GranspearZX

Arcturus "I can't complain," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "Wouldn't do me any good anyway. How about you? I don't see much of you guys since I don't live on campus anymore... I kind of miss it, actually. But my room at Parkhurst is bigger, so it works out." He really did; it was only after graduating and dealing with the Beast Rune on a more personal level that he realized just how much he was holding himself back. It was a series of lessons he wasn't going to forget any time soon.

Arcturus Arc wasn't far behind the Solar Sentinel when it came to food. He made himself a sizeable plate and nearly half of it was gone by the time he spotted Glamazon, Crimson Tiger, and Tsunami. Tsunami was really the only one he could recall having talked to for any length of time, but he'd seen the others around Claremont several times before he'd graduated in May. It seemed only fitting for him to go over and say hello. "Hey! Happy Holidays and such."

Crusader "Nice to meet you both." Crusader gave a polite smile and nod. "I'm Crusader." He'd recognized a handful of faces, including Asad--that car was pretty damn hard to miss, and significantly more impressive than the motorcycle on which he'd arrived. Even as a civilian, wasn't much for networking, so he made a far more earnest effort than he would have unmasked to be sociable, nodding in acknowledgement to the teens that had recently arrived. "Merry Christmas, ladies."

Noted! Arc's up for a bit of an overhaul anyways, and I have a LOT of unspent points... definitely going to add that.

Crusader It had been a while since Clark Noble had been anywhere near a party. With everything that had gone on in his life in the past year, he'd been trying to make extra time for himself. He'd even gone as far as using his previously untouched vacation time to take the entire fall semester off, leaving much of his coaching duties to the rest of the FDR High staff. When he received the invitation while out on a patrol, he was looking forward to attending. The red-and-white clad superhero walked into Freedom Hall in his usual costume, topped off with a particularly festive red and white Santa cap. He didn't seem too bothered by the cold outwardly, but he was glad to be out of it nonetheless.

This could get unpleasant. TOU Check [DC 31]: 1d20+11 19 Going to use Arcturus's Second Chance feat: TOU Check [second Chance, DC 31]: 1d20+11 21 ...and then we'll try burning 1 HP to reroll: TOU Check [HP Reroll, DC 31]: 1d20+11 21 +10 would give me 31; not sure what happens in a tie... because if he takes damage, I'll need a Concentration check to stay in bear form!

So Riveter (after taking a bruise from a car to the face) retaliates by picking up a rather large pipe and taking a swing at Mess: Attack [Lead Pipe]:: 1d20+10 12 Which very likely won't even hit him. TOU Check, DC 12?

"You're..." "You? More or less. Communication here is far easier than when you're in the physical world." "...so we're in my head then." "Yes. Though you probably don't remember when we met..." Marcus paused, considering. It was vague, and five years had passed, but there was something familiar about the figure's voice. It wasn't just that it sounded like his own, which was weird enough, but.... "It doesn't matter," the figure said, interrupting Marcus's thoughts. "You're finally here to claim the Beast Rune, yes?" "I... guess so?" "You should know that this task isn't a simple one. I took pity on a frightened child, but the others may not be so forgiving." "Others..." "Other beast spirits. You remember your friend Crow, yes? He did tell you that the Beast Rune is not one, but several. And the magic you possess is quite similar to the primal elements themselves... Why do you think elemental magic comes so naturally to you?" The figure sat down, legs crossed, both hands on his knees. Marcus could see the runic symbols on the gloves he was wearing: Terra and Lux: the Earth and Light runes. Marcus had to admit that it made a lot of sense. Suddenly the entire landscape where his bear spirit dwelled in his mind was perfectly logical. Beyond that, he remembered what had happened the first time he encountered the Cult of the Beast Rune. Unda, the Water Rune, reacted to the Beast Rune. Being afraid of the water was bad enough, but allowing the Beast Rune to take over didn't result in anything bad--except for a slightly freaked out sewer technician. "Ah, so you remember that. Good. That will make this easier." The bear-masked figure pointed to one of the stone arches, marked over and over again with Fulgur and Ventus: the Storm and Sky Runes. A spark flickered in the archway, swirling into a transparent portal. "This is where your first... no, your second trial begins. I suppose I would have been the first... It's good to know that my decision was not a regrettable one." "Thanks, I think." "Don't thank me yet. You may very well be stuck here if you fail. A word of caution though..." He turned slightly, watching as Marcus reached out to the portal, disappearing in a flash of light. "...huh. Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out. Poor kid's still got some growing up to do..."

