KnightDisciple

November 4, 2020

Right, going to put up a post for the Final Raven Draft (well, the 250PP iteration, which is close enough).

Putting the bulk of his fluff in Spoilers for now.

Shifting away from Gadgets to a regular Array. Also going to try fiddling with things so that he can switch from his normal suit with Utility Belt to an armored suit, ala Dark Night Returns, Trinity, Justice, etc. Not necessarily a Hellbat, "solo-the-Justice-League" suit, more just something that moves him to a no-tradeoff PL 15 (instead of a +2/-2 tradeoff PL 13). Meant for situations where he knows he's going to be facing high-level threats.

POWERS NOT TOUCHED YET.

Raven
Power Level: 15

Effective Power Level: 13

Power Points: 250/250 PP

Unspent Power Points: 0PP
Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / -2 Damage; +2 Defense / -2 Toughness

In Brief: The newest holder of the mantle of the Raven, the third hero to bear this name has large shoes to fill as he steps into this role.

Alternate Identity: Aleksander Garen Nakani (Birth Name/legal name); Svarog (Name assigned by the Blood Dragons)
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Rustavi, Georgia
Occupation: College Student (Freedom City College); Crimefighter
Affiliations: Raven "family"; Claremont Academy (Alumnus); Blood Dragon Society (former)
Family: Henrik and Maral Nakani (biological parents, deceased); Loren and Melissa Barbeau (adoptive parents)

Description:
Age: 23 (DoB: December 12, 1997)
Apparent Age: N/A
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Armenian and Ossetian
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Black

Spoiler

Aleksander is an athletic young man, whose frame balances speed, agility, and power. Thanks to his "rigorous" upbringing and years of training under Callie Summers, he moves with an instinctive sense of balance and poise. His deeply bronzed skin has no blemishes, and his face is free of scarring. His forearms, hands, lower legs, and torso bear a scattering of small, light scars, the sort one would associate with intense martial training. The long, thin scars on his back, faded for years now, are decidedly not from training.

His grey eyes peer out keenly from slightly thick eyebrows, always observing. He doesn't have the furtive manner one would associate with a guilty party; instead, it's the keen observation of all those around him, and his environment. When he does focus on an item, person, or object, his gaze can be quite piercing indeed.
His face bears notable angles, but avoids the severity many might think such features would lend to him; his smooth, clean-shaven skin lessens the impact of his bone structure a fair bit. He almost seems to have trouble frowning, and quite often, Aleksander's smiling or smirking about one thing or another. If he becomes angry, though, it is somewhat like a storm rolling over the plains.
His dark hair has just a bit of curl to it, and while he keeps it neat, it reaches down to the bottom of his neck. Typically he just wears it combed back, but when training he'll keep it tied in a tight ponytail.

Typically, he dresses in comfortable, non-descript clothes with low-key colors. He tends to prefer pants and long sleeves year round, though in the summer he usually opts for lighter-weight materials than in the dead of winter. His only ornamentation seems to be an antique wristwatch; when pressed, he explains it was his birth father's, and is one of the few mementos he has of him.

Raven's costume is a finely-engineered piece of crime-fighting technology, and it looks it. It's a full-body suit that leaves only the mouth exposed, and while it's somewhat obvious that it's multiple layers, the outside is virtually seamless.
The whole suit has armor plating somewhat visibly sandwiched in everywhere, but covered with a solid layer of morphic molecules on the outside to smooth over its appearance. The suit's base color is black, with the belt (holding several secure pouches of equipment), chest symbol (a stylized raven, wings outstretched and beak pointed straight up, feet outstretched below), and a few lines on the gauntlets and greaves being a metallic silvery color. The inside of his cape is a dark grey-blue, helping blend in and break colors up a bit.The gloves/gauntlets, boots/greaves, pants, shirt, cape, and cowl are all separate pieces.
When at rest, the cape's edge is a straight line, but thanks to the combination of the electroreactive "frame" inside of it, and the morphic molecules, when in "glide mode", the edges take on the appearance of a raven's wings spread in flight, or at least a stylized rendition of it.
His head is covered by a smooth armored cowl that leaves only his mouth and chin exposed to the air. His eyes are covered by special lenses that appear, from the outside, to be somewhat milky-white when inactive, but faintly glow green when night vision mode is active.

The suit bears a very robust belt-and-harness assembly that includes a multitude of pieces of compact equipment. Using low-scale nanotechnology alongside hyper-efficient space-saving tech, these modules and pieces of equipment can quickly be activated and deployed, be it as handheld tools or as plug-in modules on his base suit (which has a multitude of subtle connection points for various modules). Some may alter the appearance of his suit in various ways.

Power Descriptions:
Aleksander is an essentially normal human being. His time under the "care" of the Blood Dragon Society had them injecting him with various chemical mixtures meant to encourage the maximum potential growth, and he was fed a rigorous diet rich in some unique vitamins and minerals, but while he shows the potential to enter the very top tier of human performance, right now he shows no signs of mutation or any other true superhuman powers.
Instead, his body is in peak condition for a man of 20, and he possesses more skill than most would think possible for one of his age (due to his...rigorous...care with the BDS). Some might describe Aleksander as a "living weapon", and truthfully, they wouldn't be entirely wrong. His physical fitness and sheer skill make him a formidable close-combat opponent. He consistently displays athletic prowess at the upper end of the human spectrum.

