughs had long since vanished - Vita hoped the young woman would forgive her beau for breaking and running so quickly when the lights dimmed and things took a turn for the unusual. He was fairly sure he would have done the same, given the circumstances. Taking a brief moment to check each of the wannabe muggers' vital signs for pulse and wellbeing - two men and three women, all wiry and with the look of people who got food regularly, but not often enough - he stepped out of the street proper and into a shop alcove before returning the street ambiance to normal. The street lights penetrated the chilling gloom within seconds, the moon shining down on a lone figure standing amidst five unconscious forms, unusually cold in the deep of night. Vita reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone to attract the police to handle the crooks, but something stopped him. During the fight, something had caught his attention. It was a minor thing, something almost everybody else might have missed - but Vita could feel it sitting on the one who hung back from the fight. An unusual attachment, a fondness for something. Something on their person. "...Perhaps there is more here than I first fathomed." Vita muttered to himself as he knelt to investigate the person of interest. He would call the police once he had sated his curiosity. Who knows if they'd be able to follow up this lead?

Vita tried to track Scion's movements across the staircases, but as soon as he took his eyes off her, she reappeared. Tracking her voice made his head hurt, and eventually he just gave up entirely. "So if I wish to try and gain something approaching a love life, you're the one I should sacrifice a goat to? Or are you more of a 'praise me through partaking' sort of divinity?" He chuckled for a moment, then when he heard no response looked around for Scion. He spotted the door she had gone through and, with a bit of effort, pulled himself up the twisting stairways and finally got a hand on the door frame. He heaved himself up, turning back to give a hand to Spitfire to get up to where he assumed Scion had disappeared. "Also, Spitfire, not that sort of bonding, no. Much more general. I would be glad to describe it to you in detail, but perhaps not here. The ambiance is somewhat lacking."

Vita blinked a few times and fell in behind Scion without objection. "Divine? But you... I mean, that means..." Vita stops speaking for a moment and appears to slip into thought. "I... suppose that makes sense... somehow. As for my traits, as you put it, it is a long and complicated story. Suffice to say, my power is hereditary and involves energy manipulation." Vita paused briefly, looking between Spitfire and Scion with a look as if he was picking his words very carefully. "I can also sense, to a small extent, the bonds betwixt people. I thought I felt the beast before we were hurled into this place, but... it was you I felt. How is this even possible? The sheer number of bonds you share with people... I have never fathomed the possibility of actually conversing with... well, with a deity."

Damn, heroic stuff all round. Mine feels rather mundane after all that. As Ruby Spalding came to the end of her surprisingly long life, Anthony Spalding began to fret. A part of him never really grasped the concept of the Adficio, since Ruby kept to herself most of the time and Anthony was well into his adult life when his time came. As such, most of his schooling in the Adficio Supprimere was long forgotten, and the curse took hold of him hard. In the weeks leading up to Ruby's death, Anthony grew distant with anxiety and worry. Most of his time was spent desperately trying to re-learn forgotten rites and rituals, and his family grew concerned. Robert and Anthony's last real time together was while Robert was still learning the Adficio Supprimere. Robert had been performing well in his training and he had already proven a capable student of mundane academia, while Anthony felt his control slipping away from him. Their last meeting prior to the curse taking hold occurred the day he had heard Ruby had started the downward spiral towards death. Ironically, both he and Robert don't remember what exactly was said, but it was the first time Robert remembered his father resigned to his fate. It was short, and Anthony left with a gamut of emotions roiling within - anger at the world for his fate, depressed resignation at his part in it and, perhaps worst of all the shame of knowing that, as he left, Robert could sense it all. Their relationship would never be the same, and Robert would eventually hold a small flicker of resentment towards his father, whom he believed gave up once the curse took hold and abandoned his family.

"A metal... Bull? Was that what I sensed?" Vita tapped a hand on his chin. "I suppose it would have had to have been something of great effort..." Vita shook his head, clearly annoyed with himself. "Now is not the time for academics. Where are we, and how do we find our escape?" Vita closed his eyes and started to gently move his hand as the room dimmed slightly. A chill came through the room as Vita appeared to concentrate, muttering in... Chinese? Latin? Old English? All three plus more? It was difficult to keep up, the language shifting fluidly from sentence to sentence...