November 3, 2013 “…we’ve been at this for an hour. I don’t th-“ “No, you ARE thinking. That’s the problem.†An exasperated sigh escaped the judoka’s mouth. Marcus frowned, biting back a grumble of frustration. “I get it. You’re still worried that what happened to Richard will happen to you. But mastering the Beast Rune is going to take more than just the raw strength of your bear form. You've tapped into that potential once before... you can do it again.†It had been the Master Mage himself who had turned Arcturus towards training, certainly more than he’d done at his four years at Claremont. It was rigorous to the point of being a job in and of itself, and his teacher seemed to know far more about the Beast Rune than he did. In the end, it was just a lot of philosophy, as well as an unusual fighting style that was unique to Arc’s inherited magical ability. “Juuhoukenjitsuâ€â€”the Way of the Beast King’s Fist. At first, it was nothing but forms and katas. Admittedly, Marcus thought it was utterly useless at first… until the first time he’d used it in a fight. When the mind is reeling, the body remembers its training; this was universal, and suddenly Arcturus felt he could relate to the Beast Rune in a way that he’d never done before then. Nevertheless… he was holding back. He could sense the wall he had put up ever since that fateful night on his birthday five years ago… Marcus really wasn’t sure if he was ready to bring it down. The Cult of the Beast Rune, however, was giving him very little choice. “Okay. Let’s start again.†Marcus shut his eyes. He wasn't sure how much time had passed after that. The moment he stopped concerning himself with time is when everything felt timeless. He felt a sudden rush, as if his entire body was suddenly weightless, and when he opened his eyes, the dojo was gone. In its place was a wide expanse of grassy hills, and a circle of stones that reminded him vaguely of Stonehenge. ...not exactly what I expected. "No, I suppose it wouldn't be, would it?" Marcus spun around at the sound of a voice other than his own. He paused at the sight of something oddly familiar: a figure nearly a foot taller than him, wearing a dark green robe, his face entirely covered by a ceramic bear mask. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get here."

"Nice to meet you... and Happy Holidays. Call me Arcturus." He smiled, extending a hand to shake with both Velocity and Solar Sentinel. Normally, he would have been the guy hanging out on the fringes because he didn't know anyone--or at least, he didn't see anyone he recognized right away. Recently, though, he felt far more comfortable in his own skin and around people. "Thanks for the invite," he said, looking around the decorated hall. "I hope I'm not... overdressed. I don't think my minders would've let me leave if I'd left in anything but a tie..." He smiled nervously and loosened his tie a little. "Am I early?" For a split second, Arc was distracted by the cloud of smoke. He visibly tensed, even though the Beast Rune didn't seem to consider it an issue at all. That was when he finally noticed Revenant... and 'Father Christmas'. "Nice? Me?" There was a brief moment when he had to actually consider it. He hadn't caused anyone any permanent physical harm... that counted, right? "Well... I tried. I get points for effort, right?" He chuckled, half-jokingly.

More and more since he'd graduated from high school, Marcus Irons felt out of his depth. This wasn't an entirely unfixable thing; Arcturus would tell anyone that he was a constant work in progress. He was more surprised that anyone even knew to invite him--not that he was ungrateful for the invitation, and since he wasn't going to start college classes until spring, he really had no reason to say no. The ghosts at Parkhurst were more than happy to help Marcus get properly dressed--largely because the young shapeshifter nearly walked out the door in street clothes. Marcus might've done it anyway, but after being chastised by Huxley for not properly representing the hotel for nearly ten minutes, he finally caved. The black suit and gold-trimmed tie wasn't exactly a look Marcus could complain about, and it would mostly survive his runic transformations. The only thing slightly out of place was the magical cowl on his head, but he had a feeling that it would be perfectly fine. The Freedom Hall building felt as festive as it did intimidating. He'd been on tours, but Arcturus never thought he'd be answering an invitation of any kind. He adjusted his tie and walked inside, the Beast Rune almost immediately placated by the smell of food.

