The World of Toil

Aethyrium · March 02, 2024, 04:29:42 PM

Velvet Smoke

Weapon: Lung'bo; Slightly over six feet long, this staff appears wooden with ornate designs though it has a mechanical interior. A bulbous cudgel sits on the top end, which morphs into a trigger mechanism and bullet chamber when the staff converts into a sniper rifle mode.

Shimmer: Blink; Velvet can teleport short distances within line of sight.

Hot & Cold: Velvet struggles to find balance between being too aggressivly involved and too timidly removed. This can make her at times seem wishy washy and unpredictable. She has strong gut instincts, but has been wrong enough that she has doubt in her own call making. However sometimes she can't resist the urge to take action.
Mild Temperment: Velvet is just generically nice. She doesn't like to say bad things about people, even when they're not present, no matter how obvious her distaste for someone is. She always tries to see the bright side of things, and the good in people and situations.
Volunteer: Velvet is extreme community oriented, and she likes to help out whenever she can. She dedicates a generous amount of her free time volunteering to help out where and who she can.
Family Ties: Raised as an orphan, Velvet has a strange sense of family. She doesn't put much stock in blood ties, but rather the bonds that people forge for themselves. She comes from a large 'family', which includes Chee. Velvet is quick to warm up to people, and once she declares you family, there's no breaking that bond.
Competitive: Though she might not seem it at first glance, Velvet is a very competitive individual and she likes to win. Though she is usually very good about being humble in victory, she has been known to be pouty in defeat. Mostly her competitiveness comes through in combat, as she wants to prove herself, but it has been known to come up in other areas of her life too.

Interests: Fish
Dislikes: ?

Aethyrium · March 27, 2024, 10:16:16 PM

Toil’s history is filled with tragic events, but few are as catastrophic as the Great War.

It was a different time. Toil did not yet have advanced technology. No computers, no cars or jets, nor instant communication. Weapons, as they always are in Toil, were advanced for the time but still pale compared to the modern era. As hard as it is to believe, in those days there were eight kingdoms. Onyx of Johtan, Emerald of Kantos, Sapphire of Sinnat, Pearl of Unovia, Ruby of Hoenan, as well as Opal of Kalanos, the Jade Empire, and the Summerset Conclave. It was a time before the Silenus Appreciation Accords, when Toil’s youngest race were looked down on and treated almost uniformly as lessers. The kingdoms were more divided than at any other point in history.

In the century preceding the war, there were high tensions between the eight kingdom’s, in large part caused by an alliance between Ruby and Sapphire. The two nations traded frequently, with Sapphire sending supplies and logistics to Ruby and teaching them how to settle the snowy northern regions of Hoenan. After a major conflict with the Hollow, his royal majesty Kayn Julius of Sapphire came to believe that the greatest defense against the Hollow was to enforce rigid, unwavering discipline where things like art, self-expression, and magic were abolished in favor of knowledge, routine, and technology. Unwilling to lose its ally, Ruby complied with Sapphire’s wishes - to an extent, and banned these things except for its most elite. This decision caused a great fracturing in the people of Ruby.

This decision added to the already large list of things that Emerald disliked about the Sapphire and Ruby alliance, which already included Ruby’s use of the Silenus as outright slave labor and their insistence that this was the best for everyone - Silenus included. Emerald's displeasure only grew deeper when both Sapphire and Ruby established a presence in Johtan with the blessing of Onyx. Emerald seemed to stand alone, since predating all of this was the great elven alliance between the Jade Empire which dominated eastern Kantos, and the Summerset Conclave of Kalanos were the oldest and largest power on Toil - and largely dismissive of the movements of human’s at that.

Then, August 15, 1224, everything changed. Out of what seemed nowhere, almost overnight, all of Kalanos - Opal, the Battle Academy of Dragon, and the Summerset Conclave were eradicated. In a Hollow attack of unprecedented magnitude, unlike any ever seen before or since, the children of the Dark God swarmed the continent, blackened the sky, erupted from the earth, and drank the seas until there was nothing left. Kalanos had always been the elven stronghold, Opal their great and majestic capital from which they overlooked the world. In that night more than half the elves of Toil were lost - a tragedy from which they would never recover.

With the alliance of elves broken, there was little to keep the king of Sapphire compliant. Tensions began to escalate, and already rocky relations started to fray. And then, both Emerald and Sapphire set their eyes on a small pair of islands between them. With fears of the Hollow still on everyone’s mind, each kingdom desired the resources potentially available. Wishing to avoid conflict, the Emerald Queen, Lilly Petal, chose to share the islands with Sapphire.

However, the tensions between the nations ultimately resulted in a riot between the two groups of settlers. On February 19, 1233, a battle erupted on the islands and would be marked as the first of the Great War. It’s unclear who attacked first, but it didn’t matter, the war was a foregone conclusion that any spark would have set off eventually.

What followed was just over eight years of devastating warfare across Toil. During which there were a handful of key moments. The Battle of Pearl was the first great conflict of the war. Sapphire, seeking to gain access to the immense Arcanite reserves of Unovia, and prevent Emerald from claiming them, dispatched an army from Ruby filled with Silenus slave warriors and the city's lowest class - the most disposable - to the port. It would have been an easy campaign, given the relative lack of homegrown defense owned by Pearl, had it not been for the swift intervention of Emerald. Having caught wind of the attack, Queen Petal dispatched her own military forces, with no promise or arrangements, to protect Pearl from the impending onslaught. And they were successful at repelling the attack and securing Pearl.

But it was not without great cost. The Battle of Pearl had, in the eyes of Sapphire’s king, merely been a diversion. With Emerald’s forces stretched thin, Sapphire and Ruby assaulted the Jade Empire, crushing it from the north and east respectively. This would come to be known as The Breaking of Jade. Still reeling from the loss of Kalanos, the allied forces of Ruby and Sapphire washed across eastern Kantos with ruthless efficiency, rooting the empire and massacring what remained of the last major gathering of elven population. Elven survivors were scattered to the wilds of Toil, and forgotten.

This foothold on Kantos should have provided Sapphire all the leverage it needed to conquer Emerald. However, in saving Pearl, Emerald had earned itself an ally. Though Pearl had little in the way of forces to assist, they had a very valuable resource in the form of Arcanite. So when the forces of Sapphire and Ruby reached Emerald to siege it, they found it defended by Emerald forces, heavily supplied with Unovian Arcanite. The campaign west slowed, but it didn’t stop. Armed with evolving technology, and with Arcanite of their own harvested from Johtan, the forces of Sapphire grinded away over years toward the conquest of Emerald.

For a time, Onyx remained neutral in the conflict, due mostly to having allowed Sapphire and Ruby settlement in their territory. As war with Emerald continued, the two nations began to pressure Onyx to ally with them. But the people of Onyx came to realize that if Emerald fell there would be no one left to stop Sapphire and Ruby from conquering them as well. In a shocking twist, Onyx rallied its own tremendous military and ousted both Sapphire and Ruby from its territory.

Knowing that if Emerald was supplied with Unovian Arcanite, supported with Johtan bodies, that the war would be lost, Sapphire and Ruby engaged in the Johtan Campaign - the deadliest part of the war. Sapphire and Ruby forces sailed across the north of Kantos, landing in what would become Seabreeze Village, and marched across the plains for Onyx in force. The thought had been simple, all they had to do was keep Emerald pressured, and eliminate Onyx as a threat. Unfortunately, the soldiers of Sinnat and Hoenan were ill prepared for the terrain and weather of Johtan, and no one could have predicted that in the middle of the siege Queen Lilly Petal would arrival from Kantos with more than half of her forces to support Onyx. On April 4, 1241, a decisive battle was one, where Emerald forces flanked Sapphire and Ruby forces, crushing them between themselves and Onyx forces.

Following that battle, the six kingdoms came together on islands - neutral, unclaimed ground - where the war had started and formed a treaty that ensured the future of Toil. In the end the kingdoms were ready to bow to the rule of Emerald and its victorious queen, but she decided against it. Instead, territory was redistributed and general governing principles were established. Slavery was abolished, and the governments were restructured. King Julius was sentenced to exile, and the leaders of Ruby with him. And even the nature of the Battle Academies was changed. During the war Champions had been used as elite soldiers, ultimate weapons of their nations. Instead, Champions would be free of governmental influence, and have no allegiance to the nations and the Index was created.

Of course not all damage was so easily fixed.

shengami · March 29, 2024, 04:36:26 AM

Game Statistics

Affinities
Lightning | Grassland, Forest
Weaknesses
Water | Arctic, Aquatic

Chee Tortious

Character Advantages

Weapon: Darklash; A foot long, curved black blade made from some shiny metallic-looking material. A rotating-collar switch and a series of locking twists releases the handle from the blade. The handle and the blade are connected by a hard-light chain generated in the handle that can extend variably from 3-5 meters. It then functions as a rope dart.

Shimmer: Squeakers; By focusing, he creates a 5" malleable sphere of translucent white goo that mutes all sound it contacts. These spheres are sticky and permeable. When he throws them, they will mold to the target and stick. He can also reabsorb them. He often uses them on his own feet to move silently but can and has used them offensively.

Silenus Trait: Rat-Like Body; Chee's body goes beyond double-jointed into ridiculous realms. As long as the space is big enough for his head, he can get through.

Special Trait: Trailfinder; Chee has experience safely navigating the world beyond the protection of great city defenses. While it's not perfect, he can guide himself and small groups of others, provided no extra circumstances would draw undo attention, through the wilderness with a minimal chance of encountering Hollow.

Background

1. Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Chee doesn't know his family. Mathilda only told him that a middle-aged human woman dropped him off one day; said she had found him abandoned in an alley. It wasn’t until many years later that he learned the woman had made a rather sizable donation at the same time. But with that, he grew up among the herd of children at the orphanage in Seabreeze. But, from early on, Chee was something of a loner by nature. He got along with the rest. He traded barbs with Ivy, sought food for Harry’s challenge, and liked to sit and listen to Reed’s flute or Sage’s hammer. But he always liked to explore the city streets by himself. Sometimes for a day or two before coming back dirty and hungry. Then, one day, he didn’t come back; a month later he sent a letter explaining what happened.

Chee had taken up with a band of mercenaries that worked out of Onyx. The letter didn’t mention that he’d been caught by the band’s leader picking his pocket though. He had always been ashamed of that habit and hid it from the others. He suspected some, especially Ivy and Mathilda, knew. And he didn’t do it for the money or anything, it was the thrill. Anything he got, he tended to give to charity, drop in beggars’ bowls, or used it to buy things for the others. Whatever the case, Pat caught him red-handed. But was impressed with the young Silenus’ skills and saw potential in the kid. So, a long conversation with Mathilda and a pile of paperwork later and Pat became Chee’s legal father. At first, Chee wrote and called when he could, but then it got spotty, and then it fell off. He feels bad and he keeps meaning to see about it, but with each passing month it sort of settles into place.

Still, he was happy. The band took him in and he had a ‘father’ and a big group of rowdy uncles and aunts to teach him things. He still daydreams about his ‘real’ family and loves to explore though. He often finds himself sitting in the corner of the band’s warehouse just watching the rest.

2. What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
When Chee turned thirteen, he ‘left’ the orphanage to take up with an old mercenary, Padraig McHapet, and his company, The Headmen. They taught Chee how to lie and tell the truth when needed, how to laugh and play when it was time, and when to get serious. They also taught Chee how to travel outside the city without notice. They worked together for four years, but Pat was already aging and riddled with injury. Just this last summer, the man retired.

At the party filled with his old colleagues, Pat took Chee aside and urged him to find a different path. One that didn't leave you broken and poor. Pat suggested the Academy. Soon, all the old guys Chee hung around were urging him on: “Be a real thing for The Headmen to count an honest-to-the-Light Champion as one of em.” They were offering their meager funds to help. But it was too late. The exams were done. So, he resolved to try next year and set about training for the exams by ranging out into the countryside hunting Hollow. It wouldn’t hurt if he made some cor in the process. And he might just reconnect with Ivy and, through her, the others.

3. Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
For fame and money. Chee wants to be able to support the company and Pat, most of whom are or are close to retirement. He also wants to see the world and do something big. Secretly, he hopes that he might find his family; he also fears that he might. His found family are so good, both of them. He feels guilty even looking for his bio-fam. But he’s driven by a desire to know them and know why he never knew them. He feels compelled to search the nooks and crannies for something he feels is missing.

4. How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Mercenary life. Chee was a scout and spy. He was good at moving quickly and quietly. He also had a keen eye and good night vision. He excelled at hit and run tactics and melee. He's got some advanced to moderate survival skills and first aid ability. The mercenaries of the company all collectively taught him the tricks of the trade which included plenty of vices. Of course, he also grew up rowdy and was a very good thief.

6. What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
Regret - when he was younger, he was a pickpocket. In fact, picking his pocket is how he met Pat. At that time, he did it for fun and to survive, a little, but Pat taught him better. Even though he knows it is how he found his family, he regrets those choices and tries to be generous to make up for it.

Pride - In his training, Chee was able to take down a trio of Hispos and kill them single-handedly. He also hunted and killed a Ronun which is where he found Darklash.

1.07a. You have been a part of Hammer for around three months now. How has this time changed your individual goals and outlooks. Give some insight into the things that are now important to you, and story relevant ambitions and or perceptions.

Chee came into gRAVity valuing mostly his ability to contribute to quantifiable parameters and being a loner. Chee isn't rootless, but his roots are few and jealously guarded. Even knowledge of what grounds him is something he holds back. Familiarity breeds comfort though and he's made new connections. He's slightly confused why he should focus on connecting to just his team though. Teams don't last after graduation. That's just a fact. Still, he has made many friends at Hammer and likes people: especially Velvet, Koko, and Cub. He's really warming up to SAvAGeD though. Mostly. His idea of what a hero/champion is has evolved. He's getting close to the idea that the path of the Champion is his road to being a hero, but they are not the same thing. He's slightly disillusioned. He's begun to question things he never questioned before. He's always been fairly sure his future lay outside Onyx Prairie, but he's getting more and more certain. There's something in him that wants to be a Hero for Silenus or the villages. It's still loose and undefined though. He values freedom and liberty more clearly now. He's toying with the idea that 'just because they're alive doesn't mean you saved them.' He's for sure obsessed with Adir Udan and Blackrazor. Chee is making very conscious, deliberate efforts to be a better member of his team how he knows how to do that. Which is, admittedly, shaky. For now, it looks like him going out of his way to spend time with other members of SAvAGeD. Otherwise, he intends to be a professional member of his team when on mission.

1.07b. What are, at least, two new character hooks that you would like to explore as time has changed them. These should be something that other characters can engage with, not necessarily large plot facing. They could be actions to take, but also important characterization things that you're looking to do.

Okay, one dichotomy that is probably worth opening for Chee here is the ‘real family’ matter. Chee is bitter, angry, and profoundly scarred by his orphaning. He can’t help but envy anyone with biofamily. He’s envied it his entire life. He can see that those with biofamily have complex and fraught relationships with them. He gets that he romanticizes biofamily. Regardless, he finds himself baffled and upset by those who cast away such things. On top of that, he knows he has found family that loves him. He cares for them as well. But he feels something is missing. And that makes him feel guilty and ashamed that he wants his biofamily. And yet, he wants it. Layered into the abandonment issues are his feelings of alienness and trauma. Chee struggles to feel human. It’s an issue that results from neurodivergency but he blames on not having a family. He believes that if he’d just had a normal family, then he wouldn’t be the way he is. He’s wrong, but that’s what he believes. Then there is the Silenus raised by humans identity issues. Chee struggles with his identity heavily. It's a big part of why he focuses on what he can DO over what he IS. (So, things that help him to do this are welcomed! I know this one is a bit passive? I look for opportunities to explore it when I can and welcome ideas from you guys. This is sort of the constant low hum in Chee's character. I'm just making it explicit here.)

More active ideas?
Running Club and Arcanite practice with Lyra.
TNA, Nightshade, and Red Fang connections with Dariaq.
Potential, as a local to the Eastern Quarter, exploring just how much Estelle DOESN’T actually know about it? Could involve running around to different places there?
Chee asking Hulta for a little help in classes?
Extreme Sports with Marlowe? But also, there’s a potential for fun conversations about family? Nightshade?
Family things with Koko (Mahandi and the ‘mom’) but also TNA, extreme sports, something where they explore her reduced Soul?
I’d like for Chee and Thessa to work on a combat combo. Fastball special or more? Something where they both use their chain weapons? I’d also think Chee would want to talk to her about how she does that lightning trick.
Chee, Lyra, and Hulta train together to create a unique Arcanite combo that makes a thunderstorm?

1.07c. You are part of a new team, and one that is unlike any other in Hammer's - or any Battle Academy - history. What does that mean to you? How do you reflect on your time with your prior team? What do you want to accomplish and or do differently with this team? What are your thoughts, general or specific - but meaningful - on each member of your new team? How do you feel about your squad and your partner, new or old. Finally, what is something you would personally like to see Savaged do as a team - mission, characterizing, plot facing, or otherwise?

1) Chee doesn't really clock the uniqueness of SAvAGeD. Partly, this is reflective of his tendency to accept things the way they are. Some part of it may be his desire to be 'unseen.' But a lot of it is his being excited to be teamed up with Koko.
2) Chee values the time in gRAVIty, but he's also happy to put some of the legacy of that team behind him. To him, gRAVity was him trying to fill someone else's shoes and space. SAvAGeD is a new team where he is part of the foundation. He'll never have gone through the trials, but now he's part of something new with people he likes. SAvAGeD's legacy is theirs to build.
3) Above almost everything, Chee wants SavAGeD to have wins, successes, achievements. Things they can be proud to say they did. Like taking down an Alpha and sixty Hollow by themselves.
4) Here we go:

”Tessa? What about her? Good fighter, decisive, confident. Has a tendency ta say tings ta folks dat are jagged. Don’t much care for dat. You can be direct witout bein rough. I can work wit her easy enough. Ya. What else is dere ta say? I mean, someday? She’ll be one fantastic officer.” 60%
”Stella? I like dat she’s smaller dan me. Get dat she’s a bit miffed at me. Ya! But she’s a good person and a great fighter ta have your back in a scrap. Sure. I’d storm a den full of bandits or a Hollow nest wit her at da drop of a hat. Wonder what her favorite shop at da Sesame Street Nightmarket is!” 75-85%
”Marlowe? Me and her butted heads a bit, but dat’s fine. Don’t gotta get along with every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Since den, we’re solid. She’s fun! Da way she navigates social tings? Dat’s a wonder! Well, she tinks wit her neders a bit too much, if you ask me. Which nobody did, and nobody wit sense ever would. And she is a bit obsessed with being seen by oders, which I tink is overrated. But, body number one ta seek out if ya plan ta scrap, ya sure. Yeah, I’d charge an Ollowphant wit her. Tink we nearly did taking on Senja like we did!” 80-85%
”Da Infinite Black! Lyra might just be da strongest on da team. Well, if she could get out of her own head, dat is. Learn ta focus on what’s ahead? Stop tinkin about what can’t be done and start focusin on what’s ta be done, ya? Serious, you seen what dat little elf can do? Hoowee! When she makes a decision, get out of da way fast!” 85%
”Ah, da sugar monster! Her energy and mine? Different wavelengths but compatible, ya? She’s good stuff and handy wit dat staff. Been tinking we two should go hang-gliding or base-jumping. Dat’d be wild! Dough, she’s another one wasting time tinkin with her neders. She knows how ta have fun last I checked, so we’re good.” 80%
”Ah, SYVANIOOOOOS! We butted heads, too. Dough I am not sure he tinks we did. Dat’s fine. Guy’s always lookin ta da future. But a bit obsessed wit being seen, like Marlowe. Again, what’s da deal? Don’t he know dat real heroes don’t call attention ta demselves? Still, when he’s in, he’s all in. And dat? I get dat. We’re buds even if he tinks he’s better at obstacle courses dan me. Sh’yeah right!" 75%
”Anyone messes wit Koko, messes wit me. Full stop. A year ago, you’da told me dat was my ride or die friend? I’d’ve laughed my ass off. Today, we click. Our energies sync. Iunno. She’s sincere, earnest, present in a way I can never be. She sees me dough. More dan anyone else ever has, she sees me and- she ain’t run away yet. Ya?" 90-94%
”I miss dem, da ones who left? All of dem were friends. One of dem was more dan dat, maybe. I’ll never know now. Maybe I’ll never get anoder chance at dat. Meh. It’s sad dat Maria and Bri left, but dey found new pats dat aim at deir goals better. But Roar and Vesper? Dose are holes in my heart. For sure. For sure.”

