Wednesday July 25, 2018: Unknown: Middle of the night

  I woke up in the middle of the night and felt alone again. I had forgotten what having someone next to me is like. It had been even a few weeks before I was displaced here, let alone the almost two months I was here. At least Bright-Eyes was there to keep an oppressive weight on my chest, as always. I drifted back to sleep.

  **********

  Wednesday July 25, 2018: 08:00 PM

  I had another d????????????????r?????????????????????????????e???????????????????a???????m??????????????????, with my patron again. She told me that she had opened the path, and that she was working exceptionally hard. I was given a vision of Amber being put through a wringer of physical and mental tests. Throughout all of it, she had the same determined face that I had seen when she told Director Mackenzie what her decision was. Her face stayed constant through the pain and the strife.

  I asked my patron if there is anything else I can do for her. My Lady Between the Stars seemed quiet for a moment, and then asked if I was content with the knowledge that she will succeed in this training on her own. She followed up by asking if I would take these victories from her, by polluting her progress with my aid. I felt ashamed, that I was even considering something that would take away from Amber’s sense of self. The Black Butterfly sent some words to me after a few minutes of contemplation, telling me that there can always be time for that later, and if she chooses to make my Goddess her patron, she might be able to accomplish this too.

  It was then that I realized, the Black Butterfly really did just remove a hindrance, a blockage, from the path of Amber, and did not truly take her into a patronage relationship. It really was the briefest of blessings. I raised my head to my Goddess, and told her that I felt ashamed for considering taking the agency away from her. I felt warmth back, stating that Amber knew that I was just trying to help her, and that she would feel that emotion in her dreams tonight. I thanked her for that brief blessing as well.

  Before she let me go back to the realm of dreams, the Black Butterfly told me that I had a choice tonight. I could expand the breadth of my ability to enhance items, or I could go forward and forge my new life, and prepare for the school I will be creating. There seemed to be some humor to her suggestion that I wasn’t quite catching. I thought about it for a minute, and decided to ask her, “Why not both?” That was what the humor was hinting towards. She told me that this was a good decision.

  Then I woke up, and before I had even opened my eyes, I realized that my knowledge and capability had expanded even further. I had reached a new threshold of arcane knowledge, and I felt like I could now attract people to me. Those who sought the same goals, and the same inclinations. I knew that they were just on the periphery, just waiting to be allowed to arrive. I wondered who would be the first to arrive among the mass of students and followers, ready to learn.

  I opened my eyes and saw that Bright-Eyes was still on my chest, like some kind of sleep demon. I moved slightly, and she stood up, putting all her weight on those tiny paws, and jumped off. I got up and started my morning meditation, reveling in the new arcana I could bring forth. A whole new echelon of energy was available to me, and I could even begin to hear the subtle music that exists behind the firmament of the world, just waiting to be pulled forth with arcane energy. I decided, however, that I should check in to see what I needed to make, and what I COULD make with the supplies I have left.

  Taking stock of everything, I realized that I was going to need some base components. I had what I thought were some decent amount of material components, but the base items to enchant, now that was going to take a bit. Like the planks of wood or something that I would need to create the chairs. I thought about that promise, and then I decided that I was going to check in on the Warehouse deal first. I sent a text to Jonathan, hoping that it would not wake him up, but indicating that I was just wondering if he was going to be able to give me an update on the Warehouse.

  I was somewhat surprised when he texted back almost immediately that there were some procedural issues that were brought up by some nameless bureaucrat. Completely by the book, but obviously malicious, he added. I replied back that this was understandable, but that I was going to start working towards getting myself ready for the move. Jonathan replied back that this was a good idea, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. was already leveraging that we wouldn’t even be starting on the next batch of goods until we could get the Warehouse set up. I thanked him for the pressure that they were placing on the City, and I told him that we were basically waiting on the property for me to set up the training for the prospective students on my end.

  Jonathan wrote back that he’d pass that information on, but that in all honesty, there was only so much that the city could do to hold it up. He added that S.H.I.E.L.D. had already gotten through a lot of the legal hiccups before the process even started on Tuesday. He added that even with the pushing hard from S.H.I.E.L.D., it is still being slow-walked by some of the recalcitrants. I wrote back that I kind of knew that they would be an issue, but that there was nothing that could really be done without finding absolute evidence of corruption on them. Jonathan texted back that it was difficult to get that kind of evidence, but that I shouldn’t doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D. thoroughly checks everyone that ends up on their radar.

