[System]
Character Sheet

Age: 15
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7"

Favourite Gundam series: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Personality: Thomas is the courageously confident child of a mother of three. Being the youngest, he was slightly picked on by the others, usually thrown in the mom-pit to clean up their messes or be the blame for dubious offenses. In the beginning he took it willingly but over the years, he found a love for anime that gradually changed him. He watched colorful heroes stand up for themselves against the world and one day thought "If they can stand up against the world than why can't I against two people?". After that, he found a fire in his gut. He took the dominating beatings of his brother without complaint, eventually earning some form of place between them. To be blunt, its obvious that he's enduring and willful. On the other hand, his love for anime often hampers his work ethic, giving him bad grades and making him not too smart in the brain departments. His sister often calls him "Narutard".

History: Born to a middle-class family in New York City, Thomas was the offspring of unfortunate love. Growing up, he realized that his family wasn't any different from many others. His eldest sibling, his brother was into females and cars, while his sister was often busy, out with friends or something other. When they were around, all they did was place blame on him, threaten him, and more often than he'd thought, warmly appreciate his presence. The Law family was closer than most, laughing, crying, and enjoying each other's company as if it was fresh breath of air, was the normal.

Thomas was exposed to anime very early in his life, its influence shaped him, taught very important values that many missed simply because they assumed it was cartoons. When Gunpla became popular, he had been so immersed in his anime that he hadn't noticed. It was only after catching his sister coming home late, a model figure close to her, had he learned. Turned out that she was pretty famous in the realm, many had known her as the "RED HOT" aptly named after her Commander Sazabi model. After showing interest in it, she taught him the ropes and little by little developed his own set skills. He once asked her why she hadn't tweaked the Sazabi model, made it her own. She responded with something he'd never forget.

She said. "To change something created by another would be like plagiarism. Its a work of art Narutard, you just don't change perfection. You honor it."

Thomas took what he wanted from that sentence and imprinted it into his heart. At the age of thirteen he entered into a tournament with his sister and watched in amazement as she worked with ascendant concentration. She decimated the competition, literally. There was no need from him to even attempt to fight along side her, every time he did, she only went out her way to save his model. By the end of the local tournament, the alias: RED HOT, had become a gun-cock in the ears of other Gunpla fighters. For anyone that was actually at that tournament, she was something inhuman, some kind of monster. Eventually she grew out of the Gunpla phase and passed on her knowledge to Thomas, who entered several tournaments and took on the name "BLUE STAR" admittedly a bit close to his own sister's name.

By the time he had been invited to Von Braun High, Thomas had been actively challenging other Gunpla Battlers, ripping through them like plague. He hoped to find bigger and better targets at Von Braun, targets like his sister.

Gunpla Info

Name: Gundam Unicorn: Brave Passion
Model number: PPRX-0B
Gunpla role: Balanced Offensive/Assistance
Gunpla model scale: MG 1:100
Gunpla based from if original: RX-0 Unicorn Gundam

Armaments:
* 2x Beam Sabers (forearms)
* 1x Four-Petal Solid/Beam Shield
* 2x 60mm Vulcan Guns

Special Features:
* RED HOT CREED (RHC) System - It allows the intake of the Plavasky Particles to speed up the performance of the Brave Passion model. Designed by his sister, he's none the wiser of its inner workings but he knows from experience that the suit's much more agile and quick after its activation. It can only last for ten seconds.

Description: The Brave Passion model was designed for offense. Like his sister before him, Thomas relies on speed and precise strikes to finish off his opponents. The base model was white but after gaining his infamous name "BLUE STAR" he painted one of its shoulder pieces and its long horn blue. When the (RHC) system is activated, the black parts of the Unicorn glow sapphire. The beam shield appears solid but when activate is coated with a crimson layer that can deflect beam weaponry.

[User] Alice couldn't help but sigh hopefully this store had what she was looking for she been to at least two other shops but none of them had the model she needed to finish the spare gunpla she was building. A Mercurius Suivant with upgraded parts from the Tallgeese it was a defensive style mobile suit though could provide covering fire for those close range mobile suits. While her personal suit was also a custom Tallgeese and carried a double bladed beam lance instead of the standard gun. Shaking those thoughts from her head she set out to find the needed model in this case a Tallgeese II so she could hopefully use the shields to better guard the shoulder joints and give it the dober gun for a better ranged weapon.

[Assistant]
Gary took a cab back to his apartment complex. He was tired and he didn't feel like walking and he just wanted to lay down after doing what he did. The cab driver was a native american man of about thirty years of age by Gary's account or at least he looked like that. "So kid going home from some club?" the driver asked Gary who nodded, "Yep I suppose you could say that. I'm into gunpla you see and I just won a match...aww who am I kiddin' you probably don't know about gunpla." Gary commented with a sigh. The older man simply nodded, "I actually am a friend of a guy who likes gunpla. But I'm not much into that sort of stuff. It's really popular but I'm not an anime guy." the driver said as he turned a corner. "Yeah well to each their own I suppose." Gary commented indifferently. The rest of their drive wasn't very exciting.

...As Gary arrived home he threw his back pack into the corner and flopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. He looked around the room and it was barren and the wall colors bland. "Wonderful fucking life right Miller?" Gary commented to the air around him. He wondered how much life was going to throw at him. First he ran into some air head lady who didn't even fight her own fights, then he got some hot shot new blood tag teaming with him, and it turns out that the scrubs he fought were just that...scrubs. And here he was looking forward to an actual fight. One good shot with his O's rifle and boop down goes that giant ass rail gun...and don't even get him started on how easily he was able to rush the prick. And then there's that Glansa pilot...what the fuck? Taken out by some new girl? Gary then admonished himself for thinking that way, "She could be a former regional champion for all I know....I mean what am I anyways? I'm a failed contestant for the Jersey tournament for the under eighteen group." Gary said boredom in his voice. He then looked over to his bedroom..."I'm no golden angel...no am I a sword of tomorrow...I'm just...Gary and I'm glad for that because I ain't some tool...Ok why the hell am I freakin' talking to myself what am I some weirdo in an anime!?"

[User]
Thomas and Diane Law - THE BLUE STAR

Peter shook his hand and Thomas smiled, tilting his head a bit. "No problem man. I bet if me and you are on a team, we'd dominate any group!"

Diane was happy to see her brother getting along with another, he was so hung up on his skills that he often forgot to socialize with other people. This was a step in the right direction. When Diane was approached by another, she turned towards her.

"You wanted to Gunpla Battle right? I could tell just from looking at you. But besides that, I wanted to watch my brother's battle. His Brave Passion build was made by the both of us, I wanted to make sure he was using it right. Did you guys win? please tell me I don't owe those jerks a dinner," she babbled. "Also, he didn't lose like you thought he would."

Thomas looked over to Diane and the girl. "She thought I was going to lose?"

[Assistant] Peter stepped in. "He was close to winning though." He remarked. "I can do with someone like that on the team." His watch played a short tune to show that it should be time to leave. "I will call today a day now." He declared and gave a wave off to say goodbye. Just as he was leaving he noticed that there was the same teacher he bumped into before, which got him suspicious that she isn't just a teacher. He will have to investigate about this tomorrow.

[User] "Is that so Marie said huh well in order we won and I believed he would of lost sine I only saw part of the match and missed the rest." So that was her goal was it Marie thought she just wanted to see the fight huh. "Though to be fair I only thought you would lose due to the fact you lack ranged weapons not that it's a problem considering some gunpla's only having beam sabers and the vulcans as equipment. Still glad to see I was wrong must of been a interesting match. Oh sorry for forgetting earlier my name is Marie Asagiri a regional qualifier for the Wyoming singles tournament." Inwardly she couldn't help but sigh she hated doing this sociable public persona of hers at times made it seem odd when she acted how she normally does when she meets them again.

[Assistant] Alice sighed thankfully they had some Tallgeese models with this she would be able to finish up her extra model and a extra Dober gun for switching out with her beam lance on her personal build wouldn't hurt either she supposed. Her Mercurius Suivant model with the shoulders guarded by the Tallgeese shields and the added Dober gun it should be a solid defense type model good enough to act as a spare gunpla in case her Tallgeese wasn't available. Nodding to herself about that she went to purchase the models she looked around it was getting late from the looks of it and people were starting to leave. Taking that as a que Alice packed up her things and started to head home if anything it would prove interesting to see what the next day would bring. Perhaps she should look at any local gunpla teams and or a school club to join. With that last thought in mind she stepped out the store and decided that when she got back it would probably be best to call it a night.

[User] Deciding to call it a day Marie quickly excused herself and left the store after getting everything packed up. She couldn't help but sigh things was complicated today but that was not exactly a bad thing she corrected herself. If anything she was quite happy with the turn of event's today she was able to do a quick fight even if it was against no name people who had visions of grandeur and she was able to find a model she has been meaning to get. Thinking about it like that it was a rather productive day now if she could start on her next big project while it would not be done anytime soon the gunpla would be one of her greatest works if it goes according to plan. Shaking those thoughts as she reached her apartment she quickly collapsed on her bed and just let sleep overtake her.

