[E X A L T E D] Pseudo-Modern Action Fantasy; Recruiting a Full New Team!

[Aethyrium]

Ooo ooo ooo can I ask a question then. Coming from in and around onyx. Doesn't that limit our favoured terrain options?

Nope! Favored Terrain can be explained in a lot of ways. A terrain might be favored because you have experience there. Or maybe just because your fighting style is complimented by it. Maybe because it clicks well and it's comfortable. There are a host of reasons a character might favor a terrain they've never actually had access too.

And in general, we just broadly wanna limit people down like that! So go wild, no justification needed. But you're more than welcome to self impose those limits. Also Johtan to the south is largely plains and what have you.

I'm really struggling to come up with a character... ;_;

Well we can fix that! Sorta. XD

Current tiny germ of idea.
Desert based (maybe)
I think we may have two martial arts type people in the current crop of submissions so I was really uncertain which direction to take this.

Like shen said, I wouldn't worry too much about there being other fighting types. That's... Sorta the nature of the game. We're all fighting types.

Taking a quick glance at the sheet's submitted there's a very heavy lean toward speed-based characters vs. strength based characters (18 total strength dots compared to 27 total speed dots). Now this isn't an issue in anyway, but if you're looking to lean into something that's not present you might consider a strength based option.

And I think you've got some solid ideas right there. There is a desert on the far side of the mountains in Johtan, and it extends a bit on the eastern side as well. Someone who trasports Arcanite back to Onyx seems very feasible. And gives me fun "bulwark" style combat vibes. We haven't seen like a big defensively focused character yet, a "tank", so that could be a fun direction to go.

[Envious]

@Yukina

Some of her fellow friends sought to travel doing the good work as part of the Red Fang and they led her there in the assumption that just maybe it would either make her quit or join the path of theirs they deemed safer.

This is a neat idea! Did she end up joining the Red Fangs?

@Aethyrium Is that possible? Cause that would be very fun with current plot points.

[Aethyrium]

This is a neat idea! Did she end up joining the Red Fangs?

Is that possible? Cause that would be very fun with current plot points.

This is a neat idea, and something I was mulling over as a good reason for her to be here. Tis why I wanted to know how long she's thinking she's been in Onyx.

I do think that this is feasible. It'd come with some story burden that would need to be played into, but I could absolutely some plotting. It solves the Mirat origin question of why this is, and also would give some immediate tie into some things that are happening in game right now. I think it could be a cool route to go, if @Yukina wants to have that sort of narrative weight added right out the gate!

Also, after some consideration @Yukina, I do think we need to make adjustments to the Silenus trait. I've been tossing it around in my head, and it's just bigger than the PC traits were ever intended. These are minor(ish) traits, worth around "1 dot". Total flight is just, unfortunately, way above it - this is like a Shimmer level ability, which is where the issue stems.

But I'm up for the wings as her feature, and a gliding trait could be neat - that could be posed as she's entirely immune to falling, provided that she's not unconscious. And that has some fun implications that give her an edge. Also might give her the ability to recover from otherwise precarious situations (falling with style sure would have helped some characters in the current Chapter! XD)

Oh, and an idea about your book. Turning it into something specific that other people can interact with is the goal. So having a specific thing she wants to do. Like say (if you wanna tie it to current plot things), Torina might want to get in with the Freebirds so she can get in and record the social division that's happening in Onyx right now.

It needn't be that exactly, but that's the sort of thing that other players can more readily grab onto and run with and help with, that the question is really trying to get at.

[Yukina]

This is a neat idea, and something I was mulling over as a good reason for her to be here. Tis why I wanted to know how long she's thinking she's been in Onyx.

I do think that this is feasible. It'd come with some story burden that would need to be played into, but I could absolutely some plotting. It solves the Mirat origin question of why this is, and also would give some immediate tie into some things that are happening in game right now. I think it could be a cool route to go, if @Yukina wants to have that sort of narrative weight added right out the gate!

Admittedly, I already finished her edits to start in Oynx, so that works with me. :) Do you want me to edit it back so she was at least born in Mirat though?

Also, after some consideration Yukina, I do think we need to make adjustments to the Silenus trait. I've been tossing it around in my head, and it's just bigger than the PC traits were ever intended. These are minor(ish) traits, worth around "1 dot". Total flight is just, unfortunately, way above it - this is like a Shimmer level ability, which is where the issue stems.