5) Chee is pleased as punch with his squad and Koko being his partner. He misses Vesper a lot and wishes the man well. He'll never really leave the guy behind either. But Koko is family. They click. Not sure he's as excited about the mess in their space though. Cause I know there'll be a mess.
6) OOC? I'd like to see the team bond in a group scene. Individuals and pods of people have connections, but a team-level connection/memory they all share that isn't a traumatic mission would be nice. I've tried this with the breakfasts, but maybe running a Mockery-style group training class once or twice? Also OOC, more training with the aim at combos. Yes, I know my OOC goals sometimes conflict with Chee's IC movements. LOL.

Player Notes & Other

Weapons Loadout

Thoughts on NPCs and the Lost

SAvAGeD:
~~Meena~~ (0) - Biiiiig. Dependable. Velvet makes eyes at her. Meena made eyes back, but also for Lolo? She was good people. Probably is good people. Chee misses her presence.
~~Vesper~~ (4) - Rugged. Quiet. Practical. Mad respect for his even-keeled personality. Ranged pointers? Exploring nature together. Che misses him and wishes nothing but good things for him. He hopes to reconnect someday.
Bri (4) - Challenge her! Oh, big (bio) family. What's that like? Curious/Jealous. Ordered, military, and Chee would like that. But supports military and doesn't support outsider groups? Might be a point of contention. Connection involving Chee helping family during harvest times.
~~Roar (5)~~ - Challenge them/her, Brawler type. Connection in that Chee also fought underground and they recognize one another. Similar personalities? They bonded strongly in 1.04 in Nightmarket, Firefight, and Sparring. Chee flat accepts her without thinking and that connected them.

Other Teams:
Cub (3) - Cute. Playful. Shared sense of humor?
Soraya (?) - Silenus? Need more information
Velvet (0) - Sister, Friend, Support. He'd go to bat for her. Protective.
Lionel (4) - They're cute as hell!
Minnow (0) - Two losses in duels!!!
Fern (0) - The firebomb incident!?!

Report Card

Aethyrium · April 12, 2024, 12:04:13 AM

The elves of Toil are the oldest of the mortal races, created by the God of Light, and originally intended to be the inheritors of the world.

There was a long time, more than a thousand years, where the only living people on Toil were the elves and the dragons. It was a golden age of prosperity and harmony. Central to this were the dragons who were revered and respected by the elves as wise guardians and teachers. In those days the world flourished under the benevolent, creation oriented whims of both races. It was the dragons who first revealed the mysteries of true magic to the elves, guiding them in the art of weaving Soul and tapping into the elemental energies of the world. Together, elves and dragons formed an unbreakable alliance beneath the glory of the God of Light.

Then an end to this idyllic era came in the form of the Hollow. Following the creation of these malevolent beings, the elves faced unimaginable losses as their once prosperous lands were ravaged by relentless attacks. In the face of such darkness, the dragons, ever vigilant in the role as protectors of Toil, rose to defend their elven allies. But as time wore on and the Hollow multiplied, the dragons simply could not be everywhere. Settlements fell under the shadowy claws of the Hollow, who left nothing but despair in their wake.

While the great elven civilization that had flourished for generations was battered and torn apart, humanity arrived on Toil and began forging their own society. Unlike the elves, these new mortals were not unified with one another, and they brought a further wave of chaos and upheaval that rippled across Toil. For the elves, whose ancient civilization had largely been in harmony with nature, the sudden intrusion of these newcomers was met with skepticism and distrust and they exploited the world for their own benefit. Relations between the elder race and its younger sibling were distant and strained, marked by mutual wariness and reluctance to engage with one another - further complicating the growing Hollow threat. Despite the elves viewing humanity with suspicion and wariness, the dragons saw them as more life that needed to be protected. This further stretching of the dragon’s defense had terrible ramifications for the elves, which they would never forgive humanity for causing. The gap between the two races only grew, and tensions between them roiled like water heading toward a boil.

When the dragons departed Toil, it dealt a devastating blow to the elves, who had long relied on the majestic creatures as guardians and allies. With the dragons gone, their already teetering empire was even more vulnerable to the Hollow threat. And their woes did not end there, as soon the brothers themselves left the world, and elven light began to fade. Their connection to magic, which had been a bedrock that sustained their grand society for centuries was suddenly gone. Without the guidance of the God of Light and the protection of the dragons, the elves found themselves adrift in a world that did not value creation.

On the other side of the Veiled Era, the elves had been cut down to a fraction of their former numbers and no longer the dominant race of Toil.

The emergence of the silenus marked a significant shift in the dynamics of Toil. Seeing a chance to make an ally in this world, the elves saw an opportunity for an alliance and cooperation. Eager to share their history of reverence and aged wisdom with these new people, the elves sought to take the silenus under their wing, so to speak. However, this alliance was not without its complexities. While the elves extended a hand of friendship to the silenus and offered to teach them the ways of nature, and how to survive against the Hollow, there was an underlying sense of superiority that persisted through them, whether consciously acknowledged or not. In practice the silenus often found themselves relegated to a lower caste, with limited opportunities for advancement and recognition within elven society. The elves never made a specific point to oppress their youngest sibling, but in practice that was exactly what happened.

Kalanos’ fall marked the beginning of the end of the elves, and the Great War further exacted a devastating toll on the elves, leaving their once mighty societies decimated and their ancestral lands ravaged. Entire cities were razed to the ground, and what few of them managed to escape the genocide were scattered and forced into hiding. In the aftermath of the war, the few remaining elves found themselves a negligible force in a world that had been irrevocably changed. Their history and heritage quickly began to fade into obscurity, and their dwindling numbers could barely scrape by. Small villages popped up here, safe havens mostly, most doomed to burn out like candles in the wind. Despite the resilience that had carried them this far, they struggled to rebuild their shattered homes and reclaim their place in the world.

In the wake of the Great War, modern elven life has undergone a profound transformation, marked by a cautious and deliberate approach to rebuilding their shattered civilization. The remaining elves have retreated into seclusion, establishing two hidden cities - Tabor and Kolastus - that are well guarded, and their locations kept a closely guarded secret. Here the elves seek to preserve their culture and way of life away from the prying eyes and interference of the outside world. Despite their desire and efforts to remain hidden, Toil is too dangerous to go alone, and for that reason there are still connections between the elves and the other races.

Still deeply connected to the world, the elves have an ingrained culture of reverence for nature and the preservation of the natural world. They see themselves as the stewards of the land, as the last true children of the God of Light, and it is their duty to protect creation. They believe in living in harmony with nature, and practice sustainable hunting and gathering techniques, and carefully manage their resources to ensure the continued health of their environment. And like their desire to preserve nature, the preservation of their ancestral knowledge and traditions has become even more important to the elves. They place a great value on their history and heritage, passing down stories and teachings from generation to generation through oral tradition. Once they kept elaborate archives containing scrolls and texts, but these repositories of wisdom and knowledge have been lost.

Additionally, the elves hold a deep belief in the importance of community and cooperation. In part because they do not feel they can rely on outsiders, but more importantly because of their dwindling numbers, elves place a strong emphasis on mutual support and solidarity. Working together to overcome challenges they face and to rebuild their society from the ashes of war. They have developed tight-knit social structures within their hidden cities, where individuals rely on one another for both practical assistance and emotional support. Even the smaller elven communities have naturally found their way, mostly, to this communal style. Finally, elves place a significant emphasis on the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment. Mostly in an effort to regain what was lost, not just to the war, but in the departure of the gods. They are highly intellectual and curious people, with a thirst to understand the mysteries of Toil.

Aethyrium · April 12, 2024, 01:14:00 PM

Toil’s humans were an experiment between the brother Gods, creatures created to exist on the line between light and dark, creation and destruction. Some have said this inner chaos has marked them for a long doom, while others suggest that it makes them the true children of the gods as embodiments of the whole.

The world had existed for nearly two millennia before humanity arrived. By the time that they did, the great elven empire had been forced into pieces by the Hollow, and the dragons were deep into their failure to protect life. Humanity represented a turning point in history by introducing a dynamic force driven by the duality inherent in their nature. Endowed with true free will, humans possessed the capacity for both great good and profound evil, a dichotomy that shaped their interactions with the world around them - including the brothers. Despite being part of both, humanity rejected the Dark God and sought to establish themselves as children of the light. And the chaos within them would always give rise to conflicts and struggles as individuals grappled with their own inner demons and moral ambiguities - traits, flaws, that only drove them to seek the God of Light more.

As humanity began to proliferate across Toil, their presence brought tumult and distress to everything around them. Fueled by ambition and driven by a relentless pursuit of progress and power, humans rapidly expanded their influence and exploited the resources of the world en masse to grow their burgeoning civilizations. Their insatiable hunger for advancement led to the ruin of many once pristine places - much to the anger of the elves. Moreover, the fractured nature of human society, marked by greed, corruption, and conflict, brought instability that further exacerbated the tensions of the world.

Human and elf relations were decidedly tense and distrusting on both sides, rooted in core differences that extended to the very essence of who they were as people. Despite sharing Toil, and facing many of the same problems created by the Hollow, humans and elves struggled to find common ground. Their divergent cultures and worldviews often lead them to friction, animosity, and even outright conflict. Elves, with their ancient heritage and deep connection to Toil, looked down on humanity and perceived them as reckless and shortsighted. Conversely, the humans often regarded the elves with envy and resentment, with feelings of inferiority being stirred up in them. This mutual antipathy fueled a cycle of hostility and distrust between them, perpetuating a divide that continued to exist even into the modern era.

Meanwhile, humanity and the dragons faced their own complications, characterized by reverence, fear, and exploitation. While dragons, as the ancient protectors of Toil, were revered by humans as symbols of power, they have also been regarded with trepidation and mistrust. Driven by their ambition and desire for dominance, humans sought to tame and exploit dragons for their own ends, viewing them as little more than powerful beasts to be controlled. Conversely this put the dragons in a strange position, as they wished to respect the children of the gods, but were wary of these new creature’s potential for destruction. Despite these apprehensions, the dragons saw them like the elves - fragile and vulnerable, and in need of their protection. However this almost paternal attitude clashed with humanity’s desire for independence, leading to strife between them.

Legends surrounding the brother’s departure are varied and often contradictory, but one common thread is the belief that it was ultimately humanity’s fault. Whether through their arrogance, greed, or defiance of divine will, humans played a central role in driving the gods away. The veiled era treated humanity no better than it did their elder sibling.

And this led to the discovery of the younger sibling, the silenus. Instead of recognizing their unique culture and contributions, humans viewed the silenus as a conquerable race ripe for exploitation and largely regarded them as inferior beings, ripe for enslavement and subjugation. This attitude was fueled by fear birthed from the veiled era, but also ignorance, and a desire for power that had been lost - the veiled era was a reset button on Toil, of sorts, and without the dragons to protect them, humanity had a fair shot at staking its claim to the world. The silenus were captured and brought to heel, viewed by most humans as little more than property to be owned and used. As a result, the silenus faced widespread discrimination and persecution at the hands of their human counterparts, and they endured centuries of oppression and marginalization - often that pushed them into the arms of elves, where things might have been better, but still were not good.

Seeking to establish their dominance, humanity formed five great kingdoms - Sapphire, Onyx, Emerald, Pearl, and Ruby, and divided Toil amongst themselves. Kalanos, and Opal, were left as elven lands. From the ashes of the turbulent veiled era, these kingdoms emerged as disparate factions sought stability and security in a world besieged by the Hollow. Though diplomacy between humanity and elves improved during these foundational years, the kingdoms were established with plenty of conquest. It was an age of powerful leaders rising to prominence, and for the first time lines were drawn on maps, and Toil became more divided than ever.

Though few remember their name, it was a human who recognized that everything being built would crumble beneath the onslaught of the Hollow. The mortal races needed a new strategy if anything lasting was to be created. And so the idea for the Battle Academies was born. Prestigious institutions that would produce graduates who would be esteemed members of society, wielding their skills and expertise to protect the kingdoms from the threats they faced.

The Great War was a maelstrom of violence and destruction that engulfed every kingdom. The toll was staggering, and tens of thousands of lives were lost. By the end of it, the form that the kingdoms had taken prior to it were undermined and rebuilt largely from the ground up. But in the aftermath, humanity emerged in the position they had always wanted - the dominant force on Toil. Though the cost had been great, this development allowed the birth of the modern era, the rapid advancement of technology, and a more stable time than any other in Toil’s history since the emergence of the Hollow.

Modern Toil has seen human civilization flourish. Though none of the kingdoms equal the ancient elven empire, the five are remarkably powerful when considering that they stand despite the existence of the Hollow. Humanity has become a tapestry of cultures, beliefs, and costumes that reflect the resilience and adaptability of human spirit. Across the kingdoms, the great cities teem with life, commerce, and innovation, fueled by an ever present and relentless pursuit of progress and prosperity. From the towering skyscraper of Onyx, to the bustling markets of Emerald, humans have built a society that celebrates individuality and embraces the complexities of urban life.

Culturally, humans are renowned for a variety of traditions and rituals that seem to evolve with every generation. They are a celebratory people, where festivals and grand parties abound, honoring everything from the gods long gone to the heroes that protect them. These festivities serve as vibrant expressions of human creativity. Unlike their siblings, it would be impossible to nail humanity down to a single common theme. They exhibit a wide spectrum of philosophical perspectives, ranging from devout adherence to ancient ways, to more secular and humanistic worldviews, and everything in between and beyond.

Unfortunately the very nature that makes humanity so strong is also its greatest failing. While the Hollow represents a threat to the whole of Toil, and there has been on occasion a bad actor has emerged from the elves or the silenus, humanity’s tether to the Dark God makes them prone to falling into the baser urges. Individuals spring forward from humanity relatively commonly who would seek to twist the world for their own benefit. Driven by temptations of greed, ambition, and hubris, they sow seeds of discord and ignite conflict from within that threatens to tear apart the fabric of the society that birthed them. Despite noble aspirations and lofty ideals, humanity’s inherent flaws and frailties often lead them astray and plunge them into cycles of violence, oppression, and despair. One could say that they are their own worst enemy.

Aethyrium · April 12, 2024, 11:18:46 PM

Hispo

Crinos

The Garou are a Class 3 breed of Hollow that epitomize the relentless and predatory nature of these malevolent creatures. As pack hunters, they exhibit a cunning and coordinated approach to attacking their prey that is not largely found among the Hollow - though it is far from perfect, not even as well aligned as natural wolves. They are known to vaguely work in tandem to corner and overwhelm their prey. The Garou are among the most common types of Hollow, and exist on all of Toil’s continents.

The Hispo form resembles a massive direwolf, standing on average at an imposing five feet at the shoulder. Their sleek fur, smokey black and charcoal greys, serves as effective camouflage in the shadows of the night where they prefer to hunt. With powerful jaws lined with a dual set of razor-sharp teeth, and muscular limbs that allow them swift and agile movements, the hispo is a terrifying hunter even without support of a pack, capable of running down its prey with ruthless efficiency.

The Crinos form of the breed resembles a monstrous hybrid of a wolf and a humanoid. Standing at an intimidating height of seven to eight feet tall, these creatures exude a primal aura of strength and ferocity. Their muscular physique is accentuated byu fur-covered limbs and a hulking frame, an elongated snout and the traditional red glowing eyes of most Hollow, give them quite the menacing presence. While still class 3, the Crinos are considered even more formidable predators, capable of unleashing devastating attacks with their powerful claws and fangs that can rend through even metals. They are savage and brutal creatures, capable of making use of their more humanoid forms. Though, they are slower - though by how much none can really say - than their hispo counterparts, they more than make up for it in their flexibility.

Like the wolves that they resembles, and despite their fearsome, monstrous appearance, the Garou possess a cunning intelligence for the types of chaos and destruction they are known to sow. Their pack mentality gives them an edge that many other Hollow lack, and they are capable of executing seemingly complex hunting strategies to overcome obstacles. Despite often being referred to as the weakest of the Hollow, only a fool would disregard the terrifying power of the Garou.

Aethyrium · April 13, 2024, 12:07:50 AM

Nevermore

The Nevermore is a sinister and elusive Class 3 breed of Hollow. Known for its striking resemblance to a raven but with an unnaturally large wingspan averaging around twelve feet, they are native to the regions of Johtan and Kantos. These creatures are relatively uncommon sightings, adding to their mysterious and fearsome reputations. Despite being a class 3, they are considered particularly dangerous due to their cunning tactics and formidable abilities.

One of the distinctive behaviors of the Nevermore is its preference for twilight-hour activities, using the disorienting time between light and dark to lurk and swoop in on unsuspecting prey, making use of sun-glare to give itself cover. It has sharp instincts and deploy stealthy tactics to ambush their victims, catching them off guard, making them formidable adversaries even for experienced hunters. Their sleek feathers have been developed to be nearly silent, making them even harder to detect on approach.

When it comes to hunting, the Nevermore exhibits a methodical and patient approach, often waiting until the circumstances are just right to descend. They are known to stalk their prey from above for hours, silently gliding on the air currents before launching into sudden and swift attacks. Their powerful talons are capable of crushing stone, and their beaks can make short work of anything short of metal. They prefer to tear at their prey, ripping them open and allowing them to slowly bleed to death - they’re sadistic creatures. Despite their size they are remarkably agile flyers, capable of performing surprising aerobatics and precise maneuvers mid-flight. Fearless, these Hollow have been known to prey on jets to assert their dominance in the sky.

In addition to their physical prowess, the Nevermore possesses several special abilities that further enhance their lethality. The piercing screech of the Nevermore is capable of rendering nearby individuals entirely disoriented, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent attacks. They are known to employ diversionary tactics, using decoy calls to sound of other Hollow on approach or distract their prey. These make them unpredictable opponents, capable of sowing great chaos on their own.

Aethyrium · April 20, 2024, 10:56:31 AM

As the youngest people of Toil, the Silenus’ history is not nearly as expansive as humans or elves. However, in many ways it is far more impactful.

As the mists of the Veiled Era began to dissipate, revealing the world anew, the enigmatic Silenus appeared suddenly and unexpectedly. Emerging from the swirling mists that had shrouded Toil during its tumultuous era of rebirth, no one - the Silenus included - truly knows where they came from, or why they came to be. Their sudden arrival intrigued and unsettled the other races, who had just suffered a great reset after the departure of the brothers. Unsure of what to make of them, the Silenus quickly became the subject of fascination and speculation.

