ManyThings

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

❆ SIR ARCTICUS ❆

^{The Gold Pavilion}

^{@Estylwen@Rekkuza}

---

"Hey, boss. We delivered all the food and extra tables to floor forty-eight, and we moved the projector and folding chairs to floor twelve like you wanted, but..."

The pavilion employee scratched the back of his head lazily, holding his phone with his other hand. For all the chaos that had been unfolding in the city streets lately, his work remained pretty much the same. A few duffel bags of party supplies rested at his feet as he rode the elevator upwards, chatting with his manager all the while. He had brought those bags into the elevator, and he knew he needed to take them to the 50th floor before he could go on his break. As for the thing at the back of the elevator, though, he had no idea.

"...Where am I supposed to put the big ice sculpture?"

The frozen form of a large, armoured warrior, standing with its arms crossed, took up the back half of the rather lavish elevator. To the workman, the design looked very familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Was the sculpture for some sort of really classy anime convention? As the elevator continued its quiet ascent, the statue remained unmoving, casting its gaze downward. Even thought it lacked a face, having only a stylized helmet, it gave off the impression of being deep in contemplation.

"Who left it here? It's kind of creeping me out."

Before the man could hear any reply from his boss, the quiet chime of the elevator alerted him to the opening of the doors. He picked up the duffel bags in one hand and stepped forwards, before stopping himself. The tiny number above the doors displayed 48.

He needed to get off at 50. Had he pressed the wrong button?

"Excuse me." The employee nearly jumped out of his skin as the deep voice sounded out softly from behind him.

In the same moment, a massive shadow fell over him, as the overbearing form of the ice sculpture circled politely around him. The crystalline ringing noise of its footsteps was muffled by the fine carpets as it ducked down to fit out of the elevator door. Without another glance back at the terrified workman, it turned down the hallway and moved out of sight.

Too shocked to let out a sound, the pavilion employee stood completely frozen as the doors slid closed once more, and the elevator continued upwards.

Sir Arcticus stalked down the hall towards the meeting place, his mind still turning over the events of the previous weekend. The day before, the local villains had claimed a victory over the heroes and vigilantes, and had made off with an obscene amount of cash. Moreover, it seemed clear that Sir Arcticus had been lied to by that girl on the street as part of the villains' comprehensive plan to make their escape.

Though he had arrived at the correct bank only moments after the getaway of Solaris and his associates, he had been unable to track down any of the fleeing evildoers in the unfamiliar streets of Nova City. In the end, all that the knight had to offer the innocent and the injured were apologies and promises to continue the fight against evil.

If he wanted to make good on those promises, he couldn't do it alone. Fortune had smiled on him in that department, as not long after the end of his search, word had reached him that an old hero was taking action to turn the city's situation around.

Just as he was about to step into the meeting space, Sir Arcticus' armour changed shape. The largest spikes of the helm and pauldrons vaporized, and his entire form shrunk a bit, down to just over seven feet tall. Into the surfaces of his arms, legs, and chest, shallow embossment formed in shapes that resembled trailing Celtic knots. He had become more presentable to suit the situation, or so it seemed.

He had been prepared to fight an uphill battle against evil, but even so, the turnout at the event was unexpectedly small. The host was there, and a hero with a paramedic-like appearance was arguing with her.

"If thou lack'st the will to oppose the serpents which suffocate the people of this land, there are none here who can force thee to take up the sword." Clinking softly against the floor with each footfall, the ice knight approached the pair. "And yet, thou hast come. If naught else, this proves thine acknowledgment of the existence of a problem. Someone must fight."

The knight stood over the table where the folders on the city's villains lay. Glancing at the label of each one. Some of them had been involved in the bank robbery, he knew, but who were the others?

"I am Sir Arcticus of Skyline." He introduced himself to Doc, putting one hand to his chest and offering a slight bow. "It seemeth my presence in this city is already known to hero and villain alike."

Even as his armour was kept entirely frozen by his power, there was still the slightest amount of moisture continuously present on its surface. It was only about as much as the condensation on a cold glass of water, but it was conceivably still enough to damage paper. The knight picked up a napkin before he reached for one of the files, using the cloth to protect the paper from his frozen fingers.

The particular file Sir Arcticus had chosen to peruse was one whose name had struck him as somehow familiar. The memory of a bitter fall from grace stirred in his mind. Anathema.

