Zeitgeist Blue

I'd like to fire this into the crowd if everyone OOC is okay with just attacking. I can edit my post otherwise. I'll be aiming for one of the larger than human forms. BE: Kinetic Beam 10 (Blast; Extras: Linked [Dazzle], Range [Perception]; Flaws: Limited [5 times a day], Slow Fire; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical [18-20], Knockback 3 [13 Total], Variable [Energy/Magic]) {18} + Dazzle 10 (Visual and Auditory; Extras: Area [General, Burst], Linked [Blast], Range [Perception]; Flaws: Limited [5 times a day], Slow Fire; Feat: Affects Insubstantial 2) {22} = {40/40}

"Hey, I like how the sophie thinks." Nicole chimed into the radio channel. She flew higher and higher until she was level to the rooftops of the buildings. "Beat the baddies. Save the people. Get the high score." "I'm counting ten unknown signatures at our ten'o'clock. Must be one of the Mutant packs," she said in response to Kam's question. Then with a blast of her thrusters she rocketed forward, out of sight of the rest of the team. "I call dibs!" She weaved through the buildings, burning a trail of exhaust and fire, until she caught sight of them. Just the ones at the forefront of the pack, little specks in the distance but her sensors painted them all the same. Then she arrested her flight, shooting on pure momentum through the air, as her armor crackled from finger tips through limbs to build up at the center of her chest. At the apex of her flight she released the energy with a ear-shattering BOOM, shattering the glass around her and tossing her backwards. A lance of pure energy shot out from her figure, streaking a path to the figures on the ground.

After a few minutes of waiting for Sara, Nicole came out of the room with a much better mood than her whole conversation with Sara. She was smiling for one, a big, sappy kind. The one with teeth showing. And she wheeled up to Sara. "She said yes." It would be an hour, like Sara had promised, until the first of the supplies would come. Free food, perishables, toiletries, clothes, and more things that those living in this part of town still needed. Nicole would wonder and snark in good humor that the Dakani embassy was hoarding all these supplies all along. Then ArcheTech employees, ready for the shipment, would fly into work like a well-oiled machine and not to be outdone, the Dakani embassy staff would fly into work with them. It was a Sunday and so the building was under-staffed so Sai welcomed all the volunteers she could get. Then they'd open their doors after another hour, ready with the boxes and the food and water and the residents of Southside would trickle in until the whole cafeteria would become a hive of activity. People came empty-handed and left carrying a box each, or they'd stay to eat first. The volunteers would serve them their dishes or hand the boxes, there were also those just chatting among the residents or packing supplies in the backrooms. Nicole found herself beside Sara oftentime, serving dishes behind the food counter or sorting out goods to be divvied up. And Nicole was happy. Her hair was down and for the first time in what seemed like forever to the teenager, she didn't need to think or remember, or feel smart. She didn't need to create with her hands because she was too busy giving. But that would still be in an hour's time. The two girls found themselves back in the cafeteria for lunch right after Sai's office. They had their lunch, then Nicole bought the last ice cream sundae for both of them. They shared, the cup between, in that cafeteria, on that sleepy Sunday noon, speaking of nothings and perhaps sparking the beginning of a friendship. Nicole didn't know.

Give me a Toughness Roll and a Notice Roll, which will modified from the Tou Roll. The results will be up in my next post.

It rears it head but before it could finish you off, you hear six gunshots go off and the creature pull back as six bullets found their mark, right in the center of its temple. It releases you from its grip, huffing and coughing up blood. Then Neil is there, blade flashing as he hacks at the creature. It jumps back but not before leaving a nasty slash across Neil's chest. Yet Neil doesn't seem yo notice it, hauling you up to you feet as he reloads his revolver with one hand and points it towards the creature waringly. You almost black out in the process, but Neil lightly slaps you across the cheek. "Up Crow, up! We're getting out of here." You back away, slowly, facing the creature and it stands there glowering at you until you enter the tunnels and lose sight of it. Only then do you realize that Neil had been putting a front, and his face immediately turns pale, the hand with his revolver going up to the slash on his chest. Blood flows from it but he pushes you to go on. His other hand is wrapped over your shoulders, used both as a support for you and for himself. "Just, just keep on going." He wheezes before forcing himself to take a deep breath. "Don't worry about me. Keep your eyes peeled. It's a predator so it knows when to duke it out or when to ambush its prey."