But I'm up for the wings as her feature, and a gliding trait could be neat - that could be posed as she's entirely immune to falling, provided that she's not unconscious. And that has some fun implications that give her an edge. Also might give her the ability to recover from otherwise precarious situations (falling with style sure would have helped some characters in the current Chapter! XD)

As for the wings, I've already edited them down to gliding purposes.  In turn, I've made the air arcanite in the scythe generate gusts of air she tries to ride on (though I can edit it back if you desire).

Oh, and an idea about your book. Turning it into something specific that other people can interact with is the goal. So having a specific thing she wants to do. Like say (if you wanna tie it to current plot things), Torina might want to get in with the Freebirds so she can get in and record the social division that's happening in Onyx right now.

I looked a bit into the Freebirds post and that would definitely be the first task on her list to start. (She might even be passing some correspondence for the Red Fangs?)

[Aethyrium]

Admittedly, I already finished her edits to start in Oynx, so that works with me. :) Do you want me to edit it back so she was at least born in Mirat though?

If you've already updated things for her just being an Onyx native, then you can totally stick with that. The Red Fang bit was just an optional thought to make being from Mirat story relevant.

So I suppose it's really up to you, which way you'd like to go!

As for the wings, I've already edited them down to gliding purposes.  In turn, I've made the air arcanite in the scythe generate gusts of air she tries to ride on (though I can edit it back if you desire).

To make sure I'm understanding, you're saying that the weapon has a property which allows it to generate gusts of wind?

[Yukina]

If you've already updated things for her just being an Onyx native, then you can totally stick with that. The Red Fang bit was just an optional thought to make being from Mirat story relevant.

So I suppose it's really up to you, which way you'd like to go!

I'll edit it back then. I'll just edit it as well so Bojack is the worst Red Fang support option if they were wanted to keep her in Mirat among other things.

To make sure I'm understanding, you're saying that the weapon has a property which allows it to generate gusts of wind?

Correct. Enough to generate lift, but not enough to be a viable attack option.

[Yukina]

Edits made. :)

[Juggtacular]

Fine. I'll put my app in tomorrow.

[Aethyrium]

Edits made. :)

Let's see here...!

New image is workable, thank you for that. Do you mind if we do some cropping so it fits the 225x300 framework typically used? I can take care of edits and hosting for you, if that's easier. I just really prefer more or less uniformity from player headers.

Okay so this updated weapon with the air power enough to glide but not attack. This seems a reasonable property for it to have. I want to kind of get a feel for what you're thinking about her everyday use. I assume your intent is to tie this to her combat style, and have it be semi-aerial and mobile. But on the daily, I wanna make sure that we're clear that... People flying around is not really a thing that happens. If she like, tries to go gliding through town there are liable to be issues (remember that Silenus discrimination is a real thing, and this is a surefire way to draw very negative attention)... I guess the thing I want to make sure here is that the tone doesn't suffer a hit - her using her wings as a combat trick, and generally in the course of her role as a champion is one thing. But what I don't want is the weapon being used as this omni-present wind generator that has her may-as-well-be-flying all the time. Wings are a decidedly rare Silenus trait that weren't really intended for player use... So I wanna balance letting you do your fun thing with also having told other Silenus concepts that they had to stick to the script.

Alright, so her origins, looks like you edited back to the Mirat bit. So if I'm understanding, she was trained by Bojack, and then her friends finally convinced her to go join the Red Fang, and then... That would have been when the Red Fang assigned her to go travel with some of their people to Onyx. And Bojack approved of this, and used his connections at that point to help her get into Hammer? Which implies Bojack is a member of the Red Fang (which is fine by me). Am I tracking this right?

If so, then I think we're good. If Torina ends up being selected, you and I will need to do a little plotting about the Red Fang and figuring out some timing and stuff.

[Aethyrium]

Fine. I'll put my app in tomorrow.

Ooo, hello there! Looking forward to seeing who you pop out for us!

[CurvyKitten]

Would kick boxing be brawl or melee?

[Aethyrium]

Would kick boxing be brawl or melee?

Brawl!

