Cityscape
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The character of Cityscape was born out of a desire to do two things: one, play a very Silver Age character. Two, play a character who was the living embodiment of something. He was originally a Claws/Regeneration scrapper but was ditched by level 4 for his current origin and archetype. The character is very Superman inspired in terms of his abilities, but I wanted a closer connection to the role of being a hero. So instead of being an alien, I went with a very Captain America angle of a poor, honest man being gifted with amazing abilities and using those abilities for justice.
| |
| Heart of the City | |
| Cityscape | |
| Player: @thepez | |
| Origin: | Magic (Incarnate) |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Tanker |
| Security Level: | 50 (+) |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Thomas Jefferson Phelps |
| Known Aliases: | TJ, City, Scape |
| Species: | Human (Avatar) |
| Age: | 41 (46) |
| Height: | 6'2 |
| Weight: | 221 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Glowing Energy (Originally Brown) |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American Citizen |
| Occupation: | Licensed Superhero, Architect |
| Place of Birth: | Kings Row |
| Base of Operations: | Steel Canyon |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Jessica Phelps (Mother, Deceased), Benjamin Phelps (Father, Deceased) |
| Known Powers | |
| Near limitless superhuman strength, superhuman durability, flight, X-Ray vision, super hearing derived from the Citypower, the power bestowed upon him by Paragon City | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Proficient in hand-to-hand combat, knowledgeable in various academic areas, voted second best architectural designer by People Magazine in 2008 | |
| Equipment | |
| Emergency Medical Transponder, Emergency Field Resuscitation Unit, Power Suit (No longer in use) | |
| No additional information available. | |
Contents |
Affiliations
Currently None.
Character History
Cityscape has been through much in his relatively short lived career as a superhero. His life before becoming a hero and what he has been involved with since becoming once are both remarkable tales.
Before the Mantle
Born Thomas Jefferson Phelps to two loving and patriotic parents, the individual who would later be known as the famous hero Cityscape started as far from that mantle as he could. Growing up in Kings Row, Thomas was poor. His father worked in a factory and was paid little. His mother was content to take care of her pride and joy - him. Thomas was a bright kid, and studied hard. He managed to enter Steel Canyon Architectural on several academic scholarships, and graduated with a degree in Architectural Design. He soon found a job devising a way to quickly repair damage done to already-built buildings, the results of fights between superpowered individuals. Shortly afterward, he started his own company, Jefferson Design. The company grew quickly, almost overnight as repairs to buildings was an almost constant necessity in Paragon City.
The Rikti Return
The day the Rikti first returned to the streets of Paragon City was a day that would change the lives of thousands of people. For Thomas, it would be a change that would alter the rest of his. The Rikti, armed with their drop ships, began to lay waste to the city. She cried out in pain, and called out for someone to come to her aid. Whatever the reason, Thomas was chosen. The spirit of Paragon City summoned all of its will, and deposited the majority of its power in Thomas. He was instantly donned with a costume and received tremendous abilities, and at once flew off to protect his home. It was a fierce battle, but with the help of many other heroes and villains, one that in the end at least halted the Rikti from invading.
Back from the Past
After the Rikti threat began to subside, Thomas found himself in the past - at the beginning of Paragon City's construction. Mostly powerless, and with no idea how to get home or how he got there. He did the only thing he could do, that he knew how to do. He began aiding in the construction of Paragon, and lived there for nearly five years before suddenly, a shadowy but familiar figure arrived to stop the construction. After a long battle, the younger spirit of the half-built Paragon transferred the power of the shadowy figure to Thomas, who gained the upper hand and defeated the figure who turned out to be himself - only about fifteen to twenty years older. Shocked, Thomas asked Paragon to send him back home. The whereabouts of the now-powerless, future-Cityscape are unknown.
Paragon's Patriot Lost!
About a week after returning to the normal timestream, though appearing five years older, Cityscape donned a new costume briefly to reflect his mourning over defeating himself in battle - who one day will go back in time to destroy the city he loves so much. Filled with conflicting feelings, Thomas spent a lot of time in the Pocket D. It was there, during a Costume Contest, that he was reunited with a former friend, Steeldriver. Only moments after the meeting, Steel somehow absorbed all of Paragon's power into himself and left Cityscape drained, physically and mentally.
