Tobias grew up on the west coast in Quistis City. The son of a poor mechanic living in a rundown apartment in the city's industrial area, the Falls, Tobias' childhood was never very sheltered or safe. His father was a convicted criminal on parole, and his mother had left them both at the first chance she got, re-marrying a wealthier man from the finer districts of the city. Still, Tobias' father was a good man that struggled tirelessly in order to provide for his son and to give him all the opportunities he himself never had as a child. Though life in the Falls wasn't a very easy life, with gangs such as the Skullgang and the Red Banner cultists ruling the streets that the heroes weren't looking at. In order to protect his son, both from antagonizing and falling in with the gangs, Harold Ferguson made an effort in making sure the boy remained meek, reticent and inconspicous. Tobias was taught not to make a mark on the world no matter what, to merely drift with the wind while remaining as invisible as possible. In hindsight it wasn't a very good thing to teach a young child, but Harold was short on options.

Of course, this lead the young Tobias to be the favorite bully victim in the school yard, since he never did anything to fight back or defend himself, he just silently lowered his head and did as he was told. In time, this lead Tobias to become bitter and withdrawn, often retreating within himself and locking everyone out. As he approached 10 years old, he started skipping classes to walk through the giant Madeleine Gardens, the city park that spanned most of the southern uptown district in Quistis City, just to get away from the bullies. It was here that he first came into contact with the aging Walter Peaks, the earth-bending superhero Stonemason (Although this was unbeknownst to Tobias at the time). Befittingly, almost ironically so, Walter's civil identity was that of the caretaker of Madeleine Gardens, as well as a stonemason who specialized in making statues of superheroes. Several of his works already graced the reaches of the park. The elderly man and the young boy struck a quick friendship, Walter helping the young kid through his frustration by giving him an outlet in the form of martial arts and aesthetic practices such as painting and stone carving. As Tobias grew into his teens, he started spending more and more time with Walter, his attitude eventually mellowing out conciderably.

Life as a Hero

Crisis in Quistis City

However, everything culminated in 2009, when the Bluthexen sisters instigated the Bloodied Carnival, intent on sacrificing every human within Madeleine Gardens in order to gain immeasurable power. Aided by several supervillains such as Atticus Hale, Wild Wind, Dreadmask and The White Hand, their forces seemed unstoppable. While Skychild and Demoness used their magic to open a gateway through the barrier erected around the gardens, Stonemason and his sidekick Geo-kid entered inside in hopes of stopping the villains, but they were completely outnumbered. However, the appearence of The Nightsiders, consisting of Razor, Hollow and Black Cape, three until then unknown vigilantes, changed the tides of battle. Before anyone knew what had happened, Atticus Hale was beaheaded, Wild Wind and Dreadmask shot between the eyes, The White Hand bested in martial arts and torn to pieces, and the Bluthexen's charred bodies were found hanging from the ceiling of Preathorian Cathedral. It was a massacre, leaving an unrepairable wound on Quistis City as the Nightsiders declared their presence as hunters of evil men. In response, Skychild teamed up with Demoness, Stonemason and Geo-kid to create the Element of Justice, and the two teams fought bitterly over the course of 2 years, despite having the same ultimate goal. However, in 2010 Quistis City saw the rise of a new superhero team: Genesis Squadron. The team of superpowered teenagers were more then capable of taking care of Quistis City, and with Skychild being called back to her people in the sky, the Element of Justice disbanded. Stonemason and Geo-kid continued to fight crime, including the Nightsiders, as a team. That too, however, came to an end in early 2011. In a last confrontation between Stonemason and Captain Conquest, the aging hero found that he could no longer keep up and ended up losing a leg to the superpowered warlord. And when Tobias tried to beseech the Living Earth to heal him, it refused, claiming that his time as its champion had come to an end. Instead, it bestowed its full power unto Tobias, though that did little to appease the enraged youngster, who almost crushed the being with the very power it had bestowed him in a rare fit of anger. He was only pacified by Walter's urgings, and eventually came to terms with the situation. It was better for the aging Walter to finally be able to retire, after all. In the hospital, Walter urged Tobias to distance himself from the Living Earth and test his wings on his own in the world. Tobias decided to wander, stepping out onto the open road where he would spend the next 3 years traversing the states on foot. Recently, he's arrived in Millenium city, where he took up work as a Park Ranger at a nearby wildlife preservation park. Eventually, his activity in and around Millenium city caught the eye of Sparrowhawk, the leader of the local supergroup Protectors of the World, who proceeded to extend an invitation for Stonemason to join with them in their fight against evil worldwide. Tobias didn't have to think too hard about the opportunity and leapt at the chance to be part of a team once more.