In contrast to the physician who scarcely seemed to want to be here, the knight stood resolute, in complete support of the heroes' operation. Although his way of speaking was a bit absurd, there was something in his voice and manner that firmly communicated a sense of courage and reliability.

"Lady Aurealis... As long as you are pursuing a brighter future for this city, I shall aid you in any way that you request. You have my word."

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

@Estylwen are there meant to be other NPC heroes at the pavilion? I don't think there are too many actual ones left.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

Still kicking.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

❆ SIR ARCTICUS ❆

^{Street Near the Bloodsoaked Alleyway, Nova City}

^@Estylwen

---

For the police to have driven off in such a rush that they even failed to hear the booming voice of Sir Arcticus, something truly serious must have been calling their attention. The knight glanced back towards the alleyway. Was there any trace of which direction the man-eater had fled? Given his dark magic, it was quite possible that he had disappeared without leaving tracks in any particular direction. In that case, what were the chances that the officers were heading to the scene of Glutton's latest crime? They hadn't even found the remains of the gunmen in the alleyway yet, so it seemed unlikely, but perhaps he was doing something more publicly violent this time.

But even if Glutton wasn't there, it was the responsibility of a knight to respond to any incident in the city. Resolved to follow the police, Sir Arcticus, prepared to move. Frost gathered in the air around him as his armour creaked, only to settle down once more as a young woman approached him.

Although she spoke quite sedately, her words were deadly serious. As she told it, there was a bank robbery ongoing, in the direction exactly opposite to where the officers had been heading.

"Hm..!"

The knight gazed down at the girl, his frozen helm giving no hint as to what he was thinking. Brilliant blue light shimmered within the helm's eyeholes. For a moment, it seemed as though those cold flames were going to burn straight through her and expose the lie within.

"You have my thanks, young maiden. Thou'rt wise to bring this devilry to mine attentions. I shall pursue the pilferers forthwith!"

Luckily, it seemed that the icy hero had no idea he was being tricked.

The girl looked and spoke in a strange way, to be sure, but for Sir Arcticus to judge her for that would have been terribly ironic, given his own style of speech. As for the matter of the police cruiser heading in the other direction, it only meant the knight's presence at the bank was even more desperately needed! If those officers had another crime to fight, he would have to stand in for them.

Regarding Glutton, Sir Arcticus figured it was unlikely to find him at a bank. Even so, if he was needed, he would go. He would most likely have to wait for the monster to rear his head again before he could have a decent chance of finding him, anyhow.

Giving Syla an appreciative nod, the knight gazed down the road that led to Dewdeny bank.

"However, good maiden..." Frost began gathering in the air once more as he spoke, and a sharp chill filled the air. "...Did you say 'ten minutes'?"

Pale light wreathed the knight's jagged form, concentrating around his gauntlets and the space in front of him. Bystanders on the street, who up to that point had only been shooting the hero excited glances or snapping pictures on their phones, now stepped back in awe and confusion. Was he forging a weapon? Something else? Amidst the swirling light and frozen air, it was impossible to get a clear glimpse.

"I know not if you meant ten minutes on foot or in one of those horseless chariots that have become so popular in the city. But worry not!"

As the light reached its apex, even Sir Arcticus' form was completely obscured. As cold air decompressed and billowed out, it was impossible to stand near him. And yet, his voice was still quite audible, carrying over the blast.

"Sir Arcticus shall not take even one minute to come to the rescue of those people!"

In the next moment, he was gone, leaving the white-haired girl alone on the street, with tiny flakes of snow drifting around her.

As for the knight, he was already a block away. His movement was accompanied by the high ringing sound of crystallized ice striking against the road, but he was not on foot.

_{❆ Faerie War Steed of the Winter Court ❆}

BOREALIS

The knight sat astride a great mass of ice formed into the shape of a large, monstrous horse. The beast's body was almost crystal clear, but its form was covered in the same jagged plumes of ice that adorned its rider's armour. Frozen mist huffed from its nostrils and around its hooves as it carried the knight down the street at an ever-rising pace, leaving icy hoof-prints in its wake. With each movement, tiny cracks opened at the joints of its legs, neck, and tail, and in the next moment the cracks refroze, only to open again in the blink of an eye.

Syla had fooled Arcticus, no doubt, and she had sent him off on a wild goose chase, but this display was beyond what she would've been able to research about the capabilities of a hero from a different city. More than that, it was impossible based on what was publicly known about Sir Arcticus' powers. Videos and reports could be found online of him accomplishing many strange and impressive feats in Skyline City, but there was no way he was capable of creating a sentient being like this.