[Amarlo]

Strength ●● | ● ○ ○ ○ ○

Stamina  ●● | ● ● ● ○ ○
Speed    ●● | ● ● ● ○ ○
Shimmer  ●● | ● ● ● ○ ○
Soul    ●● | ● ○ ○ ○ ○
Brawl    ●● | ● ● ○ ○ ○
Melee    ●● | ● ● ● ○ ○
Ranged  ●● | ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Elemental Affinity | Weakness

Sound, Lightning | Fire, Water

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Urban, Forest | Frost

Mugi Stone

Amarlo

Ancestry: Silenus (Crow)
Gender | Pronouns: Cis-female | She/her
Sexuality: Hetero

Age: 19 soon 20
Height: 5’1”
Body Build: Curvaceous
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Heterochromatic Silver & Purple


Weapon




Upon first glance it just looks like some old rusted Kanabo, almost like a five and a half foot long spiky baseball bat, but this thing is a thing of beauty. When gripped, the device reads the details of her hands before the border of every spike lights of a malevolent purple. Every swing provides amplified force, taking her strength and multiplying it until her opponent is turned into ground beef. On the flip side it can also provide a much needed safe haven, pulsing to life from the very tippy top, hard light flares out in a large circle like a translucent umbrella. Soul can be added to amplify these effects even further.

Shimmer
Freeze Frame - An ability which allows her to freeze people and/or things within 20 feet range of sight for a single second at a time. This is not a time based ability so much as telekinetic, making people aware they were frozen.

Special Trait - ?
Suggestion: Mugi has True Grit which allows her to grit through the pain when receiving wounds and emotional trauma. It’s not that she doesn’t feel it but she can shove it into the back of her mind until it's safer to open that hellhole box later.

Silenus Advantage

Uncanny Equilibrium
Represents a crow's ability to adapt and adjust to competing extremes of motion and sometimes even pressure. Thus a crow with this ability can balance all of these external factors so as to always maintain a regulated sense of pressure and balance. Such as during flight. Thus, Mugi is capable of adjusting her position by instinct, enabling her to balance herself on surfaces as narrow as a pencil.



Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?

It’s assumed that Mugi was born somewhere in Onyx city. She was found wandering somewhere in the eastern quarter when she was turned into the state. She was never claimed, assumed the surname of the city’s abandoned and spent the majority of her childhood between orphanages and foster homes. As such she doesn’t actually know her genetic lineage. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have people she considers important to her like family, however. She has many ‘siblings’. Note: Stone is the last name the city gives children who have been surrendered to them but not adopted out.

Medina Guerrero - 72  – Dead – Foster Guardian
Virginia Mason - 24 – Eastern Quarter PD - Bunk Sister
Arata Stone - 18 – Black Lotus, Western Quarter - Bunk Brother, Mongrel Brother
Missy Zynthean - 19 – Dead - Bunk Sister, Mongrel Sister
Aine Stone – 17 – Foster care, Eastern Quarter – Bunk sister
Emmette Stone – 15 – MIA, Eastern Quarter – Bunk Brother, Mongrel brother

Emmanuel Jorsen – 31 – Black Lotus, Central – Mongrel Sponsor
Whitney Ashida – 29 – Black Lotus, Western – Mongrel Sponsor
Xyxel Dane – 21 – MIA – Mongrel Brother
Keira Drake – 20 – Black Lotus, Eastern Quarter – Mongrel Sister
Jorge Gaines –  20 – Black Lotus, Southern Quarter – Mongrel Brother
Lance Kuso – 19 – Black Lotus, Southern Quarter – Mongrel Brother
Seiza Loveless – 18 – Dead – Mongrel sister
Jackson Imperial – 17 – Dead – Mongrel brother

What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
…That is one long complicated story. As far as what’s on paper? Mugi was abandoned as a toddler and taken in as a ward of the city. She spent much of her childhood dealing with rotten children and rotten adults while moving in and out of foster homes, orphanages and state funded group homes they used to toss their older wards into.

At one point she was almost convinced she was born from a hollow. After all, if you grow up hearing it enough you start to believe it. Her Silenus resemblance to one of Toil’s most well known hollows had many dumb kids, and even some dumb adults, taking out their fear, grief and anger on her. She was eventually tired of being bullied and started fighting back with a vengeance, getting her into all sorts of trouble throughout her teen years. Then even more so when she and some friends were sucked into gang activity. Maybe that was why everyone was so shocked, and in some cases felt betrayed, when she decided to break away and become a champion. But after what happened? After everything blew up in her face? Who could blame her for trying to claw her way out?

