Natty

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Illyana held firm as the subway worker stumbled away into the darkness, harnessing the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak as best as she could in order to keep her prisoner at bay. It squirmed viciously from side to side, the bands searing around the demon’s limbs and singing the cloak that covered him. Despite her efforts, she knew she was working on borrowed time here; the demon was too strong to be held for long. All she needed was enough time to get it alone.

She still wasn’t entirely sure which layer of hell this demon had escaped from. Her mentor had sensed the presence of a rift to the underworld opening and had Illyana portal to the scene of the crime immediately. Rather than a creepy old cult as she had expected, it turned out to be the result of a group of ill-advised college students stumbling across an old tome and getting too curious for their own good. Thankfully they’d been quick enough to stop a full gateway to hell opening in downtown Manhatten, however one or two of the bastards had still slipped through.

Strange had deemed her ready enough to chase after this one herself whilst he dealt with the other. However, as she stood here wrestling with it, her mind was filled with nothing but doubt.

It was this doubt that finally caused the fiery tendrils to finally break. The demon roared as it lurched forwards, wrenching its arm free which it then used to claw away the rest of its entrapments. Illyana stumbled backwards as her spell faded, her usual emotionless face now sporting a look of terror. She lurched her staff forward as the demon turned towards her, letting loose a bolt of radiant energy from its tip.

It ducked with ease. Despite its size, it was fast.

She fired again, taking a step backwards. Another miss.

The demon grew closer.

Before she could fire a third, her foot struck the track below her feet, causing her to fall. She let out a shriek as her back hit the metal of the ruts, yet before she could react further, she caught a flash of the creature’s red cloak above her. It was making its move. She barely had enough time to move the body of her staff in front of her, before the demon lunged down at her. The beast’s claws bore down on the obsidian rod, with Illyana using all of her strength to keep it raised and the creature off of her. It snarled down at her as she held it back, the stench of its breath wafting over her.

Her body ached as the beast weighed down on her. Just like before, she couldn’t hold the demon for long. Nor could she cast another spell whilst in such a state.

Thankfully she came equipped with other gifts.

Taking a breath, the floor beneath her illuminated in a warm yellow glow, as she sank downwards into the floor.

As the demon slumped downwards onto the tracks in confusion, the yellow light illuminated once more from the tunnel’s ceiling from which Illyana began to fall. Her body spun as she moved through the air as she focused. The radiant energy she had been blasting from her staff began to build once more, with the forked prongs of her weapon glowing in light.

Then as she neared her target, she swung.
The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous. The demon was launched down the tunnel several metres, scraping along the floor before colliding heavily against a wall, the bricks around its impact beginning to crumble immediately.

Illyana felt her heart leap a little. She’d done it! Yet, as quickly as the beats rose, they once more sank, as the demon’s body quickly began to stir once more. It launched out a fist from beneath its cloak, angrily striking the wall behind it. Letting out a roar, it lunged from where it sat, bounding up onto all fours before beginning to race towards her.

Illyana froze as it moved, not knowing what to do. If that last strike hadn’t done much, what else could she throw at it?

As if to answer her question, the screeching whistle of a subway train echoed from a nearby tunnel.

Gritting her teeth and saying a silent prayer, she opened another stepping disc. The distant screech of the subway train’s wheels was no longer distant, as the locomotive erupted out of the yellow light and into the tunnel. The demon had no time to move as the train rocketed through him, with the racketing of the carriage covering up the sound of its body being ripped to shreds.

Illyana simply watched in stunned horror as the train somehow managed to gain balance on the track and race away down the tunnel, quickly leaving her alone in the darkness. Her eyes took in the bloody carnage that seemed to be what remained of the beast’s body. A chump of darkened grey flesh. Shreds of red fabric. It was certainly gone.

She leaned forwards, hand resting on her stomach as she fought to catch her breath again after everything, her heart still racing. She could only pray that her actions weren’t about to cause a massive collision somewhere down the train line.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Now that Christmas is done I have some more free time! Hoping to have a post or 2 up this week to finish off my first introductory arc!

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Normally this time of night on a Friday, John King would already be three pints deep at his local dive bar, swapping the same old stories he always repeated and reminiscing on the same exes he also moaned “got away.” Sadly rent was on the up, meaning less time for drinking away his problems, and more time begrudgingly working all of the overtime he could muster. As a result, tonight the lowly engineer found himself down in the darkened subway tunnels beneath New York City, his hands tinkerings with one of the signalling posts, as the sounds of clattering train carriages rocketed the tunnels around him.