It's at this point in proceedings Vita's actually turning to his senses - he's feeling out magic, life energy, electromagnetic and emotive force. Basically, if someone could refer to it in a pseudomystical sense as "energy", he'll pick it up. I'd assume he'll find at least the first room we'll discover with this, as well as feel out the current emotional states of probably everyone in the room. Also, for reference, Vita's fairly obviously marked as somewhat unnatural - pale skin, skinny to the point of being possibly malnourished and with eyes that're pitch black.

Vita brought a hand to his head and tried to shake the fogginess out of his brain. "Believe me, if I knew where we are, I would be making a hasty egress." He looked up at the two others in the hallway and blinked a couple of times, confusion fairly obvious on his face. "I go by Vita Nexus. How did the two of you come to be here? I recall starting an experiment on a peculiar object I found, and then there was some form of rift..." He looked between the two other heroes, obviously confused beyond belief. "Wait... To whom am I speaking? Are we all from Freedom City, or is this a much wider net we've found ourselves encased in?" He begins to reach out a hand, but stops himself and instead looks between the two.

"Let me see... Let me see... Ah! Perfect." Robert Spalding, known better on the street as Vita Nexus, pulled the grimoire down from his bookcase and carefully opened it. It was old - older than most of his collection - but within were the musings of Khalid Al Jwari, one of the few verifiably potent arcanists who had been willing to meet with the family of the Adficio, and thus contained secrets unrivalled in possibly the entire collection. Vita turned through the pages until he found what he was looking for - the arcane sigil tat described a particular rite Al Jwari used to siphon excess energy from unstable magical artefacts. His description was one of a safety measure - "A method not dissimilar to the starvation of a fire within an enclosed room", as Al Jwari described it - but if used slightly differently... "I have high hopes, effendi, but low expectations. Guide my hands." Vita muttered under his breath as he turned his attention from the book, now resting on a lectern beside his workspace, to a small stone cross laid within hours of scribbles, both on paper and on the wooden floor in chalk and a vaguely glittering dust. The cross was unremarkable on the outside, but Vita only noticed it by what lay hidden beneath - a veritable web of energy radiating out from it, criss-crossing at least fifty seperate sources. Some group cared greatly for this trinket - far too greatly to just leave it lying in a cul-de-sac out in Lantern Hill. Vita closed his eyes and began to chant, his hands moving in practiced arcs as he weaved his Adficio out. Everything seemed to be going well at first - the Adficio latched on to the cross' web of connections and started to slowly, slowly detach it from extraneous connections - but then Vita faltered. Something - something Vita had never encountered before - tore through his concentration, demanded the focus of both him and the Adficio. Something prodigious, in the wake of something that would normally cause Vita to perk up and take notice. Vita tried to hold his focus, but it was too late. The ritual had been disrupted, and things started to spiral. The cross lifted off the ground, radiating energy Vita had felt only at a distance. There was a great rending and Vita felt himself lifted from his study, tumbling headfirst into the space where his study once was...

...And bagged?

Well, I'll bite - this seems like a pretty cool idea! Jill O'Cure has seen pretty much everything - being an EMT working in a superhero hotbed leads to all sorts of drama and action, let alone being one of the movers and shakers within it. But when she starts collecting petty thugs on her rounds that have quite clearly been sapped of their life energy to the point of unconsciousness, questions begin to form. Soon, they coalesce around a shadowy figure that prowls through a darkness deeper than the night, striking out and bringing terror to the streets. Who is this man people seem to know so little about, and what threat does he truly pose? Meanwhile, Vita Nexus is about to break into the big time, he just knows it - his sojourns through the seedier parts of Freedom City have been mostly fruitful and he's put away tens of muggers, robbers and various thugs in the space of a couple of months. Even better, he suspects he's hit upon something big - a good, old fashioned villainous plot that's sure to catch some attention if it were taken down. He just needs a little bit more information, possibly a lucky break or two. Then, maybe he can get the attention of some of the big names in Freedom City. Little does he know that he's already attracted attention - just not the type he was expecting... Will Jill be able to find her mystery assailant? Will Vita's method bring him more trouble than he can handle? Will the underground villain be brought to justice? Find out in Freedom's Finest featuring Vita Nexus: Vital Signs!

Ah, I see! Yes, this is Kaiser6012, reporting in.