"That sounds rough, man," Nicole said with all the seriousness reserved for listening to someone's break-up story. She scratched at her shoulder absently, suddenly kind of uncomfortable at how petty her hang-up seemed compared to Dio's. "Ever think of just hiding? Or-- or letting your Prince know your head's stuck between a rock and a hard place? You two seem really close, maybe he'd change for you or protect you from his sisters." "You've known each other for how long now?" "You're, uh, going to have to be more specific than that," Nicole said as she placed her laptop on her lap and opened it. She began typing away and she continued talking. "You should know Prime's the crossroads of the multiverse. Well, Freedom City's the crossroads of the crossroads." She brought the laptop around to face the dragon and in it he saw numerous places highlighted with purple circles, like Nicole put a marker to the city's map. "Just on the side of the river, I've got a dozen known centers of magic for various traditions. You've got fairie ley lines, Egyptian god-blessed burial sites, mana-giving tress for a coven of witches. Phantom's house is around here somewhere." Her finger drew a vague area around the map where several circles lay marked. "So, what kind of center are you looking at? Maybe we should go. What's the worst that could happen in a Fall dance?" Nicole asked with a knowing smirk. She very well knew what was possible. Then she cocked her head to the side as the music wafted into the roof. "Huh, what do you know. Astrid actually got to play. She was practicing that in our room."