[Assistant]
Thomas Law - THE BLUE STAR

After leaving the shop and discussing the officials with the Principle, Thomas walked Diane to the trainstation and waved her off. Sometimes, he really missed her, especially her Gunpla battles but she had reassured him that she was contently done with it. That she had left her mark as RED HOT and that that was enough for her.

At the time, he only smirked and let it go but as he laid in bed, waiting for his eyes to close, he became irritated. How could anyone leave Gunpla behind, he could see himself as old as the sun still enjoying the realism. He stared up at the light above him, the flat ceiling making it appear like a bright pimple against a pale face.

"Tomorrow, I should go check out that Gunpla club. Yea, I think I'll do that." Then he closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.

[User]
The second day of school was a long affairs with lessons that Peter will eventually have to catch up on in the exams. He was still distracted with how he will have to form a team quickly before the tournament starts and how there are only two so far with no adult supervision. The lecture on Emperor Justinian's successes can wait.

Much to his surprise, he recognised the teacher for his fourth period. It was that German-speaking teacher he bumped into yesterday and saw at the store, teaching chemistry in this hour. "Good morning class, I am Miss Lindemann." She introduced herself. "For our first lesson we will learn about crude oil and fracking." He noticed how the English she spoke didn't have an accent. After the lesson however she was quick to disappear, leaving him unable to ask the question on why she was at the store.

When it became lunch break Peter was able to think more freely on how to build the club. He got his lunch of the day: spaghetti beef bolognaise and sat in one of the many seats in the cafeteria. He looked to see if Thomas will appear again to discuss about the team with him.

[Assistant] Another boring day of school...how bloody fan freaking fantastic! I mean it's not like Gary transferred schools through that programs because he wanted to experience new things right? It's not like he wanted to have cooler teachers right? It's not like he wanted to be the outcast in the middle of a town full of westerners right!?!? All he could do at this point in time was stare blankly at the people in front of him as he placidly shoveled food into his mouth while idly answering questions to the kids next to him about stuff. What he wouldn't give to have something FUN for once in this pseudo vacation! Whatever though it wasn't like he was completely miserable. The people weren't all that bad and the food was decent for cafeteria food. But yeah more to the point he knew no one here he'd call a close friend. "Yeah it's true on the east coast everyone speaks in a stereotypical Brooklyn or New Jersey/York accent...because you know we're all greaser clones." Gary commented to a girl who giggled. Freaking air head what was funny about that?


[System]
Species: Human

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Personality: Amie has two personalities: Lady Jane and Amie.
-Lady Amethyst Jane is a stern, quiet, respectable woman of noble lineage. At 6'1", she is an imposing figure, towering over others both in rank and height. Lady Jane is in all aspects a gentlewoman. She dresses the part, bows to elders, and is receptive to the honor due her. She is the unofficial representative of her house and, accompanied by her assistant/servant, she spends time visiting exotic (and often expensive) locales, spreading the glory of her family everywhere. Fighting is unladylike, and she would never draw her sword unless absolutely necessary.
-At heart, Amie is a kind, compassionate young woman who loves to read and write. She enjoys spending time with others, regardless of their place in society. Despite her family's love of affection and praise, Amie doesn't see herself as any more special than anyone else. She's optimistic and tries to find something to be happy about regardless of the circumstances. She doesn't have a wild streak or hot temper, but she has no objections to drawing steel. Fighting relieves boredom and generates adrenaline, and she would draw her sword in a heartbeat if it meant a good fight, or any kind of fight.

Appearance:

Her family crest is emblazoned in gold leaf on the back of her coat.

Powers: The JANE Coat of Arms. Amie has her family coat-of-arms emblazoned in gold on the back of her glove that is activated mentally. It allows her to cycle through four Armaments, each granting a special ability that lasts a maximum of 30 seconds. They can be changed/swapped instantly, but the same one cannot be immediately used back to back. The Crest glows gold and the "J" in the crest changes to a symbol representing the armament while it is active. The armaments are Jump, Attack, Negate, and Evade.

Jump: Jump height and jump distance x 1.5
Attack: Physical strength and sword strength x 1.5
Negate: Creates a holographic shield in front of her that absorbs projectiles
Evade: Movement speed and reaction speed x 1.5

Note: She's using the symbols from Column 1.

Strengths: Intelligence and charisma. Lady Jane can and will talk her way out of any situation. If the negotiations do not go as planned, Amie makes use of her masterful skill with a longsword.

Weaknesses: Pure physical strength and stamina. Additionally, she was raised in a mansion and attended to by servants, so even though she doesn't much care for her lifestyle, she doesn't understand the "outside world." It's always been fancy people with fancy vocabularies living carefree lives. Loneliness, depression, poverty and the like are all foreign to her.

Background: tl;dr she was born into a rich family and everything has been perfect her whole life, but her family is very rich and snobby and Amie doesn't think she's better than anyone else, so they don't see eye-to-eye on how to look and behave. In public Amie will act the part out of respect for her parents and lineage. She caries a sword because her parents insist she have a bodyguard, and Amie would rather not, so after a lot of bickering she finally convinced them to let her take up private fencing lessons, which escalated into using claymores, sabers, and two-edged longswords. She ended up preferring the longsword and has been using it exclusively for the past eleven years.

Misc. Notes:
1. The Jane Coat of Arms motto: May your head be high, your strength be great, your heart be strong, and your mind be quick.
2. Amie is accompanied by an assistant/manservant named Winters.

Yes, that is John Reese from Person of Interest
3. Amie's car is a BMW i8 painted glossy black with gold trim. It is driven by Winters.

[User]
The Woods of Faiza, Behind the Lodge, 10:48am

Sam struggled through a fitful sleep, treated to visions of alien tormentors and horrific technological constructs chasing her through a carbon fantasy. Copper traces served as roads, connecting skyscrapers built from capacitors, inductors, and the occasional timing circuit. The occasional pulse of arc-blue energy whizzed past at unfathomable speeds. Sam, uncertain, rounded the corner and nearly collided with another of the terrible creatures.

The metallic spider thing reared up on four of its legs and lunged for her, missing by inches as Sam sent herself into a baseball slide. She slipped through its legs and hooked them with her laptop cord, toppling the beast, then took off running. Two more of the creatures flanked her and reached out again, and Sam, as if by instinct, reached out for one of the blue pulses.

Jaiden, first on scene, could have boggled at the force of the impact. The triangular craft left a deep trench at least fifty feet long before finally coming to rest beneath a stately pine. Some of its needles and cones smoldered on the surface of the ship, though by now it felt like very little heat had been retained by its reflective skin. The trench began as just a tiny scrape in the ground, gradually deepening and widening, which indicated an angled descent. Compared with the original angle, the obvious conclusion was that it had somehow attempted to right itself during the crash, but...

The peace of the woods was interrupted twice more; once by the agonizing process of shapeshifting, and again by the screeching of rent metal. Damaged as it was, and perhaps weakened by the heat of re-entry, the door could not withstand Jaiden's enhanced physiology. A brief survey of the interior of the craft yielded the discovery of one female survivor. When she did not respond to the standard greeting-and-by-the-way-are-you-dead that nearly every first-responder rehearses on the way to render aid, he had fallen back on a more proactive approach.

Unfortunately, Jaiden's advanced 'pokey-stick' technology did nothing to stir Sam from her induced sleep. It began to look as though, if he wanted to help her at all, he'd have to get her out of the harness. The mechanism was in no way similar to standard Faizan systems. It looked to be designed for longer, slender fingers; tendrils, perhaps.

That point became increasingly important as the control console to Sam's right flickered on, partly displaying a few status updates. It was badly damaged, but not enough to provide any ambiguity behind the blood-red inverted triangle and the angular symbol of a diamond, topped with three jagged spikes, in its center. As the smell of smoke filled the cabin, it became clear that the two had somewhat less time to vacate than originally thought.

"Kanta." the computer calmly announced. The voice file crackled and skipped, indicating more systemic damage. "Kanta, Gen Im. Gen Jia Ii Cha Tem.

Tem...
Niish...
Orcha...
Sem...
Iija...
Quan...

The sound of ventilation systems spinning up made a compelling argument for vacating the premises. Though the language could not be immediately understood, there was something of a finality and urgency to its friendly warning.

[Assistant]
Okay, so she's not getting up. That's bad. Jaiden ceased his poking of the emo girl as he saw that she was either a really good faker or completely out cold and likely in need of medical attention. Okay, she doesn't seem to have any defense mechanisms installed that are ready to kill me in a gruesome fashion. That's good, means I can get to work tearing out of these restraints.

Leaning into the ship's tiny cockpit, Jaiden struggled to unfastened the girl from her contained, but the damn buckles seemed barely workable for human hands. After a couple secs of pointless fumbling and muttered curses, however, a sudden flash of red light quickly brought his attention on something else as one of the computers seemed to fire up some sort of protocol. Jaiden didn't understand a single thing that was flashing by on the damaged screen, nor what the voice was attempting to communicate to him. One thing that he did understand, however, was the sound of a count-down. That wasn't something he wanted to hear coming from a downed alien fighter.