Vita's first reaction was sheer disbelief. The man standing a ways off was a memory brought back to sharp focus, a figment all but forgotten from his past. He stood a little shorter than Vita Nexus and certainly seemed much softer in build than Vita's wiry frame, but there was no sign of the weight that Vita saw him carry the last years of his life, no dread pulled at his features... And his eyes. His smiling eyes were clear and unclouded, brown like most of his family's were. Brown like Vita's had been. "...This can't be. You can't be here..." Vita whispered to himself as he closed his eyes, feeling out along the pull of the Adficio. When he opened them again, there was confusion, anxiety, concern... but no answers. Only more questions "You are truly alive again? How? When? What happened? And how..." Vita paused for a moment, torn between finding out more and the mercy of telling him he couldn't find his soul among all the conflicting energies that made up a normal person. Others held feelings for him, from memory of his passing to knowledge of the man himself, but... it vanished into him, as if there were a hole that could never be full. Vita instead let his questions hang in the air, all pretense of roaming the streets searching for petty thugs forgotten in the wake of this reunion. It seemed to him his father knew that at least something was amiss, and Vita himself wanted answers. Needed answers.

I'd be interested in getting Vita Nexus involved with this - his father passed around 5 or 6 years ago and technically bestowed his "powers" unto him, so the question of "...but you died." would be an fascinating one to have play out. Plus, Vita has a form of life sense, if that helps.