Relations between the silenus and the elves was a complex interplay of curiosity, invitation, and caution. Initially, the elves welcomed the silenus into their territories, intrigued by their emergence and eager to establish a rapport with the new found race. However, the elves maintained a degree of distance and reserve, keeping the silenus at arm’s length within their spaces. While they extended invitations for cooperation and alliance, the elves ultimately meant to influence and shape the behavior of the silenus, hoping to mold them into adhered to elven customs and values. This approach reflected the elves’ desire to maintain a sense of control and authority over their youngest sibling. While the elves offered much to the silenus, in many ways it was merely many surface things, while what they asked for in turn was much deeper.

Meanwhile, the relationship between silenus and humanity was much worse, and fraught with inequality and exploitation. From the moment that the silenus emerged and first encountered humans, they had issues. Like the animals that they were aspects of, humans saw the silenus as a subordinate race, brought to Toil to serve beneath humanity and fulfill their needs. The earliest silenus spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get away from and avoid humans - often driving them toward the elves who were the lesser of evils - because rather than extending a hand of cooperation or seeking to understand the silenus, humans sought to dominate them. This lead to widespread trapping and enslavement of the silenus - a practice that would carry on for another twelve-hundred years or so.

The oppression of the silenus by both other races had profound and far-reaching consequences for their society and well-being. Forced into lives of servitude and subjugation, the silenus were deprived of their autonomy and basic rights. This oppression not only robbed them of their dignity, but also stunted their development as a race, preventing them from realizing their full potential and contributing to the broader society of Toil. They faced immense challenges in breaking free of the various racism that faced them on both sides. Their efforts to rebel and resist against humanity were met with harsh reprisals and punitive measures. Whereas attempting to put distance between themselves and the elves often was ignored and manipulated to ensure that they didn’t feel like they could. Despite their natural resilience and determination, the silenus struggled to overcome the systemic barriers and discrimination that pervaded most of what they knew. And this legacy of oppression has cast a long and lasting shadow over their existence, shaping their collective identity as a people who have endured great hardship.

During the Great War, the silenus seized upon the chaos and upheaval as an opportunity to break free from the shackles of their captors. As the great elven nations were broken, the silenus who survived and were not captured by the enemy fled and found themselves free for the first time. In pockets of resistance across Toil, they rose up against distracted human forces and claimed their freedom. Others, however, were not so lucky, and the silenus suffered greatly in the war. Conscripted into the ranks of armies as front line, expendable foot soldiers in the bloody conflict.

In the aftermath of the Great War, Queen Lilly Petal of Emerald - which was already considered a bastion of silenus independence - emerged as the victor, and led the world forward with wisdom and empathy. Recognizing the inherent injustice of slavery, and the suffering endured by the silenus, she took decisive action on their behalf. Any kingdom that would continue to make use of slaves, no matter the people, would not emerge from the summit. The rulers all agreed. This decision marked the eventual creation of the Silenus Appreciation Accords, but beyond that signaled a commitment to justice, equality, and unity among Toil’s diverse inhabitants.

While the silenus celebrated their newfound freedom following the abolition of slavery, many among their ranks yearned for more than simple liberation. They sought equal rights, opportunities, and recognition as full-fledged members of society. Determined to break free from the shackles of discrimination and marginalization that had long constrained them. Emboldened by their new found autonomy, the silenus demanded a seat at the table of governance, advocating for policies that would guarantee their rights and ensure their voices were heard in matters that affected their lives.

This movement saw the leaders of Toil brought back together only two years after the end of the war, to negotiate the Silenus Appreciation Accords. A landmark agreement affirming the rights and acknowledging the Silenus as equals and full members of society, and recognition as a distinct people. Under the terms of the accords, the silenus were granted the freedom to choose their own path - be that the integration into the great kingdoms, or living on their own, in territory they were gifted. A chunk of Hoenan was cut away and given to a fledgling silenus government to do with what they pleased.

Mirat was the result. The fabled silenus haven, founded upon the principles of autonomy, equality, and self-governance, stands as a testament to the strength of the silenus people who endured many lifetimes of hardship for its creation. While technically an open city that welcomes outsiders, Mirat is a bastion of the silenus, and only they are truly at home within its borders. But for them it is a promise - no matter your story, or where you come from, if you are one of us and come here, you will be welcome. Governed by their own laws and customs, the silenus of Mirat have created a vibrant and inclusive community that thrives, in some ways more than any of the kingdoms.

From Mirat was born the Red Fang, and forged in the ashes of centuries of oppression and injustice, they stand as stalwart advocates for the rights and equality of their brothers and sisters across toil. With a fervent determination to spread the principles of unity and justice championed in Mirat to the rest of the world, the Red Fang tirelessly advocates for the fair and equal treatment of silenus in all realms of society. They are activists that live in each of the great cities, a little piece of Mirat for any silenus there to enjoy - a silenus exclusive club that ensures they have a place to be valued, to call home, and to be supported by. The Red Fang deal in matters of politics across the kingdoms, trying to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated, and always working to ensure that silenus causes, rights, opportunities are afforded the same respect as any other race.

Modern silenus navigate a world that is ostensibly free, but riddled with vestiges of their rocky past. While they have secured a semblance of autonomy and freedom, discrimination remains an ever-present challenge, lingering in the shadows of societal structures and interpersonal interactions. Despite strides - and there have been many - towards true equality, the specter of their history continues to cast a long shadow, and serves as a reminder of the uphill battle they still face in securing their rightful place in the world. Life for the modern silenus is marked by a persistent struggle against systemic barriers and societal biases that yet persist - much to the annoyance of the Red Fang. It is invariably a better life, but one that remains full of obstacles that no other people of Toil must face.

Aethyrium · April 20, 2024, 12:10:24 PM

Onyx Prairie, a bustling metropolis of significance on Toil. Capital of Johtan, Onyx is one of the great cities. It boasts a structured layout divided into seven distinct districts, each contributing to the city’s unique way of life. The Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Quarters form the urban heart of Onyx, pulsating with the energy of their inhabitants. Meanwhile, Hammer Crater stands as a testament to the city’s military prowess. Central to Onyx’s governance is a council of five leaders, representing various facets of the city’s life. Among them, the headmaster of Hammer Academy and the General of the Onyx Military hold pivotal positions, ensuring the city’s security and survival. The remaining three seats are democratically elected, with one exclusively designated for the Northern Quarter. With a population of over half a million citizens, Onyx epitomizes the amalgamation of military might and civic resilience. The Onyx Enforcement and Service Bureau, an integral branch of the military, maintains law and order within the city’s boundaries, safeguarding inhabitants and upholding the principles of justice, fairness, and security that they were founded with.

Perched above the bustling cityscape, Hammer Islands stands as a marvel of architectural ingenuity and military might. Home to Hammer Academy, the Onyx Military Academy, and the military’s central command, this floating bastion serves as the epicenter of martial education and strategic coordination. Accessible via military transport from the fortified base in Hammer Crater, or by academy shuttle from Hammer Tower in Onyx Central, Hammer Island is a skybound beacon of Onyx’s innovation that is revered across Toil.

Meanwhile, Hammer Crater, was transformed into a formidable military stronghold, and serves as the linchpin of Onyx’s defensive capabilities. Housing the bulk of the military’s forces and equipment, this heavily fortified zone operates under stringent security protocols, with access tightly regulated to safeguard its strategic significance. Even non-military supply transports must undergo rigorous scrutiny, unloading their cargo outside the gates before military personnel assume control for the final journey within. As the beast heart of Onyx’s might, Hammer Crater is a symbol of the city’s unwavering commitment to defense and vigilance that defines its identity.

Each district boasts its own unique character and charm, reflecting the diverse tapestry of its inhabitants. From the elegant opulence of the Northern Quarter, with its manicured gardens and grand estates, to the vibrant energy of the Western Quarter humming with commerce and ambition, and the pragmatic industrial hub of the Southern Quarter, resonating with the sounds of machinery and agriculture, each district contributes to the richness of life in Onyx. In the Eastern Quarter, a mosaic of cultures and lifestyles thrives amidst colorful marketplaces and eclectic architecture, while Onyx Central pulsates with the frenetic energy of metropolitan life, its towering skyscrapers and busy streets embodying the spirit of the city’s progress and vitality.

Despite its formidable reputation as a nation of strength and order, Onyx is not without its failing. Beneath the veneer of prosperity and security lies a city plagued by corruption, inefficiency, and political stagnation. Slow to act politicians, more concerned with preserving their own power and privilege than addressing the city’s pressing issues, have allowed criminal elements to flourish in the shadows. The Onyx Enforcement and Service Bureau, tasked with maintaining the city, is stretched thin and under-resourced, unable to effectively combat the rising tide of crime that threatens the city. Moreover, the military, kept on a tight leash by cautious bureaucrats and wary of overstepping its bounds, finds itself hamstrung in the efforts to root out corruption and protect the populace.

Fueled perhaps by those things, tension simmers beneath the surface of Onyx’s leadership. The council, composed of individuals with divergent agendas and conflicting interests, finds itself mired in a constant struggle for dominance and control. Egos clash, alliances shift, and backroom dealings have become commonplace as each member jockeys for influence and seeks to further their own ambitions. It has long been Ettinus, headmaster of Hammer, who the council has turned to as a de facto leader, but in recent years even that long held truth has been strained. Fortunately, Ettinus and Apple - general of the military - are strong personalities, who historically act together, and between the two of them are able to keep the situation from becoming dire.

Isabella Winterbourne, a middle-aged human woman, serves the council as the Northern Quarter’s elected representative. She is a seasoned politician, more so than anyone else on the council save for Ettinus. She has a passion for socioeconomic reform and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities. Isabella is an uncommon example of a Northern Quarter resident who wants to spend money and spread resources out, as she presses things like expanding healthcare, focusing on developing an education system, and the economic revitalization of the Eastern Quarter.

Thalion Moony is a young, newly elected human leader, who values tradition and customs above all else. Thalion was elected because of his great charisma, and an extensive web of social networking. However, despite his talk, he is often considered a boy without a spine, and people say his vote goes to whatever side yells the loudest. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that Thalion often ends up being the tie breaker vote on the council, usually to Ettinus’ and Apple’s benefit.

Orion Swiftlen, a silenus, is one of the most controversial leaders of the city. Elected some years ago by a concentrated campaign to unite the silenus population of Onyx behind him, Orion quickly abandoned their causes when he took office and sold himself into the palms of the most influential who had trouble controlling Isabella. This of course angered the silenus, but once he was in office he earned sufficient clout elsewhere that he no longer needed them - and he serves as a token gesture of acceptance, often being touted as how open minded people are when they are criticized about other, non-relevant, silenus issues.

Aethyrium · April 25, 2024, 10:05:58 PM

Of all the shadows lurking in Onyx, few are quite so deep as the Black Lotus. A remnant of extremists from before the Great War, this syndicate seeks the ultimate domination of not just Onyx, but all the kingdoms.

The core belief of the Black Lotus is that it was Onyx, not Emerald, that was responsible for the victory of the great war and it should have been King Babel Lahts who decided what happened at the end of the war. There are unsubstantiated rumors that it was the king’s son who founded the syndicate in the aftermath of the war. Armed with this belief, the Lotus operates with a fairly simple, if incredibly broad, ambition - the complete seizure of control over Onyx, and ultimately leveraging its might to bring the other kingdoms to heel beneath Lotus flags.

To achieve their end goal, there is nothing that the organization won’t dip their toes into - the end justifies all means. They are modern Onyx’s first, and most notorious, criminal organization. Their activities range from drug trafficking, extortion, racketeering, illegal gambling, and even dealing in people. It is widely believed that it was the Lotus that first invited the Steal League to Onyx, and allowed them to take root. Black Lotus recruitment tactics involve preying on the vulnerable and marginalized members of society, particularly orphans and those who have fallen through the cracks of the city’s social systems. They offer those individuals a sense of belonging and purpose, promising them protection, prosperity, and family in exchange for their loyalty and obedience.

And to facilitate this image, they prey on the very lore of people. The leader of the Black Lotus is known only as “The Dragon”. Their imagery, propaganda, and more positions the Black Lotus as the modern dragons that Toil needs. The new great protector here to usher in a new glorious age for all, under their guidance and leadership.

Of course, there is nothing gentle about the Black Lotus, and those who fail in their service often end up worse off than the syndicate’s enemies.

A strict code of honor and discipline guides the Black Lotus, and despite the many rumors about them, they operate with a strong set of principles. Loyalty to the organization is paramount, and betrayal is met with swift and merciless retribution. Despite knowledge of their existence, the Black Lotus is allowed to exist because they are deeply ingrained in the deepest places of Onyx society. Rooting them out is more than a simple struggle, as their power and wealth comes from legitimate fronts owned by supporters of the cause.

Yukina · April 30, 2024, 11:27:28 AM

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Air, Sonic | Lightning, Water

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Mountain, Urban | Aquatic

Torina Squall

Yukina

Ancestry: Silenus (Raven)
Gender | Pronouns: Femme | She/They
Sexuality: Sapphc

Age: 21
Height: 5'4
Body Build: Lithe, yet a hint of curvy
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Red

Weapon (Sawsher Scythe)
A long and sharp war scythe. The blade is able to flip to convert the weapon to deploy a serrated blade imbued with white arcanite, resulting in what looks like a cross between a staff and a chainsaw. The air arcanite is purposely designed to create gusts of propulsion for her wings. These gusts are not a viable method attack however.

Shimmer (Reverb)
Torina has the ability to create lasting impressions of her movements, resulting in a trail of hollow after-images that create confusion for foes that target her.

Special Trait (Detailed Memory)
Torina has a strong memory that naturally works to piece together bits of the world she’s seen. When she encounters something of importance, she is able to reasonably accurately fit it into a bigger puzzle and relate it to other things she’s witnessed that relate.

Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Torina Squall was born to Georges Squall (a owl silenus) and Nana Verde (a raven silenus) into the country of Mirat. Her parents are both very loving with the book shop they run. Georges is a historian, while Nana inherited the store as part of the family business. However, the pair are worried about their child's desires to explore the world since it is far from safe than their current home. Hence, about every letter to her has the constant reminder that she's always has a home with them.

What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
Torina has always been the perky sort. When she wasn't learning about the business from Nana, she was always weirding out the other kids with strange beetle she found interesting or another weird thing. With a whole life around books, it came with ideas, a hunger for learning, and inspiration. It was a hunger that scared her parents when she declared her desire to join the world far out of the safe haven of Mirat's city life. Most of her friends found her insane and her parents were constantly reminding her that were other options even as she left for the boat.

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
Personally, Torina is aiming to be a champion less for the responsibilities, but more for the perks that come with the title. To her, it means the freedom to explore as she desires. Meet the people she wants to meet. Eat the things she wants to eat. Get a look at every single last flora and fauna on the planet. As much as she seems to disregard her parents' worries though, it's so they know the rank will protect her and they can hopefully feel at ease. She truly does love them and she fears that, if she fails one of the likely grim ways silenus do in the outside world, she'll break the hearts of the ones that gave her such a lust to live in the first place.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Torina, ever eager to be prepared to explore, joined a martial arts dojo in town passed down from one of the veterans from the war. 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 somehow safer. Her desire for the champion position attracting the attention of a teacher that had an immense hatred for the Hollow did not factor into those plans.

Having lost an arm to the hollow, the former champion by the name of Bojack (a crow silenus) was more more than happy to train the spitfire in the art of his scythe in a bid for spiteful revenge by proxy. If that wasn't enough in the way of failure for her friends' plans, the vengeful soul was very insistent on getting her into the academy of Hammer with his scythe at her side with his connections. Her friends had succeeded in getting her into the Red Fang, but with the last person that would keep her in Mirat.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
Torina is truly the most proud of the collection of books she has amassed over the years. It's maybe only a quarter of the four hundred her mother bares, but it's hers. While she doesn't mention it though, she regrets just how much she's scaring her parents in pursuing her immensely risky dream.

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?
Torina was absolutely ecstatic to meet a whole bunch of new faces! Her life's dream was to learn and consume of course! She found a few of them stick-in-the-muds, but she was more than happy to keep on trucking. She had to learn anything and everything to mark it in her brain after all!

List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.
-Torina ultimately does fear failure despite her chipper attitude.
-Torina also happens to be able to play a killer flute solo and has amazing pipes for singing.
-If Torina has a type, it is definitely a woman that can make a wonderful meal, is buff, or both.

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer
-Torina is the epitome of a happy goth in the way she walks around in dark hooded robe as her main outfit while humming tunes from rather grim songs without missing a beat.

-Torina speaks almost as fast as her chainsaw.
-Torina is very much a hugger.
-Unless she is paling around with friends, she doesn't touch the ground the moment she leaps out of the dorms.

List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
-Torina has started hosting weekly karaoke nights every Thursday evening.
-Torina has managed to badger Hammer Academy's librarian enough with her enthusiasm in order to get some part time work at the library.

List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
-Knowledge takes place front and center as both Torina's personal drug and anti-drug of choice. She will go quite far out of her way to get it.
-Said lust for knowledge has made quite the open-minded person. After all, she needs to be a good listener if she hopes to learn as much as she can.
-However, it has resulted her being quite the hedonist as she loves to "taste" the world. She started that karaoke night for the party atmosphere and excitement!
-Torina is very open to helping her friends. Despite how much she pries for information and prides it highly above a lot of things, she cherishes what she learns and her friends are ever-growing representations of those memories she's made.

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.
In her first year at Hammer Academy, Torina hopes to make a massive "Book of Friends" detailing all the wonderful people she's met and everything about them. Hopefully at least a good fifty souls if she can help it. However, that is quickly devolving into a "Book of Culture" in general is she keeps building subsections regarding the features, foods, and locals of the academy in Toil as she gets lost in her wanderlust. In short, she could really use a guiding hand to keep her on track before she ends up expelled or found dead in a back alley for knowing "the wrong thing" as she tries to complete this endeavor.

Her first task is to get involved in looking into the Free Bird Protests since she sees an opportunity to be one of the first record this bit of history as it goes on. If she does not have a friend guiding her way though, she is as good as dead. Especially when she have a few letters Bojack wants her to deliver.

Amarlo · April 30, 2024, 11:28:32 AM

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Sonic, Air | Fire, Water

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Urban, Forest | Desert

Mugi Stone

Amarlo

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

Age: 19
Height: 5'1
Body Build: Curvaceous
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Heterocrhomatic Silver & Purple

Weapon

Suga
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 is a thing of beauty. When gripped, the device reads the details of her hands before activating, causing the border of every spike to light up with a malevolent purple. With every impact it absorbs the energy, 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 big translucent umbrella.

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.

Silenus Trait (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.

Special Trait (Streetwise)
Mugi has Streetwise which will give her insight into subtle actions, and how to find, identify, and interact while operating in less than official channels.

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 EOS - 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 busy 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 wasn't the most chatty, 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.

She is protective of her fellow "siblings". Even if she is disappointed and disagrees with some.

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.
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?

Got some dramatic adventure? General drama you wanna suck people into? Sign me up!

Medina Guerrero was once an accomplished Champion who actually managed to survive long enough to retire. It would be nice to have her remembered, if only at Hammer, to some semblance. Have little signs of her presence throughout the school.