Perfect! Thanks TK. In that case: Grapple (Escape): 1d20+23 34

So, Arc needs to roll to escape the grapple--or at least be unpinned. Only IC is down. In fact, it looks like the domain name expired... suggestions?

Ah! Okay then. GM post forthcoming then

TOU check [DC25]: (1d20+10=21) VERY good day for Mess indeed! Not sure how KB works exactly; in the process of looking it up!

GM Crusader was a little stunned with how quickly Mess dispatched the four men. Even as they managed to get their wits about them after the car jack was hit, Mess knocked them all unconscious in moments. He didn't quite have enough time to be impressed, however; the car suddenly flipped over onto its side and Frank "the Riveter" Mazziari stood up, rubbing at a knot forming on his forehead. "I dunno who you two are," he muttered as he stood up, "but you're both DEAD." It was impossible to tell how much of him was man and how much of him was metal. There certainly was a lot of him, though; he was easily over seven feet tall. There was no way someone like him could really hide for very long. As he stood, his left arm spouted a blowtorch like flame. If the alley back in Ashton was any indication, he wasn't shy about using his heavier artillery. Crusader didn't waste a second, charging past Mess and ramming right into the mammoth cyborg's chest, shield-first. He didn't so much as budge.

Riveter was prone, and spends this round getting up. Crusader tries to ram the Riveter with his shield: Attack Roll: (1d20+8=9) And he just kind of... bounces off. x_x Mess is up next!

Definitely enough to close the distance, and: #!: TOU Check (DC29): (1d20+10=26) #2: TOU Check (DC29): (1d20+10=22) #3: TOU Check (DC29): (1d20+10=27) #4: TOU Check (DC29): (1d20+10=28) None of them quite make it.

Arcturus >Junk and Scrap Crusader ?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>My Brother's Keeper GM/NPC ?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>My Brother's Keeper [Apply to Crusader]

Crusader sends his shield flying, not at anyone in particular... but the jack holding up the vehicle Riveter's working on. Attack Roll (ranged): (1d20+10=20) (I know I rolled earlier but it seemed fair to just roll again since... y'know, hiatus!) And it drops on him, effectively leaving him Pinned. Mess is up!

Crusader generally wasn't one for wasting time. He assessed the situation as best he could, but he still felt heated. Any attempt at composure only brought him back to the moment of rage he'd felt when he learned that his brother had been seriously hurt. Was he out for revenge or justice? Were they mutually exclusive? A calmer Clark might have considered this before leaping off the railing, arm drawn back.... The red shield soared through the air with practiced precision, but it didn't actually strike any of the four men standing around the garage. Instead, it was aimed at the jack propping the car up over the man everyone knew as the Riveter. As soon as it struck, the four men panicked, confused for a second by the sudden sound of the vehicle dropping, Riveter's rather angry yell, and the sudden arrival of not one but two costumed heroes.

Opposed Grapple: (1d20+23=34)

Arc is going to make an attempt at reversing the grapple: Attack Roll: (1d20+12=25)

C-crap... Outwardly, it looked like a battle between two unwavering giants, one with a slight advantage over the other. Arcturus, however, knew otherwise; beyond the fangs and crimson-eyes glare, he was stuck. Stunned by the fact that Gauntlet was still even around, he was still annoyed with himself for discarding and dismissing him so easily. And now here he was, even stronger than before, and he was in a REALLY bad position. And the artifact he'd come here for was slipping away. The other woman's punches ringing against Gauntlet's magical armor snapped him out of his stupor of self pity. "Hey lady! If you wanna help me, don't let her leave! I've got this." Arc's training flooded back to him slowly. He gripped both of Gauntlet's wrists and tried to power his way back up to his feet... then shifted his weight, trying to throw Gauntlet into the wall he'd been pinned against, drawing the armored golem arm behind him in a hammerlock. It wasn't the most effective thing to do against an unliving opponent, but it would give him a chance to clear his head without the magical menace breathing down his neck. "Chained? I'll see you buried. AGAIN."

Yes. However.... My internet is spotty, hence my absence this month. Probably gonna be at least another week before I get that little issue dealt with, but I do receive e-mail notifications from tagged threads, so I should be able to mostly keep up.