Impact Tower
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| Impact Tower | |
| Player: @DoctorVoid | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 28 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Bryan Tower |
| Known Aliases: | Bry, Impact, Tower |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 22 (born on 11/5/1987) |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 233 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Hazel |
| Hair Color: | Black and White |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | United States |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Place of Birth: | Paragon City, RI |
| Base of Operations: | Talos Island, Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Nico (father), Meghan (mother) |
| Known Powers | |
| Superhuman strength (see Abilities) | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Trained in fundamentals of several martial arts, able to manipulate his own ki to increase his strength to superhuman levels, extremely high pain tolerance, very high willpower, expert in baking a wide variety of pastries and confections | |
| Equipment | |
| Confidential | |
| No additional information available. | |
Impact Tower was created to be a secondary main hero among my roster. I had toyed with Tankers before (with less than stellar results), but decided to give it one more try, as the concept I had would only work, in my mind, as a Tanker. Like one of my other characters, Dr. Wretched, he was partially based on one of my favorite manga characters, at least in terms of abilities and appearance. Beyond those things, he took on a life of his own. Having made many super-powered characters, I decided it was finally time to make a character who gained his abilities (superhuman though they may seem) from years of training and practice, as well as an innate ability honed through said training. Having had all of my other heroes as the sort who jumped on the chance to make a difference with their abilities, I also decided to go a different route - the hero who is thrust into the role (which he wants no part of) by circumstance, protectiveness of his family...and tossing a Freakshow Metal Swiper into a cop car.
Contents |
Affiliations
Tower Bakery
Bryan works at the bakery owned and operated by his parents, working as a baker, delivery man, and clean-up crew as needed.
Nova Watch
Upon gaining his "official" hero license, Bryan joined Nova Watch. Since joining the group, he has made friends with many of the group's members, as well as several in AFAR, the other group in the Renascent Alliance. He has also arranged an account between the Watch and Tower Bakery; the Bakery delivers fresh pastries and confectionary delights to the Watchtower (their headquarters) every day, based on the preferences of the members of the Watch.
Recently, Bryan has parted ways with Nova Watch, as the group has drifted apart. He remains willing to assist them when they need an extra pair of arms.
Lady Reiki
Bryan encountered Lady Reiki due to her friendship with many members of Nova Watch, and due to his first visits to shows hosted by DJ's of The Cape. He quickly recognized his mother's description of one of the bakery's most frequent customers (somehow he was always working in the back when she came in prior to this), and they struck up a conversation, becoming fast friends. Bryan has been known to bring the occassional coffee cake or other pastry when he goes to Pocket D, on the chance that Reiki will be there.
First Light
Within the last year, Bryan managed to score another account for the Bakery. This time, as a test, he was asked to produce as many of the snacks on a (rather considerable) list as he could, so that Aria Notturna could sample them and decide if she wanted to set up an account. True to form, Bryan and his parents produced several items of top quality from the list, and netted themselves the account. Bryan has since become friendly with several members of First Light, including Mikuruneko Aria Notturna, and Dark Anima. He also knows Ixiie, but has not as yet had much chance to interact with her.
Personality
Bryan is an easy-going sort. He enjoys the simple things, and has only ever wanted a quiet, simple sort of life. He is quick-witted, and takes most things in stride, often seen with a hint of a smile on his face. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and family, and will act to protect them without hesitation (beyond, perhaps, forming some sort of strategy if needed). He is a bit shameless, and has been known to hit on women he's just met. Bryan is a high school dropout. Despite the ideas that this puts in many people's heads, he is quite intelligent.
Impact Tower is not comfortable with the idea of being thought of as a hero, and is not shy about telling people who refer to him as such exactly that. He has lived in Paragon his whole life, and seen some of the best and (in his opinion) worst among the heroes - that is, both the heroes who fight crime and save people because it's the right thing to do, and those who do it for fame and glory. He's seen heroes who let their powers and success go to their heads, though he'll freely admit that in recent years that number seems to have dwindled. Bryan does not like the idea that he himself could become that same way, or the idea of people blowing his abilities out-of-proportion. He does not want the fame and riches that are offered to so many rising heroes. Nevertheless, having agreed to join Nova Watch, he has decided to try and see it through to the end.
Powers
When asked (after seeing him in action or hearing a story), Bryan will tell people that he has no "superpowers". It is his opinion that with the right physical and mental training, anyone can use their ki in the same way as himself.