  I thought that the last statement was odd, but let the phrasing slide, and just sent him back “Thank You, and sorry to bother you before sunrise.” Jonathan replied back that it wasn’t an issue, that he was getting adapted to my schedule to better be my “handler”. I thanked him again, and told him that I would officially be starting up my patrols again today. He thanked me and said that it would be good for me to start up again after the drone incident. That settled it. I replied, testing the recipient, asking him if Director Mack had approved the new firearms that I had requested.

  Jonathan replied back that there was a hold up on that as well, that there was an issue with the clearance for the new armaments. I had never asked Director Mack, or S.H.I.E.L.D. to ever give me firearms or ammunition. I thanked him for the update and asked him to keep me informed. Then I thought about it, and wondered who I could reach out to, if I was trying to see if someone had gotten into my phone, or Jonathan’s phone, or something else, because that was NOT Jonathan. I thought about texting Clint, but then that might give something away, if they had access to my phone.

  I resolved to ride my happy ass over to the Wyndham Garden Hotel, to see if I could check out if Hawkeye was still there. I let Rex know that the unit was on lockdown, and that I had to go check something out. Rex was sleepy and just grunted in response. I got kitted out in everything I could need, changed my attire to look like a normal set of clothing, hopped on my bike, and rode to the Hotel. There were not all that many issues, especially since it was still early in the morning, so I got to outside the hotel, and got to see a winged figure alight on the balcony that is outside the room I used to have there, the same one that Clint said that he would be taking.

  I went into an alley and I activated the ability of my armor to start Airwalking up to get to the height of the room, and then ran across the road to land on the balcony, right as the winged figure turned and raised an arrow at me. I smiled as I landed down gently and asked Clint if he was enjoying his new gear. Clint lowered his bow and replaced the arrow into his quiver. He invited me in, and we sat down in chairs in the room. The first thing he did was ask me if this was what it felt like all the time.

  I put a finger to my lips, and pointed to my phone, and walked it outside to place it on the balcony. He caught the hint, and put his phone outside too, before shutting the door. I told him, before he could ask, that I had texted Jonathan, and that he didn’t seem like him at all. Clint listened and asked if I thought it was an issue with him, or that it was someone else. I told him that the answers were pointed but generic at the same time.

  I told him that I could give him the phone to look through, and he went outside, picked it up and scrolled through it. He set it back outside, and came back in, shutting the door again. Clint told me that this didn’t look like any S.H.I.E.L.D. verification test. He offered up that it was possible that Jonathan’s phone had been compromised. Before I could say anything, he also offered up that it could be my phone that was compromised.

  I thought about it for a minute and asked how we would figure it out. He told me that I could either try to call from my phone or he might even be spoofed by that. Clint offered that he could text Jonathan, as his phone might not be expected, but it was not impossible that it was either linked to Jonathan’s phone number and my phone’s proximity, which would mean that either it might have already spread to Clint’s phone, or it would as soon as he made a call or text. I asked what he thought would be the best solution, and he said that he might recommend that I go along with the day as I normally would, and then leave the phone at a safe place, and visit Jonathan myself when he would be at his cover job. I told him that this sounded like a good idea, and that I can put the phone in an extra-dimensional space to break the signal capability.

  I thanked Clint for his wisdom and told him that I would let him get some rest. I stood up to shake his hand, and started to walk towards the balcony. I stopped before I opened the balcony, and asked him how it had gone, testing the different pieces of equipment. Clint smiled and said that it felt like a cheat code. He went on to tell me that he flew, he looked through a wall and surprised a group of thugs by teleporting in and then taking them all down with the extra arrows that he can now carry. He added that the only thing that he hasn’t quite gotten down yet, is the landing.

  I told him that it was good that this was working so well for him. Clint shook my hand and said that he had taken the liberty of taking out a few groups of thugs in the area that he had noticed while he was running around last night, in his operational testing. I thanked him for his efforts, and told him that he should pace himself, as I didn’t add any endurance additive features to his current gear. Clint asked if I could do that, and I told him that I could further enchant some of his things, or something else, that would increase his endurance, unless he wanted to focus on something else. I paused and told him to give it some thought for these items and more, for when he gets more of the crystals, since I had used up all of the gems he had brought, and supplemented with a few from the gems delivered from Pepper Potts.