HELLQ Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence. I’m Nicole Whitfield-Hall, a student at Claremont Academy. Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume? Just Salvo if you count superhero names as nicknames. People have always called me Nicole. What is your full birth name? Nicole Marille Beatrice Whitfield-Hall Where do you live? I live in the Claremont Academy dorms, New Jersey though I have an apartment in Riverside, Freedom City I use occasionally. How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)? Seventeen, born 2001. Physical Traits What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain. Female. How would you describe your heritage? My mom was French-Canadian and my dad was American, though they would always brag about our family’s roots in Europe. I can trace the lineage through Germany and France but all those lessons were most likely trash. How tall are you? 5’8” What is your body type? People say I’m thin, and I can’t say I’m not. Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities? I’m paraplegic and I’m very near-sighted. I’m also cut off from my own innate magic, something that my family relied on, so much that at times it seemed like a natural limb we were born with. How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence? None of that because I use a wheelchair to move. I still like to think I have some poise while sitting down. Describe your skin, eye, and hair color. Brown all of it. Varying levels and tones, sure but still. Hair is brown, eyes are dark brown, skin is brown. How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair? I keep it medium length, down past my shoulders if I let it down even with all the curls. Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others? Yes? Kind of. I’m not unattractive, and I’m sure there are people there who’d think of me as attractive. Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks? My ears are pierced. And I’ve got a birthmark behind my left shoulder that is a little darker than my skin. Do you resemble anyone famous? Yes. An actor or two, but only a little. It’s only evident if you hold up our photos together and only if you scrunch your eyes up. Do you have a dominant hand? I’m right handed. What kind of clothing do you wear? I prefer the casual chic sort of look. Blouses and jeans and shorts. Knee-length dresses when I can get away with them. Bright and bold colors too. Do you wear makeup? Of course, but not always. The natural look for everyday use if I have the time and darker and heavier for a night out. What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way? Hmmm. People say I speak fast as if I was trying to catch every word before they could escape my thoughts. Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people? I tend to wave and move my hands a lot when I need to carry my point or whatever I’m saying across. It’s a physical flow of my thoughts or something similar. I can’t pace so maybe this is me compensating. And no, they aren’t annoying. History Where do you come from? California. Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown? Yes. I flew from California all the way to New Jersey. And before that, I stayed in a boarding school in England, just south of Northampton. Now I live in Freedom City, mostly Claremont but I do have a condo unit. Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country? A patriot? Nothing like that. I’m American, but it’s a country like any other. As for the government; are you kidding? It’s pretty messed up, but in the big scheme of things it’s better than a lot of alternatives happening now. Doesn’t mean everything’s peaches and we’ve got to take things lying down. How do you feel about the place you come from? Very little. It was a place to stay, barely a home really, and at times it would feel like a cage, gilded and all. My younger siblings and my nanny were the ones who made my time there bearable. Where is your home town? What was/is it like? I may have said it, but my family’s mansion was very remote. To get to the nearest big city was half an hour’s drive away; an eternity for a small kid back then. Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you? They were servants – cooks, maids, chamberlains, drivers, guards. All of that sort, and not one of them practiced magic. I only knew of a few who did. My parents for one, and some of their guests I barely saw. Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life? The students at Claremont think everything about me stems from my computers or the things I can do with scrap bits and a little chalk and charge. Well they aren’t completely wrong, but there’s more depth than that. I love to create, to find out just what I can make with as little as possible. I push myself, in my science and magic. They’re both art and all one and the same for me. Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)? Yes, of course. I don’t talk about it much, or think it, but my family mansion’s fire was. You’d think that just because my family didn’t care much for me as a person that I wouldn’t care when my whole life turned upside down? People died, my parents and older siblings died, and all I had to show for it was feeling like I lost parts of myself. Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life. I remember sneaking in to one of the art rooms my boarding school had after hours. I couldn’t sleep and in that room I met one of the teachers there, an artist who taught as a side-job, and we talked and I watched him paint until dawn. His philosophy about art felt right by me, and he put into words how I saw the world. What stupid things did you do when you were younger? I sneak out, a lot. Out of my mansion, out of my school. I still do actually. It’s a good way to see things for yourself. Even really late at night when everyone’s asleep, I could imagine the world without people. Just animals and trees and nature and things. Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it? I was sent to a boarding school in England. It was an international school and had the pedigree that only accepting the children of the rich and powerful could. But I felt freer there than I had in my own home, so yes, I did enjoy my time there. I was, as far as the school knew, a normal if incredibly bright girl. Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not? I do, and as to why I keep them? Simple. I remember everything and so they’re here in my head always. I can’t just wilfully forget. When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision? Perhaps I could thank my parents for their influence, even if it is twisted in a way. They are people I pity. All their material wealth, but what did any of that matter when they had lost their soul? What would they not do? That was my mantra my whole life and that conviction strengthened after I found all their illicit dealings. So I was admitted to Claremont, and there I found the resources to repair my connection to Bellios, to hold more power than I have ever known. How could I refuse the call? Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why? Yes, it is. As far as most people know, Salvo’s just a hero like any other, given to fighting dangerous criminals and saving people because she can and has the abilities too. It wouldn’t have any benefit for the public to know she has daddy problems. Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you? None that I can remember. And I should remember everything, except, well, this blind spot in my memory when my parents' mansion burnt down. Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why? Honestly? Yeah. I’ve got to look like I know things, be the one in control of her mind, as if I know what I’m doing. I’m trying to put my best foot forward, so I can have a better image with other people. If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets? My name and image ruined, that’s what I fear. I’ve got little else but that left, and well, it’s a new leaf turned in my life. I ruin that, make people who know me turn away in shame… I wouldn’t know what to do. Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge? I don’t have a criminal record, because I’ve never done any criminal act. But still, dealing with my parent’s old past was the closest I got to collaborating with criminals and it felt disgusting, skeevy. Hope I never have to do that again. Family What are your biological parents' names? Arthur Whitfield and Amelie Hall Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you. I technically was. And that was the extent of their involvement in my childhood: a legal document saying they were parents. It was my nanny who raised me. She saw me as a person with wants and fears and emotional needs. So if my parents were rich and wanted for nothing, my nanny was poor and had family problems she did not want to reveal for me, risking my worry. Fussy when they weren’t and I appreciate that all the more. What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living? As I said, she was poor, even working at such a high position in my family’s household. Too many bills to pay. Where are your parents now? Dead, though something of my father is stuck inside Bellios. Like a leech. Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot? We stayed in one place, but with our money, my parents and older siblings where always moving to the next business or criminal opportunity to catch their eye. How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable). I kept from their path as much as I could. That was the best way, otherwise they’d scrutinize you under their gaze, peeling open whatever displeases them and revealing it to the world. How do your parents view you now, or how would they? I don’t know. And I don’t particularly care. Neither would they, I think, as a person. But I’m the most valuable asset now as the only living Whitfield-Hall and they’d be rolling in their graves with how I’ve turned, I very much hope so. Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them. I had; all gone again. I viewed my older siblings much like I did my parents. My younger ones were who I bonded with, though we had little time when I was sent to boarding school. What was your birth order in the family? I’m the middle child, the third out of five siblings. Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do? They’re dead. How many times do I have to say it? Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged? I can’t. Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular? I don’t hate any of them. But I do love my younger siblings. Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)? Greg and Belle, my two younger siblings were two of my best friends in our household, and definitely those closest to my age. Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain. You can say I’m the white sheep, though my younger siblings would have been too young for anything. Dad and Mom, and James and Lauren were quite steeped in our family business. Lauren least of all as she was just getting started. But me? If any of them found out what I had done, they’ get an aneurysm. Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life. That’s just it. My whole family line is notorious, or rather notoriously good at not being notorious. Genius and cruelty go hand in hand. Maybe I should tell about great-great-grandmother Natalie who siphoned the souls of several boroughs in rural England to fashion herself a necklace capable of eerily accurate prophecies? Also a great fashion piece. Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them. I don’t have either. If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind? Hmmm… Maybe? It’s not something I put my mind to, actually. If I meet someone that serious, then we’ll see. What type of person would be your ideal mate? He’d be someone who I can bounce ideas off of, talk to in other words. And maybe he wouldn’t understand what I’m saying, but he’d understand me and trust me. And it’d have to go both ways. Relationships Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them. Eli, my nanny, easy. Though it might be better to say that she was my mentor and my parent figure. As to those closer to my age, I… don’t know. Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend? Hah, I wish I hadn’t given my answer last time, but what the hell. Sure, Eli is someone I can confide in my problems. She knows who I am and what I do, was there when I was picking myself up and encouraged me to attend Claremont. Best decision in my life. If you were to go missing, who would worry about you? Eli, my friends, my teachers in Claremont, my classmates in Claremont, my technically-not colleagues in ArcheTech. Hopefully I’ve made enough of an impression to have someone worry when I start not showing up. Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do? Any lovers? No, I’ve never had any. Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you. I don’t do that whole evil nemesis thing, but I’ve gone and beaten enough of my family’s old acquaintances as Salvo to have my superhero alias known in some parts of the underworld, magical or otherwise. Thing is with magic, there are a lot of high-ranking criminals who could hold you one-on-one with some crazy artefact, enough to run away from capture at least. If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future? Hopefully they don’t connect my two identities. It’d be a disaster if they do but I’ve tried to cover as much of my tracks as possible whenever I do get into a confrontation with them. Magical, technological, you name it. Common sense-wise too. What is the worst thing someone has done to you? I don’t like it being rubbed in the face that I’ve got disabilities. But there are people who’d stoop that low to “win”. Where do your loyalties lie? In what order? The people who need protecting, the people who I could help with what I know in the long run. I’m trying to undo what my family’s done, balancing the karmic scales you could say. Who or what do you trust the most? Why? Those who I know would choose the right way over the easy way. Eli, for one. Other heroes I’ve worked with can qualify. Maybe myself if I think I can. Who or what do you despise? Why? Everything my family stood for. Profit, power, the use of power to acquire profit. It’s selfish and horrible and hurts so many people for nothing but yourself. What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess? Intelligence. Empathy. Wisdom. That grit to do something when faced with what empathy gives you. Intelligence? Yeah, that’s a given but I’m not such a narcissist to say I’m any good at the other things yet. What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities? Selfishness, pride, stubbornness… Yeah, maybe I do those things too. Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why? I do have a secret identity. It’s an open secret in Claremont as you’d have to be pretty dumb to not see the connection between Salvo and the girl working on the armor that looks like Salvo during her spare time, right? Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower? Oh I work well in teams. Point me at a problem and if I can’t outthink it, I can outshoot it. Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them? I am not. Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that? Mmm. Not really. If I’m really free, which is very, very rarely. I like going down and helping with some charity work. Personality & Beliefs Who are your heroes? My heroes are anyone who is willing to give their time and effort to help those who need help. These could be your super-heroes, those who fight crime and threats that require a powered response, or your everyday heroes, those who clock in the work to do their jobs. Both are heroes and both sacrifice a lot. Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances? *Snorts* I’ve read the reports, seen how people can fall or rise. You never know when or how it could happen, it just does sometimes. But no, I’ve gotten what I expected from others. Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it? I don’t just like it. I love it. I need to love it. I need to feel like I’m doing something to affect change, or to prevent the bad things from happening, that I’m making a difference even if that’s just a little bit. It’s power, creating change. Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides? If I’m not needed then I would. When I feel that whatever I do is worth nothing. What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)? I’m taking in everything I can suck into my head. I’m going to improve and make it count. What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)? That I could destroy everything my family has done, tear down that empire made out of crime. That I could figure out how to get my legs and my magic working again. That I could find where my siblings had gone to. What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear? The dark, and not because there’s some creature creeping at you from the shadows. Nah, I’ve got Bellios to protect me. It’s the dark when you’re all alone with your thoughts and everything plays out in your mind, from beginning to end. That’s why I’m always busy. Is there anything you would give you life for? The people I need to protect? Friends? I never really thought about being a martyr or a messianic figure. I want to live for that anything to help them while living and not dead. How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end? How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or a do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end? I do like my creature comforts and the class that comes with money. It’s a means to an end that, to live a good life. How do you generally treat others? Like anyone would? I’m cordial, friendly, polite when I need to be and for the first impressions. But I can bring out my claws too, you know. Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused? Well, yeah, I trust people. Innocent until proven guilty and all that, you just need to double check them, that’s all. And yes, my trust had been abused before, it’s why I double check. Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence? I’m more extroverted, going into those night outs, but I need my time alone too. And I have enough self-confidence, maybe a bit too much even for some. How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex? Oh, well, I’d go talk to them. I’m single right now and, hey, a teenager. It allows me to get closer to them. What are your most annoying habits? I don’t have one? Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why? No I do not. I’m not going to prejudice others just because. What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can? I’d take it in like a vacuum cleaner, or as much as I can. As for my favourite food, give me sweets and I’m good. Baked goods, cake, desserts, things like that. What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? Coffee. What is your favorite treat (dessert)? Cheescake. Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat? No there is not. What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike? I like purple. And no dislike in particular. What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate? What’s on the radio right now. Give me something that I can bob my head to. If you have a favorite scent, what is it? Like perfumes. Do you have a favorite animal? Nope. What is your most treasured possession? Why? See, it goes without saying my armor is. It’s fascinating, half of it’s my work. And, it’s like the only thing I have left from my life before. Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts? Creature comforts all the way. Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do? No there isn’t. Well, anything that requires me to, you know, use my legs. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life?How important is it to you? I am not spiritual or religious. Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special? No faith. My family wasn’t religious and I don’t have that spark some people would say. If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization? No religious organization here. Could you kill? Have you killed? Maybe, I don’t know. No I have not, funnily enough. What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action? I haven’t yet gotten into that circumstance yet, so all this is theoretical. Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they? When it’s the last resort. When you’re defending your or others’ lives. How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours? I’d be shocked, yeah. But after that, there’s action that needs to happen and if I can I would. I’d like to think I’m not friends with a killer so if a friend kills, yes my reaction would be different. How would you react if something important was stolen from you? I’d take it back. I’d find a way to. How would you react to public humiliation? I’d run away, hide myself and retreat into my work. How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you? It has happened and well, I did not know what to do for a few days, staring at the wall and such. And then the work would slowly come, a trickle until it would be waves crashing to busy myself with something. What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why? Murder. Take the life of someone, end it there and then. I don’t believe in an afterlife, so if you do that, that’s that. If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours? I’d find a way to stop it. I’d take those five things and shove it aside so I could get to work. Career & Training Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it? Claremont? Hah, that’s the best I could come up with. Everything else I learned on the job. Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person? My professors. It was a student-teacher relationship. Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them? I’m the damn best smith-slash-inventor-slash-engineer-slash-artificer-slash-other words you’re going to meet. And if I’m not, I’m still young. I’ve got decades to become better. Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to? I’m a student in Claremont. Believe it or not, they actually have regular classes, even for the super-smart people. I intern at ArcheTech, working on tech and superpowers. What is your preferred combat style? Stay at range and keep on firing. There are people there who could give me a good beating if they got their hands on me. But I’ve got the field at range. Have you ever received any awards or honours? Sure, they're somewhere there inside a box. What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could? How I work. My knowledge. I’ve seen better than me so I want to improve. How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn? Oh, I’m actually not jealous. Just, really curious in their work, competitive. Lifestyle & Hobbies What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine? Reading on new things. Researching. Working on my craft. Talking to people. Doing homework. Attending class. That’s the normal day in Claremont. I don’t mind an interruption now and again. Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up? I volunteer. I watch movies, though not horror. I don’t know. School maybe. They advertise these things or you get them from word-of-mouth and you decide to do it. What do you do for fun? I watch movies. I do random stuff at my workbench. I attend things with other people. That sort of things. Do you have a costume? What does it look like? My armor. It’s like a magic knight but cooler, more techy-like some sci-fi thing and guns. Why don’t you check my character page will you? How do you normally dress when not in costume? Normal, everyday stuff wear. Again, my character page. What do you wear to bed most nights? I’ve got pyjamas. You know the type, button-down one with loose trousers. Very light. Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like? I do not have special jewelry. Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables? Beside or under my bed. There on in my workshop. What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance? I take wherever’s the easiest way for PWDs to travel. Usually that’s the subway. Long travel is by air, plane or Bellios if I can. Miscellaneous Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make? Well, yes actually. It all goes to Elizabeth and her family. Bellios though isn’t something I can just give to anyone but I loathe the thought of it going to waste. That’s going to the Master Mage though for obvious reasons that's not in any legal document. If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body? Uh, no. What would you like to be remembered for after your death? I did the best I could. Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not? I don’t cause I’ve never thought of being a threat like that. If I were to though, then that’s a whole different story. What do you perceive as your greatest strength? My intelligence. What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? My inability to powers, to even moving as someone with working legs would. I know how hero’ing work goes and without Bellios, that’s a whole world I couldn’t even touch. As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Chill, please. Take a breather to relax. Go to the beach more or something. People aren’t going to think less of you if you do less things everyday. Try not to burn out one day.