VITA NEXUS Power Level: 10 (150/151PP) Unspent Power Points: 1 Trade-Offs: +3 Attack / -3 Damage (Drain), -1 Attack / +1 Damage (Stun, Blast), -3 Defense / +3 Toughness In Brief: Bearer of a medieval bloodline curse that causes the afflicted to become the eye of a vacuum of mental, spiritual and physical energy. Vita Nexus is the latest afflicted and possibly the one most motivated to find a solution. Catchphrase: None per se, though most of his actions are accompanied by latin chanting or incantations. Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV-QrEAnF-E. Alternate Identity: Robert Spalding (Public) Birthplace: Eugene, OR, USA. Residence: Freedom City, USA Base of Operations: Out of his own house and car. Very street level, our Vita Nexus is currently. Occupation: Robert works in a small library in Parkside - it's a pleasant enough place, though Vita's presence tends to coincide with the quiet times. Affiliations: At the moment, Vita's social circle is extremely small. He keeps in contact with his family, who live out in Hanover, but he's been something of a recluse since moving out three years ago. The closest thing he has to a friend is Gregor Kisliak, his boss and proprietor of Kisliak's Oddities, a small and eclectic library in Parkside. Family: Vita's mother and younger sister both live in Hanover (The suburb, not the European region.). He has extended family, but their whereabouts are unknown to him and could be anywhere from Egypt to England. Description: Age: 24 (DoB: 24/2/1993) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5' 10" / 175 cm. Weight: 142 lb / 63 Kg. Eyes: Black, without iris or sclera. Hair: Black When on "the beat", Vita Nexus prefers to wear a solid trenchcoat as his main fashion statement, along with sturdy boots and khakis. His hair is long and tied into a loose ponytail and he is almost never without a thick notebook and analog writing instrument. He only uses a phone to call others, fearing shorting it out with his power by draining it's charge unnecessarily. History: To describe the story of Vita Nexus, one first needs to delve deep into the history of the Dark Ages, to an unrecorded village in a backwater duchy somewhere in modern-day Italy, where a local baron dabbles in the dark arts. He had long since graduated from petty thaumaturgy, experimented in alchemy and conjuring as a fun hobby and had summoned tens of demons and devils to barter for secrets and forbidden lore. But he found himself stymied at every step by a lack of potential - he had the skill, but the raw power to be able to experiment as he wanted escaped him. So he focused his attention on this endeavour, and soon hit upon a solution. It would cause suffering, but he wouldn't have to be the one to suffer, so it was a price he gladly paid. The details of the ceremony have long been lost to time, but the result was what he wanted - a conduit of powers that only he could tap that would last forever, all anchored to one of his peasant farmers. The farmer was spirited away from the village for the sole purpose of becoming victim to this arcane curse and, once his part was played, was spirited back. All that is known is that the ceremony took place over the course of a single night, and marked the villager - and his kin - forever. That villager soon found his life turned upside down. He was marked with eyes of pitch black and skin like that of those dead, cold and pale. People who once greeted him with smiles and cheer now had no warmth for him - only cold sneers and suspicious minds. Crops failed, animals sickened and all of this fell on this unnamed peasant's shoulders. It did not take long before he was asked - upon threat of force - to leave. So began a period of restless travel for him and his family, not staying i one place for more than a few months. Heartbreak followed in his wake, and soon after he passed on. As the life slipped out of his body, though, the true pain of the curse was made manifest as his eldest daughter, then thirteen, complained of a chill passing through her body. It took an hour for the curse to fully take hold, after which she bore the same marks as her father - cold, pale skin, eyes the color of a moonless night and the pain of ages on her face as she took the burden upon herself. And so time passed. The family continued to travel, continued to hide their nature and try and manage as best they could. When powerful, strong-willed inheritors came along great strides were made and eventually a peculiar mixture of magical tricks, meditative techniques and even martial exercises began to be passed down the family. It was no cure, but it aided their plight by allowing them the capacity to direct and channel the siphoning force away from those most at risk and focus it instead towards better targets - even themselves, should they need to. This, combined with a population and technology boom simply unimaginable to the original warlock noble who cursed the family so long ago, caused the curse's impact to lessen. Outright hatred faded, though the family still suffered mistrust and found no familiar home anywhere, even in the New World. Life could continue and even thrive if an Adficio sufferer lived nearby, though conditions remained difficult for those already infirm or susceptible. It is into this world that Robert Spalding was born. His childhood was as good as it could be for that of his bloodline, especially the eldest born. His grandmother, Ruby Spalding, held out against the curse for an admirable length of time, reaching the ripe old age of seventy before passing. He was home schooled in both traditional academics and the Adficio Supprimere, the arts that allowed control and direction of the Vita Adficio, and at both he proved a capable student, inquisitive and dedicated at both the study and the arts. He was well on his way to full control of the arts when his grandmother passed, bestowing the Adficio upon his father when he was 14. He was not made of the same stuff as his mother, though, and rapidly fell ill. Robert watched his father go from a healthy, happy man to one on his deathbed within two years, and the fall etched itself into his mind. As Anthony Spalding faded out of this world and Robert felt the chill run through his body, he made an oath. "I will not allow the Vita Adficio to claim me, or any other. If there is a way, I will put an end to this curse, once and for all." The identity of Vita Nexus, the Meeting Point of Life, came soon after. He moved out of home when he was first able, at the age of 21 and set himself up with a job in a small, run down private library owned by a spry old man in Parkside named Gregor Kisliak and started living two lives. By day, Robert Spalding was a recluse and keeper of order in Kisliak's Oddities and peruser of as many musty old tomes as he could. By night, though, when the shadows are deep and people of ill intent begin to stir, Vita Nexus hit the streets, feeling out the terror of victims and the malice of assailants and bringing them to the justice they deserve. He knows