Raven's costume is a masterful piece of crime-fighting engineering.
The innermost layer is a thick, comfortable layer of thermal-insulated morphic molecules that help Alek survive extreme temperatures.
Next is a layer of body armor, composed primary of thick, semi-rigid Kevlar plates that provide protection sufficient to deal with most regular small arms.
The cowl contains lenses that can activate night vision, meaning even the darkest night is as bright as day to Raven.
As well, an advanced communications suite is embedded under the armoring of the cowl. This system also works with some small microcomputers in his belt to give him up-to-the-picosecond accurate time, as well as precise geo-positioning data and magnetic north orientation readings.
The belt also holds a number of tools useful for crime scene analysis, a fold-out tablet computer useful for taking notes and such, and a simple collapsible gas mask that fits over his exposed moth and provides an environmental seal and several minutes of clean air.
The cape is composed of special electro-reactive morphic molecules that conform to a rigid frame when a very low but precisely calibrated electrical charge is run through them. While he has insufficient propulsion for true independent flight, Nevermore is capable of long glides. His ability for movement around the city is aided by special high-speed, high-power grapnel lines that are housed in his gauntlets (under the extra armor plating).

Raven's belt and harness contain modules and gear that let him adapt on the fly to the situation in the field. Raven has had practice figuring out the best pieces to use in any given situation, but it's still a developing technology, so it takes him a few moments to reconfigure his equipment.

Alek has full access to The Rookery, the large (hidden) cave-complex-based underground headquarters of the Raven, located underneath the Summers mansion. The facility is expansive and covers virtually every need a crime-fighter might have, with room for future improvements, as well as access to a large variety of tools, vehicles, and suits that he could draw on if needed.

The most (comparatively) subtle vehicle out of his current arsenal is The Talon, a high-performance motorcycle which is one of Raven's primary means of transportation across larger portions of Freedom City (with his grapnel/glider cape combo being used for more precise positioning in specific areas). While unarmed, it is a tough, fast vehicle that bears a solid security system to prevent bike-jacking. The overall construction is rugged, with the bike mainly sporting two seemingly over-sized tires (each with an independent electric motor for power), and a central "pod" with rugged armor plates, special steering "arms", and a simple voice-activated computer that has an always-updating navigation program. It is currently capable of speeds approaching the fastest performance road cars, though Raven rarely pushes it to that speed.

A more recent addition to the garage of the Rookery is the latest iteration of the Unkindness, the full-sized automobile of the Raven. The latest in a long line of vehicles, this version of the Unkindness is some great and terrible fusion of a race car, an APC, and a fighter jet. The dark vehicle is plated with enough armor to shrug off massive amounts of fire; the outer skin can be configured to either somehow hide the enormous automobile, or make it capable of completely ignoring anything up to the heaviest guns or explosives. As well, the wheels can be kept close to the body for greater transit speed, or spread out on variable-geometry "arms" that give the Unkindness unparalleled stability on even the worst terrain. With its advanced suite of sensors, communication, and life-support gear, it's practically a headquarters on the move. It's also armed with enough less-than-lethal weaponry to take out an entire company of soldiers and vehicles. The sonic disrupter cannon stores away behind the driver compartment of the Unkindness, and can be configured to either fire single "shots" at specific targets, or blast out a cone of dizzying sound accompanied by a multitude of bright, flashing lights. Strapped on either side of the "barrel" of the sonic cannon are the prongs for the Targeted EMP Cannon, a device that allows the Raven to disable most any modern electronics with just a few button presses.

History:
Aleksander Garen Nakani should have been a perfectly normal boy born in the country of Georgia. And for about 6 months of his life after birth, he was.
Then, one day, he and his parents "disappeared". His father and mother were found weeks later, dead, their child missing, out well past city limits. Theories abounded. No one was ever charged, no conclusion made. Funerals were held. People mourned. Mementos were kept by parents/grandparents and other scattered family.
None were the wiser that Aleksander had been taken by the Blood Dragon Society to their base in Transylvania, Romania. They are a fanatical group borne from the last members of the Order of the Dragon. Born in fire and blood, they escaped the purge that wiped out most of their brethren and went into hiding. They watched as one of their own members became one of the most feared monsters of all time, a household name half a millennium later.
The Blood Dragon Society vowed all those years ago to protect Europe (and, eventually, mankind) from the "dark things". Unfortunately, their definition of what constituted a viable threat has varied over the years, and has never focused solely on supernatural threats, but instead included political or religious movements and individuals.
Worse, they vowed to use any means necessary, and have taken that vow seriously. They employ methods most would never condone, and in the last couple of centuries have begun taking orphans or other "won't be missed" children to train them from a young age to be perfect "defenders".