Normally the work itself wasn’t too bad. He’d spend some time on each signal, chatting leisurely with his partner, yet today he had been abandoned. So instead he worked alone, headphones in and blaring music into his ears, as he audibly grumbled about his plights in life.

It was because of this that John was too distracted to hear that something was currently moving down the darkened train tunnel towards him.

The being moved slowly, keeping to the darkness as it eyed its prey. The hiss of its tongue escaped from under the blood-red cloak that encapsulated its body.

John continued to work away as it crept closer, his eyes fixated on the multimeter in his hands. He was oblivious.

Closer and closer it moved. A low growl began to echo as the glint of teeth began to pierce out of the darkness below its hood.

Closer and closer until it was ready.

John let out a gut-wrenching scream as a burning erupted from his back, as the beast began to sink in its claws. He fell, agony sweeping through him as his both seized up. He barely managed to turn his head up to look at the monstrosity before him. The pair of rolling, mad eyes; the pig-like snout, twitching and quivering in his direction; and the drooling mouth, saliva
hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. Whatever this beast one, it seemed to stand tall on its hind legs, with one muscle arm emerging from the confines of its cloak, his scythe-like claws now dripping in what he could only imagine was his own blood.

And it was hungry for him.

He struggled backwards as fast as he could, fighting through the pain as it towered above him, stepping forwards menacingly. It was enjoying this. Enjoying the hunt. Wiping the blood away with the cloak, it readied itself to strike.

Yet before it could swing, a shout echoed around the corridor. Over the sounds of the trains in the neighbouring tunnels. Over the sounds of John’s screams. Piercing their ears as if reality itself was shouting.

The tunnel illuminated a fiery red light as bands of crimson energy rocketed towards them from the darkness. They withered like snakes around the beast, ensnaring the creature’s raised arm and its upper torso, tightening as they burned into its skin. They overwhelmed him immediately despite their strength. It tried to lunge forward against its victim but found itself stuck in place.

It roared, shaking its body from side to side as it attempted to turn and lay eyes on its attacker.

It didn’t take long for her to step into view, however. She moved confidently despite her small frame. Her hair was a mess of blonde, with a scruffy fringe covering the entirety of her forehead. Her clothes followed suit; a torn band t-shirt and ripped jeans, topped off by a pair of dusty military boots.

At a first glance, there wasn’t anything too intimidating about her. That was if it weren’t for the obsidian staff she hand clutched within her hands. She pointed it forward with a fury, with the end blaring in a combination of vibrant reds and oranges, the crimson bands themselves originating here. They were hers to control, and thus, now was the beast.

Momentarily, her eyes flicked to the left, where John still lay in a now growing puddle of his own blood.

“Run.” Illyana Rasputina ordered. “This demon is mine.”

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

I'm going to be working on my post over the next few days.

Like several have already said, I feel a nice search/rescue would work as the first event! Whether Magik directly responds to this initial one will probably depend on it's scale though honestly! At the very least will be on the sidelines as Strange does stuff (if he deems it worthy of their pay grade)

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

<Snipped quote by Retired>
Should've mentioned this way sooner, but the X-Men themselves are available for someone to write about!

@Mao Mao

Just making sure I'm interpreting this right; are you just playing Charles/Erik and the school's staff, not the actual X-men team? or am I misunderstanding?

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

Let me know if you want help figuring out how to format the character sheet so it looks like the others. I know it can be tricky if you aren't familiar with the Guild's coding.

@Retired

Just to add to this slightly, you may want to update how the sheet is displayed within the original post here. I had issues getting the empty sheet through quoting it, and had to get it from someone else's post! Unless I'm being dumb and there's a much easier way to get it that I missed.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

M A G I K

---

^{_{I L L Y A N A R A S P U T I N A ♦ E X - D A U G H T E R O F B E L A S C O ♦ W A R D O F T H E S O R C E R O R S U P R E M E}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

---

^{"For many years a man named Belasco tried to bury me. But I demanded to grow."}

At the age of six Illyana Rasputina found herself taken from her comfy home at her family's farm in Russia, and transported to the fiery hellscape that is the realm of Limbo. There she found herself imprisoned by the man known as Belasco, who claimed her as his daughter. There she spent the next seven years of her life, with her tormentor turning Illyana into his cursed weapon. He trained her in the arcane arts, corrupting her soul and drawing her deeper into his clutches. His downfall came however when he attempted to teach her the art of creation magic. Illyana's own life force energy formed the Soulsword, a powerful weapon that gave Illyana enough power to use her sorcery to escape from Limbo and return to the mortal world.