"Alright, fuck being careful about this. I'm getting you out of here now." Quickly slipped his fingers under the straps, biting his lips in discomfort as he turned each of them into a small, sharp blade. Metamorphing his arms a tiny bit, he pulled upward with as much strength as he could muster in the short time he had, the straps straining against his blades before finally giving way with a snap. Not taking the time to declaw himself, he grabbed at Emo girl's shirt and launched the both of them away from the ship with a mighty leap. Holding her close to his front, he could only grit his teeth in pain as his body went skidding across the ground, various bits of forest debris and and what not tearing through his thin shirt to end up in her back due to the strength of his leap. When he finally slowed to a halt, stopping just shy of smacking into a tree, he pushed emo-girl to the side and rose up, his form lost beneath a mass of tendrils, only for them to harden into a ivory carapace, his face having shifted into a much more monstrous visage.

Ignoring the pain that still resonated in his back, he stepped forward ready to block the unprotected girl from any possible debris that could be heading there way, eyes of glowing red narrowed in anticipation for the coming explosion. There was only one teeny-tiny issue.

The explosion didn't come. It was obvious that something was happening to the craft, though Jaiden couldn't really figure out exactly what that was, but it sure wasn't doing any exploding. Not that Jaiden was complaining, quite the opposite infact, but he could help but wonder what that countdown had been about.

"Welp, question for another day. Right now I need to sit down and focus on fixing up my back before I take this chick to the lodge." Allowing himself to rest beneath a nearby tree that was only slightly singed and damaged from the craft's descent, the man closed his eyes and began to put more energy into accelerating his healing factor. While he patched himself, he considered changing back to his less terrifying form, but the energy cost would likely push him over the line as far as how 'hungry' he could be without being a possible danger. Something that he didn't want to have to deal with at the moment, especially when taking into account the defenseless survivor that was current lying on the ground next to him. Even now, he couldn't help but focus some attention to his ears, sensing the almost melodious beat of her heart. It was the music of life, and it called to a deep, primal nature. But for now, it was best to ignore it.

"Plenty of animals around here. . . It'll be easy to get my fill sometime tonight."


[System]
Age: 41

Gender: Male

Species: Human

World of Origin: Earth – 1940s England

Appearance:
Herbert is a slender man, with a gaunt face and high cheekbones. A dashing man in his youth, Herbert is now the antipode of his former self; his skin is pallid and tinted yellow, hanging loose on his face, making him seem many years older than he actually is, a consequence of many a sleepless night and the lengthy foregoing of sustenance. His nose is sharp, and sits above thin lips that crease at the corners of his mouth. One eye sits half-closed, blind, because of a chemical accident, but both rest in sunken sockets with dark bags hanging from them. A mop of hair, grey before its time, sits upon his head, the greasy locks scraping at his shoulder. He is always found in his musty jacket, unpolished shoes, trousers and yellowed shirt, with a red tie that he cut short. A smell somewhere between formaldehyde and turpentine permeates the air around him.

Abilities, Skills, Strengths, Personality, and Weaknesses:
Herbert has no experience in fighting, but he does have a quick mind and an extensive knowledge of the chemistry of his time. Since the death of his wife, he has become introverted, living in seclusion, meaning it would take while for him to adjust to the company of others.

History:
Herbert West was a brilliant mind, becoming the envy of many of his peers for his works in the medical field, producing a wide variety of antibiotics on the back of the work of Florey and Chain. At a young age he had accumulated a large wealth, and became an authority in his field and the publisher and editor of many journals and papers. However, arguably more enviable than his wealth was his wife; a flawless maiden from Holland, Elizabeth. They had met quite by chance at a gathering of important figures, full of smoke blowing and social engineering. The two became quite enamoured with each other, much to the confusion of many onlookers.

The couple wed not a year after, and moved from London to much more rural area, a few hours outside Leeds in the North.

Then one day she fell ill, and when it was clear she was not getting better, Herbert poured all his energy into finding something that would help, and he failed. There was no medicine that worked, not concoction brewed that brought colours back to her cheeks, no poultice that stopped her rasping breaths, and no tincture that quelled the flow of sweat.

The death was devastating to Herbert, and everyone was of the opinion it drove him mad, but Herbert knew differently, it had made him more focussed; death would not stop him, because he would bring her back. Perfectly preserving her body, he went about the business of perfecting a method to put the life back into that which was dead. Reanimation, he called it. He would keep an eye out for fresh burials in the local area, using the newly dead corpses as test subjects. The search for the cure for death consumed, and he locked himself away in his country house, hidden away from the light of day. He read books on chemicals and elements, on electricity and mechanisms, and even on dark magic, but none brought him any closer to a revelation.

When it all seemed hopeless and he hadn't slept for days, on the verge of admitting defeat, he was torn across the rift.

[User]
It wasn't just one thing that woke XIII up, it was several. The first thing to rouse him was the ground beneath him shaking violently. The second to bring him further out of his slumber was the sound of a roar. What really woke him up, though, was the sudden change of temperature.

XIII's eyes shot open.

He attempted to sit up, but he smashed his forehead against something solid. Stars formed in the semi-darkness as he laid back down. He was getting colder by the second and he had no clue where he was. For a moment, he feared that he hadn't actually been free from the holding facility and the past two years were a fabrication. He fought his panic down and tried to figure out where he was. A bright light was shining through a hole and into his eyes. He looked through it and saw snow.

That wasn't good.

The temperature was dropping fast, and XIII could feel himself weakening. Slowly, he felt around and discovered that he was encased in a pocket of fragmented stone except for the small hole. He tried pushing against the roof but it was too heavy for him. After a few moments of trying and failing to keep himself warm, he heard the sound of boots crunching against the snow. He looked through the hole and saw four silhouettes in the blinding white.

"Hey! Over here! I'm trapped in here. Get me out!" XIII shouted to the four figures he could see. He braced himself for the biting cold that would go right through his t-shirt and sweatpants.

He wasn't at the Benefactor's mansion. That's for damn sure.

[Assistant]
Charles listened patiently to Rozalind and was very grateful for her giving him her take on each of his new team mates. It was true that he had been given some files on each member of the team the information had been quiet lacking in a few places. So while he knew their blood type and most recent mission (once again only very basic information like duration and country) Charles had little to no idea of their personalities or how they all worked together. The new information that he was now filing away mentally helped to fill in those gaps and give him a better idea of how he would fit in.

Bit annoying that he hadn't been able to uncover anything more about this mission that MARCY was on. Even in the briefing room the only thing that Charles had been told had been that he was "To aid in dealing with a situation that would otherwise cause great distress to the general population, both local and internationally". Charles wondered what 'evil' organisation they would be dealing with.

Before he could get another word out the Aircraft shook and with just two words from Rozalind the team of TIGER were up with their hackles raised. Charles meanwhile stayed very still, knowing that if something were to happen he'd be best to stay out the way. The members of TIGER knew both each other and the aircraft much better than him and so it was much better for a rouge element such as himself not to get in their way and let them get on with it.

"What was that noise?" Charles asked aloud in case anyone had some idea. "Wasn't another aircraft was it?" He reasoned but deep down he knew that it hadn't sounded like a machine.

[User]
Vata followed a short distance behind Twain as they made their way to the castle. While he waited for Twain's men to find a way in, he noticed the steady warmth provided by whatever Xavier did start to wear off, and within a few seconds, he could feel the biting cold again. However, a moment later, he felt a feeble acknowledgement from the Spirit of Inspiration, and the warmth returned, albeit somewhat less intense than before. The feeling that he got before when he accepted Xavier's offer to warm him up really was him Shaping, although he had never heard of one person making another Shape. Before he could think much more about this, one of Twain's men returned with news of a way into the castle through a hole in the northern wall. He followed Twain into the castle, and as the group approached the main hall, he noticed a burning smell that was growing stronger as they got closer to it. Since Twain and his men seemed to know what they were doing, he didn't say anything about it.

When Twain walked into the main hall, he started speaking. "Lookie here, a nice roof, shelter and…"

"And what?"

Vata stepped forward to see what was in the main hall, and was shocked by the carnage he witnessed. There was blood and bodies disfigured by fire everywhere. He quickly averted his eyes from the horrific scene, and barely managed to keep what was left of his most recent meal in him. Trying to recover from the scene he just witnessed, he took a deep breath, and then started speaking to Twain.

"If what I just saw tells me anything, it is that this place is not safe, and that we should not stay here much longer."

[Assistant]
Dimitri nodded as Ryann expressed her intentions then his eyes slid to Dzel as she was gathering her armor and he smiled as she bolted past him down the tunnels behind William. If she was going to follow William, then he would go with the flow and follow also. After all the more the merrier was the monk's philosophy; at least when it came to drinking and eating anyway.

"Then i guess it is decided. Herbert, Ryann! I will follow after you both." he commented with a sweeping gesture towards the tunnels.