Mugi has a terrible relationship with Black Lotus and their subsidiaries. Though limited, she has some inside knowledge to their inner workings. She also has an avid disgust for their leadership. Something happened between them and her Mongrels over the last year to change the nature of their relationship altogether.

Rainbae · April 30, 2024, 12:12:00 PM

Game Statistics

Affinities
Lightning | Urban
Weaknesses
Fire | Arctic

Ichchha "Koko" Gero

Ancestry | Age: Human | 18 (04.01)
Gender | Sexuality: Transfemale (she/her) | Pansexual
Height | Build: 5'8 | Hourglass but curvy. She definitely isn't muscular and has a good bit of chub to her even though she maintains her waistline through training.
Hair | Eyes: Blonde/Blue | Green

Citizenship: Johtan
Affiliations: Hammer Academy, SWAGger, SAvAGeD
Titles/Ranks/Positions: Squire

Character Advantages

Weapon: Devotion; a set of gauntlet bracers that house a twofold weapon system. The first being two wrist mounted high powered arcanite cannons. Designed by Koko with help from Mir these cannons can deliver payloads of all kinds. Its fire rate is slow on account of its shell design that requires a reload between every shot. However it makes up for it in raw power. Koko has been known to employ all kinds of Arcanite infused shells as well as gas and smoke shells. Devotion's seconday function is to house two long extendable whips. These whips are made from an incredibly strong and elastic material that is not only useful for attacking but also movement. This material is also incredibly conductive. This is perfect for when the whips become activated, surging with thousands of volts of deadly electricity.

Shimmer: Gravity Manipulation; Koko has the ability to manipulate gravity in a short radius around her. She can make objects as well as herself heavier or lighter at will. This ability requires a decent amount of concentration and is very difficult for her to use during combat as such. However it is exceptionally useful to her for engineering things as well as use for moving through difficult terrains or doing something like clearing debris.

Special Trait: Soul Gauge; In addition to the augmentations installed in Koko to help her survive, she has also been given a much newer one of her father’s developments. This device allows Koko to perfectly control Arcanite, as though it were activated by technology by ‘measuring’ her Soul before applying it to the Arcanite. Using Arcanite in this way costs her Soul, as opposed to typical Arcanite activation which merely requires its use, however it comes with no chaotic chance, and retains all the power of traditional arcanite use. This makes Koko uniquely adept at making use of Arcanite.

Background

1. Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Koko was born in Johtan. Specifically in Onyx to Dr. Mahandi Gero and his wife Dara. Their relationship was always a tumultuous one to say the least. Dara’s father worked for the Onyx military and desperately wanted Mahandi’s knowledge and inventions for his cause and as such he made his daughter marry him. Mahandi was kind to his wife but always distant. He never gave her much love or affection but he was respectful and caring still. His primary focus however was always his work. Even after Koko was born he still focused primarily on his work. Left without much love and with a child who wasn’t even expected to live through its first year of life Dara left Mahandi and Koko and hasn’t been back since. Koko will occasionally receive a postcard or a trinket from random places however. They never have a return address and they never say more than simply, love Mom.

She has no siblings or other major family ties however Mahandi did hire a maid to deal with home chores after his wife left him. Chandra was Koko’s only friend as a child. She was a warm, caring person to her and someone she loves deeply. She goes to visit Chandra more often than her father even on her days off from the Academy and always comes back bearing gifts for her teammates, usually in the form of baked goods or a casserole.

2. What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
Koko’s life before the Battle Academy was quite random and tumultuous. She was certainly someone who took whatever path she felt suited her at the time and strode boldly down it without fear. She followed many different routes before eventually landing at the Academy. Random jobs and careers that tickled her fancy at the time. She was a clockmaker, an architect, a dentist, a firefighter and briefly a seamstress as well as many other random and odd jobs. Nothing ever grabbed her fancy quite like working with her father in his lab however. Working with arcanite and building tech seemed to be where her talents lay. And although she was incredibly bummed out that she would be so boring as to follow in her father’s footsteps like everyone in her life had expected of her she reconciled that she wouldn’t prevent herself from doing something just because of the negative expectations of other people so why should she allow herself to be bogged down by positive reaction as well, even if it irked her slightly.

3. Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
Koko decided to become a champion for the simple reason that she wants to be allowed to travel more. Her goal in life is to make herself the best version of her she can be. She’s always working towards self improvement and betterment of her mind, body and soul and so she constantly looks to those around her for ways she can be better. If and when she finds someone who’s better than her at something or has a quality or trait that she deems to be superior Koko’s immediate goal becomes discovering a way to either augment herself to achieve the same results or better, or to surpass those results by circumventing them altogether. Her method of achieving this most often comes down to using her creativity to invent something that allows her to bypass physical limitations. With all of that said Koko wants to travel the world as a champion because she believes that without seeing all the people of the world she’ll never be able to reach the pinnacle of her existence. Without being able to see what great feats others around the world have achieved she won’t be able to know where the bar is to continue to surpass them.

4. How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Although it is quite commonly thought that Koko was taught by her father, her smarts and technical know-how are mostly self taught. Although it is not entirely true that her father had no role to play in her development. Her mind is an analytical one and without her mother around to guide her learning as a child and with her father so focussed on his work Koko ended up learning by studying the things her father created. Even the junk he threw out and discarded became something for Koko to learn from. She learned how things went together and what processes created what results not through being taught directly but by simply analyzing her father’s work and coming to conclusions on her own with her own logic. This method of learning has allowed her to be a very out of the box thinker and thus create strange inventions and tech that most people would not think up within common conventions.

5. What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
Koko’s greatest accomplishment is creating the body which she wished to live in. Her form as well as its internals are an ever expanding, ever evolving project and although some of the work she’s had done has been purely aesthetic she still considers it a triumph. When Koko was born her heart was incredibly weak and as such her body did not develop properly at all. Her father saved her life as an infant by replacing her weak heart with a mechanical one but the rest of her body was left damaged as well. She was barely able to walk as a child and her body was very weak and scarred. Koko has slowly requested her father work on and augment her ever since, with occasional aid from herself. She has mostly had him work to replace weak interior pieces like her lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach etc. with synthetic mechanical parts as well as using chemistry and Arcanite she’s been able to be augmented into the body she’s always wanted. As such a large portion of her body is synthetic. During training or even in the changing rooms others would be able to see easily that she has a patchwork of metal plates and wirings and such across her body. Most notably across her back are metal links in place of her spine. However with these improvements she was able to eventually turn a frail boy who didn’t have much potential in life into a woman who was able to be strong enough to make it into Hammer Academy.

Koko’s biggest regret is not living a proper childhood. Because of how she was born and the fact that her father had a reputation around town Koko never spent any time with other children as a kid. Not only could she not go out and play but many parents warned their kids not to go anywhere near Dr. Gero’s lab. As such her life was mostly spent indoors, with stories and projects that her father had created. Because of this she never had much chance to be social or to have fun. She never really developed socially as well causing her to often miss quite obvious social cues and beats that might be obvious to others. She did have her maid Chandra but with her being mute Koko got very used to silence. She’s trying her best to make up for lost time now that she has a team to rely on and friends surrounding her which is cause for her goofy and silly personality. However her regrets still lay as they are, buried in her mind as distant memories that she wishes she could do something about. However not even Koko and Dr. Gero have found a way to experiment on the human mind just yet.

R1. 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?
Koko was exceptionally happy and excited to be paired with her team and probably quite a handful for her other team members. She was energetic and super friendly. Although she probably overdid it like crazy she should have been generally endearing and likeable. There might have been some feelings hurt and some toes stepped on when first meeting however as Koko’s immediate thought would be to try and upgrade everyone in her team. Although helpful, there’s a chance she might have insulted someone by not being gentle enough with her comments about what they lacked and how she could help them circumnavigate those deficiencies.

R2. List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.
Koko would be very forthcoming with the fact that not only was she born a boy but a very frail and weak one. It’s not something she goes around announcing to people but she wouldn’t be worried about telling her teammates. It might come as a shock to others but she herself wouldn’t think much about it. As far as she’s concerned she simply achieved the form she wished to have without thinking about the social barriers and conventions that surround that.

Something people would have learned about Koko is that she is incredibly reliable and loyal. She says what she thinks and when she says something she makes it happen. Her single mindedness towards achieving her goals can be very admirable although sometimes worrisome as her ability to take care of herself when attempting to complete a task can become worryingly low. However it is one hundred percent a truth that when Koko says something you can take her at her word. She never adds subtext or asks you to read between the lines. She simply states facts always. This can sometimes run her into trouble especially when talking to those above her in the food chain as her inability to mince words can get her into hot water.

Koko requires regular infusions of Arcanite to keep her synthetic parts functioning. The fastest and easiest way to achieve this that doesn’t end up with her having to have open heart surgery on the regular is to have her part charged through the use of black Arcanite and lightning. Unfortunately this is as painful as it sounds and so Koko definitely has a day on the regular where she just kind of gets bummed out because she knows it’s “get electrocuted day”. Even worse is that although Koko is decent with soul like any Academy student her ability to effectively channel it for her “charging purposes” is lack luster and as such probably ends up with her asking someone else to do it for her. If anyone in her team has lightning affinity and wishes to be her charging station I’d love to work that in. The amount she requires as well as how it all affects her isn’t something she’d really divulge readily. However, her teammates would be very right to be worried about the possibility of her organs shutting down if she was ever in a situation without Arcanite to charge up with for too long.

R3. List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer
Something that would be very easily seen and incredibly evident to everyone and anyone that saw Koko is that she is incredibly messy. Her tools and materials can be found strewn around her workspaces haphazardly and her room is like a display of modern art with how many jenga towers of random clutter are found inside it. She refuses to clean up and when she makes a mess by one of her creations exploding or malfunctioning she wants to analyze why and get to work fixing it much more than tidy up whatever just occurred.

Another very obvious trait that people would notice about Koko is her incredibly chaotic streak of pranks and goofs. She has a very mischievous mind and the ability to set elaborate traps. As such even in just a month spent in the Academy she would have already earned the title of prank Queen and probably also been reprimanded for it several times. If there are any other fun loving characters as a part of her team or otherwise who’d want to get in on causing havoc with her within the school she would almost certainly be willing to have accomplices to her shenanigans.

R4. List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
Koko recently entered into a Robot fighting tournament of sorts called the Steel League. She engineered and designed a machine to beat all the competition but she is not the kind of person to be the operator for it. She would have almost certainly asked one of her teammates to operate it for her, with the caveat that they are aware that as with most things she makes there’s always a chance it might explode. The fights are decently dangerous as interfering with other’s bots is not uncommon as the league is an illegal operation. Whomever the operator is, their skills as a fighter would be put to the test alongside the crazy contraption that Koko created. It would have many fun and ridiculous tools to help them win fights and she would design it with the operator's abilities in mind as well to try and augment their natural fighting style.

Koko has an incredibly strong sweet tooth and as such has been attempting to find the best desserts in town. She would have certainly gone to a bakery or a cafe with one or more of her teammates and tried every cake or parfait that they serve. Her ability to down food would have been impressive to her teammates and the question of how her anatomy works exactly in terms of food and rest and other things of that nature would have been raised as a question.

R5. List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
Koko believes that if something isn't how you want it to be you can always and should always change it. She absolutely despises waiting around for things to change or hoping they get better. As far as she's concerned you should always strive to live the best possible life you can and being ambitious towards that goal is her driving force. No matter your limitations you should simply break right through them and ignore what others perceive as the status quo if you truly want something.

Koko has zero tolerance for social conventions and limitations getting in her way. If someone tells her she can’t do something because it's disrespectful or bad manners she would get incredibly angry. She does not care for people’s perception of her and she refuses to bend to peer pressure. She also conversely hates these traits in others. Someone who holds themself back or is very fake because of how they wish to be perceived by the social hierarchy of the world would really grate on Koko. She takes people at their word and she expects them to do the same to her so lying to her or even just not telling the full truth or simply trying to manipulate her with choice words is the easiest way to get on her bad side.

Koko values challenge. Someone who can best her in something is someone she wishes to be around. This is good for most all her teammates and fellow students as there is certainly something that each and everyone of them is better than her at and that is one of the reasons she’s so enamored with being in the Academy. She wants to be put to the test and lose. Losing to her is the greatest feeling in the world because it means she has something she can work towards improving. As such anyone with a similar mindset focussed on improvement would be fast and quick friends with Koko and she would be infatuated with them immediately. Vice versa anyone who refuses to try and improve and simply wishes to coast along would bother her slightly.

R6. 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.
Koko’s thirst for improvement is ravenous. She wants to become the best version of herself she can be. This can and will lead her to taking incredibly dangerous actions and pushing the limits quite hard. Her ability to put limiters on herself and worry about her own well being are incredibly poor and as such she will need wrangling probably quite often. Which leads me to the main point of this hook. All of her augmentation at this point has been done by her father and as such is very high quality and stable. That being said it's almost certain that Koko is going to try and open herself up and put something new inside of herself and when she does the chances of that going well are not good. Lots of potential ways this hook could go

1.07a. You have been a part of Hammer for around three months now. How has this time changed your individual goals and outlooks. Give some insight into the things that are now important to you, and story relevant ambitions and or perceptions.

Koko has changed considerably since joining Hammer. One of the most revealing things for her is how her idea of self value and independence has been shaken. How she has constantly needed to be repaired by her father irks her. It makes her question if she can truly accomplish this. She's beginning to come to terms with the fact that her entire life, her entire existence is stuck within her father’s orbit. As a child she was ok with this, even happy about it at times because it brought them together. Now however it's begun to feel like shackles. How does she deal with the fact that through chasing her independence she constantly ends up under his knife again and again. She feels like she's trapped and the fact he's the only one who can work on her body makes things feel a bit bleak. How does she ever escape that and truly reach the independence she wants is a question for the future.

Another big point of growth for Koko is how she's grown to understand people much more, and also is on the edge of understanding love. Platonic or otherwise. Her relationships with other squires and also her mentors has shown her a glimpse into interpersonal relationships she's never seen before. Her continued attempts at friendship have revealed to her how little she knows however. Koko still hasn't properly processed the feelings she has about half of SWAGger's leaving the academy. Unlike in the past where any friendship she had ended in pain and betrayal for her these partings were much more amicable. However she doesn't understand those feelings and can't properly separate the differences just yet. She yearns to understand more and focus on the relationships that haven't left her.

There's been quite a lot of tension Koko’s run into realizing how much standing organizational stuff she'll have to go through to get to be a champion. It feels to her like her freedom is locked behind a wall of exactly what she hates. This is a pressing concern for her and if not for the fact that her body, and how she feels chained to her father, weren't at the forefront of her mind it might be something that was more worrisome for her.

Koko would like to step up in helping the Red Fang return to their former nature. She feels responsible now for what happens to them with Maria's departure. More importantly she feels like she can empathize with them on a level most other humans and elves couldn't. (Even though it took Maria’s insistence for her to see that) She also has a body that marks her as different, one she also didn't choose for herself but was a simple fact of her birth. And although she hasn't had to deal with the history and systematic issues the Silenus have she still feels their pain as she's been ostracized for it for a good part of her life. The importance of this is doubly so because the issue is pressingly important to two of the people she's been closest with in her life, Chee and Maria. Both of her partners now have been Silenus who cared about making the Fang better again. There's also a vain quality to her desire as is often the case for Koko. Being the one of the people who are lauded as having brought peace to the Silenus and the Red Fang is something Koko’s selfish subconscious brain wants immensely.

The Freebirds represent something inherently underground to Koko that she enjoys greatly. The lack of long standing organization within them speaks to her in a way that other entities do not. And the way they seem so tight knit and “family-like” is a draw that she herself isn't even aware of pulling on her. That being said, intentionally or not Paige nearly killed her. She feels unsure if she can trust her going forward. However her rhetoric about demolishing the current government of Onyx speaks to her still despite that. Koko is very unsure where she stands on the issue at the moment. Getting her trust once can be quite easy, getting it back after losing it is much harder.

1.07b. What are, at least, two new character hooks that you would like to explore as time has changed them. These should be something that other characters can engage with, not necessarily large plot facing. They could be actions to take, but also important characterization things that you're looking to do.

A lot of Koko’s ego and her identity have been derived from being extraordinary. Bombastic, loud and different. She's quick to tell others about her augments and often shows them off. She's extravagant in all her actions and wants everyone to see her. She blows things up in desire to make amazing inventions. But a lot of it is done for show, to draw attention. I'm interested in having people pushback on this, force her to take the mask off and find the base person that is Koko to come out. Peel back the fireworks and look for the girl under the metal parts.

Koko is a very trusting person. Several times now she’s put trust into people and its paid off badly for her. I’d like to show her trust being rewarded positively for once. I’d enjoy a scenario involving Koko feeling like her trust is being broken, having that feeling that its just like every other time before and then the scenario wrapping back around to actually proving that putting her trust in that person was worthwhile. Just a scenario where she thinks someone isn’t going to come through for her and they do.

A bit more specific here on this one but I would like to write a scene where Koko ends up at a hospital. Not one on Hammer or in her Dad’s lab but one in the city somewhere. Not cause she herself is hurt mind you but for some other reason, that reason doesn’t quite matter. I want her to get the chance to meet or see some disabled children at this hospital. I want this to be a moment where Koko actually ends up kind of uncomfortable at seeing them. Perhaps her and another(or several people) have to interact with them and help or something. Koko would be against this and want to leave. I want someone to push her to explain herself and for it to come out that she hates being reminded of how broken she is. Koko then interacts with the kids and it becomes a very positive experience for her. She realizes that not only is she stronger than she thinks but that she wants to be a good example for kids like this and anyone who can’t quite do everything.

1.07c. You are part of a new team, and one that is unlike any other in Hammer's - or any Battle Academy - history. What does that mean to you? How do you reflect on your time with your prior team? What do you want to accomplish and or do differently with this team? What are you thoughts, general or specific - but meaningful - on each member of you new team? How do you feel about your squad and your partner, new or old. Finally, what is something you would personally like to see Savaged do as a team - mission, characterizing, plot facing, or otherwise?

To Koko its exciting and daunting to be the first ever team like this. She enjoys the attention that comes from it immensely as well as the fact that it means a bigger “family” for her. She's always wanted to be that close with her teammates. That being said, there's a bit of trepidation there for her. She went all in on her last team and it hurt her in the end. Whether that was anyone's intention or not it did. She wants to be close to the new members of Savaged but she's scared. Still she's not so scared she won't make an effort to go all in once more. Helped by the fact that some of the new members are already important to her. On SWAGger things felt like an addition of unique individuals adding up to a decent sum. On Savaged Koko wants everyone's abilities to be a multiplier for the total sum.

Lyra - Koko has become quite invested in Lyra in recent times. She constantly finds herself surprised at how well they can understand each other despite their seemingly large differences. It's a unique type of relationship she hasn't experienced before and the newness of it intrigues her. Normally she finds herself interested in those who are much more like her, such as Thessa, Dari etc. but even with Lyra and Koko’s very opposite personalities she wants to be closer to her.

Marlowe - Koko has found herself understanding Lolo more as time has gone on. Her initial opinion of her was a write off. She was interested in things that Koko didn’t much care for and even found annoying at times. But after having learned more about her she's realized they’re much more similar than she thought. Still, she can't get behind Lolo's insistence on things being wrapped up in a bow. The woman confuses her constantly because Koko feels she can relate to what Lolo wants repeatedly and yet sees her methods for getting those things as completely counter intuitive. Still, Koko respects and yearns for the level of understanding of people that Marlowe has. Koko wishes to learn this from Lolo and hopefully maybe come to understand more about her in the process.