As a teenager raised in the depths of purgatory, Illyana struggled to readjust to life, turning away from her family, as well as other mutant safe-havens, and venturing off on her own. During this time, she caught the attention of one Stephen Strange, this realm's Sorcerer Supreme for the last 15 years. Having traced her from the magical energy she had been exerting, he took her in, giving her a home at the Sanctum Sanctorum. There she became his ward, honing the magical abilities Belasco had so brutally engraved into her. She sheathed her Soulsword, no longer needing the blade, and instead formed a new extension of her soul; the Soulstaff.

She has been in Strange's care for a few months now, with the Sorcerer Supreme only recently deciding to begin to bring her along on some of his mystical cases.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

---

I'm aware I've done this before, but I do plan to take this concept in a slightly different direction this time. I want to focus a bit more on the dynamic of Magik and Strange, with the duo working on a series of magical cases, which can allow for some potentially fun collaborations with other players. Given Magik's status as a mutant, I also hope I can collaborate with some of the other X-Men players in the future.

Following are the key characters I intend to make use of:

♦ Doctor Stephen Strange: The current Sorcerer Supreme, Strange became a surrogate father and teacher to Illyana after her time in Limbo, helping her hone her magical abilities. He has operated as the Sorceror Supreme for about 15 years, although initially, this was a secret to anyone not within the magical community. His first public appearance was during the Chituri invasion where he assisted in the fight within New York. Whilst he has assisted the Avengers on a few occasions, he kept to himself over the years, avoiding the public eye as best as he could.

♦ Wong: Doctor Strange's loyal assistant, Wong runs and cares for the Sanctum Sanctorum. This loyalty extended to Illyana once she made the Sanctum her home, and in time a friendship between the two blossomed.

♦ Belasco: A being of pure hate, Belasco is the ruler of Limbo and the being who trapped Illyana there for the majority of her childhood.

Following are characters who whilst I am planning on using/interacting with, I am by no means claiming as my own. If some of these are claimed, I would love to possibly collaborate in the future!

♦ Piotr Rasputin AKA Colossus

♦ Megan Gwynn AKA Pixie

♦ Parker Robbins AKA The Hood

More to follow...

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

Epilogue

The roar of the fire illuminated the study, bathing Illyana Rasputina and its contents in a warm yellow light. It gave her a sense of comfort, which was especially needed given the circumstances. It wasn’t often that you found yourself in the home of a powerful sorcerer; although such events were sadly not as rare for Ilyana as she would have liked.

As her worries began to build within her, her eyes moved around the room, seeking a distraction. An exit strategy. The room was cluttered, lined with grand bookcases and cabinets, filled to the brim with dusty-looking tomes and trinkets that glistened in the room’s glow. She’d seen such rooms before down in Limbo. There the items on display were spoils of war; looted or stolen from the dead. Here the items seemed more like mere momentos. An antiquer’s collection. She didn’t know which one she hated more.

Between the ancient vases and eerie mirrors, however, there was one such item that did catch her attention. Its jagged edges and furiosity reminding her more of the previously mentioned spoils. The shield was a fearsome thing, with a surface of gold-like scaly snake-skin. The face it depicted glared at her in anger, its eyes holding a rage she was all so familiar with. It didn’t take Ilyana long to piece together who it was after taking in the tendrils of snakes that made up the face’s hair.

The sudden appearance of a voice behind her caused her to tremble slightly.

“Don't worry, the fixtures are warded. There's no chance of you turning to stone.”

She turned to see the master of the house standing patiently in the doorway. He was still dressed in the same blue robes as when he had initially encountered her a few hours ago, with a vibrant red cloak encapsulating him, billowing dramatically despite the lack of wind. As this realm’s Sorceror Supreme, Ilyana had expected him to be a man that radiated power, and whilst yes, there was an element of that to him, there was also something gentle here too. Maybe it was his eyes? They had surely seen war and battle, but there was a goodness there.