With one fluid motion, he tossed the rest of the peach schnapps down his gullet and tucked the empty bottle into his robes. It was his only weapon for now and one never knew when a solid glass bottle might come in handy.
Once Ryann and Herbert took off he proceeded down the tunnels behind them with a steady pace to ensure he did not lose sight of William or Dzel. From the rear he could also keep track of Ryann and Herbet to make sure they didn't fall too far behind the group.

The monk could tell by how she moved that Dzel was a capable warrior. She could look after William on her own if became necessary. So Dimitri figured it would be best for him to bring up the rear in case they wound up being chased by any unexpected visitors that might prove hostile.

[User]
Hearing a shout, John peered around the corpse strewn rubble. Finally, zooming in on a hole in a pile of rocks, he espied the heavily scarred face of a man. "By the- there's someone alive in there!" John rushed towards the man, the stranger's plight triggering his own anxieties. Pushing his face against the hole, he looked in at the hollow the man was in and worried about cave ins.

"Ok sir, I need you to not panic, alright? Get as close to the most intact piece of wall as possible, get down low, and put your hands over your head. We're going to get you out."

[Assistant]
Will ran, his mind becoming more clear as he did so. He slowed to a more reasonable pace- but still fast, his work for the KPAR required fitness among other things.

'We should probably seek therapy at some point. Not even as a joke, I mean that was like something you'd expect from a soldier with Blitzshock or something. Loud noises don't mean thermonuclear warfare, not always.'

He stopped for a second, giving Dzel time to pop into view before starting off again. He remembered that there was a fork in the tunnel, and visualised the route, rotated the image to make the decision. Learning his left and right would have also been an idea.

Reaching the fork, he waited for the soldier to arrive. "We go left to outside. We go right either it collapses and we die, or we find what we'd have found by taking the left and coming back once this is over. We go left."

They called out to turn left to the people following behind, and waited for them to come close enough to be seen, before heading down the rest of the way through the tunnel- and outside.


[System]
Age: 31
Appearance:
(Let's pretend his armor design is slightly more medieval and ignore the sword? Cool, thanks.)

Occupation: Knightsman

Personality: Passionate and charismatic to say the least, Fyair has a spark for life and booming voice to tell the world about it. Often wearing a smile, he appears to be a gentle giant, but only to lure in any potential victims. Once caught in his radar, he is a huggy, flirtatious kind of brute unphased by gender and always prepared to 'accidentally' cop a feel; never admitting to his own lecherous acts. The knight is an optimist and pacifist with sharp teeth; to mistake his kindness for weakness would be a grave mistake.

History: Generations of the Ducare name have served faithfully under a monarch--regardless of tyrants or peacemakers sitting upon the throne--and bred a strong line of fighters. There was no question that the pudgy round boy would grow up to follow the bloodline, but the young Fyair preferred to be a daydreamer rather than practicing swordplay day in and day out. However, like any good thoroughbred, his skill came naturally and puberty gifted him with an intimidating bulky body. After being knighted, he often found himself solving conflict using his massive size to manipulate peaceful resolutions or charming his way out of bad situations instead of lifting a sword... Unless under order.

[User]
Tyaelaem grinned a slow grin, motionless while Simon retrieved his glasses -- and then he placed his mask over his face again, hiding his glowing blue eyes from sight.

"The Lady of the Pond is the Spirit of the Waters -- just like the Sparrow King is the Spirit of the Forest. You met the Sparrow King, I think, yes? Glowy little person with horns?" Tyaelaem curled his fingers on his masked forehead like little horns and grinned. "The Lady of the Pond is his sister, you could say, really, Sirrah. Then there's the Spirits of the Wind, Rock, Shadow and Fire. We were chased by the Spirit of the Shadow for a little while, nasty trickster he is -- but you're a Soothsayer, he would like you I think. Maybe he was looking for you. You've been using his flowers and calling his ghosts -- the Fox is the mask of doors and shadows -- sure he's interested I think, I bet." He pointed with a thin finger at the mask on Simon's head and the flower in his hand.

At that moment, Rhea turned her glowing eyes toward Tyaelaem and Simon. She picked up a shard of rock and flung it -- speeding like an arrow -- straight at Tyaelaem's masked head.

Tyaelaem suddenly grabbed Simon, and in a blur of disorienting movement, suddenly both Tyaelaem and Simon were sitting high on the bough of a tree, harmlessly out of range of Rhea's attacks. The wood creaked and the thick green leaves rustled all around them. From this height, the star-encrusted sky was clear and deep above them.

Tyaelaem scampered like a cat along the tree branch, leaving Simon sitting near the trunk, and he leaned over to peer down at Rhea, Talan and Fyair.

With that last attack, Rhea's eyes returned to their normal dark hue, the power having been spent uselessly attacking the rabbit. She looked between Talan and Fyair -- and to the latter she cast a distrustful glare, though unwilling just yet to fight him for the Lanterns and for her fallen comrade's sword.

"In order to explain the Lanterns I have to tell you the old legend." Her voice was irritated and impatient; there was no time for a story, not while so many of the Lanterns were so close, and the Kith were already involved. "Centuries ago there was a powerful god or demigod or something that's just called the Dragon. All I know is it was in a prison somewhere. It had enough power to summon a ship from your world, full of airship pirates who were my ancestors. Those pirates had no idea what was going on, because they stupidly released the Dragon thinking it would help them get home again. Instead the world went permanently dark and the pirates were forced to fight for survival.

"After a couple hundred years of learning rune magic, a band of warlocks managed to defeat the Dragon and sealed it into the five Lanterns. The Lanterns were hung from mechanical trees that were meant to keep them asleep -- but something must've happened to the trees, because the Lanterns summoned you people, just like the Dragon summoned my ancestors. This is the Dragon trying to make another attempt at escape, by repeating history. I'm telling you that if the Lantern seals are broken and the Dragon escapes again, there'll be no surviving it. That princess is delusional; there is no way back."

"LIES!" Tyaelaem hollered from the tree above. "The Dragon was always the benevolent god, everything was warm and bright under its rule, until the PIRATES arrived and decided to take our home for themselves. The Dragon tried to send the evil Pirates back to where they came from, so the greedy Pirates locked away the Dragon in the Lanterns, and trapping the Dragon CAUSED the forever-dark! The Pirates killed our people, destroyed our forests, and trapped and tortured the spirits and fairies for their power -- but the Pirates were too stupid and weak to use the Lanterns' power like they wanted, so they hid the Lanterns away and made up STORIES about evil gods."

"You Kith are people just like us!" Rhea called toward the dark treetops where Tyaelaem's voice echoed. "You're Pirates who've been tempted and brainwashed by those masks! You won't admit it!"

"We are the children of the forest." Tyaelaem's voice had turned to a violent hiss that whispered throughout the woods. His blue eyes glowed through the holes in his mask. "We were here first, and we will be here long after the Pirates are gone. We will restore the Dragon to his rightful place, the Dragon will send you pillagers back to where you came from, the light will be restored and we will take back what is ours." Tyaelaem's words conflicted with his ongoing desire to see Anise's kingdom, to visit faraway places and distant kingdoms -- but he still believed in the Dragon and in the rights of his people, especially in the face of a dirty Pirate. "The Pirates tell you you're stuck here forever. I'm telling you the Dragon will send you home. The Lanterns have done nothing but protect you, because that is the nature of the Dragon." He addressed Talan and Fyair, and he looked over his shoulder at Simon. Surely, they would see the truth.

Meanwhile, Anise would be able to hear the shouting match between Rhea and Tyaelaem -- Tyaelaem's voice, especially, echoed in the shadows of the forest all around her.

Those shadows were moving. Something shifted between the trees and in the branches, and Anise would have the distinct feeling of being watched, but without the nightstick to guide her all she would see is darkness -- and the glimmer of the blue Lantern shining on the ground ahead.

There was a corpse lying beside the lantern: it was Arin, the boy she had chased into the woods not so long ago. His eyes were wide, gray and vacant in death, and his cold hand still clutched the lantern. There was no mark on Arin's body, and no discernible reason he had died suddenly.

The tree that stood just next to Arin's corpse was white and dead, and covered in runes just like the one that the Lantern had first hung from -- only this one made no sound, and the gears and springs inside had rusted long ago.

Fireflies flashed overhead. In the light of the fireflies and the glow of the lantern, Anise might see ancient mossy statues standing broken among thick weeds and vines; the statues were of small, thin people -- most of them chipped or missing limbs -- and each statue wore a white wooden mask.

A pair of big yellow eyes stared down at Anise. The beast's hot breath smelled familiarly like rotten flesh.

The huge black wolf had found her again; it stood close to the glow of the blue lantern, its yellow teeth flashing.

[Assistant]
Anise had managed to get away. She knew she wasn't safe, but immediate death wasn't something on the table now. She knew she was being watched by something in the darkness. She stumbled through the bushes and followed the light of the lantern. She stopped briefly when she saw the body that still held the lantern. How he died she had no idea, but she recognized the person that laid there. She had run away from the wolf with him until she decided to return and help Randold.