Tobias looks pretty much like your average, healthy young man. A few years before his prime, he's built a bit on the lanky side but is by no means scrawny or thin. Several years of training as a superhero sidekick has honed his body well and this shows both in his body language and posture. Though generally inconspicous, the young man seems to carry himself with silent pride and can sometimes even appear imposing, however more often than not he tends to disappear among the crowd. Tobias' most striking feature would be his heterochromia, having one green and one brown iris. Aside from that, there's nothing else notable about his face: Shaggy, unkept hair, healthy complexion, blank gaze and dimunitive features keep him from standing out in a crowd.

Tobias' personality type is INFP, Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Prospective of the Assertive variant.

"INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine. /.../ INFPs are guided by their principles, rather than by logic, excitement, or practicality. When deciding how to move forward, they will look to honor, beauty, morality and virtue - INFPs are led by the purity of their intent, not rewards and punishments. People who share the INFP personality type are proud of this quality, and rightly so, but not everyone understands the drive behind these feelings, and it can lead to isolation."

Tobias has been told that he has his head in the clouds, and for a person so decidedly connected to the earth this is strangely true. Tobias is free spirit, preferring to express himself through art, music or just not at all, being perfectly comfortable alone with his thoughts. He tends to drift off into thought whenever he has to sit still for longer than a few minutes and can get caught up on the most trivial details, embellishing them and ending up fascinating himself too much and spacing out for what appears to others to be for no particular reason. This may cause him to appear unfocused or detached from reality, and to a point that's true. Although, he's not completely out of touch with real life, his time as a hero having taught him that there's time for dreaming and time for facing reality, and that the two don't mix particularly well.

Meta Data

Powers

Abilities

Affiliations

Allies

Comments

"Stonemason is probably one of the hardest people I know to put a finger on, much to his credit. He comes across as somewhat laid back and nonchalant, I suppose you could say? But the truth of the matter is that he isn't. He's a paradox, personality wise, in my opinion. More like the waves of the ocean than the rigidness of the Earth when you meet him at first. He's intriguing, for sure... though undoubtedly effective once he maintains focus. Not to mention incredibly powerful, probably much more than he is even aware of. We just need to work on that screaming bit..." - Sparrowhawk

"Okay, confession time. The first time I met Stonemason, I wasn't so sure if I would call him a hero. He's got this laid back, surfer boy kind of vibe to him. He spent the last half of one mission we were on complaining about his hair. I'm glad to say that my original assumption was wrong. He's got some insane power behind that easy going attitude of his, and when the chips are down, he's got this incredible focus. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead and buried. So uh...if you're reading this? Thank you." - Tesseract

"My number is 555-6789. CALL ME. Oh, wait wait! I mean, Stonemason is very, very nice. And cute. But nice and cute! Does anyone think if we had kids they'd have my eyes or his eyes?" - Lash

"As long as he doesn't slack off during missions we'll get along fine." - Fathom

"While I have not been with Stonemason much yet, the few times I have, I have been very, very grateful to have him around. That said, he's a solid teammate, no pun intended. To be able to control the very earth he stands upon like that...it's almost downright scary in what he could do if he put his mind to it." - Razira

"Give him a few more missions and we'll make a man out of him. Either that or get him killed. It's a 50/50 chance." - Artifist

Rogues Gallery

Miscellaneous

RP Hooks

Trivia

Theme and Tropes

Theme Songs

v • d • e
Team Leader Sparrowhawk
Field Leaders: Captain Adamant • Peacemaker • Razira • Thundrax
Protectors Charter Members: African Violet • Atomac • Blue Cyclone • Blue Pheasant • Citizen 13 • Cosmic Glory • Fahrenheit • Gold Rush • Hydro Light Of Being • Lucky Shot • Marauder • Mercuriel • Oni • Sinsonte Azul • Tesseract • Wildeye • Witchery Way
Protectors Reserve Members: Aura • Noble • Psion • Wolfgirl