Of course, Borealis was not a sentient being. Each movement it made, from the twitch of its tail to the beating of its hooves, was managed by Sir Arcticus' control over ice. In essence, it was a puppet that merely appeared to be imbued with some supernatural essence of life. It doubtless would've been more efficient and simple for the hero to just ride around on a big levitating chunk of ice, but that sort of thing simply wouldn't do for a knight!

And now that he had taken the time to learn to create and manipulate the Faerie War Steed of the Winter Court, it was as easy as riding a bicycle.

Thanks to the passage of the police with their sirens on, the road immediately before the Hoarfrost Horseman was relatively clear of cars, with many still pulled over. As his noble steed picked up the pace further, it far surpassed the speed limit, and in a breath the girl who had kindly warned him of the bank robbery was many blocks behind him, out of sight.

As Sir Arcticus rode down the street, blitzing past cars and leaping clear over busy intersections, he couldn't help but notice the occasional police car passing him by, all heading in the opposite direction from him. Was there some other situation ongoing in the city that required their complete focus? Did none of them know about the robbery? If that was the case, why had that young lady walked for ten minutes to find him and tell only him about it?

Trying to push doubts from his mind, Arcticus tugged on the ice-chain reins that he held in one gauntlet, urging his steed forward as he focused on navigating Nova City's unfamiliar streets. A bank ought to stand out, he reasoned.

Borealis' speed had now risen far beyond the capabilities of any vehicle on the road. Weaving seamlessly between cars, its trail left a surge of cold wind behind.

Mere moments later, the knight found his objective. A squat, stone building that had clearly been designed to radiate a sense of reliability and security.

Coming to a stop near-instantly, Borealis and its rider were immediately shrouded in a cascade of mist and light snow. True to his word, not even a minute had passed since he had first learned of the threat to the people at the bank. In a brilliant flash, a twelve foot long polearm of jagged ice appeared in the knight's free hand, pointed skyward. It was a mighty entrance, aimed to strike fear into the hearts of any evil-doer who caught a glimpse. As Sir Arcticus looked around, though...

A warm breeze blew across the flowers planted in front of Dewdeny Bank. Two squirrels nuzzled one another in a nearby tree. A robin landed on a lamppost overhead. The front door opened, and an elderly woman took shaky steps out of the bank, guided arm-in-arm by her grandson. They stopped when they saw the lance-wielding warrior, looking a bit startled, as if he was the most exciting thing they'd seen so far in their day.

The hero breathed a sign of relief at the serene state of the bank. He let the polearm disintegrate in his hand. Then, he thought for a moment, and his heart sank. Was he at the right place? Had his sense of direction failed him in this new city? But this really was Dewdeny Bank! Had he misheard the young woman? Or had she misremembered which bank to send him to? Tugging at the reins, Sir Arcticus turned his horse around and tried to judge which direction all the police vehicles had been heading in. Just as quickly as he had appeared at Dewdeny Bank, he was off again, aiming to get it right this time. At that moment, all Sir Arcticus could say for certain was that something was happening today.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

Ok this is pretty funny. Stay tuned to find out if Sir Arcticus will be fooled!

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

Yep that's fine. I don't have a post cooking right now. I was going to wait until all the villains had posted again but if you're posting multiple times I might post sooner.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

@Estylwen are you planning to make moves with Ethan again or just to advance other parts of the situation?

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

❆ SIR ARCTICUS ❆

^{Bloodsoaked Alleyway, Nova City}

---

Suffocated under corruption and violence, Nova City was in dire need of someone endowed with unshakable virtue. Someone with the strength of arms to take action against the most foul evils that crept beneath the city's surface. In such times, a knight was needed. It was not unfamiliar territory for him. He was ready and willing to answer the call.

Only this time, he had been too late.

The armoured figure stood terribly still, the pale blue surface of his form glinting under the bright sun. His form was tall, broad, and angular, standing nearly nine feet tall if one counted the mane-like plume of icicles that crowned his helm. Indeed, his entire body was covered with jagged formations of ice that concealed every bit of his flesh. His face, too, was hidden behind a mask, betraying nothing as he gazed upon the mutilated corpses before him.