Thessa - Koko has the most respect for Thessa among their team. Her determination and ability are something that she looks up to. There's a level of amazement over what Thessa does that Koko wishes she had herself. Where Koko’s drawing of attention feels like an effort she has to put in Thessa somehow draws eyes without even trying. She's very scared about losing Thessa after the events of Birds and obviously wants to make up for things but even more so wants to build an even stronger relationship than they had before. The events of that night were obviously a mistake on her part but they also showed her she didn't know Thessa as well as she thought, she wants to learn what she was missing.

Estelle - Koko is so sad with how things turned out with Estelle. The prospect of getting to make a new friend a while into her time at Hammer was something she jumped at. She felt like she could take all the lessons she learned about people and relationships and hopefully do well with Estelle. All of which is to say having things turn out poorly between them after Birds is a bit crushing to her. Especially after they had already come to understand each other on a decent level after their first few interactions. Just like with Thessa she wants to make things better. Something important is that she respects Estelle's inquisitive mind not only for its merits but because of how different it is to her own brand of thinking. Koko very much takes what she has and finds ways to make them work for her, even ways others don’t think of. She’s out of the box but still within reality. Whereas she views Estelle's thinking as much more open minded and imaginative. Thinking about things no one’s even imagined yet. She wants to learn more of that from her.

Dari - Koko and Dari have a relationship of mutual respect. There's a layer of vulnerability that Dari has pierced for Koko that very few have seen and that is important to her. More so because he continues to be her friend despite seeing it, even drawing closer. She feels like the opposite is true as well. Koko feels like she's one of the only people who understands part of Dari's true face, such as his intelligence. Its an odd relationship that's still forming but one that Koko wants to understand more about. How comfortable they are with each other is something she had to work for with others, with Dari it felt natural. She wants to understand if that's just them being compatible or if its proof of her growth as a person. Either way she cares about Dari a whole lot.

Hulta - Koko loves Hulta. As a sister and a friend she loves her. This is something Koko doesn't quite understand. She's at the point where she knows it but doesn't know what it means for them. To Koko there should be some kind of big change when you come to love someone, and yet Hulta remains the same. But that is also one of the things she loves about her. Hulta has shown again and again that she will pick Koko. And being wanted like that is something Koko has yearned for her whole life. Koko now feels not only a desire but a responsibility to live up to those feelings.

Chee - Chee is Koko’s best friend. She loves him on a level she's just now coming to terms with. Chee gives Koko perspective and hope. Meeting his family in the Headsmen showed not only is found family a possibility but its something that can be found at any point in life. Chee also provides Koko with something she desires greatly which is someone who is constantly pushing her to be better. Be that morally, in her skills, or even socially at times. She's incredibly happy he's become her partner but also feels the weight of that responsibility. She let her relationship as Maria's partner become far too one sided, forking too much of the load onto her friend. She doesn't want the same to happen with Chee.

I'd really like to see Savaged have a scene where everyone's unique abilities get used in conjunction with each other's to accomplish some kind of mission or something. I'm thinking like Ocean's Eleven type sequences where there's a well laid out plan involving each person accomplishing a specific part of the plan with their unique skills.

I'd also really love to see a scene that shows and proves the team's loyalty to each other. This can be shown in many ways. Maybe somebody gets framed for a serious crime and the rest of the team stand by them, knowing they couldn't do that and have to prove their innocence. Maybe there's a scenario where things feel doomed and someone proposes a crazy plan that sounds ridiculous but everyone trusts them and it works out. I'm not sure exactly how this would pan out but I just want to see the strength of their bond tested and be shown to be strong.

Player Notes & Other

TheFluffyOne · April 30, 2024, 12:21:27 PM

Game Statistics

Affinities
Air | Forest
Weaknesses
Water | Aquatic

Hulta Elderfond

Character Advantages

Weapon: Staff of Metis; A thin smooth staff that has small elvish carvings down the body. The staff can be slotted into one single form or be released into two arm length wooden staffs. When channelling her shimmer through the staffs, they seem to sing with an ethereal light hum.

Shimmer: ?; Hulta can manipulate thin tendrils of air, roughly the size of thick ribbon. She can soften them to gently distract, and she can sharpen them to slice through objects. She cannot use them to bind people or grab and drag objects or individuals.

Special Trait: Elf Lore; The knowledge that Hulta has sapped up regarding the Elf race has her reasonably wise in regards of the ‘known’ knowledge. After years of lessons, she has gained the uncanny ability to remember names and details that are of elf origin.

Background

1. Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Born to Perdan & Torfina Eldenfond, Hulta was a happy accident. Her parents are incredibly intelligent and easily settled into academic roles with their community in Tabor. Perdan and Torfina craved answers to the questions that the texts left unanswered. They were easy candidates for the Jade Summer. Hulta was raised partly in the community of Tabor and partly in the Jade Summer. Knowledge was everything to the Eldenfond family and Hulta quickly learned to greedily take in whatever information came her way.

She has no siblings yet other children who grew up with her in the Jade Summer became her siblings. One in particular Miayra Aldermoon was someone that Hulta would class as a sister. They were inseparable as children and their friendship remained solid even after Hulta was taken for her lessons.

Hulta’s relationship with her parents is closer than expected. While the two academics might come across as cold and lifeless to others, they cherish their only daughter. She has excelled in their expectations and Hulta does whatever she can to keep them happy and safe.

2. What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
Life before her 10th year was carefree. She lapped up any wisdom that her parents gave her, but she still played like a child. She was carefree and naïve. Her shimmer meant that she could sometimes be a terror for her parents associates as she frequently liked to ‘brush’ their papers off the table.

Around the beginning of her tenth year, she started to notice that the adults were talking more. Their voices low and hushed. The words stopped when Hulta came within earshot. An idea had been floated amongst the Jade Summer. There was hidden knowledge. The Champions. Instructions came to her parents, and they explained her new task. She was to become a champion. Learn. Return. The knowledge could be adapted for their kin. That knowledge could prevent another loss to their history. The fate of all that her parents held dear was placed heavily onto her ten-year-old shoulders.

The next nine years felt like they were the same repeated year over and over again. Lessons. Lessons on defensive training. Lessons on Elf history. Lessons on hand-to-hand combat. Lessons on fighting with a staff. Lessons on the importance of retaining Elf Heritage. Lessons after lessons. Little time could be gained for being a teenager, but she had her ‘sister’ to help her with that.

It was expected that she would attend Battle Academy…nay it was required. Her parents are proud of her, those within the Jade Summer are proud of her and Miayra…well, she just wanted Hulta to be her own person and not a tool created for one purpose.

3. Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
As much as it was required of her, Hulta has always wanted to aid her people. Not only through information but also as a physical protector. She was often sent to sleep with stories of the Great War. She needs to stop another loss like that from happening in her community. She wants to protect her family, her home and her people.

Hulta is terrified that she will fail. That she will not get the information required or that she will forget details. There is so much riding on her shoulders that the pressure makes it hard to breathe.

4. How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Ser Luran. An elf in his late forties. Trained as a soldier and determined to train Hulta to the same standard. She began lessons with him in her tenth year and continued until she left for Battle Academy. It was through his tutoring that she learned her skill with her staff and how to utilise her shimmer with her weapons.

Lady Trina. An elf in her sixties. She aided Hulta in channelling her shimmer and utilising her abilities. It was through Lady Trina that Hulta developed the ability to sharpen her ‘ribbons’ and use them to slice through objects. First pieces of paper, then fruit and onto larger items. The largest she got to with Lady Trina’s tutorage was a large oak tree that had rotten.

Hulta views Lady Trina as an additional grandmother, whereas Ser Luran is that grumpy yet kind Uncle.

5. What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
Immense pride comes from the belief that she is special enough to be selected for such an important task. Her greatest accomplishment was the day that she scaled one of the oldest oaks in Tabor to gain the branch needed for her own staff. It took all of her skill, but she succeeded and her staff is a testament to what she can achieve when her mind is put to something.

Hulta regrets the day that she left her family home for the academy. She couldn’t bring herself to saying goodbye to her parents. All she left was a note and a final glance. Sometimes when she is alone, she wishes that she had that final embrace to make her feel at peace.

R1. 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?
Hulta knows that she probably rubbed people up the wrong way when she arrived at the academy. She can be eager and can often ask the wrong question. Having only really had one true friend, Hulta can be seen as desperate for companionship. There are so many new people and so much untapped information hidden in their heads. She probably came across as ditsy or ill-prepared for what was to come but the first example of her skill proved to many people that she was worthy of her placement.

R2. List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.
Hulta adores her mother and father. She has her mother’s hair but her dad’s eyes.

Hulta will do nearly anything for sweeties. She has a notorious sweet tooth and always has a stash of lemon drops in her pocket.

Her time at the Battle Academy is her first time outside of her home, Tabor, and she feels a little overwhelmed at things that are normal for others. She will also try everything that she can, wanting to experience the world even if it is sometimes rather scary.

The words on her staff are her name, her parents name, her ‘sister’s’ name and the small circles are meant to represent lemon drops.

R3. List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer
For someone so graceful in their fighting, Hulta is clumsy. The more excited she is, the more her feet get tangled underneath her.

Hulta will frequently re-curl locks of her hair with her shimmer. Twirling them around and around until they form the perfect curl.

R4. List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
Every night, she returns to her room and records every one of her notes in a set script. These notes are then either hidden under the floorboards or attached to the ankle of a carrier pigeon named ‘Smidge’. These notes are normally a strict record of what was completed that day though sometimes she will just write letters to her parents.

On one of her first trips outside of the academy, she had the bad luck to find her pockets emptied by a small gang of pick pockets. The dastardly foes stole every last sweetie that she had on her person. While she was initially petulant and downtrodden, she realised that many of the other students were losing out on cor every time they left the academy. Enlisting a small group of fellow students, Hulta managed to slice through the pick pocketing group and bring a tiny bit of safety back to the streets. It was the first real event that had her showing her skill to her fellow students. She is still very proud of that accomplishment because it actually did something good and lasting.

It didn’t take long for her fellow students to realise that Hulta had never attended a dance or even snuck out late at night. These were both quickly rectified by a late-night sneak out to a dance in a dingy parlour down an even dingier alleyway. Hulta finally achieved that little taste of true freedom. Of doing something that she shouldn’t and feeling free to be just a teenager. The night ended with a sore head from the noise of the music, hiccups from the number of drinks that she downed and a smile that refused to budge even when they narrowly missed being caught.

R5. List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
Hulta values information and friendship. She wants people to like her for her. She loves being outside and climbing. If she is missing, she will probably be in a tree somewhere. She appreciates people who are confident in themselves and people who treat everyone with respect. She is 100% a teachers pet and will blindly follow orders.

R6. 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.
Hulta is used to being in full control of her situation. She was trained to be independent, yet she is steadily learning to be a team player. The dire need to rely on someone else to save her would be enough to solidify that she does not need to walk through this life alone.

Hulta is like a hot cup of tea, a teaspoon of optimism, a swirl of blind obedience and a dash of doubt. She will not be everyone’s cup of tea. There will always be someone who is jarringly different to her, but she has yet to meet anyone who has felt like a solid brick wall against her attempts at friendship.

1.07a. You have been a part of Hammer for around three months now. How has this time changed your individual goals and outlooks. Give some insight into the things that are now important to you, and story relevant ambitions and or perceptions.

Hulta’s goals remain broadly the same, she is to learn as much as she can and become the greatest Champion that she can for the ultimate purpose of returning to her home community. There is now the additional aspect that she knows her future is to be a teacher of the next generation. Her outlooks have changed dramatically, she has found so many new opportunities and friends at Hammer. She wants to try and find new avenues that could help her community that don’t revolve her having to leave Onyx forever.

Her own personal goal of finding Kim’Blee to get revenge for Mugi lingers in the background. Hulta will not feel able to rest until Kim’Blee suffers as she made Mugi suffer.

1.07b. What are, at least, two new character hooks that you would like to explore as time has changed them. These should be something that other characters can engage with, not necessarily large plot facing. They could be actions to take, but also important characterization things that you're looking to do.

Character Hook – Hulta wants to find out more about Kim’Blee and the Gero connection. She will stop at nothing and has become colder/more violent in her need to find answers. She always feels on the verge of snapping and who knows what could happen when she does.

Character Hook – Hulta is currently dealing with Professor Ares regarding an ancestral item due to the insistence of her parents. This has caused her to be a little more distant. She does not eagerly tell others what her parent’s letters contain now, nor does she seem to send as many responses.

Character Hook – Every time she has gone into a fight recently, she only succeeds through the skin of her teeth. She needs to actually spar with someone that won’t hold back. She needs to learn how to find that middle ground between holding back and going all in.

Character Hook – Money is needed to pay back Scarecrow. She needs to raise some money outside of the limited contribution that her parents send her. She could get a part time gig to gain some Cor or she could do favours for other squires.

Character Hook – Hulta and Lyra are due to go for an adventure through the clothing district of Onyx. A conversation on how Lyra represents everything that Hulta wishes to be will open up an opportunity to bond between the two women.

Character Hook – Hulta and Thessa are due for an awkward conversation on how differing their futures look. Hulta wishes to stay away from what Thessa craves.

1.07c. You are part of a new team, and one that is unlike any other in Hammer's - or any Battle Academy - history. What does that mean to you? How do you reflect on your time with your prior team? What do you want to accomplish and or do differently with this team? What are you thoughts, general or specific - but meaningful - on each member of you new team? How do you feel about your squad and your partner, new or old. Finally, what is something you would personally like to see Savaged do as a team - mission, characterizing, plot facing, or otherwise?

After losing Mugi, Hulta clung to her teammates tightly. Only to lose another three suddenly after a stressful mission and a break up with Marlowe. The losses hit her hard and she didn’t spend as much time integrating herself with the new team members in Savaged, especially as she believed many would be on Marlowe’s side instead of hers.

Dari – Her brother from another Mother. She didn’t think she would bond well with her replacement partner but Dariaq was just what she needed. It took a while for them to mesh but she now thinks that they will be inseparable for the rest of their time at Hammer. She knows that he will understand what her parents hope for her…she just must hope that he will forgive her for leaving eventually.

Koko – The OG Swagger member with Hulta. Hulta adores Koko though there was the moment of doubt that spiralled after seeing the name Gero when losing Mugi. She tried to not let it impact her, but she deliberately didn’t spend as much time with Koko until they had their heart to heart. Hulta felt her connection with Koko strength after they worked through what was concerning her and she now almost classifies the woman as a sister.

Lyra – Hulta cannot help but compare herself to the woman she views as a quintessential elf. Her parents adored her at their meeting and Hulta felt jealousy when they met the Doctor with Marlowe. Lyra is incredibly close to Lolo and Hulta struggles to find a neutral position with Lyra. She either is insanely jealous of Lyra or wants to be her. There will be development in their friendship with upcoming requests and bonding over certain ‘situations’.

Estelle – Hulta has spent little time with the woman, other than when they were paired together for a group project. She is a little wary of her new teammate but only because they have not really worked with each other. She likes Estelle from what she has seen of her so far…but there is a need to learn more so that she can feel unified with her teammates.

Chee – Sugar gremlins unite! After their first outing to the Night Market, Hulta has tried her hardest to look at people as not only have one side to them. Chee was the perfect person to show her that, he had all the energy and excitement that she had but after their most recent fight, she knows that he is strategic and able to protect his team. She wants to learn more about Chee for the same reason as Estelle.

Thessa – Hulta has had little experience with the other elf. Outside of a happen saving in a class, getting the woman to meet her parents…and watching Thessa and Lolo kiss. She knows full well that Thessa wants what Hulta doesn’t for her future. The woman is the other part of everything that her parents want for her. Strong, a leader yet knows what is expected of her future.

Marlowe –

Ew

Marlowe is everything to her. Keynote on ‘is’. Even with them being parted, she can’t stop thinking of her. Not when she wakes up, not when she has news, not when she needs comfort, not before she falls asleep. They haven’t ended things well and Hulta can only hope that her attempts at repairing it will actually fix the torn bond. Not just a temporary fix until it all falls apart.

Player Notes & Other

Lyrical · April 30, 2024, 04:44:32 PM

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

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Air | Fire

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Forest & Mountain | Dessert

Bri'elle "Bri" Whitewater

Lyrical

Ancestry: human
Gender | Pronouns: she | her
Sexuality: heteroflexible

Age: 18
Height: 4'11"
Body Build: slim
Hair Color: black
Eye Color: dark brown

Weapon

former weapon "The Whitewater Blade"

The Whitewater Blade (formerly belonged to her grandfather, Colonel Bri'atlan Whitewater) - a Gun/Sword worn across her back = It's a two-handed great sword [180 cm (71 in)] with two blades running in parallel, one slightly shorter than the other, and a sort of cylinder/barrel up the middle that has filigree all over the blade and cylinder. It has a robust but ornate cross guard and handle. The gun fires a high powered round (like a .50 caliber rifle). Bri also wears a bandolier of various arcanite ammo for special occasions.

"Bulwark" a massive shield about six feet tall and four feet wide. (details to come, Date: July 26, 2024)

Shimmer
Can move with sudden bursts of inhuman speed over short distances

Special Trait - Military Legacy
Bri’elle has a long standing history with the Onyx military. Her family name is known, and carries a degree of weight. This gives her access, influence, and perks that others might struggle to acquire.

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

Born in Onyx Prairie, Bri's family lived outside the city as they owned large tracks of land dotted with farms. Her family has since moved into the city but still owns the land and farms that are leased out to farmers for sharecropping. Bri has a large family with several older and younger siblings as well as extended family members including aunts, uncles, and cousins that also live in the same homes that she grew up in. Her family has a large compound in the city with multiple family dwellings all within the same home. The home is a large structure that takes up a small city block, walled on the outside, and has a large center courtyard only accessible by going through the home. All of the residences look out over the courtyard. They are not the richest family but are well respected in the community and considered a powerful family due to their size and wealth. Each head of the separate families all have different business mostly connected to food/farming in some capacity; production, transportation, and sales. There is a total of twelve families. The food business side of the family is all from her mother with her father's side of the family being military members going back many generations and having served with honorable distinction.

Family Relations & Ties

Immediate Family
Elle Whitewater-Aspen, mother (45) - matriarch of the Aspen Farms Land Corporation
Capt. Ang'atlan Whitewater, father (54), Hammer Academy Graduate (Air affinity)
Sgt. Amos'atlan Whitewater, brother (25)
Lt. Ali'elle Whitewater, sister (23), Hammer Academy Graduate (Air affinity)
Zara'elle Whitewater, sister (21), works as Elle's personal assistant manager
Tig'elle "Tigga" Whitewater, sister (17), the sibling that Bri is closest too*
March'atlan Whitewater, brother (15)
Gigi'elle Whitewater, sister (12)
Bo'atlan & Ty'atlan Whitewater, twin brothers (8)
Kara'elle Whitewater, sister (6)

Note: There are Twelve aunt's/uncles on mother's (Aspen) side of the family and they all live with their families in the family compound inside the city of Onyx, each with their own residence. (too many first cousins to list here)

Cousins of note:
Astor Aspen, cousin (17), brother of Macy, close friend to Bri & Tigga due to closeness of ages
Macy Aspen, cousin (18), sister of Astor, close friend to Bri & Tigga due to closeness of ages

Whitewater (paternal side of family)
Colonel Bri'atlan Whitewater (retired), Bri's paternal grandfather (73),
Alicia Whitewater (nee: Arlington), Bri's paternal grandmother (74)
Uncle - Captain Jam'atlan Whitewater (married + 5 children)
Aunt - Colonel Tan Whitewater-Thorum (married + 1 child)
Aunt - Mara Whitewater-Clems (married + 4 children)

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

Bri's family believe that all of their children should work on the farms to learn hard labor so she often spent planting and harvest seasons with the crops and working on various family businesses doing physical labor. Though she did receive a certain amount of more formal education through junior cadet courses and such due to her father's families tradition of military service. Due to her small stature it was decided early on that a life in the military was not going to be for her, however she still continually insisted on training and learning fighting, shooting, and strategy as much as she could.