She glanced over the surrounding area and noticed the statues wearing the white masks in the light of the fireflies and lantern. Tyaelaem and Talan wore a mask, but these seemed different than theirs. The tree made no noise, but it seemed similar to the one she was summoned to. She stepped towards the lantern, but stopped as soon as she saw those familiar yellow eyes. She saw the huge wolf near the lantern, but not quite in its light.

Anise bared her own teeth with a grin. There was no place for fear in her heart in this situation. "I remember you. The first time I saw you I ran in fear." She took a familiar tone with the animal. "Are you hungry? Do you want food? Is that why you're following me?" She glowered at the wolf with a feral expression and crossed her arms. "Well, I won't let you have me. I'm going to take that lantern and I'm going to break the egg free. I know a nasty witch you could eat." She paced toward a statue. "Although I don't think she'd taste good." Then an image of a spear landing between her and Rhea flashed in her mind and she thought of Talan. "Or maybe you'd like a Talan treat?" She then giggled at the thought of the wolf eating Talan.

She walked up to Arin's body while keeping her eyes on the wolf. "I think I'll call you Reus, you look like a Reus." She pried the fingers of Arin to free the lantern from his grip. She wouldn't let the wolf eat her, no way.

[User]
Simon felt like his head was going to explode! It could have been from a number of things, whether it be from the overload of information that had been gained from Tyaelaem and Rhea about the lanterns; the disturbing feeling that had been delivered by the rabbit taking him up tree; and last but not least that Simon was truly afraid of heights.

A lot of things that Tyaelaem said made a little bit of sense, he had felt an eerie small connection to 'The Sparrow King' as he referred to him. Simon remembers seeing something with horns when he ate the flame back when they got attacked by the monkeybats. Simon feared that Tyaelaem had been telling the truth about this but he didn't really see how the land could be watched over by a giant dragon. He also didn't feel like he would be much safer in this already unfriendly place with a dragon on the loose, however he didn't really feel safe as long as Rhea was around.

Simon was bear hugging the trunk as hard as physically possible to avoid falling out of the tree, since he was having a tough enough time surviving here to begin with. Quickly before his arms could get tired Simon took his left hand and swiftly placed the fox mask from on top his head to over his eyes since he felt like it would give him a little bit more courage while he tried to avoid tumbling out the tree.

Simon was thinking of how he would be able to stop Anise from breaking anymore of these eggs without ... Well without having to kill her.

[Assistant] Talan wasn't sure what to think, both sides of the story seemed to make sense but he it was the potential consequences that kept him from deciding. Either choice had the potential to destroy the world and to have such a burden be put on him made Talan go silent. In his mind he thought out the possibilities, if he were to side with Rhea he would have to contend with the Kith and the other horrors of the forest. The Kith, Tyaelaem, could be the one telling the truth but he wasn't sure if he could be trusted as the creature was so quick to turn on him before. There was the matter of the dragon, if it was released would it really be a benevolent entity? Back with the ckan the elders spoke tales of dragons but they were never kind. Instead they were cruel, dangerous beasts that were all slain by great warriors long ago. Could this really be a monster from a forgotten age? If that was the case then he'd prefer it remain imprisoned. But that still left Talan with the problem of the eternal night. The sun must return or all will die, but if the Kith claim it is due to the dragon's imprisonment then how would light return to the world. Seeing no other option present Talan stood up to speak, "You've gotten me this far, I trust you know what you're doing". Talan would side with the pirate and help her ensure the eggs stay in captivity. He'd have to hope Rhea would be able to fix the darkness over the world later. As for the man that stood before them with the lantern on his belt, "That lantern you carry, you alone are incapable of protecting it. I've seen what this place can do an nd you alone won't last long. You can stay with us, help us make sure the dragon sleeps. Or you can stand aside alone in the darkness".


[System]
Gender: Female

Age: 18

Species: Gigan

Birthday: May 22

Blood Type: B+

Height: 10"5'

Weight: 284 ibs.

Measurements: 32D-23-36

Like: Mornings, Gale, sleeping, eating, sleeping again, her gun, seeing Gale smile, long walks through Meridian, botany, gardening, flowers, big windows that she can climb out of easily, and small things.

Dislikes: The Renoirs, Egrits, moonless nights, mean small people, mean tall people, hot days (which are all too common in the Meridian), and Gale injuring herself.

Parasite: Rorschach - a parasite that replaces an unknown part of Ash's body, only Gale has seen it activate and live.

Appearance: Ash is a ten foot tall Gigan, with a pair of stubby yellow horns and peach colored skin, her eyes are an expressive yellow, topped off by badly kept white hair. Ash usually wears a striped jacket, and a white undershirt that barely fits her elongated arms, along with her jacket, she also has a bright red bow tie around the collar of her jacket, fur mantle included, which matches the hair on top of her head. She also carries a Gigantian machete as a secondary weapon, alternatively to her .30 caliber Canopian anti-tank rifle; which can often be found slung over a shoulder, with Gale attached to its long barrel.

Biography: Ash's origins lie in the cold wastes of Giga, where she was born to a family of Gigan, whose names even she can't remember. They dissipated from Ash's life when she was nine, and she found her way to little Innsmouth through a lowly Elven caravan. After she had strayed from the Elves that had been with her for so long, she found her way to a small family of bat Ferals who, despite her size, took her in. Their giving attitude had touched her so deeply, that she had decidedly stayed with them. Everything went well for a few months, Ash managed to live a relatively normal life tending to flowers, and getting a proper education--until Gale's parents died. Gale's mental state immediately declined, and as it did Ash was the only thing left to keep it from falling into madness. The next seven years were hell not only for Gale, but for Ash as she was treated to all of Gale's hatred and sadness, but Ash soldiered through it. In those seven years Ash and Gale grew significantly closer as Ash slowly became a pillar for Gale, but despite the pair becoming so close, Gale still doesn't know much about Ash; save for what she's been around to witness.
In fact, nobody knows much about Ash.
After Gale decidedly joined the Medicis, Ash decided to buy a new home in Little Innsmouth where she and Gale can rest in relative peace in between hits. Now a days the pair just hang out, so to speak, lounging in their shared home, and on occasion tending to the flowers covering the interior of their house. When the pair are not scattered through out their home in Little Innsmouth, or breaking backs for their employers, Gale rests on Ash during the night; almost like a Gigan mattress.

Blockbusters:

Maul (Level 1): Ash unsheaths her machete, and hyper extends her arm, using it to whip lash her opponent several times--blade included.

Bullet Hell (Level 2): Ash loads a special 'slug' round into her rifle, which fires numerous smaller caliber bullets in a flurry of lead, which all impacts her opponent; effectively juggling them in the air to open them up to a counter attack.

Bloom (Level 3): Ash activates Rorschach.

[User]
Upset that some random stranger had dared to break the normal order and intrude upon his doings, Grumm whirled around. The clockwork arm flashed by, easily forty pounds of solid metal thrown in a vigorous slap that could have dislocated Morgann's jaw had it connected. Fortunately, the savage blow fell short, and when he saw that it had, Grumm spewed forth a spray of bile that created a miniature miasma between the monster and the magician. While he didn't speak, punctuating his attack with an angry sputtering noise instead, the message was clear: back off.

Grumm then turned away, with no reason to believe that a simple civilian would persist in the suicidal act of provoking an undead armed with a Living Weapon. A flick of the mechanical tentacle whose maw was holding Halte aloft flung the former pirate in the ghoul's direction. With practiced efficiency not completely offset by the sorry state of his body, Grumm brought his axe up in a cruel diagonal arc meant to cleave the incoming Halte in two. At the last moment, however, Halte brought her boots around so that they were facing Grumm, and from their soles twin blasts of water gushed forth. They splashed against Grumm's face, disorienting the creature and slowing down Halte's fall enough to avoid the headsman's weapon completely. Immediately after, Halte landed with both feet planting on Grumm's face, causing him to grumble in protest. Before he could grab her, however, Halte kicked off, flipping through the air to land twenty feet away in a spray of mist.

The next second, Grumm leaped into the air, hissing like a sick cat. More noxious bile spewed from his face as he sailed toward his target. Halte steadied herself before raising a leg and slamming her boot into the ground, causing a jet of water to erupt from the marble beneath Grumm as he landed a yard away from her. Beneath her mouthpiece, Halte smiled grimly, only to cry out in pain as her foe dealt her a crushing hydraulic punch. She staggered away and collapsed to the ground, holding her stomach as if her guts had been liquified, her vehement curses lost in a wave of furious static from her mouthpiece. Though sopping wet and even more flustered than normal, Grumm had executed his Rot Wrecker without more than a split-second's delay. Only a few seconds had passed, but it already seemed that the duel had been decided.

[Assistant]
Pharona smiled brightly as Brandy took the coat, even though Angus could see the hesitation when he took it, the large man always wanted to help people even if they did not really want it. Angus kept his gaze upon the downed Egret solider, feeling like these people did not really have to put so much pain upon the Egret and so much ridicule. However, Pharona on the other hand was having quite the time of her little life as she had managed to meet up with several parasites, but one of them had even offered for the two to come with them on their adventure! This made her feel all warm inside and quickly asked permission for Angus to see if they could actually go with the two. "Angus! Brandy just asked us to come with them! Can we please go with them! I want to just continue this amazing day!"