Aleksander was part of a new "trial group", selected based on genetic factors (in his case, the presence of many historically successful soldiers on his father's side, and genetics stretching back to some of the fiercest Sarmation warriors on his mother's side) that the Society believed would make them ideal warriors. These children, taken from all over the world, and being of all sorts of ethnicity, were brought in before their first birthdays. They were raised impersonally, granted single names based on mythology (Aleksander was called Svarog), and fed rigorous diets, supplemented by vitamin and chemical treatments intended to procure the maximum possible performance and growth. They were educated as soon as possible, trained from very early ages in tactics, stealth, sabotage, combat of all kinds, and more. Their minds were laced with subliminal programs to ensure obedience and efficiency. Psychics were brought in to aid all of these efforts, ensuring that the whole batch of 20 was far ahead of their peers in every way by age 10.
Alkesander was 11 when the Freedom League rescued all of the children from the clutches of the Society. The Raven, with the aid of Foreshadow, had tracked down the location of the Society's facilities. The stealthier members of the League infiltrated the base and ensured that the children were there and safe, and disabled much of the security. The rest of the League then swept in and thoroughly disabled any BDS troops still up and about, including a few of their more exotic members.
Raven herself was the one to open the cell holding Aleksander, who had been in solitary for a week because his young mind had shown itself to be (once more) resistant to the harsher aspects of the programming they were trying to induce on the children. It wasn't a conscious thing, simply an unusually resilient psyche that meant the next year would not be as harsh as it would for his fellows. But only a little less harsh. Thankfully, the BDS facility had included full medical and biographical files on the children there; the Society was thorough and meticulous, if nothing else. This allowed the League to track down what family remained...which was his father's father, who was by this point in no condition to take care of a child. So he would have to be adopted after his treatment.

It took over a year for League psychics and psychologists to help young Aleksander reach a point where they felt he couldn't simply be "switched off" or reprogrammed with a single phrase, and that he didn't treat the entire world like one long spy or combat mission. It still was a delicate enough situation that his adoptive parents, Loren and Melissa Barbeau, had to be specially trained and prepared to help him learn to socialize more normally. As well, his state of mind, as well as his near-reflexive fighting ability, necessitated him attending the Nicholson school for 3 years.
Thankfully, by 14 Aleksander was a comparatively normal, if quiet, boy. He was even attending a regular public school.
What Loren and Melissa didn't know is that the mental focus that previously had been forced upon the lessons of being a weapon, was now turned to investigating the Raven more. For almost a year, he'd been slowly tracking bits and pieces of information.
Not because he hated her; just the opposite, Aleksander felt only the greatest of admiration for her. He wished to thank her without having to get mugged first.
But as his investigation continued, he came to an uncomfortable conclusion: Raven was growing older. Just as her predecessor had, she was starting to show small signs of aging. One day, perhaps soon, she'd have to give up the mantle. But to whom?
The day he figured out who she was, was the day Alkesander Nakani decided that if the Raven wouldn't appoint a successor, maybe one needed to approach her. So he dug deeper.

Eventually, he determined two facts. First, the original Raven had been Duncan Summers, who was now headmaster of Claremont Academy. Second, his daughter, Callie Summers, was the current Raven. This would explain all the various resources Raven had always had access to. But now...how to speak to either of them about it?
Finally, he decided on just going to Claremont Academy and trying to speak with the Headmaster, as he wasn't sure Callie would be at the Summers home. He skipped school one day and caught the bus to Bayview. He managed to slip onto the Academy grounds with none of the students or staff noticing, and ended up right outside Headmaster Summers' office.
At which point the retired hero invited him in to speak. Duncan explained that while he didn't know quite why Aleksander was there, he'd kept track of the boy, if for no other reason than to help alert other heroes if the Blood Dragon Society ever moved to try and retake him. But the boy's presence intrigued him, and he had a guess as to why he was here.
So Aleksander laid out his research, the results, and his belief that Callie needed a successor.
Duncan ended up calling his daughter into the meeting, and there were a couple hours of discussion (during which Loren and Melissa were called in as well). In the end, it was decided that until he was 15 & 1/2 years old, Aleksander would be undergoing rigorous "basic training" without stepping foot outside the "lair" under the Summers home. Loren and Melissa weren't thrilled, but recognized that between Aleksander's iron will and his rather unique background, they'd be unlikely to stop him.
So instead they partnered with Duncan and Callie to help make sure Alek didn't do something stupid to get himself killed.

By June of 2013, Alek was allowed on 2 patrols a month, to try and get him used to actually going through the motions of being a crime-fighter. He was primarily asked to watch Raven's back, but was sometimes allowed to take the fore and get some practice. Most criminals were at least smart enough to not mouth off to a kid in body armor who was working with the Raven. The ones that were were educated. Word started to spread.
In the meantime, in an effort to take some of the work off of Callie, and give Aleksander some independence on occasion, he was sent into the field as Nevermore (as he has dubbed himself) and transferred to Claremont, starting in the Spring 2014 semester. It was hoped that he would learn more skills related to working with other heroes, as well as broadening his own skillset for the purposes of crime fighting and prevention.

These hopes were well-founded, though Alek did not have quite the meteoric high school career that some alumni of Calremont did.