  Leaving from the hotel balcony, I picked up my S.H.I.E.L.D. phone and put it in my regular pocket. I jumped off the balcony and glided down to the area across the street. I got on my bike, and started driving back to the storage unit. When I got back, I put the phone in my extradimensional pocket, and then started to roam the city in my disguised gear. While I was riding around, I was contemplating all of the different things that I should make, and realized that I could make an attachment that could make a mount to go on the bike that I can just focus and activate. I resolved to make it later, assuming that I calculated it out right for how much I expected it to cost.

  There were not any real problems as I rode around until I expected Jonathan to be at his cover job. I rode to the Merchant Bank Building, and made my way to his office. I made sure that I didn’t have my glasses set to look tinted so that I wouldn’t be mistaken for that “Stan” person. There wasn’t much in the way of obstruction so I walked right there without stopping. Jonathan had a customer in his office, so I sat outside and waited as patiently as I could.

  There didn’t seem to be much of a rush, so I pulled out a notepad and wrote down my ideas for the bicycle accelerator, and then figured that I should evaluate what I really could make at the moment, with the limited supplies I had. Maybe I’ll head to that “Walmart” store a bit later. It should have some things that I can make work. I didn’t seem to notice, but about half an hour had passed when the customer left the office. I walked in and Jonathan asked me how I was doing. I told him that I was fine, but that there was a problem, and I wasn’t certain how to express it correctly.

  Jonathan perked up and said that he needed all of the details that I could give him, and I closed the door before asking if he could let me borrow his phone temporarily. Jonathan skeptically handed me his phone, and I put it in my other extra-dimensional pocket. I pulled out my phone, from my other extra-dimensional pocket, and handed it to Jonathan for him to inspect. I told him to check his messages to me, and he did with a confused look. He started reading and looked confused.

  He looked very confused, and said that he didn't recall sending these and asked if he could check his phone. I told him that Clint had warned me that whatever it is, could possibly jump between phones if it was in close proximity, depending on what it actually was. Jonathan nodded and said that was a valid concern. He went through my phone and checked settings, before he went back to the message window and copied down the messages and responses. He handed me back my phone, and I put it in the pocket I had pulled it from, before pulling his phone back out.

  Jonathan checked the message log and frowned, showing me that the messages were not there, at all. I wondered about it, and Jonathan said that someone had to be in S.H.I.E.L.D. 's system, and there were few around that could do that. He told me that he would elevate this to the proper authorities, and that I should keep the phone on me, but only use it in emergencies. I accepted this and told him that I would, that I would mainly leave it alone, unless he contacts me. Jonathan said that he would only contact him via voice communication for now.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Before I left, I thought to check in with him about the warehouse and asked him about it directly. Jonathan snickered and said that while that fake was right about it not processing yet, at before dawn this morning, that the City Council had agreed late last night, and that by the end of the day, it would be transferred. I thanked Jonathan for the update and asked if he could get ahold of another batch of the gemstones, because I wanted to make something to make something for the new building, because I had a feeling that the school was going to progress a LOT faster than what I had initially planned. Jonathan looked at me oddly and asked if something had changed from yesterday. I shrugged and told him that everything would be a lot easier once the property is in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

  Jonathan gave me a brief look, and said that he would contact me as soon as possible, via call, with the information then. I told him that this might just increase the speed at which we can get the pipeline going even faster. That must have refreshed Jonathan’s memory a bit, because he spoke up and told me that a certain person was going to be back soon, that they were finishing up their schooling and then he was coming back to the region. I blanked for a second before answering “Cal”? Jonathan nodded and said that he was progressing through the initial training very fast and that from the metrics I had given, he looks to be a viable candidate for the school. I smiled and asked him if he had tracked down the young girl that I had given him a line towards.

  Jonathan told me that he had, and that she was receiving the best care and training that S.H.I.E.L.D. could give. She was slowly getting in touch with her “abilities” and was going to have her choice of working with S.H.I.E.L.D. afterwards, or just being monitored. I thanked Jonathan for ensuring that she was going to be treated well. Jonathan nodded and said that it was the least we could do for that young woman. Knowing that she was in good hands allowed me to relax just a tiny bit more.