20 Questions Eros Unlimited Profile Guidebook HellQ Reputation

It smells your blood, and the scent only seems to further its frenzy, and it swings again, arms like flails, but dodge and weave aside. <Stupid. Thing! Stand still and die!> Its patience runs thin, swings getting sloppier, and only then do you take advantage. You step inside as it overshoots, swinging your fist for a haymaker punch that connects to its jaw. You hear the crunch of teeth, how they snap and break against one another, and it recoils backwards from the punch, black blood trailing into the air. But before you could follow up its arm grabs you and swings you around into the ground with it. Both of you roll on the ground, trying to find purchase and you feel its hand wrap around your torso, claws digging painfully at your sides. Then your head smashes against the rock in the middle of the clearing, stunning you, and in moments the creature is atop you, snout mere inches away from your face. The moonlight hits it and strips it of all falseness. Looking closer you see snake eyes, and the face of Kayara is just a farce. Underneath it is a corpse, dessicated and rotting, bone white where it sticks out from decayed flesh and rotten hair. It is a shadow of itself. You feel the slobber drip down its open maw and the hot, rancid breath makes you feel like gagging. A tongue caresses you, painting you with the blood you had spilled. It pants, its breath ragged, as it puts its weight on you, then it moves its snout down until you are level to the snake eyes. <I... yearn... to be free. To... kill and... hunt as a predator should. To make the humans know... fear as they should. But her beloved's ring, it stays within the temple... binding, limiting me. Only her sacrifice...> You see its maw open wide, wide enough to fit your head inside, and in the jaw you see the Kayara's eyes, smoldering like coals, stare back at you. The man who died in the altar above you stares back at you. Many more eyes stare back at you. It doesn't bother finishing the thought. <...But there shall be no sacrificer.>