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
Guilt and duty. Guilt is a constant companion pushing her towards her goals, which are best served as a champion. There are people she failed and lost. That she helped lead into disaster in the first place that she feels she owes a debt, and this seems like the best way to repay it. Additionally, she grew tired of feeling sorry for herself. She was ashamed that she allowed herself to feel so victimized she let it turn her into a monster. A monster every bit as similar to the hollow they accused her of being.

As such it is her goal to prove otherwise, both to herself and those idiots. She wants to help create a world where less children have to grow up like her and her fellow deserted.She wants to figure out a source for the hollow. She wants to study their reproductive habits, and perhaps help find a way to stunt their population to more manageable sizes. She wants to lead by example, so those friends she once fought beside know that they can make something more of themselves. That they can leave that life they thought they had to live. She also wants to personally have a hand in the Black Lotus's destruction.

That said, she’s afraid she’ll never know where she came from. That she’ll never know why she was wandering the East quarter alone, or who her family was. She’s afraid she’ll get sucked back into her old world. That she will forever feel like an imposter among heroes. More than that, she’s afraid of making another mistake.


How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
It started in her early childhood. As you can imagine many of the kids trapped living together under one roof had some behavioral issues, considering they were either abandoned or grieving the death of their parents. Bullying ran rampant. Children were little shits. The facility’s rules were unproductive. Cliques became a thing early on – more like packs. They protected their own. She learned to fight through experience either defending herself or those of her little pack. She grew very close to her bunk siblings.

However, her skills didn’t truly start blooming until she was in her mid teens. A year older than her, one of their pack was tempted into a honey trap that became a domino effect for the rest of their bunk. Each year new orphans were recruited into the Mongrels – a gang name definitely created by dumb teenagers. It was a junior cell meant to eventually graduate into full fledged Black Lotus. They had two sponsors, mentors of sorts, from the Lotus’ that were given the task of raising these pups into beasts.

Meanwhile, she was being fostered by her third wanna-be guardian. Except this woman was…special. Instead of chaining Mugi down with attempts at discipline and punishment, she gave her something else to focus her energy on. She kept Mugi on her toes, helping her harness the relentless tension gripping her for something more productive. Guerrero was a retired Champion, you see. She had Mugi under her belt for two and a half years before she passed.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
The first mixed martial arts competition Mugi ever won was as the student of Guerrero, Jorsen and Ashida. The thrill. The rush of excitement. The proud knowing the old woman seemed to have in her eyes. It wasn’t even a major competition! But it was the first time anyone looked at her like she could make something of herself.

She let Guerrero die alone while she was being rebellious, destructive and angsty with her fellow Mongrels. It still haunts Mugi to this day.




Briefly talk about your character's initial reaction to being partnered and then teamed. Were they excited? Hard to work with? Distant? Friendly and engaging?
Mugi was very nervous, and although her voice was quiet and she didn’t talk much, she tried her best to be amiable.

List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.

Mugi claims to have 11 siblings, but also has the last name Stone.

Mugi brought a blanket with her that she is very protective of and sleeps with every night. She once thought it went missing and looked ready to slaughter everyone in the entire building. Including her team. After finding the blanket she mumbled an apology and wouldn’t look anyone in the eye again for the rest of the night. She did, however, crawl straight into bed with her blanket and a book.

Mugi can be bought with good food…but can’t cook worth a damn. Her favorite meal to cook in the dorms is what she calls “fancy ramen”, a doctored up version of instant ramen.

Mugi reacts more dramatically to loud noises or being snuck up on than your typical pretty princess.

Her hair isn’t actually hair, but is made of the same downy barb fibers as on feathers. 

She gets distracted by cool toys, both for kids and gaming.

Don’t talk to her in the morning until she gets her first cup of coffee.

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer

Mugi will drink you under the table.

Mugi will try to turn any sort of studying into some kind of game or a stupid song. She hates normal book studying. On that note, she also likes to make terrible puns when the opportunity presents itself.

Did I mention Mugi can be bought with food?

Threatened to gut another student in the first week of classes, for apparently touching her earwings.

Thinks obstacle courses are playgrounds.

List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
Mugi took some of the stipends each student is allowed during attendance, left the island and went to the Eastern Quarter. There she went grocery shopping, bought a bunch of groceries but didn’t return with any of them.