Nevermore made the rounds of Freedom City, working to aid Raven and sometimes even pick up the "slack" of patrols. He was given fuller access to the Rookery on his own (instead of only on mission prep or training). All these things helped him prepare himself.

After The Incident, Callie sat down with Aleksander and explained that he was ready. He tried to deny it, but she told him, honestly, that not only was he ready, but that she was tired. Years of fighting the good fight had started to take their toll, and with her new duties as Headmistress, and her father's slowly-declining health, she felt it was time to step aside. He'd been far better prepared than she had been, really, and the Incident had proven his mettle, even if it wasn't a situation she found ideal to have tested him with.

As part of the process of Alek officially becoming the Raven, he and his adoptive parents actually moved to the Summers estate. Loren became the designated manager of the estate itself, overseeing what regular staff there was, as well as organizing on-site social events or the like. Melissa, meanwhile, took to handling the financial aspects of the estate, investing and re-investing resources to ensure that both Duncan and Callie wouldn't have to worry about personal finances or most of the base financial costs of Claremont, with room to ensure Raven's mission is well funded built right into the budget.

Personality & Motivation:
Aleksander is a fairly quiet young man, but for all that he's gone through, he's actually fairly hopeful. He doesn't go for much in the way of exterior shows of emotion, but being rescued from the clutches of the Society, in the way he was, taught him that the world has good people, and those good people can make a difference.
While not anti-social, Alek prefers to ration his time with friends (which he makes slowly and carefully) and strangers. But when he is with them, his shell opens up at least a little bit; he has a tendency to be the dry wit of a group, making some quip with a completely straight face.
Alek will almost fanatically stand up to bullies, especially if he sees them picking on someone notably less capable physically (or socially, if it's primarily verbal bullying). He does not initiate actual fisticuffs, but he has been sent home a couple of times for, in his words, "finishing what someone else started". He has never shown regret for those fights, either. Thankfully he abhors the idea of taking a life or producing permanent injury, and so he's always focused on restraint, or temporary discomfort, to breaking bones or the like.
Alek tends not to get involved in discussions about politics or law or the like, beyond voicing a general dislike of "injustice", though with as young as he is it's still a nebulous concept (beyond "criminals running around not getting stopped").

Raven comes off as a gruff, no-nonsense crime fighter. He's willing to work with other heroes, though he's cautious if he does not know them, and might get slightly frustrated with those who have trouble with subtlety of any form.
To criminals, he's somewhat quieter than his predecessor, but still carries an air of menace and shadows. He is relentless and fearless, and lets them know.
He does have a bit of a tendency to try and put on a gravely bravado with older heroes, barring those like Midnight or Foreshadow who carry legacies similar to his own. To them he is respectful, though he's not afraid to voice an opinion. But to others he might be trying to over-compensate for his clear newness to his role, subconsciously trying to prove that he's worthy of the mantle he will be receiving.
To the average citizen, he's polite, if a bit terse, but always wanting to prove helpful in a moment of need.

Powers & Tactics:
Raven will adjust his tactics depending on the number and quality of opponents.
For a large number of "thugs" he tends to just dive in and start taking them down rapidly, weathering their blows with his body armor while he delivers precise, powerful strikes.
Armed opponents are likely to be disarmed.
Those who seem to focus on power over finesse may well end up put in one martial art hold or another while he tries to choke them just enough to knock them out.
For a notably powerful opponent he is likely to attempt to remain in stealth until he can catch them unaware enough to get a couple of solid blows in. That, or try to work with someone else or call for backup.

Complications:
Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier: While the particular cell that was "raising" Aleksander was dismantled, the Blood Dragon Society as a whole still exists. And they aren't the sort to let resources go to waste, especially ones that display the potential Aleksander has. At some point, or several points, they may try to retrieve Aleksander, not realizing that he's also Raven.
The River Runs Deep: Aleksander was given a thorough de-programming by more than one psychic who was affiliated with the Freedom League, and was further taken through more mundane therapies and de-programmings by psychologists and psychiatrists. However, the scars of that time still remain. It is possible, if unlikely, that one or two "trigger words" may still be buried in his mind and activated, either by someone with sufficient knowledge, or someone with enough skill (not power, but skill) in the psychic arts. This would not turn him into a mindless drone, but it might be enough to leave him slower, incapacitated, or in some other way less effective than he should be.
Secret (Identity): Aleksander's identity as Raven is something known only to a few (though fortunately or unfortunately, at least some fellow alumni from Claremont know). The risk is not only to himself, but to both the Summers, to his adoptive family, and even, in a way, to Claremont itself.
Some Pretty Big Shoes: Aleksander's status as the new bearer mantle of the Raven is rather obvious to any who observe the hero. The general public (law-abiding and otherwise) lack a lot of the information about why the change happened, but by now they know it has. Some more experienced heroes might not take him seriously, or take offense to him attempting to "take over" the Raven's name (even with Callie's official blessing). Alek himself may sometimes have issues with confidence or second-guessing himself due to doubts over his "worthiness" of the role.