Well, Neil comes in to the rescue and pulls you out of the fire. Only, well, with horrific injuries to boot for you and him. Huh, the fights can be really quick in this one when the Saving Throws are really low. The first roll I did got it Staggered + Stunned which would have let Snakebite go to town on it. Want to keep the roll or use the HP?

Ditto on low rolls. Take back your HP for this reroll. Unarmed Attack Roll: 26 DC: 22 And using Improved Grab, that starts a grapple as a free action. Grapple Roll: 38 I'll put up a post in a bit. In the meantime, roll Grapple!

"Not taking the cane then?" Arthur shrugs. "Very well, if you believe your powers sufficient then I won't keep you." Then you are off, flying and teleporting in quick succession past the doorway separating the dimensions, through the air and skyscrapers, inside the sphere and the layers that compromise it. It is a trivial use of three teenagers' powers but Masque, specialized in illusions, has to be carried by a linked shell of energy by Ouroboros, the shell defending against outside interference through the energies of the Void. Inside they pass by a massive, empty cavern and hundreds of feet of vertigo. Rays of light cut through the darkness from broken pieces of the outer shell. The light is blinding to look at unprotected sight and you quickly avert your eyes whenever you find yourself looking too long at one. You pass an inner shell spinning within the darkness whose surface is burnt and broken much like the one outside, through fields of electricity spinning and shooting out of what looks like arcane conduits, twisting spires and gemerators standing atop floating islands. Then you sense the doorway, wedged between four spires forming a diamond, in the middle of the largest spire that supports the inner shell from diameter to diameter. Static sheates the door, and unlike Arthur's you cannot see what is past it, but it looms over you all the same. As you look at it, you see several spires grow dim, refusing to generate energy even as stray bolts hit it. A bolt of electricity arcs from the gateway but with a gesture of her hand Arcana forms another bolt and they both collide, exploding harmlessly like fireworks far above them. Linking her various curio, Veronica creates a disc for all of you to stand on, allowing you to stand on something solid. Ouroboros assures you that the gateway possess no harm but you still feel the hairs on your body stand on end as you cross it. Uncomfortable. But you find yourselves in a much smaller room, but still as large as Claremont's auditorium. You find solid ground, bronze and polished and telling of the armor's history in arcane languages, like a watch's watermarks. You step on it and before you, you see two pinions, one opposite you and the other above you, each as tall as a person. The remaining pinion lies broken, shattered on one end of the room, and the gears and its doorway remains inert. From the doorway leading into the CPU forcefield you can hear something like pistons hammering at blistering speeds. The gears holding that doorway opened is half-melted, running only by the power of a pixelated spell that covers the pinion itself. You can tell, that if you were to remove it then the forcefield doorway would close to this layer, yet further damage the pinion itself. Above you, you see a cieling filled with various cogs and gears, though none move. You feel that they are replacements or something of the like, like wheels in a car shop for different uses. (OOC: Updated OP in OOC thread)

Actually, I don't really mind the Free Action talking limiting it to a one-liner or something. Talk as much as you want. Develop stuff.

It landed on all four limbs, like a jungle cat jumping for its prey, and jaws snapping shut on nothing but ait. It didn't seem all that bothered with Snakebite leaping out of the way as it transitioned into a prowling gait, circling Snakebite and forcing her to move to keep it within her view. <It does not know?> You hear it cackle. <And it is a bred from Lemuria! Foolish, it holds a key into the past but it stumbles blind regardless.> <Everything has happened. She hears it but cannot speak for herself.> The creature spoke, hanging its jaw open. Inside, you could see the resemblance of the moon. And though Kayara's features did not mimic a human's expressions, you could hear its mocking voice within. <Petty humans and their petty differences. Her beloved sacrificed her, tricked by a cult worshipping Alquhitu, the god of Beasts. Scared he was, frightened for his people, and sacrifice needs pain, suffering to be truly powerful.> It stood on its hindlegs, towering over you, and it stalks forward. <He realized his mistake too late but, the coward, instead of destroying what he wrought bound his monster. I am her and she is me, trapped in this body made of ston to a god I care not of and rings wrought of iron and ancient magic.> Its voice picks up in volume. <So I am trapped and feed on the detritus of a race that knows nothing!> Your shot finds its mark, burying itself halfway into its chest, and you see it falter a step. In surprise or the poisons working, you do not know. But then it growls and leaps again, angrier and swinging its limbs wildly.