Mugi took some of the stipends each student is allowed during attendance, left the island and went to the Eastern Quarter. There she went supply shopping, but didn’t return with any of them.

Mugi largely stays up on the island as much as she can, not that she hides from people. She will go out in groups, but she tries to busy herself with fun thing in the safety of the academy grounds.

List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
Mugi is very interested in gathering money itself.

Mugi has an instinctive urge to perch in high places…

She really loves to play.

She wants to make friends, but she’s terrified of how they’ll react if they find out about how much of a wretch she is.

Mugi has an intense protective streak when it comes to females. This isn’t a sexual thing.

HATES the Black Lotus with a passion.

Finally, come up with one plot hook that you would like to explore with your teammates. Something about your character / their story that you're very eager to showcase or have play an early role in their experience.


WaNnA KnOw hOw I gOt ThEsE sCaRs? Ask.

Hey Mugi, why did you come back to the dorms with a busted lip?

Hey Mugi, if you help me do ____ I’ll give you _____ food/money?

Oh no, Mugi is sick! Come baby her.

I WANNA PLAY!

Let’s go on an adventure!

Mugi knows some pretty bad people. She's trying to stay out of sight and out of mind. What if someone recognized her?

Hey Mugi, what are you spending all your money on? You are just eating ramen at home and you're not buying anything else. So what gives?



 

[Juggtacular]

Ooo, hello there! Looking forward to seeing who you pop out for us!

I look forward to your forward looking.

[CurvyKitten]

Brawl!

Excellent! I picked right! Working on sheet as we speak. May get it done before I sleep we shall see. Will at the very least get a w.i.p posted. 

[Envious]

@Amarlo  Hi, boo.

[Miss Nyx]

Idk why the smol girls are just so adorable. 😂

[Amarlo]

@Amarlo  Hi, boo.

Hi bby. ;3 Missed you.

[FyreFoxx]

Lyra might not be the tiniest anymore!

(For reference, she's the shortest currently on team Gravity at 5'4")

[shengami]

@Amarlo Neat character. not sure that High School is a thing though. Haha. That shimmer is kinda powerful! But neat. Adore the Silenus trait! I see she is already making problems for us...

@CurvyKitten Looking forward to it!

[Amarlo]

@Amarlo Neat character. not sure that High School is a thing though. Haha. That shimmer is kinda powerful! But neat. Adore the Silenus trait! I see she is already making problems for us...

Got rid of the high school parts. I meant to remove them earlier but missed a few by accident. ^^;

[shengami]

Got rid of the high school parts. I meant to remove them earlier but missed a few by accident. ^^;

Coolio!!

Another orphan... heh.

Chee (PC) and Velvet (NPC) also orphans. so, my have points of connection.

[Amarlo]

Coolio!!

Another orphan... heh.

Chee (PC) and Velvet (NPC) also orphans. so, my have points of connection.

I am very open to points of connections. I love building them and plotting. With that I must confess it would be a little harder to connect them with him growing up in Seabreeze. Not through the orphan route, at least. As I understand, people don't travel much, if at all, due to the hollow situation. With that said, they can still very likely relate to each other at least. I think Chee is pretty neat. Mouse Silenus was a good pick. He's adorable too. 

[shengami]

I am very open to points of connections. I love building them and plotting. With that I must confess it would be a little harder to connect them with him growing up in Seabreeze. Not through the orphan route, at least. As I understand, people don't travel much, if at all, due to the hollow situation. With that said, they can still very likely relate to each other at least. I think Chee is pretty neat. Mouse Silenus was a good pick. He's adorable too. 

Rat-born but I understand the image and his size speak Mouse. Haha.

It was less a history/background connection and more something they might discover IC. Chee has not been around Hammer before now. He's also new! So, it's something they might discover once they he shows up.

Velvet has been around campus and might have connection to Mugi. Velvet is Chee's 'sister' via the orphanage they lived in.

That said, Chee moved to Onyx when he was thirteen and lived in eastern quarter with his mercenary adopted father.