Cityscape Returns
It would seem that Thomas would be without his powers only briefly. During this time, he utilized a suit of powered armor designed by Connor Gardner, the Lunar Eclipse, to continue his career as a superhero. However, only a brief week later, Steelsoul willingly relinquished the Citypower, which returned to Thomas.
Trapped Under Ice
For two months, Cityscape was encased in a solid block of ice nearly the size of an apartment building. He was left adrift just outside the shores of the Rogue Isles. Who, or what, encased him in the ice and for what reason is still unknown. He was freed when a passing ship collided with the ice, cracking it open enough for him to escape (and then save all of the members of the crew from drowning).
Cityscape recently remembered, as his hazy memory from the event returned, that the individual who trapped him in the ice was none other than the spirit of Paragon herself. She had saved him yet again, this time from the Circle of Thorns. The Circle saw his body as one of the largest sources of magical energy in the city. They sought out his parents, and after a ritualistic sacrifice, used their blood to summon Thomas to their lair. Caught unprepared and overwhelmed by their mystical assault, they attempted to extract the spirit from him. However, the spirit did not wish this so, and empowered Thomas more than she ever had before. After a climactic battle, the undersea cave was shattered. Tired and unaware of where he was, Thomas was swept away into the depths where the water froze around him.
Recent Activity
Of late, Cityscape has determined that it is time to do more behind-the-scenes work and allow the younger heroes of Paragon take the load. Without the chance to fight for the city with all they've got, they will never truly learn how. He has been recently working out of his company, Jefferson Design, to perfect his process of repairs to damaged buildings. Rumor among the superhero community is that he may have plans to remove some of his Citypower and endow a younger hero with the intention that they will one day take his mantle.
Personality
Thomas is a dedicated worker, generous and kind. Having grown up in the ravaged streets of King Row, it took a truly gentle and honest soul to stay strong amidst the corruption and gangs. He is perhaps a bit gullible, hoping to see the best in everyone. After all, if he can make it out of those slums through hard work and a little gumption, so too can people help themselves. After a year of fighting everything from petty thugs on the street to giant robots constructed by the Council, Thomas has become a bit more hardened. No longer do things like cabalistic demon summonings surprise him. Perhaps his strongest character trait is his willingness to forgive.
When the spirit of Paragon forces more control over his actions, his personality becomes something like a loving old lady or a grandmother - the spirit of Paragon City is, after all, represented by an aging female.
Powers
The "Citypower"
The same endowment that gives Thomas his physical abilities gives him an advanced knowledge in terms of the city. He can feel and witness anything that occurs in her borders. He knows the location and relative distance from him of his destinations. In fact, it is the Citypower that courses through him and bestows upon him all his abilities. If it is removed from him, as it has been before unwittingly by Steelsoul, he is left weakened and without any of his powers.
Superhuman Strength
Cityscape is superhumanly strong, so much that his thunderous blows echo with force. He can lift hundreds of tons, and uses his enhanced strength to help repair the heavier objects in the city. This is the only time he usually uses all of his strength, since he pulls his blows against villains. He wants to bring them to justice, after all, not kill them. The largest known feat shown of his strength is lifting an entire skyscraper when the foundation was damaged, holding it long enough for repair crews to fix the structure.
Superhuman Durability
As the city is strong, its steel girders and concrete streets are nothing to forget. Cityscape is immensely durable, capable of withstanding small to medium arms fire with ease. Specialized caliber rounds can effect him, however. He can resist the heat of flame or the chill of ice. The city does not go down easy, and neither does he. He possesses an inner reserve to help him keep going.
Flight
Cityscape can fly at about 90 MPH. This is nothing spectacular, and decidedly slower than some other heroes, particularly teleporters and superspeedsters. However, it is of great use to him in scaling the skyscrapers of Paragon City to fight villains or assist in reconstruction.
X-Ray Vision
Confirmed. While once thought to be a joke by Steelsoul, Cityscape admitted having this as well as Super Hearing to Ballistic Beetle, and was able to determine he was young by seeing through his mask.
Super Hearing
Confirmed. He admitted having this ability to Ballistic Beetle, upon overhearing something the young hero said under his breath from ten yards away. The extent of this ability is unknown.