"Well, even if I said no. I bet you would ignore me anyone and follow them," mumbled Angus within his own head which only hurt Pharona as she did actually respect and care for him... Most of the time.

"Hey, I think your opinion still matters, and if you don't want to go, we don't have to. I think I have had enough exposure to Brandy to have this day as pretty successful." Angus smiled slightly at the thought of leaving these strange people and going back to their daily lives, but he could not abandon this victim to these parasites and he must follow them to see if they don't merciless murder him or something similar in that manner.

"No, we can go with these people. I just need to keep a watchful eye upon the solider, and I hope that you will understand if they try to further hurt this man. I will have to intervene." Pharona thought about the proposition and nodded to it, she knew that these people were good and wouldn't murder someone. Even if they have different beliefs than them. The little parasite girl used the massive arm to tap the shoulder of the the curled up Gale and started to say something, "I think we would be delighted to join you and the merry entourage of strangers! Also, if you were wondering, my name is Pharona!"

[User]
She simply smiled as Morgann left the building. It's all going well. With luck she could just infiltrate the circus or whatever and make off with whatever she had. Old school burglary on some circus hicks none of the authorities would really care about.

"Miss, your food has arrived." A waiter covered with bandages came and placed several platters of food on her table.

"THANK YOU KIND MEAT MAN!"

Juno froze at Marionette's voice, wondering if the waiter would freak out and sic the cuffers on her. To her surprise, he just nodded and gave a strained smile before leaving. Guess after what happened with the magician, he simply decided to stay low and do whatever it takes to not meet another piranha.

Shrugging, she started on her meal, shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could. Tomorrow would be a great day.

[Assistant]
Morgann

"Gross," Morgann grimaced, hesitant to even breathe after the spray of bile had dissipated. What if it smelled bad? Would it even matter? She was around elephants and Goddess knows what at the circus, so perhaps she shouldn't be such a girl about the possibility of an undesirable scent. After a few moments, she inhaled slowly before letting the cool breath escape her lips once more, relieved that the bile left no scent. She pulled her wand out of her coat, readying herself for the chance that the creature might attack.

Realizing she wasn't going to get an answer nor was the tall figure going to pursue her, Morgann watched helplessly as the woman was attacked before shoving her wand back into her suit, dashing over, and holding her arms out, staring directly up at the attacker. "I'm not going to move until I receive some sort of explanation," she explained slowly through her clenched pearly whites, "as to why you are attacking this woman." She swung one of her gloved hands around to hold up over her face, partially to get his attention and partially to not stare at his face. "As far as you know, I am an innocent bystander who merely works at the circus," she went on, narrowing her eyes through the mask's white film, "so I could damn well put you out of business if you laid a hand on me. You think I'm bluffing, you can take it up with my boss after you crush my face or completely dislocate my jawbone."

Gale

Gale listened from her tall roommate's shoulder to the conversation that the parasite was having with her host. From what she remembers, Brandy had told her at some point that the parasite was named Pharona and the host Angus, but she wasn't quite sure. During the period that Brandy maintained control, memories and conversations seemed to blur together to her, and she didn't particularly care to recall, to be honest. Her parasite had truly heard and experienced plenty that she was not eager to remember, and she was just fine with that. After hearing the parasite confirm her thoughts, she nodded sleepily and flicked her ears before closing her eyes again. "Pharona's voice is so chipper though," she thought sadly, "I actually like hearing it. Too bad I can't see what she or anyone else look like."

"Oh wait," she murmured, sitting up and reaching into one of her boots to grab her bandana. As she delicately wrapped it around her head, she began to address Angus's worries. "We will not harm the two soldiers," she spoke in a somber tone, proceeding to pull a couple of black rubber bands out of her shoe and pulling her spiky, unruly locks into two pigtails. "The mafia does not care for such petty crimes that we have committed, such as the one here today," she explained, moving closer so that she could curl up in the crook of Ash's neck, "they only care for the critical hits that we are ordered to take out. Believe me when I say that Ash has already intervened, so I do not think you will have to do so." Gale tucked her knees up against her chest and curled up in the gigantic jacket that Angus had given her, enjoying the warmth and protection from the wind that it provided. Goddess, it was getting chilly. "If you're so cold all the time, why don't you wear an actual coat instead of this stupid down vest?!" Brandy roared from within the depths of her mind, and though she winced, she did not say anything about how loud his static voice was. "Brandy," she began silently, her thin eyebrows furrowing together, "shut your mouth."

Brandy remained silent for a few moments before responding, "Gale, your mouth is my mouth, remember?" Groaning quietly, she clawed at the sides of her head before deciding it wasn't worth arguing over.


[System]
The Mundane
Age: 16
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 109 lbs
Hand: Left
Sanctum City: Siscia
Description:

Right: Ars Magi uniform, Left: Civilian clothes.

Penny is a slightly short, slim young girl with long, brown hair tied into a long braid, a heart-shaped face, and inquisitive green eyes hidden behind her glasses. A generous sprinkle of freckles decorates her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Penny's physique is slender yet toned from years of work and helping out the family in chores and work. She usually has a cheerful, helpful expression on her face unless she is deeply focused on something (like work), in which case, she assumes an expression of concentration and determination, and generally becomes inattentive to the world except what she's currently working on. She generally prefers practical work clothes, though she takes pride in her new school uniform.

Penny is rather strong for her size, able to lug around 90 lbs without slowing down.

Personality:
Penny is a smart, well-meaning girl who tries to be the best she can be in order to help the people around her. Always ready to lend a helping hand and a keen intellect, Penny can come off as a bit of a know-it-all, but doesn't intend to show off, merely help and explain. She is rather passionate about magitech, and will explain at length if allowed. However, she is still a friendly sort, willing to make new friends and acquaintances and will gladly help when asked. She's also a hard worker who believes in putting the effort, and does her best in anything she puts her mind to.

In many ways, being at Nova Lux is a cultural shock to her; while not poor, the grand architecture and spaciousness of the academy is a far cry from the practically claustrophobic neighborhoods she's familiar with, and the idea of luxuries being not rationed is impressive to her. Also, she can come across as a bit of a penny(hah!)-pincher, mostly out of habit as back home, every bit of cash brought to the house was measured against the bills and necessities of nine people living under one roof.

Background:
The third child of seven, Penny comes from a bustling household. Her mother is a sargeant in the Siscia Self Defense Forces, and her father is a local mechanic, granting her a low-income home but a loving family. Her two elder sisters (twins) are couriers in the city, and have taught her how to rollerblade (she's not as good as they are, though) as well as certain parkour skills she's developed further after her approval to Nova Lux, her remaining siblings are not of working age but help around the house. Her oldest brother (a year her junior) does have a peculiar habit of trying to make a living offering his services as a courier, message boy, or open various stalls with varying degrees of success, with big dreams of making it big to rise up in the world. Her remaining siblings are two brothers (twins) and a youngest sister. While the house is cramped and money is often tight, it's a good life with the family not lacking in necessities.

For her part, Penny is a smart, studious girl with an emphasis on practical applications of knowledge, having picked up a flair for machine work from her father from a young age and had wanted to grow up to follow in his path. Penny grew up with precious little free time, between schoolwork and helping her father in the workshop, sometimes having to fix something her siblings broke given her skill as a handyperson. One of the few luxuries she's enjoyed aside from the pleasurable rush of a successful repair, is the TV show Divine Magical Maid Altea, a government-sponsored animated show generally designed to be propaganda but generally a decent show. Growing up watching the show, she had often wished to grow up to be a magical girl, but knew the chances of that were slim, so she focused on her other love; machines and magitech, and intended to grow up to be a Magitech engineer when she grew up. While she generally relied on public access terminals for knowledge and reading, Penny has taken to reading and supplementary self-education with a zeal, generally reading whatever scientific articles on magic and magitech she could. She intended to study up to prove herself at the local university, that she might get in on a scholarship, given her family's limited funds.

Some time after her 13th birthday, however, Penny started having trouble around the workshop. Equipment she'd work on suddenly developed issues with static and feedback, making repairs and work difficult. Anti-static equipment helped, but the problems persisted. Eventually, around her 14th birthday, the problem returned stronger, and she was sent for a medical checkup. What began as a routine checkup soon unveiled magic potential, and she was sent to a military hospital to confirm that yes, she does indeed have magical potential. That changed her life, and she changed her life goals to become an Ars Magi, as that would help open more doors for herself and her family, and more importantly, allow her to help more people with her abilities.