Her father understood her need to join the Hammer Academy and her mother accepted it, supported it, but there was/is an underlying hope that she'll fail out and come back home, "where she belongs." Her one great supporter was her grandfather, Colonel Bri'Atlan Whitewater who gave her his weapon to take to the Academy.

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?

Bri entered Battle Academy as a way to bypass size restrictions that are in place for military service. She wanted to do her part to help protect Johtan and Onyx. It was a call that she couldn't resist. The Hollow needs to be stopped and she has the gifts/shimmer to do it.

The goal and reason is simple; protect Johtan and the world to keep it from falling to The Hollow.

Her fear is that she won't be strong enough, that the military is right and that she really is too small and too weak to fight.. but most of all it's the fear that those things will get someone else hurt.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?

Physically, most of her practical skills came from junior cadet training and messing around with her brothers, sisters, and cousins as they played war games when not at junior academy. But Bri was fortunate enough to have a couple trainers that recognized her shimmer and helped with the early encouragement and training of that. In fact, she's pretty sure that it was them that gave her the internal recommendations for going to Battle Academy.

Bri first discovered her shimmer while playing with her brothers and sisters in the courtyard of their family home. She was running away from someone and suddenly found herself moving from point A to point B so fast that no one could keep up with her. At first it was clumsy and not that fast but by her teens she was able to use the ability with accuracy and travel like a blur. Thanks in part to her trainers that assisted as much as they could. After talking with her Grandfather Whitewater, he also assisted with her training but mostly in how to use his sword along with her shimmer.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?

At junior cadet training, Bri excelled in most aspects of the courses and was routinely at the top of all her classes with the exceptions of wrestling and boxing where she still did very well but her small size always meant there were at least a few people in the course that were able to easily best her. Although she never used her shimmer in those classes.

In her last year of junior cadets, Bri's squad captured the tournament war game flag. It was a big moment for her and came with a commendation even as they were telling her that she'd never be allowed to go to the next level and join the military. Which is also her biggest failure, she tried to argue it and made an appeal case but the rules were strict and she was never going to be allowed in.

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?

Bouncing with excitement at being partnered up and teamed. If anything, her over enthusiasm might have been annoying to some people. Bri is both friendly and engaging most of the time.

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

1) Bri is a middle child and felt a little lost as both she has a big family and she's sort of the runt of the litter. So she is always striving to do better, studying longer, no matter how good she is at something it is never good enough.
2) Bri has never dated.
3) Bri is obviously a bit pale. She doesn't do well in the sun when it's hot out. - Like she almost fainted once in a very hot overheated area during a training exercise. (fire is her enemy!)

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

1) Bri follows the rules, which could be used against her. She is extremely focused on her education and training - obsessively
2) Everything she owns is always neat, folded, and has it's place. Even her clothes are tightly creased with boots cleaned every evening
3) Bri is a big fan of General Apple Blossom and the military in general. She is not sympathetic to the uprising.

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

1) Left the Academy one night, although she had ever intention of studying that evening. A well spoken and frustratingly smooth Elf named Raevyn convinced her to go out on the town. That ended up with them (maybe as a pair or a group?) at a seedy gambling den where they basically got into a bar fight and took out some local criminals. Bri wanted to hand them over to authorities but given where they were, she was convinced that it would be wiser to get out of there before getting caught. As a side note: Bri was personally scandalized by the whole situation and couldn't believe that she allowed herself to get into that situation. So the next time she went, she was planning on setting some very clear boundaries... which she promptly seemed to bypass and found herself in a similar situation all over again. In her defense these people are criminals and they need to be dealt with.

2) Attended a Military Officer's Ball at the behest of her family. It was an annual welcome for the new recruits and outside guests are encouraged/allowed to attend provided they meet the security requirements. IE: They have relations there, or are members of another respected institution like the Battle Academy. It was a night of lots of awkward moments for Bri. (Perhaps it was better for your character if you came along? Because you better believe she invited all of her new friends along so she wouldn't have to do this alone.)

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

1) Loyalty to country and family/friends
2) Deep respect for the rules
3) Admires effort and intent
4) Always dresses well, very neat, clean, and orderly. (Her belongings are fashionable and well taken care of)

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.

The smol girl with the big gun/sword - gets her ass handed to her by a bully = Bri's fears come true in the first months of Battle Academy and she is made to feel that she is too small and doesn't belong here.

Extra Notes:

Personal sword-fighting style - due to the fact that her sword is about a foot taller than she is and it's very heavy, Bri has had to adapt her style to the weapon.

Bri is fast but the weapon is heavy. So when she swings they are usually large, wide arcing swings with a lot of body movement on her part.

As an example when she is blocking, she will often pin the point on the ground then move her body to one side while tilting the blade in the direction of the intended block. Effectively moving herself behind the blade sometimes instead of moving the blade between herself and the attack.

When attacking, she will sometimes make wild jumping leaps, an acrobatic flip or kicking motion to build up momentum and then the blade will quickly come flying in an arc to attack.

Another personal trick is to fluidly kick the blade up into the air then thrust it while it's in mid motion to stab at her opponent.

It should be noted that she has become very adapt at this sort of melee fighting with the sword. But if she has to "hold back" for sparring purposes it becomes a lot more difficult for her because once the momentum of the blade is going it is nearly impossible for her to pull it back to minimize damage. This constant fighting the swords momentum is also her biggest hindrance to getting better. With that said, don't go trying to block her over-sized sword with a dagger or something.

Aethyrium · May 02, 2024, 12:50:37 AM

Hyroe

The Hyroe is a sight to behold, standing tall on powerful hindlegs, yet equally adept at moving on all fours. It is a Class 2 Hollow, with a muscular frame and adorned with an array of sharp spikes jutting out from its arms, legs, back, and tail, all of which is wrapped in a thick, penetration resistant hide. These spikes are not merely for show; the Hyroe can launch them with astonishing force, turning them into fearsome projectiles capable of puncturing several inches of steel.

A long, sinuous tail extends from the Hyroe’s body, nearly as long as its own towering body. The appendage serves multiple purposes, providing balance and stability during movement, while also acting as a formidable weapon. The Hyroe is so strong that it has been known to clash with Goliath units and rip them apart - needless to say, allowing it to get its powerful clawed hands on you is a mistake that you likely won’t live to regret. Despite its immense strength, this Hollow is not known for its agility. Its movements are deliberate and purposeful, as it relies more on brute force than finesse.

Though the most dangerous aspect of the Hyroe is its disruptive, acidic saliva that drips from its gaping maw in viscous streams. This corrosive substance has the unique ability to neutralize electrical current, rendering them useless and leaving opponents who rely on functional mechanical equipment defenseless against its onslaught.

These terrible beasts were given their name in the early days of the Battle Academies, where many Champions lost their lives to them. Sometimes they are called the next grade of Crinos, but the truth is that the Hyroe is far more horrific.

CurvyKitten · May 02, 2024, 02:55:47 PM

Elemental Affinity | Weakness

Lightning, sonic | Water
Terrain Specialty | Weakness
urban | Mountain, forest

Aurora"Roar"Torvoe

curvykitten

Ancestry: Human

Gender | Pronouns: Female | She / They
Sexuality: Pansexual
Age: 19
Height: 5'8"
Body Build: leanly muscular, lithe, and well tone
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue

Weapon
Two bands(bracers?) , one on each of Roar's ankle and lower shins. They were keenly developed to work with their quick kickboxing style. These bands have places held within them that can have different Arcanite placed within it to have different effects take place. The tech developers at the academy are working on figuring out what Arcanite to use and what effects it has.

.
Shimmer
Roar's shimmer comes with the roll of thunder but its the flash of lighting that is the real power. She moves through it with speeds nearly unseen before now. And then strikes with the force and energy of a lighting strike. This ability takes time to build up over the course of a encounter.(think having to build up energy or static to fill a battery)

Special Trait

Roar has studied opponent after opponent for the past three years straight. Roar has learned to study an opponent for a short period of time during a battle and become able to figure out their weak points.

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

Even with the city of Johtan there are those that are less than fortunate. Those that get walked on and live in the area that are "bad" neighborhoods. Her family being of low worker social standing. She has five six younger siblings all of which she has been taking care of since her parents' passing. She has been taking care of them, acting as the adult even before she was one herself.

Garlan Torvoe - male - 18 new guardian of the family

Eowyn Torvoe - male- 15 - little brother

Raevyn Torvoe - male - 13 - little brother

Rhyn Torvoe - female- 10 - little sister

Avalon Torvoe - female - 10 - little sister

Marcus Torvoe - male - 8 - little brother

What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?

It was a rough life despite living in such a grand city like Johtan. Aroura and her family were the working class that supported that city. After her parents died she became the breadwinner for the household. When the opportunity came up to join the academy it seemed too good to resist. Yes it meant time away from her family, but it meant she could support them better. She could send them money and support them in ways that wouldn't be possible if she stayed with them. And honestly Roar knew it was just a matter of time before she died in those pits under the city.

Aurora found herself becoming a champion in the pits, taking on the show name Roar. And fighting with these boots augmented to be weapons that worked perfectly with her enhanced speed and kick boxing style. With these weapons and the need to support her family she faced bout after bout and took endless punishment to support them. So when Brice Aldrin watched one of her fights and approached her about possibly joining the battle academy, Roar jumped at the possibility.
Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears? Roar's main reason for becoming a champion is her family. They are her main driving force, she would face the world for them. Her only fear is letting them down, and not being enough to protect them. Failing them, and having them face the darkness of the world ill prepared.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?

Roar gained her skills from her father and her lifestyle. Her father was her couch of course. It started as learning to defend herself. But then as her skills and love for the sport of kickboxing grew he leaned into it and began teaching her on how to really compete in the fighting sport. With her family being her biggest cheering squad and her father her main trainer she was thought to become a champ! But after her parents died everything fell apart. Everything fell onto her shoulders, and she failed so badly it hurt. Her family had to move outside the city to survive. Roar began traveling into the city every night and battling in the underground bouts to make the money she needed to support her six siblings.

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?
Open, easy to get to know, but clearly determined. Roar would want to get to know their team. Knowing all too well it takes a village. And more than anything missing her village. It's probably way too quiet for her here. Especially in the dorms. As tough as Aurora seems...cuddles they need cuddles.

List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.
Roar has six younger siblings that they love dearly, pics and letters roll in and out all the time. Most of the money she gets goes to the family. So Arcanite isn't something she gets really often. So Roar's trains to fight without it while having to fight who knows what is coming her way. She'd ask to spar against you or any other students whenever she had a chance.

They would eventually see countless scars on her body from the pit fights. She'd dance around the subject for a long while. Saying she'd do what needed to be done to help her family survive. But if probed a bit more later on, she'd open up eventually about getting into some fights. And how some were paid for, the cash helped when the money was really tight.

She has never been outside of the larger cities, so in all honesty survival in the outdoors is not her thing. Bugs, dirt, no indoor plumbing, weird animals. Give her the concrete jungle any day and Roar will survive anything you throw at them. But through them in the middle of the woods they would be lost for days.

She pinches every penny! But not because she wants to be cheap, but because she has a lot of responsibilities to pay for.

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer
Roar is protective of her teammates, and she is a little quick to anger when it comes to do so.

Roar is a hard worker, constantly challenging others to spar and is known for learning what makes you tick.

Roar is a bit of a player and a flirt, but doesn't seem to be committed to anyone. And doesn't seem eager to change that.

List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
Roar knew she needed to send as much money as possible home, but she also needed money for school, arcanite, and food...yeah food would be nice. Thankfully Roar had a source of income that she could always fall back on. And it was one that she could easily find her way into. After a few phone calls Roar had the location of the underground fights within the area. Not wanting to get kicked out of school. She wears a hoodie and mask, most think of it as a gimmick, but Roar it's a way to keep the two worlds separate. Roar has quickly been working their way up the ranks till finally just recently taking on and taking out the champ! The bulk of the winning she sent home of course.

Hanging out, kicking back (secretly healing) and hanging out with her teammates whenever they were just around to do so. Roar wouldn't have the funds to just go about and paint the town red. So she is very much a homebody, not used to being able to go. Having a family to look after, six siblings to wrangle, and finances to worry about. This is all so strange and going to take a lot of getting used to. She still sleeps with several pillows around her.

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

Family and friendship - It's easy to see that family and friendship means the most to Aurora. It kills her to be away from hers, but with regular check-ins, the fact that she has a team by her side helps.

loyalty - Roar admits that once you are part of her unit or family that she is utterly loyal. But she also admits that it goes both ways.

effort/work ethic - Roar is no stranger to work. Working hard was something her family always instilled in her of course. But after her parents passed she had to take on everything just to keep her family together. And she did it, Roar fought, figuratively and literally, she worked and fought for them all. And still does. So she hates lazy people or people who won't even try.

FOOD! Aurora has a hell of an appetite due to the strain her powers and her training has on her body. So she can pack away the food. So gives her the yummy food and she will be your friend forever.

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.
Anything with her family, or the fact that she feels lonely now. Sleeps with six pillows, and writes letters home all the time, calls or gets calls, even late at night when the youngest can't sleep, sort of deal. Or the fact that the team may be becoming a sort of family itself. <,<...>.> this is totally not an excuse for cuddles...totally.

As her ankle bracers are still under development.

The fact that she tends to train herself to exhaustion. And tends to play down any wounds she has.

That fact that she still participates in the underground fights to send extra money to her family. Though she gets a stipend from the city. That was for her gear, and even if she was to send it all to her family. It wasn't enough to support seven people. So Roar turns back to the best and fastest way she knows how to make money. And with a few phone calls she is back into the underground fighting ring.

Aethyrium · May 07, 2024, 10:11:08 AM

Robyn Banks

Weapon: The Armory; A collection of at least two dozen small firearms ranging from single and double shot to six shot revolvers.

Shimmer: Ghostform; Robyn can create spectral versions of herself that occupy the same space, but can represent her facing multiple directions. These ghosts are capable of interacting with the world, effectively giving her extra awareness, extra arms, extra legs, whatever is needed in her current circumstance.

SWAGger Mentor: Robyn has had a very hands on mentor since day one. She's always made herself very accessible, and been invested in each squire's concerns and individual growth outside the team. Robyn strongly believes that the strength of the unit is secondary to the strength of the individual. So while she promotes teammate, she often preaches lessons that the best way you can be there for your team is to be the best you.
Proactive Shot Caller: Robyn favors individuals and styles that take action. Deal with the problem, and then ask questions. Do what you need to do to stop the bleeding, and then figure out what you need to make sure that it doesn't happen again. If there are consequences to this approach, she calls them the cost of doing business.
Former Socialite: Though she doesn't talk about it much, and is evasive about getting into details, it's a generally accepted fact that Robyn comes from a family of status in Onyx, however that family no longer exists.
Marriage Cursed: Robyn is a widow 4 times over, with each of her former spouses having passed away. More than one person has made the jump that she is responsible for these repeated 'tragedies'.
Criminal Past: Prior to becoming a Champion, Robyn was a rather notorious criminal. After being apprehended, Robyn spent nearly a year in Azkaban before Ettinus Oscoro secured her release on the condition that she would come to Hammer with the specific mandate that she would become a mentor for future Champions.

Interests: Jewelry, Fine dining, Enemies of Onyx
Dislikes: Fish, Hot sunny weather

Aethyrium · May 11, 2024, 12:01:54 AM

Ringwurm

The Graboids are a terrifying species of Hollow known for their worm-like appearances and voracious appetite. They are a Hollow breed that is heavily distinguished by their forms, with each capable of occupying a very different Class. Each form is tailored toward the specific environments they are found and deploys a unique hunting style.

Ringwurms are the smallest of the Graboids and can be found all across Toil. They are a Class 3 Hollow, and are primarily considered lurking predators. Unlike most Hollow, they are known for sitting in caves and tunnels - natural, or those formed by their larger Form cousins - and waiting for life to come to them. These creatures are rarely any longer than six feet long, though they do sport thick bodies. They are neither particularly strong nor fast, but they are incredibly durable. Their name is due to a series of ring plates around their body that they can contract into - while not moving, these plates touch, creating an armor-hard shell that is difficult to penetrate. While moving, their squish bodies extend from under these plates creating distinct segments of armor-squish-armor. Ringwurms are capable of adhering to surfaces, and often hunt by anchoring themselves above and then dropping down on their unsuspecting victims, crushing them.

Totoro · June 16, 2024, 10:01:44 AM

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Water | Fire

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Mountains | Desert

Maria Rex-Astra

VVitch

Ancestry: Silenus (Hearthdeer)
Gender | Pronouns: Femme Nonbinary | She/They
Sexuality: Pansexual

Age: 20
Height: 6'1"
Body Build: Maria is remarkably tall with a lithe, toned physique. She has distinctive horns but they are not particularly sharp and do not make for practical weapons.
Hair Color: Blue
Eye Color: White

Weapon - The Sister Sabres
A pair of blue-silver sabres that lock at the hilts, forming a large pair of scissors. The Sabres have very unusual handles with enables a quirky, hard to adjust for fighting style but limits her skill when using more conventional weapons as she's so used to the oddities of her own. The sabres are an older weapon used by her instructor, Gerhman's wife Evangeline whom he lost many years ago. They are designed to be used to slash and cut enemies to slow them down before, if needed, delivering single devastating strikes when locked together.

Shimmer

Coup de Grâce - Maria is attuned to cuts she causes on her foes, provided the wound is bleeding. Maria can activate her Shimmer to rupture all wounds, forcing them to tear open and bleed rapidly for a short time and causing massive, sudden blood loss.

Maria's Silenus heritage has let her inherit the natural swiftness of the Hearthdeer of the wild norths of Sinnat. (+1 Speed)

Special Trait (Falling Leaf)
Maria follows, and thus belongs, to an honorary group of people who follow the same path. While it is dying out, those who remain have a natural inclination toward one another. When opportunity presents, Maria can be recognized as a member of this group which may open doors, create allies, and reveal information that would have otherwise been impossible to acquire.

Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like? Maria Rex-Astra was born in Onyx to her mother, Ameldia Astra, and her father Nicolash Rex. Her parents both live in Onyx. Her mother runs Astra Industries, a vast manufacturing company while her father is a politician. Astra Industries began producing energy systems, and her mother is a genius in the field, but it has recently pivoted towards arms manufacturing. She has a strained relationship with her parents as they wanted her to follow her mother's footsteps but she had no interest in the life of a businesswoman despite the huge headstart she inherited. Though her mother, a Silenus like her, lives in Onyx she immigrated from Sinnat.