[Juggtacular]

Strength ●● | ● ● ● ● ●
Stamina  ●● | ● ○ ○ ○ ○
Speed    ●● | ● ● ● ○ ○
Shimmer  ●● | ● ● ○ ○ ○
Soul     ●● | ● ○ ○ ○ ○
Brawl    ●● | ● ● ● ● ○
Melee    ●● | ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Ranged   ●● | ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Earth | Sonic

Terran Specialty | Weakness
Urban, Forest | Arctic, Grassland

Axellion "Axel" Volündr

Juggtacular

Ancestry: Silenus
Gender | Pronouns: Male | He/Him
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Age: 19
Height: 7'
Body Build: Muscular, Athletic
Hair Color: Black w/ Colored Highlights
Eye Color: Gold

Weapon
Brute Rhapsody

Axel's weapons exist as a pair of gauntlets and greaves worn over his forearms/hands and shins/feet, as well as a tail covering known collectively as "Brute Rhapsody". They are branded with his family crest, and each piece is fitted with a pressurized piston that can be "fired" on impact, drastically increasing the force of his blows and even causing damage through armor.

The tailpiece doesn't have a piston and can instead project stone spikes along its length to increase the lethality of Axel's swipes and slams with his fifth appendage. In place of an alternate form, Brute Rhapsody can launch grappling chains that allow Axel to maneuver around his environment faster or even temporarily incapacitate opponents.

Shimmer

Axel's Shimmer allows him to access the primal nature of his lizard Silenus ancestry. When he taps into this ability, his adrenaline and endorphins spike to levels off the charts, and he can actively shut off the limiters the brain puts on the body to utilize greater levels of strength and speed while ignoring pain and injury due to the surge of chemicals.

Silenus Trait - Van der Waals
Like geckos, Axel has thousands of imperceptible tiny hair-like structures on his hands, feet, and other portions of his body. These allow him to cling to and scale across practically any surface, even walls and ceilings with ease through the use of "Van der Waals Force". The attraction is even strong enough for him to carry people and objects with him.

Axel is a Dracolisk Silenus, a race of lizards who are said to be descended from dragons.

Special Trait - ?
?

Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Axel was born into wealth in the Northern Quarter of Onyx to wealth and opulence as the eldest son of Bellion and Zirena Volündr, the current co-heads of Blüdwing, one of the oldest and premier Silenus-led mercenary corps in the world. There are also his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and several younger siblings in his family, most employed with Blüdwing in some capacity or retired. Axel hails from a long line of Silenus' tracing their family heritage all the way back to the original appearance of the Silenus.

His several times great-grandfather Bellicus fought in the Great War and was one of the first Silenus to rebel and help break the yoke of oppression the elves and humans had placed on their people. Once they had their freedom, he established Blüdwing, gathering the greatest Champions and warriors the Silenus had to offer to not only give them a place of belonging and acceptance, but a way to provide for themselves and their families for generations to come, doing what some of them did best.

Axel has been raised from childhood with a mixture of love and discipline as his parents knew he would take over for them as soon as he was born. He has not only accepted this responsibility, but embraced it, and has put his all into training and learning all he can so he can make them proud when his time comes. He has worn the weight of responsibility and being the "chosen" son on his shoulders since his youth, and while he's butted hands with his parents like any child would, he has toed the line for the most part, seemingly eager to take his place and make his family proud.


What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?

Axel has lived a life not only of wealth, but of hardship, adventure, and harsh training to prepare him for being the Commander of an entire Mercenary Corp. While he has enjoyed the finer things in life, vacations, and the like, from a young age Axel has also had to endure and understand the sacrifices that come with making such a lifestyle possible. From childhood he's had to wake up early for drills, spend hours training in combat each day, studying, listening to strategies and tactics, you name it.

 He rarely had free time, and the free time that he did have, he had to earn and use wisely. In a word, you could call his life and upbringing "structured". As he got older, his father and uncles even began taking him on missions so he could get first-hand experience of what life was like in the field. He's done everything from recon and security to seeing direct combat against other forces and Hollows.

His decision to join Hammer was more of a foregone conclusion, as becoming a highly-skilled Champion would only add to his accolades and make him a better fit to lead Blüdwing in the future. His parents were proud, but it was expected as they and many more of his family had graduated from an Academy and become Champions themselves. After what happened to his brother, he and his siblings were rarely allowed to go out without an escort or some family member with them, which added another layer of frustration to his life, even if he understood the reasoning behind it.

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
While becoming a Champion is essentially a prerequisite to taking over the family business, Axel has grown up hearing stories about their tales and adventures and he wants to experience that for himself. He wants to help people. He wants to kill Hollows.