the reputation of Freedom City as one of the hubs of metahuman activity on the East Coast and believes that, should he catch the right person's attention, he might find a way to the release he seeks... Personality & Motivation: For all the doom and gloom the curse inflicts upon him and those around him, Vita Nexus is a surprisingly optimistic sort. That's not to say he's a ray of sunshine, but he's often quietly confident and sure that his powers and foresight will see him through whatever troubles might come his way. His motives are surprisingly simple - find a way to remove the Adficio curse from his family and, while he searches, use his unusual talents to help make the world a better place. Powers & Tactics: Vita Nexus relies on the side-effects of the Adficio to both protect him from harm and prosecute his battles - in defense, the Adficio draws the speed and severity of incoming projectiles away before impact, turning lethal blows into uncomfortably hard impacts and making even light weapons feel sluggishly heavy. In attack, the Adficio can incapacitate a foe by drawing away their very vitality and suppressing mental activity to the point of unconsciousness. Such assault is eminently recoverable and, excepting outside influence, controlled to the point of posing no real risk of death. His strategies would be bull-headed were it not for his capacity to protect himself from harm using the Adficio, directly provoking responses from aggressive targets before subduing them. Power Descriptions: Vita's powers are often associated with darkness, cold and the requirement of great effort to overcome. His Stun power manifests as people becoming muddle-headed and easily confused until they eventually slip into unconsciousness, his conjured Darkness is always unpleasantly (but not dangerously) cold and his Drain ability often causes a dimming of light in the immediate area as well as chills and numbness. As a result, Vita's skin and immediate environs are always cold, clammy and just a little bit darker than what one would expect. Touching or striking him, in particular, can feel like moving through treacle. Complications: Always Looking For an End to the Curse: Though Vita Nexus shoulders the burden of the Adficio admirably, there is no hiding the fact that it shortens his lifespan and severely impacts his quality of life as well as that of a significant proportion of his family. As such, sources of arcane lore and knowledge are the single most precious treasures for Vita, and he will go out of his way to discover them if there is reason to believe they exist. No Love For The Adficio: Part of the Vita Adficio's side effects is a decay of the bonds between people, especially involving the person at the heart of it all. The end result of this is a general mistrust, suspicion and sometimes outright paranoia towards Vita. This is not nearly as pronounced with empowered people, since their souls are much more extensive than most. Walking Magical Dynamo: The Vita Adficio has been quietly and efficiently siphoning energy away from the world for between 5 to 9 centuries, with no outlet for the power harvested. That makes whoever is "blessed" with the Adficio a walking battery of magical potential possibly unmatched in the world, and the life of the person very, very inconsequential. Abilities: 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 4 = 34PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 10 + 8 = 18PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +13 Drain, +9 Stun, +9 Blast, +5 Base Defense: +7 (+4 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +6 Knockback: -11 Saving Throws: 3 + 6 + 8 = 17PP Toughness: +13 (+3 Con, +5 Force Field, +3 Protection, +2 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +11 (+3 Con, +3, +5 Enhanced Trait) Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6) Will: +13 (+5 Wis, +8) Skills: 68R = 17PP Bluff 8 (+10) Skill Mastery Concentration 8 (+13) Second Chance Craft (Artistic) 4 (+8) Drive 4 (+6) Investigate 6 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane) 8 (+12) Skill Mastery Languages 3 (English [Native], French, Latin, Spanish) Medicine 4 (+9) Skill Mastery Notice 4 (+9) Perform (Singing) 4 (+6) Search 5 (+9) Sense Motive 4 (+9) Stealth 6 (+8) Skill Mastery Feats: 18PP Attack Specialization 3 (Drain) Defensive Roll Dodge Focus 3 [Enhanced Trait] Equipment 3 Fast Trick Improved Initiative Interpose Luck 2 Precise Shot Power Attack Ritualist Second Chance 1 (Concentration for Powers) Skill Mastery 1 (Bluff, Knowledge [Arcane], Medicine, Stealth) Trance Equipment: 3PP = 15EP Mid-Size Car [7EP] Binoculars [1EP] Flashlight [1EP] Basic Medkit [1EP] Multi-Tool [1EP] Night Vision Goggles [1EP] 3X Handcuffs [3EP] Powers: 3 + 8 + 4 + 5 + 31 = 51PP All powers are Magic and Entropy in addition to any noted typings unless otherwise noted. Nullify 10 (Permotius Adficio, Targets one Emotion Control power; Extras: Area [General, Shapable], Flaws: Distracting, Range [Touch], Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) [3PP] Force Field 8 (Adficio Tutamen; Extras: Linked [Enhanced Trait 8]) [8PP] + Enhanced Trait 8 (Adficio Immunitas; Fortitude +5, Extras: Linked [Force Field 8], Flaws: Duration [Sustained] Feats: Dodge Focus 3) [4PP] Immovable 5 (Motus Adficio) [5PP] Magic Array 12 (24PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 5, Dynamic 2) [31PP] Base Power: Drain 7 (Focus Adficio, Ability Scores; Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable], Feats: Extended Reach 3) {24/24} Alternate Power: Stun 11 (Adficio Mensis; Extras: Alternate Save [Will, +0], Flaws: Action [Full], Feats: Accurate 2, Extended Reach 5, Sedation, Subtle 1, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) {19/24} Dynamic Alternate Power: Environmental Control 11 (Calor Adficio; Intense Cold, Distraction [DC 5]; Feats: Indirect 2, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) {22/24} Dynamic Alternate Power: Obscure 11 (Lux Adficio; Auditory, Normal Vision, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) {20/24} Alternate Power: Super Senses 13 (Adficio Profero; Mental, Living Awareness [3PP], Magic Awareness [3PP], Electromagnetic Awareness [3PP], Emotion Awareness [2PP], Feats: Extended Range 1, Acute, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) {11/24} Alternate Power: Blast 11 (Vigor Adficio; Feats: Accurate 2, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Unable to Speak/Gesture, -2]) {22/24} Drawbacks: (-2) + (-3) = -5PP Vulnerability (Cold; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Minor [+1]) [-2PP] Weakness (Cold Environs: Common; Intensity: Moderate (-1 Checks, Attack and Defense) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness Damage Focus Adficio Touch (20 ft.) DC 17 Fortitude Drain 1 Ability score Adficio Mensis Touch (30 ft.) DC 21 Will Stun Vigor Adficio Ranged (110 ft.) DC 26 Toughness Damage Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (17) + Skills (17) + Feats (18) + Powers (51) - Drawbacks (-5) = 150/151 Power Points