Maria has a very close, familial bond with the nanny who raised her, Agnes Stoutwall. Agnes is a relatively poor, even-tempered woman who is bluntly honest at all times but remarkably loving and kind. She tries to see Agnes when she can despite the fact Agnes no longer works for her parents. Generally Agnes encourages Maria to be herself, to be free and to live her life as she sees fit.

While she wouldn't describe him as family, Gehrmun the man who trained her to fight and who taught her about the Path of Fallen Leaves is someone Maria greatly admires and appreciates. She still sees him when she can, though that is far less often since joining the Academy. She respects him a lot, though the two have a playful banter between them and she's not above teasing him.

What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision? Maria was raised in wealth and privelege. The money earned by her mother bought her just about anything she could have needed, though she didn't get nearly as much attention from her parents as she ever wanted with her father being so busy with his political career. She was never quite happy or content, a continuous rebel despite her fortune, and her parents quietly disapproved of her decision to attend a battle academy as it wasn't the life they had tried to set out for her.

Maria had the opportunity to explore many avenues of life when she was younger. Though countless things caught her interest over the years nothing ever really sank in. She's squandered a good deal of money on abandoned hobbies that she has toyed with. Maria has a passable talent for a wide array of sports, forgotten instruments she spent less than a month learning and many other notes on a long list of things she thought might be for her.

One interest that did stick was her love of nature. Maria became a vegetarian at a young age, then a vegan shortly afterwards. She's well-read on the topic of plants and learning more about animals as she can. Maria is very at home out in the wilderness.

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears? Maria wants to do good in the world and she's more comfortable doing so with her own two hands, her parents having pushed her away from things like board rooms. She wants to help other people, increasingly to make up for the discomfort she feels at her parent's questionable morality. Maria fears that she's being naive or foolish and that she ought to be biting the bullet and running her parents company and that the most mature way to do good would be to run the family business better in future. It is important to Maria that she makes Gerhman, the man who trained her, proud and that she becomes a champion in his name. Maria also finds it vital that she sticks to the Path of Fallen Leaves in her time at the Academy and that she conducts herself with honour.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you? Living a life of privelege, Maria requested to be trained as a hobby and her parents hired an exceptional tutor who made sure to give Maria frequent lessons on dueling and honourable combat. Her skills are very academic, practised and precise but lack real world experience. Maria's tutor was a grey-haired man who was once a famous and well-liked champion who now tutors in his retirement. His name is Gehrmun Jaeger and he and Maria remain close even now.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most? Maria is most proud of the day she finally equalled her tutor in a duel, having worked for years to reach the level where they could stand toe to toe without the older man holding back significantly. She constantly lives in fear that abandoning the family business is a failing on her part and dreads that she may come to regret the path she's taking in life, wondering if someone else may take her role and make the company even worse.

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? Maria was prim, proper and carried the mannerisms of her high-class upbringing at first. After that, though, she gradually began to melt the icy exterior and became more friendly, funny, playful and carefree. It didn't take too long, the shell she had at first being relatively thin and easy to crack. She was eager to learn about the others, to work with them and to form bonds she's not used to having.

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

Maria's parents are extremely wealthy but she doesn't get on with them anymore.

Maria's mother is a Silenus who came from Sinnat to Johtan as a teenager.

Maria seems to care more about plants and animals than people, or at least finds expressing care for people difficult. She wants to put house plants in the dorm.

Maria hasn't really had many friends before, save for shallow friendships with the children of social elites.

Maria is a vegan and does not eat meat. She is uncomfortable around cooking meat, or watching people eat it, but tolerates that discomfort quietly.

Maria's eyesight is in decline, she does not yet need corrective eyewear but that day is coming. She is, however, blessed with extraordinarily sharp hearing. Due to her hearing, she tends to hate very loud noises.

Maria is not very streetwise and doesn't know much about the life of an average person.

Maria has access to a fund from her parents but they monitor what she purchases.

Maria has never really done much dating.

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer Maria has noticeable belongings of extreme value but gets awkward, flustered and almost ashamed when they are highlighted by others. She's avoidant of touch and a little awkward about it at times. Maria's very graceful and carries herself with a noticeable serenity - she sometimes seems like she thinks she's above others even if she doesn't due to her high society mannerisms. Maria's austere exterior is seen to break when she sees an animal, and she's much more comfy touching them than people.

List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning? Maria, in a moment of rebellion, broke into the facilities of a company that does animal testing and freed the wildlife there that were being experimenting on. She wasn't caught and has kept what she did quiet. It was the biggest moment of rebellion in her life so far and a huge adrenaline rush. She had help from others from the Academy, but just a tiny group.

Also, Maria took a group of friends on a shopping trip using her family card. She still feels guilty over using the family wealth given her discomfort with her parents but it has been the norm in her life until this point. Maria has often used her familial wealth to make friends, excusing that she's putting the money to good use and being friendly but feeling uncomfortable about the depth of those friendships and the source of the money.

List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
1. The Path of Fallen Leaves - A spirituality followed by warriors of a now near-dead order. It is a loose code of honour that focuses on respect for one's foes, for life and for nature. Most practitioners are expected to be vegan, to be kind to all animals and gentle to nature, and to only wound or take a life when it is truly necessary. The faith was largely abandoned by more modernised warfare making honour too much of a liability for most.

2. Refined Tastes - Maria has an excellent palette after a life of fine dining though she prefers hearty, loved home cooking. She enjoys beautiful clothing and does her own tailoring when possible.

3. Wild Child - Despite her high class roots Maria was the kind of youth always covered in mud and her love of the outdoors is just as strong now. She likes running, climbing, fresh air and adores animals and plants equally. She'll always try to befriend animals.

4. Rebel - Maria is something of a rebellious spirit, though she finds it hard to voice and embrace. She habitually questions those in authority after having to learn to question her own parents as she came to understand the true nature of their business and the flaws in their own morals.

5. Respectful - While rebellious, she has a lot of respect for other beings as individuals and she values being shown respect in turn. She never touches others without permission and she likes to be asked before being touched in turn. She speaks with flowery, outdated language often as her mother tried to adopt that manner to fit into high society. She doesn't like crass language or generally disrespectful behaviour.

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.

Maria's mother is an ultra-wealthy elite who built up a vast fortune however her company is involved in significant shady business. She's not a very good person, or moral, and Maria knows better than most that she's almost definitely breaking laws or at least doing things most would frown on.

Maria's father is a politician growing in popularity. He is likely tied into her mother's shady business practices and she knows his political career is selfishly motivated.

Maria is moving further from her parents and high-society upbringing. She needs to meet others who are rebellious and who take issue with aspects of the status quo and elite of society.

Maria wants, and needs, to get more practical experience and to be out in the world more. She wants to see how other people live, to understand for herself as best she can what the world is like outside of the bubble she's been in. She also needs more combat experience as well as general life experience.

Maria is a practitioner of the Path of Fallen Leaves. This is a rare spirituality in the modern age and one she would like to share with others if they are willing to listen.

Eye of Horus · June 16, 2024, 02:55:54 PM

Game Statistics

Affinities
Lightning | Desert
Weaknesses
Earth | Aquatic, Swamp

Dariaq Syvanios

Character Advantages

Weapon: Spitting Cobra - a glaive with a black arcanite reservoir embedded in the haft, allowing the assembly at the butt end to be used as both a taser goad and a bolt thrower. It can be screwed apart at the centre into two shorter weapons, for more convenient transport or to make the bolt thrower easier to aim at close quarters.

Shimmer: Lightning Echo - Dari can briefly manifest a corposant-wreathed duplicate of himself at another location within eyesight - long enough to make a single strike, or to deflect a strike aimed at an ally.

Special Trait: Emotionally Attuned - Dari can often intuit how someone is feeling, which together with his affable demeanour means he can ingratiate himself into various different social circles (when he's not being a showoff or a dumbass, at least).

Background

1. Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Dariaq, or Dari as he is known to most, hails from a small elven enclave outside Onyx, an oasis at the centre of a desert that was once verdant, now decimated by the Hollow. His mother, Ivleen Syvanios, was an accomplished warrior - a champion in all but name - and was known in the enclave as Ivleen la défenseure ("the defender"). His father was an elf from Seabreeze, Erevan de Cobassarez, but his relationship with Dari's mother did not last. Ivleen subsequently found happiness with a history keeper named Jenevelle DeNyrios. While Ivleen is "mother" to Dari, Jenevelle is "mum". The Syvanios name is an old and storied one, and Dari’s parents drove him hard to live up to it. Their relationship isn’t strained, exactly, but Dari has definitely internalised the message that to be anything less than the best is to be a failure.

2. What sort of life did you have before you decided to attend a Battle Academy? How did people react to your decision?
Dari’s parents were set on having a champion for a son, but so were several other families in the oasis. Despite the competition, and some admittedly intense rivalry, Dari remained on friendly terms with the other aspirants - at least until the Hammer rep visited the oasis for a demonstration trial, and judged Arrian to be the strongest candidate. Dari himself ranked a close second, a fact that he sullenly brooded about for the next few weeks. However, as the twisted humour of fate would have it, he would be given a second chance to impress the assessors. When a dangerous Hollow creature unexpectedly invaded the oasis, Arrian stepped up to defend it. He was able to slay the beast, but was gravely injured in the process, losing several fingers from his right hand. With Arrian now unable to attend, the academy agreed to let Dari travel to Onyx to be reassessed. Unfortunately, their second ruling was the same as their first. Dari spent a month loitering around Onyx, working ad-hoc labour jobs to make rent money because he was too scared to go home a failure. He made some attempts to befriend squires in bars and to gain recognition through the Ninja Academy, but in the end his big opportunity literally fell out of the sky.

3. Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?
For Dari, making his mothers proud and fulfilling their dream of him going to Hammer was beyond questioning. He has been brought up on stories of heroic elves (and humans and silenus, of course, though he doesn’t relate to them quite as hard) and dreams of making his own mark in the histories. His worst fear is insignificance and - worse - letting his parents down.

4. How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?
Dari’s parents started him in martial training from a young age. Dari initially saw it as a fun social activity, but it quickly became more serious as he grew into his teens. Dari’s birth mother Ivleen used the influence of her family name to invite weapon masters to the oasis to train her son, and even arranged a summer in Onyx to draw out his shimmer with a veteran arcanist. While Dari could often best his friends in a straight fight, Arrian had the more powerful shimmer, which was the main reason for his original selection.

5. What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?
Besides training to be a champion, Dari is a keen scholar and dearly loves a good story. Thanks to the tutoring of his mum Jenevelle, he is proud of being able to recite the histories of a number of elven families, both prominent and lesser known, and he has an ambition of committing their deeds to writing someday. The thing Dari feels the most shame for is that a part of him was secretly glad of Arrian’s injury, allowing him to travel to Hammer in his friend’s place. This was compounded by him initially failing to get in, and so the selfish pride wasn’t even worth it.

R1. 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?
People who interact with Dari generally find him friendly if overbearing. His seemingly boundless confidence and large ham impulses are made bearable by the fact that he will happily hype you up alongside himself, and is genuinely interested in hearing your stories (although he will sometimes try to one-up them). If he is being quiet then something is definitely wrong, though good luck getting him to admit what’s bothering him.

R2. List three (or more!) notably truths about you that your teammates have learned over the last month together.
Anyone who spends any length of time with Dari knows that he has a pathological inability to back down from a challenge. More amusingly, he will often proclaim things outside his expertise to be “easy” and then proceed to fail spectacularly at them. The failure will not stop him from trying again. He will also occasionally swear vengeance against inanimate objects.
They might also note his tendency to spend some evenings scribbling away on bits of paper, writing out lines and then angrily scoring them out. He hopes to write an elven history one day and wants it to be perfect, worthy of the people in it. Hulta has been helping him to make progress, and he has been debating whether to ask Lyra to help illustrate it.
He can make pancakes, extremely well, and will take any opportunity to offer them around. The rest of his cooking is rather hit and miss.

R3. List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed about you while attending Hammer
Dari comes across as a gregarious and practically fearless individual. Admirable in a sense, perhaps takes himself too seriously.
He can definitely fill up a room, and enjoys being the centre of attention. This can be fun or obnoxious, depending on your stance.
His ego seems almost tailor made for prodding.

R4. List two or more things that you have done in the last month, beyond going to classes and learning?
Prior to joining Hammer, Dari rented a tiny apartment in Onyx and got into trouble a couple of times for running his personal training drills in the communal garden, quite disruptively to anyone else who was there. He made ends meet by doing ad-hoc labour jobs for the nearby tradesmen, and so has a good working relationship with the landlord of Pour Decisions bar. While the fact that he considered the work beneath him was somewhat evident, he was always warm and friendly to his fellow workers, and respectful to his superiors.
Although he no longer stays in his West Quarter apartment, Dari still keeps in contact with his silenus neighbour Mr Khan, and seeks the elder man's insight on matters relating to the Red Fang and anti-silenus discrimination in Onyx.
A Black Lotus agent, Alvin Zhent, took interest in Dari (as well as Chee) and tried to recruit them into the front organisation Neerfrost. They have since been playing a dangerous game trying to expose the organisation's interference in both sporting events and local politics.
Dari helped escort the elven caravan from Cordes sur Ciel to Onyx, and subsequently attended the event where the carrier Solidarity arrived to ferry them to Tabor.
Together with Hulta (and formerly Aurora), Dari has been seeking leads on Loz Averan through a deal with Scarecrow. He keeps the Shimmer mark of their pact hidden with a watch or a decorative leather strap, depending on the occasion.
Dari participated in a bull-mammoth rodeo with Thessa, at the suggestion of Doya. He won 500 cor for managing to stay astride for 14 seconds.
As a favour to Ellie, Dari and Hulta investigated some disappearances in the crime-ridden slum district of Five Corners, where they encountered Xaexyl de Ocolos Enerim and were nearly killed, being saved at the last second by their mentor Robin.
Dari has taken note of Chee's odd behaviour following the latter's testing as a potential recruit to the Nightshade Arena, and may attempt to follow him there.
Dari took part in the mission to Fort Kapsi, his first and last deployment with Swagger squad, in which suspicious activity by the Rex-Astra corporation was noted, and a large piece of blue arcanite recovered.
Dari took on a covert mission to the Black Lotus owned casino, the Luxe, with Hulta (and unexpectedly, Lyra and Marlowe) which led to the capture of one of Ocean's agents. A machine shop connected to the casino and a strange box slated for transport out to Ruby were also noted.
Dari took part in the Savaged squad mission to clear out the Hispo pack that overran Pinewatch, and personally dealt the finishing blow to the two-headed Alpha leading the pack. This has inflated his ego to an almost obnoxious degree.

R5. List a few (3-5) things that you values and seems to play a role in how you interact with the world.
Dari is a very social individual - he wants everyone to like him. In general he is pretty emotionally available, except in revealing his own flaws and fears, which he still struggles with.
He values independence and hard work, and will hype people up to take on challenges that scare them. While he wants to be the best, he also values helping others to be the best they can be as well.
He admires people who have achieved exceptional things, which can sometimes lead to him missing out on the little joys.
He is naturally empathetic and can often intuit how other people are feeling, though he is unlikely to point it out if he thinks it would bring them shame - this is largely due to his own aversion to being seen as weak, and so he assumes that others are the same.
Dari strongly believes in a champion's duty to help and protect people, but he also has a natural deference to rules and authority, and he struggles to reconcile the two when faced with grey areas and systemic problems.

R6. 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.
Character growth! Dari needs to be taken down a peg, and also to realise that not everything is a competition and that he can be worthy in his peers’ eyes without being the best at everything.

1.07a. You have been a part of Hammer for around three months now. How has this time changed your individual goals and outlooks. Give some insight into the things that are now important to you, and story relevant ambitions and or perceptions.
Dari is throwing himself into his responsibilities at Hammer - not always excelling, but certainly trying, and drawing as much attention to himself as he can. The core mission of combatting the Hollow he is 100% committed to and he wants to support his team to be their best selves in that regard. What he is finding more challenging is the grey areas that squires also sometimes get involved in, like Ocean and the Red Fang - Dari has a fundamental unease with such conflicts, and while he will fight hard for what he perceives to be right, he struggles to reconcile this with the rules he commits to, and how he envisions a champion should act. Unlike killing Hollow, he flatly refuses to kill another person, regardless of the circumstances.

1.07b. What are, at least, two new character hooks that you would like to explore as time has changed them. These should be something that other characters can engage with, not necessarily large plot facing. They could be actions to take, but also important characterization things that you're looking to do.
Dari’s biggest personal hook is Arrian, his former friend / rival / crush who lost three fingers and his chance of a place at Hammer after defending their enclave from a Hollow. To say they have unfinished business would be an understatement
Dari and others are slated to investigate the strange letters inviting people to the Bristlewood - aside from the danger of Hollow, Dari suspects something similar to Five Corners is afoot, and the situation is made personal by his former neighbour Mr Khan being one of the missing
Dari is slated to speak at a Neerfrost event (although he will go slightly off-script) in order to raise some of the money he owes Scarecrow. Dari and Hulta’s next meeting with Scarecrow in pursuit of Loz Averan and Kim’blee Crimson is also pending.
By following Chee, Dari is slated to accidentally gatecrash the Nightshade Academy. The events there might be a place for him to reconcile with Marlowe, if they have not already done so
Dari is slated to go on a mission with Thessa which may feature problematic levels of rivalry. Jealousy at Thessa’s recent dating history optional.
Dari is slated to continue helping Koko with her mechanical issues, hopefully helping her become less counterdependent.
After Five Corners, Dari will be on the lookout for any re-emergence of Xaexyl
Dari is trying to understand more about silenus politics and the Red Fang - he wants to help, but doesn’t yet know how; the situation is awfully grey compared to the black / white dichotomies he is used to dealing with

1.07c. You are part of a new team, and one that is unlike any other in Hammer's - or any Battle Academy - history. What does that mean to you? How do you reflect on your time with your prior team? What do you want to accomplish and or do differently with this team? What are you thoughts, general or specific - but meaningful - on each member of you new team? How do you feel about your squad and your partner, new or old. Finally, what is something you would personally like to see Savaged do as a team - mission, characterizing, plot facing, or otherwise?
Dari did not get much time with Swagger squad before it was merged into Savaged, and he feels the loss of his three team-mates keenly, wishing there was something he could have done to make them stay. Cohesion of the new team is important to him as a result, and if he sees friction or someone falling behind he will take proactive action to help.
Dari’s wing-partner as part of Team Wooshed is Hulta, and despite his unease at being a replacement for the murdered Mugi, they almost immediately hit it off due to their shared love of history. Syncing up as partners took some practice, and Hulta facing up to her protective instincts, but now they have it down to a fine art. They occasionally engage in bets or prank wars. Dari sees Hulta’s potential and tries to encourage her to bring out the best in herself. He instinctively understands her struggle to please her parents. He feels caught in the middle with Hulta and Marlowe’s rocky relationship, and tries to do right by both.
Koko is a perfect fit for the goofball part of Dari’s brain, and as the other OG members of Swagger squad, they and Hulta share a unique connection. Dari has been helping Koko to deal with her chronic pain by assisting her in the mornings (trying to be subtle, but it’s probable that the others have noticed) and her performance has improved as a result.
Dari first met Chee at the Ninja Academy. He appreciates Chee’s straightforward moral code, and particularly admires his hands-on charity work in the Eastern Quarter, something that Dari hopes to turn his own hand to after learning more about silenus politics and the Red Fang. Dari and Chee are collaborating to infiltrate (and maybe expose) the Black Lotus operation at Neerfrost, though how recent events at Luxe may complicate this remains to be seen.
Thessa is Dari’s best enemy. He has great respect for her and won't hear a bad word against her, even as he seeks to outdo her in absolutely everything. They have a bet relating to the upcoming Unity Tournament. Thessa is essentially the new Arrian for Dari - a rival, a friend and a crush (though in this case he pig-headedly refuses to acknowledge it) all rolled into one.
Lyra was not someone Dari expected to befriend, with her seeming shy and aloof. He did however appreciate her company in the wake of Ellie’s departure, and the two occasionally talk or play games together. He respects her skill with Shimmer and takes on the role of front-liner to screen her when needed.
Dari has spent comparatively little time one-on-one with Estelle, though he did run into her sleepwalking once, which led to a conversation in the courtyard about history and home. As Thessa's wing-partner, he has perhaps a vested interest in getting to know her better. He has seen her tactical mind in action on missions and admires her for it.
Marlowe is the whole reason Dari is in Hammer, being nearly killed by Loz Averan until Dari intervened, though he initially avoided her for that exact reason. They reconciled and often sparred together to improve Dari’s chances against Loz should they clash again. He likes her despite her flaws and considers her "too awesome to die", though they have yet to acknowledge each other's deeper hopes and fears. Lately there has been friction again due to Hulta and Marlowe’s breakup, though he hopes it will be mended.
Ellie and Dari were jock / lesbian solidarity incarnate, and would likely have become best friends had the Johtan mission not convinced Ellie that her path lay elsewhere. Dari grieves her departure and still holds out hope, however small, that she might return. She also brought his attention to the "other side of the tracks" perspective in Onyx, something that he hopes to carry forward in her name.
Bri’elle was one of the first squires Dari met, and he held a certain admiration for the small, scrappy fighter with her regimented mind and hidden wild side. Unfortunately, she took her leave (unbeknownst to Dari, as a new recruit of Section 31) and he regrets not being able to convince her to stay.
Dari admired Aurora for her quiet resilience and sense of responsibility, though tragedy struck when her home town was attacked by Hollow, and she left to help rebuild. Unlike the other departures, Dari did not attempt to talk her into staying - his home is precious to him, and in her shoes he might have done the same.
Dari hoped to learn more about the silenus politics of Onyx from Maria, but unfortunately she was another departure during his early tenure. He regrets not being able to observe her longer in a leadership role, though Thessa has certainly stepped up to that plate.