  I thanked him for all of the time that he has given me today, and told him that I would be heading about my day, until I heard otherwise from him, and that I would resume patrols and take up with the Rescue Squad again. Jonathan nodded and said that he could always use that as an alternative to contact me. I agreed and told him that I would be heading out to meet up with the Ambulance Crew, since it was almost nine o’clock. I left with no issues, and started riding to the Station. Along the way, I saw a young couple being backed into an alley by a disheveled indigent.

  I pulled my bike to a stop and approached the brewing conflict. The indigent seemed to be only a few seconds away from some kind of explosive reaction, when I brought everyone’s attention to me. I cleared my throat to get everyone to look at me, then I approached without concern, almost inviting an attack from the angry vagrant. It worked, and he produced a broken bottle and swung at me. I could have effortlessly dodged, but decided to let the attack hit my armor.

  The bottle shattered against the hard plating on my forearm, as the illusion on my armor disappeared, revealing that I was Verdigris to the couple and the criminal. I told them that they were safe to leave, and focused on the attacker. He swung at me again, and I managed to get a grab in on their arm as I avoided their punch. I pulled the arm behind him and latched his hands behind his back on the ground. I asked the man if I let him up, if he’d stop with this foolishness.

  The man was incoherent with their screaming and threatening to break free. I readjusted my grip and told the man that I wasn’t letting go until he calmed down, or until the cops arrived. He continued to jerk around and try to escape while shouting gibberish. I sighed and realized that right now would be a really good time to have a set of manacles. I sighed as I went through my roster of abilities and equipment and came up wanting.

  So, I waited and kept the raving lunatic under physical control until the police got there. It was annoying, especially since I couldn’t trust my phone to function. It was about ten minutes before a police car showed up, and took my statement. Luckily, the couple were the ones who had called the cops, so there wasn’t much discussion or accusation. They simply took this person into their custody, put them in the back of their vehicle, and went to their station.

  I got myself together, got back to my bike, converted my appearance back to the original look that I had been wearing, and started to continue on to the Rescue Squad Station. Sarah was there, on duty today, and she welcomed me back, and was about to give me a pat on the back, when I stopped her, recommending that she not, as I dismissed the illusion to show her that she was about to smack the armor that I was wearing. Sarah laughed and thanked me, saying that she didn’t need a broken wrist or anything. I changed the armor back, and told her that it was certainly a surprise for the person that attacked me when I intervened in an attempted harassment this morning. Sarah nodded, and then changed the subject, saying, “So, Amber Day, huh?”

  I perked up and asked her what she meant. Sarah smiled and said, “So, you were outed as Verdigris in your new armor on Friday, publicly proffered your love and commitment on Sunday, and became the biggest news article in the whole Hampton Roads area, possibly even the state, since Sunday night. And that pendant that you gave her for the engagement, is it really worth three quarters of a million dollars? Really Curtis?” I sighed and nodded along as an answer to all of her questions.

  Sarah laughed and said that she guess this means that Norfolk’s most eligible bachelor isn’t so eligible any more. I smiled and asked her if the Mustang gloves and SHAPE goggles were helping. Sarah noted the conversation change, but went with it, saying that all of the comments that she had heard were vastly positive, including saving the two people over the weekend. I told her that this was the most important thing. Sarah says that is the right motive.

  Sarah then perks up, saying that she heard a rumor, that something had happened to Amber. I sighed and said that, yes, something had happened to Amber, that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken her to a facility that specifically treats what happens, and that the individual was dealt with. I told her that this was all that needed to be worried about at the moment. Sarah said that she is sorry to hear that, but that she is glad that Amber is being treated well. I thanked her and said that it meant a lot.

  We talked a bit more about the whole engagement event and how romantic that whole morning flight was. I thanked her and told her that Amber really enjoyed it. Sarah said that it certainly looked impressive, from the video that she had seen. I told her that I had not expected it to be that big of a deal, but apparently a dark figure carrying a pale woman with red-gold hair, in a sky blue dress, right at dawn was a sight to see. Sarah nodded and told me that I probably caused quite a bit of issues with the romantic community here in Norfolk, as a lot of people will see this as the thing to beat, for date nights and engagement commitments.