Disarmed: Aleksander's belts (around his waist and across his chest) need to be removed to completely deprive him of his gadgets, but many of the individual items are hand-held, and can be disarmed as such. Others could be disabled on an individual basis, depriving him of that tool for a time.

Abilities: 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 60PP
Strength: 20 (+5)
Dexterity: 20 (+5)
Constitution: 20 (+5)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 20 (+5)
Charisma: 20 (+5)

Combat: 16 + 16 = 32PP
Initiative: +5
Attack: +15 Melee, +8 Ranged
Grapple:
Defense: +15 (+8 Base, +7 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -4

Saving Throws: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18PP
Toughness: +9 (+5 Con, +5 [Protection])
Fortitude: +11 (+5 Con, +6)
Reflex: +11 (+5 Dex, +6)
Will: +11 (+5 Wis, +6)

Skills: 180R = 45PP

Acrobatics 10 (+15)
Computers 15 (+20)

Craft (Electronic) 10 (+15)

Craft (Mechanical) 10 (+15)
Drive 10 (+15)
Escape Artist 10 (+15)

Gather Information 10 (+15)
Intimidate 10 (+15)
Investigate 10 (+15)
Language 10 (Arabic, American Sign Language, Chinese [Mandarin], English, French, German, Georgian, Japanese, Latin, Romanian [Native], Russian)
Notice 15 (+20)

Pilot 15 (+20)
Search 10 (+15)

Sense Motive 10 (+15)
Stealth 15 (+20)
Survival 10 (+15)

Feats: 45PP

Acrobatic Bluff
All-Out Attack
Attack Focus (Melee) 7
Beginner's Luck

Benefit 2 (Raven, Summers Family Representative)

Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Feint)
Chokehold
Defensive Attack
Dodge Focus 7
Eidetic Memory
Equipment 27 [Veteran Award]
Evasion

Hide in Plain Sight

Improved Grab
Improved Grapple

Improved Pin
Improvised Tools
Jack of All Trades

Luck 5
Power Attack
Second Chance (Mind Control)

Second Chance (Emotion Control)

Second Chance (Mind Reading)

Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobatics, Computers, Drive, Intimidate, Notice, Pilot, Stealth, Survival)
Takedown Attack 2
Track

Well-Informed

Equipment: 27PP = 135EP [Veteran Award]

The Rookery (Headquarters; Cave) (23EP)

Size: Huge (2EP)
Toughness: +15 (2EP)
Features: (19EP)
Combat Simulator
Communications
Computer
Concealed 3 (+20 DC)
Dock
Fire Prevention System
Garage
Gym
Hangar
Infirmary
Laboratory
Library

Living Space
Power System
Security System 2 (DC 25)
Workshop

Powers: 5 + 2(1+1) + 24 + 14 = 45PP

Damage 4 (Feats: Mighty) [5PP] (Training) ("Martial Arts")

Ideal Human 0.4 (2PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [2PP] (Training)

Speed 1 (10MPH/100 feet per Move Action) [1PP]
Leaping 1 (x2 distance) [1PP]

Device 6 (30PP Container, Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [24PP] (Technological; "Raven Costume")

City Movement 4 (8PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [9PP]

Base Power: Super-Movement 2 (Swinging, Wall-Crawling 2) [6PP] Linked to Speed 2 [Total of Speed 3/50mph] [2PP] ("Grapnel Gun")
Alternate Power: Flight 3 (50MPH/500 feet per Move Action; Feats: Subtle; Flaws: Gliding) [4PP] ("Electroreactive Glider Cape")

Communication 5 (Radio, 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6PP] ("In-Built Headset")

Enhanced Feats 3 ( Second Chance 3 [Toughness Save vs Ballistics, Piercing, and Slashing] ) [3PP] ("Nano Weaving")
Immunity 1 (Cold, Heat; Flaws: Limited [Half]) [1PP] ("Protective Thermal Under-Layer")
Protection 5 [5PP] ("Armor Plating")
Super-Senses 3 (Infravision; Vision Counters Obscure (Darkness) [Darkvision]) [3PP] ("Night Vision Lenses")
Super Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Time Sense) [3PP] ("Head's-Up Display")

DC Block
ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT
Unarmed (Normal) Touch DC20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)

Unarmed (Martial Arts) Touch DC24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)

Totals:

Abilities (60) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (18) + Skills (45) + Feats (45) + Powers (45) = /250 Power Points

November 4, 2020

Quick post to preserve Signature quotes for Archived characters.

Sun Walker-PL 10
"Beauty, thou wild fantastic ape
Who dost in every country change thy shape!" Abraham Cowley, "Beauty,"

Thoughtspeed-PL 10/12
"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance." -George Bernard Shaw

November 4, 2020

Raven III

For a split-second, Alek actually did lock up at that voice. Something in it echoes back to his days as a child, when he was but a tool. It raised his hackles. For a microsecond, he felt fear...

Then all he felt was anger. It was good the thug he'd attacked was already unconscious, else he might have soiled himself at the expression on the Raven's face. Without even a sound, he raised his arm, fired out a grapnel line, and swung through the air.