First character: VITA NEXUS Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: +3 Attack / -3 Damage (Drain);-1 Attack / +1 damage (Stun, Blast), -3 Defense / +3 Toughness In Brief: Bearer of a medieval bloodline curse that causes the afflicted to become the eye of a vacuum of mental, spiritual and physical energy. Vita Nexus is the latest afflicted and possibly the one most motivated to find a solution. Catchphrase: None per se, though most of his actions are accompanied by latin chanting or incantations. Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV-QrEAnF-E. Alternate Identity: Robert Spalding (Public) Birthplace: Eugene, OR, USA. Residence: Freedom City, USA Base of Operations: Out of his own house and car. Very street level, our Vita Nexus is currently. Occupation: Robert works in a small library in Parkside - it's a pleasant enough place, though Vita's presence tends to coincide with the quiet times. Affiliations: At the moment, Vita's social circle is extremely small. He keeps in contact with his family, who live out in Hanover, but he's been something of a recluse since moving out three years ago. The closest thing he has to a friend is Gregor Kisliak, his boos and proprietor of Kisliak's Oddities, a small and eclectic library in Parkside. Family: Vita's mother and younger sister both live in Hanover (The suburb, not the European region.). He has extended family, but their whereabouts are unknown to him and could be anywhere from Egypt to England. Description: Age: 24 (DoB: 24/2/1993) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5' 10" / 175 cm. Weight: 142 lb / 63 Kg. Eyes: Black, without iris or sclera. Hair: Black When on "the beat", Vita Nexus prefers to wear a solid trenchcoat as his main fashion statement, along with sturdy boots and khakis. His hair is long and tied into a loose ponytail and he is almost never without a thick notebook and analog writing instrument. He only uses a phone to call others, fearing shorting it out with his power by draining it's charge unnecessarily. History: To describe the story of Vita Nexus, one first needs to delve deep into the history of the Dark Ages, to an unrecorded village in a backwater duchy somewhere in modern-day Italy, where a local baron dabbles in the dark arts. He had long since graduated from petty thaumaturgy, experimented in alchemy and conjuring as a fun hobby and had summoned tens of demons and devils to barter for secrets and forbidden lore. But he found himself stymied at every step by a lack of potential - he had the skill, but the raw power to be able to experiment as he wanted escaped him. So he focused his attention on this endeavour, and soon hit upon a solution. It would cause suffering, but he wouldn't have to be the one to suffer, so it was a price he gladly paid. The details of the ceremony have long been lost to time, but the result was what he wanted - a conduit of powers that only he could tap that would last forever, all anchored to one of his peasant farmers. The farmer was spirited away from the village for the sole purpose of becoming victim to this arcane curse and, once his part was played, was spirited back. All that is known is that the ceremony took place over the course of a single night, and marked the villager - and his kin - forever. That villager soon found his life turned upside down. He was marked with eyes of pitch black and skin like that of those dead, cold and pale. People who once greeted him with smiles and cheer now had no warmth for him - only cold sneers and suspicious minds. Crops failed, animals sickened and all of this fell on this unnamed peasant's shoulders. It did not take long before he was asked - upon threat of force - to leave. So began a period of restless travel for him and his family, not staying i one place for more than a few months. Heartbreak followed in his wake, and soon after he passed on. As the life slipped out of his body, though, the true pain of the curse was made manifest as his eldest daughter, then thirteen, complained of a chill passing through her body. It took an hour for the curse to fully take hold, after which she bore the same marks as her father - cold, pale skin, eyes the color of a moonless night and the pain of ages on her face as she took the burden upon herself. And so time passed. The family continued to travel, continued to hide their nature and try and manage as best they could. When powerful, strong-willed inheritors came along great strides were made and eventually a peculiar mixture of magical tricks, meditative techniques and even martial exercises began to be passed down the family. It was no cure, but it aided their plight by allowing them the capacity to direct and channel the siphoning force away from those most at risk and focus it instead towards better targets - even themselves, should they need to. This, combined with a population and technology boom simply unimaginable to the original warlock noble who cursed the family so long ago, caused the curse's impact to lessen. Outright