  Sarah asked if I was going to be on active call any more, since I was a superhero and all that. I told her that I was only a superhero when the situation called for it, that I can still do a lot of good for the city as an EMT. Just as I said that, I got called into the office by the Station Chief. I bid Sarah good bye and walked over there. The Station Chief waited for me to enter their office before they asked me to close the door.

  I did so and the Station Chief asked me to sit down. I did so and they cleared their throat, telling me that they respected everything that I had done for the city, and was doing, but that I couldn’t stay with the Ambulance crew. I asked if this was due to me being Verdigris, and the Station Chief said that it wasn’t just that, but that there was a conflict of interest in that I was now a medical supplier and I couldn’t also be a first responder. I asked if I could still be on call if there was an emergency. The Station Chief said that he would be glad to keep me on call, especially for mass casualties, but that he figured that it might be likely that I would be there quickly anyway, in those events.

  I apologized for making a mess of things, and the Station Chief shook his head, and asked me if I knew that there were people walking around now, that would not have been, if I had not supplied those gloves. I told him what I had heard, and the Station Chief said that I could do more good by making more of those gloves, and getting them into the hands of other first responders. I told him that I would be working on more soon, as soon as the manufacturing space is set up. The Station Chief rose and asked to shake my hand. I stood and went to shake his hand as well.

  The Station Chief walked me out of his office and he made an announcement to everyone, that he had the sadness but also the distinct honor to announce something. He got their attention with that, and told them all that the person that they all knew as Curtis Zine, the guy who had been joining up with the crew and helping out these past few weeks, was actually the superhero Verdigris. He added that I would not be able to be on a single crew anymore, as I would be on call for any emergency crew that needed me. The people in the Station all cheered me on, and I told them all that they should not think that I would not be dropping by to give them the first shots at new equipment that I whip up, and that I would still drop by from time to time, just to keep them on their toes. Everyone seemed to be okay with that, with even Sarah giving me a thumbs up.

  The people at the station all came up to shake my hand and some started to give me pats on the back, but Sarah stopped them before they could, warning them of the armor that I was actually wearing. After everyone had gone through, Sarah came up last and told me that I had had a busier week than some people’s months or years, and I told her that I didn’t expect it to really slow down, just change in focus. I told her that if she ever needed to contact me, and I would get to where I was needed as soon as possible. Sarah laughed and said that she had seen both times of me riding across the Elizabeth River, so she knew just how fast I might get somewhere. “Seriously though,” she joked, “Just don’t cause any international incidents, in case the Avengers do ‘poach you’ from time to time.”

  I thanked Sarah for her vote of confidence, but admitted that I was nowhere near the capability to be an Avenger yet. Maybe one day, but for now, I am happy to just be helping by improving their equipment. I shut up quickly and thanked her and everyone else for being so welcoming and accommodating for someone like me to just show up and start trying to help. It was well received as I made my partings, sad that I would not be coming here as frequently. I said my last goodbyes and went back to my bike, to head to the next place on my list, that Walmart store to see what I can pick up.

  It was a quick ride to get there, and I put the E-bike into the appropriate location, turning it off and pulling the key out, before heading in. I had come to the realization when I was on my way, that the easiest thing to do would be to pick up some pillows, pillow cases, and some other items, just to maximize the ability to get this done with some kind of style. I grabbed a cart and went to where the map said that household goods were located. I made my way there, and saw an absolute horde of options when it comes to pillows. I settled on twenty of the “memory foam” pillows, sixteen fancy pillow cases for them, a nice king-size bed set of sheets and pillow cases, and eight fuzzy blankets.

  Almost all of them were for enhancement, with the bed set just for the “bed” in my room. There were other things that I needed, but I couldn’t get them here. I brought everything out to the E-Bike, and there was a young man looking at the bike, but not with any apparent larcenous intent. I walked to the E-Bike, and the young man, and when he saw me coming, he seemed to have a look of recognition. The young man whispered, “Are you him?”.