As he took a step into the room, she saw that clutched in his hands was a small mug of seemingly steaming brown liquid, the words World’s #1 Wizard in red letters on its side. She simply returned a cautionary look in response.

He merely continued speaking.

“It's the Aegis.” He explained, gesturing now to the shield itself. “The Goddess Athena's very own shield. Well. A duplicate of her very own shield. You couldn't imagine how many of these crop up over the years.” He offered a chuckle at that last bit. Illyana made a slight note to question it in the future if the occasion ever arose.

“Do you like it?” He asked, turning back towards.

The question hung between them for several moments. Because what could she really say?

She’d heard the story of Medusa long ago, found within several of the great old books within Limbo’s libraries. It was a tale of a hero slaying a great beast. There were many others like them. History was filled with them. Yet this particular story had stuck with Ilyana when she had initially read it. Because in the end, what kind of beast was she really? Cursed and warped by the Gods for an act she played such a little part in? An act which Poseidon managed to receive absolutely no consequences for.

It stung. The story was unfair. Was this how the world viewed people like her? People like Ilyana.

So she let the question hang instead, keeping her silence.

Thankfully the doctor before her had the good sense not to press her further for an answer. Looking down at her he simply nodded. Was there some kind of understanding there? Pity? She couldn’t guess.

His next comments however caught her by surprise, with it shifting the tone entirely.

“Now, I hope you're hungry. I didn't know what you liked so I got Wong to grab one of everything from the deli.” He guided her out of the room as he spoke, gesturing before him with hands. “We have a feast on our hands!”

Ilyana managed a smile as she walked. Maybe things would be different here.

P O S T C A T A L O G:

---

This section is not necessary, but a procedural listing of your linked posts will make it much easier and more convenient for all involved.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

after a busy weekend of christmas parties and concerts, finally got around to finishing my sample!

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay [CLOSED]

This may look familar...

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

M A G I K

---

^{_{I L L Y A N A R A S P U T I N A ♦ E X - D A U G H T E R O F B E L A S C O ♦ W A R D O F T H E S O R C E R O R S U P R E M E}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

---

^{"For many years a man named Belasco tried to bury me. But I demanded to grow."}

At the age of six Illyana Rasputina found herself taken from her comfy home at her family's farm in Russia, and transported to the fiery hellscape that is the realm of Limbo. There she found herself imprisoned by the man known as Belasco, who claimed her as his daughter. There she spent the next seven years of her life, with her tormentor turning Illyana into his cursed weapon. He trained her in the arcane arts, corrupting her soul and drawing her deeper into his clutches. His downfall came however when he attempted to teach her the art of creation magic. Illyana's own life force energy formed the Soulsword, a powerful weapon that gave Illyana enough power to use her sorcery to escape from Limbo and return to the mortal world.

As a teenager raised in the depths of purgatory, Illyana struggled to readjust to life, turning away from her family, as well as other mutant safe-havens, and venturing off on her own. During this time, she caught the attention of one Stephen Strange, this realm's Sorcerer Supreme for the last 15 years. Having traced her from the magical energy she had been exerting, he took her in, giving her a home at the Sanctum Sanctorum. There she became his ward, honing the magical abilities Belasco had so brutally engraved into her. She sheathed her Soulsword, no longer needing the blade, and instead formed a new extension of her soul; the Soulstaff.

She has been in Strange's care for a few months now, with the Sorcerer Supreme only recently deciding to begin to bring her along on some of his mystical cases.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

---

I'm aware I've done this before, but I do plan to take this concept in a slightly different direction this time. I want to focus a bit more on the dynamic of Magik and Strange, with the duo working on a series of magical cases, which can allow for some potentially fun collaborations with other players. Given Magik's status as a mutant, I also hope I can collaborate with some of the other X-Men players in the future.

Following are the key characters I intend to make use of:

♦ Doctor Stephen Strange: The current Sorcerer Supreme, Strange became a surrogate father and teacher to Illyana after her time in Limbo, helping her hone her magical abilities. He has operated as the Sorceror Supreme for about 15 years, although initially, this was a secret to anyone not within the magical community. His first public appearance was during the Chituri invasion where he assisted in the fight within New York. Whilst he has assisted the Avengers on a few occasions, he kept to himself over the years, avoiding the public eye as best as he could.

