GranspearZX

I'm always up for GMing, whether it's new players or old. Don't have a real preference on story type, though I'd really like to try my hand at the more magically inclined of the PC populace.

It'd be an interesting thing to explore with Arcturus, what with the very much Earth-based origins of his magic. I'd be interested, sure.

Initiative: 1d20+5=19

Marcus's expression when the word 'armor' was mentioned went blank. ...nah, it couldn't be... Rage washed over him. More than anything, he was angry at himself for being so stupid. Marcus knew what they had found--he had, after all, been the one to discard it. He tried to neutralize it, tried to seal it... One day he tossed it and didn't think anything of it afterward. He wasn't sure what he was thinking when he did it. There had been so much going on at the time that he'd forgotten all about it. Before he could say anything about it, Amy spoke up; from there, the situation rapidly began to deteriorate. The prodding of the Beast Rune became a dull, constant throbbing in his head as he turned to face her. Marcus's gaze turned to Goodman and Lucy for a brief moment; he almost looked apologetic. "...this is about to get weird. Just warning you." From there, the Beast Rune flared to life on his back, filling its host with magical energy. Thankfully, most of his transformation was cloaked in darkness, but it was hard to miss the flashes of eldritch light lancing off of his ever-growing form.

Marcus started to speak again, but Lucy spoke up. He was actually relieved that she did; he was well aware that the Cult of the Beast Rune often made him act irrationally, and this time was no different. Hers was a more diplomatic approach, and it helped to curb the urge to tear everything down by hand. Down in the tunnel, he couldn't see much--the flashlight helped, but untransformed, Marcus's vision was unremarkable. "Don't you think you should've called a professional? An archeologist or something?" He paused, frowning as the sudden whiff of magical energy hit his nose. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what sort of magic it was, but just knowing that it was there was enough to cement Marcus's suspicions. Between that and the rather haphazard way the tunnel had been dug out, a cave-in was a possibility. It wasn't imminent, but he was certainly going to have to be careful. "...these associates will cast you aside the second they get a chance," he mentioned in a harsh whisper, rolling up his sleeves as if preparing for a fight.

Earth Sciences: 1d20+4=16 Notice: 1d20+5=13

"...wait." Marcus paused, halting his verbal rampage. Did he really not know who was taking advantage of him? He shook his head, looking pointedly at Gordon. "...you're really in over your head. Whatever you think you're doing, whatever you think you've got here, someone wants it badly. Someone dangerous." He looked at Teddy. "And you? Don't move." Looking back at Gordon, Marcus gave a nonchalant shrug. "It seems like he knows a lot more than you do."

His outrage fell on deaf ears. Marcus strode in with a very visible confidence and swagger, shoving Teddy forward towards Goodman. "I believe this belongs to you, Tex." Marcus noted the presence of the other two, acknowledging their presences with a glance before turning his attention back towards Mr. Goodman. "I don't know what you're digging for here, but I know who you're doing it for. And it's gonna stop. That's not a threat; that's a statement of fact. Given who you're in business with... consider it an act of goodwill."

Arcturus >Junk and Scrap >Psychics, Tigers, and Bears... Oh My! GM [Applied to Arcturus] >Devil In The Details

Oh, I'm sure he'd have absolutely no problem just barging right in.

There were a number of things going on in Marcus's head as he marched down the path leading to Goodman. He at least dropped Teddy--mostly because his arm was getting tired--and pointed at the hut. "Start walking." Determined not to let him out of sight, let alone out of reach, Marcus nudged him towards Goodman's hut. He wasn't sure what was going on inside, but he knew there was at least one other person besides Goodman inside. Whether or not she'd seen him was debatable, and he had no idea who to trust... yet. Playing it by ear seemed like the safest bet so far.

That's easy for you to say... Marcus's brow furrowed a little bit as Elias fumbled with the keys. He wasn't the most stealthy person in the world--moreso now than he was in his bear form at least--but he still favored a direct approach to most things. He also recognized the many problems said approach often caused, and he still wasn't entirely sure what he was getting himself into. He'd already decided that now wasn't the time for hesitation or indecision. Following Elias inside, he gently pushed the door closed behind him. For once, he found himself wishing he'd advanced enough in his training to use his ursine senses outside of his bear form, and he sincerely doubted he'd catch a whiff of anything magical anywhere in the area. Marcus didn't dare say anything either, certain someone would hear him and all hell would break loose.

For several moments, Marcus didn't say anything. Gears were turning in his head, and he was resisting the urge not to just throw Teddy across the junkyard. Instead, he grabbed Teddy's spanner and tossed it well out of arm's reach. Then he took a handful of Teddy's collar and stood up, hoisting the man off his feet. "We're gonna have a conversation with Goodman. I hope for your sake he's in a talking mood."

Marcus's heart skipped a beat. For a while, he thought he was done with them--after the last time he and Catalyst had encountered the Gauntlet, he was certain they wouldn't try anything else. It was an incredibly naive thing to think, though, and hearing mention of the cult again genuinely gave him a chill. That concern quickly turned to righteous rage. "Where is Wolfbone?" His tone indicated that not answering wasn't an option.