hatred faded, though the family still suffered mistrust and found no familiar home anywhere, even in the New World. Life could continue and even thrive if an Adficio sufferer lived nearby, though conditions remained difficult for those already infirm or susceptible. It is into this world that Robert Spalding was born. His childhood was as good as it could be for that of his bloodline, especially the eldest born. His grandmother, Ruby Spalding, held out against the curse for an admirable length of time, reaching the ripe old age of seventy before passing. He was home schooled in both traditional academics and the Adficio Supprimere, the arts that allowed control and direction of the Vita Adficio, and at both he proved a capable student, inquisitive and dedicated at both the study and the arts. He was well on his way to full control of the arts when his grandmother passed, bestowing the Adficio upon his father when he was 14. He was not made of the same stuff as his mother, though, and rapidly fell ill. Robert watched his father go from a healthy, happy man to one on his deathbed within two years, and the fall etched itself into his mind. As Anthony Spalding faded out of this world and Robert felt the chill run through his body, he made an oath. "I will not allow the Vita Adficio to claim me, or any other. If there is a way, I will put an end to this curse, once and for all." The identity of Vita Nexus, the Meeting Point of Life, came soon after. He moved out of home when he was first able, at the age of 21 and set himself up with a job in a small, run down private library owned by a spry old man in Parkside named Gregor Kisliak and started living two lives. By day, Robert Spalding was a recluse and keeper of order in Kisliak's Oddities and peruser of as many musty old tomes as he could. By night, though, when the shadows are deep and people of ill intent begin to stir, Vita Nexus hit the streets, feeling out the terror of victims and the malice of assailants and bringing them to the justice they deserve. He knows the reputation of Freedom City as one of the hubs of metahuman activity on the East Coast and believes that, should he catch the right person's attention, he might find a way to the release he seeks... Personality & Motivation: For all the doom and gloom the curse inflicts upon him and those around him, Vita Nexus is a surprisingly optimistic sort. That's not to say he's a ray of sunshine, but he's often quietly confident and sure that his powers and foresight will see him through whatever troubles might come his way. His motives are surprisingly simple - find a way to remove the Adficio curse from his family and, while he searches, use his unusual talents to help make the world a better place. Powers & Tactics: Vita Nexus relies on the side-effects of the Adficio to both protect him from harm and prosecute his battles - in defense, the Adficio draws the speed and severity of incoming projectiles away before impact, turning lethal blows into uncomfortably hard impacts and making even light weapons feel sluggishly heavy. In attack, the Adficio can incapacitate a foe by drawing away their very vitality and suppressing mental activity to the point of unconsciousness. Such assault is eminently recoverable and, excepting outside influence, controlled to the point of posing no real risk of death. His strategies would be bull-headed were it not for his capacity to protect himself from harm using the Adficio, directly provoking responses from aggressive targets before subduing them. Power Descriptions: Vita's powers are often associated with darkness, cold and the requirement of great effort to overcome. His Stun power manifests as people becoming muddle-headed and easily confused until they eventually slip into unconsciousness, his conjured Darkness is always unpleasantly (but not dangerously) cold and his Drain ability often causes a dimming of light in the immediate area as well as chills and numbness. As a result, Vita's skin and immediate environs are always cold, clammy and just a little bit darker than what one would expect. Touching or striking him, in particular, can feel like moving through treacle. Complications: Always Looking For an End to the Curse: Though Vita Nexus shoulders the burden of the Adficio admirably, there is no hiding the fact that it shortens his lifespan and severely impacts his quality of life as well as that of a significant proportion of his family. As such, sources of arcane lore and knowledge are the single most precious treasures for Vita, and he will go out of his way to discover them if there is reason to believe they exist. No Love For The Adficio: Part of the Vita Adficio's side effects is a decay of the bonds between people, especially involving the person at the heart of it all. The end result of this is a general mistrust, suspicion and sometimes outright paranoia towards Vita. This is not nearly as pronounced with empowered people, since their souls are much more extensive than most. Walking Magical