Player Notes & Other

Crash · July 20, 2024, 02:54:27 PM

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

Elemental Affinity | Weakness
Sonic, Lightning | Water, Fire

Terrain Specialty | Weakness
Urban | Desert

Ginger Eloise Fizz

Crash

Ancestry: Human
Gender | Pronouns: Cis Female | She/Her
Sexuality: Lesbian

Age: 19
Height: 5' 7”
Body Build: Honey bronze skin. Lithe with a hint of pear.
Hair Color: Black with purple tips. Side shave
Eye Color: Honey Brown

Weapon -
A stylized rapier with a guitar scabbard. When Eloise strums the scabbard strings with the sword sheathed, it causes her rapier blade to vibrate with sonic energy, allowing it to cut through armor and barriers that a delicate blade like this one has no business being able to do. The hilt of her rapier accepts arcanite to charge the blade with elemental energy.

Her grandfather added a refillable canister for lightning arcanite to the scabbard, allowing her to play it as if it were an electric guitar.

She still carries her military issue assault rifle in combat.

Shimmer
Shadow Creatures: Eloise can “steal” shadow and store it on herself as “tattoos.” She can then create animal shadow constructs out of these shadows to attack with them as if they were real. Once a shadow animal tattoo is used she needs to “steal” more shadow or have enough shadow in the area that she can make one. Each shadow creature has a limited duration and the bigger the creature, the faster it dissipates.

She would entertain herself and her sisters when she was younger by making little shadow animals so they could play with them.

Special Trait
TBD

Where were you born? Whom, if anyone, do you consider family? Where are they, and what is your relationship with them like?
Five Corners marked the intersection of 8-Ball, Heartbreaker, Steel Demon, Corsair, and LoCoS turf. It was generally considered to be the intersection of NE 132nd St and 124th Ave NE. Five corners shifted a few blocks in any direction depending on who was the strongest gang at the time. Those who lived at Five Corners didn't do so out of choice, they did so out of necessity.

Eloise and her twin sister Cherry were born in Five Corners to a single mother estranged from her family. They have one older sister, Poppy. Eliose's mother was caught in the middle of a gang fight when returning home a little too late from work and was killed when she was ten years old.

With no family to speak of and no one looking out for them, Eloise and her sisters resorted to the neighborhood gang for support. The 8-Balls had pushed pretty hard into Five Corners at the time. They were small-time, mostly into the drug and flesh, but added some rare stability to the neighborhood. Poppy hooked up with a pimp under 8-Ball protection, and Eloise and her sister started hanging out more often with members of the gang.

Eloise and her sister were pretty savvy, so when the gang started referring to them as the "Baby Dolls," they decided to make themselves useful by dealing drugs to stay out of hooking. They were good at it, too. They moved from dealing to smuggling quickly, shockingly adept at making their way into and out of other gang territory without notice.

Eventually, Poppy fucked up and got pregnant. Worse, she wanted to keep the baby. This went over about as well as you would think with the gang. She was an addict by this time, which didn't help matters. Eloise and Cherry had been hoarding every bit of cor they could to buy themselves and their sister out of the gang, but with a baby, they no longer had enough. Ellie and her twin sister drew lots for who would stay and who would go. Ellie lost, and Cherry stayed. It was the worst moment in Ellie's life, leaving her inseparable twin behind, but staying with her pregnant older sister wasn't an option, and when you are bottom of the barrel, you don't get fairy-tale endings.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, a very pregnant Poppy and Eloise moved from flop house to flop house until Eloise saw a recruitment pitch for the Onyx military. It was the only way to find stable pay, a place for Poppy and her niece, and a way to buy Cherry's release from the gang.

When Ellie was accepted into the academy, she used some of her money to track down her father, but instead, she found her estranged grandfather, Kola Fizz. The reunion was a difficult one. Her grandfather had never known his grandchildren but deeply regretted his role in estranging his daughter. He wanted to help, but the loss of his business had put him deeply in debt, too. He could look after Eloise's niece when Poppy was unable to, so Ellie didn't have to leave her training to do so.

Grandfather: Kola Fizz
Mother: Effervescent “Effy” Fizz - Deceased
Father: Unknown
Older Sister: Poppy Fizz
Twins Sister: Cherry Fizz
Niece: Candice Fizz

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

Eloise's life was objectively terrible. She was a dealer and a ganger. She did bad things sometimes to good people to survive and had to watch her sister forced into prostitution to support them when their mother died. There were moments of joy and happiness when she and her sisters were together, but they never lasted long and were often bittersweet. Eloise has never known any sort of wealth. She scraped by and used any extra money on other family members. She is fucking lucky to have made it out of Five Corners, and she knows it but feels some serious guilt that her sister did not. Being separated from her is misery.

Eloise never expected a gutter kid like herself to be in the Battle Academy. That just doesn't happen to people like her. The Military was a common way out of the dirt for poor kids, and she took it. It was hard at first. She is not a conformist, and discipline, other than the distinct threat of violence, was alien to her. But it was more important to Ellie that she keep that cor flowing, so she bit the bullet and tamped as much of her ego and pride down, learning to be disciplined out of necessity.

General Apple's request that Eliose be transferred to the Battle Academy was a complete shock to her. Still, she is grateful for it, and the increased cor is a blessing. Her sisters and Grandfather are also happy, though there is obvious tension between them. Cherry has chosen a life of crime, whereas Eliose has chosen a life of service. Both of them funnel money to their sister and Grandfather. Cherry's contribution has dramatically increased lately, making Eloise a little worried.

Why have you decided to become a Champion? What are your goals, your reasons, and your fears?

Eloise didn't decide. General Apple did. Eloise decided to enter the Military to support her family. That was really it. She had zero plans after that. Now that she is here, though, she plans to learn everything she can and be the best Champion she can be. Eloise knows this is a gift, even if she wonders if she deserves it.

Eloise still wants to support her family and give the niece options she never got. She absolutely adores the girl and being "Auntie Elle." Eloise is very concerned she won't be able to cut it and disappoint the general. She knows full well she circumvented all conventions to be dropped on her new team.

How did you acquire your skills before coming to Hammer? Who taught you?

Mostly the gang and learned experience. Eloise was forced to be sneaky, clever, and resilient to navigate her life until the military academy. Stealth came naturally to her. One of her gang was ex-military, dishonorable discharge. Still, he took pity on the twins and taught them some self-defense techniques and blade work after they were roughed up dealing. They took to it naturally, so he continued to give them pointers until he was killed in retaliation for a deal gone sour. Eloise’s basic skills were honed in the military academy, where she learned to shoot.

Eloise learned guitar from Sally Two-Strings, another ganger. Her singing is a natural talent.

What is your greatest accomplishment or thing you are most proud of? What is your greatest failure or thing you regret the most?

Eloise’s greatest accomplishment is probably getting herself and Poppy out of the gang, but she doesn’t see that as a win having to leave Cherry behind. For Eloise, it was leading her military academy squad to four straight victories in drills. As much as missing her sister like she misses half her heart, succeeding entirely on her own was a new feeling and one she found empowering.

She has so many regrets but her biggest is leaving Cherry behind in Five Corners. She thinks about her every day and agonizes over it constantly.

List three (or more!) notably truths about you.

Eloise can sing. She rarely does it, but she is actually very good.

Eloise has two (one is a twin) sisters and one niece that she dotes on whenever possible and calls her all the time. She affectionately calls her niece “Bug.”

Kola Fizz, owner of Dazzle & Dust is her grandfather.

Eloise was dirt poor and a gang member before she joined the military academy.

Eloise is fun. She likes going out with teammates and getting into trouble. She can be bratty and snarky sometimes but she is rarely mean.

She often appears with new tattoos however two tattoos are always there. A small black kitten on her arm and the name “Sunny” with a date that is about two years old.

Eloise’s non-academy issue clothes are obvious thrift store stuff, usually picked for comfort over style. Eloise doesn’t wear much makeup or own much.

Eloise loves getting little luxury gifts. Not in the sense that they are expensive. She just never had much of her own stuff growing up and need was alway more important than want. Getting small thoughtful gifts that are completely impractical are the fastest way to friendship.

Eloise has zero interest in men romantically but they make the best buds!

Eloise love’s lemon! Lemon is yummy!

List one or more (different!) things that people outside of your team might have noticed.r

Eloise plays the guitar in the courtyard or common area. Anywhere with decent acoustics. She likes the blues.

Eloise has a loud laugh and is prone to giggle fits when she really finds something or someone amusing or cute (romantically or not).

Eloise has shit etiquette, unless she is in uniform and on duty.

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

Eloise snuck away from her squad mates for a weekend and played a couple of small bars in Onyx. It was the first time she performed anything in front of a crowd larger than her squad mates or her sisters and niece. She was nervous, and the first set was just okay, but she loved doing it. She knocked her second set out of the park. Someone from the Academy may have seen her there.

Elosie went to a carnival with her military academy crew for the first time. She had a bunch of fun until one of her squadmates got into an argument with someone that ended in a fistfight and them being tossed out, ruining her good evening. It is possible she could have met someone or someones there before the fight happened.

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

Loyalty - Eloise is not naive. People have to do things they don’t want to survive, and ultimately, most people will act selfishly when the chips are down, but people who show themselves to be true loyal friends. That have your back. Those people she will do anything for.

Family - Families are complicated and can be a source of great pain but also great joy. You can fight, yell, and be angry, but at the end of the day, you are family; often, family is all you have. That has to mean something.

Live for the now - Growing up where and how Eloise did, she understands that tomorrow is not a given and today is nothing better than a maybe. Do the things you want to do and say the things you want to say to the people you want to tell them to. Anything else is asking for heartbreak.

Embrace the unknown - Eloise is exploring the world and trying things she has never attempted outside of her former life, which is a lot. It is both profoundly invigorating and sad. On the one hand, she is enjoying learning about herself and who she is away from her family, but she doesn’t have anyone to share it with, which makes her sad. Surrounded by new people, she finds herself lonely and is working on changing that, even if it does make her feel guilty like she is leaving her family behind.

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.

I am eager to explore the growth of a poor ganger with an entire world open to her now. How does this affect her familial relationships, as well as the push and pull of a twin sister without her twin? She has been through a lot in her young life, but in other ways, she is naive, and her growth has been somewhat stunted until now. What happens when she has obligations but her family demands her time and attention. What happens when more tragedy strikes them, and she can’t be there to fix it because she has obligations now beyond her family? Eloise is no saint. She has a criminal past, and when that comes to light, what will her new friends say? What is her sister up to, and how does an identical twin in crime come back to haunt her?

Aethyrium · August 28, 2024, 02:40:04 PM

Kiba Lurke & Aujus

Weapon: Coiled Fang; a lengthy chain whip with heavy censor on the end

Shimmer (Kiba): Soulbond; Kiba shares a bond with Aujus that makes them almost one. Passively this grants Kiba greatly increased senses, similar to Aujus, while granting Aujus greatly increases intelligence similar to Kiba. They are capable of communicating telepathically with one another, and with focus can better inhabit the senses of the other. They share a metaphysical connection of the Soul, allowing them an unexplored number of abilities, including awakening a Shimmer inside of Aujus.

Shimmer (Aujus): ?

Saberdog Activist: Kiba, and his family, are tied to the Saberdogs. Because his people are tied to them by a shared Shimmer, they go to great lengths to protect the packs in the area surrounding Tan La. Unfortunately, Arcanite mining has disrupted and changed the environment, putting the packs at risk.
Keeper of Illidium: A strange piece of Arcanite with a liquid core, Illidium is an immeasurably valuable piece of Arcanite that belongs to the Lurke family. It has been brought to Onyx from Tan La and study of it is auctioned off to those interested, and the resulting cor is used to support Tan La and the saberdogs. Illidium is four feet tall, and too wide to wrap arms around. It is a stunning piece of perfectly clear Arcanite, but seems unique even among such a rare form of it.
Fusion Skilled: Kiba has a skill with the art of Arcanite fusion. While he doesn't make use of it commonly, it is actually his preferred way to fight. Unlike most accounts of fusion, Kiba is able to make use of it with little damage to himself. While using fusion, Aujus shares in the benefits becoming similarly - or even more so - empowered by the elements.
Animal Kin: Kiba has an uncommon affinity with animals. They all love him, and he them. More than that he seems to have a natural instinct for communicating, connecting, and understanding them. While it's never anything precise, it's like he has a strong intution toward them.
Aujus: Aujus is Kiba's soulmate. They do everything together. Aujus is Kiba's best friend, and his closest companion. While this is a situation somewhat enforced by Kiba's Shimmer, the two are kindred well beyond that. Aujus is roughly 4'6 at the shoulder and weighs around 400lbs - he's approximately the size of a pony. Kiba and Aujus fight in perfect synchrony, and their style tends to have Aujus taking the lead while Kiba supports and enables from a distance.

Interests: Hiking, Arcanite, Painting, Nature
Dislikes: Fancy parties

Aethyrium · August 28, 2024, 03:05:37 PM

Mir Glenn

Weapon: Ardor; a heavy Arcanite cannon that uses 'teeth' to complete Arcanite circuits, producing raw elemental energy blasts

Shimmer: ?

Raised by Elves: Mir is an uncommon human who was taken in and raised by elves. This makes him one of the few humans capable of speaking elvish. Likewise it makes him particular endeared to their struggles.
Separate Lives: Mir views his life as two very distinct wholes. There is his life which is becoming a Champion, and then the rest of him. He is very resistant to blurring the lines between the two. Mir is a person who wants to do good, and help, and he is eager to be a Champion to put his skills to use, but he does not want that life to define who he is.
Hedonist: With a world full of Hollow and no true solution on the horizon, Mir does not believe in holding back when it comes to the pursuit of pleasures. He's not going to be on Toil forever, so he's going to enjoy every minute that he is. While this conflicts with the Champion side of his life, it all but defines the other.
Engineer: Before he was a Champion, Mir was an engineer. His plan had been to go to work for Onyx and build energy systems. He had a position at Astra Industries lined up. He even followed along as they transitioned from power work to weapons development, which led to the design of Ardor. In creating that, Mir was recruited by Ettinus to try and join Hammer. Mir spent four years in direct apprenticeship, making him a fairly skillful practical tinkerer, though his passion and talent lies in the creation of weaponry.
Recruitment Target: Though Mir has made it clear that his interests are now in becoming a Champion, he remains the target of Astra Industries and Geotech as a potential investment. Both companies have independant interests in bringing a Champion onto their staff, and have offered him lucarative enticement packages should he choose to pursue a career with them when he's finished with Hammer.

Interests: Weapon smithing, Arcanite shaping, Math
Dislikes: Cheese, Too serious for too long

Aethyrium · August 28, 2024, 03:51:15 PM

Lindon Felter

Weapon: ?

Shimmer: Arduous Amplification; Lindon can make more intense thing negative implications that are already present on a person. If they're tired, he can make them more tired. If they're in pain, he can amplify that pain. The limits of this are not restricted to mundane aliments, as effects caused by other Shimmers, and even things like elemental resonance can be intensified to be further debilitating. With time, he can push these things toward their extremes.

Worldly: Lindon has a particular interest in the world of Toil at large. While Onyx is his home, he generally believes that the great kingdoms must come together if progress is ever going to be made against the Hollow. To that end, Lindon uses his role as a Champion to travel between the kingdoms and establish relations with other like minded individuals. It is his hope that someday, enough people will come together that a new form of accords can be made.
Politically Attractive: Though he has shown no desire to officially take on such a role, Lindon's name has come up a number of times over the years as a potential Councilor of Onyx. The people of Onyx seem to respect him. While he doesn't have any official power, he is a notable 'friend of the council' and seems to be close to each Isabella, Orion, and Thalion individually.
On the Hunt: While attending Hammer, Lindon's team was mentored by Cy Clone, after graduating, Lindon remained close with Cy for a number of years before the man went missing without a word or a trace. Ever since, Lindon has been eager for clues, rumors, or leads on where his mentor might have ended up and has tirelessly pursued every one that has fallen into his lap.
Shir's Best Friend: Though it hasn't always been easy, Lindon has known Shir for the better part of twenty years. While attending Hammer, the two were on rival teams and often in conflict with one another. But outside of that Lindon came to deeply appreciate Shir's skills, and has been his lifelong friend since. Unfortunately, Lindon hasn't always been able to help Shir though the difficulties of his life, and he regrets being unable to do more. Even though Shir has tried to push him away on more than one occasion, Lindon has remained steadfast that he won't abandon his friend.
Proven Mediator: In his early thirties, a marauder tribe - the Tekushan - emerged in the area surrounding Onyx. They were creating problems for the city, so the military was dispatched to deal with them. Lindon, in his capacity as a Champion, intercepted the military detachment and slowed them down long enough so that he could meet with the marauder leadership. While his actions were frowned upon by the newly appointed general, Apple, Lindon's efforts saw the tribe peacefully disbanded. That was not the first, nor last, time Lindon proved effective at smoothing growing tensions.

Interests: ?
Dislikes: ?

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