Marcus caught up to to the man fairly quickly and all but tackled him, bringing them both to the ground. He grabbed the guy's weapon arm and wrenched it behind his back, aiming to keep him pinned down with a knee. "...answer the question. What are you idiots digging for?! Or so help me..." With his free hand, he let the junkyard employee see his right hand spark with electricity from the Storm rune, currents running between his fingertips.

Gonna take 10 on the attack roll, which leaves the grapple (I'm assuming he's in human form for this): Grapple Check: (1d20+16=27) Followed by some old-fashioned intimidation: Intimidate: (1d20+7=25)

Initiative: (1d20+5=20) Grappling and intimidating sound like the best plans (don't wanna hurt the guy... yet...) Do I need an attack roll for the grapple and an Intimidate roll?

Being threatened didn't exactly earn the man any congeniality awards. The Beast Rune responded almost immediately, and Marcus could all but sense hostility, deception, and then panic in a matter of moments before he turned to run for the bell. "Son of a..." Marcus darted forward and his form instantly changed midstride as he reached to grab the man by the collar, hopefully before any real trouble began.

Marcus frowned, almost tuning the guy out entirely. Typically the ground in a junkyard was pretty solid--it was a dumping ground, not a digging ground. "If you're closed, a better question would be 'why are you here? But I guess I can ask your boss that myself..." He started to turn towards where the woman had gone, glancing back at the man one more time. "...unless you'd like to tell me what you're digging for here."

Notice: (1d20+5=10) Knowledge [Earth Sciences]: (1d20+4=24)

The lack of activity didn't necessarily bother Marcus, but he knew that it was out of place. Stuffing Dr. Lake's note into his jeans pocket, he watched Revenant for a moment, unsure of who exactly she was. He'd never met her before--for all he knew, she could've been Detective Chase. Either way, he was on his guard, both physically and mentally. Stealth was pretty much out the window, though he hadn't ruled out the idea of simply disappearing and coming back again. Stepping out of his vehicle, he approached the man with the rolled-up magazine. "...'ey. You in charge here?"

"You should probably give me your phone number," Marcus mused, taking his phone out of his pocket, "and maybe an address where I can reach you after I find out what's going on... shouldn't take me long." When Marcus made it to his car, he hopped into the driver's seat, tossing a half-dozen books off the passenger seat into the back. It wasn't the most glamorous thing in the world--it was riddled with rust spots and there was a tiny crack in the windshield--but it was his, and that was what mattered. From there, it was off to the junkyard...

Crusader couldn't hear what was being said. He didn't really need to; once he had slipped inside, he managed to read lips and body language well enough to get a fair estimate of what was going on. His source was right, though... there were enough guns down there to start a small war. He didn't see anything super-dangerous like RPGs, but he estimated that 90% of what was down there was illegal. He wasn't a fan of guns. It was the type of aversion that grew over time--one that only being shot at multiple times could give a person. Being shot wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, and while he didn't care to repeat it, he refused to give in to the fear or worry of having it happen again. In his experience, there were things far worse than bullets out there. Still, getting these off the streets and out of criminal hands was a priority. All he had was his shield. He had, of course, considered asking for help in the equipment department. The King of Suits seemed well versed in that sort of weaponry, and he remained one of the few heroes he knew that didn't have any special powers to aid him. It was too late for regret though... Time to dive right in.

Marcus tried not to look annoyed. He wasn't really sure what the doctor knew, but he'd heard the story of the Beast Rune from a reliable source--the Beast Rune itself. It felt like, in a sense, he'd been having a conversation with himself, and it remained one of the most surreal things he'd ever encountered from his magical birthright. "There's more to it than just carnage and violence," he said calmly, starting to walk and pausing for a moment to be sure Dr. Lake would follow. "All the rage and anger you probably read about? Probably nothing more than fear. That's where this really started... just a regular guy who was tired of being scared of the dark everything lurking in it. It wasn't his fault people tried to copy and perverse that. Lycanthropy? Just one of many consequences of not getting it... so there's really no telling if the tales you've heard are from the True Rune or just another unfortunate fake." He cleared his throat, resisting the urge to go on a rant of his own. The history of the Beast Rune was, indeed, quite a subject, and Dr. Lake had been scratching at a rather multi-faceted surface. "But I'll check this junkyard out for you, I guess. Couldn't hurt."

Marcus sighed, masking deeper frustration. He wasn't exactly a stealthy individual. Not that he wasn't capable, but even without the aggressive nature of the Beast Rune, he was much more inclined to direct confrontation. He'd done so much tiptoeing in the last few months that part of him was getting a little restless. He stuffed his free hand into his pocket and nodded. "Right. But what's in this for you exactly? You don't even know me and you're asking me to spy on someone else... as if my saying yes was some sort of foregone conclusion." He straightened up a little bit and looked squarely at the Dr. Lake. Marcus wasn't entirely sure how much the doctor knew about the Beast Rune--or him, for that matter. Just how much did the good doctor go through to actually locate him? For all he knew, he was walking into a trap. Not that he wasn't going to go to this junkyard, of course. If he and the Beast Rune had anything in common, it was that neither liked to be caged or controlled.