He landed, a shadowed wraith, next to the cluster of criminals in the middle. Even as he lashed out at one of the men seemingly guarding the mysterious speaker, his own voice rasped out, his cowl adding just enough distortion to make his own voice inhuman.

"This isn't your house. This is my city. And you're the pests inside the home."

His hands snapped out like snakes, sparking with shocking power along the fingers as he jabbed and punched at the man in front of him. The man who didn't immediately fall down...

"And I'm pest control."

November 3, 2020

Also, if that Will Save counts as "Mind Control", I have Second Chance (Mind Control), so I don't think that would even take an HP?

Nevermore will use his grapnel again..

Move Action: Get in right next to the 3 guys under the skylight.

Standard Action: Melee Attack vs one of the two who didn't do the Spooky Talking. 28. DC 24 Toughness, DC 20 Fort (still using the Stun gauntlets). I have Takedown Attack 2; Attack vs the second thug: 26. DC 24 Tough/20 Fort. If I can carry through to the 3rd guy (weird speaking man): 21. We'll let that stand for now.

November 2, 2020

Regarding the Darkness, this is an integral part of his suit:

Super-Senses 3 (Infravision; Vision Counters Obscure (Darkness) [Darkvision]) [3PP] ("Night Vision Lenses")

Will Save: 10. NOPE, HP Reroll: 29.

Will do an action post later.

November 2, 2020

At first it was like Micah didn't hear Pan's inquiry; he simply flew on, not even looking back at his friend. But finally, he spoke.

"Yeah. It did. Head feels clear."

Then Eira flew up and suggested he stop at Judy's window, and Micah nearly fell from the sky such was his shock and...embarassment?...at the question.

"What? W..why? What! No, that's-no! Why would I stop outside her window! The best case is we both get embarassed, and then her sister shoots me! Assuming she doesn't just shoot me before I can say anything! Besides, what am I going to do, hover there and flex?"

He looked down at himself again, and once more crossed his arms over his body.

"Besides. No shirt. Just...that's, like, creepy."

His next words were soft, but Micah's night had been emotional enough the other two could hear him still.

"Not like there's a lot to look at anyways."

November 2, 2020

Judex had been trying to keep pace on foot, but he was falling behind the werewolf, and Thorne's car was rapidly catching him up. Then out of nowhere, vehicles that looked like they fit more in a Mad Max movie than anything else came roaring in. One of them had guns, and one of them was more like a small bus than a car.

'Lord, this is what friends are for!' he thought to himself as Thorne pulled even with his dashing form by happenstance.

"Hullo my fellow shepherds and sheepdogs! Seems we have cheetahs in the midst of the sheep now!"

His arm snapped out and grabbed the edge of one of the open windows, the one next to Wadjet.

"Fancy seeing you here, Miss Paintball!"

With seemingly no effort, Judex leapt into the air, swung himself about by the hand grabbing the car, and executed a perfect three-point landing on the roof. While the car was in motion. His laughter bellowed almost as loud as the sounds the werewolf made, or the roaring of the car engines. He slapped the roof once.

"Get me close to the big one!"

November 2, 2020

Sorry for delays in my posting folks, I feel crummy about hanging us up like that.

November 2, 2020

Raven III

Alek gave Jerome another one of those odd smiles.

"That's certainly an interesting concept. I'm wondering if we'd all agree on what "generous" means, mind you, considering what the intentions of the Summers family is. Now, that's not to put off collaboration with Majestic off the table; that would just be rude, and I wouldn't want anyone to accuse me of being..."

Alek went very still as he heard the sound of more than one firearm being readied. His face went blank, though he uttered a slight sigh. A subtle gesture of his wrist shook it in a pre-determined pattern, which set off a silent, invisible alarm to Charlie's own device; his apprentice would feel a slight "pulse" from his phone vibrating, but the noise would be minute. Alek's hands slowly went flat on the table, and then the only movement was his own breathing, and him speaking.

"Right, would you all rather I just sit quietly here, or are we going to need to get up?"

His voice was pitched such that it was clear he was speaking to whoever was behind him holding an arsenal of guns.

October 21, 2020

Micah waved Pan off.

"I can move on my own and fly."

He stood up with a groan, then stretched for just a second and rolled his shoulders. At Eira's question-statement, he blinked and tilted his head.

"Um...kind of? I'd need a few minutes before making weather that big again, I guess."

Suddenly he realized he had no shirt, and actually seemed to almost shrink on himself as he crossed his arms over his exposed chest.

"Leaving now is good."

He lifted in the air, the winds themselves bearing his weight, only a faint green glow present instead of the glory of his wings in full.

October 21, 2020

I'm going to spend a Hero Point to temporarily gain the feat "Benefit (The Raven)". This in turn will justify Nevermore (and potentially Alek) having access to a spot where they can retrieve a costume (not, like, an old dusty one, a new one, they prepped for this) to change into, as their outfits aren't 100% "under street clothes" friendly.

October 21, 2020

Raven III

While Arrow was the target of one of the guards, the other one was out of sight of the main body of criminals, distracted, and otherwise a perfect target for a predator. And while Raven was no blood-sucking monster, he was still a predator after a kind. So he simply activated his night-vision, raised a hand, and launched a grapnel line.