The Magical
Armagus Name: Bright Emerald Spark

Gladius: Groß Eisen

Groß Eisen is a 6'6", 70 lb two-handed power hammer with rocket boosters that can be turned on or off for additional attack power. While a sizable and effective instrument of blunt trauma on its own, Penny can channel her lightning powers into it, granting her the ability to do massive melee damage with lightning-boosted, rocket-propelled slams, or can focus her magic into one big "Meteor Slam" where she smashes Groß Eisen on the ground (or a suitable target) and causes a massive shockwave in a large (10') radius around her. She can also use Groß Eisen's rockets to propel her forwards on the battlefield, giving a couple spins in place to increase her speed before she lets the hammer pull her forwards with its boosted momentum.

Parma: Aside from a change of outfit, Penny's bangs become green, and her eyes become a more brilliant green color, with small lightning sparks visible in them when she's emotional or determined. Her outfit changes into something similar to her favorite show, Divine Magical Maid Altea, with a white/green color scheme, with her glasses becoming more futuristic in their design, more akin to a visor. Her shoes have roller blades on the bottom for additional mobility.

Combat Role: Penny's role in combat is generally that of assault, using her strength, speed, and toughness to mix it up close while swinging Groß Eisen to crush her enemies.

Elementum: Lightning/Electricity

Elementum Abilities: Penny can user her lightning ability for ranged combat, firing arcs of electricity at a target. However, she prefers to use her lightning abilities to power up her own physical abilities and attacks, emphasizing an assault-heavy style. She can either boost her physical strength or durability, and can focus lightning into her attacks to give them a powerful shock effect. Her preferred use of her Elementum abilities is to channel them into Groß Eisen for devastating heavy attacks.

[User]
Penny just gave a little sigh at how energetic friend went off into a massive gushing description of the episode. She was right the first time; Dana was a seven year old in a teenager's body. Still, it's nice to listen to her She just gives a soft smile as Dana finishes her story.

Penny makes a face at the idea of Yagami hosting a haunted house.

"Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh.... I don't think that's such a good idea..." she says. "Two reasons.

"One, as I understand it, Yagami is pretty busy, like some other instructors who were brought in. And thank God, because, two, I ran into Instructor Baozhai after my exam, because she wanted to congratulate me on my success. I told her what happened, and joked that Yagami would run a pretty good haunted house. Immediately, Baozhai gives this... thousand yard stare and tells me to never, ever bring it up, especially in front of Yagami. Apparently, she had been in Yagami's year, and Yagami did run a haunted house - once. Except she ran it as a horror movie and traumatized more than a few students, Baozhai included. Nobody got physically hurt, mind, but they never let her run a haunted house again. Personally, I think she's a sadist."

[Assistant]
---

Ooooh shit a boat...?

The haptic feedback on Nicole's touchscreen was giving Nicole's thumbprint the massage of a lifetime right now. The redhead's eyes were half-lidded, one leg languidly slung over the armrest of a common room sofa; two fingers on her left hand were idly playing with the untied shoelaces of a modern-looking pair of white sneakers, zebra-striped with the stark, bold-fonted words BISEXUAL SPACE PROGRAM horizontally, vertically and diagonally, black scars across the shoes' pale surfaces. Nicole's digits stroked the obsidian laces like locks of hair. Her eyes traced the text chain from Aiya for the twentieth time that morning, and yet the words still felt new to her. Not out of shock that the sensuous Duodecim royalty owned a boat. No.

She was tweakin'. And geekin'. And tweakin'. And geekin'.

She blinked with all the alacrity of a particularly sleepy lizard, and read the texts for the twenty-first time.

...

Ooooh shit, a boat...

Let's rewind. Two weeks prior, Nicole Cognoscenti's vibrations has been knocked askew by a grueling, Machiavellian test of her leadership qualities that had toppled a legendary Ars Magi from the heavens of hero worship and had done as much to solidify Nicole's position as the center of their group of friends as it had to make her question her place among them. In the opening days of their two week break, the Hastan girl had been spaced out and distracted, preoccupied with thoughts of her time at Nova Lux so far and the stresses of encroaching leadership to join in on the binges or breathless stories about her exams. Most of what had been whispered about Nicole's exam had come from hearsay; she said little on the subject personally. But she listened to the stories of some of the others, the feats of strength, speed, and ingenuity, and felt a little twinge of envy at how cool they all sounded. How...normal.

Nicole had always thought of herself as just a normal girl.

Enter the blessed angel Cordelia, butler to the stars, Nicole's current roommate and another potential candidate for the BISEXUAL SPACE PROGRAM. Cordy had intimate knowledge of the faces and attitudes that girls their age adopted when depressed, and had taken it upon herself to go out into some of Palmyra's more adventurous street food vendors or semi-reputable dive bars and seek out a cure for Nicole's ails. Some of the coffees she brought back were tasty and invigorating. Once she'd brought back a pizza from a small chain called Mirror World, whose claim to fame was that the pizza they served was not pizza at all, but cheese-wrapped breadsticks stuffed with sauce and toppings, which triggered Nicole's fight-or-flight instinct and for a time brought her back to her old self. But nothing quite touched the sketchy edibles that poor, faithful Cordy had brought back the other night from one of the nightclubs she'd seen Nicole return from with pamphlets. No doubt her old, wealthy patrons had partaken frequently, and Nicole wasn't about to act like a total saint herself. But if the victory of life was knowing oneself, Nicole liked to think she had won before she even left her teenage years - and one thing she knew about herself is that she did not play off being high super well. But she didn't want to be rude, and to be honest, they were kind of fun. Even when she had finally cajoled Cordy into taking one herself earlier that morning, and hadn't...seen her...since...

Hmmm. Uh oh! ...Uh oh.

Thankfully, the other girls didn't know her as well as she knew herself. So they probably thought she was still just tired. Yeaaaaaah.

"Mm? Oh. Yeaaaaaah." Nicole lifted her chin up and murmured absently at Penny and Dana, though it could have just as easily been a verbal acknowledgement of their stories as it was a response to Penny's questions. "Hey, did either of you two actually pack a swimsuit? And I mean like...a swimsuit. We gotta impress here, girls. I saw you two at the gala, I'm not the only one with something to lose on this love boat. So if you're not sure if what you brought is gonna be cute enough to be hit on, you gotta let me know right now while we have time to fix it."

...

"I'm not gonna look cute enough to be hit on. Oh God. God, I gotta go." Nicole moved her thumb away from the touchscreen, gasped a little at the sudden halt to the haptic sensation of her phone, and then moved it back. She eased herself to her feet and exhaled deeply, before realization struck her that oh God, she had to be careful doing that, or she may tear the common room apart with a hurricane gale. "I gotta go now."

[User]
---

"Wait, what?" is Penny's only response to being told to get a swimsuit. It takes her a second to realize her team leader is actually being serious about it.

"Wait, what do you mean get a swimsuit?! Is it swimsuit-only?!" Penny asks in confusion. "Do I look like the sort to pack a swimsuit? Or even wear a swimsuit?"

Penny's inquiries go unanswered as the Hastan girl blitzes so quickly out of the room she generates a gale even without her Elementum.

"And where would I even get a swimsuit at this time?!" Penny calls out, even though Nichole has clearly gone out of earshot.

[Assistant]
---

Dana listened as Penny explained why her haunted house suggestion probably wasn't the best idea, her eyes growing wider as the bespectacled girl went on.

"Wow…" a stunned Dana said once her roommate had finished. "That must have really been somethin', huh? I mean, it totally sucks that people actually got traumatized and all," she added with a frown, before her smile returned with full force. "But now I almost wanna see it even more, y'know?!"

---

"Swimsuit?" Dana echoed in slight confusion when Nicole inquired if she and Penny had packed swimwear. "Uh, yeah, I've got my usual one," she added. "But I don't really know how cute it is…" After all, Dana had never really been one for fashion, instead, simply wearing what felt comfortable. However, further discussion on the subject would have to wait, as Nicole proceeded to have something of a minor freak out before bolting out the door, leaving a not-so-small gust of wind in her wake.

"Uh, do ya think we should go after her?" Dana asked her roommate. "She looked kinda upset…"


[System]
HistorySona, known as Sonsheeta, was born to a family which consisted of her mother, her father and her older brother Anadin. They were a well-kept family and they had high morals for the upbringing of their little girl. Even though Sona didn't exactly like this as she grew up, she followed up with her parents and the forest's rules.

From a young age, Sona was instantly attracted to the power of music and how instruments can help others, or destroy others lives. This is what encouraged Sona to sneak out her house one day and asked the eldar (who can play music very well) to teach her to play the harp. The eldar disagreed at first because of her parents, but eventually took her under his wing and started giving her harp lessons. It didn't take long for her to become a musical prodigy within the forest's borders. Everyone was proud of her for her achievement. But with this, it made her brother very jealous.

Anadin hated the fact that his baby sister was getting all the attention, he wanted all the attention and he hated his sister for that reason. So he delved into a plan to kill his parents and his sister, make himself out to be a hero and be what he always wanted to be: in the middle of everything.

On the night, his plan failed: hard. Two elves were finishing their date when they noticed Anadin setting up a fire to burn the whole place down. Anadin wasn't impressed with this so he entered the house and murdered his parents. The Eldar's guard was quickly notified when a local outcry was happening, some rushing out of their homes to burning.