Well, my laptop's screen isn't lighting up so I have to fix that later. But I kind of still remember the stats since I made them simple. Tranq Gun: Hit Saving Throw: Passed Free Action: Talk Move Action: Move closer (he's faster than Snakebite) Standard Action: Unarmed Attack Unarmed attack: 28 DC: Toughness 23

"You mean like Hollywood and Netflix, right?" Nicole asked, managing not to snort. "There's always somebody who wants to watch American TV wherever you are. Guess that includes Dakana too." Then they met Astrid and Nicole couldn't help but tap at her chin as Astrid gave the low-down on what was going in her head. When the Norse was finished Nicole gave her a smile, sitting straighter on her chair. "Apology accepted and I think it's cute you have a secret hobby no one knows about until we came along. And now three more know about it." "Orrr," Nicole said, drawing out the word as they neared Sara's recommended piece. "Maybe it would make more sense for you to be more juvenile than me. That too." They stopped in the middle of a large walk-in piece, dozens of mirrors and screens showing themselves and various people's and cultures from different angles, above and at their sides. Two benches gently curved inwards to meet each other at the ends, forming a small circle between them. In the middle of that circle was a traditional Dakanan garden writ small, representing the garden that greeted the spirits of deceased Dakanans crossing over into the next life. A sculpture made of wood stood in the middle, arms crossed and head bent, wearing a woman's wear forher life's most important events, clearly meant to evoke a Dakanan.

At your shout and spin it seems to remember you and it leans closer and sniffs the air with its snout. You feel the warmth of its breath, acrid and hot on your skin. It moves its snout closer, but rears its head back and when it crosses the moonlight you see the snake-like eyes replace Kayara's for a moment. Then it blinks and it is gone. A forked-tongue shoots out from between its teeth, tasting the air, and it considers you for a moment. <Its scent is familiar,> it speaks, delivering back to you your own mangled tongue. The voice is scratchy, nails running gouges against gravel, and the sound comes from somewhere deep within its throat, mouth staying open and unmoving as it speaks. The tongue lolls in the air. <That must be why the ritual poisons do not affect it. It is a freak.> You hear a cackling, coughing sound coming from it. Its shoulders heave back and forth, and it takes a few moments before you realize that it is laughing. <Yet it would taste the same as any other.> And with that it bends its knees and lunges forward.

Initiative Order Snakebite Neil Kayara

Map of the sphere. The matching colored lines reflect doorways into the other layers of the sphere. State of the Sphere. CPU - Kinda intact Forcefield - Intact, Breaking, ? Pinions - Kinda intact, ? Electronic Defense Systems - Offline, Maze-like, filled with drones Pillars - Mostly Intact, ? Outer Structure - Breached, ? PS: There are some game features in there but for the brevity's sake, I'd write them down as you encounter them in person. This is also me taking inspiration from Thev's map in another thread. Thanks Thev.

Roll Initiative! Just in case. (I do need to find a build for this guy though.)

"Why?" Your lips move weakly, it your voice hoarse as you stare up at the man you once called friend, lover, husband. You are too lucid for what your final moments shall be but you do not care. There is only desperation, even as your limbs refuse to move and you feel everything as if it were a thousand times more. You feel the cloth on your skin bite into your flesh, the rock your head lies on scratch ravines on your skull. Hakan stares at you with all the emotions of a tree but you see through him, you see the hurt and the pain, and you feel his fingers brush through your hair for the last time. The cultists chant in their strange ways, so far from those you have learnt and know so well because in your life at the temple. "Because it is the only way." He brings out a knife, strange for the Moon's ways but somehow familiar, as if you held it, found it, in another life millennia from now, and he lays it at your throat. You feel like screaming as the blade seems to slide past your skin like a skewer through pit-roasted meat and you reach up to place a hand over his, your veins pumping poisoned blood through it. A ritual defied, your death turned towards other ends, other means, made useless, and you helpless in your own sacrifice. "Please," you say, whispering as the chants reach a crescendo. You are desperate, knowing that if he does this then your life, a part of the Moon's spirit becomes nothing but flesh and bones, and nothing more. "Please, you can change this, my love. Turn it and do it right. Bring me to the gods, holy, and not like this. Sacrifice me as the Moon properly deserves." Sacrifice me as the Moon properly deserves. It echoes between the two of you even as he slices your throat and you feel like screaming with the pain. But you don't, staring up at the man you once called friend, lover, husband as your lifeblood flows out of you. It flows out and darkness pervades and you feel the rough stone of the altar beneath you, but the your touch normalizes, become less painful. You open your eyes and you see a snake eyes star back at you. Its claws are like that of an owl's and they scrape on either side of your head. It leans down and hair like a human's frames its face, which you realize is that of Kayara's. It is stretched, as if someone peeled off the skin and stapled it to the bone of a jaguar, screaming silently in agony and you see its teeth. They are too thin, too long, too black. Tongue like a whip. It jaws open wide open and you see the semblance of the Moon within its maw. It is a chimera of Beasts. You hear Neil shout in alarm and it turns it snout to him, seemingly forgetting about you.