The grasper "claw" snagged hold of the catwalks, and with a quiet hiss, Raven ascended, his cape flaring like the wings of his namesake. He pushed off just so with his legs right as he left the ground, and gave another push off just the edge of one of the standing crates as he moved. Those subtle points of contact gave him a lateral swing, instead of just an ascent. He began to move, swinging over the clouded-out group in the middle, before it became clear (at least to Nevermore) that Raven was headed right for the isolated man to the north-west. Once his swing shifted to be "aimed" at the guard, Raven twitched his hand just so, and the grapnel released. His cape flared wider as a few moments of current arrested his momentum enough that the coming impact wouldn't cripple him or the gun-toting thug.

Instead, the impact merely jarred the other man's bones as Raven descended more like a hawk or owl, hands outstretched. Just before impact they sparked with current, and once again the dark avenger of Freedom City grasped his target's mouth with one hand, while his other knocked the man's weapon away and delivered a pair of blows to his mid-body. Then, they struck the floor, the armored vigilante landing on top of the criminal, his prey struck low by his sudden attack.

October 21, 2020

So sorry this took me so long, been a hectic few days.

Move Action: Use my Swinging to go from NE to NW, since Arrow is closer to and should be able to handle SW.

-Stealth: 20.

Standard Action: Melee Attack on the guy at NW: 23. DC 24 Toughness for Damage, DC 20 Fort for the Stun gauntlets.

October 19, 2020

Gizmo, will you make me roll a check to have Judex flip up onto the car's roof when they catch up with him, since I'm guessing the wolf is probably faster than he is?

October 16, 2020

Judex happened to spot Thorne nearby. A grin split his bushy-bearded face.

"Hullo friend!"

He kept running after the wolf, his pace exceeding that a man in his apparent condition ought to be able to achieve. Indeed, he looked to be gaining steam despite outpacing all but the most elite of sprinters...

"Seems we found ourselves a wolf among the sheep in flesh, instead of merely in spirit! Come, my fellow shepherd, we must protect the lambs!"

With a laugh, Judex leaned into his run and picked up more speed still....

October 16, 2020

Micah rubbed his temples.

"Lord give me patience..." he muttered to himself.

He took a deep breath, then looked at the man standing in front of his daughter.

"Alright Mister Corpse-Robber. You give us the ashes, we go with Ghost-Eira and leave. You politely ask the appropriate people about upload techniques, or cyber assists, or whatever. You get that lined up. Then you talk to the cops about how you had a dude rob someone's house for the ashes of their daughter's body."

He looked at the living, and dead, people present.

"That sound good to everyone here?"

October 15, 2020

At first, Micah was completely non-responsive. Pan caught his friend without much hassle, and was able to bring him to the ground without a fight. The teenage weather-controller lay still for several moments; his chest rose and fell gently with his breathing. He had no wounds or burns on his body, though his shirt was completely gone.

Suddenly, he sat straight up with a gasp. It was a gasp of a man coming up for air, moreso than one of fear.

"Okay wow. Gah. Uh. Whew. Okay."

Micah blinked several times and shook his head. Slowly, he raised the goggles from his eyes and blinked.

"You two okay? I, uh, kind of went all-out there. Yikes. Good thing I didn't do that at school."

If there was some sort of 'glow' or the like about his friends, Micah didn't notice. At least for now. He seemed more occupied with waking up and getting his bearings.

October 12, 2020

As the young couple talked and basked in each other's presence, the storm slowed. As they declared how real the other felt to them, the hail and lightning stopped. The winds died off and the clouds began to disperse.

If Pan or Eira looked up, they would see Micah, no longer shrouded in lightning but still supported by his wings, holding his hands out. His eyes were closed in concentration, and sweat ran down his face. His lips moved soundlessly as he appeared to concentrate deeply on something. A moment's thought would make it obvious; Micah was doing his best to ensure no permanent harm came of his outburst. He was seeking to reset the weather patterns on and around the mountain, where his powers had touched it, back to what they were. It seemed to be a matter of great effort, but the clearing sky suggested it was effort well-spent. Finally, the last traces of the weather-controller's emotional release were gone, and he lowered his arms with a nod of his head.

At which point the wings on his back flickered out, his eyes drifted closed, and he began to fall from the air.

October 9, 2020

He had gone out as Judex earlier, anticipating it would be a rough night. Galen knew Halloween was not as "fun" in Bedlam as in other cities, as in his home. He'd locked up the church and his office, made his last calls for the day, then let the change take him.

'How ironic, the Lord sends one who wears a mask of flesh to protect against those with a mask of cloth. The shepherd must move amidst the sheep like a robber...'

Judex did his best to steer clear of police stations as a general rule. But tonight was already turning strange; he'd seen several folks who looked less-controlled than normal, even for Bedlam. And he swore that three blocks back, there'd been a thug he'd driven off from a lady of the night who was starting to grow claws before the man turned and disappeared in the alleyways of the city.

So in the midst of it all, he'd ended up close to one of the precincts. Which is why he heard the unearthly howls, and the screams and crashes as the beast tore loose from the precinct. He was two blocks away, but it was a big werewolf.