Anadin almost killed Sona with his own bare hands when the guard rushed in and gravely injured Anadin, at the cost of almost losing his own arm. Anadin ran away afterwards, leaving his sister alive and well.

It didn't take long to realize that Sona really wasn't safe in the enclosed woods thanks to her brother, he seems to be stalking her every now and then. And even after a few near-death experiences because of him. She decided to tell the Eldar her fears. The only suggested that the Eldar could come up with, was that she had to leave the place; maybe she could possibly learn more about the art of music??

Sona noticed that this is something that she may need to do after all. She decided that she will leave, but she will try to visit the place frequently to tell them of her travels. Thinking that maybe her adventures will inspire her to write music, and just possibly make a few songs of her own.

It was this time during her early years of travelling, she made a bird companion who was injured, so she let the bird stay on her shoulder and named him Alto. Alto has stayed by her side ever since and they keep each other company while she is on her own.

One year, she has finally made a stop back to her birthplace, and was greeted by everyone there once more as they missed her loads. She told them of her travels and they seemed to love her stories, from entertaining in pubs to finding Alto, she felt very happy to be relaxing once more. Except at that night, her brother tried killing her once again.

He entered her place of rest that night and tried murdering her in her sleep. Sona didn't want a repeat of what happened them few years ago and had a little fight on her hands before running out of the place and went into hiding. The elves were not impressed.

Now, Sona has made her out of the village and is travelling again, where it will take her to this time. She doesn't know, all she knows is that she wants to travel with some company. And that she may not be so lucky the next time her brother finds her.
Parents: dead parents
Siblings:An alive brother named Anadrin, they hate each other and he wants to find and kill her personally
Childhood:
Adulthood: Anadin killed her parents,
Special Moments: When she bought her first harp, when the Eldar's guard protected her from her brother trying to kill her the first time
Current Events: Is currently travelling, but wants to find people to travel with, and wants to travel to find some inspiration for some music. Has no knowledge of what is happening because the forest she comes from is very secluded, and she has only started travelling again.
Relations
⚜ Crush: Her forest Elder's guard * ☯ Neutral : fellow bards in her forest : classed as rivals * ☮ Friends: the elves in her forest * ♥ N/A* ⚤ N/A * ☠ Sworn Enemy: Her brother, Anadrin
You may work out several predone relations as NPCs you control. Limit one high ranking character, minimal of one sworn enemy - all npcs are limited to base information and items within the Rp. Relations can be worked out between player character before start of Rp if you wish and added to during the Rp

Extras
Character Quote: 'If you believe it's impossible, it will be impossible' Something they say a lot or live by
Theme Song: Adrian Von Ziegler - Druidic Dreams
Aura Color: Earthy Green
Scent: Metal due to the harp, and maybe flowers?? Anything Else:

[User]
Sona Penetierre
Location: The Tavern
Interacting with: you, you, you and you! *casually pointing* xD

Sona was happy that Kyra offered her some music sheets, receiving them from the lady, she started feeling warm inside. As if they were taken care of with love instead of hatred, which is what Sona adored most about these music sheets "Oh, thankyou!" the bard exclaimed happily "I promise, I will take good care of them, don't you worry! They look so great and cool and amazing and they have been taken care of rather well." Sona kept appraising the music sheets until she noticed that Sundos was busy doing something… she best not bother him.

It was Lob that made her chuckle though: she didn't know what the hell was going on with him but he seemed to be doing well… what all Lob's done. "Oh my!" she chuckled and laughed carefully in hopes that she didn't disturb anyone that much with her laughing. She didn't want to disturb Sundos especially since her laughs can get rather loud for an Elf, but then again, she was a bard: she had to be loud anyway for her music to be expressive and heard.

Finally everyone seemed to be rearing to go, but first Sona needed to introduce herself to the people she has not exactly introduced herself to. So as she coughed lightly to stop herself from laughing some more, she walked up to Keystone and took her hand out for her introduction "Hello, sir" she greeted "my name is Sona, it is very nice to meet you" she glanced around, trying to find that other girl she saw this morning. But with her hand out towards Keystone, it was rather difficult to.

[Assistant]
Keystone
Location: Crossed Swords Inn & TavernInteracting With: Sona

Keystone looked over the comparatively smaller Sona as she extended her hand in greeting. To view the Elf up close, she appeared the type who got by on looks and personality. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing; Keystone himself had situations where he advanced his position purely because he was larger and more intimidating than the guy next to him.

All the same, when the obviously pretty Elven lady went out of her way to introduce herself, the less charismatic Keystone viewed it with suspicion. Elves, in his limited experience with the race, didn't take to him very readily. Dwarves, sure. The Sylvan Peoples, not so much. The circumstances of their meeting were such that they would be traveling companions for the next few days, introductions would come eventually anyway. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted something from him.

Wouldn't be the first time.

Keystone growled softly and looked Sona in the eyes before accepting her hand. "Name of Keystone, miss. Pugilist."

The rugged behemoth released her hand and immediately hoisted his pack onto the table, checking the straps and inspecting for damage. He noted that his new acquaintance had little equipment to speak of, despite being far into rural country and setting to a few days' outing into hostile territory.

"Miss Sona, how're you set for provisions?" his underclass accent rolled, "Food, weapons, such? You look understocked. Maybe I can help with that."

[User]
---

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Updates
Season: Late Fall/Early Winter
Time Of Day: Mid Morning
Weather: The air is cool, a few grey clouds are rolling in and the winds are picking up - Tut-tut, it looks like rain
General Ambiance: Sleepy
Location: Hamlet of Salarn in the region of Gorlf just south of the Orc Settlement of Yzewz
Setting: Salarn

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Kyra Altham
Location: Outside The Tavern
Interacting With: The Medieval X-Men
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Kyra just smiled at Sona, she seemed happy to get the music sheets. At least they had finally found a home where they would be put to use in a good way instead of just as kindling if it came down to it. Gathering her things she hefted her pack onto her shoulder and picked up her bow. With a quick whistle Ash rushed over to her side and she motioned for the door.

 "Alright folks, let's get packed up and ready to head out. We have a long road ahead of us. Let's get as much of it out of the way before the rain sets in," she said as she motioned towards the clouds outside of the window.

 Stepping outside she tossed her pack into the back of Cremwise's wagon and stepped over to the merchant who was already seated up at the front with the horses reigns in his hands. He gave a smile, he was ready to go. He wasn't looking forward to having to get through the orc territory but with this group at least he stood a good chance of getting through without incident. Hopefully the orcs would just let the merchant get through without issue, they weren't military it was clear. He was even thankful for the Half-Orc; maybe that would buy them some kindness.

 Kyra knew better, Orcs and Half-Orcs did not get along. She was figuring there would be at least one or two scuffles during the trip. Maybe if they made a strong enough showing during the first it would make the orcs back off enough to get through without any others but Orcs were not known for baking down from a fight. And if they were working with the same goblins that had attacked her adopted home, it would make things even worse. This was going to be anything but an easy walk through the woods. She would have rather gone on foot alone off the main path but it wasn't like the wagon could handle the hilly terrain, if heavy rain set in on the dusty path that alone would cause some issues. Least they had a brute or two in the group to help get the wagon out of any mud problems.

 "So, how do we do this?" Cremwise asked.

 "Ash and I will scout ahead of the main group. The rest will stay with you. If anything happens, I'll signal; Lob should be able to pick up on it with his senses," she said before looking over at Lob. "Keep an ear out for me but stay with them Lob," she instructed as she pulled the hood of her mantel up and patted Ash. Unslinging her bow from her back, she knocked a bow into place and ran off through the south exit of town - the only exit and made her way along the path north until she ducked off the path and into the woods with Ash taking the lead.

[Assistant]
Lucan Cauldwell
Location: The Crossed Swords Tavern > Outside
Interacting With: The Medieval Avengers

Remaining fairly silent as the conversation continued, Lucan spent the time looking through his things and making sure they were all together and ready for the journey. He didn't have a great deal other than what was already in his pack, placing his belt and sheathe on over his armour, he shifted his head up just as Kyra called out for the group to get moving. The call to him was well past due, he was more than ready to get going and he'd been honestly looking forward to it. Moving outside, he looked over the wagon, grabbing an apple from his pack tossing the bag into it before he moved off to the stables by the tavern.

Approaching Brie, Lucan gently placed his hand on the mane of the horse as he fed her the apple. Waiting for a few moments as the horse fed on the apple, he eventually dropped the core to the ground as he hauled himself up onto Brie's back, taking the reins and moving out of the stable, back over toward the wagon just in time to see Kyra take off out of town and down the road. He didn't much care to be particularly wary or take any sort of leadership, he was there to fight if it was needed, otherwise he just planned to trot along with the wagon until they reached their destination.

As he sat atop Brie, looking over at the others, Lucan remained relatively silent, taking in their group. It was quite the odd bunch, from the half-orc to the elf bard. Looking at each of them, he imagined they would never be the kind of bunch to work together, at least they wouldn't be the kind of bunch you heard songs or stories about. In a way, Lucan was appreciative for that.