Okay! So here's what Ouroboros gets with that Rep roll. DC 25: The magic Nicole is most familiar with is an joined communion of two specific branches of study, the Whitfields' and Halls'. The Whitfields, while still capable sorcerers, are best known for the quality and creativity of their magical artifacts and runes, and claim their influence to the first Anglo-Saxon clans. The Halls are a younger family, yet hold just as much pedigree in the art of energy manipulation as the Whitfields do in their own fields. And I do need to create a map for the Self but needless to say, it's bigger than it looks. It's a mishmash of old, traditional magic molded into something else. You recognize different signatures beseeching entities and concepts hidden beneath the newness of it all, as if someone (ie. Nicole) had taken arcane books and scrambled all the words to build on the original. What you think is happening is that there is a spell-virus brute forcing its way through, breaking the words into a meaningless jumble. Regardless, and more importantly, you see the Self. Consisting of multiple, overlapping dimensions to fit different important functions, the Self could be divided into several main areas some of which are broken by the initial assault. 1. CPU. The center of everything here. Where you should let the helmet merge. Still intact. 2. Inner Forcefield. Last line of defense for the CPU. Keeps outside things out and is powered by multiple generators. Currently breaking. 3. Pinions. Something that keeps the CPU stable, otherwise the CPU would overload and slowly wreck havoc throughout the armour. Mostly intact. 4. Electronic Defense Systems. Where the defense of the CPU could be directed. Offline. 5. Pillars. Holds up the various dimensions housed in the sphere. Without it other dimensions would be harmed. Mostly intact. 6. Outer Structure. The layer that separates the insides of the sphere from the outside. Already breached. Additionally, you sense the trail of whatever had broken in to continue deeper into the sphere but it is out of your vision, just too far and obstructed from view right now.

"There is no day... no moon... only... only dirt... and poison..." She regards you with her runny eyes then clambers forward, on legs too thin and weak, her head revealing her intent, not on you but-- The shot explodes behind your ear, a roar that deafens you, and it rings and rings and rings, drowning all other sounds. You see Kayara's head snap back, red spraying behind her and a hole carved in the middle of her head. For a moment, she hangs there as if registering the bullet hole in her head. And then her body collapses to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. Behind you, Neil holds a smoking revolver. He looks at the body, lowering his weapon. Then, as if from dar away, you hear another retort and his revolver jumps, punching another hole in Kayara's body. He nods, speaking to you but you can't hear the words - you assume it is supposed to be reassuring - and he holsters the revolver within the folds of his clothes. Your ring grows hot, as if you were holding it in front of a fire for too long. Off at clearing, you see several figures appear around, solemn and regal. They form a circle around the rock and the moonlight shines down on it fully. The old man is there, right behind it. "It had to be done," you hear Neil say as if from far away.

Actually, roll me a Notice Check. DC 25.

"Murderers..." The darkness replies and you march on. The tunnels become rougher, more natural, hewn from water and wind over millions of years than human hands. And as you march your ring begins to warm. You see Hakan walk alongside you, his once stoic face barely holding what seems to be a rush of emotions. His arms are up and in front of him as if carrying a body but you see nothing. He fades into the dark. "Theives..." You round a corner and there is a thicket of leaves and branches obscuring your path. Neil steps forward, machete at the ready, and with a few chops of the machete breaks through the thicket. He steps through and looks about at where you have found yourselves in. You are in a glade hidden within a cavern and in the middle of that glade is a clearing. In the middle of that clearing is a rock as large as a bed. A skeleton lies on that bed, and you see the moonlight shine through, a beam of light that almost envelopes the rock. You hear the spray and crash of a waterfall in the distance. But before you can do anything you hear a voice behind you. "Explorers." Feminine, deep, but off somehow. Behind you stands Kayara but where she was once composed if a little unhinged, now you can see the madness in her eyes. Her hair is in tangles, dirt and leaves and twigs stuck in her mane. Her robes are torn, scratches adorning the skin behind the rips and tears of clothing. She raises her hands as if wanting to touch you and they are rubbed raw. But it is her throat which catches your attention the most for it is cut open, a maw, a slash, and her lifeblood seeps from it. "Explorers," she says again, whispering, and steps closer. On your finger, the ring begins to warm.