"Lord have mercy, the trials that must be faced tonight..."

Without a second thought, Judex began running up the street, one hand keeping his hat on in the sudden wind-gust that had come from seemingly nowhere...

October 8, 2020

Raven III

Alek smiled at Jerome.

"I've been doing some extensive research on the recent moves within Summers Advanced Design, but I'm of the mind that the most accurate picture of what's happening will come from the people involved in the work. In the trenches, if you will. So I would absolutely appreciate a brief recap of the current state of things as well as the action items on the agenda today."

He reached down and shuffled some papers, and as he did so threw out a casual comment.

"That's also why I have interviews scheduled with a random sampling of employees at all levels of the company for later today. I like to get a good cross-section of something when I'm working on it."

October 7, 2020

Above the two young love-birds, Micah flew, oblivious to all but his own churning heart. The rains increased slightly, and the whirling hurricane-tornado-storm cylinder that surrounded the mountain-top solidified a bit. The lightning within the wall-clouds slacked just a bit.

However, the lightning attracted to his body only intensified. Now, bolts struck his wings, his back, and his chest, while they flew from his outstretched fingertips. Micah was the heart of the storm now, and the storm, like his heart, raged. Raged against injustices done upon him, against nightmares from the depth of his mind, raged against his perceived failures.

He looked like he'd be a little while up there.

October 7, 2020

Raven III

Raven nodded as Arrow and Nevermore took down the other criminals on overwatch. His gaze turned to the floor below, and as he surveyed the meeting, he realized something: There were more guards. Slowly, carefully, he reached up to his belt and keyed his headset comms, even as he moved like a shadow to a new vantage point. His voice was barely even a whisper, but both of the teenage heroes heard him clearly.

"Arrow. Nevermore. There are more guards than we thought. I'm going for one to northeast. We've got one northwest, and one each southwest and southeast. Partially hidden behind things. Ripe for picking."

Without further advice to the apprentices, he made his move.

With a maneuver more reminiscent of an owl than a corvid, the dark avenger of the innocent fell from on high. At just the right moment, he flared his cape and gave it enough charge to slow his descent. Instead of risking breaking his own bones, he simply landed with barely a sound behind the guard. Before the man could turn, one of Raven's hands shot like a snake to the man's gun-hand, ensuring he couldn't fire (as the thug at least had enough discipline to not keep his finger constantly on the trigger). His other hand whipped around to strike the man in the windpipe with just enough force to disrupt breathing and speech, but not enough to risk his life, before clamping over his mouth. And proceeding to yet again deliver an electrical charge sufficient to drop most adult humans like a sack of potatoes, at least for a few moments. The head-butt from his armored cowl to the back of the man's cranium was almost unnecessary.

Almost.

October 7, 2020

Right, sorry for the holdup.

Free Action: Raven quietly comms the other two about the watching guards.

Move Action: Raven moves to the most north-eastern thug, and (if possible to make the movement this round) drops on him to deliver a devastating blow.

-Stealth Check: 28.

Standard Action: Melee Attack: 28. That'll be a DC 24 Toughness Save vs the punch damage, and a DC 20 Fortitude Save vs the Stun effect (limited to Daze).

October 6, 2020

I'd be up for throwing Judex in the Bedlam thread if that's not too many.

October 6, 2020

By now, Micah's eyes were completely enveloped by the same green lightning-fire that formed his wings. He looked solemnly at Pan and Eira for a few moments apiece. Then he simply nodded. Without moving his arms or legs, his body rose in the air. The wind picked up and the temperature seemed to fall and spike at the same time.

Micah rose further. HIs whole body became wreathed in a thin layer of green St. Elmo's Fire, and he stretched his arms out to the sides, even as his ethereal wings stretched out further still. Suddenly, the sky boomed, and a bolt of lightning struck Micah's left wing. Electricity surged over his body. If Pan and Eira looked closer, they would see Micah's eyes spewing tiny bolts of lightning even as his mouth twisted into a snarl of rage.

Less then twenty feet from where his two friends stood, rain and sleet began to fall in sheets, extending hundreds of feet beyond, completely enveloping the mountain-top. Micah gained even more altitude, and was himself immersed in the weather. Rain quickly soaked his shirt, rendering it halfway see-through. His hair was slicked back by the wind and moisture. Sleet, and within moments chunks of hail, swirled around him in orbits like tiny moons. The ground beyond Pan and Eira's "safe zone" was hammered by merciless torrents of the same sorts of ice-chunks, many almost as large as a baseball. The clouds seemed to almost extend arms down to envelop the mountain peak; they shaped themselves into something halfway between a tornado and a hurricane, with lightning streaming all throughout the formation. Bolts kept striking Micah's wings, and as the storm raged on, small arcs of electricity snaked across his arms first, and then traced their way across his upper body. Smoke rose, and his shirt began to flash-burn at the touch of the raw power flowing over his body.

The wind raged, and the sound seemed almost an echo of a person's scream of anger and helplessness, as Micah Roebuck let loose his rage, his sadness, and his helplessness into the storm he had summoned.

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