The men were dead. Many pieces of them were gone entirely, but enough remained that the knight was quite certain these were the ones he had been seeking. They were meant to have been brought to justice, to admit their heinous deeds, beg the forgiveness of their victim's family, and spend their lives attempting to make things right. But instead--

<sub>GLUTTON WAS HERE. YOU ARE WELCOME PEOPLE OF NOVA CITY :)

P.S. THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO THEIR VICTIM</sub>

Just above the mess of mangled limbs and viscera, a small note had been stuck to the wall in the alley. The handwriting was rather big. The knight didn't need to approach any closer to understand. His boots remained planted just beyond the threshold, only a few inches from the freshly pooled blood.

Glutton. It rang a bell. A blurry image of a nightmarish cannibal sprang to mind. They had never met one another in person, but the knight had some sense of who he was dealing with. If these were the sorts of people patrolling the streets of Nova City, then he had certainly been right in his decision to journey here. More than ever, a knight was needed.

The knight quit the alley and returned to the nearby street. With each footfall, his frozen boots made a high-pitched clink against the concrete below. The sound attracted the eyes of passersby, and there were even a few young people whose eyes lit up with wonder and recognition at the sight of the cold cavalier. The knight's gaze, however, fell quickly onto a pair of police officers who were hurriedly climbing into their patrol car. They were unaware, it seemed, of the corpses that lay just around the shadowy corner. He raised a glacial gauntlet in greeting.

"Ho there, honourable guards! I must give to thee an account of a matter most grim!"

His booming call filled the entire street. And yet, the officers only flicked on their sirens and hastily drove off.

...Was something else happening today?

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

SIR ARCTICUS

The True Visage which Lieth Beneath yon Glacial Helm!

Name:
Tom Kay

Alias:
Sir Arcticus, The Frozen Shield, The Cold Winter's Knight, _{Dragonsbane, Champion of the Meek, The Warm-Hearted Snowman, a very ice guy}

Alignment:
Hero

Powers/Abilities:
- Shining Boon of the Winter Faeries: Sir Arcticus can conjure and control the forces of ice, snow, and cold. His rather powerful cryogenic abilities enable him to both produce wide-scale effects and freeze specific things. There are probably all sorts of applications, but he generally seems to keep the uses of his ability strictly on-theme with his flamboyant knightly aesthetic. He always goes into battle equipped with armour made of ice, and he can summon various weapons in a flash. Moreover, he is capable of creating ice with extreme hardness and density superior to steel.
- Prodigious Might of the Frozen Champion: Sir Arcticus' strength and speed rise massively when it comes to holding or moving cold/frozen objects. Such items are practically weightless to him, regardless of size. Thus, when clad in a suit of icy armour and wielding a frozen weapon, he moves with blinding speed and strikes with overwhelming force.
- Knight's Unbroken Constitution: Sir Arcticus possesses an extremely sturdy body, even beneath his armour. Of course, he is obviously impervious to extreme cold, but he also possesses heightened vitality and resilience to injury and other effects that would impact his health. His strength and agility are also improved somewhat beyond the human peak.

Weaknesses:
- Dreadful Dragonfire: Do you even need to ask? Extreme heat, such as from a flame, can cause Sir Arcticus' icy constructs to melt. He is capable of extreme cold, so he can prevent his equipment from becoming liquid if he continuously focuses his power into it, but the durability of his ice will be reduced. Naturally, the hotter it is, the more severe the effect on his ice will be.
- As Fleeting as a Maiden's Kiss: Life is a temporary thing. It is said that the adventures of this snowy cavalier will one day come to an end without the slightest warning. As quickly as he once appeared, so shall he be carried away on the Northern wind. What does this mean, exactly? No one knows, but Sir Arcticus encourages everyone to make the most of each day they are blessed with.

Personality:
Fiery, boisterous sort of hero. A self-described "Man Out of Time", Sir Arcticus speaks in the archaic manner of a fantasy knight. Indeed, he seems not to recognize many pieces of modern technology, such as "horseless carriages" and so forth. Is he joking? Or doing some sort of bizarre roleplay? Or is he simply insane? In any case, he's a very chivalrous sort who always prioritizes protecting women and children. His exact relationship with the law and with fellow heroes is sometimes shaky, but he reliably stands in opposition to gutless knaves (violent criminals) and wicked tyrants (supervillains). He's an extremely flashy guy, although he rarely accepts interviews and guards his identity quite closely.

Background:
By chance, a fierce storm fell upon Skyline City last year. Many buildings were damaged, homes suffered massive floods, and nearly the whole city lost power. Worse yet, this chaos initiated a spree of lootings and attacks by superhumans throughout the city.