Abilities
Ki Manipulation
Bryan was born with an innate ability to manipulate his own ki to increase his physical strength to superhuman levels. When the talent first appeared, it was limited, but a friend of his parents recognized the potential in him and trained him in the fundamentals of at least two martial arts, as well as helping him gain total control of the ability. While the exact limit of his strength has not been documented, he has been shown to lift and throw items several times his weight.
Willpower
As a part of his training, Bryan has developed an extraordinary level of willpower. Thanks to his willpower, he is able to continue fighting despite serious injury, resist psionic manipulation to a certain degree, and exercise the aforementioned control of his ki. His willpower and ki control also allow him to heal moderately faster than the average person.
Expert Baker
Having grown up in a bake shop where he witnessed the simple pleasure that pastries and other confections can bring to people, as well as how much fun his parents seemed to have, Bryan's love of baking developed quickly. On his off time, he frequently studied and practiced how to make various treats both alongside his parents and on his own, and was personally responsible (though he never mentions it) for expanding the Tower Bakery's menu several times. Bryan has also demonstrated a more general aptitude in the kitchen, cooking meals for friends and family alike.
Equipment
Bryan only has access to several very generic pieces of equipment, as he's not much of a fan of high-tech devices. Nevertheless, he is known to make use of a base teleporter and jumpjet pack, the latter used for reaching areas of higher elevation in a hurry.
Resistant Clothing
Taking the advice of Parzifal, Bryan requested that Serge outfit him with clothing that would take more of a beating than his normal tee-shirt and jeans. Serge tried to convince him to go with a more "heroic" look, pointing out various form-fitting pieces and advanced armors; Bryan adamantly refused, and "politely" requested that he drop the idea. The result was a few items of clothing that are resistant to normal small arms fire, limited degrees of energy attack, and blades (though he's less worried about those).
1978 Suzuki GT 500
Not much of a piece of equipment these days; some months before becoming a hero, Bryan was struck by a large truck while riding his prized Suzuki on the way home from a delivery. He was wearing his helmet at the time, and thanks to his training and abilities managed to recover quickly. Unfortunately, his bike was not so lucky. It requires serious work to repair, and he has spent a considerable amount of time and money when not working in the bakery to fix it. Given his more limited schedule due to his work with Nova Watch, he has begun to consider taking it to a mechanic. Initially, he would not trust anyone else to work on the bike, a gift from his parents, and had studied up on how to take care of it.
History
Before Birth and Early Years
Bryan was always a pretty normal guy with very simple roots; his parents, Nico and Meg, discovered that Meg was pregnant with him towards the end of their senior year in high school. The couple had originally planned to go off to university, but already knew what they wanted to do: they shared a passion for baking, and wanted to open their own shop in Paragon. They were deeply in love, and strong-willed (some would say stubborn) enough to choose to pursue their dream while raising their child at the same time. Neither wished to impose on their families, despite some insistance, and decided to make it on their own. They had a small civil ceremony with a few family members and close friends in attendance, and were married just two short months after graduating high school. They took little time in looking for work, with Meg taking a job at a small bakery specializing in cakes, and Nico began work at a bread store. The couple managed to find a small apartment in King's Row and settled in. Nico began working two jobs to help pay the bills, baking cakes by day and doing work at a garage at night. It was not an easy thing, but neither was willing to give up what they had. They continued to work hard, saving as much as they could, both for the sake of their son, and their dream. The months flew by, and early the morning of November 5, 1987, Meg was rushed into the hospital in labor. Several long, painful hours later, she gave birth to a large, healthy baby boy. Neither parent was surprised at his size; the baby's kicks had been rather strong, and they'd agreed that if it was a boy, the name most fitting would be Bryan - "the strong one".
Bryan's childhood was not without its bumps in the road; it quickly became apparent when he went to school that he'd inherited his parents' fiery spirit, as well as a bit of a temper; he wound up in the principal's office within his first week of first grade for fighting. He rarely ever started the fights, most times acting in self defense, but he was also quick to stand up for his friends. Kids picked on him for a variety of things; these ranged from things their parents said about his parents (in rare cases - by and large, his parents were fairly well-liked), to his height (Bryan was always just a little taller than most of the kids his age), and other, similar childish reasons. Bryan was also a fairly bright kid; he never had straight A's, but he did well enough on his report cards to make his parents proud, as often as not. As he progressed through school, though, Bryan began hanging out with a fairly rough crowd of kids; he wasn't usually a bully, but his friends sometimes stood up to them, and they seemed to have some authority issues. Bryan's reputation became that of someone who was a bit of a rebel, yet still managed to keep his grades up despite his "cool" attitude. In junior high, he was in for even more changes.
Junior High
(More to come) (This history may be edited in the future - I'm not sure I like how it flows.)
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