Dynamo: The Vita Adficio has been quietly and efficiently siphoning energy away from the world for between 5 to 9 centuries, with no outlet for the power harvested. That makes whoever is "blessed" with the Adficio a walking battery of magical potential possibly unmatched in the world, and the life of the person very, very inconsequential. Abilities: 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 4 = 34PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 10 (2PP / Base Attack) + 8 (2PP / Base Defense) = 18PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +13 Drain, +9 Stun, +9 Blast, +5 base Defense: +7 (+4 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +6 Knockback: -11 Saving Throws: 3 (1PP / Fortitude) + 6 (1PP / Reflex) + 8 (1PP / Will) = 17PP Toughness: +13 (+3 Con, +5 Force Field, +3 Protection, +2 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +11 (+3 Con, +3, +5 Enhanced Trait) Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6) Will: +13 (+5 Wis, +8) Skills: 60R = 15PP (1PP = 4 Skill ranks) Bluff 8 (+10)Skill Mastery Concentration 8 (+ 13)Second Chance Craft (Artistic) 4 (+ 8) Drive 4 (+ 6) Investigate 6 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane) 8 (+12)Skill Mastery Languages 3 (English [Native], French, Latin, Spanish) Medicine 4 (+9)Skill Mastery Notice 4 (+9) Perform (Singing) 4 (+6) Search 5 (+9) Sense Motive 4 (+9) Stealth 6 (+8)Skill Mastery Feats: 14PP Attack Specialization 3 (Drain) Defensive Roll 2 Fast Trick Improved Initiative 1 Interpose Luck 2 Precise Shot 1 Power Attack Ritualist Second Chance 1 (Concentration for powers) Skill Mastery 1 (Bluff, Knowledge (Arcane), Medicine, Stealth) Trance Dodge Focus 3 (From Enhanced Trait) Equipment: 3PP = 15EP (1 rank of the Equipment Feat = 5 'Equipment Points') Mid-Size Car [7EP] Binoculars [1EP] Flashlight [1EP] Basic Medkit [1EP] Multi-Tool [1EP] Night Vision Goggles [1EP] 3X Handcuffs [3EP] Powers: 30 + 4 + 8 + 5 + 3 = 50PP All powers are Magic and Entropy in addition to any noted typings unless otherwise noted. Nullify 10 (Permotius Adficio, Targets one Emotion power; Extras: Area (Shapable), Flaws: Distracting, Range (Touch), Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture)) [3PP] Force Field 8 (Adficio Tutamen; Extras: Linked [Enhanced Trait 8]) [8PP] + Enhanced Trait 8 (Adficio Immunitas; Fortitude +5, Extras: Linked [Force Field 8] Flaws: Duration [Sustained] Feats: Dodge Focus 3) [4PP] Immovable 5 (Motus Adficio) [5PP] Magic Array 12 (24 PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 4, Dynamic 2) [30PP] Base Power: Drain 7 (Focus Adficio, 2PP/Rank (ability scores); Feats: Extended Reach 3, Area (Shapable)) {24/24} Alternate Power: Stun 11 (Adficio Mensis; Extras: Alternate Save (Will), Flaws: Action (Full), Feats: Accurate 2, Extended Reach 5, Sedation, Subtle 1, Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture)) {18/24} Dynamic Alternate Power: Environmental Control 11 (Calor Adficio, Intense Cold, Distraction (DC5); Feats: Indirect 2, Cold, Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture)) {22/24} Dynamic Alternate Power: Obscure 11 (Normal Vision, Aural, Lux Adficio; Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture) Darkness) {24/24} Alternate Power: Super Senses 11 (Adficio Profero, Living [3PP], Magic[3PP], Electromagnetic[3PP] and Emotion Awareness[2PP]; Feats: Extended Range 1, Acute, Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture)) {14/24} Alternate Power: Blast 11 (Vigor Adficio; Feats: Accurate 2 (+4), Drawbacks: Power Loss (Unable to speak/gesture)) {24/24} Drawbacks: (-2) + (-3) = -5PP Vulnerability (Cold; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Minor [+1]) [-2PP] Weakness (Cold Environs: Common; Intensity: Moderate (-1 checks, attack and defense) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness Damage Focus Adficio Touch (20 ft.) DC 17 Fortitude Drain 1 Ability score Adficio Mensis Touch (30 ft.) DC 21 Will Stun Vigor Adficio Ranged (110 ft.) DC 26 Toughness Damage Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (17) + Skills (17) + Feats (17) + Powers (50) - Drawbacks (-5) = 150/150 Power Points

First, for those asking, a "Book Of Souls" is what I have called the folder I keep my character sheets in since I found out that's what my friends called it. It seemed appropriate. Second, this is the thread I will be using to run potential characters through their paces, as it appears most do. The characters that I've put up are, in order: 1) Vita Nexus, AKA So how are you not a vampire again? And some ideas that haven't been solidified yet, but could be interesting. A) Ever heard of the Bush Tucker Man? Well, that, but on a intergalactic level - a military-employed survivalist who's whole job is to learn how to survive using other planet's resources and skills. B) So, interesting question - why does power armor have to conform to standard biology? So long as you can fit into it, there's nothing that says you can't change things like limb numbers...