He wants to make the world a better place and knows he has a much better chance of doing that with the title "Champion" in front of his name. It will also make his family proud, which is one of his biggest wants in life, even knowing he's already done everything they've asked of him. A deeper, more personal reason is that he wants to personally stop things like what happened to his little brother from ever happening to anyone else.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Axel has received training from multiple instructors over the years in various forms of combat, but his primary teachers have been his parents, his uncles, and his grandparents. All of them are current and retired Champions with multiple battles and victories under their belts. His father and grandfather have been his two most influential Masters, and his fighting style of unpredictable unarmed combat is heavily shaped around their own personal up-close techniques.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
During one of his deployments, he helped his father and uncle Zefros fight off a pack of Hollows and landed the killing blow against a Nevermore. He wears the scar over his eye and the scars on his chest with pride, and the brothers still tell the story of their victory that day whenever the family gets together or they have a rowdy night at the Mess Hall.

Axel's biggest, more regretful failure is the day that the Black Lotus abducted his younger brother Veyron. They were out enjoying the city(one of the rougher areas admittedly) with some of their friends when the girl Veyron had been dating drew him away from the rest of them. Axel believes she used her Shimmer to make him leave the group as the brothers were each others best friends and he never would've left without telling him. By the time he realized his brother was gone and caught up to him, he saw him being restrained and loaded into a car followed by his "girlfriend" while surrounded by armed men. He tried to find out what was going on, but was told it was none of his business. He immediately attacked the group, but he was outnumbered and outgunned. He managed to escape, but he couldn't get to his brother. The only thing he knew was that he'd seen a Black Lotus tattoo on one of the men. Since then his family have spared no expense trying to find Veyron, but have still had no success. He blames himself and has thrown himself into training ever since so one day he can bring his brother home and bring the Black Lotus down.

Briefly talk about your character's initial reaction to being partnered and then teamed. Were they excited? Hard to work with? Distant? Friendly and engaging?
Axel grew up in a big family as well as an even larger extended family with Blüdwing, so he is used to working with partners and as a team. He's pretty sociable and likable, gets along well with everybody and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He does like to tease as a form of affection though.

List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.

1. Axel is the heir apparent of Blüdwing and a child of privilege but isn't arrogant or stingy with his wealth. He has no problem using it to help himself or those close to him if they need it.
2. He is hard on his teammates and even harder on himself because of the guilt he feels at what happened to Veyron. He wants the people around them to be able to protect themselves so nothing bad can happen to them.
3. Axel is openly antagonistic toward the Black Lotus and anyone who supports them in any fashion.
4. He hasn't had much time for a real social/dating life, so he's making up for lost time.
5. He spends so much time training that when he doesn't have to, he can be found lazing or napping in a comfy spot with lots of sunlight.

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer

1. He trains. A Lot. And he enjoys sparring given the chance.
2. He is somehow confident and flirty while also shy and withdrawn when the same energy is returned in the beginning. It's a conundrum.
3. He can randomly be found stuck to walls and ceilings all over the place.

List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?

1. He busted up a Black Lotus hangout during a drunken bender, injured multiple members, wrecked the place, and took any information he could find...he also chundered everywhere. (With a friend if interested)
2. He convinced his uncle to take him and some of his friends on a joyride(flight) around the city and the surrounding landscape.

List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.

1. Axel is extremely loyal and caring to family and friends. He will put his life on the line for them without hesitation and square up with anyone or anything if someone he cares about is in trouble.
2. He loves animals and has several pets, including a few he's brought to Hammer with him.
3. Axel probably has the biggest appetite you've ever seen and eats a seemingly impossible amount of food per day.
4. He takes duty and honor almost to the extreme because of how he was raised.

Finally, come up with one plot hook that you would like to explore with your teammates. Something about your character / their story that you're very eager to showcase or have play an early role in their experience.


Axel has been following every trace, lead, and rumor about the Black Lotus he can find since his brother was abducted. He's willing to delve into Hell itself to find him and will stop at nothing until he does.

He is a proud member of the Red Fang and helps spread their message and does what he can to further their goals in Onyx.

Axel likes to get away from the prim and proper part of society he is born into and get down and dirty when he has the chance. It's also a mental exercise because that same activity is what lost his brother.

TBD