  I sighed and told him that yes, I was him. The young man said that he was glad that I was doing what I could for the city. I told him that I hoped to inspire more people to be the real heroes, like firefighters and EMT’s, not something flashy like me. The young man told me that he thought that I was doing a lot myself. I told him that I wasn’t the one who had saved the two people this weekend. Sure, my equipment helped, but if the first responders were not there, the equipment would not have been used.

  The young man seemed to take that to heart, but seemed a little crestfallen. I smiled and told him that I would show him something to inspire him anyway, and slowly, started feeding pillows and pillowcases into the extradimensional saddlebags of my E-Bike. His eyes just about bugged out of his head as he muttered that there was no way that all of that fit. I smiled and told him that was the magic of it. The young man was still shellshocked, and I told him to try to make it into S.H.I.E.L.D., and he might learn more.

  I told the young man that I would be on the lookout for him in the S.H.I.E.L.D. ranks, if he did not want to pursue the more noble goal of firefighting or paramedic training. The young man nodded and scurried away. After packing everything up, I decided that I needed to go back to the storage unit first, so I made my way back by a meandering route. It didn’t take too long, and when I got there, I unloaded everything and went in to provide instruction to the various Dedicated Wrights. Five of the eight of them were instructed in enchanting the pillows, while the last three were instructed in enchanting the blankets to be minor versions of my own. These blankets would not diminish the need for rest like my own, but they would provide for perfect comfort.

  I unloaded everything else from the saddlebags, and set out to get the rest of what I needed. I went to the hardware store, “Lowes”, and got several sheets of four by eight sheets of oak plywood, and had them rip them down into sizes that I could fit into the saddle bags. I took everything out to my bike, loaded it up, and took it back to the storage unit. This would be the project for tomorrow. By the time I had gotten back, the five that were enchanting the pillows were all done.

  I unloaded the further items and left them to be repaired by the mending aspect of the tent. I got the five dedicated wrights that were available, and contemplated what I could do with the remaining gems. It wasn’t enough to make the item that I was planning on for the school/warehouse, but it would be enough for the work tomorrow with the remaining blankets, the new cots, and the special trick that I had planned for the bike, that I would start on tomorrow. I decided to summon up a bunch of Unseen Crafters to embroider the pillow cases and the sheets, to improve the quality and looks. To make things look a little better when Amber gets back.

  Jonathan called me not too long before I was ending for the night, telling me that the warehouse had been confirmed, and that I could start moving everything in tomorrow morning. I thanked him and told him that once he gets me the gems, I will show him something that S.H.I.E.L.D. will desire more than anything I have made for them before. Jonathan was intrigued and said that he would pass that information on. I thanked him, and told him that I was certain that they would be impressed. He told me that he would tell me what the decision was tomorrow morning.

  It was much later that night, just before I was to go to sleep, that I got the short message whispered into my ear from Amber. She told me that “Training Is Tough, but not as Tough as being without you. Learning as quickly as I can. I can’t wait to return. I Love You.”. I sent back to her, “I missed you more than anything waking this morning alone. I will have this place set up as you deserve. I miss and Love You.”. I figured that tomorrow would be another busy day. Jonathan will let me know tomorrow morning what the future would hold.

  Curtis Zine:

  9th level Human Investigator (Polymath/Questioner), 1st Level Arcane Savant, 3rd Level Evangelist of The Black Butterfly

  10 STR, 17 DEX, 16 CON, 22 INT, 8 WIS, 16 CHA

  Class Abilities:

  Investigator: Trapfinding, Spellcasting, Path of War Maneuvers, Subterfuge Inspiration, Keen Recollection, Trap Sense +3, Studied Combat +4, Studied Strike +3d6, Swift Alchemy, Investigator Talents: Perceptive Tracker, Quick Study, Terrain Mastery (Urban)*, One of Those Faces.