♦ Wong: Doctor Strange's loyal assistant, Wong runs and cares for the Sanctum Sanctorum. This loyalty extended to Illyana once she made the Sanctum her home, and in time a friendship between the two blossomed.

♦ Belasco: A being of pure hate, Belasco is the ruler of Limbo and the being who trapped Illyana there for the majority of her childhood.

Following are characters who whilst I am planning on using/interacting with, I am by no means claiming as my own. If some of these are claimed, I would love to possibly collaborate in the future!

♦ Piotr Rasputin AKA Colossus

♦ Megan Gwynn AKA Pixie

♦ Parker Robbins AKA The Hood

More to follow...

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

Epilogue

The roar of the fire illuminated the study, bathing Illyana Rasputina and its contents in a warm yellow light. It gave her a sense of comfort, which was especially needed given the circumstances. It wasn’t often that you found yourself in the home of a powerful sorcerer; although such events were sadly not as rare for Ilyana as she would have liked.

As her worries began to build within her, her eyes moved around the room, seeking a distraction. An exit strategy. The room was cluttered, lined with grand bookcases and cabinets, filled to the brim with dusty-looking tomes and trinkets that glistened in the room’s glow. She’d seen such rooms before down in Limbo. There the items on display were spoils of war; looted or stolen from the dead. Here the items seemed more like mere momentos. An antiquer’s collection. She didn’t know which one she hated more.

Between the ancient vases and eerie mirrors, however, there was one such item that did catch her attention. Its jagged edges and furiosity reminding her more of the previously mentioned spoils. The shield was a fearsome thing, with a surface of gold-like scaly snake-skin. The face it depicted glared at her in anger, its eyes holding a rage she was all so familiar with. It didn’t take Ilyana long to piece together who it was after taking in the tendrils of snakes that made up the face’s hair.

The sudden appearance of a voice behind her caused her to tremble slightly.

“Don't worry, the fixtures are warded. There's no chance of you turning to stone.”

She turned to see the master of the house standing patiently in the doorway. He was still dressed in the same blue robes as when he had initially encountered her a few hours ago, with a vibrant red cloak encapsulating him, billowing dramatically despite the lack of wind. As this realm’s Sorceror Supreme, Ilyana had expected him to be a man that radiated power, and whilst yes, there was an element of that to him, there was also something gentle here too. Maybe it was his eyes? They had surely seen war and battle, but there was a goodness there.

As he took a step into the room, she saw that clutched in his hands was a small mug of seemingly steaming brown liquid, the words World’s #1 Wizard in red letters on its side. She simply returned a cautionary look in response.

He merely continued speaking.

“It's the Aegis.” He explained, gesturing now to the shield itself. “The Goddess Athena's very own shield. Well. A duplicate of her very own shield. You couldn't imagine how many of these crop up over the years.” He offered a chuckle at that last bit. Illyana made a slight note to question it in the future if the occasion ever arose.

“Do you like it?” He asked, turning back towards.

The question hung between them for several moments. Because what could she really say?

She’d heard the story of Medusa long ago, found within several of the great old books within Limbo’s libraries. It was a tale of a hero slaying a great beast. There were many others like them. History was filled with them. Yet this particular story had stuck with Ilyana when she had initially read it. Because in the end, what kind of beast was she really? Cursed and warped by the Gods for an act she played such a little part in? An act which Poseidon managed to receive absolutely no consequences for.

It stung. The story was unfair. Was this how the world viewed people like her? People like Ilyana.

So she let the question hang instead, keeping her silence.

Thankfully the doctor before her had the good sense not to press her further for an answer. Looking down at her he simply nodded. Was there some kind of understanding there? Pity? She couldn’t guess.

His next comments however caught her by surprise, with it shifting the tone entirely.

“Now, I hope you're hungry. I didn't know what you liked so I got Wong to grab one of everything from the deli.” He guided her out of the room as he spoke, gesturing before him with hands. “We have a feast on our hands!”

Ilyana managed a smile as she walked. Maybe things would be different here.

P O S T C A T A L O G:

---

This section is not necessary, but a procedural listing of your linked posts will make it much easier and more convenient for all involved.

Age of Marvels - A Marvel Comics Roleplay

Contemplating the following honestly, although will be different than my previous plans

Hider