In the midst of all this, a man in frost-covered armour appeared. He worked tirelessly through the day and night, ferrying many families to safety on icy rafts, defending homes from the rampaging villains, and even preventing a mass escape from the city's largest superhuman prison. Tales of the frozen knight quickly spread among rescued citizens. Many heroes took part in the rescue operations, but when the wind had settled down by the next sunrise, Sir Arcticus was the name on everyone's lips.

In the following months, Sir Arcticus made frequent appearances in Skyline and beyond, quickly becoming known for his cheery nature, his gentle approach to conflict, and his fierce spirit. Despite all this, he has no association or registration with any group, and his identity remains completely unknown.

A Knight's Most Secret Tale. Not For the Faint of Heart.

Athletic and sociable, Tom had enjoyed a happy childhood. Without the money or the grades for a secondary education, he found work as a painter, and after years of effort he was able to become the owner of his own painting business. Through this, he earned himself a pleasant life, and even ended up getting married and having children with his wife, Jenna. As he continued to work tirelessly and grow his business, Tom held no greater goal in his heart than to make enough money to be able to offer his son and his daughters better opportunities than had been within his reach as a boy.

His own heart was the very thing that got in the way. At age 31, Tom was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare and deadly cardiovascular condition. His remaining time, so the doctors told him, was very short. Tom had dreamed of growing old and watching his children grow into beautiful adults. That was now little more than an impossible dream. Taking the situation in stride as best as he could, he left everything he had to Jenna and, rather than seek expensive procedures or accept his death, he volunteered for an experimental program in Skyline City. He would be preserved, frozen in ice and left in a state of living death for years. If the experiment was a success, it would be possible to revive him at a future time when treatment of his condition was a possibility. His last promise to his family was that he would return to see their smiling faces someday. Then he, along with a dozen others, were put to an icy sleep in cryogenic biomonitor pods.

That was sixty years ago.

When a storm took out power to the hospital in Skyline City, the sudden switch to generator power jolted Tom awake, and his pod suddenly failed. Awakening to a futuristic world in a time of crisis, he took action. For reasons beyond his understanding, he had gained supernatural power over ice after emerging from his stasis. He used this now power as best as he could to save lives. Moreover, he took on the role of a knight to inspire courage in the frightened people he encountered during the storm.

In the aftermath of this, Tom had the opportunity to return to his pod. His condition still had no cure, and his superhuman nature did nothing to improve his prognosis. Rather than be frozen again, Tom chose to seek his family, to finally make good on his promise. But although he had hope to at least see his youngest daughter, not a single member of his family was left alive.

Neither modern medicine nor the cryogenic pod held any promise of showing Tom a future he cared to see. There was nothing left for him to look forward to except his impending heart failure. And so, he decided to live in the present. To play the hero as long as he was able. At least then, he might see somebody's smiling face.

Affiliations:
No known associates.

Motivations:
Chivalry! (Joy)

Relationships:
No known associates.

Base of Operations:
A small hideout in Skyline City.

Signature Gear:
Of course, the knight always sports his armour. That aside, he summons all sorts of icy weapons. With ice, anything is possible! Except first-aid. Sir Arcticus has an actual first-aid kit packed away beneath his armour and it is definitely not made of ice. He has also been recorded calling 9-1-1 before, so he definitely has a cell phone of some sort, but he insists he doesn't understand how those arcane devices work.

Public Perception:
A mysterious and brave hero! Popular with schoolchildren. Some die-hard superhero fans find his name and manner of speaking a bit too goofy, though. Sir Arcticus is instantly recognizable when he appears on the scene, and often inspires a palpable sense of courage and relief among civilians whenever he galavants his way into a dangerous situation.

Combat Style:
Honourable! If someone is in danger, Sir Arcticus will rush in without hesitation to rescue them. Outside of those situations, though, he always appears in a flashy manner, openly declaring himself to the enemy and commanding them to surrender themselves. He'll never harm a villain until he's given them that opportunity. When it comes to actual combat, Sir Arcticus fights boldly and with great finesse. He generally engages at close range, but his access to various ice-based tools make him terribly unpredictable. His commitment to fighting honourably may sometimes hamper his options, but as a result he has come to be incredibly experienced and skilled in direct battle against other superhumans.

Calling All Heroes and Villains!

@Archazen Awesome! I definitely see what you were talking about.