  Arcane Savant: Adept Activation, Master Scholar, Esoteric Magic, Glyph Finding, Scroll Master

  Evangelist: Obedience, Skilled (Fly, Handle Animal), Aligned Class (Arcane Savant), Protective Grace +1, Divine Boon 1

  Traits: Finding your Kin, Tireless Logic

  Feats: Technologist, Expanded Investigator Talent (E.I.T.): Rogue Talent (R.T.) - Grit, E.I.T. Expanded Inspiration, Obtain Familiar (Rex), Craft Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Magical Aptitude, Deific Obedience, Leadership,

  Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike, Alertness, Skill Focus: Knowledge Religion, Retrained to Open Mind, Skill Focus: Knowledge Engineering, Skill Focus: Knowledge Religion, Craft Construct, Elemental Specialization (Constant Heat),

  All skills have at one rank at least, Craft Alchemy, Firearms, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Heal, Knowledge Arcana, Perception,Spellcraft, Stealth at max ranks, Use Magic Device is Headband skill,

  Linguistics, Knowledge: Engineering, Local, Planes, Religion, Supers, all at 3 ranks,

  Disguise, Knowledge History, Ride (Drive), Sense Motive Sleight of Hand, all at 2 ranks.

  Spell like abilities:

  Augury 3/Day SLA (training)

  Disguise Self (10 minutes/level total)

  +4 effective Caster Level for Spells and effects in Norfolk, Downtown Leyline.

  +4 sacred Bonus on Sonic or Gaze attack saves.

  Nullity: obscuring mist 3/day, silence 2/day, or deeper darkness 1/day

  Green Flame adept: +1d6 to any fire based damage spells, maneuvers, or powers

  Spells: Base: 6, 4, 4, 3, 2, 0 (Per day) after int/class: 10, 6, 6, 4, 3, 1

  Known (10,9,8,8,4,2), Caster Level 12 (Base)

  0th Level: Amanuensis, Animate Tools, Canny Effort, Mending, Oath of Anonymity, Prestidigitation, Sift, Sign of Discovery, Stick, Ultrasonic Ray

  1st Level: Caffeination, Cure Light Wounds, Ears of the city, Heightened Awareness, Minor Lasting Image, Scholar's Touch, Tears to Wine, Unseen Servant, Vanish

  2nd: Constant Heat, Detect Thoughts, Fortune’s Path, Masterwork Transformation, Mirror Image, Page-bound Epiphany, Recharge, Unseen Crafter

  3rd: Arcane Concordance, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Displacement, Good Hope, Haste, Phantom Chopper, Scrying, Secret Page

  4th: Army Across Time, Quieting Weapons, Stone Shape*, Truespeak

  5th: Mirage Arcana, Summon Monster 5, Wall of Stone*

  Maneuvers: Effective level: 11

  Stances: Running Hunter's Stance, Stance of Piercing Rays, Body of Night

  Maneuvers/Strikes: Dizzy Venom Prana, Horizon Wind Lancet, Intercepting Shade, Solar Reflection, Solar Sting, Iron Fang, Sight Piercing Fang, Weak Venom Prana, Searing Break

  Curtis Magic Items:

  Head: Thinker’s Domino Mask,

  Headband: Darkwood Earcuffs of Vast Intellect +2 - Hidden,

  Eyes: Verdigris’s Glasses (Eyes of the Eagle, Deathwatch, Minute Seeing, Detect Magic, Read Magic)

  Shoulders: Muleback Sode (Pauldrons) of Unflinching Fortitude +1/+2,

  Neck:

  Body: Power Suit (Swindler’s Suit + Sleeves of many garments + pathfinder pouch)*

  Chest: Alchemical Vest (Endless Bandolier + Apron of Careful Alchemist + pathfinder pouch) **

  Waist: Healing Heavyweight Belt of Roguish Deftness,

  Arms:

  Hands: Arcanist’s Cesti, Red Sphere (Stealth) Cracked Ioun Stone (Implanted),

  Pants:

  Feet: Dimensional Stride Tabi Boots

  Slotless Items: Traveler's Anytool, Ioun Torch, Blessed Bandages (*2), Least Crystal of Adaptation (Armor), Least Crystal of Return (Firearm), Campaigner’s Tent, Handy Haversack, Field Provision Box, Laboratory of Quadratic Alchemy, pair of Handy Haversack Saddlebags, Sanguinary Preserver, Quality Improvement Chamber, Zephyr Circuit, Desiccation Vault, Aetherm Conduit

  000000

  Familiar: Rex Pelor - Rhamphorhynchus (Elemental (fire)/Mauler) (speaks Draconic, understands Common/English, Elvish)

  Rex Magic Items:

  Dimensional Stride Bracers, Badge of Life-Keeping, Phantom Bird’s Hood